Posted in Sunday Report

A bit of babbling…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Just as I was beginning to get my energy back, Casey decided to start feeling not-so-great. A lot of his discomfort is caused by over-working shoulders and back, quite the opposite of my sleep-injuries. It does make me wonder how long we’ll be able to stay here on the Acres and keep it maintained properly. I hope it’s just a matter of him beginning to set a new pace for himself, as I’d like to stick around another five or so years.

The toy/play area in our family room has been dismantled and stored away, a sad task for me. I still have a lot of my own dolls and stuffed animals, and now it’s three generations that have played with the Barbie clothes that my grandmother made me. The task had a domino effect of cleaning and curating upstairs and I think I’m what we’ll call a sentimental hoarder. With all of my grandmothers’ and grandaunts’ and Mom’s heirlooms and tchotchkes, my house is full enough, but add in my own “collections” and souvenirs and it’s overflowing. I do love looking through it all every so once in a while and I often say I’m going to clear more of it out, but I doubt I will make much of a dent in it.

The Evansville West Side Nut Club Fall Festival starts today and the whole town is excited for the event, one of the largest and most popular Fall Festivals in the whole USA. We’ll probably pop over to ingest some grease for lunch one day this week and Samantha will be marching in Saturday’s parade with her Dance School, so we’ll see if we can find a seat for that. It’s been decades since I have been to the Fest at night, but it’s something to behold.

Temps are up to 90 today and I’m back in my shorts, but I’m ready for some cooler weather, dang it. Usually there’s a weather change during the week of the Fall Festival, so my fingers are crossed that we’ll start to see some Fall foliage displays.

Hope you’re enjoying Life in your neck of the woods!

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Diggin’ around Yellow Springs

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

We were late starting our drive to Yellow Springs, Ohio on Monday, but the drive was smooth and we were there in plenty of time. It was great weather for camping at John Bryan State Park, and wasn’t that SuperMoon Super?!

The next day we were up and at ’em, arriving at Emery Chapel cemetery early before the humidity and heat set in. We took a probe to check for buried stones and were met with immediate success!

Adam Found!
This is all we could find of Adam’s grave…

I believe we could probe and find several more, but I’m not missing anybody on my family tree, so I think we’re kind of done there. We sprayed some cleaner over all of the stones and said our good-byes. I feel great joy at being able to do this for my greats.

I was wrong in my assessment last week — Despite Springfield’s current problems, the population remains steadfastly defensive of their bigotry… I spoke with the Pastor of the Chapel, who insisted that this is “not political”…that’s another story… but it still makes me very sad (and a little scared since they all seem to have guns) to see such visible hate, so I’m in no hurry to return there.

We don’t really have to go into Springfield proper, though, as the church is 4-5 miles outside of town, so we may visit the chapel again someday because we Love Yellow Springs. Adjacent to the JB State Park, just 5 miles west of the chapel, it is the sweetest small town, surrounded by beauty and history, including this lovely covered bridge.

We’ve not been able to take any significant hikes, but there are plenty there, as well as mountain bike trails that are immensely popular. It is an island of Harris/Walz signs, exuding inclusion and peace, with the faint aroma of cannabis wafting through the air.

The weather was perfect for sitting outside at one of many restaurants enjoying a nice meal, or strolling through the downtown shops. Yes, we might have to visit again!

We finally got some rain this morning! I’m ready for Fall, y’all!

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

genealogy, a cemetery, and a roadtrip…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

I enjoyed the Genealogy Quest at Willard Library this week. The librarians always do such a great job of making us comfortable, and the speakers are inspiring. Thanks to a day of learning about FamilySearch, I’m going to start all over again with my Mom’s family using their website. FamilySearch is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and is closely linked to the church’s Family History Department. Many of their members work at the FamilySearch library and Family History Centers as missionaries when they’re young, or just volunteers later. They have been doing this- and doing it well – for decades, so the whole website is exponentially better than the last time I took a look and I’m excited to re-boot my genealogy experience.

I won’t be starting that this week, although I’m sticking with the Ancestors theme: we are leaving tomorrow to finish up the cemetery at Emery Chapel. My 4x greats and more are buried there and the church had let the gravesites get covered over with brush and dirt. Here’s what we’ve done so far…

Diggin’ up ‘stones…

We camped at a nearby State Park, and the morning we left we cruised by for one last look and some pictures. Casey nearly stumbled on a protruding rock and when he looked closer, he was able to pull out a piece of a stone with a clear A… Eureka! We marked the spot best we could, and now we’ll take a probe and our tools and pull his marker up! This is so exciting for me! I know, crazy, huh?

The picture on the left is my 3x great-grandmother’s grave before. As we dug, we also found the marker of the babies she lost before her death, just one marker, with three precious names on three sides.. On the right you can see after we set them up on level ground and reunited their stones…

Honestly, I feel their spirits when I remember them, and the veil thins when I touch their gravestones…

My 4x great-grandfather, Adam Mayne, founded the church and cemetery where he is buried. He settled in the area in 1820 and established a stagecoach stop, and owned many acres to farm. From the minute I arrived in the area, I felt like I had come home. That’s why I’ve taken it kind of hard this week to see the town of Springfield, Ohio, so maligned. This town of 60,000 is not dangerous (though it does harbor a lot of trumpers) and was peaceful enough until all these terrible lies were spread. These Haitian people are here LEGALLY, just like my Vietnamese nail girls, and my Ukrainian banker, and my my son-in-law’s Filipino parents. They were invited and welcomed by local churches and social organizations. They weren’t tricked into coming there, and they work for a living. And now they’re being threatened with deportation? Remember “Bring me your tired, your poor?” It’s an American Thing to help people who are “yearning to breathe free”, or it used to be. And if you really want to do something about the Southern Borders, pass that bill that’s sitting on the Speaker’s desk, or vote for someone who will…

Goldie is ready for a road trip and so am I. It’s about 4.5 hours, so our plan is to first shop at Heart of Antiques in Springfield, then head down Xenia Road to John Bryan State Park. The campground there is adjacent to Yellow Springs, a village we adore, and about 5 miles from the cemetery.

Hope you’ll be enjoying this last week of summer in your neck of the woods…

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Including a tribute to my son, sort of…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks here at the Acres. I’ve been see-sawing between feeling not-so-great and not-so-bad; nothing serious, just low energy. I’ve gotten behind on housework, yardwork, writing, while spending a lot of time laying around with a book. I’m still slow.

Last Sunday we met up with my son and his family for little something to celebrate his 43rd trip around the sun. His wife, however, could not attend because she was feeling bad from Covid. Her symptoms sounded vaguely like mine, but I haven’t been around her and I don’t test for those things.

I was tired and my food was horrible and the very-bad server didn’t even bring him a brownie bite, so it wasn’t much of a celebration, though it was nice to be together. But it’s not her fault that I forgot to take any pictures!!!

I did not get a picture! Not one! No selfie for his birthday! No blow-the-candle-out photo! I was very disappointed, naturally, and too tired (and sick-looking) to run over to his house and stage one. I assure you, he did not care… However, this failure on my part led me on a search through old pictures, and I remembered that I cry easily…

My Boy-Child…

I think he’ll like these better than a selfie anyway. My son is such a mensch and I love him like a rock.

While I’m not quite back to my normal bounce, I’m currently feeling Fine. Samantha and I started back to Jojo’s Academy of Music yesterday – this is her third year and she’s very good. We’re scheduled for every Saturday, but the good thing about having your Grandma teach you piano is that she can be very flexible. Well, not literally, but you know what I mean.

Willard Library and the Genealogy Society are having a seminar this week and I’ve signed up for 2-3 of the speakers. I have been attending this gathering for years and recently they’ve added Food Trucks which I appreciate!

It’s cool today and I’m going to get some mums planted…slowly… Hope you’re feeling perky in your neck of the woods.

Peace

Posted in All My Ancestors, Sunday Report

Aunties and Ancestors

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Pictured above are my Great-Aunts Bernie and Ruth…

My brother, who is downsizing, has been steadily bringing me medium-size boxes of family photos and other ephemera that he’s unearthed. Because we’ve been so busy with garden, family, and travel I am just now getting around to pilfering through the photo albums.

If you know me well at all, you have heard many “Aunt Bernie” stories, starring my grand-aunt Bernadine Mayne Harrison, who lived to be 100 years old. Born in 1903, she was 19 when she married Uncle Harry, and they were married for 50 years before he died in 1972. Bernie and Harry traveled a lot and in 1950 they loaded up their car on a ship and sailed to Italy, where they disembarked and proceeded to tour. In one of the boxes Brother brought me is a full album of that trip. I am fascinated and have fallen in love with my Auntie all over again.

She was the Best Dresser! Check this out. Her purse has a hook for her gloves…

Aunt Bernie and Uncle Harry in Italy. 1950

There’s more of that sort, as well as pictures of Bernie’s sister, my beloved Aunt Ruth (who first took me to the cemeteries). Here’s the sisters – not Italy, most likely the Gulf of Mexico.

GrandAunts Bernie and Ruth

There are other old albums with pictures of Grandmother and Grandad (Bernie and Ruth’s parents, my great-grands) that I’ve never seen before, and a daguerreotype, marked! as my great-great-great grandparents, Eliza and Orlando Harris (Grandad’s grandparents).

Eliza Jane and Orland Harris, 1850s

Call me crazy, but I believe these folks are here with me. Of course, I actually knew and had a relationship with my aunties and grandparents, but all of the greats have become so familiar to me as I researched and wrote about their lives and times. I love telling the tales of my tribe and I draw them down to help me sort through the photographs of their happy times.

The oppressive heat is back and the garden is wrapping up, so it’s a good time to stay in the a/c and do some writing over on the Ancestry blog. I’ve got some stories to share…

Stay cool!

Peace

Posted in Camp Sonnystone 2024, Sunday Report

Sunday Report

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Hi, kids! It’s been a busy week here at the Acres, mostly garden and housework, mundane chores and such.

To celebrate our wedding anniversary we visited a new eating spot in downtown Eville, Patsy Hartigan’s Irish Pub. I really liked the atmosphere – horse racing and soccer on the TVs – and the food was not only delicious, but also reasonably priced. I’m excited to return and try everything on the menu!

I did manage to figure out the microsoft chipchamp program well enough to put together a short video of Camp Sonnystone. It’s really much better than what I’ve been using, but my brain was shorting out a couple of times trying to move and trim; I figured out that AI will fix everything for you…well, not everything but a lot…

It’s just under two minutes. Enjoy!

Giggle, guffaw, chuckle, chortle – however you express your amusement – Let’s All Laugh! (it seems to make some people cray-cray)

There’s a Super Moon coming up tomorrow and we’ll be out howling!

Peace

Posted in Editorial Page

Out-of-sorts

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

I was just too blue to write up a Sunday Report. While there’s always a fair amount of sadness when summer vacation is over, this Last Camp stirred up all my feels and put my mind in time-travel mode. I was trying to make a video of both the Disney Trip and Camp, a venture that resulted in frustration and irritation, so out to the Garden I went to get back my peace and feel the presence. It takes me a while to sort through, but here I am on Tuesday, just a little moody and ready to write.

Well, I’ve actually been writing…I was inspired to write several poems last week. They jumped out of my mind and now I’m rearranging the words for optimum expression. My first writing ambition was to be a poet — back in the 1960s that seemed such an honorable profession — but I am very, very uncomfortable sharing my poems with Anyone. I have a Lot of them, too, and I hope that after I’ve shuffled off this mortal coil, my daughter and grandgirls will compile them into a lovely tome and get rich, going on all the talk shows introducing Me to the masses…

I loved the Olympics. Watching our Women’s Gymnastics Team receive their medals was the first time I’ve teared up at the National Anthem in a while. It felt good to be proud of our country, though our news networks’ coverage left much to be desired.

I’m Pumped up about the upcoming Election! If you are hell-bent on taking us back to the 1950s, let’s not talk until after November. Since there seems to be an active plan to contest and cheat Again, it may be we won’t speak until 2025 or so… I’ve only expressed my politics on this blog a couple of times since 2015, and I lost several FB friends, and a handful of family members who took offense to my views. It’s sad that this has gone on this long, but If you are still offended that I don’t like tRump after everything that’s happened in the last almost-ten years, then please just turn back to your Fox echo-chamber and leave me to my own thoughts and prayers… I understand the assignment and the joy of the Harris/Walz ticket is infectious! Bring on the Convention!

The weather’s beautiful and I’m going for a walk.

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

And the Word is…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Camp Sonnystone’s Word of the Year is

Laugh

It’s a wrap, folks! The long-awaited, highly-anticipated visit from the NewYorkers lived up to its hype. Both the “Last Camp” and the Disney Trip were wildly successful, and despite the efforts of the weather gods to sabotage our plans, we danced in the rain… I have a newly-installed video editing program and will be creating a couple of movies to chronicle the Fun.

Emma, Eliza, Nova, and Samantha snapping beans…

We’re taking a breather, but our August calendar is beginning to fill in. The Bluegrass in the Park Folklife Festival is coming up this week-end over in Henderson. Sunday, the 11th, is my dil, Jessica’s birthday and Thursday, the 15th is my sil, Eric’s birthday — that’s a lot of cake right there. We will be celebrating 44 years of wedded bliss on the 15th and if weather permits we’ll be camping in New Harmony again.

It feels good to get back to the old routine, and I am looking so forward to doing more writing across all of my blogs. Follow me, kids, and you’ll have plenty to read this month…

Peace

Posted in Sunday Report

Catching up, sort of…

Posted on by Jo Mayne Casey

Two Sundays ago, we were arriving in Disney World, meeting up with the Jose Family for 5 days of Fun. Despite the hellish weather, we had a Great Time!

Last Sunday, we were arriving home from our Trip, overwhelmed with laundry and catching up with the gardens. Now This Sunday, we’re waiting as patiently as we can for Melissa, Emma, and Eliza to arrive to spend the next 5 days with us!

This is most likely our last Camp Sonnystone, but it’s going to be Super. I will share with you next week. Thanks for following me, dear Friends.

Peace