Moominmama's Adventures

Rochester, N.Y. and the Genesee River on a typical cloudy day! In which Moominmama wishes everyone a Happy Mothers Day and celebrates daughter's recovery from surgery... Moominmama is back to mothering for a short time and is pleased to report that all went well with older daughter's surgery. Daughter is experiencing some pain and general discomfort but also knows that this will pass. She remains in good spirits.  While she was getting some much-needed rest, I ducked out on a rare sunny afternoon for a walk in my all-time favorite park, Highland Park. This time of year, it is spectacular, and I'm happy to be here to watch the lilacs come into full bloom in the coming days and weeks.  For those of you who don't know Rochester's Highland Park, it is home to about 1,200 lilac bushes, representing 500 different varieties.  Over 50 new varieties have been developed by horticulturists here but some of the original bushes, dating back to 1892, also remain. Though Rochester...

Wherein Moominmama visits the birthplace of the civil rights movement and comes face to face with the violent history of racism... Driving the Moominhouse over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma gave Moominmama the chills. For some reason, I thought the iconic bridge would be preserved as a monument and not still serve as the everyday route to Montgomery! But there are markers and memorials at the bridge and along the road to honor the march for voting rights in March of 1965.  Unfortunately, the main "interpretive center" on the road to Montgomery was closed due to COVID, though an outdoor display board noted that the site was once home to a tent city for Black families -- sharecroppers who were kicked out of their homes for seeking to vote.  Come nightfall, the display noted, angry Whites often drove by and fired shots into the encampment. There is no turning away from the history of violence that marks the legacy of racism in this country. A visit to the Legacy Museum and t...