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If you watch any clips of it, bear in mind Davis was only 56. Jesus, the skin around her eyes – I know 80-year-olds with fewer crow’s feet.

I guess that’s what a lifetime of smoking will do.

That’s because old people look old in the old days.

They didn’t have the benefit of forever chemicals to help preserve them.

Plus it’s a fact that everything looks worse in black and white, Paul Simon documented that.

I guess the gaming industry is going like Disney…they don’t care how much woke is going to hurt their bottom line because the WEF goons will just make up the loss with ESG money.

Just like watching old movies to get away from it, gamers have 1000’s of old games they can play.

Sigh- That picture struck me instantly – I knew who it was – and I have been wandering down the internet/ garden path looking for her for at least an hour now. Of course I was wrong, but only in fact, not spirit.

My first thought was, ” That’s Barbara Fritchie!”

Well, no.

However, if you know about her, you may forgive my mistake, and if you are not aware of her story, perhaps you will consider a bit of forbearance for me after I’ve explain a bit.

Barbara Fritchie’s story has elements that should resonate among our gang: patriotism, gallantry, bravery, the American Civil War, and a crazy old lady…

I first learned her story by reading James Thurber, an American writer for the New Yorker magazine in the 1930’s. He is a lovely writer and always amusing in his gentle humor. However, in this case, he did not actually write anything at all: he simply illustrated a ballad (actually a poem) by John Greenleaf Whittier….

To summarize the story – Early in the Civil War the city of Fredrick Maryland fell to the Rebels Confederate Forces. Stonewall Jackson, the famous and brilliant Rebel Confederate General was marching his troops through the city, when they came across a house flying an American Flag from an upper window.

As one does when occupying a conquered city and encountering a symbol of defiance, Jackson halted his column, and had every man load and fire, in volley, at the offending flag. Enter Barbara Fritchie, 90 years old: As the torn flag on its shattered pole began to fall, she leaned out the window to near death and snatched it up and then held it up high in full defiance.

According to John Greenleaf Whittier, her 90 year-old voice rang out:

“ Shoot if you must this old gray head, but spare your country’s flag, she said”.

Stonewall Jackson, a gentleman as much as a general, and a civilized man who understood putting principles before life said,

“Who touches a hair on yon gray head, dies like a dog!”
“March on!” he said.

Whittier then concludes

“ All day long through Frederick street
Sounded the tread of marching feet:

And through the hill-gaps sunset light
Shone over it with a warm good-night…

One, from Thurber’s illustration anyway, visualizes this tough ol’ biddy holding that flag out the window for all the hours till sunset. Tired? Hell No!

They’re a dangerous breed, these old ladies…..good thing she didn’t have a shotgun that day.

For those who would to read the ballad themselves or would like to see Thurber’s illustrations (which I highly recommend) I have included a link below.

It is in fact a link to many of Thurber’s stories which you may want bookmark. He makes for lovely light reading on a wintery day or evening….

https://www.fadedpage.com/books/20170801/html.php#ch60

Stoatie – I just got marked as Spam after I attempted an edit on an admittedly too long post with a link in it..

Would you please take a look and see if Akismet is just being snotty again? I haven’t fallen astray with him for a long time, now and in fact thought the old bastard had retired.

Thanks

I have kicked your magnum opus out of the spam bucket, Some Veg. Sorry about the company you had to keep. There’s some weird ol’ spammers in there!

Thanks Ms Weasel – perhaps a bit heavy on the Opus and a bit light in the Magnus… but anyhow, thanks.

As for the time in the Spam Bucket, well, I’ll be in the bath for a while.

Some Vegetable: “the Rebels Confederate Forces.”

Is this some sort of inverted political correctness? Because then you need to go down to Ole Miss and protest the “Rebels” athletic teams, and then over to Bardstown to protest “Rebel Yell” bourbon.

BTW, I first thought the picture was Lilian Gish in The Night of the Hunter.

Rich – I was trying to be a bit polite to the Southerners who might prefer the term. In our family we always called them rebels since my ancestor, who was in the Union’s 62nd Pennsylvania was killed at Gettysburg. However, I assure you that I won’t be assed to try to be polite to you again. Never try to teach a pig to sing and all that.