Dottie G Sez

December 13, 2010

HARD TO BELIEVE–BUT TRUE!

A headline in the Courier on Saturday, December 11, caught my eye.  It was “Civil War still divides nation 150 years later,” and the Associated Press article describes the “celebrations” planned in southern states of the anniversary of the Civil War–or, as some historians call it, “the War of the Rebellion.”  In South Carolina, they’re having a “Secession Gala” on December 20; in Georgia, they will re-enact the state’s secession convention; and Alabama will hold a mock swearing in of confederate president Jefferson Davis.  There are, according to the article, organizations “working to incorporate both the black and the white experience,” but in my humble opinion, they’d have to reinstate slavery if they wanted to be really authentic.  Of course, they deny the Civil War was about slavery, but we know better. 

The head of the Alabama NAACP is quoted as saying, “It’s almost like celebrating the Holocaust,” and he is absolutely right.  An attempt to divide the United States of America to preserve slavery is not something to be “celebrated.”  A solemn and genuine commemoration would mourn the lives lost and celebrate American unity.  Perhaps that’s too much to ask in 2010.

Disclaimer: both of my maternal great-grandfathers were with the Union Army, and my mother grew up in Alabama, where she attended what was probably the only integrated school in the state at that time.  

November 27, 2010

What a lovely Thanksgiving holiday this has been.  Our son John and his partner came out yesterday with delightful dinner treats and John stayed to help with some projects (including the photos posted below).  What would we do without our wonderful children, who are always helpful and whom we love dearly.  THANK YOU, JOHN!

Here’s what John helped me post:

On October 29 Joe and I received Community Service Awards from the Plainfield Area NAACP at their annual Awards Dinner, held this year at the Spain Inn in Piscataway.

At left, the photo taken by our friend Joan Hervey for the Awards program; at right, the photo taken by Laurence Rice at the  dinner.  The Awards were presented by Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, who also read a letter from the Van Wyck Brooks Historic District which, frankly, brought tears to our eyes.  We spoke of the historic changes we have seen, and expressed our concern at the increasingly strident and toxic nature of so much contemporary political discussion.  This country has made a lot of progress but we can’t take anything for granted!

November 20, 2010: Today is my birthday and I am 77 years old.  Never thought I would make it this far!  I’ve received calls, emails, ecards, etc. from friends and relatives and will enjoy the day.  Best wishes and thanks to all!

November 8, 2010: I have set up a new page, titled “Dreams & Memories…” and actually posted something on it.  I’m going to try to post more often–there are a lot of things I think may be worth sharing and I want to turn my good intentions into reality.

November 7, 2010: It’s been a busy time and things have gotten away from me, although I have published some more poetry on this blog and read some of it at the Fanwood poetry group, which meets once a month and which inspires me to write more.

Joe and I received the Community Service Award from the Plainfield Area NAACP on October 29, and it was awesome to be included on the list of honorees.  My son is teaching me how to do this blog stuff–what would we do without our children!

Joe celebrated his 85th birthday October 13, and we surprised him with a small family gathering at the home of Joan Hervey & Linda Geczi–our daughter and son-in-law came down from the farm with our grandson; their daughter came from NYC with her boyfriend, and of course our son was present for the festivities, which took Joe completely by surprise.  Lox, bagels, onion, cream cheese–fresh tomatoes from the farm–and interesting cheeses from upstate New York–all followed by an incredible chocolate birthday cake.  Thank you, Joan and Linda, for putting this together!

April 6, 2010: It has been a difficult and busy time.  But now that summer is apparently here, we can enjoy the breezes at night and watch the planes as they fly over our area.   Mornings are cool and full of birdsong.  The maple tree has burst into leaves that weren’t even hinted at last week.  And I have (finally) posted a new poem.

Thanks for your patience!

February 15, 2010:  A lot has happened–see “About Me” for an update.

Welcome to my blog!  I know, you’re going to say “It’s about time”…well, that’s what my son John has been saying since Christmas 2007, when this was his present to me.

Of course, getting a Christmas present is one thing–but sometimes figuring out what to do with it can be difficult.  True, for someone  my age (I was 75 on November 20, 2008) the whole idea of blogging can be terrifying–but it was an intriguing thought and something John has been bugging me about for years.   He says it will be easier than sending out my occasional mass emails–but I think I’ll probably have to do both.

John is being very helpful.  He comes out to visit several times a month and gives me advice, tutorials, and encouragement…straightens out problems…fixes things…and tries to help me understand the “semantics” of WordPress–a blogsite he says is especially user-friendly.  This user is still somewhat confused, but I hope I will eventually be able to use this effectively.

What I intend to do is share thoughts, writing, memories, music, recipes, and whatever else occurs to me.  There may be news…political commentary…satire…and some links to sites of interest.

So here it is.  Let me know what you think!

Dottie

(dottiegutenkauf@gmail.com)