dual personalities

In an attempt to keep nature  from taking over, we’ve undertaken a major renovation of our cottage. The builders have exhibited amazing fortitude in the face of deer flies, mice, ants, and all manner of nasty invaders, and they are prevailing! It’s a long way from finished but I think these pictures will give you an idea of what they’ve accomplished. When they took off the old cedar siding they discovered that there was neither wooden framing nor insulation underneath! The siding was basically nailed to the wallboard. Our contractor told us he could distinguish about 12 building stages around the property. We knew it was bad but his pronouncement gave new meaning to the old north country adage that houses are usually built by “two men and a case of beer”. Here is one of the workers putting up framing.

And here’s stage two:

and stage three:

The final cladding will be board and batten painted dark green with white trim. Here’s a picture of the nearly finished garage so you can get an idea.

They haven’t put up the battens (the strips that cover the seams between boards) in this picture and the final paint color will be darker green, but what an improvement!

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the labor — most of which has been nasty, hot, and exhausting — that has gone into this project. Monday is Labor Day. Let’s not forget what it’s for! Let’s give a shout-out to all those who work long and hard to make our lives better, whether in the field or in a cubicle!  Remember what Theodore Roosevelt said: “No man needs sympathy because he has to work, because he has a burden to carry. Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

Oh, yes…and don’t forget to pour a libation to the wind and the fairies.

*George MacDonald

Yesterday was women’s equality day or something like that. I don’t usually pay attention to artificial ’cause X’ days but yesterday got me thinking about important women from times long past. And while I would not deny that throughout much of history regular women have had a hard time being heard, I would venture to say that exceptional women have always been right in the thick of things with the men. Take the 18th dynasty pharaoh, Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt after her husband died.

Okay, she did have to depict herself as a man sometimes and they did erase her name after she died, but while she ruled, she ruled!

And let’s not forget that wonderful Assyrian, Naqi’a, who became the power behind the throne while her son, Esarhaddon, ruled. Here she is depicted on a bronze relief that is now in the Louvre. She is standing behind the king and they are performing a ritual. The rarity of the scene — nothing else like it has ever been found — attests to her power.

In 5th century BC Athens, Pericles’ mistress, Aspasia, gained the public’s admiration through her intellect, social sophistication, and looks — just like the men of the time. How do you think Alcibiades or Pericles himself got so famous?

Centuries later, Cleopatra VII became infamous for killing her relatives and having affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.

She wasn’t a nice person, but as a queen she couldn’t afford to be any different from her male competitors, who weren’t nice either. Everyone used guile, sex, wit, and charisma to gain power. They still do. Let’s not forget that none of these powerful women went out of their way to help other women. And that is not something that you can blame entirely on men. Recognizing the power of the people, Caesar, at least, made reforms to help them out.

I read a lot of complaints that women get judged more harshly for doing the same things that men do. Perhaps that’s true, but in my view, bad behavior is bad behavior no matter who does it. I’ve never celebrated men for lying, cheating, using their bodies to get ahead, or being wholly self-serving. Charm and beauty are nice — it’s how you use them that matters.  Maybe we’d do better to emphasize that.

*Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra