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Thursday, August 28, 2003
Ramblings about Nannie
I have always been a privileged child. Although I can’t remember ever needing anything I didn’t have, it was not money which so richly blessed my upbringing. It was love, and I had it in abundance from everyone. I had parents and uncles and grandparents who all loved me more than they could ever say. But Nannie loved me and nurtured me in ways that only a grandmother could know. As one of eight children, she probably felt that she never got enough attention, and never wanted me to feel that way. She used to say, “Pappy loved me,” as though he was the only one in her childhood who did. She made me believe that everyone loved me and it was my duty to love everyone back. There are worse ways to live a life!
One of my earliest memories of her is one time when I was sitting in her lap, in the platform rocker in the living room. I don’t know now why she was holding me, but I do remember how contented I felt. Another time, she gave me a baby bottle of milk to drink while I curled up on the couch. I knew I was way too old for that, and she told me so, but I wanted it and she got it for me. I suspect that it was the last time I willingly drank milk, as I just cannot get it to go down anymore. And there were countless times that I “fell asleep” while the adults were sitting around talking, so that I got carried into the front bedroom and changed into a tee-shirt nightie to sleep for the night. I was afraid of the dark, so she always turned on a small light to chase away the shadows created by the trees at the window. Ah yes, I remember those times.
As I got older, we spent more time together, especially when I didn’t have school in the summer. If I got bored, she would cut out, sew and stuff a rag doll for me. She would trace the paper pattern she had cut from a brown grocery bag, and create clothes for it to wear. There was leftover yarn for hair, even if the color was a bit strange and the hairline odd. All of them got stitched up on an old Singer treadle machine, and eventually I got to use that machine myself. Sometimes we cooked, sometimes she let me help her clean the sink in the bathroom (well, I thought I was helping anyway) and occasionally she would let me help her wrap presents if there was an occasion for gifts. I held the ribbon so that she could tie the knot. If one can learn creativity, then I learned that from her. When I goofed something up, she would just laugh with me and we would try again another time.
If she was depressed, or maybe just bored, Poppaw would tell her to go to town and buy a new hat. I loved going along for that! She never learned to drive a car well enough to get a license, so she would call a taxi to take us to town. She would sit on a bench in front of a vanity table in the hat department while clerks brought over hats for her to try on. Her head would turn one way and then another to see every view in the mirror. The chosen hat would be placed in a sturdy cardboard hatbox for the trip home. We usually stopped in the dime store to buy candy and roasted nuts from the candy clerk, and took our coconut bonbons and cashews home to eat. I can’t ever remember her telling me no if I asked for a small toy or some candy. My grandchildren would have to say that I do tell them no sometimes.
I thought I was just having fun. She thought she was just being a loving grandmother. In reality, she was teaching me life lessons. I know that now, especially as I spend time with my own grandchildren. Grandchildren are different from your own children. They aren’t loved more than your own kids; they are loved differently, perhaps more patiently. She spent hours and hours with me, understanding that it was not easy to be an only child without siblings to play or fight with. By the time Phoebe was born, I was a young woman, and I didn’t need the same amount of attention. But I always knew she loved me and would always be there for me.
Nannie and I had fond memories of a very long trip, a Fleenor family vacation, one July. Pop-paw drove, Nannie rode in the middle of the front seat beside him, and Woody “rode shotgun” beside of her at the window. Woody drove a lot of that trip, but Nannie always sat in the middle, and I had the whole back seat to myself. We left Kingsport and drove all the way up to Toronto, Niagara Falls, Detroit, Des Moines, Branson and then on home. It was thousands of miles and weeks of time, and was a real adventure. We laughed a lot of the way. We slept in a “dog bed” in Toronto, as she called it, because a convention had all the hotels full and we ended up in an older motel with a futon style couch. Even then we laughed about it, maybe to keep from crying. Outside of Des Moines, on the way to her cousin’s huge Angus farm, we stayed at a place where the owner looked at the Lincoln we were traveling in and upped the price on the room we got! Close to there at Jules Danish Farm, I drank about a gallon of water so Woody could pour some of his beer into my glass, and she used to tease me about that, too, because Woody finally poured my water into a plastic plant beside the table. It was almost as funny as her “pea pie” when she ate the apples out of the tough crust and then filled the crust with the bland peas left on her dinner plate.
I could go on for hours, and I know that we all have our own memories. I just wanted to share some of mine.
A couple of years ago when I stayed with Nannie and Woody in Florida for two weeks, I tried to remind Nannie of some of these things. She remembered the “dog bed”, but not everything that I mentioned. I asked her to repeat some of the old timey stories she used to tell about growing up, but most of those seemed to be gone. She did share some things I had not known, and maybe you didn’t know either.
She told me that Grandmaw Roller made the communion wine for their church, and they had communion every Sunday. If the weather kept them from going to church, they had scripture at home and a taste of the wine. I knew that Nannie had played a fiddle, which I hope Phoebe has, and I had forgotten that Grandmaw sang hymns all the time. (Bringing in the Sheaves when the sheets were brought in off the line, just for fun.) Guess I did come from a religious family and never thought about it that way. I knew that we are to never do laundry on January 6th, as that was Old Christmas, so I observe that for Grandmaw and now for Nannie.
Nannie talked about her one-room school and the schoolmaster who was sweet on her. I had heard his name before, but never as a teacher or as a boyfriend. She laughed about the young men sneaking up to the house at night to try to lure her and her sisters outside, but her daddy ran them off with his shotgun. It was a hard life on the hillside farm in East Tennessee, but they made the most of everything, from “lumps” of maple sugar candy in early spring to fresh corn in the summer. It was a world now gone but the memories live on.
So many stories, so much laughter, and so much love. No one is perfect and Nannie was hardly a plaster saint, but I know that she had a tremendous influence on my life. I am blessed to be her granddaughter and rich with her love. I know that as one friend told me “They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill what never dies.” Nannie will always be a part of me, and I hope my grandchildren love me as I love her.
Posted 08/28/2003 09:59 by | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Science as Board Game
Interesting approach to just what exactly "science" is. It's presented as a metaphorical board game. Quite an amusing read.
Posted 08/27/2003 11:31 by Fritz | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Great Nanny
I got a call from Mom last night, telling me that my great-grandmother—Mom's mom's mom—had died about an hour earlier, on her 101st birthday.
One Hundred One years old. Not too shabby, and not exactly what I might characterize as "untimely." And it hit me harder than I would have expected. At least part of it, I think, is that Great Nanny and Mom spent lots of time together during Mom's childhood—whole summers or at least several weeks at a time—and I guess a lot of my grief is on her behalf.
I don't have any bad memories of Great Nanny, but I do regret that I don't have more good ones, that I didn't spend more time with her than I did. I was fortunate to spend a couple of weeks with her and (Mom's) Uncle Woody the summer I turned sixteen so that Uncle Woody could teach me to drive. I remember driving down to the fast food chicken place on a few occasions to pick her up an order of livers (properly pronounced almost like "LEE-vurs") and spending time listening to her tell stories of her childhood and young married life in rural east Tennessee. It was a good two weeks, and I'll always cherish the memory.
I am also especially glad that Dad and I made it down to Florida to visit two years ago with Rick and Ed. At 99, she was frail and forgetful, but still very sweet. During the hour or so we spent with her, she told us several times that we were all pretty ("PURR-ty"), but she wasn't quite able to hold on to who we all were. It seemed to register once or twice, though, and I hope that she found as much joy in meeting a couple of her descendents as I did in introducing my boys to their living ancestor, their great-great-grandmother.
Great Nanny was born in 1902, and it simply awes me how much the U.S. and the world changed just during her lifetime. The recent Spanish-American War had helped lead to Teddy Roosevelt's presidency, the Civil War wasn't just another history lesson, and the United States of America numbered only forty-five. Prohibition, the women's suffrage movement, the Great Depression, both World Wars, the Berlin Wall, and Watergate had yet to come and go. The Wright Brothers had not yet left the ground, people moved around with horses and carriages, and the Big Bang theory had yet to be introduced. Great Nanny's life spanned all of that. I expect that lots of it didn't personally affect her or otherwise matter to her, but she was there then and now she's gone.
Yeah, she was old, and no one lives forever. She wasn't a huge part of my day-to-day life or always in my thoughts—generational, geographical, and gerontological differences were major contributors to that—but I always liked knowing she was there and had always been. We've all known for a while that the end was coming, and for years in the back of my mind there had been a little voice cheering for her: "C'mon, Great Nanny! Make it to 100!" Then 101. I really thought I was just being silly or selfish—looking for bragging rights about how long my great-grandmother had been able to live, I guess—but it turns out I was selling myself a little short: I truly miss her, and I loved her far more than I realized.
Well, foot! Rest in peace, Great Nanny. We'll miss you.
In loving memory of Josie Ajgie Roller Fleenor.
August 25, 1902 - August 25, 2003.
Posted 08/26/2003 15:31 by Fritz | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Monday, August 18, 2003
Play Ball!
Dad and I try to make it to at least one local baseball game each year, and the annual Red Cross blood donor appreciation night seems to be becoming something of a tradition. A good time was had by all.
When you're stuck in traffic, almost anything can be entertaining.
Ed tries to move up to a better seat. No such luck.
Cross-purposes: Ed really hoped that a ball will come his way. Joy considered hiding under the seat just in case one did.
Grampy: Bottom of the Seventh.
Posted 08/18/2003 23:00 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sunday, August 17, 2003
Ice Cream
To "celebrate" the last day of Summer Vacation, Suzette and I took the kids out for ice cream at the best ice cream place in town: Maggie Moo's.
Posted 08/17/2003 14:00 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Friday, August 15, 2003
Bring Them Home Now
Bring Them Home Now! is a campaign of military families, veterans, active duty personnel, reservists and others opposed to the ongoing war in Iraq and galvanized to action by George W. Bush's inane and reckless challenge to armed Iraqis resisting occupation to "Bring 'em on."
Our mission is to mobilize military families, veterans, and GIs themselves to demand: an end to the occupation of Iraq and other misguided military adventures; and an immediate return of all US troops to their home duty stations.
… …
As military veterans and families, we understand that hardship is sometimes part of the job. But there has to be an honest and compelling reason to impose these hardships and risks on our troops, our families, and our communities. The reasons given for the occupation of Iraq does not rise to this standard.
Without just cause for war, we say bring the troops home now!
Posted 08/15/2003 11:01 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Thursday, August 14, 2003
Tony's Going Away Party
Well, Tony has left for England. We had a last "few" beers at the Flying Saucer, and all his assorted girlfriends made sure to send him off with a smile.
More pictures below.
Posted 08/14/2003 19:55 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Rookie of the Year
Rick has just about finished his second week of band camp. He told me today that he'd earned the award for "Rookie of the Year". Go Rick! The prize is ten dollars, so I guess he's now officially a professional musician.
Posted 08/14/2003 17:44 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Contempt for the Law
A very wise father once remarked, that in the government of his children, he forbid as few things as possible; a wise legislature would do the same. It is folly to make laws on subjects beyond human prerogative, knowing that in the very nature of things they must be set aside. To make laws that man cannot and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt. It is very important in a republic, that the people should respect the laws, for if we throw them to the winds, what becomes of civil government?
—Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Off the top of my head, I can see this applied to 55 mph speed limits, Marijuana laws, and "Re-importation" of pharmaceuticals. I'm sure there are hundreds of others.
Posted 08/14/2003 10:58 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Commentary on Proposed HOA
Well, I finally sat down and wrote up my problems and concerns with the Homeowners Association they're trying to form around here. Plain and simple, I'm not joining it the way it is being proposed. Good idea, but they're taking it too far. Details at the link below.
Comments on the Proposed Overlook/Club View HOA
Posted 08/13/2003 17:06 by Fritz | Comments (4) | TrackBack
New Category: Miscellany
I've added a new category, Miscellany, to the list. I'll probably put some gripes about the Homeowners Association that's trying to form in my neighborhood, and none of the other categories seemed to fit. It was only a matter of time.
Posted 08/13/2003 09:36 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Monday, August 11, 2003
Ministry of Truth
Just so I don't get a reputation as a Bush-basher because of our idealogical differences—all that silly stuff about the First, Fourth, and Fifth Ammendments and all—here's a good reason to bash him. Can you say Voodoo Science? I knew you could: US House Committee on Government Reform—Minority Staff Special Investigations Division Report.
Posted 08/11/2003 13:05 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sunday, August 10, 2003
Columns in Category Archive Listing
Yeah, kinda geeky, but I'm proud of this. Here's my code to make the category archive listing off to the side of the main page set itself into two columns, thus saving some significant vertical space on the page. I'm sure it could have been more elegant, but it ain't bad for my first whack at PHP, particularly when mixed with the MovableType tags.
<MTArchiveList archive_type="Category">
<?php $category_archives["<$MTArchiveTitle$>"] = "<$MTArchiveLink$>"; ?>
</MTArchiveList>
<?php
$values = count($category_archives);
if ((floor($values / 2) * 2) == $values) {
$row_count = $values / 2;
}
else {
$row_count = floor($values / 2) + 1;
}
?>
<table class="sidetable">
<?php $values = count($category_archives);
if ((floor($values / 2) * 2) == $values) {
$row_count = $values / 2;
}
else {
$row_count = floor($values / 2) + 1;
}
?>
<table class="sidetable">
<?php
$i = 0;
foreach ($category_archives as $title => $link) {
$titles[$i] = $title;
$links[$i] = $link;
$i++;
}
for ($i = 0; $i < $row_count; $i++) {
echo "<tr class=\"sidetable\">\n";
$second = $i + $row_count;
echo "<td class=\"lsidetable\"><a href=\"$links[$i]\" title=\"$titles[$i]\">$titles[$i]</a></td>\n";
echo "<td class=\"rsidetable\"><a href=\"$links[$second]\" title=\"$titles[$second]\">$titles[$second]</a></td>\n";
echo "</tr>\n";
}
?>
</table>
</div>
The associated style sheet excerpt is here:
table.sidetable {
border-collapse: collapse;
table-layout: auto;
border: 0;
text-align: center;
}
tr.sidetable {
}
td.lsidetable {
border-right: 2px ridge;
border-left: 0;
padding-left: 0;
padding-right: 2em;
text-align: right;
padding-left: 2em;
}
td.rsidetable {
border-right: 0;
border-left: 2px ridge;
padding-left: 2em;
padding-right: 0;
text-align: left;
}
Posted 08/10/2003 17:45 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Feedback form complete
I have completed the Feedback form, including my first "real" PHP script. Woohoo!
Posted 08/10/2003 13:41 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Friday, August 8, 2003
Kathryn and Emma
Kathryn and Emma
Posted 08/08/2003 20:30 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Too Wacky Even for Me
The more I hear about this guy, the more I have to question the abilities (and motives?) of the SelectSmart link I put out a few days ago. I like new ideas and all, but this guy's got about as much chance of winning—and if elected, succeeding—as Al Sharpton.
Kucinich for President? (Promo) Craig CoxIf you’re looking for a word to describe your reaction to that announcement, you might try absurd. Or how about ludicrous? Here’s a 56-year-old congressman from a Rust Belt state with virtually no name recognition, no money, and a political résumé that only his opponents could love (Cleveland went bankrupt while he was mayor). He hangs out with New Age notables (Shirley MacLaine is his daughter’s godmother, Marianne Williamson a political adviser), confounds liberals with his pro-life/pro-choice abortion stand (he’s so serious about the sanctity of life that he eats a vegan diet, but does support Roe v. Wade), and believes the cornerstones of civilization consist of “polka, bowling, and kielbasa.”
Mmm. Vegan kielbasa.
Posted 08/08/2003 12:27 by Fritz | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Thursday, August 7, 2003
Gore on Bush Dishonesty
MoveOn.org: Democracy in Action
Excerpt:
I mentioned the feeling many have that something basic has gone wrong. Whatever it is, I think it has a lot to do with the way we seek the truth and try in good faith to use facts as the basis for debates about our future -- allowing for the unavoidable tendency we all have to get swept up in our enthusiasms.
That last point is worth highlighting. Robust debate in a democracy will almost always involve occasional rhetorical excesses and leaps of faith, and we're all used to that. I've even been guilty of it myself on occasion. But there is a big difference between that and a systematic effort to manipulate facts in service to a totalistic ideology that is felt to be more important than the mandates of basic honesty.
Unfortunately, I think it is no longer possible to avoid the conclusion that what the country is dealing with in the Bush Presidency is the latter. That is really the nub of the problem -- the common source for most of the false impressions that have been frustrating the normal and healthy workings of our democracy.
Posted 08/07/2003 17:46 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Tuesday, August 5, 2003
I may have to watch this guy
Howard Dean, running for president. I like a lot of what he appears to stand for. He's also courting the folks involved in the blogging fad to generate a "grassroots" campaign, which makes geeks happy.
He's no Kucinich, which is who SelectSmart told me I would like. I guess I lean further left on the poll than in how I'd really like things to be.
Posted 08/05/2003 09:51 by Fritz | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Monday, August 4, 2003
Backward History
I've added a bunch of pages—including pictures—to the site. I've documented my trip to the Smokies and a few other things. I also settled on a color scheme and a page layout. I'll still do some tweaking as things go on, but I'm about to the point that I can start concentrating on content instead of all this Meta stuff.
Posted 08/04/2003 22:56 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Rick at Band Camp
Rick started band camp today. No surprise, but he passed the audition with flying colors and is now looking forward to marching at half time during the football games. I don't think he really knows what he's in for, but if his experience is anything like mine was, he'll hate it at times and love the memories.
Posted 08/04/2003 20:56 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
More Vacation!
Sometimes the messages from upper management are worth reading:
- All employees in IT, eCommerce and Operations will receive two extra days of PTO to be used prior to December 31, 2004. (Managers will receive information on how to administer additional PTO.)
- Jeans will be allowed for all employees on Fridays in August. In areas where jeans are already the norm, alternative ways of relaxing the dress code may be considered by the on-site leadership.
- We are also encouraging the cancellation of all regularly scheduled staff meetings during the weeks of August 11 and August 25, in order to give ourselves a "mental break" from day-to-day activity.
Posted 08/04/2003 13:48 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Saturday, August 2, 2003
Best Blonde Joke Ever
Heh.
Posted 08/02/2003 12:23 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Friday, August 1, 2003
Recipes done
The Recipe link is now essentially done. The Perl script I'd written to extract them from the Mastercook output had a bit of a bug, so I had to go through and take out some of the nonsense that resulted. I think "vegetable oil -- cored and chopped" was my favorite.
Posted 08/01/2003 16:51 by Fritz | Comments (0) | TrackBack