Monthly Archives: January 2019

Good Deeds in Weary World: A Visit to the Lincoln Cottage

#lincolncottage

If there is one good thing about the furlough/partial shutdown, which so far drags on for us “non-essentials,” it has been the motivation to visit some sites which are offering free admission. One, to get out of the house. Two, to get some culture, history and inspiration.

So, we visited the Lincoln Cottage last week. The cottage is located on the very pretty grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home (commonly called the Soldiers and Sailors Home) in Northwest Washington, DC, and it was a sort of retreat in the hot and smelly months of historic WDC for presidents including Lincoln. Back then, the three or four miles from the White House to this location was “a trip to the countryside.”

The cottage itself is pretty stark this time of year; they apparently dress it up with more exhibitions and furnishings after February. But the Visitors Center where you purchase tickets for the cottage has several rooms with exhibitions about Lincoln, the Civil War, the Home, and right now, an exhibition on immigration which includes a wall where people can leave their immigration stories. (Ironic as that might be.)

The experience inside the cottage, meanwhile, is a contemplation of things that Lincoln pondered within its walls, and a place to leave your own message about a good deed you intend to do or have done. The staff gives you a small battery operated tea light when you come in, and invites you to participate.

The rooms are subdued and atmospheric, and there are questions throughout which make you think. About Lincoln and his courage and faults. About your own intentions and hopes. About the consequences of the things governments do for and to their citizens.

Afterwards, we wandered the snowy grounds for awhile, and even built a snowman (there was no one around to tell us not to). When we got back to our car, kids from a local school were running around with glee and abandon at the adjacent playground. There is some joy left in the world, thank goodness, along with the difficulties.

Fathoming the Deep

Uncategorized, water, poetry, fathoming, ,

I’m not sure I believe in astrology, but I do love being near, on or in water, and I am an Aquarius (Aquarian?). So maybe there is something to it after all. In any case, I also like to photograph water, at sunrise, at sunset… and now thanks to a nifty feature on my Google Pixel phone camera called Night Sight, even at night.

Which brings me, in a roundabout sort of way, to the word of the day: “fathom.” This is a very useful word. As a measurement of water, the definition extends to a measure of understanding. (As in, “I can’t fathom how long this government furlough has gone on already.” Or, “I’m beginning to fathom just how expendable my job seems to be.”)

It is also a good word for literature. Shakespeare comes to mind. Another example is perhaps not exactly up to The Bard’s level but still interesting: when I did a search for “fathom poem” I came up with this poem on the Hello Poetry site by someone (?) called Third Legacy of Oliver, which I feel addresses the current state of negotiations in Congress, and also contains the word “fathom.” Give it a read and see what you think.

Circling back to the water, I offer my attempts at poetic photography, which hopefully describes in pictures the unfathomable deeps of our understanding – about life, about government, about anything you are currently trying to fathom. Enjoy.

Missing Some Holiday Pieces

Holidays, Uncategorized, , ,

Do the winter holidays ever leave you feeling as though you’re missing a few key pieces? Maybe you didn’t have as much fun as you thought you’d have, didn’t get the gift you asked for, or missed spending time with a good friend or family member. Or, like us this year, you sent out many more cards than you received and wondered if holiday cards are “out” now and you just didn’t pick up on that trend?

Our family metaphor for “the missing pieces of the holidays” is the annual tradition of doing an elderly jigsaw puzzle that has, to date, seventeen missing pieces. This puzzle depicts The Twelve Days of Christmas, with the added twist of gaping holes. We have other holiday themed puzzles (somewhere) but somehow this is the only one that we can find when there is some quiet time in front of the fire and nothing else to do.

Daughter M.E. and visiting friend Dan work on the less than perfect puzzle.

Why don’t we just get rid of this defective time waster? Well, for one thing, the zen activity of jigsaw puzzling is made even more mysterious and wondrous by never remembering which pieces are missing. For another, it is symbolic of the way that, even if the holidays do not live up to the hype (when have they ever?), the best part of the season can be taking time away from hustle and bustle even if the end result is not one hundred per cent rewarding. Third, the hardest part (the numbers) is still enough of a challenge to keep us interested and add that sense of achievement even in the midst of regret over the fate of those seventeen missing pieces.

Like the smile of a child with missing teeth (albeit without the promise of growing new ones), the puzzle is endearing. And, even with some pieces missing, the puzzle and the holidays can be enjoyable and relaxing if we realize limitations. No one, and no holiday, is perfect. Make the most of what you have.