FrenchKate

August 22--thanks modern technology! The Eclipse that we saw

...Different commentators, however, but here is a video of the eclipse that we saw:

August 22: The eclipse was a 10 out of 10

Scattered showers, clouds. Gulp. Eclipse 2017 was promising to be a dud in southeastern Nebraska.

 

Then, wow, the clouds parted.The eclipse had begun. We could see that the moon had begin its transit, taking a little bite out of the sun. And then the clouds covered the sun again.

 

Then, again, the clouds parted, excitement, and we could see that a little bit more of the sun was covered. This breaking through happened multiple times. It was like still photography-flash, flash, flash-of the stages of the eclipse. The light was becoming bizarre, neither twilight nor cloud-shadowed, and the clouds near the sun were chiaroscuro. The light was breathtaking.

 

A minute before totality was due to start, the clouds again covered the sun, and we all thought, okay, that's it. Sigh, disappointment...and then, right before totality, the covered sun broke through, and we saw Bailey's beads-- a phenomena I had only heard of the day before--and, then miraculously, for the duration of totality, the eclipse was visible. We took off our glasses and with our own eyes beheld the moon-covered, haloed sun. The reddish corona. The temperature dropped four degrees, and Venus came out. It was not as dark as I expected. The darkness and hush was that of a cloudy snowless December night. The crowd was jabbering and shouting with excitement. “Look at that, everybody,” said Bill Nye ( the Science Guy.) “You may never see this again in your life.”

 

The NASA scientist--this was her first eclipse--was onstage, almost sobbing, "this is why I became a scientist!" Bill Nye, the Science Guy, quietly reminded us to put our glasses back on when instructed. "The thing about an eclipse," he warned, " is that you can't pull your eyes away." I felt tears running down my cheeks.

 

Countdown, 3-2-1, glasses back on--and just before my glasses were in place, the diamond ring. Then, the clouds rolled decisively back, and our eclipse was done. Bill Nye reminded us that the moon still needed to leave the face of the sun, so the eclipse wasn't actually over, but the crowd began to pack up and move out. Tom and I waited and waited, however, hoping to see more, but the clouds were done with peek-a-boo. We went for a walk on the prairie instead, and, like Mary at the Nativity, we kept all these things and pondered them in our hearts.

 

Was there a word to describe the experience? "Awesome," in its original meaning, awe-inspiring. Some people said "spiritual" and "religious"--I find these terms trite although I have had to summon religious references to try to communicate profundity. "Marvelous?" "Fantastic?" "Powerful?" "It was...neat," said the young woman who offered us a lift back to Beatrice. Sometimes words are inadequate.

 

I realized that l had had a hope that was disappointed. I had hoped that sharing the eclipse would somehow create a sense of bonding, of community, for the strangers gathered there, some consciousness of a larger cosmos and higher purpose, but it remained a private, personal experience. Maybe the eclipse will take time and sharing of stories to make sense. Maybe it was a narrative, or a metaphor, that has not yet been fully expressed. Or maybe seeing the eclipse will have no further meaning, just serve as a powerful exception to our individual daily rounds. 

Sept 17: Out for an evening walk

I went for a walk this lovely autumn afternoon. I stopped to appreciate the fall asters along River Road. On the sidewalk lining Cretin Avenue, one finds poetry in the concrete.

I particularly love the truthfulness of this one:

A dog on a walk

is like a person in love--

You can't tell them

It's the same old world. 

 

Sept 13: Still rugged, relentless & remote

As I gear up to get back to FrenchKate, a little more about the Superior 100. I've given you my view of things. Here are a few shots from a runner's point of view (taken from the Superior 100website.) 

Crossing the Baptism River

Through the woods (imagine doing that at night)

Sometimes the path is stony

Sometimes the view is amazing

Last, the brutal, brutal elevation profile. The runners cover 21,000 feet of up during the race.

 

Sept 12: Rugged, relentless and remote

I have had an intense four weeks. First there was husband's surprise surgery. Then my Danish sister's came for a visit, and we went to our 50th high school class reunion. Then there was the final prep and start of the Fall 2016 semester. Then I went to crew for my son who ran the Superior100, a 100-mile ultra-marathon in just over 30 hours. Then, finally, I spent a day visiting with people with whom I went to elementary school--including my childhood BFF--who were in town to celebrate their 50th high school reunion.

So, intense. Not a lot of time to read and integrate French history. 

The ultra-marathon was extraordinary. We-my sister and I--arrived after dark at the Finland aid station, the sixth of thirteen aid stations, and the 50 mile point. We took over for my husband who had attended all the previous aid stations.

The names of the aid stations read like a North Shore poem:

Silver Bay

Tettegouche

Sugarloaf

Temperance

Sawbill

Oberg Mountain

It began raining around 2:00 AM and it poured through the night. The aid stations--lighted with fairy lights--and the volunteers were marvelous.

The first photo gives you a sense of the Crosby-Manitou aid station in the dark--large quantities of food--boiled potatoes, bananas, candy, watermelon, sodas--for the runners to refuel, a fire and chairs to rest and warm up.

In the second picture, you can get a sense of the rain.

The third photo shows the volunteers at the Cramer Road aid station. The rain finally stopped and the sun came out.

The fourth picture shows my son arriving at Termperance River after running 85 miles.

The fifth picture shows the Temperance River, the least of the beautiful country traversed during the race.

The sixth picture shows my son about to leave for Sawbill with a pacer (his friend, Cheryl) who helped him pick up speed on some of the later laps.

The last picture is the photo of the view as one comes out of the woods at the end of the race and races for the finish.

 

 

 

 

Aug 28: "Go, Morris Tigers!"

From the Stevens County Historical Society...the smart uniforms that we wore in the marching band.

Aug 27: Digression--Morris, MN

I have been in Morris, MN, this weekend for my 50th high school class reunion.

Physically, the town is changed almost beyond recognition. The school that I attended has been razed. The church that I attended has been razed.The drive-in movie theatre has been razed. Longfellow grade school across the street from the church has been converted to apartments. The beautiful apple orchard at the University has become the beautiful "Big Cat" football field (since both the MHS Tigers --the high school team--and the UMM Cougars play there.) The buildings on main street have been refaced or replaced. Lots of new buildings--hotels, churches, schools, houses--have been built on the edge of town. 

However, some things remain. The gridded city streets are the same. Atlantic Avenue is the same. The Old Citizens Bank is still there. The movie theatre is still there. Stavenger's jewelry is still there. The Carnegie Library--now the Stevens County Historical Society--has an addition. 

And, overall, the town appears to be more prosperous than many rural towns, thanks to the University of Minnesota, Riverview LLC-dairy (the two top employers) and Superior Industries--a fast-growing 40-year old company that employs about 800 people to manufacture "steel conveyors and storage tanks for industries handling dry bulk, fuels and gases."

The official website explains: "Morris is a thriving rural community with approximately 5,000 citizens, located in west-central Minnesota. Our scenic city is a welcoming place for visitors, as well as people looking to make Morris their home. Whether you’re a current resident or are looking for information about our small town on the prairie with the big city cultural and educational options, this is the place to find it!"

The photos are all of buildings that are no longer there. All razed. This makes me sad because these buildings were handsome and well-built and they have been replaced by buildings that are less handsome. It was cheaper to replace the old buildings with new ones, so you can figure that the replacements didn't spend a penny on handsome, and, with cars, parking lots became more important than achieving an integrated design. 

Nov 26: Thanksgiving, 2015. The Fifth Freedom

Here's what we had to eat:

For the carnivores: A heritage bourbon red turkey, stuffing & gravy

For the pescavores: Salmon with parsley cream sauce

For the vegetarians: Chestnut & Walnut pie with vegetable gravy

For everyone: mashed potatoes, wild rice, squash & kale, Waldorf salad, cranberry-orange relish, green salad.

In case you think our menu light on vegetables, we had crudités and a cheese plate 

Pies: Pecan, Pumpkin, sour-cream & raisin

I've posted this painting, Norman Rockwell's 1942 "Freedom from Want", before, and I post it now because it looks exactly like Thanksgiving has always looked in my family. Except we had roses on the table, thanks to global distribution systems.

Look at our menu. Freedom from Want, indeed.

This painting was commissioned by the Saturday Evening Post as one of a series of four that illustrated four essential, universal human rights described by Franklin Roosevelt in his State of the Union address on 6 Jan 1941.

This was his famous "Four Freedoms" speech:

"In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor—anywhere in the world.

That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called new order of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb."

"Freedom of Speech" is also an iconic image.

"Freedom of Worship" is thoroughly Christian and white. If you look closely, you will notice that people of color are there, but marginalized in the corners. They serve primarily as shadows to highlight the blond woman at center left. The diversity ranges from Protestant to Catholic, middle-aged to old. What a 40's vision of the world.

The fourth freedom, "Freedom from Fear" shows parents in Vermont tucking their children into bed after reading about the German bombing of London. Evidently Rockwell didn't much like "Freedom from Fear" because it "was based on a rather smug idea. Painted during the bombing of London, it was supposed to say, 'Thank God we can put our children to bed with a feeling of security, knowing they will not be killed in the night.'"

Reviewing the four freedoms revered by Roosevelt, I was struck by just how messed up the modern USA is. Freedom of speech was then the brave man standing to have his say, his neighbors listening. Now it is Fox News propaganda, billionaires buying elections, bigots whining about being denied their right to abuse their neighbors, and the pathological bullying of Donald Trump. 

Freedom to Worship was then people at prayer, the light that shines in darkness illuminating their faces. Today Christianity has morphed into a snarling fury of anti-science ignorance, soothing self-talk, anti-Muslim, anti-democratic bigotry, attacks on women's health and War-on-Christmas paranoia. 

Freedom from Want has been corrupted into a "gimme, gimme" society obsessed with getting ours. The symptoms are everywhere: obesity, environment degradation, a 24/7 entertainment complex where pornography and TV drama have blurred into one, bigger houses, bigger cars, more of everything, and, when stuff overwhelms us, "down-sizing" and scaling back. Meanwhile, we refuse to pay our fair share for the services we want, begrudge the minimum wage and deny that we might need to develop non-carbon based sources of fuel. Bikes? Mass transit? Communism! Threats to our American way of life!

And, faced with terrorists, with dangerous thugs who hate the freedoms that Roosevelt articulated--free speech, tolerance for other religions, abundance--Americans corrupt "freedom from fear" into the opposite of Roosevelt's vision. We pour more and more money into US military armaments, demand unrestricted access to guns lest the government tyrannize us, and take brave stances to deny safe harbor to Syrian women and children. We are so terrified of the Other, that we legalize murder with "stand your ground" laws and defend the right to gun down unarmed teenagers. We militarize the police to defend us against our fear of being afraid. 

We are unmoored. 

It seems to me that Roosevelt omitted an important fifth freedom: freedom from exploitation and discrimination. Roosevelt mentioned individual freedoms enumerated in the constitution: the government is not going to censor my freedom to say what I want or worship as I will, and the government will strive to secure "the blessings of prosperity" and peace. But in a complex free society, we also have to live with one another. And this obliges every citizen --and through us, the government--to defend the rights of other citizens--all other citizens--to speak their minds, exercise their beliefs, benefit from prosperity and live in safety. While some of this is secured in the Constitution--the 13th, 14th, 19th, 24th amendments, for example--the Fifth Freedom requires citizens to voluntarily choose to live with one another as equals. We need reciprocity, to do unto others as we would have others do unto us.

Each of us faces a moral conflict when our rights clash. The measure of our democracy and our character as citizens depends on how we resolve this conflict: Do my rights trump yours? What if I have more power than you, and I don't like your skin color, attitude or accent? What if you make me feel uncomfortable? What if you disgust me? What if I'm scared of you? What if I don't feel like sharing with the likes of you? Do I have any obligation to respect your rights if I don't feel like it, if your rights are a bother or even if I perceive your rights to be a threat to my self-interest?

Speaking metaphorically, if I have all that I can eat and more, and you have none, am I obliged to share? Going one step further, if I can exploit you, do I have the right to benefit myself at your expense? To extend the metaphor, if I am in a position to take food away from you, isn't that my right to enjoy "freedom from want"? The fundamental question is the extent to which government of, by and for the people should step in to defend the rights of all citizens against other citizens who would prey upon them. Are we equal under the law, or, as Orwell wrote, are "some pigs more equal than others?"

It is obvious to me that addition to our rights as individual, we have a collective responsibility to guard our shared freedoms. In my model of democracy, as a citizen, I do not have the right to exploit others. Even if I have the power, I have no right to trump your rights. Furthermore, government should not be used to exploit some and privilege others. In fact, in my model of democracy, the government has a responsibility to ensure that all Americans are treated equally under the law. However, given the frenzy of bigotry that has exploded since Obama became President, or, more recently, the denial that "Black Lives Matter," clearly some Americans don't agree with me. Some Americans believe that they have a god-given right to discriminate against and exploit other Americans, and what is so discouraging today is that, by golly, they are going to fight to the bitter end for that right. Government, if it tries to treat citizens equally, becomes their enemy. 

It occurs to me that what I am talking about may not be a Fifth Freedom. Maybe freedom from discrimination is implied by "Freedom from Fear." In the dark month when Roosevelt gave the Four Freedoms speech, Europe was already at war; America would be at war by the end of the year. Roosevelt envisioned a world in which "no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor." Surely the same principle applies to individuals. No individual should be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against their neighbor (even if it is just metaphorically taking food away from them.) But given how fiercely, the principle is denied, and how all other freedoms are corrupted when reciprocity is ignored, I believe it must be defended as a Fifth Freedom. Democracy fails if citizens fail to respect the rights of others.

So, gosh. Happy Thanksgiving, 2015! (***shakes head sadly***) Please pass the wine. 

Aug 28: MN State Fair

Our State Fair is a great State Fair, and we spent Friday in a crowd of 114,292 well-behaved, orderly and happy fair-goers. Attendance was down slightly from the second day's attendance of 118,606 in 2014 and way lower than the record attendance of 132,738 in 2010.

It was packed nonetheless. We did the usual, all the while jostling elbow to elbow and waiting in lines: crop art and honey at the Horticulture building, creative arts, fine arts, eco-building, bought ice cream cones at the Dairy barn (glanced at the butter sculpture), stopped to admire the fish at the DNR, checked out the alpaca yarns. We skipped some things. No "Miracle of Birth" for us this year. No Olde Mill ride (even though it was celebrating its 100th anniversary.) We did some new things--visited the Heritage Museum and the shops in the Grandstand. We chatted with an artist, a bee-keeper, a water gardener, the teenagers behind counters, a replacement windows guy.

On Saturday, a "Black Lives Matter" march took place just off the Fair Grounds. They couldn't enter the private property of the Fair Grounds, but several hundred protestors marched a 1.5 mile route on the streets bordering the Fair Grounds--Snelling, Como--to bring attention to racial inequities in our society. On Friday, there was no protest march, but we could count on crop art to call attention to this current concern.

It was a perfect Fair day. Finally, with our money all spent, having had our full share of delight and content, we came home. My fitbit recorded 14,000 steps.

May 26: Happy gets in the way of blogging

I've had many other demands on my attention over the past four weeks--the liveliest was 7'14" baby Mordechai, born at 10:56 AM on May 11.

Then, equally important, my son successfully defended his dissertation on May 15. May 11 - May 15 was also Finals week at the University so bookended by the joys of my children, I had the usual marathon related to work and grading through May 20.

Other demands on my attention included multiple Saturdays and hours and hours of online time spent searching for a new car. My husband and I wrapped up that three month search only yesterday. And last, but not least, with the demands of the semester fading, I have taken on the task of planning this summer's holiday. 

Whew. In a world full of chaos and confusion, these events are blessings.

The four generations photo is from my grandson's bris. My daughter sent the shot of Mordechai smiling.