Picaresque: One Hundred Ten Years Later

About Me

Location: Arapahoe, Wyoming, United States

(Note: Blogs read from bottom to top; scroll down for beginnings, scroll up for most current.) After 30 years in public administration and four degrees, as well as numerous workshops with luminaries in Education and Public Policy, life in a slower lane became a goal. Most recently I have done policy writing and consulting for the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes. Mostly, I am just coasting slowly and gently downhill these days-seeking joy where I can find it before the glorious ride ends.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

One Hundred Ten Years Later

The top photograph was taken around 1898 in Springview, Nebraska. John Ali, the great, great, grandfather of Matthew, the man in the picture below it, was holding a fork and a turkey leg. Matthew is holding a turkey leg. Aside from continuing a line of two-fisted eaters, there are some similarities. Hmmm

Within us we carry whole strings of DNA replicating all our predecessors from lowly worm to our parents. Our ancestors are within us, complete. When we are conceived two lines of DNA are combined in a unique way depending on chance, health, the phase of the moon, the number of martinis consumed, etc. and certain traits are expressed (dominant) and others are not (recessive).

Knowing this, I feel close to those who have gone before: I talk and listen. The family is always with me. Occasionally I see parts of them in my brothers, cousins, sons, grandaughter. Not that all are not unique, but all is explicable.