It has been several years since I last posted anything. Life has a way of imposing its own will on us. For me, it was assuming primary caregiver responsibilities for my elderly parents. In 2016, my mom’s dementia progressed to the point where she was no longer safe living independently. In consultation with her doctors, her Hospice of the Western Reserve team, my siblings, and her, we decided she needed to be in a more structured environment.
Mom was not happy with the change but, as the dementia became more pronounced, she only remembered the places she lived in when she was a kid. Mom died 28 December 2018. Mom and Dad are at the National Cemetery in Rittman, Ohio.
It took me awhile to adjust to not being on call 24/7 and that took most of 2019 - it’s an odd experience trying to figure out what one’s new normal is after the caregiving experience.
2020 started out on a positive note. My LGBT Legal Issues at Case Western Reserve University School of Law started well. I was fortunate to have an excellent cross-section of students. And, with several cases pending in the U.S. Supreme Court, there was no limit to the issues open for discussion. Spring break, in March, saw Betsy and me headed to Halifax, England. We wanted to visit Shibden Hall and meet Helena Whitbread for tea. Helena is the author of The Secret Diaries of Anne Lister, Volumes 1 and 2. And, she is a remarkable woman.
I started participating in the West Yorkshire Archives Anne Lister Transcription Project in 2019 and that led us to Halifax. Having first learned of Anne Lister in the early 1970s I was eager to visit Shibden as it was Anne Lister’s ancestral home. She is considered the first “modern lesbian” and is the subject of Sally Wainwright’s brilliant show, Gentleman Jack. Lister left behind 26 volumes of her journal detailing her life and loves - in plain hand and her own coded crypt hand. On March 30, 1834, she and Ann Walker took the sacrament together in church in York in what is considered the first same-sex marriage in England. They remained together until Lister’s death in 1840.
That trip was followed by the last 5 months of a home-stay because of the pandemic.
However, there remains much to do for the LGBTQ+ community and keeping abreast of recent developments is at the forefront.
Mom was not happy with the change but, as the dementia became more pronounced, she only remembered the places she lived in when she was a kid. Mom died 28 December 2018. Mom and Dad are at the National Cemetery in Rittman, Ohio.
It took me awhile to adjust to not being on call 24/7 and that took most of 2019 - it’s an odd experience trying to figure out what one’s new normal is after the caregiving experience.
2020 started out on a positive note. My LGBT Legal Issues at Case Western Reserve University School of Law started well. I was fortunate to have an excellent cross-section of students. And, with several cases pending in the U.S. Supreme Court, there was no limit to the issues open for discussion. Spring break, in March, saw Betsy and me headed to Halifax, England. We wanted to visit Shibden Hall and meet Helena Whitbread for tea. Helena is the author of The Secret Diaries of Anne Lister, Volumes 1 and 2. And, she is a remarkable woman.
I started participating in the West Yorkshire Archives Anne Lister Transcription Project in 2019 and that led us to Halifax. Having first learned of Anne Lister in the early 1970s I was eager to visit Shibden as it was Anne Lister’s ancestral home. She is considered the first “modern lesbian” and is the subject of Sally Wainwright’s brilliant show, Gentleman Jack. Lister left behind 26 volumes of her journal detailing her life and loves - in plain hand and her own coded crypt hand. On March 30, 1834, she and Ann Walker took the sacrament together in church in York in what is considered the first same-sex marriage in England. They remained together until Lister’s death in 1840.
That trip was followed by the last 5 months of a home-stay because of the pandemic.
However, there remains much to do for the LGBTQ+ community and keeping abreast of recent developments is at the forefront.
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