Channeling Mr. Lincoln

                        

Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem.
          ~Abraham Lincoln

This past fall Lanny and I went to see the movie "Lincoln" starring Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Fields. We both thought it was an excellent movie. Daniel Day Lewis brought Abraham Lincoln to life for us both, and we talked about different parts of the movie for days afterwards. For Christmas, I gave Lanny a copy of Doris Kearns Goodwin's book "Team of Rivals", the book on which the movie was based. It was over 800 pages, and he read it eagerly. As you can imagine, a book of such length contained amazing details about Mr. Lincoln and the times in which he governed. It vividly portrayed this extremely complex man-- and then seeing the movie brought some of all this into focus. We both wanted to learn more.

Lanny's birthday was this past weekend, and as usual, I struggled to think of something to give him. He has everything he needs and most of what he wants, so finding some material thing to give so close after Christmas is always a challenge. This year I decided to give him a weekend getaway and travel the Lincoln Trail, which is a loosely organized group of sites that were important to Abraham Lincoln's life.

Lincoln's birthplace (a representation of the cabin-- this is not the actual one)

We decided to try, as best we could, to travel the trail in chronological order. First we went to rural western Kentucky to the sites of Lincoln's birthplace and early boyhood home. That was followed by visiting the site of his boyhood home in southern Indiana, and that was followed by visiting sites in Illinois.

Every school child in America learns that Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin, taught himself to read, became President, freed the slaves and was assassinated. Visiting the locations of these log cabins, still fairly remote, on a cold midwinter weekday, when we were the only tourists there and could wander about a bit, helped us understand a little better the hardships the Lincoln family faced. We were able to trace for instance, the distance from the Lincoln cabin to the location of the school Abe and his sister had to walk to-- over 2 miles of hilly, wooded terrain. Once there, there were no books, so the schoolmaster taught using a technique where the students recited lessons out loud. The school was known as a "blab" school because all the students (at all different grade levels) were reciting out loud. Imagine trying to learn in such an environment! It is no wonder that in his entire life, Lincoln attended a formal school less than one year total.

Knob Creek, Kentucky-- part of the Lincoln boyhood home. This was a deep pool in the creek and we tried to imagine Abe swimming here with friends.

A reproduction of the cabin near Lincoln City, Indiana

More amazing still is that he was driven to make his mark on the world, and over time came to realize that working as a hard laborer was not going to allow him to do this. He had to find something else. The first place he lived as a young adult on his own was in New Salem, Illinois. While there he worked in many different jobs-- trying each one to see if this was his calling. He worked there as a store clerk, as a surveyor (self-taught, of course...), got odd jobs as a handyman of sorts, became postmaster, had a short stint in the army during the Black Hawk Indian war, and eventually determined he wanted to study and practice law. It was while working in the store that he was asked to accompany some goods on a flatboat journey down the Sangamon River to the Mississippi, and on down to sell in New Orleans. It was in New Orleans that he witnessed a slave auction and was repulsed. Lincoln was raised by parents who were both very anti-slavery, so he already had a bias-- but he wrote about his experience in New Orleans as a turning point. Not only would he learn the law, but he would enter politics as a way to somehow right this great wrong. Quite an ambition for someone from a log cabin!

This is the first store Lincoln worked at in New Salem, IL

He read law books as he could get his hands on them, and then realized he would have to head to Springfield-- the "big city"-- and apprentice with a practicing attorney. He moved there with no money, few possessions, and no plans for a place to stay. He was able to "job shadow" an attorney, eventually became certified and began practicing law. Soon after he went into local politics, was eventually elected to the Illinois House of Representatives and served several terms in that body.  It was while there that he made his famous "House Divided" speech that propelled him into the national spotlight. Also, it was where he ran into Stephen Douglas, who was perhaps his most ardent rival. Their debates have become legend.

The Old Statehouse in Springfield, IL where Lincoln served in the State House and practiced as an attorney.

Lincoln's home in Springfield

He married and practiced law for twenty some years before becoming elected president. His law practice took him on what was known as a circuit for the US District courts, so he was absent from his home 12 weeks at a time, twice a year. Riding the circuit provided times of solitude for deep thinking. It also helped him gain a statewide, and eventually national reputation. He was known as an honest man, clear-speaking, and someone who didn't mince words. He was an elaborate story teller, which made people naturally like him. The private Lincoln was very complicated-- he loved to laugh at jokes (most often on himself), loved his family and his children (the lack of discipline in the Lincoln home was legendary-- he couldn't help but be a softie with his kids!) but also was vexed by bouts of "melancholy" or clinical depression.

He never, ever lost his determination to end slavery. While often speeches indicated his desire to "preserve the Union", there are many quotes from his closest friends and advisors that indicate above all he was determined to end slavery. He led the nation during a terrible Civil War, which caused over a million casualties, and frequently visited battlegrounds and war hospitals. He saw first hand the carnage. He sent hundreds of letters to families of dead soldiers, expressing his own grief and appreciating theirs. He knew grief first hand, having lost his mother at age 9, his only sibling sister Sarah 10 years later, his first love Anne Rutledge in his early 20's and two of his own sons as children. But even armed with firsthand knowledge of grief, he did not back away from battles that he thought might win the war.

Grave of Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln on the Lincoln farm in Indiana

We are still processing all that we have learned. I am going to read Goodwin's book for sure. Learning about Abraham Lincoln has enriched our understanding of history, and helped us appreciate the greatness of this very complicated man. He is worth getting to know better. His ideals for himself and our democracy are indeed worthy of esteem.

Nowhere in the world is presented a government of so much liberty and equality. To the humblest and poorest amongst us are held out the highest privileges and positions. The present moment finds me at the White House, yet there is as good a chance for your children as there was for my father's.
           ~Abraham Lincoln, August 31, 1864 Speech to 148th Ohio Regiment

Bertrams On the Road Again

The Bertrams meet the Lincolns

Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.

          ~Jack Kerouac, On the Road 

January is a tough month in the midwest. The holidays are over, and we must settle back into whatever "normal" life is, and do it in usually abysmal weather. Lanny's birthday falls at the end of January, and every year I struggle to do something special for him. This year especially-- we had had a fabulous trip to Italy in the fall followed by the best holiday season in a long time. The weather here had turned cold and gray, and we were pretty housebound. Lanny had devoured the book Team of Rivals, by Doris Kearns Goodwin, on which the movie Lincoln had been based. We had both really loved the movie too, so I decided we needed a road trip-- and my gift to Lanny was four days tracing Lincoln's life on The Lincoln Trail. Hopefully we'd learn something about Lincoln, but mostly I was eager to get out of the house and have another travel adventure. We were both looking forward to a reprieve from post-holiday dieting too.

So off we set, early on a Thursday morning, for Hodgenville, Kentucky. This is where Lincoln's birthplace was. The day was actually sunny, though cold. We only live a few hours away, so the trip got us there late morning. We pulled into the visitor's center parking lot and discovered only one other car there. We headed inside to get whatever information and maps they had for us. As we were about to open the big dark glass door, it opened on it's own and out walked... Abe Lincoln! Dressed in his finest suit and top hat, old Abe looked very good for somebody who had been dead for 147+ years! He welcomed us to his birthplace, asked where we were from. When we told him Indiana, he commented on his boyhood home there.  Then he walked to the parking lot and got in his car, the only other one there-- a Lincoln, of course-- and drove off. A rather odd beginning, but we joked that if we'd known he was going to be at home we would have called first!

Here we are on a bright, cold Kentucky morning visiting Lincoln's birthplace.

We toured the little museum in the visitor's center, then walked up the hill to the massive granite building that houses "a symbolic" birthplace log cabin (that means it is a replica, sort of... nobody knows what the original looked like exactly). We also walked a trail through the woods to find the site of the Boundary Oak tree, which no longer is there either. And the Sinking Spring, which is. It was hard to channel Abe at this site, despite the reenactor, because it was overly developed and very little of the original was there.

We moved on down the road to a second farm where Lincoln lived with his family until age 7. This site was not developed at all, just left as it was with the field that had been where crops were raised mowed. We walked down by Knob's Creek and felt a little closer, perhaps, to Abe here.

But it was cold and getting dark. We headed to our B&B in Bardstown. A lovely old mansion, now divided into guest rooms. Our room, a suite, was where the former servant's quarters had been. We were greeted by a friendly young woman who reviewed the rules of the establishment, gave us our key, and then took us outside to get to our room. It turns out we had to take the servants' stairs up to it, and that meant going outside... Lord knows, back in the early 1800's, letting servants (or perhaps, since we were in Kentucky, slaves?) use the same stairs was just unacceptable. We got a little taste of this separation when we attempted to climb the stairs carrying our luggage. Narrow, steep and twisted around a center post so that the left side of each stairs narrowed to a point, our old bones had quite the workout climbing them. Over and over... to sample the cookies and tea in the main house, out to dinner, to get some forgotten item from the car...

Once we climbed the stairs at the B&B, we found a delightfully bright bedroom suite

And enjoyed a tasty, filling breakfast in the formal dining room of this 200 year old mansion.

When we got up in the morning, the TV reported school closings all over the area. Looking out the window I snorted... there was but a dusting of snow on the ground... What weather wimps!! We discovered, however, on our walk to the mainhouse for breakfast, that paved surfaces were coated in ice. This did not bode well for our journey that day up into Indiana and finally to Illinois. We enjoyed an excellent breakfast though, chatting with the owner (who was from Chicago originally!). Then we set on our way. The owner told us to "have a safe trip" and I replied that we would, barring "the idiots in pickups who think 4 wheel drive means they can speed on ice..."

Lanny had heard the interstate closeby had been closed that morning, so we mapped a route on what I call "the red roads", snaking our way through northwest Kentucky. Lanny is a cautious driver, the car has all wheel drive, so we thought we were in good shape. And we were.... but we soon came upon a man waving frantically in the road to slow down. We saw flashing emergency lights on the road ahead, but just barely because the road curved and made a steep decline. Lanny stopped and asked the man in the road what had happened. He told us a truck had overturned on the ice.

I am a registered nurse, bound by law and conscience to offer assistance in emergencies. I am NOT a trauma nurse so I always dread these situations... but I had to offer. I got out of the car and threw on my winter coat, and attempted to walk down the road. The ice was thick here and I finally had to walk off the road to have any solid footing. Sure enough, there was a pickup truck on its side with about 6 men standing around it. "I'm a registered nurse! Is anyone hurt?" I called. One of the men replied that he and his wife were in the truck and she was still in there, refusing to remove her seatbelt because she would fall to the other side of the truck. He said, "I had no idea it was this icy!" and I thought for a moment of the conversation I had had with the B&B owner earlier that morning. They both seemed okay, but I asked "Has anyone called for help?" and was told the fire rescue team was on their way. With help on the way, there didn't seem to be anything else I could do. (The other guys standing around decided they needed to smash in the front windshield to help out the rescue team... It gave them all something to do while they waited?) I got back in the car and Lanny turned the car around. We plotted another route, this time heading back to the interstate.

The interstate appeared to be moving well. The thermometer indicated it was 30 degrees though so the rain falling was still freezing. But the roads seemed salted and so we merged and got started. We only needed to go two exits, get off and take another red road up into Indiana where the weather was reported to be much better. Halfway to the second exit, traffic in all 4 lanes came to a complete halt. While we had no idea of the exact cause, apparently the icy roads had forced a closure further south and this was part of the back up. With less than a mile to go for our exit, we sat still on the interstate for over 2 hours. Lanny surfed the web on his phone and I pulled out my knitting. We had full stomachs and only our own timetable, so we made a conscious decision to not freak out about this delay.

the view out our car window for over 2 hours stuck on the interstate...

Eventually traffic started to move and we were on our way. We crossed the Ohio river at a small bridge that was south of Corydon, Indiana, and got to our first destination about an hour before they closed. Lincoln's boyhood home in Indiana was very well done-- the parking and visitor center was far enough away from the sites that they were not intrusive on them. We saw Nancy Hanks Lincoln's grave, as well as the original foundation of the Lincoln cabin. Again, we were the only people there touring, so we could linger as long as we wanted and take some great photos.

Time to head to Springfield! Check in at the B&B there was only 2 hours away and the trip was 4 hours, but after a quick call alerting them to our late arrival we set on our way. The trip was easy and we arrived in good time, but our GPS system took us to the B&B straight through town, and some of the seedier parts of it. We were welcomed warmly, this time to a room that did not require athletic prowess to get to. We were also given directions to a local restaurant.

When we travel, we both enjoy trying local fare. It turns out Springfield is known for a sandwich called a Horseshoe, that is a concoction layered with bread, meat, fries and a sharp cheese sauce poured over the whole thing. Not exactly health food... but I had to try one. It was delicious!

We made it to Springfield and this awaited!

This is a Horseshoe... layers of bread, meat, fries and cheese sauce. Can you hear my coronary arteries objecting?

After a wonderful breakfast the next morning, we set off to see the Lincoln sites in Springfield. I can report to you that the museum is excellent, as are the Old State Capital and Lincoln's law office. The sun was low on the horizon when we arrived at the Lincoln Home. It was 3 pm. We were told the next tour available was at 3:40 pm. When I mentioned we had not yet visited the cemetery, the docent told us that exhibit closed at 4 pm and was closed the next day. The home closed at 5 pm, and was open the following morning. If we wanted to see Lincoln's tomb, we had to do it now... so we had to race (literally we half jogged back to our car, about 8 city blocks away-- a challenge for my coronary arteries after all that fat laden fabulous food we'd eaten) out to the cemetery, about a 5 mile trip. Traffic lights were in our favor, and we arrived at the tomb by 3:20. The tour was fast and uncrowded, so we paid our respects to the Lincoln family and headed back to their residence. We arrived back at the home at exactly 3:40. We were able to tour the home and the surrounding neighborhood by the time it closed at 5 pm. Talk about power tourists!

Power tourists that we are, we made it from the Lincoln Home to the tomb and back in 40 minutes... Worth the effort too!

This is the only home Lincoln owned. 3000 sq. ft on a 50 foot wide lot with a well and 3-seater privy out back. Considered extremely prosperous in that era, the Lincolns lived well, though Mary rarely had help from servants. She was born to wealth and grew up with slaves in her home, so this was considered a real sacrifice on her part (!)

Our B&B host had recommended a downtown restaurant so we went there next. It was early-- before 5:30, and again we found ourselves the only people in the place. Dinner was delicious, including cocktails and wine, and dessert for the Birthday Boy (Okay, I had some too, but only because it was Lanny's birthday...) Our conversation focused on the Lincolns and what we had seen and learned that day, and we headed back to our B&B and went to bed happy tourists.

The Birthday Boy with his Birthday Bread Pudding... pronounced it "delicious!"

We awoke to a freezing sleet. Our plans had been to head that morning to New Salem, which was a restored village where Lincoln had first set out as a young adult on his own. There he had tried his hand as a shop keeper, surveyor, laborer/handyman, postmaster and even soldier in the Black Hawk Indian war. He had finally settled on studying law, and set out for Springfield. We wanted to see this little town, which had been painstakingly restored in the 1930's from eyewitness accounts, drawings, photos and deeds. We had also heard that the weather would clear up later in the afternoon, so we felt like we needed to wait until then to head back to Indiana. We needed a delay!

We drove the rural roads to New Salem and pulled into the visitor center parking lot in an icy rain. Again, we found ourselves the only ones there... but this time conditions really were bad. We toured the museum inside and then went out to walk the grounds. The entire village is there, all the houses and stores, the schoolhouse and the mill. Usually the village is full of tourists and docents in character explaining life in the 1830's. But on this day, the village was closed up tight and empty. I remarked to Lanny that it felt a little like a ghost town, empty and raining. We toured till we were chilled to the bone, then headed back to the visitor center. One last "pit stop" where I made extra use of the hot air hand dryer in the ladies room!

The precipitation here is freezing rain... it gave the restored village of New Salem a ghost town appearance!

Our trip home was not too bad as the temperature had warmed up some. It rained the entire trip, but thankfully no ice. We managed to stop, unexpectedly, in a little pub in a small town in Illinois that we had stopped at once before. We found the food this time every bit as good as the time before.

Our trip was fun, we learned a lot, saw scenery, historic places, ate delicious food. Hitting the road, no matter what time of year or weather, keeps us from getting bored!

Sometimes I would think myself happy never to leave. Every trip must end.
          ~Charles Keralt 

Thoughts from Martin Luther King, Jr.

We must either learn to live together as brothers, or we are going to die together as fools.

          ~Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Anyone who has read my blogs knows I love quotations. I enjoy reading them online as I write my blogs. I enjoy them when they are posted on Facebook by others. This week one of my Facebook friends has been sharing quotes by Martin Luther King, Jr. Several have really touched me, so today I went online and looked up some more. Often quotations can be taken out of context, if they are not read with the original work or setting in mind. Dr. King's quotations have a universality about them that require no stage setting. He spoke from his heart, and from a love which even today seems boundless.

Because it is close to his birthday, which has become a national holiday, I thought I would share a few more MLK quotations in hopes they inspire you as they have me. He sets the bar high for all of us to live with integrity, honesty, service, hope and above all love.

One of the great tragedies of life is that men seldom bridge the gulf between practice and profession, between doing and saying. A persistent schizophrenia leaves so many of us tragically divided against ourselves. On the one hand, we proudly profess certain sublime and noble principles, but on the other hand, we sadly practice the very antithesis of these principles. How often are our lives characterized by a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds! We talk eloquently about our commitment to the principles of Christianity, and yet our lives are saturated with the practices of paganism. We proclaim our devotion to democracy, but we sadly practice the very opposite of the democratic creed. We talk passionately about peace, and at the same time we assiduously prepare for war. We make our fervent pleas for the high road of justice, and then we tread unflinchingly the low road of injustice. This strange dichotomy, this agonizing gulf between the ought and the is, represents the tragic theme of man's earthly pilgrimage.
          ~Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love

When we look at modern man, we have to face the fact...that modern man suffers from a kind of poverty of the spirit, which stands in glaring contrast to his scientific and technological abundance; We've learned to fly the air like birds, we've learned to swim the seas like fish, and yet we haven't learned to walk the Earth as brothers and sisters...
          ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

I'm concerned about a better world. I'm concerned about justice; I'm concerned about brotherhood; I'm concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about that, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate through violence. Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that.
          ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

 Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.
          ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. So when Jesus says “Love your enemies,” he is setting forth a profound and ultimately inescapable admonition. Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies– or else? The chain reaction of evil–hate begetting hate, wars producing wars–must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.
          ~Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love

Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve
          ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Beautiful Compensations

It is one of the beautiful compensations in this life that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.

          ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

A rose blooming in Patty's front garden... in January!

I have just returned from a week-long trip to Florida where I visited my oldest and dearest friend Patty. She had a total knee replacement a week ago, and I was going down to help her recover. I spent the week mostly sitting with her gossiping and discussing all manner of girlish topics. We watched a little TV, we went to her physical therapy sessions together. We laughed and knitted and even cried a little. I helped her cheer up when she got discouraged, reminded her to do her exercises and kept her ice packs coming.

In return I had an expense-paid trip to Florida in the middle of a cold Indiana winter. We went out to eat (thanks to Patty's husband, a most generous man!) every day. And I witnessed someone who was more determined to recover from her surgery than anyone I've ever seen. She worked incredibly hard at her PT, pushing herself every time with a steely jawed look, and sometimes even tears. Her physical therapist called her "an over achiever" and even I had to caution her to moderate her regimen a little.

What I am getting at here, beside expressing my admiration for Patty's determination in the face of a lot of pain, is that I went down there to help her, and I did. But I came home with more-- a gift (or "compensation" as in the quote above) of an experience that I will carry with me always and use as a wonderful example of how to face adversity.  Simply put, I must remember to ask for help.

Thank you, my Bestest Buddy... for your fine example to me of how to face pain, suffering, and adversity. I hope when I must face these-- and we all will-- I can do it with the same determination to recover that you showed me this week. And I hope I remember to ask for help!!

All of us, at certain moments of our lives, need to take advice and to receive help from other people.

          ~Alexis Carrel

 

 

Fear of Flying

The world is divided into two kind of people: normal, intelligent, sensitive people with some breadth of imagination, and people who aren’t the least bit afraid of flying. 
          ~Szafi, White Knuckles: Getting Over the Fear of Flying

                      

It was almost 30 years ago, yet I remember it like it was yesterday. About 2 days before the trip I woke from a sound sleep with a nightmare. I sat up in the dark with my heart pounding. The dream was that I had been in a plane and it was crashing. I could hear the other people in the plane screaming. Luggage was falling out of the overhead bins. The force of gravity pushed on my chest. It was so real I was terrified...

Two days later I flew to Buffalo to attend a family wedding. The flight there was uneventful. The wedding, though wonderful, had been somewhat tarnished by the illness of the bride's mother, who was a favorite aunt of mine. So, on the return trip, I was not thinking about the flight, but rather how my aunt was doing.

The date was August 16, 1987. My flight from Buffalo to Indy was in two legs. First I flew to Detroit. I remember the pilot speaking on that flight about the usual stuff, and then adding some editorial comments about a recent criticism of air safety that had been in the news. Our flight was fine to Detroit. I had to change flights, and that meant hunting up the correct gate. I had to move from one concourse to another, and there wasn't much time so I was walking very fast. I arrived at the gate a little out of breath, sat down and then noticed how crowded the gate was. It was a double gate. My flight was leaving for Indy, the other side was a flight out to Arizona and California, Northwest Flight 255. There were lots of people milling about, including a young family. The parents were about the same age I was at the time. They had a little girl, about 4 years old, and a little boy who was just a bit older. Both were active, happy children. I spoke briefly to the mother, chattered a minute with the little ones. Then they called both flights to board, and I got on my plane, and they got on theirs.

My plane taxied out to the runway. It was a hot August evening, and I remember noting some storm clouds in the distance. We bounced our way slowly to the point where the pilot called for the attendants to sit down and was starting to rev the engines. Then the engines stopped. They just stopped. We sat there for a most unusual length of time, and then somebody said, "There goes a fire truck! There goes an ambulance! Look at the smoke!!"

We sat on the runway, on that hot August evening, for about 2 hours. The pilot of our plane didn't give us much information, other than to say that there had been "an accident" and we had to sit on the runway until the tower directed us to either take off or go back to the gate. Eventually we were sent back to the gate and then we waited until the middle of the night for another pilot to take us back to Indy.

Flight 255 crashed on take off, killing 154 aboard except a little four year old girl named Cecelia. It also killed several people on the ground. Eventually the cause was determined to be "pilot error". The pilot had not had the wing flaps configured correctly. I never saw the crash, but having spent just a few minutes with some of the people on that plane, including perhaps little Cecelia and her family, had a lasting impact on me. It took me 10 years to be able to fly in an airplane again. And I remain a "white knuckled" flier to this day. I know what can happen. I know how suddenly everything can change.

I have flown many times since and still, on take off, I sit very still and send as much psychic energy as I can to the pilots to get the flaps right... get the flaps right... GET THE FLAPS RIGHT!!!

Tomorrow I am flying again, this time to visit my best friend who just had a joint replacement surgery. She needs a little help. I could use some girlfriend time. But I am hoping out there is a pilot who is getting enough sleep. Who uses the safety checklists. And who will GET THE FLAPS RIGHT!!! 

Secret Weapon for a Winter's Night

Brew me a cup for a winter's night.
For the wind howls loud and the furies fight;
Spice it with love and stir it with care,
And I'll toast our bright eyes,
my sweetheart fair.
           ~Minna Thomas Antrim

It has been another cold, winter's day here. We took down the Christmas decorations, including all 4 trees. All the while we worked this afternoon, it snowed outside . But we were warm and snug inside... and would stay that way into the evening. What's our secret?

Beans!

I was raised in a Yankee home, where baked beans and brown bread were regular winter fare. My husband was born in Kentucky and ate soup beans and corn bread often. We both love beans, though in somewhat different styles. Sometimes Lanny will fix beans his way, sometimes I fix 'em my way. Today was my turn to cook the beans. And we both agreed they were tasty, filling, and will keep us warm tonight.

If you are struggling with being warm, try a pot of beans. Here is my recipe, which is a modified version of my Grandma Ruth's Baked Beans (New England style) recipe. You will need a crock pot or an oven-proof dutch oven or large covered casserole dish. You do NOT have to soak the beans overnight for this recipe!

Barb Bertram's Baked Beans

2 cups dry pea (or navy) beans

 Rinse the beans and remove any debris or discolored beans. Place in a large pot, cover with water to 1 inch over the top of the beans. Place on high heat and bring to fast boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Add 1 tsp baking soda and stir, then pour all into a colander and rinse well. Put the rinsed beans back in the pot, cover again with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes.

Do not drain beans after 45 minutes. Place the beans, liquid and all, in the crock pot or dutch oven. Add the following:

5 Tbsp. brown sugar or maple syrup

1 tsp salt

2 tsp. prepared mustard (I like Dijon)

1 tsp horseradish (I usually add a LOT more-- more like 2 Tbsp... it doesn't make  it sharp, but sweetens up as it cooks)

chopped ham, ham bone, or lean salt pork-- the more you put in, the heartier this dish will be!

If you are using a crock pot, cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours, or low for about twice as long. If you are using the oven, bake covered "in a slow oven" (or about 275 - 300 degrees) for 4 to 5 hours.

Serve in bowls piping hot with your choice of bread-- Brown Bread  or corn bread is our choice! I put ketchup, horseradish, and hot sauce on the table as garnishes. Prepare to remove your heavy sweater during this meal-- it will really warm you up!

Happy eating!

Keeping warm

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.
          ~Edith Sitwell

  
Last year we didn't have a winter. It never snowed and rarely did the temperature get below freezing. I am a winter person-- I really don't mind the cold (extremely cold weather is an exception...) and I love snow. I enjoy the changing seasons. After a cold winter, it is a joy to see the first signs of spring. Spring blooms and flourishes into summer, the summer heat finally gives way to the cool, briskness of autumn, and the colors in the woods explode. Then the winter wind comes, the leaves fall, and here in Indiana we often only have just gray, cold weather. Snow is a rarity any more. 

This winter, only a few weeks old, has given us 4 major snows with another one predicted for tonight. And I am loving it!  There is nothing quite like being outside in a heavy snowfall... the world is hushed, travel stops and everyone is forced to slow down. Trips outside must be planned, as it requires special clothing. Out come the winter hats, gloves, scarves, boots, and heavy jackets. We keep our house cool, requiring heavy sweaters and at bedtime we bundle up into flannel pj's and turn on the electric blanket. I find I consume lots of hot tea (or this year, I am making Italian cappucino with my new milk frother!). And we have fires in our fireplace. My knitting gets done, books are read, food is slow-cooked and consumed with gusto. 

Last night we both found ourselves tucked in bed before 8 pm. Lanny has a bad cold and he felt miserable, but managed to prop himself on pillows and get out the book he is reading. I was snug in my flannel pj's with my knitting, and we sat there, just the two of us, barely talking, each in our own worlds, but together and happy. 

I remember the hassle of winter when I was working-- the dark mornings, dark evenings, cold weather, bad roads to get to work on... I find some kind of justice in the fact that as I face the winter of my life, I can finally stay home and enjoy the winter outside. I have plenty of knitting to do, a full pantry, firewood for the fireplace. And I have my companion to enjoy it with.

I hope, sometime this winter, each of you can slow down a little and enjoy the season. Make a pot of chili or wrap up in your favorite comforter and read a book. Soon, spring will burst upon us and we will have to "get busy" . But for now, winter provides us with a great excuse to rest our bodies, our brains, our spirits. 

The view off our back porch of our woods

The view out our kitchen window-- that's a climbing rosebush that is covered in snow. The birds perch in here as protection from the wind.

 

Happy New Year!

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever.

          ~ Neil Gaiman

I am sitting in a quiet house. Except for the chugging of the washer and dryer, the house is silent. Less than 24 hours ago, it was a hubbub of activity, full of children and excited chatter and family love. We have had a very active holiday here at the Bertrams! Usually, after a holiday spent with family, I am depressed and a little lonely when it all ends.

This year is different though. I think it is because we saw almost every family member at some point, and we have had so much activity we are very tired. My sister and her husband came the weekend before Christmas and stayed with us, and we had a wonderful time with my mom. We were invited to spend Christmas Eve afternoon and evening with Lanny's brother and his family, which was a fun time spent laughing and eating (way too much!) And then my son and grand daughter came to stay overnight here at our home Christmas Eve. Being able to share in the wonder and magic of Christmas Eve and morning with a 4 year old was indeed a highlight for this grandmother!  Our daughter Krissy came over too, which added to the fun (Krissy always brings unique, usually very funny gifts!). And then 2 days later my older son, his wife and two little boys arrived for a 4 day holiday stay over New Year's. Except for Lanny's older brother and his family who live on the far west coast, we saw every person near and dear to us. And we were healthy. And we were warm and well-fed. And it snowed... a lot!

Our three grandchildren, all in the same place! Many thanks to our daughter-in-law for the wonderful photo!

I told Lanny this morning that my heart was overflowing from it all... it was the best Christmas we've had in a long time. And I am very, very thankful. And very aware of how lucky I am. I have had many other Christmases that were horrible, spent trying to keep a smile pasted on my face when all the while I was miserable or worse.

Which brings me to the new year. For the first time in a very long time, I will take down all the holiday decorations without sadness or regrets, and look to the new year with anticipation. I don't have any big resolutions other than to get back on the healthy eating bandwagon (which I fell off of in Italy and just kept being bad till now!).  I do hope 2013 brings more learning and growth my way, knowing full well that I will need to go out and seek both.  And I will make more mistakes as I go. But that's okay. Lanny and I have a saying between us that kind of sums it up well. We have learned through the years of living we've both done that:

It doesn't have to be perfect to be perfect!
          ~Grandma Barb

Happy New Year to you all! Here's to 2013 filled with learning, growth, and a few mistakes to keep us going. And time spent with those you love the most.