Month: September 2025

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Simple and Meaningful Holiday Celebrations

L.M. Hosler

I’ve never been a person to have wild, noisy holidays.

When the new year begins, I usually am spending that day with family, or at least part of the day. I generally cook the traditional pork and sauerkraut with mashed potatoes for lunch. Pork and sauerkraut is supposed to bring you good luck and good fortune in the new year. Well this year, it certainly has brought me very little good fortune. Hopefully, next year will be better.

Then comes Valentines Day in February. This holiday is usually ignored. Sometimes, I may get together with other seniors at the senior center and have a good meal.

Saint Patrick’s Day comes in March. I get out the crock pot and cook a corned beef brisket. I add chopped potatoes and cabbage to the crock pot. Two of my children show up for that holiday. They like corned beef and cabbage.

Easter can come in either March or April. Then I cook turkey or ham with everything included. The whole works. The aromas of turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, side dishes fill the house. One of my favorite dishes to go with ham is baked pineapple. Depending on their spouses most of the children come for Easter. In the future I plan on going to church for Easter services.

Wood engraving Crucifixion of Jesus 1866 by Gustave Doré.

Memorial Day weekend is at the end of May. We used to always have a big family gathering with everyone bringing food. Always a lot of great food and family. Games are played for the young and the adults. Sometimes it’s volleyball or croquet. Other times it’s corn hole, or wiffle ball. One thing the young ones love to do is play in the creek nearby. And you will hear their parents remembering their younger days when they played in the creek.

July 4th as its name says comes in July. This holiday is spent celebrating in different ways. As a child were always excited for the July 4th parade. Sometimes, we participated in the parade in one way or another. One time my son and his cousin dressed up as Betsy Ross and Uncle Sam. Another time he marched with his cub scout group. Times have changed over the years. The parade is still held on the 4th of July but I rarely get there. Now the small town where I live has yard sales that weekend all over town. So I either have a yard sale or I go browsing other yard sales. Then in the evening there are fire works held at the dirt racing track.

The next few months are quiet summer months with no holidays. Just hot summer months for beach vacations, swimming and trying to stay cool.

Halloween is the end of October when the weather has cooled down. I do almost nothing to celebrate Halloween. I am usually staying with an elderly lady who was a former teacher. She wants to see the dressed up kids. So I am the one who answers the door for her. I bring them inside to visit with her while handing out candy.

Thanksgiving comes in November. This is the day like Easter that I cook the big meal with everything and the kids come home. But it’s usually a nice quiet day.

Christmas as everyone knows comes in December. I used to try to do the whole bit: decorating, making cookies, presents. Now I celebrate in a much quieter manner. I have never been a big decorator. You have to drag everything out and a few weeks later put everything away. I will put up a small tree and that about does it. I came to the conclusion a few years back that Christmas is not about decorating cookies, shopping or even gifts. It’s about celebrating the birth of Jesus.

New Years Eve is also in December. It ends the old year and begins the new year. We always hope that the new year will be a good year. To celebrate, I go to a gathering of friends, old and new friends. We have a good supper with everyone contributing food. Then we play card games or other favorite games.

So, how do I celebrate holidays?? Each holiday is different so they are celebrated differently. But the major way that I celebrate most holidays, is with family, friends, and always, lots of good food and fun.

Daily writing prompt
How do you celebrate holidays?
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history, Uncategorized

Jack Johnson: The First African American Boxing Champion

L.M. Hosler

Jack Johnson the Boxer

On May 24, 2018, President Donald Trump officially pardoned John Johnson, the former heavyweight boxing champion. Who was Jack Johnson? What crime did he commit? Why did the president grant him a pardon years after Johnson’s death?

Johnson’s Early Years

John Arthur (Jack) Johnson was born on March 31,1878, in Galveston, Texas. This was not many years after the Civil War had freed the slaves in the South. Johnson’s parents, Henry and Tina Johnson, were former slaves. Jack Johnson was one of Henry and Tina’s several children and Jack did not get much of a formal education. He was forced to leave school at a young age to help support the family. He found employment on the docks. But Johnson was a tall, large black man who would not settle for just being a common dock worker. Instead, he set his sights on becoming the first African American heavyweight boxing champion.

At the young age of fifteen, Johnson fought his first fight. Sometime in 1897 he went professional. In his early career, he would fight in private clubs. He realized he loved the money he was making by doing something he loved.

In Johnson’s early career, he fought Joe Choynski, another fighter from the Galveston area. Johnson was knocked out. This type of fighting was illegal in Texas at that time. Both fighters were arrested. Bail was set very high, higher than either man could come up with. The sheriff came up with an arrangement that suited everyone. Both fighters avoided actually going to jail. The sheriff’s arrangement was for both men to meet in a cell and spar every day. Choynski and Johnson became friends. But more important, Choynski became Johnson’s mentor and coach for the time they spent sparring in a jail cell.

Jack Johnson’s List of Major Fights

Jack Johnson (nicknamed the Galveston Giant) formally began his boxing career on Nov 1st, 1898. He had an amazing list of hard-won fights.

  • Nov 1, 1898: Johnson won a fight against Charley Brooks in Galveston, Texas.
  • May 8, 1899: Johnson won against John Hayes in Chicago. The following year, these two matched up again in a tie.
  • Feb 25, 1901: Johnson fought Joe Choynski and lost.
  • 1903: By this time, Johnson had won 50 fights. Johnson fought Denver Martin and won. This fight earned Johnson the World Colored Heavyweight Championship.
  • Dec 1926: Johnson fought Tommy Burns and became the first African American to hold the Heavyweight Boxing Championship title.
  • July 4, 1910: Johnson fought James Jefferies in Reno, Nevada, a fight that was dubbed the fight of the century. Johnson won, which led to race riots.

Racial Tensions Arise

By this time, Johnson had made a name for himself. He was a black man in an era of Jim Crow laws and racial tensions. The Civil War wasn’t that long ago. Johnson soon faced legal problems because he was a colored man who had beaten James Jefferies, a white man. There was much celebrating that Johnson had won against a white man. This victory did not sit well with the white boxing world.

Johnson also liked white women; he had been married to two white women and was involved with white prostitutes. This did not go very well with whites during the time of Jim Crow laws.

Johnson’s White Wives

Johnson’s first wife was Etta Terry Duryea. She was a wealthy white socialist from Brooklyn, and their marriage proved to be a disaster. They were married from January 1911 until September 1912—not even a full year—at the time she committed suicide.

Boxing Champion Jack Johnson and his wealthy wife pose for the cameras

Johnson then met Lucille Cameron, another young, nineteen year-old white girl from Minneapolis. Lucille’s mother was outraged that her daughter was dating a black man. In Oct 1912, she accused Johnson of kidnapping her daughter. The case went to trial. Lucille stood up for Johnson. She refused to say that she had been kidnapped. As a result, the charges were dismissed. Lucille and Johnson were then married on Dec 4th 1912 and later divorced in 1924.

The Mann Act 1910

The Department of Justice failed to convict Johnson in the Lucille Cameron case. They quickly found another woman who was willing to testify that Johnson had taken her over state lines several times. This woman was Belle Schreiber, another white woman he met in May 1913. She was a prostitute in a house that refused black men. However, Johnson persuaded Belle to travel with him several times, crossing the state lines. This violated the 1910 Mann Act. The 1910 Mann Act stated that it was a federal offense to travel over a state line with a woman or young girl with the intention of prostitution or any immoral act. Belle was convinced to testify against Johnson. As a result, he was convicted of violating the Mann Act and sentenced to one year in prison.

Evading the Law

Johnson was let out on bail as he appealed the court’s decision, but he quickly decided that he was going to disappear. He eluded the police and headed for Canada, where he joined up with his wife Lucille. From Canada, they headed to France where Johnson managed to book some fights. However, World War I was on the verge of hitting Europe so Johnson and Lucille headed south to South America.

Jack Johnson Loses His Heavyweight Title

In 1914, another fight was scheduled for the world boxing title. Johnson would face Jess Willard in the ring in Havana. Willard was younger and well trained for the fight, but Johnson was favored to win. However, Willard managed to wear out Johnson and won the fight, thus taking the Heavyweight Boxing title from Johnson. It would be years before the boxing world would let another black man fight for any boxing titles.

After losing to Willard, Johnson returned to the USA in 1920 and turned himself in to law enforcement to serve out a 10-month prison sentence. After his release, he returned to boxing and continued fighting until he was 50 years old. In 1920, Johnson and Lucille were divorced. He later married Irene Pineau. He remained married to her until his death in a car accident in 1946 in North Carolina.

Jack Johnson the Legend

Jack Johnson was a boxing legend. He fought hard, loved white women, and at times lived a life of luxury. He paved the way for other great African American boxers who would become world boxing legends. He was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.

Jack Johnson’s Grave Graceland Cemetery, Chicago

https://easttexashistory.org/items/show/333 There’s a picture of Jack Johnson and his third wife who is also a white woman.

© 2019 L.M. Hosler

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Valuable Life Lessons from a Poor Upbringing

L.M. Hosler

I wish I had learned that all people have value. Even those like me who think they don’t have value.

I was raised in a large but poor family. One very important lesson that I have learned in life is that I might have come from a poor family. However, I had a much better life than younger generations who are given everything they want. We had a stay at home mother and a hard working father. They both loved us very much. Today, I still have five living and loving siblings. I have often said that our family very closely resembled the Television show (The Waltons). I loved that show.

There is another story I would like to share. Dolly Parton had a big hit song with her song (Coat Of Many Colors) that her mother made for her. I can also relate to that. My mother was a good seamstress and she made me a coat. Now my coat was nice. My mother got a lot of compliments on that coat. It was all blue denim but she made it with love for me.

Being poor did have bad influences on me. I didn’t even know I was poor until another girl in third grade brought me an Easter egg. She said that my family was poor and I probably didn’t get anything for Easter. She was right. It was then that I started to notice that my clothes weren’t as nice as the other girls. My hair was cut by my mother and wasn’t stylish. I came to think I wasn’t as good as other children.

My self esteem suffered. I started to stay in the background trying not to be noticed. This pattern of behavior followed me throughout my school years. I decided against college because I felt we couldn’t afford the cost. I had started working in my junior year and I enjoyed having money of my own. I enjoyed being capable of affording some new store bought clothing. Years later, I did return to college. I wish I had done that when I was young enough to have enjoyed the experience.

But I didn’t always appreciate my large family. I hated that we were poor. But we survived and made better lives for ourselves and our children. But looking back, the one lesson I wish I had know was how terribly valuable everyone, including myself, is. The second lesson I wish I had know, was how valuable family is.

Daily writing prompt
Share a lesson you wish you had learned earlier in life.
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The Sweet Benefits of Chocolate

L.M. Hosler
Daily writing prompt
What are your favorite types of foods?
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Chocolate and sweets is my favorite types of food. I know. They are all bad for you but they taste much better than broccoli. I overheard a doctor telling people in a restaurant “that if it tastes good, spit it out”. Of course he was joking. He had a good sense of humor. When promise margarine was popular, I heard him also telling people to “eat that promise.” He would joke that they could enjoy a few extra years in a nursing home.

I love chocolate. Chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. No, I don’t eat chocolate for meals. I do try to follow a more healthy diet and lifestyle. I feel better when I eat better and exercise regularly. But I do still treat myself to chocolate candy. After all, life is short and we should enjoy the things we like to eat.

Lucious chocolate candies https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Tupungato

But is chocolate good or bad for you? According to Harvard Medical School chocolate has some good benefits. Their report listed the following possible good health benefits:

  • better brain functions
  • lower blood pressure
  • increase the flow of blood throughout the body
  • lower bad cholesterol
  • Increase good cholesterol

The report does add that milk and sugar used to make chocolate increase the calorie content. These ingredients do not provide a good benefit to cocoa.

So after reading that report, I love chocolate even more. Who else loves chocolate?

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/chocolate-pros-and-cons-of-this-sweet-treat

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Finding Motivation to Walk Again

L.M. Hosler

I don’t run, ever. I really never did but now I am physically incapable of running, at least very fast. I might manage a fast walk if I need to be somewhere in a hurry. Running is no longer an alternative for me.

I do get to the gym a few times a week. Lately, even that has been pushed to the side. I must get motivated again. When I do get to the gym I try to walk almost a mile on the walking track. Walking outside isn’t really for me anymore. I love walking outside but my hips don’t like climbing steep hills.

Going to the gym on a regular basis really helps physically all over the body. Certain machines help strengthen leg muscles and help to keep my knees strong and pain free. Painful knees is a powerful motivation for working out at the gym. Regular exercise helps fight arthritis pain.

So I hope to make it to the gym at least three times this coming week. I really do need to walk more. Hopefully, nothing comes up that I need to do instead.

Daily writing prompt
How often do you walk or run?
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The Quiet Perspective: Leadership Is Not for Everyone

L.M. Hosler

Are you a leader?

I can answer that with a firm NO. I am not a leader and I don’t wish to be a leader.

My personality doesn’t fit the mold for being a leader. I am quiet and I don’t really like to socialize a lot. I am uncomfortable in a lot of social situations.

I often have many good ideas about how to solve problems and sometimes I even offer the solution. But someone else can take charge and implement the solution. I prefer to fade into the background and I am not a person who seeks attention. I would not be good at public speaking or addressing a group either. This is probably why I enjoy sitting behind a computer typing words onto a screen.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/28027835@N04/54698331459/

But I do admire those with the qualities that I lack. I think a real leader can stand up and take criticism. A real leader is someone who stands up for what they believe is right. They act for the good of all concerned. They aren’t afraid of other’s opinions. They lead by setting good examples and working alongside of their followers. They have the ability to listen to good advice and enjoy social activities. Good leaders have all the qualities I lack.

So I will continue being a follower instead of a leader. Not everyone is cut out for leadership positions. There’s an old saying: too many chiefs and not enough Indians. It might also be said: Too many leaders and not enough workers. In conclusion, we can’t all be leaders.

I truly wish I had the ability to be a leader. I certainly admire most people who have the personality to lead.

Daily writing prompt
Do you see yourself as a leader?
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history, Women and History

The Legacy of Elizabeth Blackwell: First Female Doctor

L.M. Hosler

Elizabeth Blackwell Born in England

Elizabeth was born the daughter of Hannah Lane and Samuel Blackwell in 1821, their third child. She was born in Bristol, England. Her family enjoyed a prosperous lifestyle there. However, riots broke out and they lost their business. Her father made the decision to move the family to America while she was still a young girl. Samuel Blackwell felt he would have more job opportunities in America. He also wanted to support the anti-slavery movement and women’s rights movement for his daughters. The Blackwell family settled in New York in 1832.

Education

Samuel Blackwell did not want his children educated by the church. Therefore, they received their education through their parents and private tutors. Elizabeth could speak several languages, including French and German, as well as English. She also received education in music and literature. Elizabeth was fortunate that her father believed in education for his daughters as well as for his sons. This was a time when usually women did not have the same opportunities for education as men. In fact, it was rare for a woman to have access to higher education at all. For Elizabeth to become a doctor, she had to confront entrenched views. She had to challenge preconceived ideas about the roles of women in society.

First Work Experiences

When Elizabeth was eighteen, her father died unexpectedly. He left her mother, Hannah, with nine young children to support for. For some time, Elizabeth, along with her two sisters and mother, worked as teachers to support the family. Teaching was one of the few occupations that society accepted for women at that time. Together, the Blackwell women opened a private academy for young women in Cincinnati, Ohio. Elizabeth also moved to Henderson, Kentucky, to take a teaching position. However, her anti-slavery views clashed with the school’s teachings. She left after her first year.

During this time period, Elizabeth had a close friend who was dying of a disease that affected women only. This friend was the person who most influenced Elizabeth to pursue a career in medicine. She confided to Elizabeth how embarrassing it was for her to let male doctors examine her. Her friend wished that women were allowed to enter the medical field and treat women like her. This was the first time that Elizabeth had ever considered the possibility of studying to become a doctor. She had never considered medicine as a career. In fact, she had found the study of the body, diseases, and sickness to be appalling and disgusting. In honor of her friend’s thoughts and wishes, Elizabeth set her sights on becoming the world’s first woman doctor. It would not be an easy path to forge.

Elizabeth Fights for a Career as a Woman Doctor

At the beginning of her quest to earn a medical degree, many of her friends were against the idea. They tried to discourage her. They didn’t feel she had any chance of becoming a doctor due to being a woman. Elizabeth persisted even though she had no idea where to begin. So she began by studying with private doctors John and Samuel Dickinson, who were willing to teach her. She also spent a lot of time reading and studying on her own. From there, she began to apply to different medical schools. She was always told that they would not accept her because she was a woman.

Geneva Medical College

Finally, one school did admit her to their medical program of study. It was the Geneva Medical College in New York. Although she was admitted to the college, it was not going to be an easy road to her medical degree. The male students treated her as an oddity. They joked about her. Some went so far as to bully her. Some professors refused to let her in their classrooms and demonstrations. Elizabeth refused to give up no matter how much abuse she received and just worked and studied even harder. In Jan 1849, it paid off, and she received her medical degree and graduated first in her class. I wonder how chagrined and embarrassed those boys who had bullied her felt.

Elizabeth Blackwell medical degree

Continuing Studies

After graduating with her medical degree, she moved to London and Paris, where she continued studying. Here, she took courses in midwife studies. Unfortunately, it was here that she would be infected with an eye infection from one of her patients. She lost her eye due to the infection and thus ended her ambition of becoming a surgeon.

Doctoring in New York

Upon returning to New York, she set about helping poor women and children. She opened several facilities for women and children to receive medical treatment. She also opened the first medical college for women in New York. Elizabeth helped her younger sister Emily enter the field of medicine. Together, they opened and operated facilities for poor women and children, as well as supported many other causes. Doctor Rebecca Cole would be the first black woman doctor to work with Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell at her Infirmary for women and children.

Civil War

During the Civil War, Elizabeth helped the Union effort with her knowledge of medical practices. This included advocating for clean, sanitary conditions as well as proper personal hygiene in Union hospitals and army camps. She also worked with President Lincoln in establishing The US Sanitary Commission. She trained other nurses in proper sanitary procedures for wartime. These trained nurses helped to reduce diseases from spreading through hospitals and among the men in the army camps.

Elizabeth Blackwell’s Achievements

  • First woman to receive a medical degree
  • Worked and studied at Bartholomew’s Hospital in London
  • Opened a private practice when no hospital would hire her
  • Opened the New York Dispensary for poor women and children
  • Opened the New York Infirmary for indigent women and children
  • First woman listed on the British Medical Register
  • Opened the first medical college for women
  • Worked with President Lincoln during the Civil War to establish the US Sanitary Commission in 1861
  • Lectured at the London School of Medicine for Women
  • Inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame 1973
  • Founded the National Health Society in 1871. Its goal was to teach people about the importance of cleanliness and living a healthy lifestyle
  • This is only a short list of the achievements of Elizabeth Blackwell. I am sure there are many others as well.

Books by Elizabeth Blackwell

  • The Religion of Health
  • Essays in Medical Sociology
  • The Human Element in Sex
  • Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women
  • Medicine as a Profession for Women
  • Address on the Medical Education of Women

Again, this is only a short list of books and articles written by Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell. I believe she also wrote many articles about women’s health, as well as articles about sanitation, cleanliness, and hygiene.

Elizabeth Blackwell: A Lasting Legacy

Elizabeth forged a path into the medical field for many other women to follow, including her sister Emily. The two of them together changed perceptions in the medical profession. They worked together or separately to advance the acceptance of women. The field had viewed women as inferior, ignorant, and lacking sense. It also considered women as not having the mental attitude for the medical profession. Elizabeth proved them wrong.

Copyright

L.M. Hosler 2025

 

 

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Red Flags: Recognizing Rude Behavior

L.M. Hosler

I find it hard to like people with aggressive personalities or rude personalities. I have often worked with people like that. I tried to steer clear of them. Some of them would do just about anything for money and position. Some of them intimidate me. The smallest thing can set them off and the next thing they are screaming and attacking you. Then there’s the rude people. They can be really nasty people. Recently, I went on a short trip with a friend who brought another friend. Her name was Karen, if you get my drift. Nothing pleased her about anything. The room wasn’t good enough. She demanded to see the manager. The food didn’t please her. She made the whole trip a bad experience for the other three of us. Everyone was on edge any time she was near. She won’t be going on any more trips with us.

I saw many rude and aggressive people in the years I worked in restaurants. They made the job hard. One instance, was when a woman almost came across the counter at me. Later, I did find out she had a mental condition and was off her medications.

Most people with aggressive personalities are harmless but there are those who have a streak of violence. I view aggressiveness with caution.

Aggressive and rude people raise a big red flag with me.

Daily writing prompt
What personality trait in people raises a red flag with you?
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Exploring Scotland: An Ideal Week of Castle Tours

L.M. Hosler

I love English, Ireland and Scottish history. There’s so many great stories in that history. History of battles and countries at war. There’s stories of kings, queens and princesses. Some of those stories are sad and heartbreaking, others are inspiring. I particularly liked the stories of Margaret, and her granddaughter Mary Queen of Scots. Both of them had tragic endings. But one thing the royalty of those countries all had was beautiful castles.

I would love to spend a week traveling through any of them. But, I think Scotland would be my first choice to visit. Perhaps, because I know someone who did visit Scotland and I was impressed with their photos they shared.

My ideal week would be spent in Scotland at a luxury hotel. I would choose The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. I would then plan to visit the Royal Residence of Balmoral which the British Royals own. The Balmoral royal estate was bought by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1852. The public can now tour the royal castle.

The rest of my week I would spend touring other old castles with rich histories. I would enjoy spending some time outdoors at a seashore in Scotland. There are marvelous castles and museums to visit in Scotland.

Some of the museums I would enjoy visiting during my week in Scotland include the following.

  • National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh
  • Edinburgh Castle
  • National War Museum of Scotland
  • Glenfinna Monument in the Scottish Highlands
  • Stirling Castle where the Stuarts lived at times

Stirling Castle Scotland https://flickr.com/photos

So this is my idea of an ideal week spent soaking up Scottish history in Edinburgh, Scotland. Visiting old castles and enjoying good Scottish food and beautiful green hills and gardens. Too bad it can only be for one week.

Daily writing prompt
Describe your ideal week.
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Riley Gaines

L.M. Hosler

I know very little about professional athletes. I am not into football, golf, basketball or any other sports. If I had to choose a sport to follow it would be baseball. I also don’t watch much of the Olympics although I can enjoy figure skating and gymnastics. Actually, I would rather read a good book, have some chocolate chip cookies and chips. Television and sports for many of us have ended with some of the athletes kneeling and disrespecting our country.

But if I had to choose a professional athlete that I respect it would be Riley Gaines, the swimmer. And it’s not her swimming ability that I respect and admire. I admire her for her courage. She raises awareness about the unfairness faced by women in sports. These are women who have spent their lives training in their sport. Now, they have to compete with men who aren’t capable of competing against other men. During the last Olympics I watched a man punch a woman in the face and take the gold medal. I stand with Riley Gaines against men competing in women’s sports.

Riley Gaines has spent the last several years advocating for women’s sports to be for women only. I respect her because this hasn’t been an easy position for her to take in a WOKE society.

Daily writing prompt
Name the professional athletes you respect the most and why.
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