Tuesday I took my car to Rugless Automotive to get an oil change and trip check. I brought my own replacement wipers and filter. They also said I needed brakes so I expected this. They will drop me off but not pick me up so I rode my bicycle there. I thought it was 4 miles but when I set the trip meter on the way home I clocked 6 miles. I threw the bicycle in the back of the car. Yeah, I have alternative transportation but I can't throw a motorcycle in the back of a Nissan Murano.
While stranded without transportation, my internet went down. Ahh! I lost contact with the outside World. I reset my modem and got frustrated. I had to call Comcast. Comcast was recently in the news for their pushy salesman, who I might add, is not an isolated instance. A refresh signal was sent to my router but nothing happened. I called and got a live person. However, she had an Asian accent. She did the same, (refresh) and I had an appointment set up for Thursday for a technician. However, I tried again on Wednesday evening and it worked. I canceled the appointment for Thursday. By the way, my cable was down for 4 days last month and I was not compensated on my bill. That's because it was cut by village contracted tree trimmers and not the cable company.
Tuesday evening I attended a Mary Lincoln Strawberry Tea at the Ramada Inn. On arrival, a Lincoln impersonator greeted me with a "Boo" and I screamed. I guess we won't do that anymore. I learned a lot that I didn't know. I saw this rare Tea Brick which originated during China's Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). This compressed form of tea was easily transported and could be shaved off for infusing. It was also used as money and some were marked in segments for making change. Such usage ceased about a hundred years ago. Today they are merely ornamental.
Wednesday I did my usual shopping but I made time at 10AM to go to the Lincoln Tomb for the wreath laying anniversary of the Mary Lincoln Death day known as Mary Lincoln Coterie Death Day Ceremony. Here are the wreaths and I asked this lady if I could get her lovely flower and sequin umbrella in the photo. I asked if she every used it in the rain and she said once because of the circumstances.
I filled Wheezer's tank after the Veterans Assistance Commission meeting. I got 69 mpg. However, yesterday I told my mechanic that I haven't heard the squealing noise that I heard last year tonight I heard it. Cool morning. I had coffee on my bistro set outside my window. I walked from my house to the clinic to have blood drawn for a cholesterol check. I tied Marley to the bicycle rack. I found a penny and 2 treasure hunt tickets that were losers.
Thursday morning I went and had my blood test for cholesterol. I told her to talk to me. She asked me what I was doing this weekend then I took a deep breath. I told her about Bloomington, IL Civil War Days.
I had a lot of vegetables that needed cooking. I made mushrooms and sprouts sauteed in butter. I fixed butter and carrots with a little bit of turkey bacon.
I had dinner at Robbies with the other reenactors. Then I went to an ABATE meeting. I invited Anne from the American Legion whom I found in the VFW bar to come to the meeting since her father was a member. She got to draw the winning 50/50 ticket. I came home and had a box in my door. It was the Mauve work dress I got on eBay for $90. It was used but in very wearable condition. I put a lace collar on it and hemmed it up to my shortness and accessorized real fast and was able to wear it the next day. There was a tag in the back that gave credit to Debra DiFranco for the Abraham's Lady (a famous shop in Gettysburg). Although the dress was used, Debra is famous for great work and it fit me perfectly.
Saturday morning I went to Bloomington, IL for the Lincoln Heritage Civil War Event. Laura has a great presentation called "How Women Won the Civil War" and I talk of Love Letters and Onions. We switch off through out the presentation talking although it is really her show. I had never put 2 and 2 together when Laura thought that there was sugar in the sugar bowl instead of chopped sweet onions to pass around. I just thought it was a nice dish for the purpose. That makes it even a better surprise when I offer them some. Some will partake and some will not but that's ok. One of the rules of interpretation is the use of the senses and the onions cover smell and taste.
I brought my Civil War orphaned babies and begged the public for adoption or contributions to the orphanage. One lady, who obviously had an adopted son because of his race, spoke to me about orphans. She told me it took two years to settle the adoption. She seemed very concerned about the immigrant children and their swift adoption potential after what she's been through.
In the evening the 33d Infantry Band played and I kicked up my feet around the dance floor....err...I mean grass tent. I've attached one photo from the ball clipped from facebook. I did arrive late to the dance because we went to Le Roy, IL to visit briefly with my WW2 Honor Flight veteran. Pop's wife, Carol, gave me a piece of her home made cherry pie with ice cream. That really hit the spot. I removed my day accessories and added my gloves and added a double hoop to dance.
On Sunday, I brought Marley since the raccoon that she cornered on my back porch at 4AM was still hissing on my self. I thought Marley was chasing rabbits by the garden last two weeks and may have been, but she could have latched onto a coon. At the encampment, I tied her up with a bowl of water. She had plenty of walks. She did good at reenactment and everyone loved her. When the boom booms when off for the battle, I took her to the bathroom so she could hide behind the commode like she does here.
I left after the last program (just before 3pm). I was very busy with flow of people and children on their treasure hunt. I had little time to spare to see other presentations or for that matter sit down and eat my pork sandwich curtsey of the event. Saturday was that way too but the comfort box gave me more to discuss on Sunday. You know the Soldiers Aid Society has a good booth/display when you can share stories about the Soldiers Aid Society with other reenactors and they learn something new. I talk about my resentment toward the federals for taking my husband away to war and leaving me with his additional chores until I get a letter back describing the horror. Our Jeb Stuart reenactor related to this and shared a similar story in modern terms of people he knew at his local VFW. It's like an attitude of "my war was bigger than your war" syndrome going on. He learned from my abbreviated presentation tailored toward his advanced knowledge level. The same when I met a group of ladies in modern attire that are reenactors of a Christian Commission group in TX. I don't concern myself about those ladies incorporating what they learned into their group because the goal is a wiser public.
Our Soldiers Aid Society may not have a big tent like the others at encampments but then our story would not have taken place in a tent but rather in homes and churches and in our case, the senate of the Old State Capitol. I'm not really excited about camping anyway but some tents look rather comfortable inside and those are the ones that must be closed for public view because they are modern. I really loved my new corded sun bonnet that I got from Treadle Treasures this weekend over a straw hat too. The straw was rough and itchy. Straw hat tends to go to the side and not flat as would be properly worn too. Marley did well except for the cannons. I took her to the bathroom where she hid behind the stools just as she would at home during a storm.
The coon was gone when I got home. I had hung my dress overnight on the back porch to air and did not like the hissing when I got it and ran in. So I had to interact a coon in the soldier's camp stew. Isn't extemporaneous good? I also learned that my wicker stroller folds down too. The little girls loved the dolls and they can hold them but I have to be careful about the girls taking the adoption too seriously. Hmmm!
Although exhausted, I went to Mass Sunday evening at 5PM at the cathedral. I then stopped by Walmart for medicine for my fever blister and poison for that coon. I picked up some poison because this is not the first time this happened and I don't want a relocation to result in the return of this horrible creature.
Sunday evening I had a revelation on my Belle Reynolds script closing - that being about the spectators with picnic baskets and parasols at Bull Run and Manasas and how our attitude evolved during the Civil War. Belle went from camp follower to nut job. Now to polish the story.
I'm eating yesterday's leftover onions with an egg.
"Arguing with stupid people is like playing chess with a pigeon. You can be the best chess player in the world, but they're still gonna knock over the pieces, shit on the board, and strut around with their chest out. "
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