“An Animate, wakeful landscape” from Shambhala Sun Nov. 2011
pg. 11
One day recently, I was feeling a small weather system of
disappointment in myself for neglecting (uncharacteristically) my written and
stated goals for writing this year: my diary
of the sixties, my travel book on Revolutionary War sites in SJ, and, my family
history project. My shoulders were
drooping with guilt and I was wondering, “Well, Jo Ann, What have you got to
say for yourself? What have you done
with this year?”
The only thing I could come up with was my blog: historicplacessj.blogspot.com, which as of
today has had 29,941 page views, 1,083 last month, 43 yesterday and 33
today. Also, I have printed out a list
of my topics. There were 160 so far. I
know all this because blogspot.com (an excellent site) keeps statistics on your
site and even tells you from whence the visitor traffic has emerged.
By the way, I have completed 160 entries as of the one I am
posting today.
So, on that day of self-evaluation and disappointment, I felt
cheered up enormously by this particular project. I write two or three entries a week,
sometimes more and sometimes less.
Knowing how many people stop by is a spur to write more and write
better.
Although my topics are generally
field trips I’ve taken to historic spots, I do make forays into other
territories as well, for example, I began a thought trail in regard to vegan
and vegetarian eating awhile back. I
connected it to John Woolman, a noted 18th century religious thinker
of the Religious Society of Friends, whose house, in Mount Holly, New Jersey, I
had visited a couple of times with friends.
He was a tailor, itinerant preacher, and journalist, and an
all around wonderful human being. He
preached against slavery, cruelty to animals, and he exhorted others to live
lives filled with awareness of the origins of things, such as that colored
clothes were produced by the enslavement of people on indigo plantations, so he
wore plain uncolored linen clothes and lived a vegetarian lifestyle. He wrote about this and other concerns in his
diary and essays, a copy of which can still be purchased from amazon. com for
$8 and an additional $3.50 for shipping and handling. I’m sure Mr. Woolman would like you to buy
second hand.
Strictly speaking, the house in Mount Holly
isn’t John Woolman’s house, but his daughter’s, however, it has been preserved
in his honor and to keep a memorial to his testimonies in regard to peace,
equality, simplicity, and integrity.
Another connection to Vegan and Vegetarian eating is the
American Society of Vegans: American Vegan Society - PO Box 369, Malaga
NJ
08328 ..... Egg Harbor Township New Jersey. Which I have also visited
with friends.
My main topic for this essay for my blog
today, however, is the Compassion for Animals/Respect for the Environment CARE
Picnic which I attended on Saturday, August the 10th at Hoopes Park,
West Ashbridge Street,
outside of West Chester, Pa. I
was a passenger and my hostess was Barbara Solem, author of Ghosttowns and
Other Quirky Places in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Her other guest/passenger was Steve, a
treasurer for the Vegetarian Society of South Jersey. Contact info for this group is:
www.vssj.com
or veg@vssj.com or 1-877-www.vssj
(999-8775) They are also on facebook but
I haven’t visited that page as yet.
The food was marvelous: We had the usual veggie burgers but also
excellent cole slaw, a slaw that I think may have been zucchini, several grain
dishes, roasted corn on the cob, and beautifully carved fruits of many
kinds. That’s just a few of the foods
available. The deserts were delicious
and my favorites were small tarts made with ground nut shells for the crust, an
almond custard and slice of fruit on top, plus a wonderful apple pie. We were given several booklets with many
tempting recipes to try, though I tend towards simple salads in daily eating
personally.
The other great thing about this picnic was
the people. Those who care about animals
and the environment are often generally thoughtful people and these were no
exception. They were kindly, attentive,
open and friendly people. It felt good
to eat cruelty free and delicious food and to spend a sunny afternoon with
compassionate and friendly people.
The traffic, however, well, that’s another
story. We had driven out there on Route
322 which goes across New Jersey and straight
into Pennsylvania
and out into their countryside. It was
mysteriously jammed up on the way out so we took a different route going home. It was nothing however to the traffic I
encountered during our two recent storms with caused widespread flooding in my
area which is bounded by many creeks, Big Timber, Newton,
and the Delaware River, Cooper
River, and far too much
asphalt in the form of highways.
Many of my friends, in their sixties, are
health conscious. We try to eat
sensibly, exercise, and enjoy the outdoors (not just for the health benefits,
of course – we find the outdoors spiritually refreshing and enjoyable). When I opened my mail today, I saw this
interesting list of seven things to do to help outfit your home for safety in
the later years of your life. I thought
I’d pass it on:
1.Low-vision keyboard
2.Motion sensor lighting
3.Bed rails
4.Zipper Pulls
5.Safety strips
6.Tub Bars
7.Carpet tape
I’m not ready for most of these yet, but I would like indoor
motion sensor lighting!
Happy Trails to you!
Jo Ann
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