Povey Prattle

Maine, 1912. Via  Benjamin Shallop July 1  On this day in 1912 what is arguably one of the most revolting racist acts in the history of New England occurred when the entire mixed race population of Malaga Island Maine was committed to an insane asylum for being “degenerate.” What follows is a very uncomfortable history that YOU need to know and acknowledge, especially if you are a New Englander like me. Malaga Island is located at the eastern extremity of Casco Bay in Maine. Nobody is really certain when the black community of Malaga Island was first settled, or even where the name comes from. Local legend has it that a Spanish ship named Malaga was shipwrecked there in the 1700’s and the crew was rescued by a local black fishermen who was given the island as a reward for his heroism, but there is no documentation to back this up. There was a free black man named Benjamin Darling who did own property on a nearby Island in 1794 and he may be ...

h/t to Mark DeC who reminded me of Douglass' words. N.B.  to readers in other nations.  Today, 3rd July, is in the U.S.A.  the public holiday for Independence Day 4th July 2020

From e-weather 13 (covering southern New England). East Lyme, Connecticut Published on e-weather 13 on 28th June 2020.  Photo' came to me courtesy Noel B.  Probably taken by Sarah Dorsey (who I do not know). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ An earlier photo' from the e-weather site.   Taken in 2015, but place, and photographer unknown to me.

The time may come when I will need to sit down on a bench to take a shower;  or before that eventuality if I am a bit unsteady on my pins. I never was a Boy Scout, but I can still "BE PREPARED". Yesterday, with that in mind I had my handyman install a new shower head with a high level and a low level; and a couple of grab bars. An investment for the future eh?

I came upon an English word which is now redundant, in Geraldine Brooks magnificent 2001 historical novel "Year of Wonders", about the Bubonic plague  (mid to late Seventeenth  Century) and a Derbyshire village which chose to go into self isolation to prevent the spread of the plague. Brooks describes the scion of the villages's  ruling  Colonel Bradford, by using that  obsolete English word):  a   fanfaron  i.e a  braggart or a bully . MAGA - POTUS - "FANFARON".    SUCH A CONTEMPORARY RING!