Alexander Reid

My daughters or I can join D.A.R. through this person, my 4th great-grandfather, Alexander Reid, b.1755 in Greenbriar, VA, died 1851 Bedford, Indiana. AL & I found his gravesite on one visit off I65 in the middle of nowhere. There is documentation he fought and was wounded in the Battle of Germantown & the Battle of Monmouth, was discharged, later re-enlisted & was captured at the seige of Charleston, detained a month & then “made his escape”. He rec’d a pension from the govt., lived in KY & later southern Indiana. He married Rebeccah Mitchell & they had 9 children, the 9th being Thomas Reid, b. in Madison, KY in 1800. Thomas married Sarah Sallie Owen. Their 4th child was Alexander J. Reid b.1829 in KY. He married Nancy Jane Smith, & their 4th child was Charles Reid, my Grandma Mary Reid Agnew’s FATHER.

My Grandma Mary grew up in southern Indiana. That’s how she somehow met my Grandpa John Wesley Agnew down there around New Albany. She grew up in the hills & dales of southern Indiana, farther north from New Albany. It is a very pretty rolling countryside part of Indiana.

Our REID family line leads back to Lanarkshire, SCOTLAND, and then to Ulster, IRELAND. If you notice, the map of Lanarkshire Scotland is just to the east of where the AGNEWS originate from Scotland, in Lochnaw, Stranraer.

IOW, the Agnew family tree definitely leads to SW Scotland, & from there over to Ireland, & then to America.

            

Sunday morning

Sunday morning

A girl walks her bike around the pond,

She wears bright pink stockings,

a dress of key lime green,

and daydreams,

Our teenage neighbor

turns up the volume on the stereo,

with his parents, baby sister, away at church,

Earlier, just outside our gate, a small boy asked him

the best way to catch a fish,

Sky darkens,

Clouds hang heavy and low,

Silence comes to the pond,

now the color of alligators.

Martin Brink family history

So, Martin Brink immigrated from Holland in 1882, at about the age of 24. The Dutch often immigrated to Chicago. He and Trenje (Trena) were already married. in Holland, their name would be Ingbringhoff and not Brink. If records are correct, they were married in 1879. Later records list her name as Catherine or Cathrine. I didn’t know she was called Catherine.

This wife dies in 1931. Martin, however, marries her SISTER, Flor Van Shapen, in 1935 at the age of 78. He dies one year later. I have a vague memory of Trena dying from a fall down a stairs. There is some sort of memory of being told this, because it always made me think of my own grandma Cena’s basement stairway which was very steep & treachorous. I remember some older aunt telling this story & laughing about him. Martin & Trena were the parents of 5 girls, my grandma Cena being the youngest.

Payday

Today I paid my bills. This is meaningful activity to me, and gives me great joy. It is my dearest wish to pay off our debts, to live well, to be trustworthy, to be wise with money. This is truly a life goal and we have a lifetime of struggle to prove it. Some have it easier than others. Our road has not been easy.

Most of the world lives in what we would call abject poverty. This is a distressing structure of current society and must eventually change. How most of the world can be denied access to resources to allow them to develop to their full potential is beyond me. Most people are not even aware of this situation. This is because we live in a manner that allows us to be blind to the great suffering of others. Is it our fault? No, but is it theirs? We were not put upon this earth in order to hoard its luxuries. We were put here to learn to serve one another, to accompany one another on this journey. We are social creatures, we do not survive alone. We need the company of others.

No, we will never all be the same, nor will we ever share and share alike. There is something about being human that wants to strive. To each is given talents & skills & our task is to discover our own. Those that work harder should be rewarded. But that is not how society works. Those that work the hardest, day in and day out, are barely surviving. Their reward is possible survival to the next day. Those born with money who don’t work at all— live a life of luxury. The truth is, most of the wealth of the world is held by a tiny percentage of the earth’s peoples. Not because of their own merit or their working hard, but just because they were born into it. All I’m saying is, we can do better than this. Everyone has a right to an education, a right to opportunity, and most of the world doesn’t see that in a lifetime.

Meanwhile, I paid my bills. I checked off those amounts on my payday budget and feel happy and accomplished. When you have lived through times in your life when you could not do JUST THAT, it feels incredible to just be able to pay them. I pray for good health enough over the next 20 years to make a huge debt go away, and leave something to my children. Inshallah.

As the sun sets behind the horizon, I will take a late walk around the pond.

 

so peaceful

So peaceful, another day goes by, bright sunshine all around but cool (about 70 degrees). Turtles in large numbers now congregate on the pond, telling each other about their day. They jump or “run” (slowly crawl) away from me as I walk by. One thing I love about this pond is the mistrust of all the animals on it, of humans. This means they are still “wild” life, untamed. They live as they live and do not interact with humans. The duck population has grown rapidly, as the Neighborhood Association decided it would be a good idea to place a floating “duck house” on the water…. I don’t mind a few ducks, but now one mamma has 10 ducklings that follow her. How many do we want?? There is one larger pair of snow white ducks, no babies yet. There is the one polygamist with his two females that swim around the pond, and I SUSPECT that he fathered the other 10. Shameful!

The exception to the above “wild” life is the pair of geese, who unfortunately are being fed by the idiot down the road– the same one with a trail of cats & dogs that follow her into her house and back out again. She throws pellets to the geese, who cover the walking path now with their excrement, and said lady doesn’t seem too inclined to clean it off, since she lured them there. The geese they could do away with and I wouldn’t complain a bit. They are disgusting. Besides that, they are likely to come up to you as you walk by, now expecting a hand out, and one of them actually bumped me in the leg! They scare me and I don’t enjoy walking past them. I’m sure if I were 3 years old, I would be completely terrified.

Got my 1 hour of sun and have been since sitting inside monitoring an online discussion and lazily watching the day pass by. Very peaceful. My left knee has decided to develop a problem, so I can’t walk. I manage to hobble around the pond once a day & go to the doctor next week.

It is relaxing to be out of class. I’m sure in 3 months I will be ready for it again, but right now relieved to not have to be up on all the latest depressing news, ready to lead discussion on the latest political arguments. Most of our politicians are showing their blatant greed and hatefulness and their absolute inability to come together to resolve any one issue. I believe change has to come from the people, from Ground Zero, from collective will. Nothing is coming down the pike from the folks at the top.

Summer has arrived

Somehow with today, Monday and not working, summer has arrived. It is the middle of May. Grades were posted over a week ago, Graduation was 9 days ago, Assessment of student accomplishment has been documented, and I have started cleaning out e-mail. Today, sitting in the glorious sun and watching life on the pond, I felt summer had arrived.

Wearing shorts for the first time in a year, I sat on the back porch and read Chapter 1 of Elijah Anderson’s newest book, “The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and civility in everyday life.” He took me back to inner city Philadelphia, walking along the Schuylkill river, hearing 4-5 languages on the streets of a city of millions of people, public parks where people sit for hours playing chess and kids go by on skateboards, coffee houses and foods from many international lands. Sometimes I miss the city.

I watch as a boy who looks no more than 4 comes to the pond, walks all the way around it and then, in an effort not to yet leave, sits in the grass and tries to catch perhaps a frog. He then continues on but stops one more time in grass further up, making contact and communicating silently with a Mother Duck & her 10 ducklings who then enter the water and swim away from him. He reluctantly climbs back over the rope and onto the not-busy street, making his way toward home.

Workers, now invisible to the street, pound continuous electronically-powered nails into wood, working on completing the inside of a house erected in the past 2 weeks from a vacant lot.

School lets out and the neighborhood golf carts glide up & down the street, filled to the brim with neighborhood children, giving them a quick and safe ride home. One of them drives around the pond, the young woman driver stopping to remark about a cat up a tree. Ferile cats are the norm in South Carolina. They run wild, hunting birds, fish and other small wildlife in the woodsy areas.

Shadows creep over me and I decide one chapter a day is enough, going back inside to finish laundry and clear out e-mails. Summer has arrived.

what Martin Luther King Day means to me

What MLK Day means to me

A day to remember all the sacrifices that have been made by those who have paved the way before us,
A day to go back once again and listen to the voice of one of the greatest speakers and motivators toward peace and brotherhood for all of America, that we have ever known,
A day to ponder how we are living our lives and what efforts toward making a difference we are involved in,
A day to rededicate ourselves to the cause of creating a more just society,
A day to remember the struggle it has taken to get here, the ferocity of hatred and the entrenchment of discrimination, that took sacrifice and courage, and for some the loss of their homes or their lives, to overcome,
A day to realize we are still in the fight,
A day of celebration of the oneness of humankind.

23rd Psalm

The Lord is my sheperd, I shall not want,

He makes me to lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside the still waters,

He restores my soul.

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

for His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of death

I fear no evil.

For Thou art with me,

Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me!

Thou preparest a table before ME in the presence of my enemies,

Thou anointest MY head with oil,

My cup overflows!

SURELY, GOODNESS and MERCY shall FOLLOW ME

ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE,

and I SHALL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

FOREVER!

 

(truly, what more could one ask for? We are blessed.)

 

The next 4 years

Just a quick reflection over the next 4 years. I see everyone in America having healthcare for the first time ever in our history. And no one being turned down due to a “pre-existing condition”. I think this is a remarkable thing. I also think most people against it have never been turned down by a physician who didn’t want to take you as a patient due to not having insurance, not wanting a hospital birth, or not agreeing with this physician on any number of other things that you have a right to question medical practice on. Most people complaining have never had the personal delight of living WITHOUT health insurance due to loss of a job for some reason no fault of your own. I had surgery this summer for something that came up suddenly and was unexpected. Total bill? $26,000. My cost? When we’re finished filling out forms, probably less than $2500. A person without insurance would probably not have even been offered the surgery.

I see marijuana becoming legal in more and more states, for possession of one ounce or less. This somewhat bothers me, but not as much as living in a society where the drinking of alcohol is practically mandated at every single social function and promoted relentlessly on television, in newspapers and magazines and every other advertising venue in existence for the best way to have love, a sexual partner and happiness in your life. IT AIN’T TRUE and the substance is more harmful than marijuana will ever be. So where does that leave us?

I think that same sex marriage will gradually become supported by the federal government. If there is something inherently unnatural or unwise about same sex sexual relationships or marriage among same sex partners, it certainly will be something that is not shown by not allowing this freedom of choice. All the fears about same sex marriage are usually based on that alone. They are not based in science, social or otherwise, where most studies show no difference among children raised by same sex partners and those raised by traditional male-female partners, other than their being more open-minded and more egalitarian in their abilities at various household tasks. Other realities are that same sex partners are just as loving and sometimes manage long-lasting relationships the same as cross-gender partners. We have to allow free-thinking adults to make their own choices and realize it does not define our own personal beliefs, it only allows tolerance, acceptance of difference and diversity, and makes us a more open, loving and free society.

In the next 4 years, I believe unrest in the European and global market will continue, and could, at some point result in a global market recession we will have trouble recovering from. People of the world are suffering. How long can this unjust division continue? How long before we decide how to all live on this planet, grow enough food for everyone and distribute it so that no child has to live in hunger every day. It simply cannot continue.

in the next 4 years, something could happen with Iran. They are just one of those places where their leaders do not care what the rest of the world says and will not ever listen to the voice of reason and educated minds. To have a President and government denying women education, denying the largest religious minority in their nation education, and saying the Holocaust never happened, then developing nuclear power is just unacceptable and they must be stopped. It is a volatile and dangerous situation.

Our President will attempt brave renovations in our transportation system, which is a joke compared to the advancements in Europe, Japan & elsewhere. He will also attempt to move forward with future-thinking environmentally sound energy developments and auto revisions. Oil drilling will not be developed as much as it would have with a different President.

Fat cats will have to pay their share of taxes just like the rest of us. Hallelujah. Do they think all of us more near the bottom would not start our own small businesses or do productive things for the economy if we had a bit more resources, and weren’t worried about our light bill vs. grocery bill next month? We can all pay our FAIR SHARE of the taxes to our government and THEN they can also do things to develop the economy and “create jobs”.

Creation of jobs is our #1 concern and it won’t be done to the extent that people in America need it. There is too much money being made by taking jobs elsewhere.

Neighborhood economies and local produce will continue to develop, mostly out of necessity.

NCIS season premiere

My husband and I love NCIS. It is one of our activities we do together. Ever since the cliff hanger, I’ve been waiting to see if my least favorite character actually dies off the show. Please God, let Ducky be off the darn show, it would SO improve it…… but that was not to be. He lives through his heart attack and even becomes a freaking hero on the hospital bed, “As soon as they get the stint in, I’ll be free to travel. Get me there even if you have to drive me, THEY NEED ME!” Oh, break my heart.

Unfortunately, the entire episode was melodramatic and a big let down. However, that is not why I am devoting a blog entry to this episode. It was also rather disturbing. 

I think it is disturbing when a Federal law enforcement team, even if it is “for the Navy,” no longer acts like a law enforcement team, and it becomes a personal vendetta, especially by the leader of the “team” to go get this guy. And not only go get him, but murder him unnecessarily. After this psycho-maniac bombs the whole team’s work headquarters and tries to kill them, the President of the United States makes a phone call to the FBI, telling them to proceed “with full prejudice”. We learn that this means the team goes on the offensive. The entire show had many flaws. One, they have an FBI agent undercover convince the psycho to come home with her. There she lies across the bed, the psycho goes into the bathroom, then a swat team comes charging in and blasts the bathroom door with gun shots. But psycho gets away. Really?? Why didn’t they just shoot him when she lures him into a car. Why not as he enters the hotel room?? Why not arrest him as he stands at the store window where she walks up to him & starts a conversation? They certainly wouldn’t WAIT TILL HE GOES INTO THE BATHROOM behind a closed door. 

At the end, Gibbs declares it’s “personal” because “he went after my family”, meaning his team. Okay Gibbs, we know you have no life at all, but really, there’s a whole world out there you are defending every show. Your team is always threatened, always in danger. This guy is no different. Your JOB is to stop him and bring him in. But that is not what happens. Since “full prejudice” has been declared, Gibbs goes off to find him and kill him. He convinces his supervisor to send him ALONE (as if that would really happen ever). Then he finds psycho at the house he said he’d be at. No one else goes along. Gibbs has a brief conversation with Mr. Psycho, refuses to have a drink with him, then watches as Psycho-bomber stands at a window where there is a gun lying on the window sill. Obviously it is there for him to either kill Gibbs, himself, or both. I keep waiting for the house to blow up because he is an expert explosives guy. But no, he grabs for the GUN, which frees Gibbs to block it and knock it out of his hand, and in the same INSTANT, STABS this guy to death. The guy falls down & that’s it. Break to Gibbs at a cemetary while we hear Mr. Psycho’s son’s voice talking to his dad about loving America & that’s why he wants to be part of the Navy. His son had been killed, which is what set Mr. Psycho off to kill people in the Navy for revenge.

The underlying theme is that sometimes you have to take the law into your own hands. You have to go “get the bad guy” and the rules about preservation of life no longer apply to you. You just kill the guy. Even though you could have arrested & brought him in, you take the law into your own hands and take his life. But only because, this time, he “went after Gibbs’ family.” The lesson here is that when you have to protect your family, it’s okay to commit violence yourself. Go after the bad guy alone. And take him out. Well it doesn’t work that way in real life. Lots of times people don’t quite have their story straight, or they are drunk, & they go after someone who is not really guilty. And they commit murder and go to prison. Not a good thing usually for any citizen to go after someone and take revenge into their own hands. But this was Gibbs.

As much as we want to be able to do this, it is not right. If we believe it is, then society has lost its heart. Society has lost its civility, and the system of justice doesn’t work. I disagree. It is not okay to go after someone, even if he has hurt you, taking his life or taking him “out” all alone, with no repercussions. Gibbs stabbed someone to death and is perfectly fine afterwards. Happy. Satisfied. Not a good message. Hopefully he would at the very least be torn up inside for doing it. He’d be at least a little torn as to whether he should have done it that quickly, and that easily. They didn’t have a scuffle and the gun go off. Gibbs knocked the gun out of the guy’s hand and then stabbed him to death. It was planned, deliberate. Necessary.

I think this is a disturbing message of murder and violence with no repercussions. Next week, Miss Happy Face Gabby is dealing with serious psychological problems due to the bombing. We can be sure that it won’t be Gibbs going to talk to the psychologist. I hope the whole new season is not as superficial and disappointing as this.