“She was the best flatfoot dancer I’d ever seen.” (page 93)
The video below is a full-length documentary produced by legendary musician and folklorist Mike Seeger (1933-2009). This page from the Smithsonian Institution gives more background on the film.
“She was…a whiz at playing Trivial Pursuit.” (page 95)
Trivial Pursuit was–and still is–a popular board game that first appeared in 1981. The brief video below demonstrates how the game works:
“…I was diagnosed with juvenile ALS.” (page 96)
ALS is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, involves a gradual and inevitable loss of motor function. As the body’s motor neurons stop working, muscles also begin to atrophy; this can eventually lead to respiratory failure, which is often the cause of death in ALS patients. The video clip below is the trailer for a documentary movie about football player Steve Gleason who was diagnosed with ALS in his thirties.
“The Percocet pills for her arthritis pain were missing after your mama had left.” (page 96)
Percocet is one of the many opioids that are used, both legally and illegally, to control pain. Other drugs in that category include morphine, codeine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, fentanyl, and others. The talk below is powerful testimony by a man who became addicted to his medication.
“Finally, it was time for me to go into nursing care at the Virginia Veterans Care Center in Roanoke.” (page 97)
The Virginia Veterans Care Center (VVCC) provides affordable, high quality, comprehensive nursing, short-term rehabilitative, and long term care options to Commonwealth of Virginia residents who are admitted to the VVCC.
“… you will surely hear a Carter Family song that asks ‘Will the circle be unbroken by and by?'” (page 97)
The Carter Family is a multi-generational family of musicians from Southwest Virginia. The original members (A. P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter) made their first records in Bristol, Tennessee in the Summer of 1927. These were part of the so-called “Big Bang” of country music, the first recordings to receive widespread popularity. They were very popular and enormously influential with many musicians since then.
The tradition still lives on at the Carter Family Fold in Scott County, Virginia.
One of the Carter Family’s best-known songs is “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” (sometimes sung as “Can the Circle Be Unbroken?”)
“Deganawida planted a white pine he called the Great Tree of Peace.” (page 101)
The story of Deganawida is a very important, but little-known, part of American history. Along with the better-known Hiawatha, he united and brought peace to a number of warring tribes of the Iroquois nation in what is now New York State. For this he is sometimes called the Great Peacemaker. Many of the Founding Fathers of the United States–including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Paine–were influenced by Deganawida’s achievements, and incorporated some of his ideas into the United States Constitution.
The video below describes the importance of the White Pine in American history and as part of the forest environment of North America.
“That tree was one of my ancestors.” (page 101)
In this TED Talk Suzanne Simard discusses the growing understanding of how trees communicate and cooperate in the forest.
“I want to write stories for children like Beatrix Potter did.” (page 104)
Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) was a writer, illustrator and conservationist. She is best remembered for her best-selling children’s books, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
“Dr. Seuss books.” (page 104)
The main website for Dr. Seuss is appropriately enough called Seussville. In addition, here are 63 facts about Theodore Seuss Geisel.
“She was a mycologist as well as a children’s author.” (page 105)
A mycologist collects, researches, and classifies fungi, including molds, yeast, and mushrooms.
Here’s a page about Beatrix Potter’s activities as a mycologist. The illustration is one of the many that Beatrix Potter made of mushrooms.
“I aspire to be a scientist and a conservationist–sort of like Jane Goodall.” (page 106)
Jane Goodall is considered the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees, after 60 years studying the social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees. In 2020 the National Geographic Society mounted an exhibit of her life and career, and produce a virtual tour of the exhibit for all to see.
“I’m an Eastern Box Turtle” (page 108)
Also known as the Woodland Box Turtle, this animal is one of the most frequently encountered reptiles in Virginia.
Photo credit: 8133115 © Aughty Venable | Dreamstime.com
“I couldn’t even understand the words: Adeste fideles…”
When Jet hears people singing a Christmas carol in Latin, he can’t understand the words. This video shows the lyrics in Latin and English to the carol many know as “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”
“I joined her and watched as she picked up a few ants in her beak…” (page 116)
Yes, strange as it may seem, crows really do take ant baths:
“What’s the plan?” I asked (page 124)
Crows like to play and get into all sorts of mischief. The crows in this video with black and gray markings are probably European Hooded Crows.
Suzann Albright 