CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS
WHAT RIGHTS DO CATS HAVE, I ASK
The black flash scooted by so fast that I thought it was a mirage. Several days later, it happened again. By the time it happened a third time I realized it was a cat trying to escape my vision as it ran through the laundry room and out the cat door.
Our visitor continued entering our home over a period of time, and gradually it stayed put long enough for me to identify it as a large, female, black, cat with bronze and orange striping. It was only over a gradual period of time that the stranger allowed us to (more…)
PONDERING
THE PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION
PORTAPOTTY PROBLEM
Will Washington, D. C.’s 5000 Portapotties Be Enough?
Will there be a major problem in Washington, D. C. on January 20, 2009, when an estimated 1.5 to three million persons are expected to descend on the city for Barack Obama’s inauguration?
As the crowd is being referred to as a “logistical nightmare,” residents are feeling a sense of apprehension about one issue—will there be (more…)
CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS
ICE HARVESTING: BIG BUSINESS IN EARLY AMERICA
“The ice man’s here!”
I’m old enough to recall the days when ice, probably manufactured, was delivered to the coastal New England home of my grandparents, Albert and Mabel Briskay, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This early 1950s memory is revived each year when Ligonier (PA) has its winter Ice Fest celebrations, where individuals with chain saws sculpt 300-pound ice blocks, made from pure water, into historical depictions, hearts, ducks or whatever their creative aspirations lead them to design.
The ice for these sculptures is manufactured.
Household and commercial ice was not always manufactured ice—that is, ice frozen from community water supplies. It was once harvested from frozen lakes, ponds and rivers.
Ice and frozen snow, considered luxuries as far back as history is recorded, were items that few beyond the
(more…)
CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS
THE SPECTACULAR PENOBSCOT RIVER
A Natural Wonder in Maine: Part 2
To read the previous segment of this post click on: THE SPECTACULAR PENOBSCOT RIVER A Natural Wonder in Maine: Part 1
I recently presented a program to fifth grade students in my granddaughter’s reading class, which had been reading The Sign of the Beaver. I picked the book up when she was visiting, and discovered its setting was on the west side of the Penobscot River. My research has been mostly on the east side of the river, but I had viewed the river from the Penobscot Narrows Observatory in September, and, using the pictures and the results of much of my research, I believed I had something valuable to share with the class. To read my experience in the observatory, click on: THE PENOBSCOT NARROWS BRIDGE AND OBSERVATORY
The Penobscot river and bay area is rich in Native American history. In former times the region was part of the traditional homeland of the Wabanaki Confederacy, one tribe of which was the Penobscot tribe. The Confederacy at one time, thousands of years before the arrival of the white man, controlled much of New England. Ancient remains of their campsites have been (more…)
CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS
THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING SOCKS
(Not a question about the Clinton’s cat)
Perhaps ex-president Bill and Hilliary Clinton named their cat Socks in deference to one of society’s greatest philosophical, theological, sociological, and psychological questions.
So national, if not global, an issue is this question that I found myself conducting an informal cross-cultural survey of personal and chat room contacts in order to enlighten others about the issue: What happens to all the missing socks?
Even media recognizes the problem. When I turned the television to (more…)
CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS
JANUARY DAYS OF CELEBRATION: Part 2
To read Part I click on JANUARY DAYS OF CELEBRATION: Part 1
Recall that previously I mentioned my eccentricity. Well, I’ve been a hat-wearer for years. My husband tells me he likes this, because he can always find me when I wander away from him in the store. Sometimes friends ask me if the beret I’m wearing is because I’ve been writing about a French woman. All this is leading up to the fact that January 15 is (more…)
CHILD ABUSE CREATES VICTIMIZATION
Tags: Abuse, Child abuse, Child traumatization, Child victimization, Children, COMMENTARY, Current affairs, Daily Life, Education, Ethics, Family, Health, Latest post, Life, Lifestyle, Misc., Miscellaneous, Parenting, People, Relationships, Thoughts, Victimization, Women
CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS
CHILD ABUSE CREATES VICTIMIZATION
This post is part of a continuing series about child abuse and parenting. At the end of this article are links to the other posts in this series and on this subject. If the links do not work, go to www.carolyncholland.wordpress.com , click on the folder CHILD ABUSE, and scroll down the posts to find answers to your questions.
Abuse, the wrongfully use of a person, can affect the core of their being to the extent that it influences every aspect of their life, from the moment of the first act of mistreatment. Abuse of this depth is considered “trauma.”
What is considered “trauma” can vary with each individual. Much depends on the individual’s past experience, personality make-up, perception and responses of others to the trauma.
A VICTIM is a person who experiences a trauma. Many victims of trauma heal and continue on with life, with minimal long-term effects.
The danger occurs when (more…)