Farmington Canal Lock #12

The Farmington Canal was constructed in the 1825 to transport goods from the New Haven harbor to interior towns in Connecticut and Massachusetts. When trains provided better transportation the canal was abandoned. A railroad was built along the canal's right of way in 1848. Lock #12 is the only preserved lock remaining in the canal system. Lock #13 is located in Hamden and has never been restored. Lock #12 is designated as an historical site that includes a museum. The canal line has been converted from rails to trails for recreation.

I went to the site yesterday and took some photos of the lock. The snow drifts made interesting patterns.

Seasonal Reflection

I am always endeared by Dicken's A Christmas Carol. We are presented a tragic hero in Tiny Tim, the youngest in the Cratchett Family. He is portrayed as a sage who reflects during the Christmas Eve worship that his presence will remind people of the birth of the one who made cripples walk. He embodies the true spirit of Christmas whereas Scrooge lacks it.

Tiny Tim and the story came to mind on Tuesday when I was assigned to assist a student with cerebral palsy. He has a wonderful smile that brightens everyone he meets. He uses a walker to move through the school. The faculty and the students make allowance for his zig zag progression through the corridors. What impresses me the most is the reception he receives from the other students. He is valued by his classmates. This has impressed me the most. So much is known about bullying and cruelty in the schools. How wonderful to witness the inclusiveness for this boy. Children can be humanized when they have a child with disabilities with them. He doesn't evoke pathos as Tiny Tim but he does in a way embody the Christmas spirit. He is gifted in his special way. I feel privileged to meet him and work with him for one day.

Memorial Garden

By chance today I traveled into the neighborhood. I was curious to visit the garden where the house once stood. The events of that crime will forever chill us. I won't write about the details of the crime. It was the heinous crime ever commited in Connecticut. A home was burglarized and its inhabitants were held hostage. The wife and two daughters were murdered. The husband is the only survivor. One of the perpetrators is in the penalty phase of his trial where the jurors will either impose a life sentence or death. Today the closing arguments were presented in court. The deliberation will begin tomorrow.

I choose to write about the garden. The house was damaged in the fire set by the perpetrators and demolished. The property may still belong to the survivor. Undoubtedly no one planned to construct a new home in its place. The community felt a sense of reverence for the land similiar to a place where marytrs were slained. A memorial garden was planned and it is maintained. The victims were contributors. Both daughters were involved with the cause of multiple sclerosis on behalf of their mother who was diagnosed with it.

It rained today so I could not walk through the garden. In spite of the violence the garden is serene. It is a tribute to what the victims tried to accomplish while they were alive.

 

 

 

Theme in Yellow by Carl Sandburg

Theme in Yellow
by Carl Sandburg

I spot the hills
With yellow balls in autumn.
I light the prairie cornfields
Orange and tawny gold clusters
And I am called pumpkins.
On the last of October
When dusk is fallen
Children join hands
And circle round me
Singing ghost songs
And love to the harvest moon;
I am a jack-o'-lantern
With terrible teeth
And the children know
I am fooling.