Verda Delp

Thinking about things:

An excerpt from January 19, 2011 The New York Times:

Dr. Smith’s Back Room

By CARLA L. PETERSON

My great-grand-aunt Maritcha Lyons, for example, reminisced in her memoir about a particularly popular meeting place for politically active blacks in the 19th century. “The store had a back room which was a rallying center,” she wrote, “it had a library and in there were held discussions and debates on all the topics of the day. The visitors had public spirit which had much to do in bringing about a more favorable state of things affecting the colored people of the state.” [click here to view the article.]

The Mulberry Street School, also known as the African Free School No. 2, where many of antebellum New York’s black leaders were educated.

I love this building. It is solid and square. And I love imagining its history--the generations of thought that have lived within this edifice. I think it is a fine image of a safe place for storing things.

It is nice to be at home this morning. I am at my desk with my coffee. [This is the most important time of my day: it is a time for what I call making order--or perhaps sorting--making order for a new beginning.] Desie is close by chewing on her bone and Goose is in Desie's bed napping. He is visiting while Shanan is away in Tahoe. [Hope he has good weather for skiing.] NPR is on--not sure what is being said, though. But no matter: I heard much of the news last night and early this morning while I could not sleep.

I have much on my mind to ponder and figure out and decide upon this Saturday morning. [Redundancy is purposefully rendered here.] Lots of sorting of images and words and feelings for archiving in their proper places in my mind/ memory. I am aware that I must be thoughtful [and careful] about how much space I provide for each of the these images and words and feelings, as I know their individual and combined space [and, in turn, their weight] most definitely matters, especially when one considers how one's memory is constructed and maintained/sustained and, perhaps most importantly, how one's memory affects one's sense of herself and her perception of others. And how she feels and acts.

Oh dear me. My words today are guarded [and hopefully benign] portrayals of my thoughts about things--[things mostly and intentionally unmentioned].