A Manifesto Of Hope

I am hoping for a change in the world: Where its inhabitants care more about others than themselves. 

Where leaders can actually lead their people in change for good. 

      Not change for dominance.

      Not change for profit.

      Not change to fit a small box of compliant yes people.

I am hoping for a change in the world: Where sustainability becomes a mantra.

Where rainforests grow, not diminish. 

Where more people are fed and clothed and housed. 

Where we care for everyone, regardless of their race or beliefs or hopes or desires or loves or abilities or disabilities. 

I will make one change each day to work to this end.  I am hoping to change the world.

The Invisible Choir

A few years ago, I was singing for a wedding at Divine Word. My friend Tim was playing violin. After mass, my dear friend (and faithful alto) Carol Ann came up from the church’s lower level.
“Who was the gentleman singing with you?” she asked.
“It was just me and the violin,” I answered.
“No!” she insisted, “I heard a man’s voice singing harmony with you - it was beautiful!”  
I stared at her for a moment, then asked, “My guardian angel?”

Before that, once in a while, I thought I was hearing strings or a horn. I’m a composer and arranger, so I often hear music in my head. When I hear those extra parts playing along I think, “How lovely!” We have guitars, woodwinds, keyboards, piano, but strings and horns are generally saved for Christmas and Easter. Then we started to hear an extra voice or two during mass. One of our altos had passed into the next world, and we’d smile when we heard her -  sure it was Barb who occasionally joined us as we sang.

At one funeral, Fr. Jim Caddy stopped me after mass.
“I can look over and count the number of people you have singing with you. Six people. Today, you had six singers. Why does it sound like you have an entire chorus of people?”
I looked at him, smiled, and said, “I’m sure it’s our guardian angels singing with us, so, twelve singers today?”

Last week, we had a funeral at Divine Word. We had Mike and Rose on guitars, but there were just three of us singing: Jerry, Eileen and me. Down in our lower level, we had chefs preparing lunches for distribution at a downtown center. After the service, Claire (one of our chefs) stopped me, “You sounded like ten people today, who was singing?” Carol Ann (preparing food downstairs) said it sounded like a huge choir - more than ten people - singing. Jane even ran to the stairwell and came upstairs to count because she didn’t believe Carol Ann who told her there were only three of us.

During the last few years, we’ve lost more good friends - Carl, Phyllis and Toni - to the next world. I have a confession to make: at each of their caskets, I look to the right of their casket, where their spirit is standing, and tell them, “Come and sing with me if you have time.” I didn’t realize we would be able to hear them! I am so very lucky to have devoted music ministers AND and my dear Invisible Choir.

 So here we are one year in, Jim and I have both gotten vaccinated, and our week continues:

Monday     10 am funeral, Zoom meeting with the Village

Tuesday     Sun Basket arrives

Wednesday     Noon FB video chat with the Cousins in Wales, Zoom lecture on liturgies, set out garbage, every other Wednesday is a Schwan's delivery

Thursday    Zoom meeting

Friday        Wine delivery arrives 

Jim still runs 5 miles a day, and when the weather is nice, we walk our beloved golden. I've finished one quilt, four pillowcases, a knitted mini dress, a few cross stitch samplers. 

Life is good.

 Thoughts on Sheltering In
A Pandemic Story, The Early Days*

When I prepared for a long stay at home, I did not anticipate the amount of ketchup my husband Jim would consume. (Going through my mind right now: Carly Simon’s song “Anticipation” while your ketchup is sloowly creeping out of the bottle.) Canned goods, fine, ground coffee, fine, flour, sugar, fine, WHERE IS THE EXTRA BOTTLE OF KETCHUP IN THE PANTRY?

Oh, well, we had to run out of something, right?

Jim wasn’t so much concerned about paper products as he asks, “We’re not going to run out of wine, are we?” I assured him our wine club memberships would not allow that.

Things I have learned in the first two weeks we are sequestered at home:
The pancake recipe only uses one egg. Great for breakfast or lunch. Blueberries for breakfast, diced chicken and apple is the filling for lunch. (I only had 2 dozen eggs, I’m trying to ration them.)

Frozen fruit lasts a lot longer than fresh fruit.

Wisconsin Cheeseman delivers a lot faster than Omaha Steaks, but they charge for delivery, and Omaha Steaks will be free. My husband never says “Omaha Steaks,” he says “Obama Steaks” and now he’s got me saying that.

I found a great recipe for Starbucks Sous Vites Egg Bites and you can make 5 or 6 with just 3 eggs.

You can sing for a nursing home via Skype.

I thought we’d never have fresh food again. Then the Sun Basket box arrived with fresh everything. I nearly cried. They delivered every week without fail, right to the front door. The menus were fun, the recipes delicious and easy to prepare. 

We are fairly prepared. Life is good.

* I realize this should have been published in March. Really interesting to look back and feel the panic rising.

The Blue Diva

In the twenty-third century, the universe is threatened by evil. The only hope for mankind is the Fifth Element, who comes to Earth every five thousand years to protect the humans with four stones of the four elements: fire, water, Earth and air. 

And so the stage is set for The Fifth Element (one of our favorite movies - a 1997 sci-fi with Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich and Gary Oldman). One scene features a Blue Diva, played onscreen by Maïwenn Le Besco.  Maïwenn thought her cameo was quite short and unimpressionable, but she had no idea she would ultimately have a huge cult following. (Especially among sopranos and opera lovers everywhere.) Her performance as the alien diva Plavalaguna is actually lip-synced to a recording by the incredible Albanian soprano Inva Mula. She begins with "The Mad Scene" "Il dolce suono" aria from the opera Lucia di Lammermoor, written by Gaetano Donizetti. It is breath-taking and Mula's voice sounds like melted butter, effortless and perfect.

Ahhhhh. I am learning The Mad Scene - it is lovely.

Christmas Memories

We get so busy at Christmastime - buying and wrapping surprises, preparing orchestra books for church services, planning dinners, going to fun events with family. Sometimes we're running without thinking.

One evening, as we were frantically gathering gifts and wrapping presents, my darling husband Jim wrapped one arm around me, softly held my hand, and dancing slowly, guided me over to the mistletoe. The Christmas tree lights were soft and twinkling, Vince Guaraldi was playing, and for one delicious moment, he tenderly kissed me. Ah! My favorite Christmas memory!

The Vortex

I see it coming down the road,
A small speck of whirling dervish.
As it gets closer,
I see the whirl and the colors
And I am curious.

The vortex looms before me,
And I see the whirl and the colors
And I am enamored.

And just for a moment,
I am caught up by the outer whirl of the vortex
And I whirl around
And excitement turns to fear and to horror.
There is no stopping, no calm, no stillness to embrace.
There is the movement that goes faster and faster.
The only purpose of the vortex is to keep moving
As quickly as possible.

Without the constant movement,
Faster and faster,
It is nothing.

I creep to the outer edge of the vortex
Going faster and faster.
I slip out.
The vortex is unchanged, because it moves only for itself.

And the vortex moves on,
Catching up everything in its path.

And I am safe now,
Standing still.



© 2019 Rebecca Burrington

Bloomer Bread

This crusty English bread is a favorite. The bloomer loaf is a cylindrical English bread with diagonal slashes on top. The term refers to the way the loaf is shaped - allowed to rise free-form.

I ordered a lovely duck egg mayonnaise sandwich on brown bloomer bread, served up with rocket salad and crisps, from the fabulous chef at Crowne Plaza Reading. Hearty homemade bloomer bread is quite common in England and I was lucky enough to find a recipe from a BBC Food recipes website. This recipe below comes to us from BBC chef Paul Hollywood, who reveals the versatility of breads from around the world.

Next was the smoked cheddar and pickle sandwich, made at the Cast Iron Bar & Grill in Breadsall Priory Marriott Hotel in Derbyshire. The Priory was first established in 1266 by Sir Robert Curzon and dissolved in 1536 by none other than that rascal King Henry VIII, who removed over 800 monasteries in his quest to erase Catholicism from England. Through the years, the Priory was remodeled as as family estate, country club, and finally, a hotel, officially, the oldest Marriott in the world.


Recipe for White Bloomer Bread
Ingredients: 1 lb. 2 oz. white flour
pinch salt
1 packet instant yeast
11 1/2 oz. cold water
1 1/2 oz. olive oil
Extra oil and flour for kneading

Add oil and 9 oz. water to dry ingredients. Knead dough on oiled surface for 5 to 20 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl to rise, cover with cling wrap until tripled in size. Knead again, shape loaf into rectangle. Roll up the sides to create the bloomer shape. Place on a tray lined with parchment paper and let double in size, about 1 to 2
hours at room temperature. Lightly spray with water and dust with flour. Cut 4 diagonal slashes across the top. Bake loaf on middle shelf in pre-heated 425°F oven for 25 minutes. Place a pan of water on the lower shelf (this will steam the loaf as it bakes.) Lower temperature to 400°F. Bake another 10 minutes, then remove from oven and cool on a rack.

1) https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/paul_hollywoods_bloomer_84636
2) https://www.bbc.com/food/programmes/b01rhdgt
3) https://savortheflavour.com/bloomer-bread/

Child, Boy

Zoey picked a tag off the tree which read "Child, Boy" and a description of what this homeless child could receive: boots, coat, hat, scarf, gloves.

We were going to go to Target to buy everything, but I got an e-mail saying that if we ordered online, we would get a special early Black Friday deal and they'll send everything to the house by the end of November.

We aimed for size 6 in nearly everything. Small older boy or larger younger boy, we figured.

Ty helped me pick everything out (with Zoey's approval) and insisted we get a larger hat, because a little kid could wear a bigger hat, (and grow into it) but if it was too small, he wouldn't have a hat!

I cried the whole time we selected clothing. Picturing this sweet little boy, homeless. Ty said he would be in a shelter, but I explained that often, they must leave the shelter by 8 am, returning in the late afternoon, hoping their bed was still available. It is just heartbreaking.

So, what's the solution for homeless people? When we were in San Francisco, they were EVERYWHERE. On every corner, on every street. Begging. For food, money, friendship.

And now our thoughts are with Child, Boy. Walking, wandering, looking for his next meal or next bed or next hope. I hope someone brings him to school and feeds him. I hope someone will love him. I hope someone will give him hope. And that he won't be homeless for too much longer.

Is Zero Waste Possible?

I was a Girl Scout and totally grew up on the 3 R’s: Recycle, Reduce, Reuse. I was horrified - absolutely horrified - at the scene in Mad Men where Betty Draper picked up their picnic blanket, waved it in the breeze, scattering all the paper items in the wind to settle on the roadside. I literally screamed at the sight. But back in the late 1950s and early 1960s that’s what people did. Just threw used paper products on the lawn, the roadside, out the window. GAH.

As you may well imagine, garbage has been around as long as time: where there are people, there is trash, although ancient trash differed greatly from what we have today. In 200 A.D. in ancient Rome, actual garbage men were hired to collect trash from the streets, toss it into a cart and haul it away.1 Those smart Romans. (Except for that unlucky lead-in-the-water thing.) Ancient Crete dug large pits to hold refuse. The Middle Ages found villages and cities throwing their garbage right into the street, attracting rats and vermin, generally inviting the black plague to come in and decimate over a third of the population, an estimated 75 to 200 million people.2

It wasn’t until February 1965 when (First Lady) Lady Bird Johnson started her “Beautify America” campaign that people began to focus on their environment. That was the same year the federal government enacted solid waste management laws.3 Trash cans began appearing in public, in fields, at roadsides and in later years, on beaches.

Lauren Singer, a woman living in Brooklyn, New York, has been “living zero waste” since 2013. Her environmental science studies at New York University really struck a chord and she began a gradual transition. Her blog, Trash is for Tossers, and her business, The Simply Co., reinforce her beliefs, as she encourages everyone to have a positive impact in their everyday life.4 She has 5 simple steps to get you started:
1. Make a grocery list and plan your menus in advance. Shop in season. Buy fresh and not in plastic.
2. Buy clothing second-hand.
3. Invest in reusable products.
4. DIY - beauty and cleaning products can be made at home for a fraction of their store-bought price.
5. Just say “no” - to plastic, disposable silverware, new clothing. It’s really a challenge, but if you really question your purchases before they are made, you can make an overall positive impact.

Consume less, consume smarter is Singer’s mantra. Her “Package Free” shop sells wonderfully practical sustainable, reusable, refillable items and everything is shipped in 100% recyclable, 100% compostable packaging. You can subscribe to her newsletter or sign up for her mailing list at https://packagefreeshop.com/

So, I definitely do the three Rs in our household. Minimal food waste: Stale bread is made into bread crumbs or bird food. Sour milk makes incredibly moist homemade scones. Extra dinner portions become lunch for the next day. Nearly all our clothing is recycled. Old towels and raggedy T-shirts are made into rags. Fabric scraps are made into quilts. I must admit though, my beauty and cleaning products are still purchased in plastic. I do buy new clothes.

I may not achieve zero waste, but I’ll always be a big fan of the three Rs.



1 https://medium.com/@trashcansunlimitedoutreach/the-history-of-the-trash-can-and-all-its-dirty-secrets-b12c6853e81b
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death
3 http://www.pbs.org/ladybird/shattereddreams/shattereddreams_report.html
4 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/one-woman-saves-big-living-waste-free-lifestyle-142636952.html

Space Junk? Yeah, it’s a thing.

The first launch of metal into space was the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1. Its transmissions could be picked up by amateur radio operators around the world. This tiny artificial satellite orbited Earth for 3 months, finally burning up in Earth’s atmosphere on January 4,1958. 1 Not every piece of metal reenters Earth’s orbit and burns up. Sometimes, it just stays in space.

Right now, there are more than 1100 satellites flying over our heads. Some are 4-inch cubes weighing about 2 lbs., while others are the size of a school bus, weighing 6 tons. 2 Half of those are in low-earth orbit, like the Hubble telescope, observation satellites and International Space Station, which is about 260 miles above us.3 Global positioning systems are in Medium-Earth orbit (which we shall now call Middle Earth orbit - and of course you already know why this is my favorite term), or over 12,000 miles straight up.

Low-Earth, or Near-Earth orbit has many more pieces floating than functional satellites. Space debris includes LEO (low-earth orbit) dead satellites, which have a whopping life expectancy of 5 years, GEO (in a higher, geostationary orbit) satellites (life expectancy of 8 years), leaked coolant, paint chips, bolts, upper stages of launch vehicles and pieces from space collisions. In fact, most of the debris comes from accidents.That’s a hundred thousand pieces of anything, whipping around the earth at the astonishing speed of 17,500 miles per hour. That’s enough to slash through your shuttle bus to the moon.

So why can’t we just send someone up with a vacuum and trash can? The cost is exorbitant. Who’s monitoring all this debris? NASA (National Aeronautics Space Administration) has an Orbital Debris Program Office which logs the movement of every piece of debris bigger than a softball. ESA, the European Space Agency, looks to the US Space Surveillance Network, who catalogs items (currently numbering about 15,000, not including 1000 satellites), but ESA Member States contribute information from research radars and telescopes. There is also input from the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

And now the latest in terror: China’s unmanned 18,000 lb+ Tioangong Space Lab is scheduled to return to Earth some time between October, 2017 and April, 2018. They don’t know when. They don’t know where. They think it is “highly unlikely” that the falling debris will cause persons or property to be damaged. And caution: There’s a highly toxic substance on board that will most likely survive re-entry: hydrazine.4 So you know what that means, right? DON’T TOUCH IT. And you know what else that means? It most likely will fall IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. In my backyard. On something valuable, like our grill or our picnic table. (sigh) So . . . there’s that.

So, my creative scientists, let’s think of a solution to clean up our space (nod to Tim Gunn). The backyard grill you save could be mine.

Photos that may interest you: Screenshot of space junk:
https://www.popsci.com/now-you-can-see-all-space-junk-floating-around-earth-real-time

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2523271/Image-reveals-disused-rockets-abandoned-satellites-orbit-Earth.html

This is an awesome podcast with Fraser Cain and Pamela Gray that discusses Space Junk.
http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/e/7/4/e74c4f7c1c62a346/AstroCast-080331.mp3?c_id=1379386&expiration=1508417010&hwt=5a40ce285acc2352c6a90c61580ff5e1


1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1

2 https://www.universetoday.com/42198/how-many-satellites-in-space/

3 http://talkingpointsmemo.com/idealab/satellites-earth-orbit

4 https://www.space.com/37691-china-tiangong-1-space-lab-uncontrolled-re-entry.html

Are they really listening?

You know how you suspect people aren’t actually listening to you? (Husband, children, pets) Oh, they say they are, and really want you to believe them, but you then find out . . . well, here’s how it all transpired:

We were having breakfast, something like toasted Bruegger’s bagels swathed in cream cheese, with turkey sausage on the side. Yum! We were having our second cup of coffee and my darling husband was typing, typing, typing on his laptop, trying to get ready to teach his next chemistry class.

As I’m reading the morning paper, I casually asked him, “Are you still hungry?”
He said, not looking up, “Yes.”
I wasn't sure he was still hungry and said, “Really?”
His eyes glued on the laptop, he immediately responded, “Yes.”
And I said, “Should I make you something more?”
And he stopped typing, looked up at me - like I was asking him to tie my shoes - and said, “Yes?”

So back to the stove I went . . . making a fluffy omelette with veggies and popped some bread in the toaster. About five minutes later, I presented this Second Breakfast (as in Hobbit-Second-Breakfast) to him, presenting the plate at the same level as his eyes on the laptop. He stopped, looking at me with a slightly amused and quizzical expression. I declare triumphantly, “Ok, here it is. Second breakfast.”

He hesitated for only one second, took the plate, thanking me, still with that little amusement in his eyes and I started laughing and insisted, “You just said ‘yes’ because you had no idea what you were saying ‘yes’ to.” He started to laugh and said, “You think I wasn’t listening to you.” And I said, “THAT’S RIGHT. You weren’t listening.” And he started laughing harder and said, “Oh, I’m never gonna live this down.”

He’s right, of course. He will never live this down. But he did eat the omelette. And the next time I think he’s not really listening, I’m going to make sure he says “yes” to a trip to Ireland.

A Delectable Dessert . . . from the 16th century

In a recent BBC television show, a special Ana von Kleve torte was made in honor of Anne of Cleves 500th anniversary. This was not an historical recipe, but a new recipe created in 2015.

Most likely, Anne of Cleves would not have had cake at all. Some of the dessert recipes featured in the 16th century would have been A White Leach (a.k.a. Sweet Cubes of Jellied Milk), Posset Curd, Apple Moyse (Apple Mousse) Trifle, Fruit Tart, Custards or Bread Pudding.1 Flaky pastry was unknown, and a tart could be either sweet or savory, depending upon available ingredients. A description of “fine cakes” or cookies would yield more along the lines of a small cracker.

Tudor Cookery by Peter Brears, first published by English Heritage in 1985, features transcribed recipes from The Good Huswifes Jewell,1 published in 1585. Although Anne was born in 1515, a good 70 years before, these recipes would undoubtedly be handed down from parent to child for many decades before being printed in book form. Most European "cookery books" did not change much from the 13th through 16th centuries.2 By comparison, back in America at Martha Custis Washington’s first marriage in 1750 to Daniel Parke Custis, she was presented with a handwritten cookbook from her mother-in-law, Frances Parke Custis. Frances was born in 1685, and those transcribed included a recipe for mead, a fermented alcoholic beverage described in the epic poem Beowulf, believed to have been written between 925 and 1025.3 Although our palates of today prefer entirely different flavors, Medieval and Renaissance foods were quite similar.

Some 16th century recipes were gleaned from letters written by Katerina Lemmel, a nun forced to leave her German monastery by a peasant uprising in 1525.4 The food she describes includes Apple Pillows, Cheese Buns and Krapfen (doughnuts) and marchpane, a mixture of almond paste or a marzipan-like creation of colored sugar-paste, also called sugar plate. Most dough recipes were fried in palm oil or steamed first, then partially fried, and steamed again. Rudimentary techniques of the time include cooking over an open fire, thickening sauces with bread, crushed nuts or hardboiled eggs,2 whisks made of a bundle of twigs, spices - still used today and many now unknown or out of favor - used judiciously, payste, paest or paste (dough) to cover meat or fruit, then steamed or baked.

In the 15th century, A Boke of Gode Cookery, contains a recipe for Bryndons, small cakes served in a sauce, which are small strips of pastry fried in a skillet. 5 There is also a Frutowr for Lentyn, a fruit and almond milk cake, which is actually a fritter, fried in a pan. Another popular item was the Sambocade, an elder flower cheesecake cooked in a pie crust. Preparing any of these dishes - thanks to the translations of many authors and the ability to convert recipes into a more modern language - will truly give one a taste of history.






1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Huswifes_Jewell
2 http://www.oldcook.com/en/medieval-cookery
3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf
4 https://asunow.asu.edu/content/16th-century-recipes-still-tasty-today
5 http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec44.htm

A Whiff of History

Ok, this sounds strange, but I got to smell George Washington yesterday.

Picture this: You are in Philadelphia in 1787 at a lively party. You’ve had a glass of Madeira, and several glasses of the spiked fruit punch-1. The musicians are playing, the crowd is rowdy and suddenly you find yourself standing behind a very tall, imposing man - at 6 feet, two inches he stands head and shoulders above everyone else. It’s General George Washington who will be elected the first President of the United States in just two years. He will most likely have his wife, Martha Custis Washington-2 by his side, and he’ll be tapping his feet, ready to dance a minuet as soon as he hears one.

He’s most probably dressed in brown wool, with matching breeches that end fashionably at the knee and white stockings-3, and suddenly you catch a hint of fragrance wafting away from him. You lean forward, inhale, and smell the fresh scent of a gentleman in the 18th century: lavender with citrus-y orange mingled with other aromatics. How do we know it’s Caswell Massey’s Number Six cologne? Because the cologne first landed on the market in 1780 and George Washington presented a bottle as a gift to the Marquis de Lafayette, his good friend and loyal patriot fighting in the American Revolution-4. Lafayette fought with George at Valley Forge, and even managed to ward off an insurrection among George’s troops-5. Now, that’s a good friend, deserving a special gift just for getting through the war.

I’m a history buff. I love Williamsburg and Monticello. Even our Village is modeled after 19th century Connecticut Western Reserve architecture. How could I resist buying my darling husband a bottle of Number Six? How could I resist buying him TWO bottles of Number Six? This past Valentine’s Day, he spritzed some on, and smelled divine. So, my handsome James, George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette all have something in common.

And I got a whiff of history.


1 http://www.neatorama.com/2014/02/26/George-Washington-Knew-How-to-Party-Hard-Heres-His-Bar-Tab/

2 http://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/martha-washington/george-marthas-courtship/

3 http://georgewashington.si.edu/portrait/dress.html

4 https://www.caswellmassey.com/products/number-six-cologne-spray-3-oz

5 http://www.ushistory.org/Valleyforge/served/lafayette.html

My 12th Great Grandfather and Mary Boleyn

My 12^th Great Grandfather

So I’ve been really really invested in Ancestry.com, to find ancestors I never knew I had. We all have a ridiculous number of great great grandparents, all of whom lead to our birth. Think about it:

Sixty Four Great Great Great Great Grandparents

Thirty Two Great Great Great Grandparents

Sixteen Great Great Grandparents

Eight Great Grandparents

Four Grandparents

Two Parents

Me

It’s just simple mathematics, and yet, it’s mindblowing. (And doesn’t that simple equation above look like a tree? I KNOW.)

When you’re exploring the family tree, you begin to see more than just names and numbers. You see when the young wife died, giving birth to their child. You see the children who died at birth, or in early childhood, or when two people die on the same day and you guess it was poor medical care or the flu or a car accident, all depending on the dates. 

This weekend, I discovered that my 12^th great grandfather, William Stafford, was married to another woman before he married my 12^th great grandmother, Dorothy. He married – in secret – to a young widow with children. They couldn’t tell her family because they would disapprove. It was only when she “fell pregnant” that they could no longer keep everything secret. ¹

To put things in perspective, “Staff,” as he was called by Henry VIII, was a soldier, who accompanied the King, along with 199 other close friends to France to try to secure an annulment so Henry would marry Anne. That’s when Staff first met Mary. William’s first wife was Mary Boleyn (1499-1543). YES, THAT BOLEYN. That would make Anne Boleyn my 12^th Great-step Aunt. Anne (who was now married to Henry VIII in 1534) was so angry that Mary had married in secret – and beneath her station – to a mere soldier - Mary was disowned and the couple was exiled from court. In all likelihood, they fled to safety back to Chebsey, in Staffordshire and later, Mary’s family’s estate, Rochford Hall in Essex. ² In a letter to Thomas Cromwell, Mary admitted her deep and passionate love for William.

After Mary’s death in 1543, William served as a soldier in Scotland, was knighted and married my 12^th great grandmother Dorothy in 1545. The rest is history. Fortunately, my history.

                                                              Sir William Stafford (1500-1556)⁴

If I ever get to see Eddie Redmayne, we’ll have something in common. After all, he did play my 12^th great grandfather in the movie, The Other Boleyn Girl.³ Pretty impressive.

Eddie Redmayne as my 12th great grandfather 5

¹ http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/85374047/family?cfpid=48579084866, accessed 14 MAR, 2016

² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Boleyn, accessed 14 MAR, 2016

³ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467200, accessed 14 MAR, 2016

⁴ http://haydenbarbiero.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-other-boleyn-girl-william-stafford.html, accessed 14 MAR, 2016

5 http://addictedtoeddie.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-other-boleyn-girl-filmography.html

 © 2016 Becky Burrington

Archeology 2600 BC. So, nothing has changed.

I was perusing the news on Yahoo today and found a most interesting archaeological dig in a tomb found in Abusir, southwest of Cairo. Khentkaus III was a queen in the era of the Old Kingdom (2649-2150 BC). Her husband, Pharaoh Neferefre (sometimes called Reneferef), ruled some 4,500 years ago. Carbon dating can predict her age and they can determine if she suffered from physical ailments, how she died, how many children she had.

Archeologists did find fragments of pottery, woodwork, copper and animal bones. It’s amazing how much they can determine by looking at a tomb and its contents.

The painstaking reconstruction of each item will show how she lived during that time period with one exception. They cannot reconstruct her face. Unfortunately, her skull was smashed, most probably by tomb raiders.

The writer of the article, Thomas Page for CNN, writes:

"(It was) a crucial period when the Old Kingdom started to face major critical factors: The rise of democracy, the horrific impact of nepotism and the role played by interest groups," he says, adding that climate change also played a role in bringing an end to not only the Old Kingdom empire, but those in the Middle East and Western Europe at that time.

Within 200 years of the Queen Mother's death, the Nile no longer flooded and drought consumed the kingdom.

So that is clearly climate change for ancient Egyptians. The article went on to say the drought brought about poor harvests and ultimately, financial ruin. No taxes, no more pyramids, no more building an empire on the backs of the commoners.

And I thought to myself, wow, nothing has changed in 4500 years: “a rise of democracy, horrific impact of nepotism and the role played by interest groups” and climate change. That frightens me. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

I can only hope that the world has the capacity for change in the next few centuries: where we can eliminate greed, crime, war, poverty, hunger and disease. A world where people are truly equal and truly free.  Can we work towards bettering ourselves and humanity? If it sounds like Jean Luc Picard’s vision of the 24^th century, that’s what I’m going for. Can I get an “Alleluia?” More importantly, can I get a replicator?

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/01/africa/egypt-queen-discovery-khentkaus/index.html

Accessed 1 FEB 2016

We interrupt this fascinating treatise on composers to bring you a bit of summer fun:

http://glamkaren.com/2014/05/17/a-must-read-for-anyone-considering-a-facial/

The Wedding Gift by Johannes Brahms                                                                                                                                                       

The Alt-Rhapsodie, composed in 1869, combines an alto soloist, small orchestra and men’s chorus. Intended as a wedding gift to Julie Schumann, daughter of Robert and Clara, its first performance in Jena, a German town over 40 miles south of Leipzig, in March of 1870, brought wide public acclaim for the composer.¹   We imagine, a wedding gift? This must be the Brahms version of an American greeting card, an insight into the composer’s psyche for his thoughts about her impending marriage and future with her beloved.  Or perhaps it’s just Brahms’ idea about the institution of marriage.

Although a rhapsody by its very nature is free-flowing, generally without form, it is quite possible
that Brahms’ love of classic form pervades the piece in some manner.  This possibility will be
explored. The text for the Rhapsodie comes from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Harzreise im
Winter, a poem written in December of 1777², as the poet traverses the rugged Harz mountains, the
highest mountain range in Northern Germany.³ There are three distinct sections which present the
three stanzas, gleaned from this poem by Goethe.  The first adagio section begins with the small
orchestra of 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns and a full compliment of strings,
including string bass, and after a melancholy mood is established, the alto solo begins. The poco
andante second section brings alto and orchestra together immediately. The third stanza and section,
again in adagio, begins with a glorious four-part men’s chorus joining the soloist and orchestra.  
Written late in Brahms’ career, the Rhapsodie has all the elements of a late Romantic piece: less
functional, more extended tonality, chromaticism, a more ambiguous meter.

¹ Wikipedia,  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alt-Rhapsodie, accessed June 24, 2014

² Answers.com, whttp://www.answers.com/topic/harzreise-im-winter, accessed June 25, 2014

³ Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harz, accessed June 25, 2014

Hildegard of Bingen

Great Composers: Genius or Madness?

1106

Was there a thinner veil between heaven and earth in the Middle Ages? With less distractions, were people more tuned to the voice of God? Did they really have less distractions, or were they as mentally occupied as the minds of today’s society?

It is 1106, and little 8-year-old Hildegard, the tenth child of a medieval noble family, is brought to the Disibodenberg Monastery, in what would become Germany today, to become an oblate and companion to Jutta Von Spanheim. Her next 6 years are spent in prayer and education, and in 1112, Jutta becomes the Anchoress of Disibodenberg, and Hildegard, her assistant. They are – what the church delicately refers to as – “enclosed.” Hildegard and Jutta are literally bricked into a small enclosure in the church wall.

This barbaric practice comes from the “Rule of Life,” known as the “Ancrene Wisse,” a medieval concept where “an anchoress was anchored under a church like an anchor under the side of a ship, to hold it, so that the waves and storms do not pitch it over.” ¹  It is considered an honor to be the Anchoress, who must fast and do penance. Many pilgrims come to visit and speak to the Anchoress outside of her window. They ask for prayers and wisdom. Jutta happily delves into her new job. By today’s standards, she would most probably be considered a cutter, someone who hurts herself to come to terms with an overwhelming emotional event, but by medieval standards, she is the perfect Anchoress. She wears a sharp barbed chain around her waist. Her ripped skin never quite heals, becomes infected and  smells.²

Jutta and Hildegard live in two small rooms, one with a small window into the church where they can worship during mass, another in which they sleep. The second room has narrow high-walled courtyard attached, where they might glimpse the sky and a passing bird.² Both Hildegard and Jutta had visions, which not only increases their value as “enclosed” nuns, but increases pilgrim visitation and provides additional revenue for the monastery. Hildegard would lapse into a coma-like trance, now possibly thought to be induced by severe migraines. Her visions include God’s creation, relationship of the body and soul and the history of salvation.³

Hildegard’s exceptionally lovely voice is frequently raised in song during mass. During the course of her life, she would write music, along with books describing her visions, medicine, healing and theology. Her liturgical music was mostly monophonic and highly melismatic, with emphasis on text. She wrote a Play of the Virtues, 69 poems set to music, performed by her community of nuns. An outspoken woman, Hildegard was held in high regard by only some of her contemporaries, including Bernard of Clairvaux, Archbishop Henry I of Mainz and Pope Eugene III. She has been described as the greatest woman of her time, but some who knew her in her lifetime would describe her as mad.

¹"Anchoress," accessed 30 March, 2014

  http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-religion/anchoress.htm

²Mary Sharratt, "Illuminations: a novel of Hildegard von Bingen," Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012

³ Hildegard of Bingen, "Scivias," accessed 30 March, 2014

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_of_Bingen

The Genius of Robert Schumann

Great Composers: Genius or Madness?

Part Trois

 

1839

Robert Schumann is now in the throes of deep longing and courtship with his soon-to-be-wife, Clara Wieck. Clara’s father, Friederich, has forbidden them to see each other, and will unsuccessfully fight their impending marriage in court, as he is loathe to give up Clara’s substantial annual performance income. Clara and Robert are so very much in love, and Robert writes one of my favorite pieces, Romance in F#, Op. 28, No. 2. Written on three staves, the very sweet melody tugs at the heart. The dramatic and tumultuous middle section turns minor, but resolves once again to the lovely melody, and ends with soft tenderness.

Frederich softens after a few years, and makes up with Robert and Clara. Truth be told, he wants to see his grandchildren, of which there are many. 

Schumann had nearly always been depressed, especially after cholera claimed the lives of his brother, Julius, and Julius' wife, Rosalie.  Called melancholic depression then, today most probably diagnosed as bipolar disorder, he begins to experience both angelic and demonic visions, along with constant sounds in his head. In the late 1800s, they consider his disease “as softening of the brain.”¹ Although there was modern speculation that he had developed mercury poisoning, as the cure for syphilis², the more correct explanation could be revealed from “a report by Janisch and Nauhaus on Schumann's autopsy [which] indicates that he had a ‘gelatinous’ tumor at the base of the brain; it may have represented a . . . cyst, or  . . . meningioma. The brain tumor was also found to be "partly of cartilagenous consistency."³ In particular, meningiomas are known to produce musical auditory hallucinations, such as Schumann reported.⁴

Pieces written during his depressive episodes were his Second String Quartet, Violin Concerto and Ghost Variations (Geistervarationen, five variations for piano).

Poor Robert, afraid he will hurt his beloved Clara, commits himself to an asylum, where he remains for two years. He is reunited with Clara two days before his death in 1856 at 46 years of age.

¹ Florence May, The Life of Johannes Brahms (London, 1905), page 206

² Nancy B. Reich, Clara Schumann: The Artist and the Woman, Cornell University Press, 1985, p. 151.

³ Jänisch W, Nauhaus G. "Autopsy report of the corpse of the composer Robert Schumann: publication and interpretation of a rediscovered document", Zentralbl Allg Pathol 1986; 132:129–136.

⁴ Michael Scott, "Musical hallucinations from meningioma", JAMA 1979; 241:1683.