The Great Banana Debacle

My wife likes to purchase bananas in bulk when they are on sale at the grocery store. A few weeks ago she purchased several bunches. I am not sure what happened to them all, but at the end there was one bunch left and let me say that last bunch was looking pretty ripe. The normally yellow skin had turned to a rather ugly color that is not on the color chart and they contained many large black spots. Everyone who is anyone, except the wife, knows that large dark spots on a banana usually transfer to the inside of the banana in a disgusting big black spot rivaled only by the black fungus on a maple leaf. This black spot reaches deep into the fruit. Here is the story of the great banana debacle of 2024.

I do not recall how many bananas I ate out of those bunches, but slight dark spots on them did not produce the usually expected dark colored inside. Too often I find a banana with a small dark, or near dark, spot and find that it is transferred inside to a large black spot. A few of the bananas in those bunches had one or two areas of inside discoloration but not enough to have me cut it out. I was even beginning to wonder if my luck in selecting bananas had changed. Heck, I was even beginning to believe my spouse's theory that dark spots on the outside do not mean dark, rotten spots on the inside. The wife has the theory, or belief, that a dark spot on the outside does not mean discoloration on the fruit of the banana. I have had too many cases where that is simply not the case. 

So, it came to pass that there were a few bananas in one bunch remaining, all with significant dark dis-coloration and signs of putrefaction that I thought I better start eating them before they go to waste. I pulled one off, and noticed that there was a wax paper wrapping around where they all joined at the stem. I had never noticed that type of thing before. When inquiring of the wife, she said that it must have come that way from the store. I had to remove the wrap to pull the banana from the remaining two or so of its bunch.

As I was about to peel the skin, I once again took notice of the large dark putrefying spot on the ugly colored banana and wondered if it would even be edible. If it was a limb, it would be amputated based simply on its appearance. I hasten to think how much ethylene gas this banana was producing. I should have had a device to measure the air quality of the ethylene chemical in the kitchen. In retrospect, I think it was my banana gassed brain that had me take the next step, leading to the great banana debacle of the year.

It was evening, and the wife was sitting on the sofa either reading or working on a cross stich project. I hobbled over near her and held up the banana with that large gangrenous spot facing her and simply said something to the effect of let's see what it looks like in the inside. I had a high level of confidence that the gangrenous spot would have transferred and ruined the fruit of the banana.

I then start to peel back the outer layer fully expecting to see a large dark spot that would infect deep into the flesh of the banana. Instead, I got a banana that mainly looked scrumptious to eat. In trying to prove my banana theory I ended up proving the wife's theory, that is if one banana can prove a theory. There was no gangrenous blemish on the fruit of the banana. A couple weeks later (on 4/13), I had a banana (from a different bulk purchase) which proved my theory correct (photo below), showing one sample size is not a definitive explanation. 

A Banana from this past weekend (4/13), which proves my 
theory on the blemish transferring through

It should have dawned on me that the cover at the top probably assists with keeping banana's fresh. Further, I should have also felt it to see how soft it really was. Biting into it, I realized it was not as soft as I would have imagined given the significant discoloration on the outside. I am not sure what the moral of the story is, other than I was overly confident. My hubris, or that ethylene-gassed brain, led to the great banana debacle of 2024.  In the end, with my later discovery, my theory of what occurs is still in play. This could make for a great science project.

  

The Death March

One of the most famous incidents for brutality of WWII started on this date, April 9, in 1942 in the Philippines: The Bataan Death March. The March, on the Bataan peninsula, was enforced by the Japanese army against the 75,000 US (about 12,000) and Filipino (about 63,000) prisoners of war. The US soldiers were surrendered by US General Edward King. 

Bataan Death March, red is by foot,
black is by rail

The death march followed a three month battle on the peninsula which the US and Filipino soldiers were able to hold off the Japanese even though ill supplied. For example, after Pearl Harbor, the US forces were placed on half rations. The Roosevelt Administration's Europe first policy greatly affected supplies and manpower for the Pacific theater of operations in the early stages of WWII. The men were near starvation at the start of the death march, and things only got worse from there. The Roosevelt Administration, by Christmas 1941, regarded the soldiers on Bataan as a lost cause. Secretary of War Simpson remarked just after Christmas, "There are times when men have to die." (Sides, p 43)

The march, which went from Mariveles, on the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula, to San Fernando, was about 69 miles long, and ended at a rail head. By closed cargo cars, they were shipped further north by rail. They ended up walking the final several miles again by foot to Camp O'Donnell, later referred to as Camp Cabanatuan. Imprisonment occurred at a former Filipino army camp designed for 10,000, but would now hold about six times that number of war prisoners. It is thought that of the total group who marched, about 54,000 actually reached the camp, although actual numbers are not known. There are varied accounts of the number of men in the march, the number in the camp and the number that died. About 27,500, mostly Flipino soldiers, died during the march or in the encampment. A US soldiers ring was was prized by a Japanese solider. The ring could not be removed due to swelling in the fingers, so the Japanese soldier cut off the hand at the wrist with his machete. The camp was liberated on 30 Jan 1945, in a daring well-known raid, behind enemy lines.

Photo of Bataan Death March

The conditions and brutality that were part of the march is difficult to comprehend. The men were marched in hot, humid conditions and in pouring rain. They were provided no medical care. Once in camp, the care from the Japanese was basically non-existent with US medical staff providing the care they were capable of, but with no supplies. If they column of prisoners came across a stream, or really any water source, they were not permitted to take a drink. Some stragglers were bayoneted by the Japanese guards, others left to die, some were helped by already emaciated US soldiers who had three more months of little to eat. 

The camp conditions were ripe for disease, with little water, no sanitation, meaning malaria, dysentery weakened many of the men. Sleeping on the floor in bamboo huts without covers made for a bad situation, particularly for those that were ill. The main food was rice and a vegetable soup, although an occasional piece of water buffalo was provided in the soup. Deficient in many vitamins and protein, illness such as beri-beri, and pelagra became common. The Japanese refused offers of assistance from the Philippine Red Cross.

Bataan Death March

The evacuation after the raid was slow and arduous, with water buffalo pulled carts for the lame, and the slow pace of the men able to walk. The were also difficult battles with a Japanese enemy who would not go down without a fight regardless of how many men they lost doing the same thing over and over against US weapons, often wielded by Filipino soldiers.

Many of the US survivors were on a transport ship from the Philippines to San Francisco. A journey normally of 7000 miles, the transport, covered over 12000 miles, to avoid shipping lanes, and Japanese subs. The Japanese were gravely insulted by the raid, and vowed that their submarines would hunt down and sink the transport ship as it made its way starting in mid-February. 

Photo of some camp residents

The Filipino and US soldiers endured a hell on earth in that prisoner of war camp. It lead one man, whose unnamed diary was found outside the camp to write: "We are all ghosts now. But once we were men." (Sides, unnumbered page). The greatest indignity perhaps was the way they were considered collateral damage by the Roosevelt Administration, as the administration moved men and material to Europe, leaving the men to fight with dwindling supplies, see them surrender, and then go through the hellish conditions of the march and the POW camp. It was truly a death march. 

Sources: 2001 Sides, Hampton, Ghost Soldiers, Random House, NY NY

                History.com

                National World War II Museum website

                National Museum of the US Air Force website

Geography of the Holy Sepulcher

This past Sunday Christians celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is thought to have died sometime between 30 and 36 AD. A document at the University of Chicago has the actual date as Friday, April 3, 33 AD, and of course at 3 pm in the afternoon. I visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in April 2013, eleven years ago, or 1,980 years after Christ's death (if in 33 AD), burial and resurrection. I did not realize, until that trip, that his tomb was so close to the place of his crucifixion. Of the stations of the cross, numbers 10 through 14 occur in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher itself and number nine just outside it. This post will be about the geography of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. 

First century Jerusalem

Being a geographer, I like to understand the geography of an area, and the larger picture. With GPS in our Jeep, I miss the large view when travelling to an unknown area that one can get from a printed map of getting from point A to point B. Viewing a paper map allows me to better wrap my mind around where I am going. I have become reliant on the GPS, and it can provide useful information, like current traffic. When in the Holy Land, we depended on the driver, and at times we ended up traveling 45 minutes to get to a place 15 minutes away, often due to the security checkpoints which have many streets cut off. 

Via Dolorosa route from Fortress Antonia to Golgotha

Four of the last five stations of the cross being in one area makes sense. They are all related to the actual crucifixion: Jesus is stripped of his garments; Jesus is nailed to the cross; Jesus dies on the cross; Jesus is taken down from the cross. Israel/Palestine is made up of limestone, and limestone rock outcroppings are everywhere, and so would be caves. Jesus was born in Nazareth and probably in a cave. Mary first breast fed Jesus in a cave a short distance from the place of birth, in what is known as the milk grotto. She probably wanted to get some peace of mind away from all the shepherds, and the Magi. Jesus was born in a cave and buried in a cave. His place of burial likely was a cave further formed by hewing of  rock. It was to be the burial place of Joseph of Arimathea who provided his burial chamber for Jesus' lifeless body. I wonder if the chamber was ever reused? 

Depiction of Holy Sepulcher overlaid
with original grade

When visiting the church I thought this was unfortunate that the ground had been leveled, because it certainly would have been nice to experience the actual situation. The site was originally a pagan temple built by Hadrian (probably about 129 AD), part of which was repurposed for the church so the destruction of much of the ground is likely due to Hadrian and not fully the construction of the Church in the the first part of the 4th century by St Helena and her son Emperor Constantine. The ancients were well known for repurposing materials. Heck, even St Peter's Basilica in Rome is built in part from stone harvested from the Roman Colosseum. Stone was expensive to cut, handle, and transport, and in later times even find. Not all limestone and marble is appropriate for building construction.

Estimated cut out of tomb

One has to recall that the main method of transportation was by foot, so buildings were tightly packed to conserve space, and shorten the walking distance. Therefore, even though in 33AD the site was prominent for crucifixion less than a hundred years later in comes urban sprawl and the temple. It was not really sprawl since it was a logical outgrowth of the city, in a tight and compact manner. 

Entrance to Church of the Holy Sepulcher

In the church are varied markers of the stations. The ninth one, where Jesus fell a third time, being just outside and makes up the roof of the St Helena Chapel. Also present are a rock said to be split when the ground shook. 

Tomb of Christ

The specific date date of 3 April 33 AD is calculated by people much smarter than I, on the basis of a partial eclipse of the full moon as it rose above Jerusalem on that Friday afternoon. The Acts of the Apostles notes: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come" The Eclipse occurred as the moon rose above Jerusalem. 

Rock outcrop to left side of sign

What is also interesting is that, but for one man (who Jesus told to behold his mother meaning his mother, Mary) the people that were at the cross of Jesus as he died were women. Just as women were the first to arrive at the tomb that first Easter, so were they at the foot of the cross. Perhaps it is appropriate that Pope Francis, this past Holy Thursday washed the feet of twelve women (all prisoners). I think the rumble I heard that day was deceased Bishop of Madison Robert Morlino turning over and over in his grave in Resurrection Cemetery. 

View of part of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

While Bob was turning over in his grave last week Thursday, Joseph of Arimathea, if he used his tomb after Christ died, probably had his bones scattered about with the construction of the pagan temple on the site of the tomb. Joseph was a wealthy man so he could afford the finely carved tomb right across from Golgotha, with its entrance facing the site of the Roman crucifixions on that rise in the ground. His was not simple cave, but involved hewing out the rock for the entrance as many say, and for the tomb itself. With such a large and heavy rock covering the tomb, the women who went to the tomb wondered who would move the rock for them. I guess they did not plan ahead well. Would they have relied on the guard who was placed there at the request of the religious authorities to assure the body was not stolen? Obviously, Christ took on the task of moving the rock, so they need not have worried. This all makes me wonder why he even moved the rock at all and just did not transport outside? In this coming weeks reading, my wife's favorite, Christ enters a locked room, without need of door or window. But, here he moved the rock. I guess he was being nice to the ladies.

Moon over Bethlehem, Afternoon in mid-April 2013

Just as I like to see the big picture when travelling, so do I like to make sense of the geography of an area. Geography can explain much in our world: from cultural development, to settlement patterns, and over time has even affected our genes. Diet also plays a role, but diet is related to geography as certain plants grow only in certain climate zones, and location also affected large animal husbandry. Anyway, if you have a chance to rethink Easter this week, as you eat your last chocolate egg, perhaps you may wish to think about the geography of the Holy Sepulcher. 

Source: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/calendar/jesus.html#:~:text=Jesus%20therefore%20died%20on%20Friday,in%20use%20at%20the%20time.

The White Flag

A few weeks ago Pope Francis came under fire for comments that Ukraine should have the "courage of the white flag" and open negotiations with Russia for an end to the war. I don't think he meant surrender as many say. He has always been in favor of negotiation to end conflicts. Refusing to dialogue continues conflict. Some may argue that negotiation with Russia is fruitless, but how does one know unless they try to open that dialogue? For as much grief as the Pope has received on this issue, is he right, that there is courage in the white flag?

One of the world's top economists, Jeffrey Sachs at Columbia University and director of its center for sustainable development seems to agree with Francis. In a post on 8 Feb 2024 he said that  "The $61 billion (that is military aid for Ukraine) will make no difference on the battlefield except to prolong the war, tens of thousands of deaths, and physical destruction of Ukraine. It will not “save” Ukraine. Ukraine’s security can only be achieved at the negotiating table, not by some fantasized military triumph over Russia." You can read his full post here.

Source: National Catholic Reporter

In a July 2023 post Sachs damned the US position. History is seemingly repeating itself from what occurred sixty plus years ago in Vietnam, as Sachs says in that post:

At this point, Biden knows full well that NATO enlargement to Ukraine would trigger World War III. That’s why behind the scenes Biden put NATO enlargement into low gear at the Vilnius NATO Summit. Yet rather than admit the truth – that Ukraine will not be part of NATO – Biden prevaricates, promising Ukraine’s eventual membership. In reality, he is committing Ukraine to ongoing bloodletting for no reason other than U.S. domestic politics, specifically Biden’s fear of looking weak to his political foes. (A half-century ago, Presidents Johnson and Nixon sustained the Vietnam War for essentially the same pathetic reason, and with the same lying, as the late Daniel Ellsberg brilliantly explained.)

Third, in 1990 the US and Germany promised that if Moscow accepted German reunification there would be no eastward movement of NATO. In the earlier mentioned February post Sachs notes: "In 2021, after 7 years of fighting and more than 14,000 deaths in the Donbas, Putin called on newly elected President Biden to stop NATO enlargement and engage in negotiations with Russia over mutual security arrangements. Biden rejected Putin’s call to end the gambit of NATO enlargement to Ukraine." 

Sachs further noted: 

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately called for negotiations based on Ukraine’s neutrality. Within a month, a framework agreement to end the fighting was reached between Ukraine and Russia, based on Ukraine’s neutrality and an end to NATO’s enlargement to Ukraine. Biden stepped in to stop the deal, with the U.S. informing Zelensky that the U.S. would not support neutrality.

Sachs is no Republican, he views the world through a large lens and is no fan of war and destruction. Some commentators have a less emphatic view that an agreement was reached between Russia and Ukraine before the war. Sachs is known for creating bold and effective measures to address complex issues from poverty and climate change to fiscal obligations, so his opinion matters. The US continues to promote, what President Eisenhower warned about in his 1961 Farewell address: "In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist." 

Is there a realistic end-game for Ukraine? The west keeps pouring in more advanced weaponry and money. The west is providing F-16 fighter jets from a variety of NATO countries to assist Ukraine. The US made decisions imbedded with folly in Afghanistan, funding and supplying the forces fighting the Soviets. Twenty years later those same arms were used to fight the US. Recently, the US all of a sudden found $300 million more to provide to Ukraine for military aid at the same time as its  own defense arms are in a $10 billion deficit. 

The only one who wins in a time of war are the arms suppliers, that Military Industrial Complex which seems to run US foreign policy. Negotiation may or may not work, but not negotiating continues the pattern of death and destruction. Catholic Outlook has this to say about Francis' controversial positions: "To put it simply: Pope Francis prioritizes nonviolence over war as a matter of principle. From the beginning of his papacy, Francis has been consistent about the inviolability and dignity of the human person, and this principle applies to his frequent calls for fighting around the world to cease. "In February article at Americamagazine.org (here) by a rabbi and a priest (no it is not a bad joke) there is this:

Pope Francis takes a consistent line regarding violent conflicts around the world—a line that is completely opposed to any war and treats any action that harms body and soul as terrorism. Thus, for example, in the Russia-Ukraine war, the pope refused to support Ukraine’s offensive actions and called for an immediate end to the war. The Ukrainians were enraged at the pope’s position, which refused to distinguish between pure evil and unfortunate necessity, just like the Israelis who were enraged at him for similar reasons.

Two years ago, March 18, 2022, in an address, Pope Francis was clear on war: "There is no such thing as a just war: they do not exist!" In the same address he also commented that: "A war is always — always! — the defeat of humanity, always." I have thought about the Pope's comment and the wide spread criticism he has received over the past few weeks. Negotiation at least opens possibilities. Those possibilities may not bear fruit, but Zelensky, according to Sachs, had reached agreement in 2022 with Putin, until Biden stuck his nose in. Sticking the American nose in to this situation is another example of American hubris which did not serve us well in Vietnam, Afghanistan or Iraq. If Zelensky had reached agreement before, is it not possible to once again open the door? The white flag does not mean surrender or capitulation, it means having the courage to engage in dialogue. 

On March 20, 2024, Pope Francis was criticized by Ukrainian Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak for his comments, which you can read here. Gudziak says Francis does not understand Putin. I am not sure if anyone understands the Russian president. What concerns Pope Francis is the destruction and loss of life. The Archbishop actually seems to inform Francis' position as the article states: "Gudziak mentioned the thousands of Ukrainian families who have lost someone in the war, or have family members who are missing in action, and are wondering if they are still alive when he states:  "Hundreds of thousands of families are living in this acute anxiety from day to day," said the archbishop." The reason the Pope desires negotiation is to put an end to the bloodshed in order to not increase the families facing the acute anxiety mentioned by the archbishop. 

Ukraine may have tried to negotiate, but they need to keep trying. Perhaps they will have some success so as to bring closure to those who have lost, those not sure what they may have lost, and to simply end the loss. Additional bloodshed means more loss and more loss means more anxiety. The current method is circular. If Russia shuns their overtures, then it is on Russia not Ukraine.

On St Patrick's Day I emailed Professor Sachs regarding Pope Francis' white flag comment. Professor Sachs responded to me with: "Yes, Pope Francis is wondrous, the world’s greatest moral leader." Just like prophets of old, current leaders of our time are often not appreciated until they are gone. Francis has the moral courage of his convictions to speak and take the grief. The courage of the white flag is important not just to Ukraine, but all conflicts. 

Chocolate Cookie Punishment

On Thursday, March 7 the wife made some cookies to take up to the Twin Cities area in a visit with our son and daughter-in-law. I saw her mixing dough and I asked if those were chocolate chips in the dough, and she said yes. I said she needed more, she said no. Thus began the chocolate chip cookie punishment.

After I asked if those were chocolate chips she had put in, she came back with the comment that went something like this: "That is all that were up here (in the cupboard), but there would be more if you did not eat them by the handful." I offered to go to the basement and get some more, but she would have none of that. In other words, she was skimping on the chocolate chips in the cookies to get back at me for eating a few. I plead innocent to eating by the handful, the palmful maybe, but not the handful. I can see her fuming as she reads that sentence. The cookies became a form of punishment as she reiterated her point about me eating the chocolate chips and then the dagger came: "Now you will have to pay for it."

Later in the day she asked if had a cookie, and I said yes (I did not tell her I had had four by that time) and she asked me how they were.  I had all I could do, because even I am not that stupid, to say "They could have used more chocolate chips" but instead I simply said they were good, which they were even though they were light on chocolate chips. I wonder how much better they could have been with a more appropriate amount of chocolate chips? I know how many chips get in one cookie could be a matter of how the dough is mixed, but there is also a relationship to how many chips are put in the dough. Of the first four cookies I ate, one of them only had three discernable chocolate chips. Does that even qualify as a chocolate chip cookie? I am not aware of any standards for the number of chocolate chips to be in a chocolate chip cookie so perhaps I need to come up with a standard. The wife would say I should have have eaten a few less palms full of chocolate chips. To be fair, other cookies I ate seemed to have a more respectable number of chocolate chips. Someone took the time to count the chocolate chips in Chips Ahoy cookies, and a sample of 36 cookies found they averaged just over 21. They must be small chocolate chips in the Chips Ahoy cookies.

If my wife gets through this blog post without blowing up at me, she will either say, "You are so funny!" or the more likely, "You can make your own cookies from now on!" 

Meet at the Pool

A few weeks ago it was suggested to me by a physical therapist that I should try to do some swimming over biking to see if it provides less distress for my feet. I was cautious about the suggestion because it has been grilled in me, by most (but not all) medical professionals to be in footwear at all times, and I would have to have bare feet walking on the pool deck. The following Friday after my PT appointment I found myself at the McFarland high school pool, to attend the Fun and Fitness class. I am not a good enough lap swimmer to take a lane for lap swimming, so I thought perhaps the three times a week Fun and Fitness would fit the bill. I also possessed some reticence about being with a bunch of Marie Barones. 

Going to this session made me think of the Everybody Love's Raymond Episode, where Marie talks about her water aerobics exercise class and the women in their swim caps, and then babbles on and on about the class. I have a hard time getting a vision of Marie Barone and her companions at the water aerobic class out of my mind. It is the type of visual that makes me appreciate a trip to the dentist. I wondered if this was the fate that was in store for me, that Fun and Fitness would be a take-off of Marie Barone's water aerobics class. My wife has a friend, a member of her book club, who is a year or so older than the wife, who goes to the class. The wife got the scoop from her, let me refer to her as J, about the entry, what happens, etc. and she passed that information on to me. I suppose the evening water exercise class may be more akin to Marie's class. 

View of pool bulkhead, white divider.
Fun and Fitness is on both sides of the bulkhead
about two lanes wide each side

Not that it would really matter, but J assured my wife that there were other men there. Well, there is another, perhaps two on the best days, although a few men use the lap swim at that time, that may show up, but usually just Mark who comes with his wife. Mark introduced me to Gail and Barb who both thought my name would be easy to remember. Gail's departed husband was named Tom and Barb's boyfriend (her word, not mine) is named Tom. I told them, I was a twin, and Thomas means twin, which they did not know, or perhaps care about. Barb then commented that her boyfriend fits his name as he is a doubting Thomas. "That is odd," I said, "because my wife says the same thing about me fitting my namesake." Gail was kinder to her former husband, not saying anything regarding this exchange. They should now remember me, but that is better than Theresa. 

They are supposed to remember Theresa, who I guess is a member of the group but whom I may or may not have met, by thinking of Mother Theresa. Yet they struggled with the woman's name because they could not recall how they worked the association for her name. They knew the associative woman was a saint, but what saint, they wondered. They were going through varied titles when one said "mother, maybe mother, "and I said "Mother Theresa" and that was what jogged their collective memory. Given their struggle, I have to think  they need a better mnemonic for Theresa. 

Of the lap swimmers, there is one middle aged man who appears as a regular. Mind you, I am the youngest in the F&F group, but this man wears a small and tight red Speedo swim suit over his near chiseled frame, no dad bod for this guy. A woman on my side (lane side of the bulkhead) saw him get out of the pool and one commented that the suit reminds them of the suit worn by females which exposes the female buttocks and wondered how it did not "ride up". Two others commented, something to the effect, that they did not care, it sure was nice to look at. As I continued my side stroke I looked back and could see them all nodding in agreement. This reminds me of another Everybody Loves Raymond episode. Women need to learn men have brains, too. 

Pool, looking toward bulkhead end. 
Eight lane pool for competition, 25 yards to bulkhead
It is also 25 yards across 

The new pool was built with an addition which started in 2018 and attending my first Fun and Fitness class was my first venture to this new pool. It is a nice pool, is over 25 meters long and is 25 yards wide, and a moveable bulkhead to make it 25 yards for high school competitions that run the length. Other than competitions, the lanes run the width of the pool so 25 yard long lanes, with lanes on both sides of the bulkhead. The competition lanes are wider than the lanes for typical lap swim jexercise, they fit 10 in for lap swim, compared to 8 for competition. Spectator seating for 500 is provided in a mezzanine. It is also uses less chlorine since an Ultra-Violet disinfection system is used. UV disinfection has been in used at the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District for decades, and it was one of, if not the first, treatment plant to use UV disinfection as it was pioneered between the UW and MMSD. To make room for our Fun and Fitness class they move a lane marker on each side and the class is separated by the bulkhead. I chose the side toward the middle and that is where I go. The day of this post we had six on my side of the bulkhead and other side for most of the time had two.

When I first arrived that one Friday I had to give my name and tell them that I was not only a resident of the village, but also an older citizen which gets me yet another discount. For $2.00 a session, I can see ten to twelve Marie Barone's, and Mark. I do not wish to paint a visual. But, let me say, for a while I thought they had a dress code for the pool since all but one of the woman on my first day at F&F had a navy blue swim suit on. The one rebel female had a slightly less dark blue than the navy suit. No discernable patterns on the swim suits, just plain navy blue. I felt out of place in my hand-me-up red swimsuit. 

Pool, looking toward bulkhead

The thing is I am not so much Tom as I am Toni's husband. I knew who the pool director was from when my kids were at school, but had never met him. My wife's friend, the following Monday started to introduce me to a few of the Marie Barones in attendance. She then introduced me to Stu, J introduced me as Tom, and I said my first and last name, which did not seem to jell with Stu, until J said that my "wife Toni Hovel is the best seamstress" and went on that she has known Toni for forty years. It was then he recognized the last name and noted he had my kids. This is not the only time. When J introduces me to people, it is as Toni's husband. "You know Toni, she is the best seamstress in the village, this is her husband Tom. I have known Toni, and well Tom, too for forty years." J is a nice person and I don't correct her in that I have been in the village for just under 34 years. One person who is one of the instructors, used to live on our block before her divorce years ago. Our class, yes even though a newbie, having attended a few times now, I am part of, and welcomed to the group. The F&F class lasts 45 minutes, with the first 25 or so free swim, and last 20 or so minutes instruction of fitness in the water. Marie Barone would be happy to see us doing exercises with boards, pool noodles, but most often foam dumbbells.

If people at the pool don't know Toni Hovel as the best seamstress in town, they do recognize her through Facebook. She is on McFarland Community and McFarland Mom's and Dad's. The day of this post I decided to join the McFarland Community so they can appreciate my dullness. Years ago I tried to join McFarland Moms and Dads, but never got approved, so I thought screw them. I much rather enjoy my Czech culture group where I get to salivate over some really good looking food on occasion, or read about a Czech composer. My spouse obviously makes some impression in these Facebook groups, probably by some in-depth analysis of an issue important to the community, like whether or not recyclables should be put in clear plastic bags, before being placed in the recycling container. Or issues of lesser importance such as the April school referendum to increase property taxes for operating expenses. 

Fun and Fitness Class being taught by Stu, fall 2019
Source: McFarland Thistle

Sometimes at F&F Mark livens things up such that you would not want to be away. On Monday, 3/4, we did some exercises with reach up the foot and at the same time move an arm over the head, like you would see in synchronized swimming. Mark was, in a kidding sort of way, wanting us to get in synch. Let me just say the US Olympic Synchronized swim team has nothing to worry about. Then again maybe they do, because they did not even qualify for the London Olympics. Can the US team be displaced by the seasoned citizens of the McFarland F&F? I doubt it.  Try to imagine, if you will, 10 to twelve seasoned woman, and two men, evenly divided on each side of the bulkhead participating in synchronized swimming of kicking your leg up to water level and hand over the head, it was a site to behold. My geriatric body, even though I am the youngest, had all it could handle to get my leg kicked to the water level. All we missed was the music, my preference would be Handel's Water Music, albeit well shortened from its 60 minute span. What was Handel thinking writing a composition for water that takes 60 minutes? Attention spans in the the in the early 18th century must be better than ours today. Or, perhaps a more lively tune, like Dancing Queen. I doubt I would have been able to keep the beat, as keeping a beat has never been my strong suit. I wonder if my red suit stuck out compared to the navy blue preferred by the finer gender in the group. I doubt my suit color will get me kicked off the F&F team, as I tend to make the rest of the group look proficient in this pool art/exercise form.

Friday, 3/1 Stu, the pool director, who recognized me after recognizing the McFarland seamstress name, told me to pick up a sheet of paper, titled the McFarland Fun and Fitness Buzz book, it provides names, and contact information for the attendees. Of course, the buzz book was on printed paper the color of which all associate with water. It is however, a lighter blue than the dark uniform blue of the seasoned citizen females in the F&F class. Even though I attended before its publication date, I was not listed, perhaps they wanted to see if I would see it through, or would I be scared off. Stu said I would be in the next iteration.

When I got home, I pulled the list out of the cinch pack I use. I had biked that Friday, as it does not make sense to drive the 3,543 feet (I measured it using Google Maps) from home to the pool in decent weather, and set the sheet on the counter. As I went to hang up my suit and towel to dry in the basement, the seamstress-spouse looked at the buzz book and recognized most persons listed. Then, in a definite schadenfreude sort of way, had to pronounce that I am the youngest member of the F&F. I cannot help but think she was getting back at me from my first day when I could not help poke fun at the bunch of Marie Barone look-a-likes and their navy blue swim suit uniforms and the foam dumbbells. I am sure this is because she is one of their compatriots, part of the sisterhood sticking up for each other. And of course she recognized most every name, because they all seem to know her as a seamstress or by Facebook. And, yes, I have had women say "Oh, I recognize the name from Facebook!" I am known as Toni's husband. I had never thought she was so well known. 

When I left for the pool on Monday, 3/4 (it is generally held three times a week M-W-F) the seamstress said to have fun at swim lessons. Little did she know one of our exercises was holding on to the bulkhead and flutter kicking, just like swim lessons 60 or so years ago. We did this after we did our varied movements of moving foam dumbbells in the water in different directions. Holding both dumbbells down at my side makes my feet depart the pool floor, as if I am in a state of levitation. J was on the other side of the bulkhead, and spotted me while we were doing prescribed movements, and looking through one of the large rectangular gaps in the bulk head just above water level, she said "peek-a-boo" to me. 

I think it was the day Stu recognized me as Toni's husband, that I had kept an eye on an elderly lady doing the freestyle, and she kept pretty much near the lane marker so I took to the center to avoid Mark holding court and joking with his harem. I stopped to say hi, when I got hit in the back. The lady had veered well off her chosen path, and was probably wondering, after she hit me, if a walrus had made its way into the pool. She came to a slow stand to apologize, before moving back to the edge and continuing the next 10 to 15 feet to the edge. When I got back to the other end, Stu said, "Yeah, you have to watch her as she does not see well and she all of a sudden drifts." I thanked him for the advice, and said that is why I wear my glasses, so I can see. I have to give the woman credit for she was doing lap after lap, and here I am worn out after one 25 yard swim. I tend to avoid the crawl due to my left shoulder. Stu, when leading the fitness part one day, told the group that the breast stroke is one of the best strokes for persons with bad shoulders. 

On Monday's as I go to swim with the ladies (the wife calls them my girl friends) and Mark, my wife is home finishing cleaning the house. I never know when I will get introduced to another floating female as Toni's husband, or a person who will recognize her on Facebook. A popular woman is she. At some point I am sure to come across someone that does not recognize her. Actually, I have no problem being known as Toni's husband. That means I am under the radar, which is a good thing for a guy who infects others with dullness. After having a job where most people I dealt with wanted me in a dunk tank, and the collection would pay an amount sufficient to buy off the city of Fitchburg debt, I can live with some level of anonymity. The last session for this season is Wednesday, March 13, as then the pool will close for over two weeks for a deep clean. Maybe April will bring somebody new to meet at the pool. 

Note: Unless otherwise noted, photos by author, March 2024.

Marriage Records

Recently, I became aware of, and joined, a couple Facebook groups relative to Irish genealogy. The first was IGP County Clare Ireland Genealogy, and from a post on that site I found out about and joined the Sweeney Gedmatch and Genealogy. My great grandfather and mother, John Charles Sweeney and Bridget Cleary, both are said to be born in County Clare. From the Clare group I received a response from Kathleen Scheg, who is doing research on the Howard line. Mary Howard is a 2nd great grandmother who married Michael Cleary, and one of their children was the earlier named Bridget. She provided me a marriage date of Mary's parents, John Howard and Anne Maloney. When I found the 1830 marriage record I quickly noticed a major difference in detail between the Irish records and similar era records in Bohemia. 

This Irish marriage record is sparse. It provides the date: 10 Feb 1830 (well, actually it just provides a 10, you have to look earlier for the month and even earlier for the year, which is pretty standard in many of the records), and then reads: "John Howard of Kilmurry married Anne Maloney of Carnaun." That is if the interpretation of place is correct. Let me compare this to a Bohemian (Austro-Hungarian Empire) parish record separated by less than two weeks.

Howard & Maloney Sacramental Marriage Record, 10 Feb 1830
Source: National Library of Ireland

Martin Havel, a brother to my 2nd great grandfather (making this Martin my second great great uncle, and not to be confused with my great grandfather Martin Hovel) has a marriage record from eleven days earlier. This record, in the Netolice Parish Register, Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, provides much more detail and is interpreted as follows: "Married 25 January 1830  Groom: Dolni Chrastany No 18, 30 years of age//Catholic//previously unmarried Martin Havel, farmer, son of Franz Havel, farmer in Dolni Chrastany No 18 and Theresia Nee Jiral in Dolni Chrastany No 18. Bride: Poderiste No 13, 28 yrs of age//Catholic//widowed Maria daughter of Mathias Vavra, farmer from Dvory and Maria nee (not stated) in Vcelna pod Boubinem No 17 in Vimperk dominion. Without dispensation (ie not required)" It also provided the witnesses to the marriage and officiant, but I did not have that information translated. This record provides both parent names, their occupation, states the bride is a widow, provides ages of bride and groom, gives the father's name of both, the mother's name of one, and Martin's occupation. With the village, name, and age, they are easier to find in baptismal and other records. Further, knowing that each father was a farmer and where they lived means I can find them in the land register. If a cottager, or a landless holder, they may not be in the land register. The farmers are also likely to be in the list of peasants--the Seignorial Register. Most records of this era provide the wife's mother's surname, but in this case, perhaps no one could recall the surname, after all she was a widow. The 1796 marriage in Netolice of Martin's dad and mother (my third great grandparents, Frantisek and Teresa) provides the same information. It also notes that Frantisek was from the Krumlov domain (whereas the marriage took place in the Netolice domain). 

2nd from bottom, Sacramental Marriage Record of 
Martin Hovel & Maria Vavra, 25 Jan 1830
Source: Trebon Archives

The Marriage record of Frantisek's parents, Mathias and Maria does not provide as much detail as the above, but still provides valuable information on where each is from and the name of the father, and the domain. 

2nd entry from bottom, Sacramental Marriage Record of
Frantisek Havel and Teresia Jiral, 25 Oct 1796
Source: Trebon Archives

Even if the Irish records went back further in time, there is difficulty not knowing at least the father's given name. Howard is a rather common surname in that area of Ireland, and hence finding the father would be difficult when parents names are not provided. One would need to find John Howard's baptismal record and then go from there. Yet, in that case you need to make sure you have the correct John Howard. As an example, in my Duscheck line I have a birth record that lists a father Jiri to my ancestor, but in looking for likely candidates through baptismal records, I find two Jiri Duscheck's in the same village born about 6 months apart, meaning I really don't know which Jiri continues the line and which one does not. That part of Bohemia does not, at least currently, have Seignorial or land records available which may help sort out the conundrum. 

Sacramental Marriage Record of Bartholomej Penicka and
Dorothea Matousek, 3 Feb 1654
Source: Trebon Archives

The oldest marriage records for my ancestors that I have are for two 8th great grandparents, both married on the same day, 3 Feb 1654, and recorded in the same parish book of Prachatice, St James the Greater Church. (The two were part of six marriages recorded in the Prachatice register for that Tuesday.) These records provide date, village, officiant, and couple. Each record provides the name of the father of the bride, such as "Dorota, daughter of Bartolomej Matoušek of Zdenice." One record provides the name of the father of the groom, "Jiri son of Jan Konzal of Zernovice." Even in 1654 the Bohemian records provide more information than that in the 1830 Irish record. Of course, I suppose the purpose of a marriage, or baptismal record is to show the person was married or baptized, but when you have common surnames, and first names, such as John Howard, how would one know what John Howard was actually married or baptized? 

What I do know is that the religious records in Bohemia evolved and the church records were not only sacramental, but also served for a time as the official civil records. Even non-Catholic records were kept in the Catholic Church until1781. There was no duplication as we have today with both civil and sacramental marriage records. As we saw, however, from at least 1796 on, the Bohemian records contain a good level of detail for the genealogist. Research in Bohemia also benefits by other documents.

Second shown entry, Marriage of Jirik Konzal and
Marketa Matousek, 3 Feb 1654
Source: Trebon Archives

As my Bohemian ancestors were peasants, the domains kept other records which are very helpful. Two of importance are the Seignorial Registers, which began as an inventory of orphans, but later changed to almost an annual census. They often have ages, and sometimes the ages are right on and other times well off. Notes, of marriage, or change of holding or domain may also exist. A skilled translator is required for all records to assure you get the most out. Too often, I misread a name, or village which sent me on a wild goose chase. The Seignorial Registers can provide hints to birth and marriage records. Land Registers also provide clues to deaths via transfer of a holding, marriages, and heirs. My Hovel and Kamen (mother of my paternal grandmother) have their lines in southwest Bohemia, the area covered by the Trebon Archives. The Seignorial and Land Registers go back further in time than the Parish records. Parish record availability varies. In Lhenice (which covers the Havel ancestral village), parish records go back to 1694, whereas, in Prachatice the baptismal records go back to 1632, marriage to 1633, and death to 1651. The Lhenice church was around much longer than to 1694, so the records must have been destroyed or gone missing. Netolice records go back to 1654, and old handwritten indexes exist back to 1700. Older records are spotty and months may be missing. 

However, it was an Urbaria record, thanks to my translator, which records payments and taxes owed to the estate by the serf, that allowed my Hovel line to be taken back to my 10th great grandfather in Ratiborova Lhota,  Jan Bollfa  who was in the village by at least 1585 (as that is the record in which we find him). We know this is the person as when combined with information going back to 1603 from a few land register records, a chain of custody so to speak for the holding from Frantisek's father Mathias to Jan Bolffa. The key was when Bartos, son of Jan Bolffa, sold the holding to his brother Havel, who was the same Havel who is in my lineage. We know this from following sales back in time in the land registers. Having information on relationships of buyer to seller, as often recorded in the Krumlov domain, is greatly beneficial in historical family research. A good translator comes in handy in reading and translating the records given the varied anachronistic words and phrases. 

Rudy and Ida Hovel Sacramental Marriage Record
4 Feb 1913
Source: St Mary's Parish, Festina, IA

I do not have the sacramental marriage record of my Hovel great grandparents, Martin Hovel and Amelia Duscheck. However, I do have the civil marriage record for the state of Wisconsin and that record gets detailed down to the time of the ceremony (9:00 am). In order here is what is required on that civil marriage record: 1. date of registration, 2. The color, 3. full name of husband, 4. full name of wife prior to marriage, 5. occupation of said husband, 6. residence of said husband, 7. birthplace of said husband, 8. the place, town, township, and county where the ceremony was performed, 9. the time the marriage was contracted, 10. By what ceremony it was contracted, 11. name of the person performing the ceremony, 12. residence of person performing ceremony, 13. names of witnesses, 14. date of certificate of marriage; 15. Name of the father of said husband, 16. name of the mother of said husband, 17. name of the father of said wife, 18. name of the mother of said wife. A rather involved list that can certainly assist with genealogical research. 

Civil Marriage Record of Rudy and Ida Hovel
Dane County, WI 4 Feb 1913
Source: State of WI Historical Society Library

Let me turn to my paternal grandparents marriage record from 1913. The sacramental marriage record, in Latin, is pretty basic, giving names of the couple, the witnesses and officiant along with date. No idea of the parents of either or even where they were from, so not dissimilar from the Irish record. Recorded in the parish book, we know the parish in which they were married, St Mary's in Festina, Iowa. The civil record is much more detailed, giving name of person who provided the information, name of the couple, race, age, where each was born, current city, parents name (mother maiden name) and occupation. It provides the officiant, location and the witnesses along with date of marriage (4 Feb 1913) and date recorded (6 Feb 1913). Now, that is much more helpful. 

Civil Marriage Record of Rudy and Ida Hovel
Source: Winneshiek Co records, via Family Search
Fifth entry, each entry consists of two rows

The British occupiers of Ireland, it appears, did not keep civil records of births and marriages until 1865 (at least according to references provided at the Co Clare Facebook page). The Irish population to the British, as shown by their response to the Potato famine was one of indifference, and no regard for a population of papists. One can certainly see the penchant of the German speaking Austro-Hungarians, occupiers of Bohemia, for documentation. The Teutonic nature of the language carried over to the cultural forming a group of people in favor of paperwork for all not just the Brits select few. For Kilrush, the parish of the Howards, the baptismal records are  available for free at National Library only go back to 1827. I have been told that some paid sources have the records going back further. However, if prior records are as scant I have to wonder if a subscription to the service would be worth the cost. Hey, but I have to give the Irish some credit, at least we know that the John Howard and Anne Maloney marriage was the 79th entry in the book.