THE PLANTS SAY IT'S AUGUST

Even without a calendar these plants would tell you it’s August here in Ohio.

The Ragweed plants, both Common as seen here and Giant, grow in abundance in fields and along roadsides. The flowerheads have begun to release pollen. They peak during the last two weeks of this month and the first two of September but will continue to some degree untill October or a killing frost. If you’ve noticed that your nose is running and your eyes seem tired or itchy these guys are probably why.

The Morning Gloys have intertwined with the corn climbing 10 feet or so. Their flowers can be blue, purple, pink, or white.

The leaves of the Buckeye trees are turning. One of the first trees to leaf out in the spring they begin changing in August. RMB

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A BLACK SWAN

The Black Swan is a large waterbird which can have a wingspan of six feet. Native to Australia, it is an official state emblem of Western Australia and also a symbol for the Aboriginal people.

Discovered in 1697 by Dutch explorer William de Vlamingh, Europeans were astounded that they existed as they had only seen white swans. Thus, in what is called the “Black Swan Theory”, a black swan is also defined as a large-impact, unpredicted event such as the 9-11-01 attack on the United States.

Black Swans were introduced to Europe and America as ornamental waterbirds but some such as this one, seen at Acton Lake, have escaped into the wild. RMB

GGGGGGGGGGGGREAT-GRANDFATHER’S BAPTISM

The Piscataway were a native people of the Algonquian linguistic group who once occupied the peninsula of lower Maryland between the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay, northward to the Patapsco, including the present District of Columbia.

Kittamaquund (alternative spellings include Chitomachon) a name said to mean "Big Beaver", was an important Piscataway warrior and the younger brother of Wannas. Wannas served as the Piscataway's Tayac (a Piscataway word meaning "Emperor" or "ruler of all the chiefs), when Governor Leonard Calvert arrived in 1634.

Kittamaquund and his followers knew that Wannas mistrusted the English and believed that he might lead the Piscataway to war against the colonists so in 1634, Kittamaquund killed his brother and became Tayac in his place. Kittamaquund led his people to peaceful ties with the Marylanders as he sought the benefits of the English fur trade and a military alliance that might provide a degree of protection against their enemies, the Susquehannocks.

Jesuit Father Andrew White, superior of the mission, composed a grammar, dictionary, and catechism in the Piscataway dialect. Kittamaquund liked Father White, and invited the priest to live with his family. Later Kittamaquund became ill with a disease that tribal medicine men could not cure. Father White treated him with English medicine and he recovered.

In gratitude Kittamaquund allowed Father White to instruct him in Christianity. He also adopted the colonists' style of clothes and learned to speak some English. Kittamaquund converted to Christianity and was baptized along with his wife and daughter on July 5, 1640. Governor Leonard Calvert, other Maryland officials, and Piscataway leaders all attended the ceremony. At the baptism, depicted in this drawing, the priest gave Kittamaquund the Christian name of Charles, his wife and daughter were both given the name Mary.

Kittamaquund's daughter Mary was entrusted to Margaret Brent to educate. When Mary became a teenager she was wed to Giles Brent. They had a daughter Katherine who wed Richard Marsham, whose daughter Mary wed Charles Beaven, whose daughter Catherine wed Henry Culver, whose daughter Margaret wed John Peerce, whose son Henry wed Verlinda Semmes, whose daughter Anna wed Peter Higdon, whose son James wed Delia ?, whose daughter Mary Katherine wed Thomas Higdon, whose daughter Mary Ellen wed William Coomes, whose daughter Susan Katherine wed Isaac Owen, whose daughter Sadye wed James McCellan Browne, whose son James Harold wed Helen Elizabeth Furnas. Which I figure makes me about one ten thousandth of a percent Native American and eligible to start a gambling casino in Baltimore should I care to do so. RMB

GREENVILLE FALLS

Greenville Falls are located on Greenville Creek just to the west of Range Line Road near Covington, Ohio. From this location the creek flows northeast about a mile or two then empties into the Stillwater River which joins with the Great Miami down to the Ohio into the Mississippi and out the Gulf of Mexico.

The first mention of the falls are found in the journals of Anthony Wayne mainly because they were an obstacle to navigation for the supply line that served the Fort at Greene Ville.

Although swimming is now prohibited, for years the falls were enjoyed by kids during the hot days of summer.

A small park, the entrance to which is found on Gettysburg Road, allows access to the overlook from which this picture was taken. RMB

CARRIAGE HILL FARM

Located north of Huber Heights, Ohio Carriage Hill Farm is part of the Five Rivers MetroParks System of Montgomery County.

In 1831, Daniel and Catherine Arnold bought land from Henry Harshbarger.

A two-story log house already existed on the property when the Arnolds arrived via a dry creek bed in their oxen pulled wagon. It would be years later before the brick farmhouse seen here would be built.

The farm is maintained to resemble the way it would have looked around 1880.

The livestock raised by the Arnolds included Merino Sheep and Poland China Hogs. RMB

THE MODEL T FORD

Contrary to what many believe Henry Ford did not invent the automobile or the assembly line but his Model T did transform the World. Prior to its introduction in 1909, motorcars were for the most part playthings of the rich. President Wilson once stated that nothing had done more to create division between the classes in America than had the automobile. By 1914, with 300 auto manufacturers doing business, Ford was producing more cars than the other 299 combined. When the "T" ended production in 1927, the Ford Motor Company was finishing the building of a car every 24 seconds.

Robert and Helen Furnas stand on the running board of their Uncle Charlie's Model T.

If Ford ever said "you can have any color you want as long as it's black" is unknown. However not all Model Ts were black, in fact black wasn’t even available during the first year of production when the model selected determined the color, touring cars for example were red. After 1913 all Model Ts were painted black until 1926 when, due to declining sales, other colors were once again made available. RMB