MM#65: BLESS THIS MESS
Madeline briefly gets patriotic, don't worry it will pass.
Well guys, the 250th anniversary of America came and went with a whimper. As devoted listeners of the podcast heard last week, I am inspired by the concept of America but find that in actuality, she often falls flat and disappoints me. So this anti-climax was appropriate.
Since the last time I wrote, I’ve moved back to the Hudson Valley on a temporarily permanent basis. Watch this space for developments about My Future. I know a lot about the Hudson Valley’s nineteenth century history: it was a haven for the wealthy, for industrial production, and for artists and painters enamored with its perfect light (East side of the river only, sorry Kingston).
I was more surprised to learn about its Revolutionary history when researching our recent podcast episode, 1-800-1776. My surprise makes no sense because, when an undergrad, I lived in a house that had been an inn during the Revolution. A Tory spy was supposedly hung in the yard. During the British burning of Kingston, then the capital of New York, General Israel Putnam commandeered the house for his temporary headquarters. The year after I lived there, five of my friends took over the lease and carried on our annual halloween party tradition. When the cops came, they all got arrested while dressed like George Washington–the Tory’s revenge, I suppose.
