I remember it well. I was in the cafeteria at University of Dayton, a Catholic college. It was my freshman year and when the news came over the loudspeakers I was shocked to see the male students publicly weep. Then there was a huge scraping of chairs and most stood to march to the Chapel to pray for President Kennedy. It was a shocking horrible time.
I was in my high school senior English class, which was just before lunch; we were taking an exam when the Math teacher came in and very quietly had a little talk with the English teacher and left. After the exam papers were handed in, the English teacher told us the President had been shot, and not much more was known. That afternoon we had a math exam scheduled, and the teacher reminded us that at the beginning of the semester he had told us that exams would only be rescheduled in case of fire, earthquake, or something similar; and that he thought this was something similar. I collected newspapers for several weeks, and made recordings of radio news broadcasts; but somewhere along the line those disappeared.
Apologies for the delay in reporting today. Sis has been sleeping most of the day, which meant I couldn't get upstairs to the computer.
The young woman from Dad's church came today. I can't get out of Dad or Sis exactly what she is, a nurse or a home health aid or what. Nor can they tell me her name: Jessie Lee? Jessie Lyn? My hunch is that it's Jessamyn. In any case, she seems competent and knowledgeable. Mom said she was "a nice girl" and both Dad and Sis feel comfortable with her. I didn't have a chance to speak to her, but did hear her making much of one of the kitties and saying she loves cats. That's always a good sign.
She will be coming for a time every day, if I understand correctly. She also knows the head of the city's Dept. of Elder Affairs and is going to see what she can find out about the charges and the harassment.
She had a lot of helpful suggestions, some of which have already been implemented and Mom is the more comfortable for it. She also said quite firmly that Mom is not dying.
Today for the first time I got Mom to work with the squeezy therapy ball. Sis has shown no interest in it but Mom did well with it. I told her she had to work with it a little every day, which she accepted.
Of course she was tired after seeing the 'nurse' which is natural. But Sis takes every time she is tired or downhearted as indicating that she is going to die immediately. It is really wearing on me. Can't imagine how it affects Mom!
Via politicalwire.com: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) called on President Trump begin the transition process to a Joe Biden administration and decried what she called a “pressure campaign” mounted on state legislators by allies of the president to stop the results from being certified, The Hill reports.
For a long time now, I have been trying to come up with a historical precedent for our current times. In The Atlantic today I find what seems to be a very good suggestion: In 1864, Like in 2020, America Just Got Lucky [Click] I’d take it a little farther; around the same time a major political party (the Whig Party, our first modern political party) disintegrated, spawning both the Republican Party and the American Party [AKA Know-Nothings.] [Click—their spirit still lives among us.] The US was undergoing significant demographic change in those times, and for about 45 years after the Civil War Jefferson’s yeoman farmers were forced into near slavery as sharecroppers or industrial workers by the US government’s policy of deflation (intended to see that the banks that loaned the government money for the Civil War were repaid in dollars of equal value to those they lent). Nowadays the depopulation of rural areas by mechanized and now automated agriculture continues; more and more US counties meet the 19th-Century definition of frontier areas. There’s no stopping it. Last week, out of curiosity, I looked up the town where my father was born in 1911—Manhattan, Montana, near Bozeman. It is growing because of its proximity to Bozeman, lower house prices, and [at least allegedly] better schools. Efforts are being made to revitalize the old business district, but I have doubts about how far that can go, from the looks of it. A bedroom community, maybe transforming into a bedZoom community. [I just invented that neologism—not bad, I think!] So we are going through a lot of things similar to the latter 19th Century, being so far spared only long term deflation and outright civil war (although we have roving gangs of heavily armed anarchists, particularly in the interior). Well, maybe we will build on our luck, like when Sherman took Atlanta and Sheridan kicked Early at Cedar Creek shortly before the 1864 election. [listener—I hadn’t known before about the exploits of the First Vermont Volunteers at Cedar Creek.] Well, more than enough ranting by an old guy; but go read that Atlantic article. If you have difficulty opening it, let me know.
‘People of Color’ Do Not Belong to the Democratic Party [Click] “It’s past time to start seeing voters the way they see themselves.”
ReplyDeleteI remember it well. I was in the cafeteria at University of Dayton, a Catholic college. It was my freshman year and when the news came over the loudspeakers I was shocked to see the male students publicly weep. Then there was a huge scraping of chairs and most stood to march to the Chapel to pray for President Kennedy. It was a shocking horrible time.
ReplyDeleteI was in my high school senior English class, which was just before lunch; we were taking an exam when the Math teacher came in and very quietly had a little talk with the English teacher and left. After the exam papers were handed in, the English teacher told us the President had been shot, and not much more was known. That afternoon we had a math exam scheduled, and the teacher reminded us that at the beginning of the semester he had told us that exams would only be rescheduled in case of fire, earthquake, or something similar; and that he thought this was something similar. I collected newspapers for several weeks, and made recordings of radio news broadcasts; but somewhere along the line those disappeared.
DeleteSince the age of majority in those days was 21, I couldn't vote in 1964; in 1968 I voted for Hubert Humphrey, "the happy warrior."
DeleteThe internet is a sneaky, insidious thing. Every day it reaches out and glues my butt to my desk chair.
ReplyDeleteYou too?
DeleteApologies for the delay in reporting today. Sis has been sleeping most of the day, which meant I couldn't get upstairs to the computer.
ReplyDeleteThe young woman from Dad's church came today. I can't get out of Dad or Sis exactly what she is, a nurse or a home health aid or what. Nor can they tell me her name: Jessie Lee? Jessie Lyn? My hunch is that it's Jessamyn. In any case, she seems competent and knowledgeable. Mom said she was "a nice girl" and both Dad and Sis feel comfortable with her. I didn't have a chance to speak to her, but did hear her making much of one of the kitties and saying she loves cats. That's always a good sign.
She will be coming for a time every day, if I understand correctly. She also knows the head of the city's Dept. of Elder Affairs and is going to see what she can find out about the charges and the harassment.
She had a lot of helpful suggestions, some of which have already been implemented and Mom is the more comfortable for it. She also said quite firmly that Mom is not dying.
Today for the first time I got Mom to work with the squeezy therapy ball. Sis has shown no interest in it but Mom did well with it. I told her she had to work with it a little every day, which she accepted.
Of course she was tired after seeing the 'nurse' which is natural. But Sis takes every time she is tired or downhearted as indicating that she is going to die immediately. It is really wearing on me. Can't imagine how it affects Mom!
That does sound hopeful. May it continue.
DeleteJessamyn sounds like a Godsend.
DeleteSO good to hear that Mom is NOT dying!
May the work of making her living all the better rev up and make a big difference...!
💙💚💛🙏💛💚💙
What Alan and listener said.
DeleteGOP Civil War, Inspired by Trump, Grips Georgia, Threatens Other States [Click] “On Saturday, loyal supporters of President Donald Trump in the state threatened to dismantle the Republican Party and boycott the Georgia runoff elections that will determine control of the Senate.”
ReplyDeleteThat certainly sounds hopeful! More power to them, say I.
Yes! If I'm to be denied the pleasure of reading Moscow Mitch's Obituary I'd at least like to see him demoted.
DeleteThere's no reason you can't have both, Susan.
DeleteVia politicalwire.com: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) called on President Trump begin the transition process to a Joe Biden administration and decried what she called a “pressure campaign” mounted on state legislators by allies of the president to stop the results from being certified, The Hill reports.
ReplyDeleteRepublicans Quietly Plot to Sink Biden Nominees [Click] Two points:
ReplyDelete1) That’s not news
2) I hope they enjoy their ten-day recess.
VT cases: 3629-3546= 83
ReplyDelete1287active cases
63deaths(2days)
Recovered 2279(+33)
Hospital 21(+4) ICU 3(+1)
Tests 213,729 (+2836)
NH will finally have a (long overdue!!) mask mandate, as of Friday
ReplyDeletehttps://www.wcax.com/2020/11/19/sununu-issues-mask-mandate-in-new-hamsphire-as-covid-cases-rise/?fbclid=IwAR3IyXvwM-G-f_h2BUPLnwgtLtJNkXusgXaL_MNVI0GmYTpq22_LqShUaEQ
Oh, I AM slipping. Almost forgot to get the COVID numbers for today.
ReplyDeleteOHIO; COVID cases 351,439 and 5,996 deaths *
*again with the note: Today's date is incomplete, thousands of reports are pending review.
For a long time now, I have been trying to come up with a historical precedent for our current times. In The Atlantic today I find what seems to be a very good suggestion: In 1864, Like in 2020, America Just Got Lucky [Click] I’d take it a little farther; around the same time a major political party (the Whig Party, our first modern political party) disintegrated, spawning both the Republican Party and the American Party [AKA Know-Nothings.] [Click—their spirit still lives among us.] The US was undergoing significant demographic change in those times, and for about 45 years after the Civil War Jefferson’s yeoman farmers were forced into near slavery as sharecroppers or industrial workers by the US government’s policy of deflation (intended to see that the banks that loaned the government money for the Civil War were repaid in dollars of equal value to those they lent). Nowadays the depopulation of rural areas by mechanized and now automated agriculture continues; more and more US counties meet the 19th-Century definition of frontier areas. There’s no stopping it. Last week, out of curiosity, I looked up the town where my father was born in 1911—Manhattan, Montana, near Bozeman. It is growing because of its proximity to Bozeman, lower house prices, and [at least allegedly] better schools. Efforts are being made to revitalize the old business district, but I have doubts about how far that can go, from the looks of it. A bedroom community, maybe transforming into a bedZoom community. [I just invented that neologism—not bad, I think!] So we are going through a lot of things similar to the latter 19th Century, being so far spared only long term deflation and outright civil war (although we have roving gangs of heavily armed anarchists, particularly in the interior). Well, maybe we will build on our luck, like when Sherman took Atlanta and Sheridan kicked Early at Cedar Creek shortly before the 1864 election. [listener—I hadn’t known before about the exploits of the First Vermont Volunteers at Cedar Creek.] Well, more than enough ranting by an old guy; but go read that Atlantic article. If you have difficulty opening it, let me know.
ReplyDeleteFifty Million Americans set to ignore warnings against Thanksgiving travel [Click] Jeez. . .
ReplyDelete