How to use this Page

My paternal grandparents were born four days apart on the same farm in New Glascow, Quebec Canada. It’s funny because neither of them were ever certain about their actual birthdays; they said the dates may have gotten mixed up between them after so many years together. They were both born in August, 1906.

Old photos are really special. Without old black and white photography we’d never be able to get a visual glimpse of the past. I enjoy taking my time studying the photos, the expressions on faces, the clothing and hairstyles and all the background elements.

My Grandmother, Nellie Rudy with her younger brother, Willie. Willie grew uo to take over his parents’ farm.

My Grandfather, Joe Rosen taking a bath in a china bowl.

What legacy will our photos leave behind for our grandchildren and great grandchildren?

I get obsessed with weird things sometimes. Like an actor or actress, usually someone a little older who I've just seen in something yummy, so I start wondering how old they are and if they're married and what else they've done and how they got started, so I google them, and read up.

I found this really fun site with "what they looked like then" pictures of all sorts of entertainers . This is a treasure chest of pictures of people who you might know now from PBS shows or "regular" television or movies, who seem strangely familiar but you're not sure who they are. You know how you see some older movie and about half way through go "oh my god, that's THAT GUY" who is now 35 or 40 years older, and maybe you know his name or you don't, and if you don't you have to wait for the credits.

My Mom does this to me a lot. She comes over and watches Turner Classic Movies, and especially loves anything from the 1930s or 40s. Last week there was something on with Lucy and Ricky from way before they were Lucy and Ricky Ricardo of I Love Lucy fame. They were so young, it was weird.

Anyway, just thought I'd share what I've spent the last hour doing when I should be doing something else.

And in case you haven't guessed, that's Sir Derek Jacobi circa 1973.
Here's one more I couldn't resist.



Give up?
Helen Mirren, from the same year.

(and I'm hoping Sir Derek and Ms. Mirren won't mind me infringing a copyright of these pictures, if there is one, since I'm linking to the site they're on.)

Meyer, Carolyn. 1993. White Lilacs.

In the time before we knew that we would be driven away, our lives uprooted, and our people scattered, Grandfather Jim Williams spent every spare minute tending his beautiful garden in Freedomtown. He loved that garden, and I loved him. The garden was my favorite place.

Set in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas, White Lilacs tells the story of a community within a community. Freedomtown, a community of African Americans (Though of course they weren't called that then, negroes or colored being the terminology then. Though Meyer does use the n* word later on when relations become more strained.) Our narrator is Rose Lee Jefferson, a twelve year old who is about to forced into growing up rather quickly. She is a girl that loves life, loves her family, loves to draw. She especially loves spending time with her grandfather. He is a gardener for the Bell family. Her Aunt Tillie works for the Bell family as well. (I believe as the cook.) One day, soon after our narrative opens, Rose is unexpectedly called into the Bell's kitchen by her aunt and told that she needs her to serve luncheon to the Bells and their guests. She had been having fun with her grandfather, and the garden was a place she felt at home, felt comfortable. But she does what she must. It's a day that will change her life forever. Why? She overhears that the white folks of the community are planning to force them out, force them to sell. They want a park, a library, a woman's club.

Throughout that summer, Rose works when she can and overhears as much as she dares. But by the middle of July, it's clear that the whites will have their way. Change is a coming. And coming fast. Knowing that it would be impossible to save their community, Rose acts quickly to preserve what she can--on paper. She draws what she can--the school, the churches, the homes, the businesses.

White Lilacs is a heartbreaking story of prejudice and hate. But it is also a story of a loving family, a family that holds onto hope, holds onto the good, that holds together.

Though fictional in nature, the book tells the all-too-real story of Quakertown in Denton, Texas. In the early 1920s, the African Americans of Quakertown were forced to sell their land so that the white folks of the city could have a park. You can read more about the actual Quakertown here and here. You can even watch a mini-documentary about it here. There is now a museum opened that tells the story of the community and documents Denton's shameful past.

Callista is hosting the Hometown Challenge where participants agree to read ONE book that either takes place in your hometown or is written by an author that lives in your hometown. The challenge goes from November 1, 2007 to March 1, 2008.

My choice? A very easy one! White Lilacs by Carolyn Meyer. I've been wanting to read this one for ages. She lived in my hometown, Denton, for around five years back in the nineties. And this book was based on a community in Denton although the name of the town has been changed for the book.