WHAT WILL HAPPEN - - - -

 Tuesday, October 19, 2021,

Bright cold sunlight fills the home rooms.                        That gives me good feelings,                                                     - - - and makes the cat intensely curious.                   

Who knows what's ahead?

I have a deadline.

A few ideas are wiggling in my brain - like small rubber balls that won't stop bouncing back and forth.... while my deadline presses.

Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Traveling Inside Myself

Traveling Inside Myself

Recently I watched the movie Night Train to Lisbon featuring actor Jeremy Irons.

I had seen it but as I watched it did not recall the story yet I felt that there was something 

in it I wanted to "catch' again. And - there was.

The story is a mix of mystery, romance, and discovery set in Lisbon in a non-specific modern 

time. The characters too are rather universal and yet non-discript. Their soft identities do 

not take away from the stor. The Irons character, a middle-aged professor, saved a girl from 

jumping off a bridge in Bern. She runs away and he impetuously hops on a train to follow her 

to Lisbon, to find her and to discover her story. You guess soon into the movie that who he 

eventually finds, along with an interesting story, will be himself.

The key to the search for the girl is a haunting memoir by a young doctor - the other driving 

character. For me the heart of the story rests in the book.

All of this was familiar as I re-visited the movie ...then in the ending and I found what I was 

looking for - a piece of verse:

I spent some time today recapturing it. I don't want to lose it again be cause the poem tells 

me why I am tied to memoirs and to capturing my past. It is the reason for my own personal 

searches and now at 85 years old I have a lot of ground to cover as I find bits of myself and 

quilt them together.

This is the passage of one of the characters in the film who writes into his journal which will 

come his book. 

We leave something of ourselves behind in a place we have been. 

We stay there even though we go away. 

There are things in ourselves we find again only by going back there. 

There are things in ourselves we find again only by going back there.

 ( Collage by Ellouise Schoettler )

 

 

 

Starting today I will add stories, essays and videos to my ellouisestory Blog.

Take a Trip with Me

• OCTOBER 1, 2021
• NEW EPISODES

Join Ellouise Schoettler, host of Stories In Time At Home on a long ago trip to Athens, Greece. 

She was transported to Greece as a member of a group trip with her husband, Jim. 

Watch as she tells about her fear of the water, and admits how she faces that anxiety with Jim’s help when she is forced to jump onto the ship. 

Learn about the momento she bought to mark the occasion ----- and learn what's happened to it 22 years later.

Check out this episode of Stories In Time At Home below, or on MMC’s YouTube channel and subscribe!

 

 

HANG IN - KEEP WALKING.

October 1, 2021

You probably know that people in Tenn don't enjoy wearing masks which makes them on a chancy edge which is not completely safe from Covid - - -  so I have been advised by my doctor in Maryland. "to stay home." No do not fly down to Tenn next week for a family gathering that I have been looking forward to attending. You can bet I will be holding back curses and tears.

To help me out with my disappointment I have had a wonderful two days at home - -  watching the National Storytelling Festival which uses zoom at home which protects us all.  Next year will be the 50th year of the Festival  so ........ lets all hope it will be open next year.

The stories which have wrapped me warmly have been great - funny and strong. And also - there is the pleasure of seeing many familiar storytellers and seeing new tellers. 

September 26, 2021

Its been quite a month - 

starting with deep memories of the horrors of September 11 and the losses of people where airlplanes were used to kill innocents. 

When the planes attacked the NYC buildings at the World Trade Center my husband Jim and I were in Italy. We had dreamed of a wonderful vacation but it turned into fear for people especially members of our family who were close-by. 

The day that the remembrances touched all - -  it especially opened  the story for  people who were too young to know what happened and why people care.

I cried as I heard names spoken, watched films and listened to personal stories.

On another one of these September weeks - we drove across a State line to take care of some business and to stop at a large impressive store where they gather orchard fruits daily. Delicious peaches and pears! Yes, the peaches are grand but its the pears that call  to me.

Soon my grandson's wedding will be in a State across a couple of state lines. I was happy and excited about  being there. But its all changed for me. When I talked with my doctor and she heard about my plans to go - my doctor said, "NO, you can't go. The people in that State are not required to protect themselves." Yikes. In my State I received the Vaccine in April. I have a collection of many masks, and keep safe distances from other people. Along with that I understand that older "grands" are safer if they protect themselves. Why are so many people ignoring the dangers and avoiding vaccines.

Something I really enjoy. My daughter and I have discovered a Roy Rogers place to pick up delicious fried chicken served with a paper cup filled with tasty "slaw". Its on the - Rockville Pike. Just thought to tell you.

Last Saturday my son and daughter went downtown with me to a beautiful small church on Capital Hill (DC)  - - to attend the funeral of a fine, generous doctor who met my husband as they arrived at the same time (1962) to serve at the hospital on Andrews Air Force Air Base. When Don and Jim completed their time in Air Force uniforms they remained in Washington and shared civilian medical offices for at least 30 years. 

This Saturday was a lovely sunny afternoon. The room was washed with color through the glass in a line of old windows. We had been here before for his wedding and - - in fact Jim had been Don's Best Man. This Saturday a gathering of his white haired friends wearing a collection of masks sang familiar hymns, colleagues talked of Don,  and his grandchildren were touching with their words of love.  We were there to represent Jim to his colleague and friend- and to say good-bye.

 

After the services the three of us talked to a few of  those who gathered. Then we drove from the center of DC to a small restaurant in a familiar neighborhood. It was a sweet place to sit out side to talk and share stories of Jim and Don - - and to laugh as they would. 

 

 

Granny's Birthday

"June 1 is a special day to me -remembering my dearest grandmother - Ellie Hall Keasler Baer - deep rooted in NC she is a loving woman who still means the world to me. I decided to use this picture because the dress has a story for me.

FINDING MORE ON A MEMORY

 

Finding More on a Memory

Last week I called the Carolina Room at the Main Library in Charlotte, NC where I always ask for research help and they were wonderful again. I came away with unexpected family history. From a 1937 city-information-book they found my maternal grandmother's Seventh Street address- along with her professional occupation - Manager of a Department at Montaldo's elegant women's clothing shop. I remember how she loved it there - and especially she loved packing for her yearly train trips to New York to select fine merchandise for the year. When I went to Montaldos to meet her I loved being drenched with wonderful perfume as I walked through the Tyron Street elegant entry. I remember the afternoon I stopped by to talk about the formal dress I needed . For Granny the reasonable solution was for her to help me try-on something beautiful --- that was perfect for me - to wear to the Junior/Senior dance at Central High School. Today was an afternoon filled with sweet memories.

• Ellouise Schoettler

  I was surprised to find this pair of photos shown together, The photo on the left was taken by my husband in my "at home"art studio.. I am not sure of the absolute date but think it was probably in the mid 1980s, when I had completed my ERA job and had more time to work in the studio. The picture on the right was taken at American University when I performed my Pushing Boundaries feminist story. All these personal finds help me getting my story together.

  
  

  When people responded I added their comments to their comments:

  

  8

  • 
    

    
    

    
    

    Like
  •  · 
    Reply
  •  · 1d
  •  · 
    Edited
  • Elizabeth Forbes Wallace

    Ellouise Schoettler

     I remember your performance that night surrounded by art that also pushed boundaries 

    

    1

    • Like
    •  · 
      Reply
    •  · 1d

  Active

  Write a reply…

  
  
• Karyn Page-Davies

  I remember the story you told of my Kilgore cousin that was, I think, a principal at one of the school's you attended in Charlotte at the luncheon we had at 1st Pres while you were at Stone Soup. I was sitting at the table with 3 of my cousins. We were blown away. You had walked around the church and noticed the Kilgore legacy within our church and added that story to your performance.

  • Like
  •  · 
    Reply
  •  · 1d

Active