Saturday In The Park #SkywatchFriday

On July 4, my country (the United States) turned 250 and my spouse and I decided to have a quiet day.

We didn't go to any live fireworks shows.  We sat back, watched TV, had a simple dinner, and watched the sky.

Except for the last photo, these were all taken during a walk at a local park. 

I went out again about 9:10 pm.

A bit surprisingly, we didn't have as many unofficial (as I call them) neighborhood fireworks shows., but the vanishing light after the sun sent down created layers of beauty.

 It was a nice Saturday In the Park.

Joining Yogi and other sky watchers for #SkywatchFriday. 

250 Years of Freedom #ShadowshotSunday

Today, the United States celebrates its 250th birthday. And I will post my picture for #ShadowshotSunday early, at the end of this post.

Today is our Independence Day, the day the Second Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia and formalized the name "The United States of America".

Since then, we've adopted patriotic symbols. 

There's our flag, for example.  

There's this beautiful building near Maine, New York (taken several years ago). 

And parades celebrating our birthday, such as this one in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on July 4, 2023. 

I've been fortunate enough to be around for both the 200th and 250th birthdays. 

For the 200th, my spouse was in the military.  We were stationed at a base in Texas, where there were festivities. Now, we are in our 70's, and we are going to have (we hope!) a quiet day, watching nationwide festivities on television.  For me, it will be a day of gratitude and reflection.

My grandparents came here to escape persecution and to find a better life.  If they hadn't, they may well have been civilian casualties of World War II. So, in a way, I owe my very life to this country. 

I have been fortunate enough to have set foot in 46 states, missing only North Dakota, Mississippi, Louisiana and Hawaii.  I've lived in New York, Florida, Iowa, Texas, Kansas, and Arkansas. I have visited 18 National Parks out of 63 (My spouse, 17). We've seen the Liberty Bell and Mt. Rushmore.  We've been to several Revolutionary War sites (Battles of Camden, South Carolina and Kings Mountain, South Carolina. Saratoga, New York.  Green-Wood cemetery in Brooklyn (New York City), part of which is on the Battle of Brooklyn battleground.) and Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (before the age of digital photography).

These life experiences taught me how beautiful this United States is.  

Yes, our country's history has stains.  Many of them.  Slavery, including the fact that some of our Founding Fathers held enslaved peoples. Jim Crow.  Our shameful treatment of Indigenous people. The internment of some 120,000 people of Japanese descent (most of whom were American citizens) in camps within the United States. Medical experiments, including the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Various race riots. Deletion of condemnation of the slave trade from the Declaration of Independence between July 3 and 4, 1776, because some delegates would not vote for its adoption without deletion of that passage.

We must teach what happened in our history in schools, both the good and the bad.   But there is so much good to be taught about our country, too.  We enjoy freedoms that so many other people do not enjoy.

Our country is not just the beauty of its landscapes.  Truly, we are a nation built by immigrants.  In my 21 years of living in New York City, I was in nearly daily contact with immigrants from all over the world.  Diversity of cultures was the norm.  It still is.

So, happy birthday to the United States of America.  And, as we enjoy today, please remember the men and women who gave their lives so that we might enjoy those freedoms.

Finally:

For Shadowshot Sunday, hosted by Lisa at This and That:  A Blog, I offer this artwork found in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in early July, 2023.  Only in America can you find art like this.

Tomorrow, day lilies. 

Flowers of the First Day of Summer #WordlessWednesday

To my Canadian readers a few hours from me, Happy Canada Day.  On July 1, 1867, the Constitution Act of 1867 took effect, creating the Dominion of Canada.   

On July 4, my country celebrates its 250th birthday. 

 I can't believe it's already July!  It's hot, too. I want to go back to some cooler times.  How about the first day of summer June 21 (for us in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway).

What was blooming on the first day of summer?

 My earliest day lilies, that's what!

The names are long forgotten but day lily season has just begun. 

This is one of two fuchsia plants I purchased from Select Seeds.   It's a variety called Pink Galore and I am loving those pink blooms.

Honoring Canada Day.

 Honoring our Independence Day coming on Saturday.

Times are tough, but I hope the friendship between our two nations can endure.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday. 

Celebrate and Remember #MusicMovesMe

 It's Monday, and it's time for music.  This Friday is also our annual celebration, here in the United States, of our Independence Day.

 

Today I am joining up with other Music Moves Me bloggers (and you can join us at the linky above). We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post link may be labeled "No Music" or even removed.)   

Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, me.

Every other week we have a theme, and this is one of those weeks. Today, our theme is "National Day", and it is also my sad duty to blog about another two inductions into Rock and Roll Heaven.  Perhaps we should call this a national day of rock remembrance?

But first, let's celebrate our Independence Day with a little Ray Charles and his cover of "America the Beautiful". We have such a beautiful country.  I've been to 46 states and have so many fond memories of travel within our United States.

And now, the musician tributes. 

Bobby Sherman, when I was growing up, was a teen idol, but he was also a singer and actor.  Sherman died June 24 at the age of 81, but I want to remember him as the young man he was once.  

Here's a fun clip with Bobby Sherman and also the Monkees featuring the song "Easy Come, Easy Go" at about three minutes into the clip.

From 1969, "Little Woman".  

In Sherman's later life, he became a paramedic and a medical training officer for the Los Angeles, California police department.  Here (with another clip of him singing "Easy Come Easy Go" towards the end) he appears on a talk show discussing that career. 

Also, Mick Ralphs, guitarist, vocalist, song writer, co-founder of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, died June 23, also at the age of 81.

Here is one of the songs he wrote - "Ready for Love" as performed by Mott the Hoople (it was also recorded by Bad Company).

And that's another sad wrap.

Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.

A Friendship Fourth of July

It's been a while since I've repeated this post but I am moved to today, with some new material and new (to my blog, I think) photos from the trip I blogged about.

In July of 2013, we were commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place July 1, 2 and 3, 1863.  This battle, fought near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is said to have been the defining moment of who would win the United States Civil War.

I wrote many posts during the 150th anniversary of the war (1861-1865) including this one on July 3, 2013. 

I had wanted so much to be able to visit Gettysburg that week.   There was supposed to be a large gathering to commemorate that watershed battle, but, unfortunately, many people had the same idea and, unlike me, they didn't try to make last minute plans.

Spouse and I had already taken time off from work.

I was not happy, but then fate intervened.

First, I need to explain that many years ago, both this cousin (let's call her "C") and my childhood best friend (BF) were house hunting in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.  C has spent almost her entire life in Brooklyn.  BF grew up with me in the Bronx (another borough) but, as an adult, moved to an apartment in Brooklyn at the time she got married.  

Anyway, C and BF found themselves at the same open house.  

They hit it off.  They became friends, not knowing (at first) that they had something else in common.  Or, actually, someone else.  Me.

(Just as another fun fact, a good friend of BF's husband was the son of my next door neighbor growing up, proving that even New York City, with its eight million people, can be a small world at times.)

At some point, my cousin and childhood friend found out they had me in common, and when spouse and I came to Brooklyn, we always tried to visit both of them.

Fast forward to 2013.  About a year and a half before, BF was diagnosed with cancer.  As the summer of 2013 came close, she was doing well.

One late June day, C called to catch up on life.  In talking with her, she mentioned that, on July 4, BF had planned a BBQ.  Among other people, C was invited.  Too bad I couldn't be there, as I lived 150 miles away, and probably had other plans....or could I?

I contacted BF, and yes, we were welcome to come.  And to stay with her and her husband.

We came. We had a wonderful visit and 4th of July BBQ with BF, C, and other friends of BF.    We had a great time, that first few days of July we spent down there.    

My friend loved to garden in her small New York City plot.

I can't remember if this zucchini plant (picture taken July 4, 2013) was in my friend's yard, or in the yard of one of her neighbors.  

These were her tomatoes.  She also had rosemary and dill growing.
 

A fig tree in her neighbor's yard.

My friend's dill.

I can't believe eleven years have passed since that day.

This is not a story with a happy ending, I'm sorry to say.  That night, before the unofficial street fireworks began, my friend, her husband, my spouse, and I, walked to a store and had some ice cream.

Over the frozen treats, she matter of factly told me she had decided where she would be interred after she passed.  She knew her time was limited, and joked that the cemetery was near a shopping center, meaning that people would be sure to visit.

That kind of joke was so like her....

This visit was the last time I saw my BF "well".   She passed away in 2015.  May she forever rest in peace.

If I I had been able to find lodging down in Gettysburg, I never would been able to go to that wonderful BBQ, and we wouldn't have spent other quality time with her during that visit.

Maybe some things are meant to be.  

When I think of the Fourth of July, I think of her, each and every year.

May my readers in the United States have a happy and meaningful Independence Day.  

Cancer sucks.

A happier post tomorrow.

Foggy Fourth #SkywatchFriday

How could it be Friday already?  Wasn't it just Monday?  And how did it get to be July 14?

Today, I want to bring you back to July 4, which, here in the United States, is our Independence Day and also a big vacation week.  We decided to spend most of the week in Plymouth, Massachusetts, which has an important part in our history.

We were looking forward to seeing how Plymouth celebrates.  Well, when you live near the shore, you have to expect certain weather.

Like fog.

But foggy skies are part of watching the sky, right?  Let's dive (no pun intended) right in.

Nice fourth of July parade in fog.  Every fire truck in  20 miles must have been part of the parade, along with police cars, floats, marching bands, classic cars and motorcycles.  This is a small part of the crowd.

Here's one of the vehicles.  I think you get the general idea.  I may post some more pictures of the parade for one of my Wordless Wednesdays.

After the parade was over, we walked down to the harbor.  This building protects Plymouth Rock, which is (according to legend) the rock where the Pilgrims landed in 1620.  This, incidentally, is the smallest state park in Massachusetts - and the most visited (according to the desk clerk where we stayed).

An American flag looks like it's floating in the fog. 

The Mayflower II, a replica of the ship the Pilgrims sailed on, in the foggy harbor.  We visited it, but not that day.  I highly recommend a visit, if you are in the area. 

Had enough of fog?  Well, I have one more for you.

There was supposed to be a philharmonic concert the evening of the fourth, followed by fireworks.  The concert was postponed to the fifth by noon.  But the fireworks people, after seeing some blue sky later in the afternoon, decided to go ahead.

Nature had other plans.  The fog rolled back in.  

Nevertheless, not believing this was going to happen, we made our way (walking through crowds and the bangs of unofficial fireworks) to a small beach we found out later was called Nelson's Beach.  There, some person put on a nice show.

We got there, apparently, towards the end of The Anonymous Private Fireworks Person Extravaganza and this is my only photo that came out.

Yup, fog.

The official, privately sponsored, fireworks?  You couldn't see them.  At all. It didn't tint the sky, either.  It was just a bunch of noise, something we had had enough of by then.  We left, after a few minutes, along with many other people.  Enough of those people vented on the festival's Facebook page, too.  Several people mentioned the Nelson Beach unofficial display, which was put on (according to that motel desk clerk) by a local businessman, and praised it.  I'm sorry I missed much of it.

It did make for a nice Skywatch story and post, though.

Speaking of which, I'm joining up with Yogi and other skywatchers, as I do each Friday, for #SkywatchFriday.

Three Cheers for Independence Day

Today, in the United States, it is Independence Day.  For this year, it's going to be cause for great celebration.

Let's celebrate with some flowers.

Red geraniums

White impatiens after a rain (with one pink impatien).

About as close to blue as you can get in a cultivated flower.

Even wildflowers want to celebrate Independence Day

No Red but I do have a White Queen Anne's Lace with a Japanese beetle on it.

The closest one can come to blue in a wildflower - here, chicory.

Independence Day would not be complete without some music, so here is some "America" themed music.  My favorite piece of fireworks music is this song by James Brown: Living in America.

Three cheers for the red, white and blue.  Our country is flawed, yes, but we also have a lot to celebrate.  Let today be the day to do it.

July 2013 Revisited

 In July of 2013, we were commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place July 1, 2 and 3, 1863.  This battle, fought near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is said to have been the defining moment of who would win the United States Civil War.

I wrote many posts during the 150th anniversary of the war (1861-1865) including this one on July 3, 2013. 

I had wanted so much to be able to visit Gettysburg that week.   There was supposed to be a large gathering to commemorate that watershed battle, but, unfortunately, many people had the same idea and, unlike me, they didn't try to make last minute plans.

Spouse and I had already taken time off from work.

I was not happy, but then fate intervened.

I was so positive I had written a blog post about what happened next, but if I did, I can't find it on my blog, so here goes (eight years later).

First, I need to explain that many years ago, both this cousin (let's call her "H") and my childhood best friend (BFF) were house hunting in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.  H has spent almost her entire life in Brooklyn.  BFF grew up with me in the Bronx (another borough) but, as an adult, moved to an apartment in Brooklyn at the time she got married.  Anyway, H and BFF found themselves at the same open house.  

They hit it off.  They became friends, not knowing (at first) that they had something else in common.  Or, actually, someone else.  Me.

(Just as another fun fact, a good friend of BFF's husband was the son of my next door neighbor in the Bronx, proving that even New York City, with its eight million people, can be a small world at times.)

At some point, they found out they had me in common, and when spouse and I came to Brooklyn, we always tried to visit both of them.

Fast forward to 2013.  About a year and a half before, BFF had been diagnosed with cancer.  As the summer of 2013 came close, she was doing well.

One late June day, H called to catch up on life.  In talking with her, she mentioned that, on July 4, BFF had planned a BBQ.  Among other people, H was invited.  Too bad I couldn't be there, as I lived 150 miles away, and probably had other plans....or could I?

I contacted BFF, and sure, we were welcome to come.  And to stay with her and husband.

We came. We had a wonderful visit and 4th of July BBQ with BFF, H, and BFF's other friends.     We had a great time, that first few days of July we spent down there.   

BFF loved to crochet and knit.  During her treatments, she would work on outfits for pediatric cancer patients, and she showed me some of her work.  Here is one picture of her work.

The next day, we went into Manhattan on the subway and walked (in that 90 plus degree heat) the  entire High Line.  Here's a post I wrote about it at the time.  At one time, this was an elevated railroad track.  Now, it's one of the most successful urban parks in the United States, full of art work.  The neighboring buildings take advantage of its popularity, too.

This is not a story with a happy ending, I'm sorry to say.

This visit was the last time I saw my BFF "well".   She passed away in 2015.  May she forever rest in peace.

But if I I had been able to find lodging down in Gettysburg, I never would been able to go to that wonderful BBQ, and spend other quality time with her before and after.

Maybe some things are meant to be.  Each July 4, I think back on that special July 4 I spent in Brooklyn.

May my readers in the United States have a happy and meaningful Independence Day.  Tomorrow I will have a happier post - I promise.

Strawberry Topped Angel Food Cake #WordlessWednesday

Our local strawberry season is winding up where I live in New York State.  I wouldn't be surprised if our heat wave (97F today, 36C) hastens that.  I can't complain - that privilege is reserved for those in our Pacific Northwest. They've been struggling with temperatures upwards of 117F (47C) recently.

So today, I wanted to feature something cool and refreshing.

Because I'm a Weight Watchers lifetime member, I try to stay away from fattening desserts.  This one is so simple and you can modify it however you want.

This is all you need:  slices of angel food cake (I made mine using a cake mix, right before the heat hit), sliced strawberries, and some whipped cream  (I use aerosol light whipped cream.). So simple, and no cooking needed.  Of course, you can use shortcake if you want. 

Take the slice of angel food cake. Heap sliced strawberries on it. (I don't sweeten them in any way).  Top with aerosol (or homemade) whipped cream.

If you want an easy Canada Day (tomorrow) dessert, I could easily see a drizzle of maple syrup on this.  If you want something for the United States' Independence Day (July 4) one could add a simple blueberry sauce, which we use for breakfast on the weekend: frozen blueberries, a little liquid, cooked briefly with some real maple syrup.  It's so good, and you could drizzle it over the cake and strawberries before you add the whipped cream. 

 

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Unexpected Roads

Every one of us is traveling unexpected roads these past few months.

I tried to make a bouquet today, but it was blurry.

I tried again with different flowers.  These will have to do.  Nothing can be perfect.

I will quote the great Dan Rather this morning from his Twitter feed:

"This is a July 4 of pain, uncertainty, and reckoning. I pause with open eyes, and an open heart. I am listening. I am moved. I am angry. I am determined."

I'm also confused, and a bit frightened, because I feel like we are about to be hit by a tidal wave, and I don't know where the high ground is. 

In our United States, it is our Independence Day, though, and we haven't had one like this one in a long time.  What I did decide to do was to read our Declaration of Independence.   We, of course, read it through 21st century eyes, but it is well that we go through the document, written in another turbulent time, when we just started to strive towards equality for all.  We started, after all, with a country that allowed the enslavement of people, and did not allow women the right to vote.  We were far from perfect.

Our task, now, is, once again, to move towards that perfection.

Once again, we live in great, dangerous times.  Every day, as we act, we are writing history.

I believe we can live up to the modern meaning of our Declaration of Independence.  

But first, we have to unite, and stay the course.  I hope that tomorrow, I can feel a bit more optimistic that we can do that.

If you are in the United States, have a good and meaningful Independence Day.

Independence #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday and it's time for some music!

Who are the #MusicMovesMe bloggers? We are bloggers who blog about music each Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only on this music train, please!)   First, there is XmasDolly,   Her head co-conductor is Cathy of Curious as a Cathy and co-conductors are:   Stacy of Stacy Uncorked, and (finally) me.  Callie of JAmerican Spice joins from time to time. 

Our guest conductor for the month of July is Driller AA of Driller's Place.

For our theme today he has picked:  "July 7 songs that celebrate your Independence, personal or national“

It's hard to believe singer Leslie Gore was so young when she recorded this hit that celebrates the power of women and their ability to act independently. From 1963: You Don't Own M, a song that was a true declaration of independence for those times.

Gloria Gaynor sings (to the delight of this lover of disco music) "I Will Survive".

Here's one for the men.

The Chairman of the Board singing the iconic "My Way".

Next, here's ELO doing "Don't Bring Me Down": this is not the official music video, but the person who did it, I  think, did a fantastic job.

Deserving of a belated happy birthday is the country where I was born and where I have lived all my life, the United States of America.  It deserves its own songs.

Let's dance to James Brown's "Living in America" from the movie Rocky IV.

I can't imagine what my grandparents felt when they saw the Statue of Liberty after a long voyage from Europe.  If they hadn't made that voyage I would not be alive today.  Neil Diamond sings "Coming to America".

This is my all time favorite patriotic song.  Never mind air guitar, I want to play air piccolo.

Finally, sung by the man who wrote the song, "This Land is Your Land", Woody Guthrie. To many, this has become an unofficial national anthem.

That's a patriotic wrap.  Next Monday, July 15, is Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. I may be joining the linky on Sunday with a few flower pictures for you on Monday. 

See you then!

Three Cheers for Independence

It is Independence Day here in the United States.

We like to say "Three cheers for the

Red

White

and Blue (skies).

Our liberty - our country - is in danger even as I write these words.  We seem to have lost our way and each day our country seems more divided.

Today, I offer another viewpoint which I hope will make you think.  One is from a poet of the 20th century.  The other is my thoughts after reading that comic Arte Johnson passed away yesterday at the age of 90.  I enjoyed his characters on the TV show Laugh-In so much. 

The German soldier who always said "Verrrry interesting."

The show Laugh-In was one of the ways the United States dealt with the news of the late 60's and early 70's.  The Vietnam War, rampant inflation, the decline and fall (and almost-impeachment) of Richard Nixon, and more.  Sometimes things seemed hopeless.

But we always pulled through, somehow.

I can only hope that we weather the troubles of today and emerge stronger.

To my readers in the United States, may you have a happy Fourth of July.

Memory of A Canadian Fourth #BlogBoost

Ten years ago yesterday...

For many, many years I took the American Independence Day for granted.  I shouldn't have - I grew up (in the 50's and early 60's) in a neighborhood where a lot of Holocaust survivors had settled, and I met other immigrants in my childhood- from Cuba, from Romania, from China.

But I had never spent an Independence Day away from the United States until 2008, when my spouse and I traveled to Canada, on our way to Saint John, New Brunswick.

We had always wanted to see the Bay of Fundy, and that was the week my spouse was able to get off .So, on July 4th, 2008, we arrived at the U.S./Canada border.

At the crossing, a Canadian border agent questioned our motives for visiting Canada and looked at us funny - like he knew we were about to commit some kind of crime.  Why, after all, would two Americans want to leave their country on July 4, this most important day in our history?

We were finally allowed in, and quickly realized we were in a place where July 4 was simply the day between July 3 and July 5.  No big deal.  And, we realized, there would be no fireworks.  No parades.  No nothing.  Crickets.

Well, we had asked for it, leaving the United States.  It did feel a bit lonely, I admit.

I love fireworks.  I love 4th of July fireworks even better.  What had I been thinking? But, so be it.

After a long drive, we arrived at our lodgings in downtown Saint John, New Brunswick. We wandered down to the waterfront, hungry.  After deciding on a restaurant, we sat at an outdoor table and put our order in.   But then, we overheard the people at the next table, excited about the fireworks Saint John was going to have that night.

July 4 fireworks in Canada?  We asked the people at the table where the fireworks would be.  They were just a short distance away, in easy walking distance.  Perfect!

It turned out that we had arrived on the first decent day in July.  The Canada Day fireworks had been delayed by rain on July 1.  And on July 2.  And on July 3.

On July 4, the weather finally cleared up.

So, that evening, my spouse and I stood in a patriotic crowd of Canadians celebrating their birthday, three days late, with fireworks.  Somehow, I felt right at home.

I'm so glad they held their fireworks up just so we could join them on July 4.  Who says Canadians aren't some of the friendliest people in the world?

Here are some 5th of July flowers for you, my dear readers.

Red

White

and (almost) blue.

Day five of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost

And Forever in Peace May It Wave

I was ready with a light hearted "Happy Fourth of July" post with some flowers.  If you want light hearted only, here are some flowers for you, and I'll caution you not to read any further.

Three cheers for the red...

...white...

and blue.

For those of you who remain, a Facebook friend told me (yesterday) about something trending on Twitter - a hashtag, #SecondCivilWarLetters.

I rarely blog about politics,  and I didn't mean to today, when we are supposed to be celebrating our Independence Day and remembering what the price of freedom is.  But I was intrigued and decided to read some of these tweet "letters", as I am an occasional student of the American Civil War.

During the 150th anniversary (2011-2015) I had a weekly Civil War Sunday feature - you are welcome to look it up and read my posts, if you are so inclined.  I am not a "buff", nor a historian - just someone who enjoys history.

For those who haven't heard the story of how Second Civil War Letters came to be on Twitter yesterday, a brief summary:  a man (I refuse to name or link to him) declared, on Monday, that the Democrats were going to start a Civil War today, the 4th of July, the day we in the United States celebrate as our Independence Day.

The Twitterverse quickly took revenge - people tweeting out "letters" in the style of letters written by soldiers of the first (and hopefully, only) American Civil War.  Some were literate.  Some, in fact, were pretty well done.  Some poked fun of liberals, all poked fun at the "other side" and some were just plain mean.

OK, I get it.  The Battle of Bowling Green (aka the "Bowling Green massacre"), the liberal's love of avocados and Starbucks, the dreaded covfefe.

I learned what "kek" meant.  I had just heard about the Space Force and learned more about various memes than I ever wanted to. 

But after a few too many "letters" especially one describing the (satirical) last words of a dying "alt right" soldier, I sobered up and stopped laughing, because, in fact, a second Civil War is no laughing matter.

My ancestors did not come to the United States until well after the Civil War ended.  It is in my DNA, though, as a third generation American.  I was born and raised in New York City, but I have lived parts of my life in the South - the former Confederacy - in Florida, Texas, and Arkansas, to be exact.  And Kansas - once known as Bloody Kansas.  The Civil War lives on in these places.

A monument to Confederate soldiers, Charleston, South Carolina

When I lived in Arkansas, my daily commute to work involved driving through one Civil War battlefield (Prairie Grove, now an Arkansas state park) and near another one (the Battle of Cane Hill).

Some facts:
The death toll from the Civil War is hard to know, but estimates vary from 620,000 to 850,000 for military- possibly two percent of the then-population of the United States.  The 620,000 figure comes from a study done around 1889  The higher figure is more recent.

The number of "casualties" at Gettysburg - a three day battle that concluded on July 3, 1863 - dead and injured - 51,000.  That's more than the population of Binghamton, New York, where I work.

Let's not forget those taken prisoner in the war (I know someone descended from one of them).  Andersonville (South Carolina). Elmira (New York) and many other prisoner of war camps, on both sides stand as monuments of horror today, as Americans descended to depths we would hope we would never descend to again.

One hundred fifty seven years later, we still can't even agree about the causes of that war.

I fear we are heading towards a second American Civil War, as we turn against our neighbor, against our relatives, against our co-workers.  We can not seem to have any civil (no pun intended) conversation anymore.  Fake news rules.  People receive death threats on social media for expressing their opinions.

Neo-Nazis and their sympathizers can openly deny the Holocaust and be taken seriously.  They were allowed to gather near a synagogue in Charlotteville, Virginia on the Jewish Sabbath one August Saturday (the Charlottesville police having turned away the synagogue's requests for protection) hours before one of their kind allegedly rammed a car into a crowd of counterprotestors.

On this, the 242nd anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, I implore you to think twice about a second American Civil War.  Let us remember the toll of the first.  Let us remember how the trauma still lives with us today.

It's good to laugh for a few minutes.

But then, there is work to be done to make sure the Second Civil War never happens.  One of those opportunities may come soon to a community near you, and will certainly come in November.

Write your Congressperson or Senator. Subscribe to you local newspaper and read it.  Become informed.  Be respectful, always.

And then, VOTE.

Day four of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #BlogBoost