Tag: tradition

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The Story of Mary MacLane by Mary MacLane

The Story of Mary MacLane by Mary MacLaneMaryMacLane

This is a memoir that was very popular in its time.  It was “lost”, and then rediscovered.   It is written by a 19 year old woman who lived in Butte, Montana in 1901.  Ms. MacLane was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Butte, Montana of 1901 was a mining time, and for many reasons Ms. MacLane did not feel like she fit into it.  For the times she had more than the usual education for a man and certainly for a woman.  She tells us she is a genius, and who am I to argue with her.  Later in life she became openly bisexual. The memoir openly speaks of her love for a woman that is beyond platonic.  I cannot imagine trying to come to terms with those stirrings in that place at that time.  It had to be difficult.   The following passage is but one of many that speaks of this.

“I feel in the anemone lady a strange attraction of sex. There is in me a masculine element that, when I am thinking of her, arises and overshadows all the others.

“Why am I not a man,” I say to the sand and barrenness with a certain strained, tense passion, “that I might give this wonderful, dear, delicious woman an absolutely perfect love!”

And this is my predominating feeling for her.

So, then, it is not the woman-love, but the man-love, set in the mysterious sensibilities of my woman-nature. It brings me pain and pleasure mingled in that odd, odd fashion.

Do you think a man is the only creature with whom one may fall in love?” Continue reading “The Story of Mary MacLane by Mary MacLane”

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A Southern, Jewish Tradition

My Yankee wife has cooked me another traditional Southern meal to bring in the New Year.  We had black-eye peas, turnip greens, rice and corn bread.  It took a while to get her to cook cornbread the “right” way.  First time she served me cornbread I thought it was cake. Now she makes it in a cast iron skillet with yellow cornmeal, and it is not sugary sweet.blackeyed_peas

Traditionally, black-eye peas are for good luck and greens are to bring wealth.  There are more than a few theories about why this combination.  The one I like best is “Eat poor on New Year’s, and eat fat the rest of the year.”

One I  did not know about is the tradition of black-eye peas dates back 500 years to the Talmud:

“According to a portion of the Talmud written around 500 A.D., it was Jewish custom at the time to eat black-eyed peas in celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It’s possible that the tradition arrived in America with Sephardic Jews, who first arrived in Georgia in the 1730s.”

And as Tevye would say, “Tradition.”  Southern, Jewish or otherwise, tradition makes the world go round and helps to keep us grounded.

New Year’s Day Tradition – Black-Eyed Peas and Greens

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The Tradition Continues

When my kids were in grade school, I would occasionally have them do “book reports” for various reasons. They were never very happy when I assigned them one, but they did do them…grudgingly. My daughter is much older now and she seems to have fond memories of doing the book reports, at least a few of them.

David and his family visited us recently in St. Louis. David and Brandie were determined to not waste a moment of the weekend and we visited many of the sites in town including the Arch. In the gift shop at the Arch they had a place mat with all the presidents on it. I purchased one, I though for me. The grand-kids made such a fuss over the place mat that I gave it to them with the stipulation they give me a book report on a president whenever their report cards came out. The tradition continues.

I am still waiting for Jordon’s report. Below is Teagan’s report. Continue reading “The Tradition Continues”

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