history pragmatic historian

How Do We Deal with Historical Trauma?

Carried through the centuries Secrets locked up Are loaded on my back And it weighs me down Stanza from Exo-Politics from the album Black Holes and Revelations by Muse, lyrics by Matt Bellamy My husband gave me a couple of Muse CDs for Christmas, which I have been listening to obsessively since I received them. One of my favorite songs from the album Black Holes and Revelations is Exo-Politics for its gritty, rooty sound. The…

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art family projects

Rooster Applique-Embroidery

One of my goals for 2019 was to create “a crazy quilt type piece,” which means to me using scraps of a variety of fabrics coupled with embroidery to make something interesting. I just finished this rooster wall hanging, which features pieces of fabric hand-appliqued to a background fabric with embroidered stitches to add extra interest. I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. Incidentally, I did most of the work on this piece in…

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challenge pragmatic historian

What if You’re in Survival Mode and Can Only Depend on What’s in Your Home?

I was sitting at my computer the other day and looked up at the shelf near my desk. Along with assorted writing implements, paper, flash drives, office supplies, and CDs, the shelf contains my sewing supplies and fabric. Behind me is a blue metal locker with thread and more sewing supplies. What with Donald T**** ordering the killing of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani, which may potentially lead the United States into another war, and…

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