Vanilla Visits Physician

Appointment yesterday with my primary care physician. Wait in the lobby. Of course.

Finally in the examination room to wait a bit longer. Betimes, the doctor came in, all cheery and "How are you doing?" etc.

I said, "While sitting out there this afternoon, I was wondering if I was going to have to look for a physician whose office staff had better taste in music; but not a problem, I fell asleep anyway."

She said, "Did they turn the station?"

"I don't know," I replied, "but I don't do too well with the rap and hip-hop."¹

"I can't stand it, either," she averred.

Oops, looks as though I may have inadvertantly got some one in trouble.<sup>2

1</sup>I know not the difference, if any, between "rap" and "hip-hop." I do know that the only element of "music" involved in either is the "beat." They are atonal, no melody, no harmony, no listening by these ears.
²Dr.'s hubby is office mgr. There are two young ladies there, too.

In a Pickle

Back in July one of the Sunday lessons addressed contentment in our societal milieu of dissatisfaction. This cartoon published on Monday captures in four panels the essence of my point with regard to the deliberate creation of dissatisfaction in the heart of the viewer.

Earl and Opal seem to be as susceptible to advertising as we are.

President McKinley

William McKinley, 25th President of the United States, was shot on September 6, 1901 in Buffalo New York. He died eight days later and was succeeded in office by Vice President Theodore Roosevelt.

McKinley had a distinguished career as a politician, having served as a US Congressman and as Governor of the State of Ohio. He had been elected to his second term as President the previous November.

Historians generally consider McKinley to have been a formidable political operative and a solid Chief Executive. He is ranked in the top twenty among presidents.

I have visited the McKinley Memorial in Canton, Ohio where he is entombed.

William McKinley, Jr. January 29, 1843 – September 14, 1901 RIP

Passengers, Pizza, and Pork

I was riding the bicycle through our beautiful downtown, sweat dripping from my nose and running in rivulets down the crevices in my time-worn visage when I espied the fine-dining train. Yes, the train still comes to town. Sporadically.

It parks beside the Pizza Shack, Tipton's nod to gustatory delights, so that the passengers may disembark, stroll through our beautiful downtown, then return to the Shack to dine before boarding the train to return to its station at the Indiana Transportation Museum in Noblesville.

This street view of Tipton's downtown in the long-before-my-time is testimony to the fact that this was once a thriving mini-metropolis. The most striking feature of the picture, apart from the horseless carriages on the left side of the street, is the fact that other than the men in the barbershop, virtually all the males are wearing hats. And jackets. And ties. Oh, for the good old days! Yeah/no.

The caboose train will provide rides every half-hour on Friday and Saturday during the Pork Festival (Tipton, Indiana, September 8 - 10. Be there.) Train leaves from and returns to Pizza Shack.

Beatitudes

Jesus said,

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. --Matthew, Chapter Five
990

Great Fire of London

September 2 through September 5, 1666.

London Burns. It is said that more than 85 per cent of the residents lost their homes. Death toll unknown. While there were only six deaths listed officially, possibly there were many poor who lost their lives and were not noted.

For the history buff, there are numerous websites that discuss this event. The vantage point of the above painting is from the River Thames, the Tower visible on the right of the picture, artist unknown.

Great Great Grandparents Lacy

Jeptha David Lacy was born July 15, 1823 in Christian County, Kentucky, son of George W. Lacy and Polly Briant Lacy. He was named for his grandfather, Jeptha D. Lacy who was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey in 1769. He also had an uncle, Jeptha D. Lacy, Jr. who was married in McLeansboro, Illinois in 1825. This plethora of Jeptha Lacys has led me into some interesting twists and turns in trying to pin down the ancestors. (Not to mention I've found other apparently unrelated Jeptha Lacys. No kidding.)

Sarah Stone, parents unknown to me, was born October 15, 1831 in Ohio. Her family moved to the Quincy, Illinois area, as had young Jeptha Lacy. This is where they met, and they were married there in 1849. They had three children, Theodore M., Emma J., and Mary E. Lacy. Shortly after the eldest, Theodore, was born in 1850 the family relocated to Fremont County, Iowa. There they established a farm four miles northwest of the soon-to-be town of Sidney which was platted in 1853.

Jeptha was much involved in the development of the city, became the town marshall, and was a leading merchant and landholder. Among other enterprises, he operated a lumber mill and a mercantile store.

The Lacys were charter members of Sidney Methodist Church and Jeptha envisioned a seminary to be located in Sidney. Under the aegis of the Sidney Methodist Church, Fremont County Collegiate Institute was established sometime in the 1860s. It was still in operation as late as the spring of 1868. The school, however, closed its doors, as the Methodist Conference refused to back it, and Sidney never became the "college town" the Lacys had envisioned.

In a 1902 interview with the Fremont County Herald, "Uncle Jep" as he was known throughout the community stated that when he had started improving his land fifty years earlier he could not then realize that "within a half-century this wild, unsettled country which belonged mostly to the Indians and infested with wolves could be brought into such a state of cultivation as now exists, and the same land selling for $80 to $100 per acre."

Mr. Lacy further stated that he had cast his first vote for Clay in 1844. He voted for Taylor in '48, for Scott in '52, and for Fremont in '56. (My record of "picking winners" pretty much mirrors his.) Since Lincoln's election in1860, he said, he's been affiliated with the republican party. "Remarkably he claimed to have never missed an election, national, state, nor county, for fifty years." (FCH)

Jeptha David Lacy, July 15, 1823 - December 19, 1904
Sarah Stone Lacy, October 15, 1831 - September 21, 1911

Both are interred in Sidney Cemetery, Sidney, Iowa

Aunt Stella and Her Grandson

Several years ago, Beautiful and I on a trip to the West made it a point to go through Lamar, Colorado. I wanted to visit a favorite Aunt who was in a nursing home there. She was really pretty far down the road of life at the time of the visit, and I have never been sure that she really knew me that day. She passed away shortly thereafter.
A much younger Vanilla with Uncle Wayne and Aunt Estella .
Aunt Stella, aunt by marriage as she was the wife of my Uncle Wayne, was one of the sunniest, most pleasant people I have ever known. To visit her was always a pleasure, for she had a way of making one feel that he was the center of the universe. She had plenty to keep her busy, too, for she raised six children, and she was Uncle Wayne's wife. Yet she always had time for me and my family when I would show up on her doorstep.

While in Lamar, we stopped by the Visitor's Center where we saw the large bronze sculpture "Short Fuse on a Slack Rope" near the entry, a magnificent and impressive piece which was done by Justin I. Young. Mr. Young, a well known artist, is a resident of Lamar. He is my first cousin, once removed, and yet I really did not know him. His mother, Aunt Stella and Uncle Wayne's daughter Alice, was considerably older than I, and Justin is a good bit younger than I, we lived in different areas, and thus our orbits just never intersected.
We called Justin, told him who we were, and he graciously invited us to stop by his home for a visit, which we did. He took us into his studio and showed us many of his works. He gave us a very interesting lesson on the process he uses in casting the bronzes which he creates. Justin explains process to JoAnn.

At the time he was working on a large bronze which had been commissioned by a city in Wyoming.
Justin was a wonderful host, and a patient teacher. We were thrilled to have this visit with him .
I am privileged to own a print of his "The Sentinel" which is proudly displayed on the wall in my office. If you would like to see some of Justin's work, you may visit his website. http://web.me.com/youngart/youngart/Home.html. A large bronze by Justin Young.