Lady Lawanda Returns Home, Begins Training For Walkernastics
Lady Lawanda’s New Friend
After a two week hospital stay, Lady Lawanda, aided and abetted by a tote bag of medications, Prodigal, DrHGuy, and an assistive walking device, returned home today.
Far be it from me to point out that the lush and lovely Lawanda had been furtively envious of my walker feats this past summer.
Given Lady Lawanda’s training in gymnastics and her hypertrophied competitiveness, the mind boggles at the prospect of her future exploits - which will, of course, be documented here in detail.
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The Very Very Good Girl - SportsBizPro Nuptial Quiz
The wedding of Very Very Good Girl and SportsBizPro1 took place as planned this weekend. There may well be more discussion of the events, but for tonight I offer one of my favorite scenes from the ceremonies as a pictorial quiz.
In this post-wedding photo of Very Very Good Girl, she is
A. Dancing with exuberance and abandon
B. Shimmying out of her gown with exuberance and abandon
C. Demonstrating the overhead, two-handed throw used to inbound the ball in soccer with exuberance but not so much abandon
D. Posing as the model for a hood ornament
E. Completing the toss of the bridal bouquet, causing the assembled unmarried women ostensibly gathered to catch the flowers to scatter in terror as though the floral arrangement were a live hand grenade.
Footnotes
- See I Knew The Bride When She Used To Rock and Roll Heck, I Knew The Bride When She Sang Her ABCs ~back~
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Allan Truax, Jim Sand, The Forest, And The Trees
An Email From Jim Sand About Allan Truax
I recently received an unsolicited email from Jim Sand (who was previously unknown to me) about Allan Truax.1 The pertinent portion of that message follows:
My best friend and I would sometimes crawl over the fence to see what was in his yard. We never stayed long, but I remember that it seemed his yard was a forest. Since in that part of North Dakota, the only trees were those planted by farmers as shelter belts or the cottonwood trees along Long Creek about 5 miles north of town.
Why An Email2 From Jim Sand To Heck of a Guy About Allan Truax Is Important
I’ve featured the email from Mr. Sand in this post for two reasons:
1. The content confirms and clarifies an important detail about Allan Truax. In Evelyn and Allan Truax Journey Through Life Together, I wrote “Allan Truax’s interest in horticulture, for example, resulted in his planting trees and shrubs around the Truax home in Crosby, North Dakota, at a time when those “were about the only trees in town.”3 The email, describing the Truax lawn from an 8 year old boy’s perspective, is significantly more effective.
2. This email is an example of one of the genuine advantages blogs confer on humanity: mutually beneficial interactions. Obviously, interactions are hardly blog-dependent, but the accessibility of blogs and effective search engines have dramatically increased the number and quality of such connections compared to pre-internet technologies.
Even if I had, for example, written the definitive Allan Truax biography and even if Mr. Sand had read it, what are the chances he would have written me about his childhood memory? And, even if he had written, how could I have circulated that information short of publishing another edition of the biography?
Further, this is no fluke. Some readers may recall the The Great Ozark Folk Festival Flood of 1973 adventure. I have heard from at least two readers who were at that same bluegrass festival deep in the Ozarks that same weekend in 1973, one of whom has promised to write up her own story from that weekend - a story which equals if not surpasses the weirdness of the sojourn I described.
That’s why - ya gotta love the blogs.
Identification: Allan Truax, Allen Truax, and A.L. Truax
“Allan Truax” and “Allen Truax” appear with approximately equal frequency in the written material I’ve reviewed, with “A.L. Truax” occurring somewhat less often. The name Mr. Truax inscribed in his books was “Allan” so I use it preferentially
Other Heck Of A Guy Posts About Allan Truax
- The first Allan Truax Post was Allan Truax, A.E. Housman, The Ex, and Me
- The most recent Allan Truax Post before this entry was Crosby, North Dakota In The Time Of Allan Truax: Railroad Depot and Hospital
- All Allan Truax posts can be found by clicking on the Allan Truax category
Footnotes
- An explanation of who Allan Truax is and why he is a feature of the Heck Of A Guy Blog can be found at Who’s Allan Truax? ~back~
- Mr Sand also sent a second complementary email:
I only lived across from Mr. Truax for about 2 years. We then moved to “south hill” as the south side of town was called. Coincidentally, after we moved, I lived two houses up from Mrs. Truax. Mrs. Truax was my music teacher throughout elementary school. I assumed she was Mr and Mrs. A.L Truax’s daughter-in-law. Unfortunately, I have no additional information about Mr. Truax. (I do recall seeing a sign that read A.L.Truax. I can not remember if it was on the gate to the fence around his house, or if it was by the door to his house.)
~back~
- Mr & Mrs A.L. Truax, Richard Truax, A History Of Divide County, 1964. p 224 ~back~
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Ducklings Provide Message Of Courage
Courage, Love, and Mandarin Ducks
The BBC Planet Earth video clip below shows day-old Mandarin ducklings taking a literal leap of faith.
Watching it this morning while someone close to me is going through yet another set of tests for yet another feared complication of her disease brings to mind thoughts about the kind of bravery she has exhibited in these situations.
- For some, courage is a daily necessity that is manifest without fanfare or self-aggrandizement. Those of us honored to know someone in this category have the responsibility not to confuse the absence of dramatics with an absence of courage or, worse, an absence of peril.
- Cute and courageous are not mutually exclusive. Those of us in the audience would do well to acknowledge and applaud both qualities.
- Grace, born of resilience, is far more important than gracefulness.
the sole sources of self-esteem and personal dignity, and,
ultimately, the only items of value we have to offer one other.
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Crosby, North Dakota In The Time Of Allan Truax: Railroad Depot and Hospital
As part of my ongoing project describing the life and times of Allan Truax,1 I occasionally post photos or information about Crosby, North Dakota, the town to which Allan Truax, then 37 years old, and his wife, Evelyn, moved in 1908 and where they lived until his death in 1965.
Train Depot
Allan Truax was employed as a railroad mail clerk for the Great Northern Railway which operated this depot in Crosby, North Dakota, the beginning and the termination of the daily train route Truax worked.
Healthcare In Early 1900s
According to the local newspaper, Crosby’s first physician was Dr. Blake Lancaster, a graduate of the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Identification: Allan Truax, Allen Truax, and A.L. Truax
“Allan Truax” and “Allen Truax” appear with approximately equal frequency in the written material I’ve reviewed, with “A.L. Truax” occurring somewhat less often. The name Mr. Truax inscribed in his books was “Allan” so I use it preferentially
Other Heck Of A Guy Posts About Allan Truax
- The first Allan Truax Post was Allan Truax, A.E. Housman, The Ex, and Me
- The most recent Allan Truax Post before this entry was Evelyn and Allan Truax Journey Through Life Together
- All Allan Truax posts can be found by clicking on the Allan Truax category
Footnotes
- An explanation of who Allan Truax is and why he is a feature of the Heck Of A Guy Blog can be found at Who’s Allan Truax? ~back~
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DrHGuy Finally On The Road To The Final Four
While DrHGuy has watched and enjoyed many hours of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament over the past three days, that appreciation had been a placid sort of pleasure, not unlike that which might accompany the contemplation of a competently mowed lawn or the sipping of a refreshing glass of lemonade made from a name brand powdered mix.
Until this afternoon.
Unlikely as it seems, DrHGuy’s transition from the passive spectator to the altogether more characteristically enthusiastic, put-me-in-coach sort of participation occurred while he was viewing the Kansas State - Wisconsin game, which was not a remarkable contest. Nor did it feature a team that provoked either the intense admiration or the fervent disgust of DrHGuy. It was just another game featuring 10 muscular bodies running up and down a court, soaring through the air, and unleashing shots from improbable distances and angles with even more improbable accuracy. It was, in a word, great.
While DrHGuy himself is unsure why the change took place at this time, he is - and we should all be - deeply grateful.
DrHGuy does have a couple of observations:
- Duke’s Departure From the Tournament: DrHGuy remains an unrepentant Duke fan. While unhappy about Duke’s early exit, he is less upset about their loss than the way they played. Year after year, Duke has made the other team look worse than it was. Pitted against West Virginia today and in their first round game against the Belmont Bruins, Duke made their opponents look, as the commentators repeatedly commented, like rising stars of the basketball firmament. They aren’t.
-
Most Intriguing Sportscaster’s Cliché Heard Thus Far In This Year’s Tournament: “He [one of the players] hasn’t had a quality touch in a long time.”
DrHGuy knows how he feels.
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A Pictorial Post-Op Arboreal Visit
The Oak At Heck Of A House As Photo Opportunity
Most recurrent Heck Of A Guy visitors are familiar with the Oak in our back lawn. Because Heck Of A House was originally situated on this site in large part to present the Oak1 to full advantage, the tree is framed in the windows of the family room, the office, the exercise room, the conservatory, and my bedroom. Consequently, it is hardly surprising that, in the process of building a portfolio consistent with my self-anointed title of “The Indoor Ansel Adams,” the Oak is a frequent and easily recognized subject of my photographs.
And, when it’s not the primary focus, the Oak is often the backdrop for the many photos of deer, wild turkey with poults, coyotes, and other critters displayed in these posts as well as a serving as a handy, photo-worthy maker of seasonal and meteorological changes.2
Oak in mid-summer and winter
The Diagnosis
Ice storms this winter featuring especially cold temperatures resulted in a higher than usual number of felled trees. In arranging for the removal of these, including one that had fallen across the driveway to the neighboring corn/soybean field, the arboreal specialist (AKA “The Tree Guy”) assessing the situation and estimating the cost mentioned that this might be a good time to prune the deadwood from the Oak. When I recovered from my apoplectic episode, we discussed this further and set a date for the procedure.
The Surgical Intervention
After a delay or two because of still more snowstorms, the team performing the multiple limbectomies arrived yesterday.
Oak prepped and draped for surgery
Treatment team members take their stations
(Click on image to expand)
Exploratory confirmation of diagnoses
Note scalpel hanging at right side of operator
The first pathological specimen removed
The procedure
(Click on image to expand)
The Oak is said to be in good condition and should be fine.
My status is being held pending next of kin.
Footnotes
- When we purchased the land, we were told this was the oldest Oak tree in McHenry County. I had no idea how that could be determined; I was wise enough, however, to very carefully avoid asking any questions or exploring the issue in any way, a course of action I have steadfastly continued to follow even unto the current day ~back~
- It is, admittedly, less clear why I think viewers will enjoy or benefit from photos of a given day’s snowfall on the Oak when they have already been treated to the Oak being covered with snow that fell three days ago, eight days ago, and sixteen days ago. You folks just never get tired of it, I guess. ~back~
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The Meta-Carver Notes
Observations Evoked By The Heck of a Guy George Washington Carver Posts
The following notes are tangents, asides, and other remnants that percolated to the surface of my cortex while I was working on the Carver posts.
Carver’s Influence On A Child’s Perception Of Blacks
Mrs. Linklater commented on one of the George Washington Carver posts:
My parallel experience was warped by the geodemographic quirk of growing up near the George Washington Carver National Monument in a rural area with almost no blacks in the population.
Except for two years of middle school and my freshman year of college, I lived in my hometown, Diamond, Missouri, until I was 21. During that time, the only black people residing in or near that town, frequenting the local stores, attending the consolidated school that drew students from the outlying farms several miles from the facility itself, or belonging to any of the numerous churches in town were the Superintendent of the George Washington Carver National Monument or members of his1 family.
They stood out not only because they were black but also because, in a population almost devoid of college educated individuals other than teachers and some of the clergy, the Superintendents assigned by the National Park Service were college graduates. They and their families were also well spoken, typically well traveled, and, if my recall is accurate, usually hailed from urban environments, traits which distinctly atypical in my immediate environment
Consequently, I grew up with the impression that blacks were especially well educated and sophisticated. Such was life in the 50s - in Diamond, Missouri.
George Washington and George Washington Carver
All sources seem to agree that George Carver did not use a middle name in childhood or early adolescence.
The two prevalent accounts of how he acquired “Washington” as part of his name follow:
- Wikipedia and others state that “In order to avoid confusion with another George Carver in his classes [at Iowa State University], he began to use the name George Washington Carver.”
- Other sites, such as George Washington Carver, report that “In the spring of 1885 [6 years before attending Iowa State University], … he had given himself the middle name of Washington.” Some sources, such as George Washington Carver: From Slave to Scientist by Janet Benge, add that he used the middle initial “W” in his correspondence because mail addressed to “George Carver” was being delivered to another George Carver.
As late as the first or second grade when a teacher gently disabused me of the notion, I was convinced that the shared names denoted some special connection between George Washington Carver and George Washington.
There are a number of photos of Henry Ford and George Washington Carver on the internet, but, as far as I can determine, this site has the only such photo emblazoned with the caption, George Washington Carver, left, and industrialist Henry Ford share a weed sandwich in this 1942 photograph.
The two leaders of foreign nations best known for soliciting Carver’s advice on enhancing their respective county’s agricultural resources were Joseph Stalin and Mahatma Gandhi (Gandhi also asked for personal nutritional recommendations).
This is probably no more than a “how about that?” sort of coincidence, but doesn’t it seem somehow significant?
There is a strong consensus that Carver was a talented artist and musician. It is interesting to speculate about how his life and history might have changed had he pursued a career, as he originally intended, in either of these fields instead of being persuaded by his college art teacher to change his studies and his focus to agricultural science.2
If nothing else, the Tuskegee Institute would have been a very different sort of place without Carver, and it is difficult to imagine who, had Carver not been on the scene, would have carried on Booker T. Washington’s legacy after his death. On the other hand, it is appealing to wonder if Carver might personally have been happier confronting artistic challenges rather than dealing with the problems caused by abject poverty, depleted soil, and illiteracy.
George Washington Carver (left) and Allan Truax (right)
Ongoing readers will recognize the photo of Allan Truax, an individual who has been featured in several Heck of a Guy posts.3 Given that Allan Truax was a contemporary of Carver’s and that Truax was well read in general, it would be surprising if he were not aware of Carver’s work. Since Truax was specifically interested in horticulture and mycology (which were also areas of focus for Carver), it is not far fetched to believe he may well have had some insight into the extent to which Carver’s accolades were exaggerated.
In any case, I find myself longing to ask Mr. Truax about his opinion of Mr. Carver.
Footnotes
- As I remember it, during this period, all the Carver Monument Superintendents were male. ~back~
- This may be an especially poignant point in my mind because a primary theme of the Anjani Thomas interviews I’ve been posting is her unwaivering focus on music as the only acceptable career path. ~back~
- An explanation of who Allan Truax is and why he is a feature of the Heck Of A Guy Blog can be found at Who’s Allan Truax? ~back~