Wednesday

                  Musings and History

Quote of the day:

“To live is the rarest thing on earth. Most people just exist and that is all.”

                                                  Oscar Wilde

Well y’all, yet another event occurred that further mystifies me as to the mind of the female of the human species. A short while ago I got a manila envelope in the mail. It was from one of my ex-wives and in the envelope was six or seven letters from me to her written in about 1983. She had also inserted a note saying that it was about time for her “close the door on this part of her life.” I did not know what she was talking about. Why did she save those letters for 33 years? I sent her an e-mail saying “Package received. Closing the door is a good idea” and I thought that was the end of it. But no, she sent me a return e-mail describing that some woman called her just before Thanksgiving looking for me. She said that the woman said that she had met me at a bar out on the beach and she found what she thought was my phone number from an old phone book. I have never had my name associated with that phone number in my life so I have to believe that this whole tale is a fabrication by her. What is the logic to telling a bald face lie that cannot be defended? Not only that, I haven’t been in her house in 30 years. She also said that her son had seen me out on the beach and that her son said that I saw him but avoided contact. I do not remember that encounter and why would I do that? That ain’t my style, I certainly am not bashful. What did she hope to accomplish with this dog and pony show? I give up.

Last week down in Bishopville, SC a 76 year old man let his wife out at the beauty parlor and simply disappeared. The cops were notified after he did not show up to pick his wife up. This man has been showing early signs of Alzheimer’s. A search of the surrounding community produced no results. Late that night up in Elizabethton, TN the police stopped a car going northbound in the southbound lane. It was the missing man disoriented and confused. His family drove the 160 miles and retrieved him and took him home. I suppose we all worry about being in that condition at one time or another.

Up in the Charlotte, NC area Dustin Witherspoon had just gotten out of jail and had dedicated himself to straightening his life out since the birth of his son. Somehow Witherspoon got into a squabble on Facebook with two teenagers. Later the two kids set Witherspoon’s house on fire. Witherspoon was able to save his wife and infant son but he perished in the flames. The two kids are 18 and 16. A fatal arson charge is a minimum of 50 years. That is two more lives wasted over nothing.

This Date in History December 14

1799 On this date the father of our country, George Washington, died on his Mount Vernon estate in Virginia. He was 67 years old. George died of acute laryngitis. I cannot recall ever hearing of anyone dying of that but there was no anti-biotics in those days. George was born in 1732 in Westmorland County and his first military experience was as a Lieutenant Colonel for the Virginia militia in a few forays against the French in the Ohio Valley in 1754. In 1756 he took command of the defense of the western flank of Virginia during the French and Indian War and when the battle moved elsewhere he resigned and returned to his farm and took a seat in Virginia’s House of Burgesses. For two decades he vehemently opposed Great Britain in the over taxation and repression of the colonists. When the Revolutionary War broke out for good, Washington was elected a Commander-in-chief of the military by the Continental Congress. Some of those in the congress were opposed to Washington but they felt that having a Virginian in command would have a better chance of uniting the southern states with the war in the northeast. Washington’s superb leadership and foresight was able to bring a rag-tag army into one that defeated the mightiest nation on the planet. They were not alone however, the Continentals somehow persuaded France to contribute men, money and supplies to this fledgling country. In fact, if it had not been for the French Navy blockades on the Chesapeake Bay which trapped British General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown and forced him and his army to surrender essentially ending the land war in the Revolutionary War. At Washington’s eulogy it was his friend Henry Lee that uttered those immortal words “He was first in peace, first in war and first in the hearts of his countryman”.

1874 While asleep this night in New York, Holmes Van Brunt heared a commotion in the house next door. He gathered up three other men and they go next door each carrying a loaded shotgun. Upon arrival they encounter a group of men trying to kidnap Holmes’ neighbor. Holmes and his boys unload with their shotguns and cut down all of the kidnappers. On his deathbed, one of the kidnappers confessed that he was part of the Charlie Ross kidnapping also. Little four year old Charlie Ross was playing on his front lawn when he was kidnapped about 10 years before. The parents received a ransom note for $20,000 and took the money to the drop point but the money was never picked up. Little Charlie Ross was never found.

Born today:

1546 Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. He said “Now it is quite clear to me that there are no solid spheres in the heavens and those that have been devised by the authors for appearances exist only in their imagination.” Tycho, you were considered a genius during your time, but you should have chatted with Galileo, he had a telescope.

1935 US actress Lee Remick. She said “I make movies for adults. When Hollywood starts making them again, I will start acting again.” Lee went to that great movie lot in the sky in 1991.

Died today:

1873 Swiss naturalist Louis Agazzis. He said “Every scientific truth goes through three states: First, people say it conflicts with the Bible, next they say it has been discovered before and lastly, they say they always believed it.”

                Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow