Bee, I listened to your essay while walking a path through the nature area of my neighborhood. Your storytelling opened me to a vast, unexplored area of your local history. The descriptions of class differences, individual choices made by the two men, and the mention of coal mining touched me. My great grandfather mined coal in Southeastern Ohio, and died of black lung disease.
Thank you for inviting me into this world, a place both known and unknown to me. While listening, a coyote strolled by. Coyotes are my spirit animals. More evidence of the portal through which I passed while listening.
I absolutely loved listening to the dramatization. Complete with horse hooves and birds singing and all the sound effects. It was like those “movie in your mind” books you can buy. Well done! I don’t know how you do everything so well. It’s impressive.
Plenty of horses and riders in the village and one happened to pass on the lonning (lane) by the side of our cottage at just the right moment when we were recording.
The recording was great fun, despite all the false starts and so on when a tractor passed by (the farms were ‘haytiming,’ getting the grass in their fields cut before the rain came back, which it always does.) We’re looking forward to recording part 3, where Williamson Peile experiences an aerial voyage in a gas balloon with a celebrated aeronaut. Sadly, we can’t get hold of a hot air balloon but hope to get some of the villagers involved in the recording.
Meantime, I’m deep into editing chapter 3 of my book (will be out on Sunday) and….. you know how much I love your writing, right? I started something new on Substack Notes today (extract below for explanation) so look out for a piece about your writing - about Emeril et al in the coming days. So much good writing on this platform.
Extract from my Substack Notes earlier today:
“Notes from my Workbook. 1.
Wednesdays have become a day to catch up with reading this and that Substack. I think I’m working towards a reading structure, that I know I won’t always be able to adhere to. Nonetheless I am a woman that needs certain structures. So I’ve been reading this and that and, as is usual with me, making notes in my workbook as an exercise to engage, to process, what I’m reading.
I thought I’d transcribe some of my workbook notes to my screen, tidy them up and post them here on Substack Notes. A kind of co-mingling of what I’m enjoying reading with where I’m at with Before We Leave.”
Oooh I can’t wait. I can tell you that the giant balloons used to land in our fields sometimes for pick up and when they would come over the trees and that propane tank made its noise it was SO loud!! Anyway, thanks for thinking of writing about little old me.
What an investigation, a researcher's dream to be dusting off documents and connecting stories that are forgotten or lost. The rise and fall of men, men and families at the mercy of the wealthy. The legacy often misremembers the actions of the past.
I wish more kept the history, remember the past through something more than a glaze of eyes to an understanding that communities have a depth - sometimes built on good, other times on less.
Bee, I listened to your essay while walking a path through the nature area of my neighborhood. Your storytelling opened me to a vast, unexplored area of your local history. The descriptions of class differences, individual choices made by the two men, and the mention of coal mining touched me. My great grandfather mined coal in Southeastern Ohio, and died of black lung disease.
Thank you for inviting me into this world, a place both known and unknown to me. While listening, a coyote strolled by. Coyotes are my spirit animals. More evidence of the portal through which I passed while listening.
Oh, Julie. Thank you so very much.
There’s more to come about these two, and the strong women in their lives, in the weeks to come. It’s quite the story.
Can’t wait!
I absolutely loved listening to the dramatization. Complete with horse hooves and birds singing and all the sound effects. It was like those “movie in your mind” books you can buy. Well done! I don’t know how you do everything so well. It’s impressive.
Ah, thanks so much, @Amanda C. Sandos
Plenty of horses and riders in the village and one happened to pass on the lonning (lane) by the side of our cottage at just the right moment when we were recording.
The recording was great fun, despite all the false starts and so on when a tractor passed by (the farms were ‘haytiming,’ getting the grass in their fields cut before the rain came back, which it always does.) We’re looking forward to recording part 3, where Williamson Peile experiences an aerial voyage in a gas balloon with a celebrated aeronaut. Sadly, we can’t get hold of a hot air balloon but hope to get some of the villagers involved in the recording.
Meantime, I’m deep into editing chapter 3 of my book (will be out on Sunday) and….. you know how much I love your writing, right? I started something new on Substack Notes today (extract below for explanation) so look out for a piece about your writing - about Emeril et al in the coming days. So much good writing on this platform.
Extract from my Substack Notes earlier today:
“Notes from my Workbook. 1.
Wednesdays have become a day to catch up with reading this and that Substack. I think I’m working towards a reading structure, that I know I won’t always be able to adhere to. Nonetheless I am a woman that needs certain structures. So I’ve been reading this and that and, as is usual with me, making notes in my workbook as an exercise to engage, to process, what I’m reading.
I thought I’d transcribe some of my workbook notes to my screen, tidy them up and post them here on Substack Notes. A kind of co-mingling of what I’m enjoying reading with where I’m at with Before We Leave.”
Oooh I can’t wait. I can tell you that the giant balloons used to land in our fields sometimes for pick up and when they would come over the trees and that propane tank made its noise it was SO loud!! Anyway, thanks for thinking of writing about little old me.
I really enjoy your local history podcast, very atmospheric
Thank you!
What an investigation, a researcher's dream to be dusting off documents and connecting stories that are forgotten or lost. The rise and fall of men, men and families at the mercy of the wealthy. The legacy often misremembers the actions of the past.
Indeed. Thanks for taking the time, Stacy. This was a deep dive which led me to the story of a tenacious woman who seemed to understand “the system.”
I wish more kept the history, remember the past through something more than a glaze of eyes to an understanding that communities have a depth - sometimes built on good, other times on less.
Here’s to that!