Living room floor

Here is why I haven't posted much this last week - we've been doing yard work and pulling up the carpet in the living room.  Between allergies, red clay and previous pet stains and smells - the carpet has to go.


For a temp solution we're painting and sealing the MFD boards and painting the tiles.

carpet coming up and then the padding

why the hell is this sideways?  That's the floor before painting

in the process of being painted.  We're using Glidden floor paint - fossil gray

first coat on a small portion of the particle board

We had to replace a board around a floor vent - our measurements for the vent were spot on.

Kitties!

You might have taken note of my avatar picture and how similar it looks to this one.  The one I used is from one year ago.  This is this year.  My Jewish cat - LOL

Who said dog food is for dogs?

Holly

Darcy boning up on the history of Andersonville

Darcy attempting to fit into a small box

Andersonville, GA - Veteran's cemetery

The veteran's cemetery where the deceased POWs from Camp Sumter were buried and veterans from subsequent wars and actions (and a small number from the Spanish American War and one Revolutionary War veteran). 

These graves are those of six ringleaders of prisoners that turned on the others, forming into gangs of thugs that beat, tortured and killed other prisoners for food and goods.  They terrorized their fellow prisoners until the Camp Commandant allowed the prisoners to form a group of "regulators" that broke the gang and put the ringleaders on trial (with new prisoners as the judges so they wouldn't be biased).  The six were found guilty and hanged.  The prisoners requested that they be buried away from the honorable dead and this was granted.  A very large magnolia tree was allowed to go wild, forming a very large obstacle so you can't see these graves from the flag at the center of the cemetery where religious and military honors are conducted.

Every Memorial Day American flags are planted on each grave EXCEPT the graves of the six.  Military law prohibits a flag being placed on the grave of any soldier that dies under less than honorable conditions. 

Andersonville, GA - Prisoner of War Camp

A lifesize replica of part of the wall surrounding the camp

Yankee prisoners of war were forced to fend for themselves when it came to shelter. Using tent halves, blankets, clothing, tarps, branches, they would construct makeshift sleeping areas. There were so many men contained that it would take hours to stand in line for a cup of water or small portion of food that was inadequate.  Replica gates.

One small creek flowed through the camp. It would have been adequate for the 16,000 expected. It was inadequate for 32,000, especially with a latrine next to the creek upstream.  The slow moving creek turned the center of the camp into a swamp where men would sink up to their knees or waist to get fouled water.  During a dry spell the men prayed for rain and received, a torrential rainstorm broke a spring free, just the other side of the DEAD LINE - cross the line and be shot. Prisoners used tent stakes and branches and tied cups on the end until the stream was diverted to the main creek, supplying fresh water.  It became known as Providence Spring.

Andersonville, GA - POW museum

We got up really early and drove over to Andersonville, Georgia - the site of Andersonville POW museum, POW camp site and cemetery.

Andersonville National Park

Andersonville, or Camp Sumter as it was officially known, was one of the largest of many Confederate military prisons established during the Civil War.  During the 14 months the prison existed, more than 45,000 Union soldiers were confined here.  Some 13,000 died from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding or exposure.

A stream through the prison yard – Stockade Branch – supplied water to most of the prison. By the end of June 1864 some 26,000 men were confined in a prison area originally intended for 10,000.  In August 1864 it held 32,000.  Handicapped by a deteriorating economy, inadequate transportation, and the need to concentrate all available resources on its army, the Confederate government was unable to provide adequate housing, food, clothing, and medical care to their Federal captives.  Horrific conditions, along with a breakdown of the prisoner exchange system, resulted in much suffering and a high mortality rate. 

Andersonville National Historic Site is the only National Park System area to serve as a memorial to all American prisoners of war.  

the museum, designed to vaguely look like a stockade and guard towers

 a water fountain outside the museum, it flows around dedications from various groups

One of my relatives was on the Bataan Death March - he suffered until his death from PTSD symptoms including nightmares, flashbacks, survivor's guilt and alcoholism

Dedicated to a small number of POWs that were at Hiroshima, Japan when the bomb was dropped

 

Just an update - we're continuing to do yard work and general spring cleaning.  We've got a small chest freezer now so that will make grocery shopping easier. I've got picture of cats, yard work, bunnies in the yard and more that I'll post later.

Tomorrow is a day trip. I'll post on that when we get back.