My Week

Monday night I went to the VFW and we had elections.  Looks like I'm a trustee again.
Tuesday night I went to the Land of Lincoln Honor Flight homecoming.  Here I am with our American Legion post service officer, Les Morgan, and Dora Lee (she was a temp where I worked a long time ago).  That night I the the "welcome home" banner the straightest that I ever got it up there.  Not too picky for just a few hours of display.  I use clip rings on the banner with thick black thread looped over the letters of the "restroom".

I got caught taking the banner down on the news.  I was hoping everyone thought it magically appeared and disappeared.
http://newschannel20.com/news/local/first-2016-honor-flight-returns-to-springfield

Wednesday I picked up an envelope of memorial donations from Marc's widow that were donated to the Lincoln Monument Association and delivered it to our treasurer.  I stopped by and made a short visit at the hospital with our VFW Post commander who was doing well after surgery on his brain.  It's been rumored to be a frying pan skillet by the shape of the scar.  He seems to be in great spirits and said he's had many visitors from the veteran community.  In the evening I went to the Veterans Assistance Commission quarterly meeting.

Thursday after my yoga class, I met with our Catholic War Veterans post commander with Fr Chiola.

Friday I rode Wheezer to the Lincoln Tomb to help with tours.  I couldn't start Buck.  He ran about 3 weeks ago despite a good start 3 weeks ago.  I may have goofed and left it on despite no headlights to warn me.  I don't know.  There were many buses and many tours.

Saturday morning I went to the Old State Capitol for our Soldiers Aid Society workshop and lunch.  I finished my bonnet and partially worked on a collar for my work dress.   Here's the before picture from March 2015:

 Inside.

back bavolet (skirt):

You may notice that this picture was taken on my front porch outside my window.  Well Sophie barked at it.  I still want to add a buckram support behind the flower spray.

I walked Sophie a nice long walk then cut the grass in the back yard which was cut 5 days ago.  I didn't cut the front yard because I didn't want to spread grass all over the neighbor's yard sale.  Finished the front lawn on Sunday.  I rode Wheezer to church. The Gospel was short..."Love one another as I have loved you".  Fr John likened it to the short and to the point message of the Gettysburg Address.

The faucet came off the kitchen sink and sprayed water everywhere on Sunday while preparing a meal for my son and myself. I had to crawl underneath the sink and put the hose up and twist the nozzle back on. Whew, I thought this incident was going to determine my next remodeling task.  I fixed a pork roast, mashed potatoes and tortellini for my son and myself.

I hadn't realized that after all these years living here that the flowering dwarf tree in my yard is a dogwood.  I guess I thought it was too small.  I love the flowers.

This week I watched a show on National Geographic.  No I don't get that channel with basic cable but the show is online. 
In the event series premiere, host Morgan Freeman explores how different religions of past and present answer the question: What happens when we die?
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/the-story-of-god-with-morgan-freeman/videos/beyond-death1/

Trip to Tennessee with the Civil War Round Table

The two major battles at the end of the Civil War were likened to the big explosion of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ending WW2.  That's how significant battle of Nashville and Franklin was.  The Confederates were so slaughtered that the the will power was not enough to carry on.  Problems of poor leadership, weather, and supplies ended the war.  That's why Confederates resorted to band music and their rebel yell.   Be sure to click on the links I've provided for more details.

Here are my trip tales:

The bus passed through Lebanon, IL and I learned that Charles Dickens visited there and the hotel still stands.  He came to Cairo and St Louis in the 1840s and wanted to see the "inland"
Looking Glass prairies.  As the bus passed through Vienna, IL, we were pointed out that Paul Taylor Powell (January 21, 1902 – October 10, 1970) was born there and served as Illinois Secretary of State from 1965 until his death in 1970.

As we took off on our trip, our host announced a change in the itinerary.  We would stop at an 1850s home in Paducah Lloyd Tilghman House.  While the bus was in the wide open parking lot (unlike our crowded stop at McDonalds) the mayor of Paducah, Mayor Gayle Kaler, was driving by the museum and stopped in to welcome us and how proud she was of tourism and the quilt festival. I guess my pictures of the house will be not better than what others have taken in the past and posted on Facebook.  They won't have this one. 

 I asked about the table that resembled a sewing machine cabinet because of the fabric covered basket under neath. The table didn't have any foot peddle. The guide told me it was a bonnet drawer and pulled it out for me to see.  There's a flag scarf in it now.  Although this description was later countered as follows:
Vivian Murphy I've seen 3 or 4 sewing cabinets of various shapes at the homes in Natchez,MS and nearly all have a soft "bladder" space beneath to store sewing/fabric. The drop leaves also lends itself to a sewing table.
 I had my picture taken with a reenactor.  I have that well traveled look.

After dinner in the hotel, we had a group chat in the lobby about the battle of Franklin. 

April 15, 2016

Friday morning we toured Spring Hill and Rippavilla.  Below is a video from the History Channel.  Our tour guide, Ross Massey, is on the video at 9:30.  He told us that he got flack from relatives of Gen Hood for implying he took alcohol and laudanum for pain after getting shot up and loosing a leg.  He defends it because of the painful circumstances, availability and rash decision making yet has toned it down without proper documentation.

Confederate General Earl Van Dorn was murdered by Dr Peters at the Martin Cheairs Mansion for getting a little to friendly with his wife and 14 year old daughter. 

Our lunch took too long at the Buganut Pig in Franklin. Two cooks called in sick. We toured the Carter House museum but did not go inside the house.   Tod Carter died trying to get home after being discharged from the war in 1863.  Nearing his return home he fell back in with the fighting Confederates and was mortally shot.  We visited Winstead Hill.

Here is a good example of the Confederate slant on how brave they were.  There was very little emphasis on the Federals.

There's a wonderful relief map at the top of the hill overlooking the city of Franklin.

This is one of the few areas we saw on the other side of Franklin, opposite side of Winstead where the federals were. This is Ft Granger and I still yet to call this number.

 It's amazing how 2,000 soldiers dug these trenches.

We visited the Carnton Plantation (we did not go inside the house which got me curious about the blood stains it's reported to have). On the morning of December 1, 1864 the bodies of four Confederate generals killed during the fighting, Patrick R. Cleburne, Hiram B. Granbury, John Adams, and Otho F. Strahl, lay on Carnton’s back porch.
 I found this picture of the house with ghosts in the window.

The McGavock Confederate Cemetery is located in Franklin, Tennessee. It was established on land donated by the McGavock family.  In the spring of 1866, work began on the McGavock Confederate Cemetery. Nearly 1,500 Confederate soldiers were moved from graves on the Franklin Battlefield to their new resting place at Carnton Plantation.
The dogwood tree was in bloom at the unknown's obelisk.

There was a necklace on one of the graves in the family section.

  In the evening, our bus driver took us on a shopping trip to Walmart for those that may have forgotten something. 

 April 16, 2016

Saturday we visited "Travelers Rest" built in 1799  which doesn't look like the rest of the other old houses in TN because of the facade without a porch.  It was owned by John Overton, a revenue collector to Andrew Johnson.  The farm was known as Peach Orchard.  Little of the furniture was original because the house was later used as office space for the nearby railroad.  The dining room had a domed mirror so that wait staff could see the table without looking over the diner's shoulders. At one time, there were 7 Confederate generals at this dining room table.  Hood spent 2 weeks here.

This is the very good video that we watched in the visitor center:

Then we stopped at Ft Negley.  Ross told us that Nashville resented the federal fort and many of the stones were raided and re-purposed.

Here are some of my photos taken at Ft Negley.

We drove by the state capitol of TN and he pointed out statues of Sam Davis and Gen John Polk's tomb.  Then we toured the Tennessee State Museum (skipping the dinosaur era).  I took this with my cell phone at the museum because the name seems familiar on my husbands side of the family.

Our bus drove by the Battle of Nashville Monument dedicated in 1927.  It shows man pulling to opposing horses together symbolizing reunification.

We drove by Shy's Hill and were given a tour from the bus.  The street was narrow and we probably blocked traffic.

Here's a short video that I took of Ross Massey on the overlook of the Cumberland River.  Ross is a real "Hootie Hoot"  because he kept saying that.

Ross portrayed Richard Stoddert "Old Baldy" Ewell who is buried in Nashville Cemetery during a cemetery walk.  He told us of a lady that said he had a lot of hair to play Ewell.  Ross's quick wit said "it grew back along with his leg".

The final night there, Joe, our bus driver, took us to Culvers for ice cream. We sat outside and had a moment were we howled at the moon (1/2 moon). 
On the way home on Sunday, we had lunch at Cracker Barrel and I saw this cool Batman Polaris.

In fact I checked out the Polaris at World of Powersports in March.

I had bought a DVD on the battles at the Carter House and since the bus had a DVD player, we watched it on the bus on the way home.  I recommended the time for after lunch to make the flat lands less boring and the time go faster.  Everyone enjoyed it.
All in all, we had excellent weather for the trip.  The Drury Hotel was pet friendly helping me to pet a few and get over my withdrawals from lack of dog therapy.  I've learned to pronounce Nashville to sound more like "Nashfull".

My Week

I didn't know the words to a song that we used during our Zumba Light class but I found it on YouTube.  All I could hear was the beat and the word "Fireball" but nothing more and this video is captioned.  It explains why I didn't understand the babble words.

I gave my dog a bath with my Herbal Essence shampoo instead of dog shampoo and she smells and feels better.  Since she doesn't have fleas, I guess I don't need a special dog shampoo since my shampoo leaves her coat soft and silky for petting.  BTW, our picture made the nursing home's newsletter for April.

It seems that the spring ants have returned in my kitchen.  At least I didn't get any mice over winter.

Wed I went to the unaccompanied burial at Camp Butler.  It was rainy and chilly.  Afterwards I had lunch with Michael and caught up on a few shopping stops at the thrift stores.  I got a lovely shawl/cape for like eighty cents.

Thursday was Yoga day and Therapy Dog time.  Here is Sophie prior to going on laps.

I've been still trying to prove parentage of George W. Connolly (1804-1878) but with difficulty.
Since Fold3 has free access to Civil War Records through April 15th, I found a puzzle about George W. Connolly on both North and South if these are the same person. He lived in Calhoun County VA. ~ a split state. He may have been what is referred as a "galvanized confederate".
This is a record of appointment to 1st Sgt  3/22/1862.  Promoted to 2Lt Oct 9, 1862 vice C. C. Buckley killed in action Sep 17, 1862 at Antietam.  Commission 2d Lt Dec 22, 1862 with rank Oct 19, 1862.

 Census - US Federal 1860.jpg

 GeorgeWConnollyCoG59thVirginiaInf.jpg

 2LtGWConnolly105thInfantryNY.jpg

Friday i went to a funeral for a fellow member of our Lincoln Monument Association, Marc Fuchs,  who passed away last Monday.  It is so sad that he went to church on Sunday and passed within 24 hours of receiving Communion (per the pastor).  Later I mowed the lawn in my winter parka.  This picture sums up the past week or two.

Cold night ahead. Fireplace logs are on sale at Walmart. I got some Java Logs. The logs smell like coffee. However, the fire in the fireplace doesn't smell like the house does when coffee pot is brewing.

Saturday morning I left early for the Quincy Veterans Home for the advisory council.  We gave a brief visit to Bob Wolf (Korean War Veteran and Catholic War Veteran), a resident at the veterans home.  Here I am with my carpool buddies, Rex Berry (new commander of the Korean War Veterans chapter in Springfield) and George Pempek.  I wore my WIMSA vest even though I was there to represent WOSL.

When I got home I only had a short time to get ready for the Dixon Ball (Sons of the Confederacy) in Belleville.

I wore this dress in December and had a little more tacking on the bodice collar and I added some hooks from an old bra to the back to take the pressure off the lacing.  The changes seemed to center the bertha much better.  Much improved.

Sharon Red told me that this would be the last year the ball would be held because her and Gale are stepping down. Unless someone else picks up the arrangements for the future, this will be the last.

Sunday morning we had our monthly Memorial Mass with the Catholic War veterans.  It just so happened to be the parish's monthly social afterward.  I couldn't help but recall that the April Memorial Mass had better weather in the past because I remember motorcycling to church.  It rained and had that damp chill-to-the bone.   So...that's my week.  How's your week?

My week

Words of wisdom from my mom.

Well after my problem in the ER last Wednesday night, I thought I'd have my blood preassure taken after senior strength and zumba.  It was good like 107/70.  It rained a lot on Wednesday.  I had my scheduled tune up appointment on my hearing aids at Audibel. Then I did a little thrift store shopping.  In the evening I went the to Interveterans Council meeting which I nearly missed.

Friday I went to a PGR flag line at Camp Butler for Robert Pfeiffer.  For 50 degrees, it sure was cold in that wind.   Later I fixed myself a steak.
I remember last summer when it was hot saying "feel that nice breeze".  Wow feel the wind chill now.

Saturday afternoon I helped with the season opening of the Iles House.  I'm weak on subject knowledge at the house so it was good to break in on some knowledge on a small audience.  My camera battery ran out and I wanted a picture of Iles's autobiography.   A ranger from the nearby Lincoln Home site who came to take a picture of an old mirror that their site donated took this at my request.  The mirror didn't fit their time period but went well with the Iles House.  I asked if he'd take a picture of this display of an original autobiography of Elijah Iles so here's the photo.

I learned from Jim Patton that if you extend the Mason-Dixon line through Illinois, it boarders the front porch of the Strawbridge Shepherd house.  That means I live south of the Mason-Dixon line.

I have a proud moment coming up for my son.  He walks across the stage on May 14th.  He finished his courses in January and already received his diploma in the mail.
http://www.uis.edu/commencement/
I wanted to throw him a nice graduation party and the American Legion hall was open but he said he wouldn't show if I did.  He just wants to go out and eat.

Monday morning I groomed myself and my dog before going to Regency for a Therapy Dog visit.  Once again, Sophie was a hit.