Sepia Saturday 551: The holiday season is upon us — and that’s when Molly’s Canopy traditionally takes a break in December so I can relax, kick back and recharge.
This year I was grateful for the sustaining power of my ancestors as I told their stories, and my own, during New York City’s terrifying coronavirus lockdown in March-April — then through the months of reemergence as we learned how to stem contagion with masks, distance, outdoor activity and good hand hygiene.
The sustaining power of ancestors
When I began the year blogging about my fall 2019 research Albany — then continued with stories about my maternal German Stoutner ancestors — I had no idea what lay ahead. Then I stopped blogging altogether for a couple of weeks in March.
But the April A-Z Challenge drew me back to the page with Endwell: My Elementary Years fond memories about my early childhood there in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
And as the coronavirus swept the world, I turned to a series I had long wanted to write about my dad’s Uncle Albert Barney Charboneau who died in the last great global contagion — the 1918 influenza pandemic — and its parallels with our own viral outbreak.
Heartfelt thanks
Heartfelt thanks to my readers and relatives who followed along and shared valuable observations each week (among them the Sepia Saturday regulars).
Your visits, comments and solidarity helped me continue blogging on Molly’s Canopy through a difficult year for us all — and renewed my hope that the New Year will be just as fulfilling as new vaccines roll out to end our long quarantine.
Happy Holidays to you and yours from Molly’s Canopy! Please stop back in January 2021 when regular blogging resumes. Meanwhile, please visit the blogs of other Sepia Saturday participants here.
© 2020 Molly Charboneau. All rights reserved.
