Category: A Writer’s Life
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Reconstruction Diary Meditations: Who, What, Where?
Keeping track of all the names mentioned in Mary Jane’s diary is a real challenge. She interacted with or mentioned over 200 people in the course of this one year in her life that she recorded. Impressive for a rural Indiana woman! Saturday, September 15, 1866 Mother and Milton started out to Plainfield to attend…
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Are You a Finicky Writer?
“Finicky” and “high maintenance” aren’t usually words that describe me- at least, so I’m told. But I may have a few idiosyncrasies when it comes to writing. When I’m writing in one of my many notebooks or journals, a gel pen beats a scratchy old Bic any day of the week. My current fave is…
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Floodwaters Then and Now: The News vs My Ancestor’s 1866 Diary
Although the bend in the White River around Muncie, Indiana, supposedly protects our area from tornados according to an ancient Indian legend, rainfall apparently is not included. Ten inches of rain in ten hours was no joke. Current local flooding–the worst since 1913–has closed Delaware County schools and businesses, torn apart road infrastructure, left residents…
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When the World Literally Starts Spinning
Nothing seems straight these days. Aside from Jerry’s dying in the hospital just as we were ready to leave after his heart surgery and recovery, other things aren’t quite lining up, either. I first noticed it in my kitchen. In those early days of wanting the kids nearby, I offered to make supper for us…
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Reconstruction Diary Meditations: Unexpected Family Connections
Sunday, July 15, 1866 A very warm morning and day; mercury at 90; some slight indication of rain, but no rain. Milton, Lizzie, and I went to meeting, which was small. No preaching; some napping. [This] afternoon David went with Lizzie and me to George Butler’s to see Elisha and Luscinda [sic] Butler who have…
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The Trouble With Online Research: What’s A Gal to Believe?
AI is making us lazy… and maybe even stupid. Remember what Socrates is said to have said? To paraphrase, written text makes us lazy because we don’t remember anything, so our minds atrophy… even though we still think we’re smart. Or something like that. Today, I went online to research “inserting” as a sewing technique.…
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Living Up to a Surprising Family Legacy
I have an impressive role model. Seven years ago today, I spent the day in New Castle, Indiana, paging through musty books, peering at microfilm newspaper articles, and digging through gigantic, bound court record books. My son Ted Shideler and I were just starting my second Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship Award project. For the past…
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Frederick Douglass, Mary Jane, and Me: Bringing Historic Figures to Life
A week ago, I saw Frederick Douglass: Well, not really. But I did attend a performance by Darius Wallace, an actor of notable skill. In character as Douglass, Wallace delivered a one-man show at the Historic Fall Creek Meetinghouse, east of Pendleton, Indiana. The outdoor venue perfectly framed the venue and the context: Douglass briefly…
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One Month Later: Knowing Myself is Crucial
At 66, I’ve learned a thing or two. Much about teaching and learning, of course. Also a bit about succeeding and “failing.” And a good deal about myself, too. This past month has been the ultimate exam in how well I know myself. One thing I’ve learned during this past month of my new situation-…
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My Go-To Stress-Busting Strategy
Simple knee pain that resulted in a week’s hospitalization, nights of pseudo-sleep curled into a hard, narrow futon, and protracted, increasingly urgent advocacy. A nagging fatigue that turned into a two-week-plus hospital stay, featuring an invasive test, major surgery, and endless observations. A subsequent heart-wrenching death in the family. And then the endless waiting… No…
