MY GRANDDAUGHTER AND ME, "BRAGGIN RIGHTS." AND A LETTER

My granddaughter

I very seldom mention my grandchildren. They are all special to me. But I thought since my granddaughter is graduating this week from high school I would share a few things about her. 

So here goes my "braggin rights."She has had a successful tennis career so far. She recently was recruited by an eastern college to play on their college tennis team. Then she was accepted into their business school which is unusual for a student's first year of college where she is attending.

When she was six months old I was living a thousand or so miles from her. I sat down and wrote this letter to her. I knew she couldn't read it then but some day she could. 

I am still many hundreds of miles from her. 

So if you, my granddaughter are reading this post please read on -- it is the letter I wrote to you so long ago.

~ ~ ~

Today, I sit before a computer writing to you my six month old granddaughter wondering about our relationship, how we can connect together, you being so young and I much older with many miles between us. I want to be part of your life yet, for now it is not possible. Your mother and I have always been so close and she is so wonderful that I feel although I am not there with you she has enough of my love locked in her that she can share it with you.

How can we be soul mates? Fifty seven years lie between us. I ponder this dilemma and realize that we have collective philosophies contained within us established by the women in our blood lines that will surface with you in both small and grand ways. This will be our key to being soul mates. 

Perhaps when you make a decision to fight a battle based on intellectualism you will feel your strength arise from your family women source. Perhaps when you stand still on a hill feeling the wind drive hard against your young adult body you will know a sense of peace as family women felt on similar hills in previous generations.

Joy will come easy to you in small ways, laughter will spill out spontaneously, tears will come quickly over animals, small children and lost loves. We are an emotional bunch of women that dive into life with the zest of a marching band. We have gentle spirits and open hearts. So with this legacy you will be one with not only me but your grandmothers and great-grandmothers and back through all your family women of past generations. 

So when you find yourself sitting on that hillside feeling peace -- know that I along with all your family of women have silently gathered in spirit with you to soothe your soul.

~ ~ ~

WOMEN AND INEQUALITY

I, as an older woman, have long witnessed the upsurge of women demanding equality in all phases of their lives. For centuries forces of power have created unfair and inhumane practices toward women around the world. Some headway has been made but it has been slow. There is much work yet to be done. 

Yesterday, in Congress,  the Violence Against Women Act was reauthorized that included new provisions giving protections for gay, lesbian, transgender and Native American women of domestic violence. Here is an informative short article from the LA Times about the reauthorization.

As March is Women's History Month I am including a fine letter wrote by Ela Bhatt, member of the Elders. a group of independent voices not bound by any nation, government or institution. 

"Dear friends,

Many years ago, Mahatma Gandhi said: “Of all the evils for which man has made himself responsible, none is so degrading, so shocking or so brutal as his abuse of the better half of humanity; the female sex.”

Even in 2013, Gandhiji’s words ring too true. On 8 March we mark International Women’s Day, a day to remind our communities that women and girls still face so many obstacles: violence, discrimination, traditions that hold us back. Yet it is also a day of celebration, of recognition that if we can break down these obstacles, women can – and will – transform our societies.

I am inspired by the women peacebuilders from Sudan and South Sudan, with whom my fellow Elder Mary Robinson spent time last month. Even though they were separated by conflict and excluded from formal negotiations, they refused to be silenced. For years, they worked together to bring their communities’ concerns to their political leaders. And when their two countries have been mired in disagreements and hostilities, it is the women who have shown what peace looks like on the ground.

Peace is more than the absence of war. Peace is a condition enjoyed by a fair society; a condition which renders war useless. In my experience, in India and elsewhere, it is women who are essential to building this kind of peace. As I have said before, focus on women and you get a provider, an educator, a networker, a forger of bonds. Involve women, and you get the strong, equal, sustainable communities that give people an incentive to plan for the future and maintain a stable society.

We all want to live in a world that is freer, healthier, more prosperous and sustainable. As International Women’s Day approaches, let us ask how our sisters and our daughters can build it, from the ground up.

With best wishes,

Ela Bhatt"

View video below to find out more about THE ELDERS 

PARCHED! HOT AND DRY

In my younger years I would hear old men cussing the weather out, sweat pouring from their brows as they pushed hand mowers."Its just too dam hot," were the adult words uttered on the street. Then came the invention of home air conditioning that helped old timers survive the heat. Now they could take breaks from the heat by jumping into the house ever so often to cool down.

Women were mostly housekeepers in the non-air conditioned days of the 1940's and 1950's. As women, their responsibility was to try to keep the house fairly cool.

Women usually found that opening windows early in the morning while it was still cool allowed cool air to creep into their homes. Long about 10 a.m. they scurried around shutting all the windows and pulled the blinds and curtains. This locked in the cooler air and kept out the mid-day hot air. The house interior became like a dark tomb until late evening when the women scurried around again to open the blinds, curtains and windows letting in the night air. This routine of open, shut, open, became a daily pattern during the dog days of summer when I was young living in Michigan.

Now many years later, I live in Kentucky without AC. I thought I could tough out any temperature Mother Nature sent my way. But alas, I have now cried "uncle."

Today, when the temperature is supposed to reach 102 and continue its hot streak for days -- I will be enjoying my newly installed window air conditioner. I still feel some guilt about installing it.


ADDEDUM
Temps starting today -- 102 ranging up to 106 by Saturday. Please remember the wild critters, like the birds and butterflies, for their lack of water out there in those shrubs, lawns, and tree areas. Try and set some shallow pans of water under the trees and shrubs to help them survive during this dry hot spell.

TRADITIONAL APPLIQUE PICTORIAL QUILTS -- A SOUTHERN TRADITION

Pictorial Quilt 1898

Quilter --Harriet Powers

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Massachusetts

Bible Quilt -- 1886
"Adam and Eve Naming the Animals"
Quilter, Harriet Powers
Smithsonian, Washington D.C.

History repeats itself over time in all types of genera. In this case -- appliqued pictorial quilts. 

In the 1800s a Georgia woman of African-American descent created a quilt out of cotton panels and appliqued story pieces on them. Today she is considered the "mother of appliqued quilts." Two of her quilts are still with us in Boston and Washington  D. C. museums. These two quilts are the lone survivors of her work. Unless . . .

 Another quilt is known to have been created by Harriet Powers. The book This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces by Kara E. Hicks, provides the following information, "In 2009, a copy of an 1896 letter from Harriet Powers to a prominent Keokuk, Iowa woman surfaced . . . it (sic) describes a quilt made about 1882 that she called the Lord's Supper quilt. It is unclear if the presumably appliqued quilt still physically exists today. Given that two of Powers' appliqued quilts have survived for over 100 years, it is possible the Lord's Supper quilt could be in a collection." (Hicks)

"Wild and Wooley"
Pictorial Applique Wall Hanging Quilt
Creator -- Ms Betty

From the 1800s lets jump to a 2011. Here an appliqued wall hanging tells a contemporary garden story -- created by Ms Betty who is a member of the Berea Depot Quilters guild in Berea, Kentucky.  

Section of "Wild and Wooley"

Here we find the same idea of the Powers quilt of telling a story. The story appears to be about  gardening, home, food and insects all intertwined into a artistic blend of applique.

"Section of Wild and Wooley"

Pieced with many different colors and patterns the quilt does appear joyously wild with the use of wool appliqued pieces.

Section of "Wild and Wooley"

Such works of art such as the applique quilt reminds me of how women can avail themselves to artistically contribute their own personal stories.  

Harriet Powers truly was the "mother of appliqued quilts" who began a traditional art that she created over a hundred years ago. A traditional art that is still going strong today.

REFERENCES

Online Sources

The New Georgia Encyclopedia

Harriet Powers Quilt

Smithsonian National Museum, American History
Harriet Powers Quilt


Wikipedia Harriet Powers

Book Sources

Signs and Symbols African Images In African - American Quilts

by Maude Southwell Wahlman

This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces. by Kara E. Hicks,  Publisher: Black Threads Press

AN OLD APPALACHIAN WASH PORCH

Sunny days with a bit of a breeze were ideal for getting the family's clothes washed, dried and put away in appropriate spots during the early 1900s. 


An outdoor water pump on a covered back porch provided an outdoor room for the washing ritual by the women of some households. Lots of wash materials were gathered together on wash day. Such as a wash stand, a wringer with zinc metal tubs filled with water to rinse the clothes  and the proverbial scrub board and scrub brush to use on extremely soiled clothes or linens. An outdoor clothes line was close by for sun drying. 


It took up a big chunk of time during her day -- the washing, hanging, and folding -- but that was not all she did that day. Some of the other chores she might do were feed the chickens and hogs, weed the kitchen garden, darn socks, bake some bread, prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner, pluck some chickens, can corn relish, dry beans and corn cobs for their seeds, and watch after her children too. Plus more! Whew!


The photo above was actually the place where a woman did wash her clothes in the summers of the early twentieth century. The home now stands empty and will be torn down within the coming year  according to the present family owners. 

OLD WOODEN WASH HOUSE

OLD WASH HOUSE
MADISON COUNTY, KENTUCKY

I noticed this small, square, one-room, weather-boarded outbuilding several years ago. The property it sat on had a house, canning outbuilding and a wash house outbuilding -- all were vacant. I now can name  the outbuildings because I finally took the time to stop and ask about them.


I asked the next-door neighbor (to the property) about the two small outbuildings about twenty-five feet behind the vacant house. She had lived next to the house for most of her adult years. She said that the old folks who had previously lived there always called it their wash house. She gave me the name of the present owners that lived down the road so I rode down to talk with them.

OLD WASH HOUSE DOOR

One door wash house. 
Wooden door with four raised panels.

Similar to other doors from the early 1900s period. 

The owner gentleman said the property with house and outbuildings had been in his family as long as he could remember  He felt that the old buildings went back to the early 1900s. At that early date there would have been no electricity nor water lines out in this part of the country. Washing clothes would have been a large undertaking by the women of the house.

There was a large cistern on the property where they undoubtedly got their water for washing. And of course they would have to heat the water which could probably be efficiently done in their backyard. All the washing paraphernalia was probably stored in the wash house. Probably many of the early activities connected with washing clothes would have been carried on inside the small wash house in cold weather.

OLD WASH HOUSE WINDOW

Four pane, or also called lights, sash window. One in the front of the wash house, the other located at the very back. Window design similar to early 1900s. 

I need to say the word  "probably" often when I write about the use of the wash house as no one seemed to know that much about it. The neighbor knew that it was called a wash house. The new owner did not know what the outbuilding was called. He did say that he remembered family folks washing on the back porch of the main house in the summer. This is the extent of oral history I could obtain.

We cannot say for sure what went on in and around the wash house. I do know from research that this type of outbuilding has similar construction and size, as those listed in the Historic American Buildings Survey, National Park Service. 

WOMAN SCRUBBING HER WASH OUTDOORS
Courtesy : Franklin D. Roosevelt Library,  National Archives and Records Administration

I don't have a photo of an original family member doing wash. So, I found this early 1900s photo that will give one an idea of the washing accessories that were prevelent at the time. There are other types of accessories that can be found at this site -- which covers the 1800s to the early 1900s.

"Wash House"

Herman Farm, Washington, Maryland

Archival Photo

Historic American Building Survey

National Park Service

Department of the Interior

*Enjoy your automatic washer!

FLOUR SACKS AND A HISTORIC MILL

1924 Garrard Mill Paper Bag

At one time, many grist mills were located in rural settled areas where they milled grains. This provided fresh grains in the form of flour, feed, and  meal.  Local farmers brought their grain harvest to the mill and paid for the milling by giving the miller a portion of his harvest. The grist mill miller turned around and sold his share to area folks and  commercial establishments.

The 1901 Garrard Mill in Lancaster, Kentucky,  marked their grain bags with their logo (see above photo). They  also packed their flour in cotton cloth bags of various colored patterns -- women used this cloth to sew clothes or make quilts.

1901 Garrard Mill, Lancaster, Kentucky

The  Garrard Mill established delivery routes, much like the milk-man routes, which delivered the products of the mill. Grains were delivered in the logo printed large paper bags and flour in the patterned cotton cloth sacks.  Women would request certain patterns of the cotton cloth sacks for home projects they were working on. A common name for these cotton sacks was 'flour sacks." There was a ledger kept by the Garrard Mill with the customer's name and the type of patterns they needed. If the right patterns came along they would be delivered  to the customer .

Just perhaps some of the strip quilts that we see today have pieces of flour sack material in them?

Garrard Grist Mill was built in 1901 and was sold at auction in the latter part of the twentieth century. It is now in private hands and no longer mills for the area.


The Garrard Mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places


Resources:
Margaret Simson, Garrard Historical Society
Southern Folk Art and Antiques -- Photo -- Garrard Mill Bag

WOMEN TAKE OVER THE FARM WORK

MARCH IS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

FEMALE FARM WORKER WEARING THE OFFICIAL KHAKI UNIFORM
PROVIDED BY THE WOMAN'S LAND ARMY  MOVEMENT -- 1918
Library of Congress

Many young men in 1914 to 1918 left the farm to fight in WWI. These young males were recruited from farms where an estimated 38 percent of our population worked at that time. 

Folks in the states began to question how our country would fill the labor gap to produce our food. They were worried that it would probably result in food scarcity and rising food prices. 

Well,  the woman associated with the women's suffrage movement had an idea. Leaders from this movement stepped forward with a plan to recruit woman to fill the gaps on the farms. It would show the strength and discipline of women. 

WOMAN'S LAND ARMY RECRUITING POSTER -- 1918
Library of Congress

Farmers and politicians  were scornful of the idea. They characterized women as too weak to do the work. Eventually they came around to the idea. The women who worked the farms were dubbed the "farmerettes." The whole movement was called, The Woman's Land Army.

WOMAN'S LAND ARMY TRAINING ANNOUNCEMENT POSTER -- 1918
Library of congress

Leaders of the Woman's Land Army were from all walks of life --  the suffrage movement, labor movement, garden clubs, universities -- all helping  raise money to recruit volunteers. They bargained with farmers and won an 8 hour day with pay for the volunteer farmerettes. Thousand of women from all walks of economic lifestyles volunteered to work on the farms.


This movement displayed the strength, courage, and creativity of women. It also set the pattern that women could step in and fill the male labor gap. In WWII  woman workers performed male tasks in manufacturing plants. Their nickname was, "Rosie the Riveter."

 Below is a fine video about Women's History Month -- produced by the National Women's History Museum. 

Below are some resources that provide more information on the Woman's Land Army and Women's History Month.

BOOK RESOURCE

RESOURCE ORGANIZATION

National Women's History Museum

http://www.nwhm.org/

AFGHANS -- A WOMAN'S TEXTILE TRADITION

SMALL BOX OF OLD PATTERNS

Recently, a small box stuffed with patterns for quilts, afghans and needlepoint fell into my possession. As of today, I have not completely finished going through the material to see what all it contains but I recognized that most of the patterns were torn from pages of magazines dated during the 70s and 80s. That puts most of the box’s material in the range of 30 to 40 years old.

.

Now why would a small cardboard box filled with this kind of stuff interest me? Well, it wouldn’t have maybe 30 or 40 years ago but now it does. Why?  About in the early 90s I attended an older woman’s estate sale and spied a colorful afghan. For some crazy reason I was smitten with the colors and the workmanship that had gone into it. As perhaps some of you know, I do like women’s handwork -- but usually in the form of quilts. Afghans had never really appealed to me -- I had an instant change of heart as I carried away the beautiful estate sale afghan.

1970S WOMAN'S DAY MAGAZINE ARTICLE ON GRANNY SQUARES 

Since that sale I have been attempting (at a slow pace) to find out more about afghans. This box of patterns would perhaps contribute answers to several of the questions I had regarding them.

Old books about constructing afghans can be found in the library. But, they do not include what were some of the popular patterns over the past years -- or the social history surrounding them. So finding torn-out pages from magazines like Woman’s Day and McCall’s Patterns in the box gave me a snippet of information of what seemed to be popular --  it appeared that the crocheted granny square was the winner since the 70s and perhaps before? Or perhaps since I found this box in Kentucky, the granny square only reflects what was popular here?

BORDER DESIGN OF AFGHAN BELOW
UNIDENTIFIED PATTERN

Over the years the type I came to prefer were the granny squares. Also, I gravitate toward afghans with fringeless borders that are patterned with earthy colors of yarn. Many Kentucky quilts have earthy colors and I am assuming that perhaps their colors influenced Kentucky made afghans. 

After all these years, since I first found that afghan, I feel I am just at the starting line of figuring out their patterns --  knitted or crochet styles, and other attributes of  these wonderfully worked afghans.

UNIDENTIFIED AFGHAN PATTERN WITH CURVY BORDER

Perhaps, you have made afghans or someone in your family has. I do not have the ability to make such textiles as quilts or afghans. I can however stand back and admire afghans for what they represent. I label them in the category of woman’s traditions. They evidently have a role in women’s cultural history but little seems to be documented.  

CONTEMPORARY CRAZY QUILT BLOCKS -- ROUND ROBIN STYLE

CRAZY BLOCK MADE INTO A PILLOW

As I stepped into the Berea Appalachian Fireside Gallery this past August, I was met with a small exhibit of contemporary crazy quilt blocks. The blocks were artistic, diverse, colorful, and had particularly fine needlework. There was a sign near the quilt blocks that introduced the exhibit as "Out On The Line IV." The artists of the blocks were women from a group called The Berea Depot Quilters.

BLOCK MADE INTO A DISPLAY PIECE

The sign's information also stated that the blocks were made using the round robin method. I was totally unfamiliar with round robin. I contacted the quilt group and talked to Carol Ann White about the the method. Basically it is a few quilters working on crazy quilt blocks. 

A BLOCK IN THE MAKING

Above is an example of a block that is just beginning to be worked on. You can say it is pretty much in its raw state. As you can see the block has ten crazy quilt pieces. This means that ten quilters will be involved with working on this particular  block. Each crazy quilt piece of the ten pieces of each block will be assigned to one quilter who will add her unique needlework during the round robin. 


Each quilter will have a block of ten crazy pieces to be passed around simultaneously to all ten quilters  -- each quilter getting only one of the blocks at a time.


As each quilter has the block for a month it will take ten months for each of the  quilter's blocks to be finished. Each of the ten blocks will contain a collage of all the persons involved with this particular round robin. 


Hope this explanation is understandable -- please send me a comment with any questions about how to do this round robin.

LION DETAIL ON A FINISHED BLOCK

The lion block above displays some of the work accomplished on one of the blocks. Below are some of the individual blocks that were in the exhibit.

CRAZY QUILT STYLE ON A FINISHED BLOCK

WEB AND SPIDER SURROUNDED BY OTHER DESIGNS

MIX OF VIBRANT COLORS AMONGST THE CRAZY QUILT PIECES

A DELICATE ICE CREAM CONE SURROUNDED BY LACE

GARDEN VARIETY OF CRAZY PIECES 

BEE, BUTTERFLY AND FLOWER PIECES

LACE, 2009 DATE, AND A PORCUPINE

I felt the quilt blocks were both eye-catching and striking -- certainly a reflection of the quilter's love of their craft.


The quilters involved were: Rita Barlow, Pat Jennings. Linda Murdoch, Deannee Oliver, Barbara Taylor, Sarah Vaughn, Ginnifer Watts, Carol Ann White, and Jo Ann White.

COUNTRY STOOL REVEALS ITS LEGS

STOOL WORK SITE

The above photo might look a bit chaotic. It is because I am undressing a stool from a couple layers of upholstery  -- the upholstery dates from when these materials were added. A secret  was revealed when I found the third and last underlying layer.

I was at my favorite second hand shop cruising the aisles when I spotted this foot stool with an upholstered top. The upholstering was newish and rather awkwardly tacked to the top of the footstool. -- ugly, I thought. 

But wait, those legs! I picked up the stool and turned it over to get a look at the legs. The legs were cherry,  simply cut into a curve similar to forms of the late Empire/early Victorian country style. Could it be, I thought, that this actually is a country stool perhaps  150 years old?. I looked at the price -- $5.00! I always seem to find bargains when I really concentrate -- by looking through their age disguises. Here, in this piece, were legs that told me what it really was or so I thought. For $5.00 it would be worth taking home and undressing it to see if my hunch was correct.

SLINGING THE SECOND LAYER OFF 

The top layer of the stool was a blue check material (see top photo),  perhaps from the last few decades. It was aluminium stapled and brass tacked onto the stool. The second layer was a brown and beige diamond print that I estimate to be from the 1920s era. And the last layer was what you see in the photo above -- an old, early black velvet with needlework applied to the top. This handwork was very similar to that done by women in the mid to late 1800s. This was the secret of the stool. I never expected to find the original upholstered top!

MID to LATE-1800S SAW MARKS AND NEW REPAIR TO LEG

As I had determined that this was of country origin, I figured that the style along with the handwork put the age of the stool somewhere in the 1870s range. Underneath the stool's top were  old circular saw marks that were known to be used during the time-frame. A very new repair had been made to one of the legs apparently to stabilize it. The third velvet layer or last layer was affixed with handmade nails.

.Now one might say what do you want with a stool that has an old worn cover. Well, if one looks at an old piece long enough stories begin to emerge of how and when it was used. 

My story is that a young wife ordered the stool from a country carpenter while she made the simple velvet needlework top. A gift no doubt -- for her beloved husband. Now this is just a story that danced through my head but stories can be fun. 

STOOL AT CRONE STAGE

Here is the old early stool presented as it originally appeared so long ago. Of, course much worn by use and time. But still beautiful.

WHO WORE OUT A SPOT ON MY VELVET TOP?

And in the photo above is a large wear mark on one side of the stool. The husband undoubtedly used this stool for years because it had sentimental value for him. He was a very organized man as he always used the same side of the stool as the other side was not worn. 

The dainty red flowers , made with tiny crochet stitches, were worn flat. Small pieces of sewn ribbons formed the stems. She worked hard to make this lovely piece for her mother. Did I say mother -- oh, yes, maybe she made it for her mother? Its also a story that would fit the piece -- in fact, hundreds of stories can be called up. That is why I like pieces that are old and worn, it lets my imagination run wild.

AMERICAN IN PARIS

Annette, a friend from my high school days, has lived in Paris, France for more than thirty years. She recently sent me this photo she caught on her I-Phone. It is a street scene in Paris of three older woman sitting on a bench wearing coats of red, white and blue. Symbolically -- American in Paris.

I thought it a lovely photo not only for the symbolism for both Annette and I, but that the women were also of the age we both now have entered. And if I were to read a bit of fantasy thoughts into the photo, I would hopefully want these three women to be long-time friends with each other.

For good health one needs to eat right and exercise so the media and medical world tells us. Right food and exercise are fine but for over all well being -- friendship wins hands down.

Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold. -- Girl Scout song.

The better part of life consists of friendships -- Abraham Lincoln

GET A JOB -- MARCH IS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

PATRIOTIC POSTER PRINTED BY GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE FOR WWII
US MANPOWER COMMISSION
Source: US National Archives

WWII which began for the U.S. in 1941 and ended in 1945 needed women to fill traditional jobs heretofore held by men -- men that now were serving overseas in this huge war effort. The government's position was as follows:

These jobs will have to be glorified as a patriotic service if American woman are to be persuaded to take them and stick to them. Their importance to a nation engaged in total war must be convincingly presented. (Source, US National Archives)

So an all out national campaign began to persuade woman to fill men's vacated traditional jobs usually in factories. Factories that were being retooled to produce war machinery rather than items such as cars and appliances.

WOMAN RIVETER AT LOCKHEED AIRCRAFT, BURBANK CA
Source: US National Archives

White women gained employment in factory jobs easier that black women. In 1943 automotive plants had not hired any black women workers but were hiring black men. Corporations, under pressure from the government reluctantly hired black women.

VOCATIONAL SCHOOL IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
Photo: Howard R. Hallem
Source: US National Archives

Vocational schools were set up to train women in jobs important to the cause. Secretaries, housewives, and waitresses trained at these vocational schools for future war work.

WOMEN WAR WORKERS, WELDERS, SHIPBUILDING CORP., PASCAGOULA, MS, 1943
Photo: Spencer Beebe,
Source: US National Archives

During the peak of using women, 1943 to 1945, women only held 4.4 percent of traditional jobs in factories.

But this effort by women changed woman's role in our society. Dress habits of wearing slacks became more prevalent in woman's everyday wear. Women had shown their worth in traditional jobs that men usually held -- they proved they could handle most jobs presented to them. This work performance was the catalyst that slowly moved through our nation resulting in the woman's movement of the 1970s and -- the rest is history.