Terrapin Station

The Farrises of 100F Street

The day I interviewed for my job in Denton, I was driven through the International Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery. It wasn't on purpose, but there's a city street that goes through two sections of it.  I stopped what I was saying to my host and exclaimed, "Oh, wow! Look at this great cemetery!"

Fortunately, my host was a person with a sense of humor, and I was hired. 

I love my city and its quirky history, and I love the I.O.O.F. cemetery.  One of the streets that borders it, across from apartments and rent houses, is named "I.O.O.F. Street." I once was picking up a friend  who told me that she lived at "a street called One Hundred F street." Once I figured out what she was talking about, I explained the real meaning of those initials to her. She'd had no idea. "I always thought that was a weird name for a street," she said. (Do you know about the Odd Fellows? Want to learn more? )

Denton Lodge No. 82 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) was chartered in 1859 by a number of the area's most prominent settlers, including John S. Chisum of the Chisum Trail fame. That year I.O.O.F. charter member and Denton merchant James M. Smoot (1822-1862) donated land here for graveyard purposes. The lodge subdivided the cemetery into four sections, each of which contained 350 burial plots. The first recorded burial was that of Anne Isabella Carroll, infant daughter of Joseph and Celia Carroll, in 1860. The site served as Denton's main graveyard and by the early 1880s space had become scarce. In 1883 the lodge enlarged the cemetery by 7.5 acres acquired from adjacent landowners John and Ann McMurray; 6.5 acres acquired from the McMurrays in 1916 further enlarged the cemetery. By the early 1920s burial space was again limited, and in 1924 the cemetery was enlarged by four acres. After maintaining the cemetery for more than 60 years the lodge deeded the 22-acre site to the city of Denton in 1933. Among the approximately 5,800 people buried here are pioneer Denton County settlers, local and state elected officials, and veterans of wars ranging from the Texas Revolution to World War II.

Sometimes I walk and look at graves. Today I went there with a purpose. I've reinvigorated my work on my family tree at Ancestry.com, and I was searching for birth dates of some relatives. I found my way to FindaGrave.com, an interesting site where you can search for pictures of graves of famous and ordinary folk, and share your own. In making an account, I gave my zip code, and quickly I got a request from the system asking if I could go to the I.O.O.F. Cemetery and take pictures of five graves, as requested by other members.  Two gave the specific section, block, and plot, so I was sure I could do those easily. I was looking for two members of the Farris family who died in 1890. 

After work today I headed over to the cemetery. I picked up a map at the front and headed back to block B...what is clearly one of the four oldest sections in the cemetery, mentioned above. From newspaper stories, I knew that there had been a lot of vandalism in this area, and it was readily apparent.  Many of the stones in this area are unreadable, but in the section where I was headed, there were only two graves.  Some similar sections had 10 graves in them. And this is the area that was full, full, full. 

Somehow, over the years, these gravestones have gone missing. Where? Who can say? I once spotted two old gravestones sitting in the yard of a house on the street behind mine. I was furious, and called the police. But they are still there.

I have always loved cemeteries, but I don't have a history of going to them to "visit" people in them (except my grandparents, who are buried in possibly the coolest cemetery ever, in Tallahassee.) I plan to be cremated, and my parents do, as well. So why the big love for them? I think it's the same thing that keeps me reading obituaries...every single person there had a life. Had people who loved them, wept when they died.

I knew that the Farrises were there today, whether or not their headstones were, and I said "hey" to them. And then I came home and told you this story. 

PS 1: There is a geocache in this cemetery. Just in case you wanted to know. 

PS 2: There is a semifamous sign there, too:

This is by the front gate...you can only get in the one way. And you can never leave.    

Friday Five: April Showers

Jan says at RevGals:

With the old adage "April showers bring May flowers," let's look at the weather and vegetation in our home areas to see if any May Flowers will be blooming.

1. What spring flowers and plants do you see? Or will see sometime in the future?

Bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas.  From statesymbolsusa@org.

2. What kinds of weather are you experiencing in April?

It's an exceptionally long and cold Spring.  Right now it's 60 degrees and cloudy. But we keep having cold fronts that threaten the new little tomatoes I have set out...and this is AFTER the mesquites and the pecans are in leaf, our folklore failsafes. 

3. What are the stereotypical harbingers of spring in your area? How about where you grew up?

Bluebonnets, always. I grew up on the Texas Gulf Coast and we would always go on bluebonnet picnics. There are many, many photos of us at various ages, standing in the bluebonnets while trying not to smash them...

There are not as many bluebonnets up here. But we have them. The first signs of spring here in North Texas are forsythias and Japanese quince.  Then redbud trees. 

4. What season do you like best in your home area?

Well, Spring.  :)

5. What is sprouting or blooming in your life? What do you wish for?

Hm. Something, but I don't know its name, yet.  I wish to be introduced to this new thing. That's what I wish for.

Running into the fire

A line that kept resounding for me in the reporting of the Boston Marathon bombings was, referring to first responders, "They ran into the fire." 

Apparently it's a line from an episode of The West Wing, which somehow I haven't watched yet.

But yesterday, dozens and dozens of people did just that.

There were many medics and assistance professionals already on site for the Marathon, so it's not surprising that they were readily there and that their training took over when the unexpected attack occurred.

But there were also many, many others who were ordinary bystanders, who did what needed to be done. They, also, ran into the fire. 

Far away in Texas, my initial reactions and actions to the bombings were:

1) manically scour news reports...

2) force self to stop doing that and to breathe...

3) feel sad and hopeless and like the world is useless and why live here any longer; cry...

4) wait for an online RGBP board meeting called for 8 pm my time...

5) wish that I could ditch the meeting and go to bed, lose myself in a book, but I was the online convener...

6) color and pray...

7) attend the meeting. Laugh. Discuss serious matters. Discuss visionary visions. Battle technical difficulties. Feel blessed to be in the midst of a group in ministry.

8) realize that these folks are, daily, running into the fire, in the pursuit of what they are called to do...

9) realize that I want to find out what running into the fire looks like for me. 

As I've said many times, as an Enneagram 9 I'm not constitutionally the most likely to run into any fires.  Rather, the opposite. But, there comes a time. 

I want to have the courage. I don't know what it will look like, but it is something. 

Weekend dots

Planted

• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Okra
• Zucchini
• Yellow Squash
• Basil
• Stevia
• Marigolds
• Dianthus

Accomplished

• Pedicure
• Groceries at Sam's
• Good WW weigh-in

Sore

• Muscles from planting
• Strained ankle from ??
• Head from all above

Friday Five: Random

Thanks to the lovely revkjarla for this one from RevGals:

Can you believe it is April 12????  Have you finished your taxes?  Here in Boston, the city is abuzz with Boston Marathon anticipation.  We are finally hearing birds chirp in the morning, and even though it was in the low thirties last night, many of us are bravely sporting open-toed sandals.   None of this has anything to do Friday Five, except randomness.   So, in that spirit.......

1.  How are you doing?  What's going on in your life?

My eye is twitching.

Not sure what that's about, except that there's much considering going on. It's all good and productive; but I've been rather static for the last few years, so this is new. 

2.  Have you ever resigned from a position?  What was the good-bye like?

When I left my job of 9 years at Texas A&M it was very tough. My boss there was famous for disappearing when the real goodbyes happened (as in, the time you walked out for the last time, not the farewell party.) I was honored that she stayed for my final farewell.  She was an amazing friend and mentor to me. 

3. So, we are still resurrecting...still getting used to New Life!!  What is a source of new life for you?

Nature. Walking to work. Looking at things andbeing thankful for them. Thinking of the sources of my food: these tortillas were made from corn, which grew in the ground; then people and machines made them; then a trucker brought them to Kroger for me to buy...

And also attending an adoption shower this week for my friend/colleague's two-year-old "new" daughter. What a gift. What a delight. 

4.  My friend is running the marathon on Friday, because it is on her bucket list.  What is something on your bucket list? 

Hmm. There's a big one that I'm not ready to say publicly. I don't have a large such list anyway...I would like to take some more time and revive my Ancestry.com project. My sister Barbara has offered to help pay for the subscription (which is really high) so that's a great help. 

5.  Tell us about one precious thing (tngible) you keep around your house, your altar, your pocket, and what is its story?

My grandfather had a lovely mother of pearl fountain pen that he was given by a girlfriend. He gave it to me because I am "the historian in the family." See above, though Ancestry.com doesn't require use of the pen.  It is in my china cabinet with the other objects of art.  :)

As always, tell us you played in the comments so we can come over and visit!
Happy Friday, every one!

Writing to God: Rain or otherwise

Rachel says:  How is the weather where you are? I encourage you to write a prayer that celebrates God's blessing in today's weather conditions (or, if you are experiencing destructive weather -- floods and tornadoes, for example -- seek God's blessing despite the weather).

Good morning, God!

Thank you for the sun, birdsong, yellow finch in my tree outside

and thank you also for the rain and chill of the past few days

it will be HOT soon enough, and for a long time.

Thank you, also, for people like Nat

who can see out of the box,

who moved this photo shoot from a cramped indoor space

to your glorious, drippy outside:

You show us creativity in the weather and nature

I think you smile when we get it.