No Cat Litter Creates Havoc

I have not written a rant in a while but I have been living in a Roadrunner comedy and I am Wile E Coyote. Things have been falling on my head, exploding around me and everything from A.C.M.E. is defective. 

Let me start with the two male creatures at the local grocery store.  The two on the lift, the two who are subcontracted by the contractor from where, the parking lot of Home Depot? I live in Texas you bumbleheads. I have since 1974 I understand enough Tex-Mex to know what you said. My guess is I am slightly older than you which means I deserve respect. Would you talk like that to your Grandmother, aunt, daughter, Mother? Guess what? I am a Grandmother, aunt, daughter and mother. I am also some-one's sister.  

I will next move on to the female creature at the same grocery store who cashed me out. I greeted you with a friendly "Good Morning Miss Lily" and then you slammed my groceries around. What the bloody hell did my bread and conditioner do to you?  For that matter what did I do to you? Oh and now because some lazy, uneducated miscreant tapes a coupon on the wrong bottle you look at me as though I am attempting to steal your purse. It is 50 cents!! It is conditioner.  I needed it.  I do not care about the bloody coupon. "If there is a problem with the coupon do not use it" I tell her. "They are taped all over the various bottles of shampoo and conditioner right over there." She glares at me. WTF???? "NO, it is fine!" She hisses. I am a female, I know what that means. The female bagging my things slinks off looking a bit scared. I gently pick up my things and turn toward her. I can only assume she did not like being called Miss Lily so, I say "Thank you Miss Lily" smile cheerfully and walk away. I have always greeted people who serve me in some way either as Miss (insert their name if I know it) or Mommie if I do not. It is respect.  Maybe I should have said "Thanks ho". 

Yesterday a bird, duck, buzzard or pterodactyl deposited a load of shite on my car. (Yes Pam I said shite!!!) Then a miracle from GOD appears on my facebook page. It says... WHENEVER A BIRD SHITS ON MY CAR, I EAT A PLATE OF SCRAMBLED EGGS ON MY FRONT PORCH, JUST TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT I'M CAPABLE OF. This had me laughing all day. All day. Apparently not one of my 500 friends found this funny. 

Last night at about 10:30 I am making the rounds to lock the doors when a black ground beetle crawls under the door. I stomp it, smash it, stomp it some more then being overly tired and fatigued I toddle off to bed. I get up this morning to pick up the carcass and throw it away and it is gone. I am  sure neither the cats nor the dog ate it. So, either it survived my attack or it's comrades came and hauled it off. Either scenario is NOT good. 

The reason I am the grocery store this early was because at 6:45 AM I emptied the cat litter. At 6:46 AM I realize I have no litter to replace it.  Who does that??

D Trump does not like the butts of the Kardashians or J Lo? 

 He dislikes firm round butts? 

This made top of the fold news. Really??  Who cares about his taste in females? Is that news worthy? Are any of you men reading this going to be influenced by D Trumps opinion? If so STOP reading this now!!  If he wants to date stick people he can. Do it D!! You wear a red tie that makes you look like a V-jj. I think that says it all. Nothing about a red tie says power to me it says 'Look I am a woman!!  But power on little man. Wear your red tie.  I can only assume your dislike of the curve of a bottom stems from the size of your package.  But, to be honest this is good news and good to know. I have no fear of your Suaron Eye gazing in my direction. 

This has been helpful. I must now take my contraband conditioner and wash my hair. 

Private Aaron Battin II

Grammy told me a few months ago that she remembered tales of her Great Grandfather who had been in the Civil War but she could not remember the details other than he was with Sherman when he took Atlanta and marched with him to the sea.  I will tell you about Aaron Battin II.

Aaron was born in 1846 in Ohio. He was named after his father Aaron Battin and was one of 9 children.
He enlisted on August 4 1862 at the age of 16 in Ohio and on September 10 1862 he was assigned to 92 Infantry Regiment, Company C as a Private in the Union Army.  The young men who enlisted were reported to be quick to learn, energetic, from good family names and proud. There were 949 men in the 92 regiment. Company C was stationed to garrison Gallipolis Ohio. On October 7  Company C was ordered to Point Pleasant Virginia. On October 14 they were marched to Charleston, West Virginia. January 1 1863 they moved to Colesworth, West Virginia days later they moved to Nashville, Tennessee. From June 23 to July 7 the were engaged in skirmishes in and around Tullahoma, Tennessee culminating in the Battle at Hoover's Gap, a Union Victory. In August and September they fought in the battle of Chickamauga near Chattanooga, Tennessee. This was a victory for the Confederates.

 In October, "Operation Cracker Line" commenced. The goal was to free and open up Brown's Ferry on the Tennessee River and allow the passage of food, weapons, reinforcements and other supplies to flow to the interior of Tennessee for the Union Troops via the "Cracker Line". This was a well planned operation and would have gone very well if the Confederates had not noticed all the careful preparations. This left them with one choice, a surprise night attack.  The noise of battle was heard by the Union Troops at Brown's Ferry and 2 divisions were sent as reinforcements. The confederates soon fell back and the Union won the day. Night battles were seldom fought during the Civil War but this one ranked as one the most significant. 572 soldiers died during the Battle for Brown's Fery.

                                                      Chattanooga - Civil War era
In November General Sherman arrived with 4 divisions and a huge Union offense began. They captured Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain, and Missionary Ridge. Chattanooga at last belonged to the Union Army and Sherman made it his base of operations as he prepared for the Atlanta campaign. It was a Union victory with a loss of  5815 Union soldiers and 6667 Confederate soldiers.

In February 1864 in preparation for his southward assault General Sherman launched an assault on an important Confederate railroad center. He had hoped that they were disorganized and weak with the loss of several divisions from other skirmishes. He was wrong. The union withdrew back toward Vicksburg. It was a Confederate victory.

                                                            Buzzards Roost Gap 1864

The tales told of Great Grandpa Battin center around a scar on his left side. Mother does not remember the details of the scar, how it looked or how he got it or even where it is on his left side; maybe nobody does but we do know when he got it.  There is a long high mountain called Rocky Face Ridge in Georgia, which General Sherman refereed to as "the doors of death"  and it was in this mountain range that General Johnston entrenched his Confederate troops to protect the Western Atlantic Railroad where it passed through a place known as Buzzards Roost. General Sherman decided to test their resolve and sent in two column of troops after him, one of them being the 92 Regiment, Company C. On May 9 at Buzzards Roost, a gap in the mountains known also as Mill Creek Gap fighting broke out and it was during this battle that Private Aaron Battin II was wounded.  That was in May of 1864. 11 battles and several hundred miles later we find Aaron Battin and Company C in Washington DC. It is June 19 1864 and he is being mustered out of the Army.
Aaron left Ohio in 1878 and moved to West Virginia where he began farming. He later became a lumber inspector. He died in 1933, the cause of death on the certificate says Senility. Grammy was a year old, he was 87.

                                                 Aaron Battin II is the seated gentlman
My guess is he had some tales he could tell.

Love Some Samuel!!!

Dear Capital One,
We arrived and eagerly assembled inside where we hoped to be serviced by Samuel L. Jackson. On first glimpse he was not at a teller window. We were greeted by Montoya as he asked how we were. I informed him we were not happy and we wanted to see Samuel right away. Keeping his beautiful smile he informed us that Samuel did not work at this branch but he was sure he could help us. Well exactly which branch is he at? We wish to be serviced by Samuel!! Samuel who Ma'am? I will be glad to find him for you. "Samuel Jackson" I declare. He looks astonished. I now have the attention of the woman at the next window. Montoya and her both say Samuel L. Jackson? Well.... YES. She now turns to Montoya and says, "Yes which branch is he at? I will be going there." EXACTLY! I say to her. We are both now staring at Montoya whose expression has turned to one of disbelief with a hint of humor. "He just does our commercials, Ladies." Well he can just come help us! "He does not do that." The other woman says, "he should!"  We giggle, Montoya assures us that he will inform management of our displeasure and he is positive they will do everything in their limited power to rectify the situation. Very well! Thank you. We continue to attend to our banking business and as I am about to go through the door I turn and say, "Montoya! you alone were worth the visit!" He smiles and waves. 

Am I the only one who is aware Samuel is asking me about my wallet and that he is much scarier than a herd of armed Vikings! 

Speaking of Samuel....

On August 9 1751 Samuel Prescott was born. He grew up in Concord Massachusetts and soon became an express courier for the Sons of Liberty, a group of dissidents who formed to protect the rights of the colonists.  The Sons of Liberty is the group responsible for the Boston Tea Party in 1773. He also was an express courier for the Committees of Correspondence, which were shadow governments organized by the Patriot Leaders of the 13 colonies. 

                                                   William Dawes

 On April 18 1775 William Dawes and Paul Revere, who were also couriers were dispatched to warn that the British were indeed coming and they planned to capture John Hancock, Samuel Adams and seize the military weapons and supplies stored in Concord. At about 1:00 AM  in the morning on April 19 Samuel Prescott came across the other two couriers along the road on their way to Concord having just left Lexington where he had been having a lover's tryst with his girlfriend at a local tavern. The three of them had stoped by Hartwell's Tavern to refresh their horses and themselves and were ambushed while there by the British when Paul Revere was taken prisoner. Both Dawes and Prescott after wrestling free of their captures headed for their horses and fled into the countryside where they were familiar with the local forests and back- country trails. At one point they split up so that with luck one of them might at least get through to Concord. Within a few hours Dawes heard the warning bells ringing from Concord and realized that Samuel Prescott had made it to Concord with the warning. 

                                                                          Paul Revere by John Singleton Copley

Samuel Prescott's 16th Great Grand Father, Sir William de Ros is my 24th Great Grand Uncle. Samuel Prescott is my cousin and he is celebrated for his bravery every year in Concord at a Ball at midnight where he arrives on horseback and hands men dressed as Colonial militia a note that is read to the crowd. 

Paul may have started that ride but Samuel finished it! I suppose the real gratitude should go to his girlfriend. If it had not been for her, he would not have been out on the road that night. Paul would have still been captured and William Dawes may have just gone on home. Concord would not have been warned, Samuel Adams captured and today there would be no Samuel Adams Cream Stout to drink.  No jokes about "signing your John Hancock" when asked to sign a document.  Maybe no declaration of Independence  at all! We should celebrate Samuel Prescott's Girlfriend Day!!! Yes!!! Every April 18 should be Happy Lydia Day! 

oh yeah..... her name was Lydia

Pon Haw and Other Dishes

As I hinted not too long ago we will learn about Mr. Brain's Pork Faggots.

Just because I am ghost hunting around the Scottish English borders does not make me an expert on all things English or Scottish. But I was asked what I knew about Mr. Brains Pork Faggots. NOTHING! Until now. we will all be an expert on them.

Mr. Brain

Herbert Hill Brain, born in 1864 was a butcher from Bristol. Bristol is in Southwestern England (the side near Ireland not France). His father was a grocer. In 1890 he started his own grocer business. In 1927 he bought a building on York Street and started curing and smoking pork for bacon and ham In 1925 he started making packaged family meals, like a TV dinner using his secret recipe for gravy. After a suggestion from an employee he created the pork faggots and they were very popular during WWII food rationing.

Pork

It is a pig.

Faggots

This is food made from pork cuttings and offal. Yeah, that sounds bad. Offal can be described as "variety meat or organ meat". ( I so do not want to continue this chat!!!!) Organ meats are the internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal excluding muscle and bone. Faggots are made from the pigs heart, fat belly meat, liver, bacon bits, herbs, and bread crumbs. Sometimes the faggots are wrapped in caul. Caul is the thin membrane that surrounds the stomach and other internal organs. Think - sausage casings.

Faggots were a cheap ordinary food of country people of Wales and Western England. In the Midlands and Yorkshire area they are called Savoury Ducks. They are often wrapped in bacon and cooked in a savoury gravy and served with mashed potatos and peas. The faggot mixture is formed into small balls, wrapped in the caul (pig membrane) and baked.

If this does mot appeal to you; you can always have this variety instead. . .

Pig fry is minced or ground together with boiled onion, bread crumbs or diced potatos, seasoned with sage, hebs and pepper, all mixed together, formed into balls wrapped in pig caul, baked, cooled and served cold. This does not sound so bad you make think but do you know what pig fry is? You are about to. . .

Fry are testicles. Before cooking they are scalded, skinned, and soaked in cold water. They can be cooked many ways; saute`ed, deep fried, sauced, poached, roasted and used in casseroles, pies or minced to make faggots.

Mr. Brain's faggots are made from pork cuts, pork rind, liver, breadcrumbs and herbs.

In October November 2013 Mr. Brain's Pork Faggots created an international frenzy when their facebook friends started chatting and using the word faggot.

So now you know...it is food!

Enjoy!

Across the pond.....

Have you ever enjoyed some Pon Haw? I discovered a 151 year old recipe for this amazing dish.

Boil 1 hog's head. Drain off broth. By the way do NOT google Boil hog head!!! ewwwww

Grind a little meat and liver together until you get enough, about the size of two large tomatoes; boil this in the broth. Add sage and pepper to taste. Thicken with meal (corn meal?) and cook well. When done, put into a large crock (huge bowl made from pottery, crockery) and let stand in the cellar until good and cold. Slice and serve cold, or fry slices of this in a pan with a little shortening.

Sounds like Spam. I cannot even find a photo on google! However after looking for a photo of faggots google is now bringing me photos of men in various acts of------ that may have anything to do with any word I submit. NOT helpful!!

Enjoy!!

Decoration Day

Decoration Day happened three years after the Civil War ended. It was established by a Union Veteran who suggested a day be set aside to decorate the graves of those killed in battle with flowers. Major John A. Logan thought the end of May would be a good time to establish Decoration Day as flowers would be in bloom throughout most of the country.

The ceremony was centered around a mansion in Arlington Virginia that once belonged to Robert E. Lee and was presided over by General Ulysses S. Grant and his wife. After a speech children from the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphan Home along with Civil War Veterans walked through the cemetery placing flowers on graves, praying and singing hymns.

In 1971 Decoration Day was declared by Congress to be a National Holiday to fall on the last Monday in May. It is also known as Memorial Day and includes all who died in any American War.

George Daniel Pearis was born on February 13 1847 in Giles, Virginia and on 27 April 1864 when he was just 17 he enlisted in the Confederate Army as a Private under Captain Thomas A. Bryan. He was in Bryan's Artillary a part of McLaughlin's Battallion. On 10 May 1864 Private George Daniel Pearis was killed in action at what became known as The Battle at Cloyd's Mountain.

The battle began on May 9 1864 and by the end there were 688 Union casualties and 538 confederate, 1226 deaths all told.

The Union won the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain allowing them to destroy the railroad system that connected Tennessee to Virginia.

The Confederate troops under the Leadership of Brigadeir General Albert Gallatin Jenkins

                                                   Albert Gallatin Jenkins

took up a strong defensive position at Cloyd's Mountain. The Union troops under leadership of future president, Colonel Rutherford B. Hays

                                                                Rutherford B. Hays

 at about 11:00 AM charged the Confederate troops who had been bombarded with massive artillary just moments before and savage hand to hand combat followed. The area was in a dense forrest and the leaves that had fallen the previous fall were dry, thick and brittle. Within moments sparks from musket fire ignited a blaze and soon the battle field was engulfed in flames. Many Union soldiers were trapped and pinned in by the blaze and were burned alive. Seeing that the smaller Confederate troops were occupied with the fire; reinforcements were sent in and Jenkins in an effort to fortify the area left unguarded was wounded and taken prisoner. His second in command John McCausland organized the Confederates and with-drew them.

                                                                    John McClausland

The Battle lasted a little over an hour, the hand to hand combat was so ferocious the severity of it earned this battle the title as one of the most savage of the war.

The following day, still trying to salvage a railroad bridge the Confederates took up again, a defensive posture but they lost and again withdrew.

There is whisper of a legend at this battlesite. Sometime near the end of the fighting a Union soldier fighting near Colonel Hays was ordered to take cover and withdraw. The soldier refused declaring that they would not take cover until Colonel Hays did. The soldier was mortally wounded and while receiving first aid was discovered to be a woman.

George Daniel Pearis was my 2nd cousin.

Robert and King Richard I

In 1186 Sir Robert who had inherited Castle Hamlake, also known as Helmsley Castle scontinued rebuilding the structure with stone.

                                                        Helmsley Castle Gateway

The castle had been originally built of wood in 1120. He added two stone round corner towers and a large main gateway. Upon his death his son, William inherited the Castle.

de Ros coat of arms - Gules, three water-bougets argent - legal description

　

This coat of arms is carved upon the shield held by Sir Robert on his tomb effigy at Knights Church.



　

　

In 1196 Sir Robert was in Normandy France in the service of King Richard, The Lionheart. He was at war with Phillip Augustus the King of France. During this time Sir Robert was arrested and ordered to pay 1200 marks of silver over the escape of a valuable prisoner.

King Richard I

 

In what is being called "a pleasant passsage of arms" or better yet a Tournament or joust, in Normandy between knights of King Phillip and those of King Richard, Hugh de Chaumont was taken prisoner and brought before King Richard. Hugh was a wealthy Knight and a dear friend of King Louis VII father of King Phillip. King Richard ordered Hugh de Chaumont into the custody of Sir Robert who turned Hugh over to be kept guarded in Bonneville Castle by whom he thought was a good and faithful retainer, William de Espinay.

King Philip II Augustus

 

The de Espinay family had been supporters and soldiers for the Trussebut family for many generations. Sir Robert received the service of the de Espinays after the death of his mother Rohese Trussebut and her sisters who had inherited from their father.

Bonneville castle was known as Bonneville-sur-Touques and is located in Normandy. It has been a castle since 1063 and was built on a hill and surrounded by a deep moat. The Castle was built to protect the Port of Touques and was used frequently, many years earlier by William the Conquerer as a hunting lodge.

Bonneville-sur-Touques

 

William de Espinay became neglegent or maybe he was tempted by a large bribe, whatever happened, it is believed that with help, one night Hugh de Chaumont escaped from the castle. Sir Robert, as I mentioned before was arrested and paid a steep fine. William de Espinay was also arrested and found guilty of treason agaisnt King Richard, and Sir Robert. He was immediatley hung.

The year before he died Sir Robert de Ros founded a Hospital for the Templar Knights Order of St. Lazarus in Bolton called St Thomas the Martyr. The hospital had room for 13 lepers.
He married a daughter of The Lyon King of Scotland, William.

Robert is at Knights Church London

In a palce in London known as Temple Church or Knights Church lies the body of a man named Robert de Ros.

Temple Church was built by Knights Templar an order of warrior monks who went on Crusade in the 12th century. Their task was to protect pilgrims along the road to and from Jerusalem. The church has two parts the Chancel and The Round Church. The Round Church is designed to look like The Church of The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It was built in 1185.

By the year 1145 Templars wore white tunics and robes with red crosses. Why.... the secret to that may be found in the Bible in the book of Revelations where is says....the martyrs of Christ clad in white robes washed with the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14) are those who will be called to life at the "first resurrection". For a millennium they will reign with Christ; at its end, Satan will lead all the nations of the earth against ‘the beloved city’ Jerusalem (Revelation 20:9). The final battle will be in Jerusalem and the Knights buried in The Round Church are armed, ready and awaiting that call.

 

                                                 
Robert de Ros, born around 1171 in Yorshire England was also known as 4th Baron of Hamlake, and was my 25th Great Grand Father. He was a member of the Order of Knights Templar and had the title of Furfan which meant Grand Master. In the year 1211 Lord Robert became a monk. By 1213 he was Sheriff of Cumberland and later Govenor of Carlisle.

                                  de Ros Coat of Arms you can find it on the chart of Barons

In 1215 he was assigned to be one of the 25 Barons who were to oversee provisions of the Magna Carta were followed. He died in 1226 and was buried wearing the robes of the Order of Knights Templar in Yorkshire and later moved to Temple Church in London.

                                               Arms of the 25 Barons of the Magna Carta Surety


When Sir Robert died he gave the manor and the tithes made from the manor of Ribston to the Templars for the maintenence of his burial and his body for the Holy Land. Ribston is a small village in Yorkshire, England. There is small chapel dedicated to Templars that has been incorporated into a Manor Hall. The charter for this gift of Ribston reads like this....

To all the faithful of Christ to whom this present writing of Robert de Ros shall come Health in the Lord. Be it known to all of you that I by intuition of divine piety and for the health of my soul and those of my ancestors and successors have given granted and by this my present charter have confirmed to God and Blessed Mary and the Brethren and the Knighthood of the Temple, my manor of Ribston with the advowson of the Church of the same township and the vill of Walshford with the mills of the said vill, and with all other their appurtenances and franchises and free customs and easements to wit with demesnes and homage’s, with free tenants and rents, assises and villenage with woods and plains, with meadows and pastures, with ways and paths, with waters and mills, with pools and fishponds, with moors and marshes, with turbaries and all commons, with free entries and exits in all things and places within the vill and without to the aforesaid manor of Ribston appertaining without any withholding. As wholly as I ever held the said manor entirely with it’s appurtenances. To have and to hold to the aforesaid brethren of the Knighthood of the Temple in pure free and perpetual alms as freely quietly and unburdened as any alms can be freely well and quietly given to any religious house. And this gift I have made to God and St Mary and the aforesaid brethren of the Knighthood of the Temple with my body and in aid of the Holy Land in the East with all improvements, which the said brethren in the said manors and its appurtenances shall make. And I the aforesaid Robert and my heirs the aforesaid gift with advowson of the aforesaid church and all their appurtenances to the aforesaid brethren of the Knighthood of the Temple against all men will warrant acquit and defend forever. In order therefore that this donation, concession, and confirmation of my charter may have firm effect I have strengthened it with the impression of my seal. These being witnesses, Robert de Veteri Ponte, Martin de Pateshill, John fitz Robert, Brian de Lisle, William de Lisle, Richard Duket, Robert de Cokefeld, William de Tameton, William de Barton, Walter de Soureby, Walter de Wildeker, Adam de Linton, Robert de Garton, and many others.