Somehow I'm not surprised

Pagans celebrated when the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs added a closer, more robust religious area for Wiccans and other followers of nature-based religions (Academy chapel to add outdoor circle to worship areas). But within a short time, before it could even be properly dedicated, the circle was desecrated (Christians Desecrate Wiccan Religious Site at Air Force Academy) by setting up a large wooden cross there.

I wish people could just learn a little tolerance. Years ago, when the Rosemoon Guild became the first CUUPS group there at the local Unitarian-Universalit Church, we set up a ritual circle. I think they were afraid, in the words of one of my friends, that we'd hex their office equipment. But after our circle was desecrated by some of the locals, they came to our defence, and we became 'their' pagans, at least until we finally parted ways a few years later. For some time, though, the circle became community property between both church and Guild.

I've been doing some research

both for a character in the game and for my own family (they are both linked by Massachusetts, so that wasn't a random progression).

I knew that one of my ancestors, Edouard Bompasse, came to Plymouth in 1621 on the ship Fortune, which was the second ship to land there after the Mayflower, right after the so-called 'First Thanksgiving'. I found out that on that same ship was Philip Delano, an ancestor of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Also, Edouard was apparently part of the Leyden group and so was, indeed, a Pilgrim. His family settled in Marshfield, Duxbury, and Scituate, near Plymouth. Eventually his grandson, Samuel, left there and went down to Virginia, where he became a tobacco grower who, it is said, was drowned by his own slaves. From there the family moved to North Carolina, and eventually to Tennessee, near Clarksville, and then married into the Broadbent family, which moved to Cadiz, Kentucky and so then spawned my grandfather (who to be honest, I never met--falling out with fathers runs in my family, apparently). So I am the 14th generation living here in the US on that side. On another side I'm the ninth generation living in Kentucky (and on that side there was a story of a man and his sons who hid in a South Carolina woodpile eating snakes when the Indians attacked--his wife and daughter were killed). That was the Cobb family (my most famous relation, a many-degreed cousin, was Ty Cobb, the baseball player.) All in all my family is Irish, English, Scottish, Welsh, maybe some Cornish, and a little bit of Indian mixed in, according to family tradition (My paternal great-great grandmother was supposed to be Blackfoot, and there's Cherokee on my mother's side).

There was one Bumpus cousin who was publicly whipped for having sex with a man in the Plymouth Colony. Well, he was whipped and he had to pay money to her family (I gather he may have been married, and of course was the man, so was seen as the more responsible party, whereas she was whipped for not protesting his advances enough, but was not married, so there was no serious breach of the adultery laws. (I'm not sure how it was with the Pilgrims, but in the actual text of the Bible, and in Judaism, it's only adultery if the woman is married, as a man could have more than one wife during Biblical times.)

So, Pilgrims, Indians, slaveholders, blacksmiths, yeoman farmers--a little bit of everything went into to produce me. Almost all of my ancestors were some kind of independent farmer of various means, until the last generation, really, moving about the country to find new opportunities but then settling for generations once they were found. Some fought in the Revolution. There were those on both sides of the Civil War, too, and of course both World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam. I love genealogy. I'd like to learn more about the lesser researched members of the family. My mom and aunt are working on the Craig, Lamb, and Reardon families. I know just a bit about the my Duncan side of the family. Of course, I am a librarian, and there's so much more available than there used to be with online forums, but the problem is finding the time to do it.

I love birds, and take every opportunity to observe them

Every morning I have a ritual of sitting on the bus so I can watch the ducks and geese on the reservoir. This morning I couldn't see out of the bus window for the snow and grit, but I did see a hawk flying over the woods near the hospital.

But this afternoon, something wonderful happened. A small bird flew near me and landed in the snow, its bright plumage standing out clearly. It was a bluebird.

I know what they look like, I've seen pictures, drawings, and my family even had a porcelain one my mother china-painted when I was growing up. But despite trips to the farm, being out in the country, and countless bird watching in forty-three years, I have never once seen a real bluebird. For years they declined due to human encroachment upon their environment and myriad introduced predators.  They seem to be making a comeback, though, as evidenced by my sighting in the middle of the city (albeit on a many-acre patch of grass near a stand of woods).

The blue of its feathers was an electric blue, looking almost painted on, and the breast was quite reddish-orange. It was small, delicate, obviously cold, as it was all puffed up. It was absolutely beautiful, a wonderful example of Creation's myriad gifts. Like a colourful flower or butterfly, its plumage was so bright and delicate, even more so as pictured against the white snow. Like other birds, it demonstrated the miracle of flight. And its small, energetic movements demonstrated the activity and wonder of life. I hope the hawk does not find it a tasty meal.

It was quite a lovely experience on a snowy afternoon. I unfortunately couldn't take a picture, as the bus came just then and the bird flew away. But despite having an erratic memory, I think that beautiful blue will remain tucked away for future reference.

For more information on bluebirds and what can be done to help them thrive, check out Bluebird Information and Awareness and the North American Bluebird Society.

As you may have realised, I'm home

I have a rare afternoon and evening to myself, as I am not scheduled at the gas station nor am I going out anywhere. My plans? Rest, read, clean up a bit, do dishes, do laundry, and get caught up on my RSS feeds.

Good news!

My podiatrist's office just called and MY ORTHOTICS ARE HERE! I'm going to pick them up tomorrow after work. Let's just hope they really help the foot issue. Maybe then I'll stop complaining about my feet all the time.

This is so neat!

It's a fun game for kids or big kids alike, and it's from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, home of my friend Tracy. In fact, the first one I built had a Tracy look-alike. But here's mine:

You can send your orbiter or rover to the Moon, Mars (polar), Mars (equator), or the moon Titan. Have fun with different instruments, hairstyles, you name it. And of course I made my rover purple. :)

Try it yourself at: http://jpl.nasa.gov/education/BuildMissionGame.cfm

Sorry I didn't blog last night

I was stranded at my friends' place due to snow that quickly covered the streets. After waiting over three hours for a cab I conceded defeat and bedded down on a rug in their living room. One of their dogs got under the cover with me and cuddled all night. :) She's very comfort oriented. I didn't sleep well, mainly because I didn't have my CPAP machine. At 8 am I got up, took a bus, and arrived home at 10, calling in to work and asking my boss if it would be okay if I took today off, as I was still very tired from the lack of sleep. I tried to catch up on my sleep and didn't get up until 2:40 pm, so that I could be at my other job by 3:30.

The walk wasn't bad because it had rained all day and everything was slushy. Of course, while I was at work the temperature plummeted and the snow started back up. Walking home in -3 degree wind chill with a heavy northwest wind and frozen slush was taxing, particularly on my ankles. So I finally got home, put ice on my ankles and knees, and called my friend to let him know I was home and okay.

I probably would have had a ride, but one of my co-workers at the store was out sick; he has hydrocephalus, which is very serious (although I think I'm the only one there who seems to understand that--it can be fatal). Here's hoping he'll be okay; he has to consult with a neurosurgeon--I suppose they'll discuss putting in a shunt.

Anyway, that's the news on my end. I don't really feel up to looking and commenting on the news. I have something to rant about that YKWIA told me about yesterday, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. The good thing is that I'm off from the store. She's going to try to let me off an extra day, and that helps with my feet. Actually, tonight I did really well in terms of pain until I went down a sidewalk of frozen slush, where the uneven surface really did a number on my tendons. The rest of the time I walked at the edge of the streets (there aren't any sidewalks other than the first 30 yards or so on my way home) and that wasn't so bad, although I had to watch for ice, especially black ice.

I am so ready for spring, and I'm not even having to endure the feet of snow of the mid-Atlantic states.

Okay, good night. I'm going to go on to bed.

You know

I wonder if I should be concerned that I've recently had a gradual numbing of my fingers on my right hand, plus the dizziness? It's not sudden, like in a stroke. I've had carpal tunnel surgery, so I doubt the numbness could be from that. I think I'll call my doctor tomorrow.

Bleh

I've been dizzy tonight, both during the Cthulhu game and all the way through a trip to Kroger's. My blood pressure is usually dead on normal, 120 over 75 or 80. My blood sugar was 143, which is a little higher than the norm but lower than it usually is for me. Maybe I'm coming down with a migraine; I have a headache, I'm a little sensitive to light and and feel a little nauseous. I haven't had one in years, but the hormonal cycle is right. I don't know--it could be anything. I'll keep a watch on my glucose levels and if the dizziness hits me at the hospital where I work, I'll ask them to take my blood pressure. If it continues or there's an issue, I'll go see my doctor. But in the meantime, I think I'll take it easy tonight and maybe turn in early.

Ice packs are our friends

The other day when I was at the pharmacy I purchased two kinds of packs (2 each) that can be used either for cold or heat. One kind was a gel and another uses some other means of holding the cold or heat. I tried out the gel packs tonight. The ice packs fit in a pocket and a cloth wraparound fastened with velcro works well around ankles and knees. I kept it on my ankles for 10 minutes, my knees for 10 minutes, and finally my back and shoulders. I got under my Snuggie and at least while I had them on my feet and ankles, had the massaging cushion going. It was a little like spa time. I feel much better than when I got home, albeit a little cold (it's very cold outside and I didn't really warm up much before I started using the ice). Now I'm eating some oatmeal and trying to get a little warmer. I'm going to turn in very soon because I have to get up early in the morning around 4:30 am.

I got a thank you card in the mail from the oral surgery office thanking me for being a patient and assuring me that I could call them if I had any issues. I thought that was rather nice.

We got scant snow, nowhere near the 3-4 inches that was predicted, although the wind was very cold. I'm glad I didn't go out to Best Buy, although I'll be very poor tomorrow and Monday.

I guess that's all for now. I'm finished eating and should probably trundle off to bed. Good night.