|| family stories ||



Great Grandmother Myrle Orga (Wier) Cooley and Great Grandfather Dana Cooley.

 

When the Irish born Cooleys landed on the East coast of America, their name underwent a significant change. Due to the amount of illiteracy and the phonetic challenges of Gaelic dialects, surnames began to be spelled the way they sounded to the individual documenting it. Whither it was for immigration papers, birth certificates, licensing and the like, names slowly underwent small changes at a time. Although those changes are unknown to me, at one time Cooley (Koo-lee) in it's original Irish origin is spelled Kaulie (Kau-lee). You can see the differences in the representation of the vowels is likely to do with its pronunciation.  

 

Cooley kids, 1930s

 

Although I didn't have the pleasure of meeting either of my paternal great grand fathers, I knew both my paternal great grand mothers: Myrle Cooley and Sylvia Gillam. The picture above is of the Cooley children and several friends (my Grandmother Susan was the little girl standing on the bumper of the car). In the background of the photograph you can see Dana's sport plane that he built himself for fun.

 

|| ten of arrows ||

 

 

 

The card of thought for the day is the Ten of Arrows.

It symbolizes instruction and communication. The passing down of wisdom,

skills, and arts from one generation to the next has been the carrier of

ancestral knowledge for thousands of years. However, we live in a world of constantly

advancing technology that easily sweeps us away from meaningful connections.

These growing gaps between families and the loss of ancestral ways are commonplace.

I encourage you to take a moment to reach out, listen and learn from your family,

an elder, or a mentor. Stay genuinely connected with those important in your life.   

|| autumn ||

 

 

The family bonfire at Grandma Judy's house in Collinsville.

 

With the thin veil of the spirits of Samhain behind us now, I look towards the winter solstice.

This is my favorite time of year to observe mother nature as she falls dormant.

The brilliant display of colors, the long nights and the cool breath of the morning air.

Bonfires, camping, collecting acorns, pinecones and leaves are my favorite past times during

this transitional period of the animal world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

|| thistle ||

 

 

 

In Scottish lore, it is said that the invading Viking King Haakon of Norway and his army were stopped by the thistle. In order to take advantage of the sleeping Scots, they planned to attack during the cover of darkness. In order to do so, they went barefooted. The Highlanders were awoken when one unlucky Viking stepped on the thorns of a thistle and cried out. Thus undoing the surprise, Haakon and his men were pushed back and defeated.

 

I think it's a charming story, that one spinose flower undid an army.