I always pick up community newspapers when I come across them. They’re great sources of story ideas, chicken soup for the soul, and food for thought.
Case in point: Franklin’s New Found Voice, a free community paper distributed in Frankin, NH and beyond.
Whilst perusing this paper I found this write-up on local artist Mildred Lindsay, who at age 94, in addition to painting provincial landscapes, still shovels her own snow (see photo below), taps her own maple trees, spends time with her great-grandchildren and raises chickens.
I can’t help but wonder what Mildred must think of the world these days, namely our high-fructose society of morally bankrupt bankers, Twitterers and Facebook friends. Does she think we’re in a recession? Does she think Barack Obama’s doing a good job so far? Does she support gay marriage? Oppose the AIG bonuses or JP Morgan’s new jets? Does any of it even register with her as she taps her maples and feeds her chickens?
Probably not. But at her age she has seen more than her share of moral mishaps, financial hardships, technological revolutions and tragedies.
Here’s some of what was happening in the world when Mildred was my age, in March of 1944:
* March 1 – WWII: The USS Tarawa and USS Kearsarge are laid down, and an anti-fascist strike begins in northern Italy.
* March 2 – The 16th Academy Awards ceremony is held.
* March 4 – In Ossining, New York, Louis Buchalter, the leader of 1930s crime syndicate Murder, Inc., is executed at Sing Sing, along with Emanuel “Mendy” Weiss, and Louis Capone.
* March 10 – WWII: In Britain the Education Act lifts the ban on women teachers marrying.
* March 17 – WWII: The Nazis execute almost 400 prisoners, Soviet citizens and anti-fascist Romanians at Rîbniţa.
* March 19 – WWII: German forces occupy Hungary.
* March 18 – The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy kills 26 and causes thousands to flee their homes.
* March 23 – WWII: Members of the Italian Resistance attack Nazis marching in Via Rasella, killing 33.
On this day, March 24th, 1944, 335 Italians were killed in the Fosse Ardeatine massacre, including 75 Jews and over 200 members of the Italian Resistance from various groups, in Rome.
And in the Polish village of Markowa, German police killed Józef and Wiktoria Ulm, their 6 children and 8 Jews they were hiding.
But one year later, the war was over.
In other words, as Mildred Lindsay would probably say, “this too shall pass away.”
