Americanism Redux October 31, your today, on the journey to the American Founding, 250 years ago, in 1774 Standing in the place we could not have imagined, thinking the thought we vowed would never be known. Halloween, 250 years ago, today. * * * * * * * (where this Word was spoken) Eyes wide open, then blinking hard. Lump in the throat, then swallowing hard. Sitting … [Read more...]
Wave Two–From 2020 To 1918: October 31
October 31, 2020 by
The Susquehanna in autumn Now And Today, October 31, 2020 Back and forth we've gone. Whether or not to have Halloween. Cities, counties, townships, towns, the burbs, the countryside. Doesn't matter, they're all up for grabs and on the bubble on observing Halloween. Yes in some places. No in others. And in between the sincere attempts to offer, in a word popular these days, a hybrid. A … [Read more...]
Learning From The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Day 54
May 5, 2020 by
Costumes, 1918 Violet Harris, 15 years old, copes with influenza in her home town of Seattle, Washington, as best she can. While the illness has devastated much of the city, so far no one in her family has died. The Harris family has tried to do their part, to follow the rules, the orders, the laws that seem to pop up day by day to fight the sickness. For Violet, a few of the changes are even … [Read more...]
