SCOTUS 6/24/22 

Only the beginning. 

Full citizenship lost 

Without control over 

Our own bodies. 

The voters against us 

Will never be 11 or 12-year-old girls 

Not fully developed enough 

To carry and deliver safely. 

Will never be a victim forced 

To deliver a rapist’s baby. 

Trauma extended through a lifetime. 

Without relief. 

What might be next? 

Back to a time when 

A woman couldn’t get a credit card? 

A woman couldn’t own property 

In her own name? 

A woman couldn’t vote? 

Biology is not everything. 

What might be next? 

When will they come for 

A right you cherish?

(c) 2022 Victoria Lague

I originally posted this poem for Father's Day, 2021, in Facebook, and again in 2022, but I think I'm going to post here from now on instead. 

It's favorite poems of those I have written recently. If you like it, I would appreciate you're considering my book, Cloud Dreams, at Amazon. 

The Questions of Fathers

 
How do I celebrate today?
For the man who made me,
Frustrated with the me I was?
Or
The man who made me,
Pleased with the me I could be?


How do I celebrate today?
For the man who denied my need to be me?
Or
The man who filled a need he could see?
How do I celebrate today?
For the man who created an empty space?
Or
The man who oft times filled it with grace?
Could the second have flourished without the first?


How do I celebrate today?
Should I reject the second benign and favor the first as mine?


I reject the first’s discouraging nay, yet accept my life as coming from him.
I treasure the second’s encouraging faith and assert my heart as thoroughly his.
He is the one I honor today:
The man who helped me find my way.


(c) 2022 Victoria Lague

Writing during COVID

 

Welcome to my Blog! I haven't written anything here in years, but it's time to start again. I'm planning on writing about things of interest to me so you, my readers, can learn about my interests, and about my writing process itself, which I find mysterious and fulfilling. Here's hoping for your support!

What have you been doing during the COVID-19 Pandemic to save your sanity? All of this "alone time" has either been difficult, fulfilling, boring, exciting, all of them at different times, or none of the above. In case you haven't guessed, my time has been filled with writing. I blasted out four short novels and some poetry. How? I'm not sure. I still don't know where the ideas came from half the time. Things just popped into my head, like something greater than I (a muse? the cosmos?) was directing my way. Sometimes, as I was typing along, my characters said something that influenced the direction of the novel. They did! Their words just fell onto my page. I stopped typing and stared at the screen and said, "I didn't know that!" Sometimes, nothing came to me, and writing was like the proverbial saying: Blood from a stone! But, I'm very happy with the results. 

When I first started, I was going to write only one book, Unspoken, my novel in the form of a memoir/coming of age story. A reader asked me if I would write another one. I scratched my head for a while not knowing how in the world could I write anything more about Elizabeth's and Matt's story? Wonder of wonders, something greater than I suggested reuniting my hero and heroine after death. What? Without knowing how I was going to do that, I just started writing, hoping my muse would reappear, and Unspoken 2: After Life was the paranormal result with the themes of forgiveness and perfected understanding. (OK, I thank my cousin Jeanne for that last one.) I thought that was the end of it. However, my own questions started coming. I thought, OK, I've reunited Matt and Elizabeth in the Afterlife. What in the cosmos is spirit life like there?

It happened that I had started to read The Grand Biocentric Design: How Life Creates Reality by Robert Lanza, M.D. The subtitle of the book and what I was reading in it, led me to write Unspoken 3: More Life. Now, Matt and Elizabeth could live their "after life" traveling throughout the cosmos, visiting alternate universes, and experiencing what might have been under other circumstances. It was fun to write! I just let my imagination go, thinking about all the alternate lives my characters might have lived. The cosmos moved them from one alternate reality to another through a whirlwind motif that shows up unbidden each time they wondered how something might have been. As Elizabeth would say, "Be careful what you ask for!" I was even able to sneak in a little time travel in their own original universe. So, I suppose this is my paranormal/Sci-fi novel! 

I have thought of Unspoken as Elizabeth's unimaginable journey, but these three books together turned out to be my own unimaginable journey. Together, they round out Matt and Elizabeth's "lives" together. I suspect that nothing will ever be as easy to write as this trilogy! 

Coming sometime soon: A little about writing Olivia's Boys and Dream Clouds. 

Independence National Historical Park - Independence Hall

Fig. 1: Independence Hall, Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

The exterior of Independence Hall is iconic. This is where the country got started. The greatest minds from across the colonies gathered here to debate reconciliation with England or independence from it. We learn about it in history class in school, but to stand in the same building, walk the same paths, climb the same steps as the Founding Fathers is amazing. Seeing it nestled amid modern buildings makes me wonder what George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams, among others, would think to see their creation today.

The rear of the building is just as beautiful. I tend to choose one picture from a special trip like this one to have transferred to canvas. For this trip to Philadelphia, this is the one, the rear view of Independence Hall.

Fig. 2: Rear view, Independence Hall

The interior is full of  Georgian architectural details.

Fig. 3: Interior Georgian architectural detail

The National Park Service provides a wealth of information and multimedia on Facebook and YouTube as well as a digital image archive for the National Park system.

A guided tour through the building becomes a lesson in history. Frankly, a month away from my visit, I can't remember all the little details of that tour, but I'll tell you what I do remember. (Guess I should have taken notes!) The tour of Independence Hall does not include all the rooms in the building, but to quote the National Park Service,

          Independence Hall is the birthplace of America. The Declaration of Independence and U.S.
          Constitution were both debated and signed inside this building.

          Built between 1732 and 1756 to be the Pennsylvania State House, the building originally
          housed all three branches of Pennsylvania's colonial government. The Pennsylvania legislature
          loaned their Assembly Room out for the meetings of the Second Continental Congress and
          later, the Constitutional Convention. Here, George Washington was appointed Commander in
          Chief of the Continental Army in 1775, the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1781,
          and Benjamin Franklin gazed upon the "Rising Sun" chair in 1787. (Para. 1-2)

Here are the remaining photos I took during the tour:

Fig. 4: Court Room, first floor

The Pennsylvania Assembly room became the room where independence was deliberated and where the Declaration of Independence was debated and revised. Can you imagine putting your heart and soul into a document only to have the brilliant men around you criticize and change it right in front of you? That's exactly what happened to Thomas Jefferson. He stated later that they "mangled" it. 

 

Fig.5: Pennsylvania Assembly room, staged for independence deliberations

 Fig. 6: George Washington's chair

As George Washington resided, Benjamin Franklin took note of the sun cargving at the top of Washington's chair. At the end of the successful Constitutional Convention of 1787, Benjamin Franklin said, "I have often . . . looked at that behind the president without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting. But now I . . . know that it is a rising and not a setting sun" (Para. 33). There are beautifully done close-ups of the chair and its detail here.

Fig. 7: Franklin's location, set with his pipe

 Fig. 8: Jefferson's location, set with his walking  stick

Other important rooms await in this building. The first House of Representatives met here. As the country grew, more seating was needed, so the building was expanded. You can see toward the right (the wall butts out a bit) where the room was renovated to accommodate the additional legislators.

Fig. 9: First House of Representatives

The Senate met on the second floor. The room is much more elegantly decorated, and people at the time complained that the Senate was spending too much money on itself. Some things never change! And, as with Washington's Sun Rise Chair on the first floor, these chairs are original. So, while we tourists were allowed to sit in the House benches, the entire Senate was roped off. 

 Fig. 10: First Senate Chamber

Fig. 11: Center of Senate Chamber

The room boasts a reproduction of the rug that graces the Chamber. I figured this must be where the idea of the round rug in the Oval Office came from.

My visit to Philadelphia was truly wonderful. While I didn't get to see everything, like The Benjamin Franklin Museum at Franklin's Court, the interior or Christ Church, or the Liberty Bell, I did get to see most of what I wanted to see and left myself with several good excuses to visit Philadelphia again.

Oh, and that "personal reason" for visiting Philadelphia that I mentioned at the start of the previous post?

 Fig. 12: Can you guess what else I did that weekend in Philadelphia?????

__________________________________________________________________

Works Cited

"Independence Hall."  Independence National Historical Park. National Park Service.  n.d. 

     Web. 28 Jul. 2014. <http://www.nps.gov/inde/historyculture/places-independencehall.htm>.

"Madison Debates, September 17." The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy.

     Yale Law School, Lillian Goldman Law Library. n.d. Web. 28 Jul. 2014. <http://avalon.law.yale. 

     edu/18th_century/debates_917.asp>.

The Franklin Institute & Independence National Historical Park (Benjamin Franklin)

I'm not much for taking photos when I travel. I'd rather experience where I am rather than document it with photos I might never look at again. But, I did manage to take a few photos on my visit to Philadelphia this summer. I went for two reasons, one personal and one professional. As a professor of English at Miami Dade College's Kendall Campus, I teach the American Literature 1-year survey courses, and with the Fall Term and American Literature 1 coming up, Independence National Historical Park seemed like the place to go. Over a long weekend, I satisfied an old craving to see where this country started. Mostly, I wanted to see Independence Hall and whatever is left in the Old City regarding Benjamin Franklin's life there. So, here are some of the few photos I took as I walked around Old City.

 Fig. 1: The Franklin Institute directly across Logan Square

One of the things I knew I wanted to visit was The Franklin Institute. I've been there online many times, but like other things in this location, I wanted to see it with my own eyes. The top floor of my hotel provided a surprising image of the city. There was The Franklin Institute just blocks from my hotel on the other side of Logan Square (which is really a circle!). This beautiful view was a great way to start off my visit. 

Fig. 2: One of several entrances to Logan Square

Logan Square turned out to be a lovely park surrounded by trees, dotted with benches for sitting, and crowned with a fountain with added surprises waiting as I drew closer. 

Fig. 3: Tortoise sculpture in the fountain pool

A collection of animal sculptures circle the fountain's pool. I just had to have a photo of one of the tortoises as I have two friends who are particularly enamored of that reptile. 

Fig. 4: Outside the Franklin Institute

The airplane sculpture near the entrance to The Franklin Institute caught my eye as I walked toward the entrance. As it turned out, I was too early, but was able to sit while I waited for the museum to open. 

The exhibits inside are mostly for children, but it was fun wandering around. And, there are things there that I found interesting. First of all, I did know that steam engines had to be BIG. But, I had no idea how big until I stood next to one. There are three pictures below because it was just impossible to get the whole engine in one shot. It was enormous! The wheels are about as tall as I am.

Fig. 5: Steam engine

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to walk through a giant replica of the human heart? Well, I found out. It's cramped. I suppose that is just because the replica is made for children, but I did mange to get through the tight curves and steep stairs of The Giant Heart while listening to the audio of a real heartbeat. The entrance is right around where that diagonal yellow line ends.

Fig. 6: Giant replica of a human heart

But, for me, the most important thing was to see The Benjamin Franklin Memorial. After wandering around the museum a bit, I found the famous statue and was amazed by its size. I deliberately put people in my photo just to show the scale of Dr. Franklin's statue and the hall that it dominates.

 

Fig. 7: The Franklin Memorial

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the tribute to the great man I so admire.

As I left the Institute (after buying a Franklin pocket watch in the shop), I crossed back to Logan Square and another view of the city, the long stretch leading to City Hall.

Fig. 8: View of Philadelphia City Hall

On the Sunday of my weekend, I planned to spend the whole day in Old City. Independence Hall and the rest of Old City are an almost two mile hike from where I was staying. With some directions from hotel personnel, I started walking in the direction opposite that of Logan Square. So, what did I want to see? Independence Hall, of course. The Liberty Bell. Benjamin Franklin's home and gravesite.

It was hot, the walk was long, and I never did get to see the Liberty Bell up close, but I did find everything else. Well, sort of. My search for Franklin's home led me to Franklin's Courtyard, the part of Old City that he once owned. However, there is no house. I love old houses and think it's a shame that his did not come down to us, but the property is still there. An attempt has been made, however.

Fig. 9: Franklin's Court

These white frames show the placement and size of the original buildings. I walked through snapping these photos and went to the small museum and asked directions to Franklin's gravesite. Well, I asked after trying to find it on my own and getting nowhere! I walked my feet off that day in my quest for Franklin. Finally, I found it, too early again, but this time just a ten-minute wait until the gates of the Christ Church Burial Ground were opened. I enjoy historic cemeteries, so I bought entrance and tour tickets to this amazing place.

The cemetery is the original burial ground for Christ Church, which was founded in 1695. The current building dates from 1744 and is still an active church today. The weekend I was there, I could not wander around the building's interior any time I tried because it was closed for a wedding or services were being held. It was nice to see the old building still being used, but it gave me one reason for a return visit to Philadelphia some time in the future.

Finally I found the burial ground, quite a walk from the church, and Franklin's family plot. The tour proved very interesting. 

A lot is known about most of the people who are buried there because a book was written, The Edward Clark Inscription Book,  that documented everything that was known at the time of publication. Many important Philadelphians were members of the congregation and are buried in the cemetery. 

Fig. 10: Gravesite of Dr. Benjamin Rush

To me, the most famous of the other signers of the Declaration of Independence, those I had heard of besides the obvious names, is Dr. Benjamin Rush.

But, there are many "average" people buried here, too. Some grave stones are so old their inscriptions are completely weathered away. Many have sunken into the earth. Here are a few of the more interesting ones:

Fig. 11: The oldest grave (on the right)

The oldest grave at the site is worn away completely and much sunken into the ground. The sign in front of the two stones gives the inscription that was originally engraved on them. Again, while the inscription has been lost on the stones themselves, what was written there is known because of the book that was published. It has also been reprinted, so copies are available today for those who are interested. 

Sometimes, with the permission of descendants and with the money to do the work, stones are raised to the proper level. Here are several stones that have clearly sunken.

Fig. 12: Sunken head stones

Fig. 13: Raised head stones

The horizontal lines on these two stones show the levels to which the stones had sunk. And, while their inscriptions are now visible, time and weather will take their toll until the sign will be needed again in order to read the inscriptions. 

There are other interesting sights as well, notably, "tables" that family could use to set out food while visiting the grave of a loved one.

Fig. 14: "Table" grave stones

In addition to the oldest gravesite I mentioned earlier, there will also, one day, be a last gravesite, the last person to be buried at Christ Church Burial Ground,

 Fig. 15: Last burial

The tour saved the most important grave at Christ Church Burial Ground for last, and so have I: Benjamin Franklin. 

Fig. 16: Extended Family

The stone on the left in Figure 15 marks the grave of Franklin's father-in-law, John Read, who originally owned the plot. On the right is the marker for Francis, Benjamin Franklin and his wife Deborah's young son.

 Fig. 17: Emma Bache

Franklin's daughter "Sally" married into the Bache family.

Fig. 18: Richard and Sarah Bache

 Fig. 19: Benjamin and Deborah Franklin

The large stone over Benjamin and Deborah's grave is covered with coins. In the 19th century, brides started tossing coins on the Franklin's grave for good luck. Today, the money helps maintain the burial ground. While the inscription cannot be seen in this photo, it is very simple, little more than the names of both people. 

So, my search for Benjamin Franklin was over. It was well after Noon, and I had a reservation for lunch at The City Tavern, quite a walk from my current location.

Fig. 20: The City Tavern

In keeping with my "experience it" rather than "photograph it" mentality during this trip, I didn't take any photos of the interior of the City Tavern, which dates from 1773, or my photos of my food to post on Facebook. But, I could well imagine Franklin and his Philadelphia friends enjoying a meal here. It's a wonderful, old building with authentic period food being served by a waitstaff dressed in period costume. I ate Colonial Turkey Pot Pie and a selection of breads, including biscuits made from Thomas Jefferson's favorite recipe. Dessert? Nothing other than Martha Washington's chocolate cake. I didn't think she would have had a recipe for chocolate cake, but there you go. Yum! Chocolate! 

After being all worn out from walking around Old City and stuffed after a big meal, I headed back to my hotel, a 1.7 mile trek. Along the way, I stopped to photograph this wonderful building.

Fig. 20: The Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts

Behind the pole on the right, you can just see the enormous paint brush peeking out. I was half-way back to the hotel by now, and really looking forward to a little rest.

What about Independence Hall, you ask? Coming up!

 

 

Doctor Who Quilt Update #12 (and last)

FINALLY! My Eleventh Doctor quilt is finished! It's taken months - since last August - to design and finish, but worth every hour I spent on it. I don't know how many hours I spent on it, but it has been substantial. I hope you enjoyed following my journey.

Check out the label at the bottom LEFT!  Matt did sign my block at New Orleans Comic Con!

Doctor Who Quilt Update #11

It's been a while since I posted an update on the Doctor Who quilt, but I have been working on it . . . slowly. It took a while to figure our how I really wanted to finish it because I kept changing my mind.

In Update #10, I wrote about how I had planned to put a current image of Matt Smith as himself. But, I thought, I'm planning a 50th Anniversary quilt, so I might want an image from that episode. Better to finish the quilt later. Early in December I thought, the 2013 Christmas special is coming up. Maybe, there will be something I want from that episode. Again, I put off finishing the quilt. It just never seemed to be the right time.

Spring semester started in January, and I just didn't have time to work on the quilt anyway. And, then came the big moment. I decided to go to ComicCon in New Orleans because Matt Smith would be appearing. Suddenly, I really wanted to finish the quilt. I used an image of the Doctor reading  Advanced Quantum Physics from the 50th in the upper right corner above the Gallifreyan text images (shown in Update #10). The printable fabric came in handy again. I decided to use an image of the crack in the fabric of the universe at the bottom of that same strip.

There was also the problem of what to use as a quilt label. I had three possibilities. One was an image of the Doctor from "Cold War" (because he looks so great in those sunglasses) with the quilt title "Raggedy Man, Goodnight." The second was an image of the Doctor from "The Time of the Doctor" - Doesn't that episode just make you cry every time?! - with the title "When the Doctor Was Me." Then, there was also my first idea, a 50th Anniversary label with an image from "The Day of the Doctor" with him kissing River. How to choose? I finally decided that, while quilts traditionally have only one label, there was no rule that said my quilt couldn't have more than one. So, the finished quilt will have all three labels. Traditionally, the label is on the back of the quilt, but again, no rule. So, I'm putting one on the front, the "When the Doctor Was Me" label.

Here's the bottom of the quilt with the last row pinned in place:

Last strip layout

I was really looking forward to ComicCon! If only I had time to finish the quilt before I leave! But . . . I have an autograph ticket . . . maybe . . . Matt Smith will sign one of my quilt blocks! I can't finish the quilt yet!

Well, wish me luck. I'm here in NOLA and the autograph session is TOMORROW!!!