Thursday, November 15, 2018

Tis the Gift

Happy Poetry Friday!


How are you navigating November?  As I was casting around for an idea for today's post, the Shaker song, Tis the Gift to be Simple caught me. 

On Monday, my family gave me a day to go history hunting. I drove into West Virginia coal country. In 1934, this area was hit hard during the Great Depression.

Demand for coal had dropped off after WWI, oil was on the scene diminishing demand even more, labor fought with business and then the stock market crash sent everything into a downfall for years. Miners laid off out in Scott's Run WV weren't used to making more than company script. There was no safety net save Mother Nature.

Arthurdale was a homestead project of FDR's New Deal. It was considered a hand-up rather than a hand-out by policy makers of the time trying to prime the pump of the economy while stemming the tide of widespread unemployment and specific homelessness and dire conditions in Scott's Run. There are millions of details and decades of detail to learn about Arthurdale.

Arthurdale was very much Eleanor Roosevelt's project. She poured her heart and soul into the 165 homesteads--of which 162 are still standing and inhabited today.

My time poking around one of her projects was a gift. The snapshots below of are my time there.









And bonus? One of the books I listened to on my ride was The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo......just before she won the National Book Award this week. Another gift.

Please don't miss the Poetry Friday Round-Up at Linda B's Teacher Dance. You won't be sorry.

15 comments:

  1. Educator extraordinaire you are, dear Linda. Of course I didn't know of Arthurdale. Appreciations.
    And this song is one we sing in women's circle, so I just sang it out loud now. Sigh. I feel peaceful & calm from it.

    More T.Y., with hug.

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  2. Thank you for sharing about your wonderful trip to this place Arthurdale. I love hearing the history of that time, hard as it was, the people were so inspiring. You might enjoy "Food of A Younger Land", telling of lost WPA interviews, by Mark Kurlansky, Linda. And, my continuing students sang "Tis The Gift To Be Simple" at their continuation ceremony. I love the way you wove that 'gift' into your post. Plus, wow, The Poet X. That choice was serendipity for sure. Happy Thanksgiving, Linda.

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  3. Beautiful quilt!! Looks like you had a great time, exploring a fascinating bit of history. They worked so hard to help people who were struggling, didn't they? Inspiring.

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  4. How wonderful that you were able to spend the day exploring Arthurdale! I love how you blended your photos together with the lyrics of Simple Gifts. They are a perfect pairing. Thank you for sharing your visit with us!

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  5. Linda, it was so much fun to read this post after having read some iterations of your Eleanor Roosevelt project. I know you must have found some fascinating material on this field trip.

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  6. Wow! Your photos combined with the lyrics are just wonderful. The more I learn about Eleanor Roosevelt, the more impressed I am. I'm glad you had the opportunity to explore Arthurdale--and share it with us!

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  7. Thank you for bringing us along for a glimpse into your travels. I love how the song fits the topic--makes me want to visit, too!

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  8. What a wonderful post!! Loved every bit. Your photos with lyrics are beautiful. And so interesting to learn about Arthurdale.

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  9. A moving and lovely tribute, Linda. The photographs and lyrics were so evocative.

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  10. Thanks for a trip into our past and this intriguing post Linda–that's a beautiful song and it fits so well with the images. We could use a few Arthurdale's today…

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  11. Such a lovely photo poem essay.
    I just listened to Poet X too. I loved it!

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  12. Love, love, love this, Linda! A brilliant idea from brilliant minds -- your's, FDR's and Eleanor's. We are headed back out to Hyde Park early Friday morning. Will be thinking of you! xx -- Christie @ https://wonderingandwondering.wordpress.com/

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  13. Sounds like a wonderful trip... thanks for sharing Arthurdale with us (and of course, now I am singing 'Tis a gift!)

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  14. That's one of my favorite songs. And thanks for the wonderful photos of Arthurdale. I'd never heard of that amazing place before.

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