Resolution: fall asleep in the sunshine more often
Resolution: fall asleep in the sunshine more often
“It’s Spring again / Don’t God keep a promise / It’s Spring again / Mother Earth keeps her word now / the woman is honest” 🎵
I visited a few southern Indiana mounds last Friday. Taking the last visit first, I went to the Angel Mounds site in Evansville. I highly recommend it if you’re in the area. The indoor museum was recently renovated and the videos are all well done. I recommend that you visit outside of school hours (the place gets a lot of field trips) since it allows you to walk the grounds in peace and imagine the lives of the people. I won’t post any pictures because none of mine are as good as you can find on the site linked above.
Angel Mounds is the site of a Native American settlement on the banks of the Ohio River; at its height there could have been a thousand people living there. It was abandoned in 1450 for reasons that are unclear. The mounds are man-made and, in this case, are structural—to elevate certain buildings. They are not generally burial mounds, as the others I visited that day.
Sugar Loaf Mound in Vincennes was well maintained. A sign gives a phone number you can call for an audio tour. View of the mound from two angles:
And a welcome reminder that this is a sacred site:
Both Sugar Loaf and Pyramid Mounds appear to be natural (not man-made) mounds that were subsequently used as burial sites. Both are near the Wabash River.
Pyramid Mound was a little harder to find using the maps app. I recommend inputting the coordinates from this site into your maps app and then navigating your own way there. The turn by turn directions will lead you wrong.
This site was frankly a bit depressing. It is feet from a heavily used highway and was almost destroyed by that road’s construction. Thankfully they noticed in time that it wasn’t just a normal hill. It’s also very close to a noisy granary. There are piles of brush everywhere, maybe left over from the time when the road was built? In short, it was clearly neglected and had none of the peace of the other sites. It was a stark reminder of both past and present violence against Native American sacred sites.
Spring break this week for most folks at work, which means a slower pace. Fewer meetings. It’ll be a nice time to catch up on some neglected work.
I’ve moved my ancestor shrine back downstairs where it can be in a more actively used part of the house. Left to right:
Feeling drawn back to some OG anti-war journalism today. Subscribed to Chris Hedges’ substack and Democracy Now’s daily digest.
The beautiful Wabash, and Francis Vigo looking like he’s just been surprised on the toilet
George Rogers Clark memorial. Very impressive structure, though I’m disinclined to be impressed by any “conquest of the west.” Glory to the builders?
Wheatland, IN. One of those little southern Indiana towns with dilapidated structures that give evidence of past prosperity. Railroad tracks run right through the middle. This is farm country, so maybe a place where the area’s products left for market? There’s still a lot of semis running through.
Setting out on my trip to Vincennes and Evansville mounds with the full moon ahead and pink sunrise behind. Feels propitious.
I bought an AccuSharp sharpener on the recommendation of Megan Fitzpatrick and it did a good job on my kitchen and pocket knives. An affordable, no-fuss solution for those cases.
It’s been another beautiful day. Dark now, but the back door is still open. It’s good to hear kids playing in the neighborhood.
I know no one in power gives a shit about the health of the planet, especially not the so-called experts traveling the globe to talk about it. But then you read something like this and it shocks even my bitter self.
A proverb is one man’s wit and all men’s wisdom.
Lord John Russell, as quoted by Jackson Crawford in this (as always) excellent video “Odin and Wisdom.”
It’s a beautiful spring day here. Rachel is outside giving our pond its spring cleaning. I’m inside preparing a budget presentation. One of these things is more fun than the other.
We heard a hawk call while we were doing some transplanting, looked up, and saw three(!) of them. Every time I see a hawk I think of the Robinson Jeffers’ poem title: “give your heart to the hawks.”
First sighting of the frog in our pond this year! Looks like he survived the winter. Can you see his head poking above the water near the edge?
Pretty excited about this one. I started reading it online through the university library just to get a taste, and within five pages decided I had to buy it and put aside everything else I’m reading until I’m through it.
My father and I, we check the locks–
that’s what the Abels do.
Neurosis passed along the line
just like his Craftsman tools.
I see him there, on his rounds,
nocturnal sealing rite.
Here I am, securing doors
against encroaching night.
There was a time when I asked
what does this signify?
Now we double check the doors
and do not worry why.
Josh Radnor: Give up on your war against reality
When I fight reality, when I wail and moan that things should be going ‘some other way,’ I suffer. When I begin with acceptance and surrender – “Okay this is what is happening right now and where we are” – I don’t suffer. Or at least I suffer far less. And the next right actions are much much clearer than when I’m giving equal weight to each voice in my head.
Someone said recently–and I agree–that the time for new projects, clearing the decks, etc., is the spring, not the new year. That makes far more sense with the rhythms of the world and the body. In winter, your body is working on survival, just getting through. Spring is the time for renewal.
I’m making my way through some links Ted Goia provided on a possible new romanticism. This, however, I had to come back and recommend right away. I could quote several passages but instead I’ll just say you need to read the whole thing.
Well the fried cornmeal mush was okay. It was a little like trying to fry slices of jello. And it took a long time to brown up—probably because it’s mostly water. It was pretty bland, even with maple syrup, but that’s consistent with what I’ve always heard about it.
I’ve prepped cornmeal mush for frying in the morning. I’m following Kent Rollins’ recent video. We’ll see how it goes!
We live on a 1/10 acre city lot, mostly covered in a house, detached garage and driveway. Rachel told me today that she has now sown 65 varieties of plants—perennials and annuals, flowers and vegetables. We have a wildlife pond, a grape arbor, and more room to expand. That’s a lot in a small space.