Busy Birthday Time and Interesting Research

I was reading some history of the Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts, earlier and found some interesting little tidbits that I thought were interesting enough to share but looked at the clock to discover that it was almost 8:00 and I hadn’t been out to milk yet. Yikes! And, yikes! It’s bloody cold out there.

Amena’s first question this morning was, “Did they cancel school?”

“No. Why?”

“It’s too cold. It’s only three degrees.”

“True. But, no, they never called so there must be school.”

Cedric wanted to know, “Can you give us a ride to school today?”

“Um, no.”

“Why? The seats are heated.”

“Because the car probably won’t even start because it’s so cold.”

“How cold is it?”

“Three degrees. That feel like negative nine.”

Not sure if it warmed up since they left but the paper towel froze to the milk bucket and my hands, which were dry, threatened to freeze to the handles of the garbage cans in which we keep the grain for the goats. This is the kind of stuff I don’t like. Winter, yes. Snow, yes. Temperatures below 10° (or even 20°, really), no.

Some years ago (think when I was in high school), I started writing a story about a girl and a guy and a house. At the time, the story was going to take place in Boston and Cambridge. I’ve worked on the story a bit here and there throughout the ensuing years but it wasn’t until I moved to Massachusetts that I discovered that it can’t possibly take place in Boston and Cambridge. The Boston part could work but the Cambridge part could not. I mean, it’s all city. I need an area of at least 100 acres and while I realize I could take some artistic license or employ some magic, I don’t care to take that much or add magic, per se. At least not for that particular aspect.

I'm not sure how well you can see the details of these picture/maps; I just did screen shots as I was looking at Google Maps. Boston is actually larger than I realized and might actually work for the Cambridge part other than the fact that I'm just not going to use Boston. It is a city and I just don't like cities. I do like history.

As you can see, this is Cambridge. I think it is more solid city than Boston is and it is considerably smaller. Make sure to note the scale if you can see it.

I’d already changed the Boston part to McCloud, California, just because I know McCloud in a way I will never know Boston and considered moving the Cambridge part to somewhere in New York. While I’m sure I will be taking some artistic license, I don’t want to completely rewrite the history of wherever the Cambridge part finally moves to so I’ve been doing a bit of research.

This is Deerfield. As you can see from the pictures on the left, it is more agricultural and less city which works well on many counts.

So far, I’ve been looking at Hudson, New York, and Deerfield, Massachusetts. So far, I’m not sure European settlers were in the Deerfield area early enough (which is saying something, I know, since they were there in 1673). Hudson was incorporated in 1785 but I know there was a European influence there much earlier. Dutch settlers purchased the land in 1663 from the Mohicans. That’s only ten years earlier than Deerfield but it might work.

And this is Hudson. Actually, if I use Hudson, I would probably use Greenport which surrounds Hudson on three sides. I'm thinking a roadtrip is in the foreseeable future. Julia, what do you think?

The main reason I’m leaning toward Deerfield right now is that it is closer so I can go visit it more easily and possibly often. It also has a very interesting history. Of course, I’m sure Hudson does as well, I just haven’t looked at it as closely yet. On the other hand, in 1605 (I think), over 100 men, women, and children were taken from Deerfield and forced to march 300 miles north by an army comprised of French and Indian soldiers. And that isn’t the only bit of interest. Anyway, more research needs to be done and even if I decide upon one in the upcoming days, it could change as I learn and see more.

When I opened this file (the one that I type up journal-like entries to post on my blog), I had somehow managed to forget that it had been so long since I did an entry. And that it was on Aunt Julie’s birthday when I’d done the last one. Since then, we’ve had more birthdays (not to mention an anniversary for Becky and Jay on December 22^nd), namely Grandma and Cedric on December 22^nd, Amena on December 25^th, Aunt Debby on January 2^nd. Busy time of the year in our family. And more coming up—Paul on the 8^th, me on the 15^th, David on the 19^th, Seth on the 27^th. Also, Alisha’s baby, who isn’t really a baby any more, turning a year old. And more on my dad’s side of the family that I’m not going to specifically mention because I don’t remember specific days. Just busy, busy, busy.

So, belated Happy Birthday, Aunty Deb! I hope you had a fantastic day!

So much more that I could write about but I think I’ve done enough here for one day. At least the boys could potentially be done with school by next recess (11:00). If not then, by lunch unless they are super slow in getting math and, in Seth’s case, history, done.

Until next time, have a fantastic day!