Crazy Knitting Fool

Friday, June 02, 2023

Friday Funnies

I hope everyone enjoys the first weekend of June.

Thursday, June 01, 2023

Three on Thursday

As the month of June starts these are the things that I am currently thankful for.

1) Sunny skies and warm temps.

2) That I am making some headway into my backlog of podcasts and TV shows.

3) That it is my birthday month!

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Wednesdays Are For Knitting and Reading

On the knitting front I completed the April preemie hat a few weeks ago. I cannot remember the pattern and need to try and figure it out it I can.

I have started on the May preemie hat but still have quite a bit of work to do on it.

I have not touched the baby blanket and really need to get working on it.

On the reading front I finished both Tiny Habits and Game Face. For my non fiction book I have started How To Be Yourself and for my fiction book it is Any Other Family. I won this novel through a giveaway at Good Reads. I have just started them so I do not have any insights into them yet.

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

True Life Tuesday: Robert Smalls

I know I say this a lot but this story would make a great story. I have seen many posts online that state the same thing.

Robert Smalls was born on April 5, 1839 in Beaufort, South Carolina. His mother, Lydie Polite, was a house slave. His father was not named but it is believed that he was the son of the owner, Henry McKee. Robert was raised in the house and was provided with a few more freedoms than the other slaves.

In 1851 the McKee's moved to Charleston, South Carolina. Robert was hired as a rigger on the waterfront and eventually became a sailor. In 1856 he married Hannah Jones, an enslaved hotel maid. She had one daughter and together they had a daughter and a son. Their son eventually died of smallpox. He attempted to buy his wife and children but failed.

In March 1861 he was hired as a deckhand on the Confederate supply ship the Planter. Over several months he studied how to navigate the ship and planned an escape. On May 13, 1862 he, along with 8 men, 5 women and 3 children (including his wife and children) sailed the Planter our of Charleston Harbor in the middle of the night. He successfully maneuvered the ship through 5 checkpoints before reaching the open sea and heading for the Union blockade. The ship was almost shot at by the crew of the USS Onward but they removed to Confederate flag and raised a white sheet. The documents on the ship provided the Union with extremely important information on the Confederate's plans.

Smalls' story help lead President Lincoln to allow freed blacks to serve in the Union military. Congress also bestowed a $1500 prize to him. During the rest of the war he served as a captain in the Union Navy. He conducted 17 missions in the Charleston area. After the war he was made a brigadier general in the South Carolina militia. He bought his former owner's home and took in some of the McKee family who were now destitute.

Smalls ran a general store, a school for black children and a newspaper. He served as a delegate to the state's constitutional convention. From 1874-1879 he served in the US House of Representatives. In 1877 he was convicted of taking a bribe but he was eventually pardoned by the governor. He served as a US Customers collector from 1889-1911. He remained active in politics for the rest of his life. He died at home on February 23, 1915 of natural causes.

Monday, May 29, 2023

Monday Musings

I hope that you are enjoying your holiday weekend if you are in the US. I hope you had a chance to think about the reason for the day. Here are the things I am currently thinking about.

1) I LOVE my new vehicle. It is so nice to drive and not worry that something is going to happen.

2) My sister and I went to see Wicked yesterday. I had seen it before but with the events of the last few years it hit me differently this time.

3) Clark only has 2 weeks of school left. I cannot believe that he will be starting high school at the end of August.

Here are the pictures for this week.