Fool

...

Wastrel's wearing a jester's cap, right? I'm not just seeing things? Is there a reason he's wearing it? Is it time for another made-up, obscure holiday already?

He's a Loser Because He Chooses To Be

The last couple nights I've been having these weird dreams featuring what I am just going to call Ink Children. In these dreams, these Children are really just shadows of children. Shadows that have taken over the city and are hunting down and killing people. It's not really a scary dream as I am protected from the Ink Children by my own child who is apparently an Ink Child but also still human so he still has feelings and emotions but with the powers of an Ink Child--which mainly include enough strength to rip someone's head from their body.

I'm just wondering why there are so many people trying to kill me in my dreams....

 Now Brutus doesn't have the perfect life but he does have a good one. He has a good job that pays well and, most importantly, a loving wife and son. Brutus has a good life. He has a good life.

Well, running a tea cozy empire is stressful especially considering how useless tea cozies are and how they last a long time thus making buying a new one something that only happens every once in a while.

Enough About Brutus, Let's Talk About Arnie

So essentially, 2012 is going to be the year we see Brutus in the hospital. Although there is still a chance that Brutus is dead.

I also find it weird how similar Arnie and Brutus' generic co-worker look.

So? I Have My Grandma's Organ

Why is Brutus asking what time it is? Why can't he just ask to see it like any other normal person? I mean, who asks what time it is when someone says they have a new watch?

People Functioned Just Fine Before Coffee

So I am reading some of DC Comics' New 52. I figured it was a good idea because I love reading comics but I don't want to know what happened during Final Crisis, Flashpoint or have to wonder why there are now seven types of "Lantern" rings. Currently, I'm reading Action Comics, All-Star Western, Animal Man, Justice League, Justice League International, Mister Terrific, Superman and Swamp Thing. I think my favorite book so far is All-Star Western which features Jonah Hex and his adventures in Gotham City in the 1880s. I'm enjoying the art, the stories and am finding Jonah Hex becoming one of my favorite characters. One of my favorite scenes is in issue #4 which just came out a few Wednesdays ago. In it, Hex is gunning down the people he originally came to Gotham to apprehend and is shooting one of them repeatedly in the hand when this happens:

I love how the man is all ready to take down Hex but then when he realizes that he could get shot, saunters back to his store. And the way he walks back while muttering is wonderfully drawn. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is All-Star Western is a great book and you should check it out.

Oh sweet Heaven that is coffee.

Clearly Chip drew this comic before he had his coffee because this perspective is awful.

Well, Good For You and Bess

Marriage is difficult and sucks every last ounce of joy out of your life. That's at least what comics, TV, movies and novels would lead you to believe. As someone who is married, granted for only two years, I've loved every minute of it so I get pretty tired of people whining about how awful marriage is. I mean, people aren't forcing you to get married.

Yet.

001: The Four Belvoirs

Artist's conception of what Belvoir Manor
looked like before the fire. Via Wikipedia.

Fort Belvoir (pronounced /beaver/ or /bevwar/), located in Fairfax County, Virginia, was once the home of William Fairfax, cousin to Lord Thomas Fairfax. The property was purchased in 1738 and Fairfax erected a beautiful brick mansion that overlooked the Potomac River in 1740. The Fairfax family lived in the house for over thirty years until George Fairfax sailed off to England, never to return. In a 1774 rental notice, the house was described as spacious and well-appointed. In 1783, the mansion and several outbuildings were destroyed by fire. The bluffs below the mansion were used as quarries for stones but the house was never redeveloped. The Fairfax's association with Belvoir Manor ended with Ferdinand Fairfax's death in 1820. William Herbert became owner of the property and quickly used the house as collateral for loans. His inability to pay back these loans led to the house being auctioned off in 1838. In 1917, the Belvoir property was ceded and consolidated with the U.S. Army eventually lending its name to the fort. Fort Belvoir was initially founded as Camp Humphreys during World War I but the name was changed in the 1930s to honor the Belvoir Manor ruins on the property and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The first settler in the Belvoir, Kansas area may have been James M. Dunn who was counted in the 1855 Census. Henry Heine arrived in the area sometime between 1855 and 1856 from Germany and became frustrated with being unable to convey his anger to proslavery invaders who burned his house not once, not twice but three times. With the fourth time, Heine knew enough English and was able to confront them, "There are three of you and only one of me, but I know that I will get at least one of you." Heine was not bothered again.

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.
Photo by author.

Henry McKinzie, from Scotland, settled a few miles southwest of Belvoir on Rock Creek. In 1856, his family established St. John's Catholic Church and set aside land for a cemetery. During pioneer times, settlers living on the south side of the creek were often unable to cross the stream because of high water which kept them from going to church or visiting the cemetery. The decision was made to move the church to a more accessible location in the Lapeer neighborhood. The small church built by the McKinzies in now part of the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church located at North 450 and East 300 Roads. The foundation of the old church can still be seen in Rock Creek Cemetery.

Belvoir was named by Lawrence D. Bailey who came to Kansas in 1857 from New Hampshire. Bailey was a strong believer in freedom for Kansas. He practiced law for a short time in Emporia and represented the southern half of the territory in the legislature. He witnessed Quantrill's raid on Lawrence in 1863 as he was lodging in the Eldridge Hotel at the time and was lucky to escape. By 1873 he owned at least six sections of land in the area and he named his estate Belvoir after the mansion in Virginia.¹

The Old Belvoir School. Art by
Goldie Piper Daniels.

Because of Belvoir's proximity to Clinton and Twin Mound, a post office was not established until 1868 but in 1872 the "Jerkwater" Railroad (actually the Lawrence, Overbrook & Emporia) came through and the Belvoir post office was moved two miles north along the railroad causing Belvoir to be renamed Old Belvoir and business to stall. New Belvoir became important as a link to the outside world. The New Belvoir School was established in 1874. Interestingly, the school building was a simple two-story building with a belfry and students occupied the first floor but there were no stairs to the second floor either inside or outside. A local unit of the Modern Woodmen of America requested a meeting place and a stairway was built outside to a second story door. The two-story building was replaced by a brick building in 1922 and was used until the district was disorganized in 1951 and annexed to West Fairview District to form New Belvoir District which in turn was turned over to Wakarusa Valley District. Old Belvoir School was annexed to Clinton District in 1951 and the Belvoir Community Club used and kept up the school until the club ceased and the school and grounds were auctioned and was incorporated into a house for the Johnson family.

With the construction of Clinton Lake, New Belvoir was demolished and most of the townsite is now located underwater or located just south of Woodridge Park on the west side of the lake. The area where Old Belvoir was located is still above water near the intersection of County Roads 1023 and 458.




^1. The book Soil of Our Souls notes that Bailey "named his estate Belvoir after the famous Fort Belvoir in Virginia" in 1873, however, Fort Belvoir was not established until 1917 and wasn't named Belvoir until the 1930s so more than likely Bailey named his estate either after the manor the fort was named after or Belvoir Castle in Leichestershire, England.

Information found in:
Soil of Our Souls. Martha Parker & Betty Laird. Parker-Laird Enterprises, 1976.
Rural Schools and Schoolhouses of Douglas County, Kansas. Goldie Piper Daniels. 1975.
Belvoir Manor Wikipedia article. Contributors.
Fort Belvoir website and Wikipedia article. Contributors.
Belvoir Castle Wikipedia article. Contributors.

Speed It Up a Little--Your Retirement That Is

I was watching the Iowa Caucus last night and, I think it was Chris Matthews who brought up what Mitt Romney said about Newt Gingrich's campaign, likening it to "Lucy in the kitchen" which made me think, I'm pretty sure Governor Romney is talking about the chocolate factory. If you've ever watched "I Love Lucy" then you should know that Lucy is very adept in the kitchen, as all housewives were back in the 1950s. I decided to actually search for the quote to see if Romney made the mistake or if Chris Matthews was just making a generalization.

Romney actually said "I think he compared that to Pearl Harbor," Romney said of the Gingrich campaign's failure to get on the Virginia ballot, which the former speaker's adviser called a 'set-back.' I think it's more like Lucille Ball at the chocolate factory," Romney said. "You've got to get it organized."

I'm glad that Romney got the allusion correct because I don't want someone who can't even get simple pop culture references right to be our president because, like abortion and voter restrictions, things that don't matter matter to me. And congratulations to Governor Romney for winning Iowa and propelling himself to the rank of "Mike Huckabee."

Newt Gringrich (left) trying to hide his shame under his chef hat.

Ohio is an "at-will" state meaning that if Brutus doesn't have a so-called contract for employment, he can be terminated at any time within the confines of the law. More than likely, since Brutus is pretty far up on the food chain he does have an employment contract.

You'd be amazed at how often I've spoken with friends about what you can and cannot be fired for.

Brutus Thornapple, 1965-2012

I've seen this before. Brutus is dead but his spirit can't leave this Earthly plain until Brutus rights some wrongs. What those wrongs are, I don't know and neither does Brutus as he hasn't even figured out he's dead yet.

Yeah...The Bright Side...

It's our first post of the new year and this year is going to be the best year for Tauy Creek. Watch This Space is going to get back to basics, Liberty is going to continue to bring you the monthly series along with special writings and our newest blog, The Corner of 16th & Massachusetts, is dedicated to bring you the best in Douglas County, Kansas history. Don't forget that Tauy Creek has a Facebook and that you can follow me on Twitter if you want.

2012. To the best year ever.

Oh, and please tell your friends about all our blogs.

It amazes me how blatant everyone is getting when discussing Santa Claus. I guess this could be constrewed as if kids are reading this they're just like "Yeah, that's true!" but adults reading this are just like "Why I oughta!"

Also, easy way to cut back on Christmas debt? Don't spend much money and don't use credit cards. Your family should understand if you want to cut back on buying gifts. And if they don't understand then clearly they're only in your family for the money and geegaws.