Monday, September 12, 2011
Today was the first day of my latest archaeology dig. We are working downtown on a block first occupied in 1883, when a pair of duplex houses were built. The 1883 insurance map shows the houses, three outhouses, and two wells. We have located one of the houses, two outhouses, and a well. The other house was destroyed when a hotel basement was dug through it in the early 1900s. We may find the other well and outhouse, but have to remove a concrete foundation and floor first.
Dan is busy stripping the site- first removing the asphalt and then scraping the dirt away until we find features and/or the sterile dirt. Anything we find- postholes, pits, foundations, and utility trenches- gets outlined in white paint so we can keep track of them. This is particularly important because it has been raining the last few days.
The first two pits we worked on turned out to be insubstantial and yielded few artifacts. We then started on one of the 1883 outhouses and Allen thought it might have been dug by bottle hunters because the upper meter of fill was a brown sand that lacked artifacts.
Overview of the dig site. Click on picture to see the outlines of features.
Dan is busy stripping the site- first removing the asphalt and then scraping the dirt away until we find features and/or the sterile dirt. Anything we find- postholes, pits, foundations, and utility trenches- gets outlined in white paint so we can keep track of them. This is particularly important because it has been raining the last few days.
Where's Homer?
The first two pits we worked on turned out to be insubstantial and yielded few artifacts. We then started on one of the 1883 outhouses and Allen thought it might have been dug by bottle hunters because the upper meter of fill was a brown sand that lacked artifacts.
Allen excavating the outhouse.
Towards the end of the day he struck the greenish gray, ashy poop layer and started finding artifacts. So far these have included:
- a kitten skeleton
- an arm and two legs from a small porcelain doll
- four buttons
- a rubber enema bag.
Wonder what will be found tomorrow?
Sunday, September 11, 2011
I've been watching Mad Men on Netflix. Were people really that sleazy and unhappy back in the 1960s>
I am sometimes envious of the sets, wishing I had the furniture and wallpaper. In the beginning of the last episode of the second season, Betty is at the doctor's office.
I am sometimes envious of the sets, wishing I had the furniture and wallpaper. In the beginning of the last episode of the second season, Betty is at the doctor's office.
Poor Betty.
The camera pans over to an embroidered picture on the wall. My mother stitched the very same picture and it hangs in her house in the same frame.
Deers!
Some day I'd like to have it hanging in my house.
My first trip to NYC, standing on the viewing deck at the Empire State Building.
1986.
Young and innocent, filled with inner turmoil. The trip did not end well.
In the distance, the World Trade Center towers. Several times through the years I would go through one of the buildings because there was a subway stop there, the last time in 1998.
It seems strange that 10 years has gone by. Moments of that day are imprinted strongly in my memory, including taking Puff to the vet's office and weeping in front of the receptionist.
I sometimes think Osama bin Laden won. The rabid fear of people to live their everyday lives. Every time I go through airport security. The destruction of our economy to pay for wars. There are very few people who I would say that I am glad are no longer breathing- bin Laden is one of them.
1986 feels like forever ago.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
This morning I went to the first or second oldest standing building in Tucson, constructed around 1847, and watched as they removed the old wooden floors. They will be replacing them with bricks set in sand prior to the space being taken over by a non-profit group. I was there to collect the items that lay on the dirt below the floor. This included wooden thread spools, marbles, cloth, bottle caps, and buttons.
Pulling up the joists.
And lots of paper items, something you hardly ever see on archaeology projects, since it tends to rot away. The items mostly date to the mid 1930s, with some dated to 1936. They include children's drawings, a Spanish lesson by Ignacio Ortiz, gum wrappers, newspaper comic and crossword cardboard printing plates, and pages from a Mickey Mouse book.
The following was my favorite, a handmade picture of Mary and Mary, Joseph, and Jesus pasted onto a piece of cardboard.
And lots of paper items, something you hardly ever see on archaeology projects, since it tends to rot away. The items mostly date to the mid 1930s, with some dated to 1936. They include children's drawings, a Spanish lesson by Ignacio Ortiz, gum wrappers, newspaper comic and crossword cardboard printing plates, and pages from a Mickey Mouse book.
The following was my favorite, a handmade picture of Mary and Mary, Joseph, and Jesus pasted onto a piece of cardboard.
Catholic imagery.
I have been sitting here tonight carefully brushing all of the paper items, removing the dirt before it dries. The following was all matted up, but I was able to unfold it and straighten it.
Mickey Mouse gum wrapper.
I pointed out that the floor joists probably dated to the 1880s or 1890s (there were square nails, which went out of use in the 1890s, nailed into them). The joists were actual 2" by 4" and the thick transverse joists were 4" by 4" (modern 2" by 4"s are actually something like 1 1/2 by 3 1/2). So the head of the non-profit had them saved and she has a friend who makes furniture from reclaimed wood and will make tables for the office from them. I think that is appropriate.
Later I went to pool volleyball where the yellow cake with lemon cream cheese frosting was gobbled down.
Last game of the season.
There was a torrential monsoon storm on the way home and my windowshield wiper malfunctioned and I had to pull off the Interstate. Then my car told me that one of the tires was starting to go flat. And then as I talked to Evan it started to hail dramatically. It was all excited and yet tedious.
Not as tedious as this blog post by some awful Catholic woman who saw some gay dudes rubbing ELBOWS at the pool and was so horrified that she is starting to think she shouldn't take any of her seven children in public because one or more of the children might ask her about the homos.
And of course several peoples were nasty and called her a cunt and similar nasty things, and hurt her horrid heart. She posted the nastiest comment at the top of the blog. I left a comment noting that several of her putrid Catholic buddies had wished that homosexuals would die, but somehow that is alright.
Really, I feel sorry for her seven children. Can you imagine having such a yucky person as your mother?
Friday, September 09, 2011
At the dedication of the new parking structure I admired the beautiful artwork. Who knew that a parking structure could be so lovely.
Many people came to my display table to admire the artifacts. Many more people were interested in the pastries at the next table.
Meanwhile, Dan was busy stripping the asphalt from the parking lot across the street, where we will be excavating next week.
Artwork.
I felt sorry for the person dressed up in this owl outfit, but at least it wasn't too hot. The mayor of Tucson bumped into me at one point, knocking over my water bottle. He is probably the only good Republican I know.
Give a Hoot!
Many people came to my display table to admire the artifacts. Many more people were interested in the pastries at the next table.
Artifacts.
Meanwhile, Dan was busy stripping the asphalt from the parking lot across the street, where we will be excavating next week.
The start of a dig.
The last two mornings Tiny has been out of her cage and she races to the fence and stands on her tiptoes with her little arms reaching up to me. I pick her up and she snuggles close to me. It is pretty amazing what a good little doggy she is. I hope someday to convince the neighbors to hand her over to me. Lord knows, they mostly ignore the sweetheart now.
Tiny kisses.
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
My great great grandmother's brother Emmett. He had a pretty tragic life. His first wife Harriet had eight children. Seven of them died in childhood, most of them during a scarlet fever epidemic in 1883. Then Harriet died from tuberculosis in 1887. After she died, Emmet went on a long trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, probably to grieve. A couple of years later he married Effie, a family friend. They moved to Minnesota in 1899 and then on to Wisconsin, where he operated a dairy farm.
Elijah (1885), Emmett (1849-1922), Effie (1870-1937), perhaps Wilhelmina (1898-1901), and Minnie (1890).
Effie would have eight children, her second daughter Wilhelmina dying at age three. Today it would be inconceivable to lose eight of your sixteen children. So strange to think how modern medicine has saved so many lives.
Sometimes I wonder whether Emmett ever sat by himself and remembered the eight that didn't grown up.
Monday, September 05, 2011
The drive north was fast and I arrived ahead of schedule. Evan and I made yellow squash bred-n-butter pickles on Friday night.
On Saturday morning we went to an antique shop with many overpriced items.
On Sunday, we went to the Coconino County Fair. It is a pretty small fair, I should enter canned goods next year and make some dollars.
There were many colorful chickens. Evan will have to make me a chicken coop sometime.
We made peach tart and squash tart last night and I fell asleep on the couch. The allergies were finally catching up with me- itchy eyes and drowsiness.
By the next time I am in Flagstaff, most of the wildflowers will be gone.
Squash pickles.
On Saturday morning we went to an antique shop with many overpriced items.
Grandma Evan.
I tried to look like a stern fireman.
I tried to look like a stern fireman.
Fireman Homer.
I bought Evan a 1953 Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. The cake recipes look tempting.
We had pizza for lunch.
We drove south to Camp Verde to visit with Bradley. The Verde River runs next to where he lives, so we got to splash in the water.
Evan splashing.
I thought it strange that there were no apparent waterbirds in the river, which was quite lush with vegetation.
Bradley.
Afterwards, Bradley played marimba and Evan played guitar. I played with the dog name Beijing.
Music.
On Sunday, we went to the Coconino County Fair. It is a pretty small fair, I should enter canned goods next year and make some dollars.
Coconino County Fair.
We looked at every animal- I was surprised that there were no dairy cattle. Many of the animals were being sold to be eaten by people. This is why there are no pictures of goats, because I felt sad for them.
Chicken.
There were many colorful chickens. Evan will have to make me a chicken coop sometime.
Floppy-eared rabbit baby.
We made peach tart and squash tart last night and I fell asleep on the couch. The allergies were finally catching up with me- itchy eyes and drowsiness.
This morning we went for a short walk and I admired the many wildflowers.
Purple and yellow asters.
My left eye was scratchy.
By the next time I am in Flagstaff, most of the wildflowers will be gone.
Black-eyed Susans.
The drive back was horrible and tedious and 6+ hours instead of 4 hours and 20 minutes due to road construction and an accident. The cats were excited to see me when I finally arrived home.
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Out at the project we endured the horrible heat, documenting the historic site and finding a surprise- a small Hohokam site with a couple of houses and some roasting pits.
Roasting pit.
The heat was so oppressive (it was 86 degrees at 6 AM this morning), I came home every day and the heat would ooze out of me for hours. In the middle of the night, my pillow would be drenched.
I stopped off at the Farmer's Market and bought some things to take north to Flagstaff, where I enjoy the lovely cool weather.
- seven peaches
- eight potatoes
- an eggplant
- a cluster of garlic
A new project next week, it is good to be busy.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
So ready for the summer to be over with. As evidence I submit this photo taken while driving north to Flagstaff:
119.
Once I arrived in Flagstaff, I was excited to see the many varieties of wildflowers blooming. Unfortunately, the resulting allergies made my eyes weepy and me sleepy.
Evan and I made a squash cake, which dramatically spilled over the pans and made a mess in the oven. But it was delicious. Today, we had breakfast and then looked for a nice bunch of allergy-inducing flowers to pose with.
Mountain geranium.
Evan and I made a squash cake, which dramatically spilled over the pans and made a mess in the oven. But it was delicious. Today, we had breakfast and then looked for a nice bunch of allergy-inducing flowers to pose with.
Bee weed and some yellow flowers.
Happiness.
At home, it is now 96 degrees at 8:30 PM. I can't wait for it to cool down!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
A surprise find. I am working at a historic period site right now, and so far, we are not finding what we expected to find. The most interesting thing discovered is a roasting pit or horno. Basically a big pit cut into the ground. The ancient peoples filled it with wood, then lay rocks on top, and used it as a big oven, perhaps cooking agave plants or maybe cactus.
Roasting pit.
The photo is after Allen removed the top layer of smaller, cracked rocks, exposing larger rocks below. Later he removed these rocks and uncovered another layer of smaller rocks. This suggests the pit was used multiple times.
The nearest prehistoric site is maybe a half mile away, so this was a rather surprising discovery. It is in an area that has not been examined by archaeologists before, and so deeply buried that there would have been no surface evidence for the pit or other nearby features. The presence of pottery indicates it dates to sometime between A.D. 500 and A.D. 1450, but we will probably have to radiocarbon date some charcoal to get a better date estimate (the pottery looks like it is all plain wares, which are not very good for dating).
So hot and miserable outside, even an interesting feature like this can barely perk me up.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Worst weekend. My body ached all weekend, I think a combination of sleeping on the couch in front of the window-mounted AC unit and the physical labor involved at the dig site (mostly sitting on a bucket watching the backhoe).
Yesterday afternoon I wandered by myself around Sweetwater Wetlands and saw some varmints.
Yesterday afternoon I wandered by myself around Sweetwater Wetlands and saw some varmints.
Egret and green water.
Most of the birds have fled the horrid heat and gone somewhere else, the ones that are left swim their way through the green algae covered water.
Barrel cactus.
A cactus bloomed, with bees burrowing deep into the flower for nectar.
There were many brightly colored dragonflies flitting about, but none remained still enough to pose for a picture, until at the very end.
Dragonfly.
Back to work today, hopefully my body is getting acclimated to the heat and movement, and I will not be a whiny, hot mess.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
At the dig site, Dan broke open an old sewer pipe. It was completely filled with cockroaches. I did not scream. I have never seen so many roaches in one spot, except perhaps at Murray's apartment in New York City back in 1988 (I actually saw them crawling out of his cereal box). I stuck my camera up close to the pipe and took this alarming picture:
In the afternoon I went to the Farmer's Market. What is up with the Stupid Farmer's Market Shopping Behavior? People who take cuts in line because they are a "regular." People who decide to get additional things after they have paid and you are next in line. The woman who is selling produce and never shows up with small bills and always complains when you hand her a ten. I have learned to avoid these folks- just because it is organic and home grown doesn't mean you have to take forever to make your purchases.
All different sizes.
In the afternoon I went to the Farmer's Market. What is up with the Stupid Farmer's Market Shopping Behavior? People who take cuts in line because they are a "regular." People who decide to get additional things after they have paid and you are next in line. The woman who is selling produce and never shows up with small bills and always complains when you hand her a ten. I have learned to avoid these folks- just because it is organic and home grown doesn't mean you have to take forever to make your purchases.
- a dozen eggs ($3.50)
- six potatoes
- four peaches
- two summer squashes
- two thin eggplants
- a red onion
- a yellow onion
- three tomatoes (tomorrow night, tomato sandwiches!)
Tonight I am finally making watermelon rind pickles. The watermelon I bought last week tastes just like the ones we grew back in Michigan. It even has big black seeds inside. So much better than store-bought and I'm not even a huge fan of watermelon.
Didn't find anything at the dig. I had a horrible neck/back ache in the morning and was pretty miserable. Luckily, Mario bought some painkillers to me and by the afternoon I felt much better.
Sweaty.
Thunder and lightning!!! I hope it rains a lot.
Beetle on cactus.
I hope all of its dreams come true.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Does anyone actually believe Marcus Bachmann is straight?
He is everything I feared when I was first coming out- that I would morph into some sleazy, effeminate man. Creepy McCreepster, the guy you definitely would not want to have anywheres near your children because then you would have to drag out that little dolly and ask said children whether Uncle Marcus touched their junk. He just oozes perversity. I can see why the Bachmanns only had girl foster dollar-children, I am sure Michelle didn't want Marcus to have access to hot teenage flesh.
In other news, I wish I could grow a moustache like this:
Sunday, August 14, 2011
We made zucchini pickles yesterday, I'm not sure how good they will be. And last night we watched Pink Flamingos and in three places I had to close my eyes.
This morning we went to Sweetwater Wetlands, not expecting to see much wildlife. The little lizards skittered over the ground and we walked the long way around. In the second pond we saw an egret patiently watching for a frog to eat.
In one area, recently burned off and re-planted, a single male killdeer was hanging out with a bunch of females.
As we left we saw a bunch of yellow finches.
This morning we went to Sweetwater Wetlands, not expecting to see much wildlife. The little lizards skittered over the ground and we walked the long way around. In the second pond we saw an egret patiently watching for a frog to eat.
Egret.
It was cloudy and humid and I was all sweaty.
Me and Evan.
In one area, recently burned off and re-planted, a single male killdeer was hanging out with a bunch of females.
Killdeer.
As we left we saw a bunch of yellow finches.
You'll have to click on the picture to see them.
Little Tiny was running around in her yard, so excited to see me. I reached over and picked her up.
She likes to give kisses.
Quiet now in the house, it is better when Evan is here.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
I was short on cash at the Santa Cruz Farmer's Market, so I didn't get everything I wanted. I was there right as they opened, so I was able to pick exactly what I wanted with the dollars I had.
Newer› ‹Older
Pretty produce.
- a dozen eggs
- a watermelon for watermelon rind pickles
- three yellow onions
- okra for my co-worker Lisa
The day was spent in a mind-number HAZWOPER refresher course.
I get a bunch of catalogues for my mother and today's catalogue, "Healthy Living," includes sex toys for grannies among its products. I gasped. "Make Bed Time Your Best Time" and "Better than the Real Thing" were among the captioned items, pages away from the Prune Wafers. Goodness!
