A battle for independence

 Being born in Texas (though raised mostly in St. Louis MO - but that doesn't count) I have Texas blood in my veins. Literally. My ancestors were among the first to settle in Texas before it became a state...back when Mexico was welcoming American settlers.

They fought against Mexico with the result that Texas gained independence...kind of a country in itself. The last battle was at San Jacinto, TX, led by Sam Houston, on April 21, 1836. 

This is a photo of the last meeting of the survivors of the Battle of San Jacinto. It was taken in Goliad on 21 April, 1906, 70 years after the battle that won Texas independence. The men are, from left, William P. Zuber, Austin; John W. Darlington, Taylor; Asa C. Hill, Oakville; Stephen F. Sparks, Rockport; L. T. Lawler, Florence; Alphonso Steele, Mexia. As noted earlier, Zuber was the last man remaining survivor, dying in 1913. Alphonso Steele was the second to last, passing away on July 8, 1911.

Thanks to Traces of Texas facebook group in 2018.

No, I don't think any ancestors of mine were in the battle.

Texas wasn't admitted to the United States until 1845. So it was an independent country with ambassadors to and from the US between 1836 and 1845.

Brothers

 

Three year old Marty didn't know what to think of the tiny brother Russ who his mom (me) brought home from the hospital just a few weeks ago.

A few years later found a wintertime visit of these same brothers and mom to Disneyworld.

The shot on the left shows Russ as an active 6 year old upside down on a palm trunk. On the right the brothers discuss what the Hillsborough River below might have as adventures for them. We were camping in Hillsborough State Park in the spring, and the bull alligators calls kept us awake half the night. We had been assured our camper van in the campground was safely far away from the river banks where their interests lay.

A few years later, Marty was on leave from the Navy, and there was a new half-brother, Tai, with a different father.

Here I'm on the left, and Russ, once a tiny baby, or an upside down acrobat, then was a college student at Georgia Tech,  Brother Tai and mom visited cousin Zach in Houston TX (on r.) Cousin Lisa and Aunt Mary aren't in this picture but were a big part of the visit (as well as grandparents Rogers.)

Then Marty got married, with Russ on far right, and Tai on far left.

And in the course of events, I had grandchildren!

Here oldest grandson in plaid (brother from another mother) hugs his little sister while their brother also checks out dad who's shooting the same photo.

One of my favorite photos of my three sons, when Russ (on l.) got married, with now grown up Tai (in middle) and Marty (on r.) Sorry, couldn't find the copy that didn't have lots of reflections on it.

There are now three granddaughters to add to my family! But this is about brothers...so let's have sisters sometime soon!

Sharing with Sepia Saturday. 

Musings today

 I'm a reader. I'm currently listening to a book as an audio recording...49 hours long. But I've already got 10 hours under my belt. Hope I can renew it from the library when my 13 day check-out period expires!

What's this long book? The latest (I think) in the Outlander series by Diana Galbadon. "Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone." The first 10 hours have been interesting, catching me up on events that I hadn't read about. It mainly takes place in the wilderness of the North Carolina mountains at the time of the American Revolution. I wonder what the volume before this one was. I have read all the long heavy books that came before, either in order, or close enough whenever they were available at the library. That must have started 15 years or so ago.

So yes, I may have re-read a few of them. Then there were 5 seasons of TV shows of the Outlander series, on Prime streaming TV. I kept waiting for another season, because these only covered up till they came to North Carolina. There is time travel, and Scotland and its citizens, and some French characters as well. English and Americans are in there too.

OK, that's my book report for the day.

I've noticed that I only capture and share sayings that have to do with my life. Whenever they are talking about raising the next generation...like parenting tips...I skip over them.

When I raised my first son my instruction manual was Dr. Benjamin Spock's book, "Baby and Childcare." I was new at relying upon medical doctors and drugs, so I learned how they could help, and when they couldn't.  And of course doing things by the seat of my pants, as they say. Later I was glad to have other parents as friends who went through similar things that we did. But I didn't rely upon my own family of relations to give me answers. I am sorry now that I did things so "independently" as I'm sure I could have learned a lot from my parents and in-laws. But we had limits on our relationships, as to what I would accept of their "advice."  Part of that was their religious attitude against using doctors.

All of these thoughts were triggered by a saying on Facebook ...

Now I don't give any of my children or grandchildren advice. I support each of them in their own chosen paths. And I listen if they wish to share their problems sometimes. That doesn't happen often, since we communicate through distances. Thank heavens for texting, emails, facetime, and 'no-extra-charge' long distance calls! 

So I am what I am. And very thrilled with plans to see some family members soon. More about that later.

Today's quote:

Laughs and other things

Yes ants help peonies, and there they are, from who knows where. Our apartments are diligently sprayed to keep them outside.

 Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. —Lao Tzu

More Taoist thoughts to consider today!

Toe tapping music from Tuatha Dea

 

Thanks to several other wonderful women who shared this link!

Earth Day facts

 Catching up with some Earth Day facts (which wouldn't download for me yesterday!)

From CBS Sunday Morning 4.21.24

Something to consider

 

The tiny particles which form the vast universe are not tiny at all.
Neither is the vast universe vast.
These are notions of the mind, which is like a knife,
always chipping away at the Tao,
trying to render it graspable and manageable.
But that which is beyond form is ungraspable, and
that which is beyond knowing is unmanageable.
There is, however, this consolation:
She who lets go of the knife will find the Tao at her
fingertips.
—Lao Tzu

O're the seas

  

Painted by Anton Otto Fischer, "On the Yardarm Furling the Mainsail"  Only someone who had been there could have painted this!

Creole, Charles Nicholson's 1927 schooner. Largest wooden sailing yacht in the world at 214'

Grace O'Malley. I've always enjoyed considering this woman's life. Here's a bit of history, perhaps some myth merged into it.

Sometime around 1530, Grace O’Malley was born. Largely forgotten to history, her life was a testament of what a woman could accomplish regardless of the social expectations of the time.

Grace O’Malley was a member of a powerful Irish clan who was well-known for its pirating of ships and trading with foreign countries. Grace, although a woman in the male-dominated sixteenth century, became a prominent pirate. She was known for her stubbornness and leadership abilities, and most of her crew willingly followed her lead.

O’Malley’s trading ships often pirated the English’s ships, but she offered the English several hundred fighting men to appease their anger. Grace O’Malley’s trading took her to ports throughout Europe and continued to grow her wealth, power, and prestige. Although on the high seas constantly trading and fighting, Grace O’Malley had several children.

O’Malley was a pirate queen, and at the height of her power, she commanded hundreds of men and many ships. She met and spoke in Latin with Queen Elizabeth I, perhaps the only contemporary woman with more power than Grace. Supposedly, O’Malley refused to bow and accept a title of nobility because they were equals. Grace O’Malley died in 1603 and proved that women can beat social norms and become a legend in their own unique way.

“There came to me also a most famous feminine sea captain called [Grace O’Malley]...This was...[the most] notorious woman in all the coast of Ireland.” —Sir Henry Sidney

As posted on Facebook!

When I lived in Tampa FL early 2000s, I met the Krew Grace O'Malley who would volunteer to visit the Senior Living Complex where I was the Activity Director. The women in their seventeenth century period clothing were very popular, as well as the beads they gave out lavishly. Tampa has a yearly Mardi Gras festival called Gaspiralla, with pirate boats landing, and various Krews making floats for the parades, where strands of beads are distributed to everyone. My oldest son is a safety officer for another Krew, the Mustang Sallies and Ryders, a co-ed Krew.

Painting by Montague Dawson

Italian training ship Amerigo Vespucci

Several of these photos were from FaceBook group Tall Ships

The shore gives me such wonderful feelings; peaceful, thoughtful, awe-struck.

Today's quote:

We allow our ignorance to prevail upon us and make us think we can survive alone, alone in patches, alone in groups, alone in races, even alone in genders. -Maya Angelou, poet (1928-2014)

We're waves, not particles!

 What about quantum mechanics?

Not sure Einstein really said that, but it's a good thought. We're certainly all connected, moved by the same energies as the Universe.

Clean(er) water

This week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced new rules requiring municipal utilities to remove several specific chemicals within the PFAS family from water supplies.

PFAS refers to a large group of industrial chemicals. The new regulations target a handful of the best-studied PFAS, which have been linked to certain cancers and birth complications.

Virtually all Americans have measurable amounts of PFAS in their blood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Public health advocates across the country have been calling on federal and state governments to regulate PFAS in drinking water for years. Melanie Benesh of the Environmental Working Group characterized the EPA’s decision as “life changing.”

Benesh told PBS NewsHour’s William Brangham that PFAS contamination in the United States is pervasive, and that the new regulation is the most efficient way the federal government can reduce the public’s exposure to these hazardous chemicals. 

Source: Science on PBS Newshour