When The Party’s Over

Here it is, the end of October, Halloween to be exact. Tomorrow many across the Southwestern part of the US and Mexico will celebrate Dia De Los Muertos - The day of the dead. Then, that wraps up the Summer and Fall festivals for another year. And, what a season it has been for me, it was pretty much being somewhere new each week with my inaugural book tour and promoting my historical fiction about my 3rd great grandmother, "Oh! Susannah". All good things must come to an end, so they say.

The tour started on March 4th at a Local Author's event in Canton, Ohio. That giddy beginning had me reminiscing back to my youth, when I was just a little further east on State Route 30, in Minerva, Ohio. Each early summer the "Minerva Homecoming" would occur in Brock Park, situated nicely beside the Little Sandy River; creek actually. Anyway, the rides and concessions would start to arrive late on Saturday night and on through Sunday, with an anticipated "opening" of Monday evening, after the Firemen's Parade. How did they expect kids to wait that long when you could see from the road, just along the creek, a hub of activity. I was never allowed to go onto the park grounds, only viewing from a safe distance on my bike. The anticipation! And, this similar anticipation is what had me eager to start what turned out to be, an eight-month book tour.

My wife and I were traveling to Perryville, Kentucky about three weeks ago, when while at an Ohio Interstate rest stop, I show my wife where my travels this year had taken me. My left arm extended to the middle of the state, and formed the western boundary, while my right arm lie horizontally at the southern boundary of Cadiz, Ohio. Admittedly, we were taken back by the visual of the whole of Northeast Ohio!

Yes, it's been a great tour. I've met so many interesting people who have generously shared their stories and experiences with me. I've learned so much and equally have made every effort to share my knowledge of what it was like to live as a woman in the 19th century. Then, there were all the stories about Susannah's brothers' Civil War service. My hope is that I've given to others as much as they have shared with me. And, in the process, hundreds of signed copies of "Oh! Susannah" have exchanged hands.

It seems appropriate that the last outdoor event, The Algonquin Mill Festival, was held about 5 miles west of where Susannah's story takes place. I have such fond memories of my grandmother, Wilda Beckley, dressing up as a pioneer woman and knitting with all of her other lady friends, mind you in all kinds of weather, at the Mill Festival. I sat through days of rain too as fate would have it.

From the Algonquin Festival, I met people from my hometown and was also introduced to a locally renowned historian, John Davis. Our initial meeting led to John introducing me to Ralph Brackin about a week later. Ralph, who by the way will turn 97 early next year, and John provided me with their knowledge of Union Township, which will be "the home" of my sequel, "A novelization of John Hiram Beckley".

John Davis with the help of another local author and historian, Janice Lane, had me walking through the tree-studded, land-locked property that my grandfather's grandfather, John Hiram Beckley, once owned. Looking at it today, I have no idea how John Hiram farmed this piece of land. It was John Davis' great grandfather who owned the adjacent property directly north of this plot. John told of how his family's land was swallowed up with the creation of the man-made Leesville Lake. Memories came flooding back to me as we pulled into the Leesville boat ramp, the very spot 50 + years ago I had tenuously held on to the rope that kept my grandpa's boat "tethered" while he parked the car and trailer. A quick stop for bait - minnows and maggots - as we grew our own earthworms back then, and we motored off on to the lake with gramp's 5 horse power engine for a day of fishing!

Research, writing and memories have been the foundation and success of my first publication, and now that the fair and festival season is officially over, these very things will provide me the path forward to write my next book.

If by chance you do not currently own your own copy of "Oh! Susannah", you can do so by visiting my website: www.beckleysbooks.com Til next week, when I will blog again, cheers!

We’re better off now, right?

Now that our Labor Day holiday weekend is over, we can set our calendars and sights on the next celebration or three-day weekend. Hopefully, you had a relaxing and fun weekend or both. I labored - in the heat - but I'm not complaining.

It was a very rare thing back in the 19th century to experience a three-day holiday weekend. First up, there was no such thing as a "weekend". As I describe in my book, "Oh! Susannah", folks back then worked six days a week and rested on the Sabbath, as the Good Book says. By the late 1800's, men were "given" half of their Saturday off, but their pay was docked because of it. It took labor laws and a huge pivot of mindset in the 20th century to get people's heads around the idea of a "weekend". And now we're talking about three-day weekends?

Same goes for general celebratory events in the 19th century, ones we take for granted, like our birthday. I had a lot of fun writing Chapter 15 - "An Occasion To Celebrate". It was Susannah's 30th birthday - June 30, 1861. This day fell on a Sunday. The Sunday before Independence Day, which was a "holiday" few back then celebrated either, only activists pushing their particular cause. I chose this day to be a special one for Susannah. All the family gathered to celebrate her birthday and acknowledge our country's anniversary of independence. Susannah's cherished friend, Druscilla, ditches the Mother Hubbard outfit that Susannah normally wore, in exchange for a get up nothing short of what Cinderella would've been proud to be seen in at the ball.

For a moment, think of all the "holidays" we observe throughout the year. Isn't nearly every other day a "National _____ (fill in the blank) Day" here in the United States? And, days when we are not expected at work, are in addition to the ones we spend on vacation. Needless to say, "vacation" for those in rural 19th century Ohio was a totally foreign concept that would've drawn blank stares from those whom you would've been trying to explain it to. It wasn't that people back then had no time off for leisure or pleasure. I specifically chose to highlight celebrations like a 'barn raising", the annual agricultural fair, and the occasions when the circus came to town, in my historical fiction to offset the people's otherwise dour existence. And, I'm really looking forward to addressing the Lion Club members in Massillon, Ohio next week with a presentation on how people did celebrate these few "holidays" back then.

So, we're better off now, right?

Let's think about how casual we have become with all of the leisure time afforded us today. How many Americans can tell you why we even have "Labor Day" as a holiday? Personally, I'm learning that with less there is more; less purchases - more room to move about the house/basement/garage, less busy-ness equals more quality time, less stress - more peace. Which brings me to the question, how precious would our leisure and pleasure time be to us if we could only choose three occasions throughout a year to celebrate them?

I'm not advocating the removal of our three-day weekends, just asking questions of how thankful are we for them?

Let me know your thoughts and opinions. I'd love to hear what you think on this topic and for more about my book, "Oh! Susannah", visit www.beckleysbooks.com https://constitutioncenter.org/amp/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-labor-day-holiday?fbclid=IwAR0Tmk_mUzcX-CZEtG0uk3nMyIOkpCYupJ-av98hOeSv9_bMtbHN5FF2wXI

We’re better off now, right?

Nearly 170 years ago (1854) tragedy struck Carroll County in the Spring of that year - a severe epidemic of Cholera ravaged the community. Residents having just struggled through an intense drought suspected contamination of their food supply. This acute infectious disease of the intestines infected half of the town! Emotions of fear and desperation swept over the area with many a brave soul attempting all types of remedy. As I reference in my book, “Oh! Susannah”, Jessica Custer mentioned how Daniel Rice was in charge of burning blue sulfurous lights in the streets in Carrollton to serve as a disinfectant to ward off cholera. His efforts were well-intentioned but futile, other than doing something “mysterious” like this, had many of the residents believing that this would be an effective antidote to the deadly disease.

Cholera was a plague that induced fear and death. 156 people had perished from it by October of that year, John Arbuckle, the local legend and early primitive road surveyor, being one of them. Fear of dying from exposure to cholera was so great that by the Fall of 1854, a mass grave was dug in a local cemetery where all but four of the fatalities were buried en masse; nobody wanted to come in contact with them.

With the advancements in medicine, we now know that cholera is a water born disease that can be prevented by ensuring our water supply is kept pure. That’s right. The outdoor “dunnies” have to be moved further away from the well! And yet, how many times over the ages have scourges such as cholera wiped out large numbers of the population, even going back as far as The Black Plague and, of course, as recent as Covid? Yes, I got covid, once “officially” and maybe a time or two thereafter. And, I’m thankful to have lived through that pandemic, many others were not as lucky. The flip side of my covid quarantine meant that I was forced to do nothing more than read, research, and write the next chapter of “Oh! Susannah”, kind of forcing me to “get this done!”

But, are we better off now than those who lived in Carrollton during that Spring through Autumn of 1854? Do you also want to start an argument instantly in a mixed public gathering by using a three-year old sore point? Bring up the subject of mandatory masks and covid! This will do it every time. Throw in the effects of climate change and you’re sure to have a verbal brawl, but I digress. Below is a recent link advising us of yet another wave of covid washing over the country. I know of three people at present who are suffering from the latest strain. Ok, we don’t have half of our town suffering from the effects of covid, thank God, but isn’t Covid 19 like so 2020? There are people I know who have not received the first or second vaccine and now, we’re talking about getting the country mostly immunized a third time? It would be so reassuring if today’s advancements in medicine came up with a final and lasting cure for covid, something simple like the “move the dunny further away”approach, but that’s not being realistic. My concern is like the cure for cancer, we’ll be addressing the next wave of covid and their associated vaccines for years to come. We’re better off now, right?

Take a moment to click on the link and get up to speed with when is the suggested best time to get the latest jab and then click on to my website and learn more about the lives and times of those from our families who lived during the 19th century and with all of its challenges.

https://www.nytimes.com/article/covid-booster-fall.html?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20230818&instance_id=100401&nl=from-the-times&regi_id=112991263&segment_id=142395&te=1&user_id=4ef8a4c1d901dbc51973395366b86e73

www.beckleysbooks.com

You’ve Got A Tight Connection To My Heart

https://open.spotify.com/track/0LNxNfa5cbNrnK6KyhaQaj?si=IP5cc80TSRm88n0UZ9jK3A&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A4cVK8CJSUabT0moSzPYYxl

I started this blog in Tumblr, however for those of you who don’t have a Tumblr account but would like to comment on my blogs all the same, this is for you! I’ll post random thoughts and current events that are direct correlations to the 19th century and what I’ve documented in my book, “Oh! Susannah”. Give me your thoughts and feedback. I’d love to hear what you think of the subjects I put out there for discussion. So, “Has Anybody Seen My (Blog) Love?”

We're better off now, right?

As I'm driving into work this morning, I found myself directly behind this flatbed truck stacked high with rectangular-tied bales of hay. I've been there and done that! Not here in Ohio, but in "the back blocks" at Ruapekapeka Pa, my then father-in-law's piece of paradise in rural Northland New Zealand. There were 80 hectares of mostly hilly, ridged terrain, but, it fed his dry stock and kept him busy throughout the year. The "back blocks" also produced the hay he needed to feed his cattle not only on this piece of land, but his other parcel at Matawaia.

So, it's Christmas, mid summer for those in the southern hemisphere, and yes, we have had our "Christmas Pud", so it's now "all hands on deck" baling hay. It's hot as blazes. I'm relatively fit, not the 60 something body I'm carting around now. And yet, throwing those bales of hay onto that flat bed during the heat of the day, did me in. I was given a reprieve and allowed to jump on top and "stack" as the younger blokes did the heavy lifting.

Aside from my numerous learning experiences with my father-in-law come farmer, I know nothing about farming. This didn't deter me using my hands-on experience down under and massive amounts of research, to establish a narrative of what it was really like to live and farm a rural piece of land during the 19th century. You'll find in my recently released historical fiction, "Oh! Susannah", a chapter I've titled "Farming Rules The Day." This is because, back in the 1800's, nearly everyone was a farmer or a farm hand. In my research, census record after census record shows at the head of the sheet, under the "Occupation" column, "farmer" or "farm hand" and then a series of ditto marks thereafter. Farming back then, as an occupation, is what we know Computer Science to be today. Check out my website: www.beckleysbooks.com to see pictures relating to this chapter in the site's photo gallery.

In 1840, 1,344 Perry Township, Carroll County Ohio farmers produced 1,145 acres of wheat, 781 acres of corn and other crops such as oats, timothy and clover. In the 1990's, Dennis Paul's New Zealand hectares produced hay. Following that flatbed this morning took me back to "the good ole days". On the truck this morning, the bales were stacked six high and what looked to be six long, doubled at the width and stropped down rather well. I've followed a good number of these "Bedfords" down under, but coming across this flatbed today was a rarity for me here. I've spoken to a number of people in Northeast Ohio whilst I've been on this current book tour and many have mentioned how a farm that had been handed down through the generations of family now was either being sold to "developers" for the building of residential homes and commercial builders, or the farm was simply being left to sit vacant because nobody now a days wanted to work it. My take on this is one of sadness, similar to when on my travels I see farm houses and barns in obvious disrepair. Yes, sadly, our country has exchanged the act of producing something for the act of consuming something. Can we continue to "buy" our way to prosperity? Then, there is the current labor shortage, but I'll unpack that topic later in another blog.

We're better off today, right? We have all of these "things", few of which are actually produced here in this country, but that the farming families couldn't have even fathomed back then. However, back then, the work week included 70 hours routinely and ended on Saturday, allowing Sunday for the obligatory day of rest and church service. Today, many of us work "remotely" from home and some may still clock in the standard 40 hours, but in comparison with our forefather's, how strenuous are they?

I'll close with mentioning the flashback that hit me as I saw the strands of hay peel away from the bales and fly towards the windscreen of my car this morning. The year is 1974. the hill is in Canton, Ohio - directly behind the then "Mellet Mall". The final instruction from my father was, if your brakes fail on this test run of our soap box derby car, "take a hit from the bale of hale". Yes, there were volunteer fathers at the bottom of this track and if the derby car was still traveling at 30 mph after the finish line, a bale of hale was thrown at the car's nose to slow it down. My brakes worked so I never took the hit, but the dude with suspect brakes didn't get the memo and he swerved to avoid the bale of hay thrown at him and consequently rumbled over an abandoned lot of uneven terrain and simply disappeared over the ridge and into the line of traffic on the distant road.

We're better off today, right? I suppose if you no longer are part of the production for the feeding of America and the world, at least ensure you have the latest AI app, so you'll get the message in time to "take the hit" from that bale of hay that could be coming your way.

ARE WE BETTER OFF NOW?

Welcome and thanks for checking out my blog. While this is my first official "blog", I actually began "blogging" back in 1989/90. I didn't know that I was "blogging", one might consider it a "Pre-Historic Blog". God bless Cara Ogier, my personal assistant at the time. She religiously faxed my famous "Gary's Ticker Tape" messages to all my real estate colleagues several times a week, for years on end! It was my way to inform all of my co-workers of my real estate listings and the odd "coming and goings" of the trade. Nobody else "blogged" at the time; it was unheard of. I just knew that I had to make the most of this latest cutting edge invention, the fax machine. I even faxed my colleagues whilst on my holiday in Honolulu in 1988. Cost me $10USD to simply say, "Having a great time", but it was worth every cent to be on the cutting edge of technology.

Fast forward to 2023 in warp speed, and here I am "blogging" again. Put this down to my recently released historical fiction, "Oh! Susannah". Yeah, it might seem like warp speed, but in reality, ten years' worth of research went into this 700+ page book, and then there was the two and a half years of diligently putting pen to paper and crafting the storyline. Yep, that's right. The facts came first and foremost, then the fictional storyline was woven. Devon from the prestigious "Loganberry Books" stated in his review of my work, "Beckley effortlessly weaves fact and fiction ... (and) if you like Alex Haley, you'll like Gary Beckley." Ok, I never expected that, but all my efforts were focused on bringing to life my third great grandmother, a woman who gave her short life in devotion to her family. Susannah Reigle Beckley is the person who was responsible for instilling in our family the principles, which have held firm and true down through the generations. And yet, there was no acknowledgement of her contribution. For God's sake, nobody is for sure even where her final resting place is. I have a clue. I believe from my research, that she rests unknown in an unmarked grave in an elevated sunny plot within the Arabia Cemetery in Carroll County, Ohio. You can purchase the book on my website: www.beckleysbooks.com or through Amazon and Barnes & Noble to learn more.

But, I digress. We're better off today, right? Susannah was born in 1830, married on June 17, 1852, and died November 23, 1869, a mere 39 year old lass and mother of 9 children. My website is where you will see gobs of pictures of people, places and things within the photo gallery, which mirrors the chapters in the book. I've been told that my research and writing brings the reader to the front and center of what it was like in the 19th century as a woman. Do you want to know my biggest surprise from my research efforts? Women weren't necessarily forced to live the subservient role back then, many of them embraced it. Brought up to fulfill "The True Womanhood" model from the age of twelve, 19th century women fashioned their life around the upbringing of their children in hopes that the children would reach heaven and that as mother's they would be remembered. This simple desire, and knowing that nobody knew anything of Susannah Reigle's life and contribution, convinced me that I just had to tell her story.

So, what was it really like living life in rural northeast Ohio during the civil war? Was it that much different than the life we lead today? Well, yes and no. When it comes to relational matters within the family, married frontier women had transitioned from an equal partnership with their husband to a subservient role and had accepted the fallacy that they were only capable of achieving a singular result from their efforts, either focus on their family or divert their attention and resources elsewhere at the expense of the family. The follow up to this perceived truth was the accepted notion that women had no standing within the law, not even the rights to their own children! It was an all too familiar and easy slip down the societal slope then, of embracing the feeble, emotionally and physically weak perception of women as a whole. It was an accepted arrangement that worked well, particularly for the men at the time, for if it hadn't been for the "womenfolk at home" embodying the glue that held the family together, there would have been no functioning family unit.

It doesn't surprise me that today women are still the main, and sometimes, sole caregivers to their children. When it comes to instilling life principles and ethics, often that falls upon the mamas of today too. Back in Susannah's day, the sole guardian of reproduction rights fell upon the woman. I address this in my book in the chapter labeled, "The Birth Control Battlefield". Is it much different today? Newspaper editors back in the 19th century printed advertisements from the local pharmacist specifically aimed at young new-to-be brides. Carefully coded, but clearly understood, verbage and instruction of what products she would need to collect from them before her wedding night. Abortion was a recognized and frequently used option by women of this era. In many instances, self administered "folk" treatments were attempted by pregnant women. The results of some of these self harm methods affected these women for the remainder of their life. Sadly, I address this topic in my book too, but, what about today? Are we any better off today than those women 170 years ago? Last year the United States Supreme Court put in motion with their historic overturning of the accepted law of the land, Roe V Wade, a cataclysmic shift in the life of today's women. It brought in focus the question of the rights of a woman over her own body and her reproductive rights. The ripple affect of this decision across the nation washes ashore in Ohio tomorrow, as buckeyes vote on a statewide issue concerning the rules regulating the amending of the State's constitution. So, what does that have to do with anything? Simply put, one political party wants to alter the standing rule of the simple majority, when it comes to constitutional amends, to exact a 60% clear majority to make the change. Rumor has it, that if this "issue" doesn't pass in tomorrow's election, "women's rights activists" may persuade just enough voters in the November election to codify the woman's right to an abortion.

Allow me to unpack this matter from an historical perspective. Difference of opinion and political philosophy has existed from the very birthing of this country. In 1840, parties were officially formed and recognized as convenient conduits to package and push the party line. In my humble opinion as a political scientist, the only reason political parties exist is to fan their base with the particular "truth" the party faithful want to hear and believe. Cue the 19th century. Men and women lived their lives back then believing in what they wanted to be the true and right social norm. I couldn't help responding to a recent post by a woman online of the persuasion that she and everyone she knew should vote "yes" on Issue 1 because "the majority should rule". I asked a simple question of her, "What does one call 50.1%?"

I'm not here to debate the pros and cons of abortion, just to point out from a broader perspective, that both political parties are experts at packaging their message to their base, who in turn are encouraged to recruit others to their cause. Where does these arguments, though, leave the pregnant woman in today's society. What options does she have in this circumstance? Alas, I apologize for digressing once again.

We're better off now, right? I'd love to know your thoughts. Don't be shy. Your opinion counts here on my "ticker tape" blog. I may or may not agree with you, but I'd love to hear what your thoughts are. Imagine on any given Sunday morning across this great land of ours, in the sanctuaries of all the churches that abound, preachers could be interrupted during their sermon and questioned, and congregants could express their opinions on the subject matter at hand, as opposed to being "preached" to. I certainly don't want my blog to resemble or reflect me "preaching my gospel", so, let's have some discourse. Who knows? From discussion of differences, on a whole, we might come to better understanding of one another, and in doing so, perhaps we'll be able to answer the question - "We're better off now, right?"