I am probing a PBS documentary about Georgia O’Keeffe. One of my ex-girlfriends was really into her & her art.

Just read someone’s recommendation, a reader of The Christian Science Monitor, to watch a documentary about Georgia O’Keeffe. I went hunting for it online and discovered it on Vimeo.

What are you watching? A Woman On Paper, which aired on PBS in 2016, is a very compelling look at Georgia O’Keeffe’s life and work. This program was only half an hour long, but what a wonderful half-hour it was – riveting, engaging, and inspiring! – Betsy Green, Chicago

Thanks, Betsy! It is dry at times, but perfect for listening to as I multitask.

ajh

Advertisements

I should learn more about Harald Bluetooth, first king of the Danes

ᚼᛅᚱᛅᛚᛏᚱ ᚴᚢᚾᚢᚴᛦ
‘King Harald’ in runic script

On the shores of an island in northern Germany, surrounded by the waters of the Baltic Sea, amateur archaeologists recently discovered a horde of artifacts directly related to King Harald, otherwise known as Harald Bluetooth.

The find suggests that the treasure may have been buried in the late 980s – also the period when Bluetooth was known to have fled to Pomerania, where he died in 987. “We have here the rare case of a discovery that appears to corroborate historical sources,” said the archaeologist Detlef Jantzen. Bluetooth is credited with unifying Denmark. The Viking-born king also turned his back on old Norse religion and introduced Christianity to the Nordic country. But he was forced to flee to Pomerania after a rebellion led by his son Sven Gabelbart.

My interest in Pomerania stretches back to my maternal great-grandparents, who were born in Kreis Bütow, an area controlled by Bluetooth through vassals. Study of DNA, using samples provided by me and my maternal uncle, show a strong Viking influence in our blood.

ajh

The SNOW on CHRISTMAS EVE was beautiful

The SNOW on CHRISTMAS EVE was beautiful.

But to think that it’d still be SNOWING in late February has me WISHING for a blast of WARMTH.

I’d been HOPING that SPRING would show up early.

But my HOPES have been dashed.

Here’s hoping that when SPRING comes that it is WARM & SUNNY & BEAUTIFUL.

ajh

Happy birthday, Leonardo!

Happy birthday Leonardo da Vinci, born #onthisday in 1452. Painter, sculptor, architect, engineer and owner of the most impeccable handwriting.

Explore da Vinci's notebook, showing his 'mirror writing' moving from right to left, with #BLTreasures: https://t.co/q3aMNelyUf pic.twitter.com/NeODJqsDoP

— The British Library (@britishlibrary) April 15, 2018

On April 15th in 1452 Leonardo da Vinci was born in Florence, Italy. Thanks for everything!

ajh

Blizzard warning in the homeland, half a continent away

Nuts, Nuts, Nuts!

 

A blizzard is bearing down on much of South Dakota, including the towns where my mother and paternal grandmother were born and lived for many years.

ajh

Blizzard Warning remains in effect until 5:00 am Saturday for Watertown, SD

Weather Today

Today 26° 17° Blizzard conditions likely Humidity: 77% Cloud Coverage: 97% Wind: NNE at 25 mph Chance of Snow: 0% UV Index: 2 Low Sunrise: 06:04:50 AM Sunset: 08:04:54 PM Today Windy. Blizzard conditions and heavy snow ending this morning followed by a few snow showers this afternoon. High 27F. Winds NNE at 25 to 35 mph. Chance of snow 100%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. Tonight Occasional snow showers. Quite windy early. Low 18F. Winds NNE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 50%. Snow accumulations less than one inch. Tomorrow Cloudy skies. High around 30F. Winds N at 15 to 25 mph.

 

I am learning more about Frederick the Great — the Prussian warrior king, philosopher & musical aficionado — & one of Bach’s sons

From a column in The Globe and Mail, a newspaper printed in Toronto:

“Old Fritz,” as his adoring people called the Prussian warrior king, fashioned himself as a courtly philosopher in the French mold, preferring to speak French to German and feeling emboldened enough to write a treatise trashing Machiavelli’s reputation. To show off his musical sophistication – and he really wasn’t such a duffer at all – Frederick challenged Bach to compose a little something based on a theme he’d concocted. Or so Frederick said. Some historians believe that The Musical Offering – an awkward, 21-note-long phrase – came in fact from C.P.E Bach, Bach’s second son who was by then the cocktail pianist at the Prussian court in Potsdam and who was desperate to show his old school papa what modern music should sound like.

Learnin’ something new every single day. I have a passion for such historical factoids.

ajh

🍕 Pizza!

🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕

I am on a big campaign promoting pizza. I should be eating more of it. And more events and functions I attend should be serving it.

ajh

This 3D map of the 2016 presidential election is amazing to me. It shows how provincial the Democrats are.

I expected this article to be dark humor. It is instead a chilling prophesy of the inevitable. https://t.co/NvWBWyOulw

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) April 11, 2018

There is talk of a new civil war and debate about perhaps breaking the country up to avoid one. A writer with The Federalist sketched out a map with a dividing line, one which I consider most unlikely. So I went about searching for info on a more accurate one. Something based on the previous presidential elections, including 2016, seems to be more apt.

ajh

I still can’t wrap my mind around likely being a descendant of slaves. I’ve always felt like a minority, but I am very white.

DOES THIS MEAN SLAVEHOLDERS IN THE FAMILY TOO?

“Extending from Senegal to Cameroon, western Africa is home to nearly 380 million people. For over a millennium before European colonization, western Africans were united under a series of powerful empires, resulting in broad similarities in music, clothing, art, and cuisine. Today, many African-Americans are descendants of enslaved western Africans who were transported to North America between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries.”

I would love to talk to some experts — including geneticists, anthropologists, and historians — about this. I wrote about this earlier and am still ruminating upon it.

ajh

Some roads lead to Iberia, as in the Iberian Peninsula. Spain or Portugal? Or both?

“You most likely had a fourth-great-grandparent, fifth-great-grandparent, sixth-great-grandparent, or seventh-great- (or greater) grandparent who was 100% Iberian. This person was likely born between 1700 and 1790.”

From what I know, there are no ancestors on the family tree who were from Portugal or Spain. But maybe it is there. I will have to hunt through the tree and see. You can’t argue with the science. DNA does not lie.

“The genetic landscape of the Iberian Peninsula — represented today by the people of Spain and Portugal — was influenced by several Mediterranean civilizations, including 800 years of Arabic North African rule. Now, a small North African genetic signature is present in Iberian DNA, and over eight percent of Spanish words carry Arabic origins. Conquistadors from Portugal and Spain colonized parts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, and Iberian DNA is now relatively common in Latino peoples from Central and South America.”

ajh