Words by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1822), published in 1850. Music to an anonymous hymn tune from the 18th century. Modified and arranged by Gregory Bloch, a member of the Compline Choir, St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle, recorded on New Year’s Day 2017 (see Comments). Maybe even more perfect for today, because 2020 is now history: Ring […]
Thanksgiving, COVID, and Religious Freedom
This post started out as an invitation to everyone to view the fall concert of the Seattle Bach Choir, called “…Hunted and Persecuted on Every Side: The Mayflower Voyage and Religious Intolerance.” The concert, in video form, was aired on Sunday, November 22 – the beginning of a week of Thanksgiving observance in the United […]
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This is a gathering-place for my writing. I am curious about many things, and you can see the main categories in the menu above. I hope you will find things that interest you too!
A gift of books and another military story
In May I received a wonderful gift from my third cousin Jim Varner in Ohio: three books on Civil War battles in which our great-grandfather, Peter Pelsor, fought. At the time, I was working on the narrative at the beginning of Chapter Six, “Vicksburg Campaign,” and the book Vicksburg: The Campaign That Opened the Mississippi, […]
Almond Meal Pancakes
It’s gotten to be a Saturday morning ritual. The basic recipe produces five 5-inch pancakes that are about 1/2-inch thick – so one of these is probably all one wants! Use the rest for leftover snacks. I started with a recipe from a site called “Gluten-free Homemaker,” but I now cannot find the link. Also, I […]
A 100th Birthday Salute
My wife’s mother, Margaret Catherine Stout O’Donnell, was born on June 26th, 1920, and for her 100th birth anniversary, I put together for family and friends a report on her service in the Army Nurse Corps from 1943-1945. It was enjoyable to fill in some missing details as to time and place in her movements […]
Book Progress and Descendancy Research
[A cannon stands where Pelsor’s regiment was placed at the siege of Vicksburg. Picture courtesy of Jim Varner, a descendant of Miriam Pelsor, who took the photo on a visit to the battlefield.] A few weeks back, I was wondering how I could self-publish the Pelsor Letters, making the book look elegant without having to […]
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Russian Easter – an Anthem
Easter was celebrated by the Russian Orthodox Church on April 19, 2020, just a week after Easter Sunday in the Western Church. But no matter when or where it was celebrated this year, churches were empty due to preventative measures during the coronavirus pandemic. A prudent but sad way to celebrate the greatest feast in […]
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Compline and Coronavirus
By March 15, 2020, Governor Inslee of the State of Washington had mandated that social distancing was required, and that schools would be closed. Large public events – cultural, sports, religion – had to be cancelled. As the coronavirus progressed, the orders evolved to “stay home, stay healthy.” St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, like […]
Pelsor’s Diary Adds Missing Data
Since my last post on the Pelsor Letters Project, I’ve got the narrative completed for Chapter Two and almost completed for Chapter Three; these chapters contain Pelsor’s letters from July 1861 through March of 1862, the high point being the Battle of Pea Ridge on March 7-8, 1862. But since our outside activity has been […]