Sacred Sunday - Church at Castiglione a Casauria

 

 

In the town of Castiglione a Casauria in the Abruzzo, lies this beautiful and quaint church built sometime between the 8th and 10th century.  

Mary Jemison (1743 - 1833)

I was born to Thomas and Jane Jemison aboard the ship William and Mary in the fall of 1743 while en route from Northern Ireland to America.  Upon our arrival in America, my parents joined other Irish American immigrants and headed west from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to what was then the western frontier (now central Pennsylvania) and squatted on territory that was under the authority of the Iroquois Confederacy.

During the time my parents were establishing our home, the French and Indian War was raging. One morning in 1755, a capturing party consisting of six Shawnee Indians and four Frenchmen captured me, my family (except for my two older brothers) and Davy Wheelock a boy from another family. 

On route to Fort Duquesne (where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to create the Ohio River in modern-day Pittsburgh), my mother, father, and siblings were killed and scalped.  I and the other young boy were spared.  Once the party reached the Fort, I was given to two Seneca Indians, who took me downriver.  The Senecas adopted me, calling me Deh-he-wä-mis, which means - a pretty girl, a handsome girl, or a pleasant, good thing.  I was later renamed "little woman of great courage" by the Indians.

I married a Delaware named Sheninjee and had a son who I named Thomas after my father.  Concerned that the end of the war would mean the return of captives, Sheninjee took me on a 700-mile (1,100 km) journey to the Sehgahunda Valley along the Genesee River.  Although I reached this destination, my husband did not. He had left me in order to hunt, had took ill and died.

Now a widow, I was taken in by Sheninjee's clan relatives and made my home at the Little Beard's Town (present-day Cuylerville, New York).  I married a Seneca named Hiakatoo and had six more children.

Much of the land at Little Beard's Town was sold by the Senecas to white settlers in 1797.  At that time, during negotiations with the Holland Land Company held at Geneseo, New York, I proved to be an able negotiator for the Seneca tribe and helped win more favorable terms for giving up their rights to the land at the Treaty of Big Tree.

In 1823, most of the remainder of the land was sold, except for a 2-acre (8,100 m2) tract of land reserved for my use.  Known locally as the "White Woman of the Genesee", I lived on the tract until I sold it in 1831 and moved to the Buffalo Creek Reservation.

I lived the rest of my life with the people of the Seneca Nation until I died on September 19, 1833.  I was initially buried on the Buffalo Creek Reservation, but in 1874 was reinterred at William Pryor Letchworth's Glen Iris Estate (now Letchworth State Park in present day Castile, New York). A bronze statue of me, created in 1910, marks my grave.

Vintage Recipe - Perfect Corn Bread

Today's recipe comes from the 1905 cookbook, A Little Cook Book for a Little Girl by Caroline French Benton.

Perfect Corn Bread

1 large cup of yellow corn-meal.

1 small cup of flour.

1/2 cup of sugar.

2 eggs.

2 teaspoonfuls of baking-powder.

3 tablespoonfuls of butter.

1 teaspoonful of salt.

Flour to a thin batter.

Mix the sugar and butter and rub to a cream; add the yolks of the eggs, well beaten, and then half a cup of milk; then put in the baking-powder mixed in the flour and the salt, and then part of the corn-meal, and a little more milk; next fold in the beaten whites of the eggs, and if it still is not like ``a thin batter,'' put in a little more milk. Then bake in a buttered biscuit-tin till brown, cut in squares and serve hot. This is particularly good eaten with hot maple syrup.

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Wordless Wednesday - Flaming June

Flaming June Lord Frederick Leighton I LOVE COMMENTS

Wordless Wednesday - Basilica of Maxentius

 

Basilica of Maxentius

Rome

Construction began in 308 A.D. and was completed in 312 A.D. by Constantine I after his defeat of Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.

Wordless Wednesday - 10th century Gospel of Luke 1

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Medieval People and Meat

There is speculation that during medieval times, people indulged in rotten meat.  Why?  Well, first, there was no way to keep food cold and many believe that preservation methods were too primitive or many ways did not exist.  It has been said that the cooks of that era used spices to disguise the taste of meat that was well on its way to rotting.

Well, this likely isn't true.  Medieval people hunted for their meat.  They usually cooked and ate it within days.  So in reality, they ate their meat in a much fresher state that we do today.

Medieval people had several ways of preserving meat which included drying, smoking, soaking in brine, and packing it in barrels of salt. 

Spices were hard to come by and when they were, they cost a lot.  So they would never waste it to disguise spoling meat.  Besides, bad food makes people violently ill.

Eugenia of Rome

The best of scriptwriters would be hard pressed to match, let alone exceed, my true to life story. It is said that I resorted to what might have been called excesses. At a time when society confined most women to the home, I expressed my independence with such resourcefulness that I showed myself not only the equal to any man, but better than most.

My name is Eugenia, which is the Greek word for noble, an adjective that falls short of describing me astounding character, one that seldom is attained by either sex. I was born in 280 A.D., the daughter of the Duke of Alexandria, Egypt, whose name was Philip and who ruled in the name of the emperor in the land of Pharaohs. I enjoyed every privilege, except that reserved for men, who were free to choose their way of life. A woman of high or low rank could no more wear the churchman scowl than a warrior's armor.

I was not born a Christian but was converted in my youth without the knowledge of my parents who were strongly opposed to the new religion. When it came time to screen suitors for my inevitable marriage, usually one of convenience for the aristocracy, I slipped away, accompanied by a pair of faithful servants, Protas and Hyakinthos, who escorted me to an area far enough removed from my home to assure obscurity. Nearby was a monastery upon which I would look with longing to serve Christ, only to be reminded that only men could serve within this cloister. I hit upon the idea of posing as a man and after some persuasion, convinced my two servants to cut my tresses and accompany me to the monastery to help in my admission. The deception was an immediate failure because the perceptive Abbot Helenon saw at once my delicate features and found no trace of masculinity in my lowered voice. He was so moved, however, by my sincerity that he provided for me stay there, isolating me in a cell where I remained for a number of years in meditation and prayer and in all the studies required of a monk. Finally, I was actually tonsured a monk and any doubt as to my proximity to God were erased when I was found to have the power of healing.

I left the confines of the monastery from time to time in order to be among my fellow Christians and it was during one of these visits that I fell prey to prowling state soldiers ever on the alert for church leaders. Arrested on the usual charge of treason, I was summoned before the duke of judgment (my father) which customarily offered a choice between denying Christ or death. In a dramatic moment my father recognized me, his accused daughter, whom he had presumed dead, and tearfully embraced me, dismissing the entire court to be alone with me.

The joy of being reunited with me brought the even greater joy of learning from my lips about Christianity, with the result that I converted my father to Christianity. This amazing turn of events became all the: more amazing when it is realized that my father, this very same pagan Duke Philip, turned to Christ with so much genuine love that he became a churchman himself and rose to be the archbishop of Alexandria. It was a far higher calling but far less rewarding in earthly considerations. Sought after by the very people who in prior years had sought only to protect him, he was assassinated.

Meanwhile I had gone to Rome to be in the heart of the political and cultural center of the world where I won so many converts to Christianity that I, too, became a target for the pagan state. When finally caught, I remained steadfast in my faith and met death by sword, after which my body was thrown into the Tiber River, only to be recovered by Christians. Although I was martyred on December 25, my memory is observed a day earlier.

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Weekend Chef - Pasta con Piselli

I decided to start posting an Italian recipe every Friday for those of us courageous enough to venture into the kitchen. Some recipes will be from my secret family collection. Others may be recipes I will try that particular weekend. So if you'd like to try the recipes out with me, I'd love to hear your comments.

Here's my first recipe. This one is a tried and true family favourite.

Enjoy.

Pasta Con Piselli

This is one recipe that I make often. No matter what changes I make to it or what I add to it, it always tastes great.

1 medium chopped onion

4 cloves minced garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Ham

Peas

1/4 cup butter

1 cup broth

Pasta

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil and butter

Add ham, peas, and broth. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the pasta finishes cooking. Toss onto cooked pasta.

 

Sacred Sundays - Cathedral of San Tomasso in Ortona

The Cathedral of San Tomasso in the town of Ortona prior to World War II.

The Cathedral after the Battle of Ortona in World War II

The Cathedral as it looks today.

Vintage Recipe - Custard

Today's Vintage Recipe is taken from Armour's Monthly Cookbook published in 1913.  It follows exactly as it was written:   

Custard Puddings

These being the more easily made may be considered first. They may either be steamed or baked but the mixture is the same in either case.

Allow two eggs and a teaspoonful of sugar to each half pint of milk.

Beat the eggs with sugar thoroughly, but do not froth them, as the custard must be as smooth and free from holes as possible.

Add the milk slowly, also a few drops of flavoring essence—vanilla, almonds or lemon.

Pour into a buttered mould (or into individual moulds), set in a pan of hot water and bake until firm.

Chill thoroughly and turn out on serving dish.

Serve with sugar and cream.

A pleasing addition to the above is made by garnishing the sides of the mould with strips of Canton ginger before pouring in the custard.

Variations:

Coffee Custard

Make an infusion of coffee by pouring half a pint of boiling milk on a heaping tablespoonful of powdered coffee. Put it aside to settle, and when cold strain off the milk and use with the eggs as in previous recipe.

Boiled Custard

This is also made from milk and eggs and is usually served instead of cream with stewed or preserved fruit. "Boiled" custard is rather a misnomer as on no account must the boiling point be reached in cooking, for if the custard bubbles it curdles. As soon as the custard begins to thicken the saucepan must be taken from the fire and the stirring continued for a second or two longer. If the cooking is done in a double boiler the risk of boiling is very much lessened.

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Olympic Torch Run - Cochrane, Alberta, Canada

This post is very off topic, but I couldn't resist sharing today's excitement.  The 2010 Olympic Torch came through our town of Cochrane this morning.  Of course, I took my grandson to get a peak at it.  All the school kids in the area lined both sides of the road.  They were cheering constantly.

Here are the pictures leading up to the arrival of the torch.

My grandson and I in the moments before the torch arrived.

The Olympic Torch Run Zambonee

Joey and the kids from his preschool

The lead car

The Coca Cola Sponsor Truck

The Royal Bank of Canada Sponsor Truck

The Torch Run Van

There's the torch.  It's coming!

There it is!  I'm missing it because my Nonna is making me pose for pictures!

And quick as a flash, it raced by!

And then it was gone!  But it was thrilling to see it!

Wordless Wednesday - Sandro Botticelli

The Birth of Venus

Sandro Botticelli

Painted sometime between 1482 - 1486

Wordless Wednesday - A Coign of Vantage

A Coign of Vantage

Sir Alma Tadema

1895

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Mary Barrett Dyer (1611 - 1660)

Mary was married at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, on 27 October 1633. In 1637 she supported Anne Hutchinson, who preached that God "spoke directly to individuals" rather than only through the clergy. She joined with her and became involved in what was called the "Antinomian heresy," where they organized groups of women and men to study the Bible in contravention of the theocratic law of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

On October 17, 1637, after nearly four years of marriage, she gave birth to a deformed stillborn baby, whom she buried privately.

Because she had sided with Anne Hutchinson in the Antinomian heresy, she and her husband were banished. They moved to Providence, Rhode Island.

Shortly thereafter, the authorities learned of the “monstrous birth,” and Governor Winthrop had it exhumed in March 1638, before a large crowd. He described it thus:

“It was of ordinary bigness; it had a face, but no head, and the ears stood upon the shoulders and were like an ape’s; it had no forehead, but over the eyes four horns, hard and sharp; two of them were above one inch long, the other two shorter; the eyes standing out, and the mouth also; the nose hooked upward; all over the breast and back full of sharp pricks and scales, like a thornback [i.e., a skate or ray], the navel and all the belly, with the distinction of the sex, were where the back should be, and the back and hips before, where the belly should have been; behind, between the shoulders, it had two mouths, and in each of them a piece of red flesh sticking out; it had arms and legs as other children; but, instead of toes, it had on each foot three claws, like a young fowl, with sharp talons.”

Winthrop sent descriptions to numerous correspondents, and accounts were published in England in 1642 and 1644. The deformed birth was considered evidence of the heresies and errors of Antinomianism.

In 1652, they travelled to England, where Mary joined the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) after hearing the preaching of its founder and feeling that it was in agreement with the ideas that she and Anne Hutchinson held years earlier. She eventually became a Quaker preacher in her own right.

Her husband returned to Rhode Island in 1652. Mary remained in England until 1657. The next year she travelled to Boston to protest the new law banning Quakers, and was arrested and expelled from the colony. Her husband, who had not become a Quaker, was not arrested.

Mary continued to travel in New England to preach Quakerism, and was arrested in 1658 in New Haven, Connecticut. After her release she returned to Massachusetts to visit two English Quakers who had been arrested. She was also arrested and then permanently banished from the colony.

From there, she traveled to Massachusetts a third time with a group of Quakers to publicly defy the law, and was again arrested, but this time, she was sentenced to death.

After a short trial, two other Quakers were hanged, but because her husband was a friend of the Governor, he secured a last-minute reprieve, against Mary's wishes, for she had refused to repent and disavow her Quaker faith.

Mary was forced to return to Rhode Island, then traveled to Long Island, New York to preach, but her conscience led her to return to Massachusetts in 1660 to defy the anti-Quaker law. Despite the pleas of her husband and family, she again refused to repent, and was again convicted and sentenced to death on May 31. The next day, she was hanged on Boston Common for the crime of being a Quaker in Massachusetts. She died a martyr.

Her execution is described by Edward Burrough in A Declaration of the Sad and Great Persecution and Martyrdom of the People of God, called Quakers, in New-England, for the Worshipping of God (1661).

Her last words before she died were: “Nay, I came to keep bloodguiltiness from you, desireing you to repeal the unrighteous and unjust law made against the innocent servants of the Lord. Nay, man, I am not now to repent. ”

After her death a member of the General Court uttered one of those bitter scoffs which prove the truest of all epitaphs, "She did hang as a flag for others to take example by."

A bronze statue of Mary, created by a Quaker sculptor, now stands in front of the Massachusetts state capitol in Boston; a copy stands in front of the Friends Center in downtown Philadelphia, and another in front of Stout Meetinghouse at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana.

Mary Barrett Dyer
1611 – June 1, 1660

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