Charlotte Elizabeth Battles is a name you probably haven’t heard but she made history back in her day.
Born in 1864 to a family that owned the R.S. Battles Bank in Girard, Pennsylvania, she was educated, worldly and strong. Her father was Rush Battles, a farmer, lawyer and banker whose bank had been a local staple since 1859. When her father died, she was promoted to fill his shoes as bank president. The year was 1904 and she was one of the first women to serve as a bank president.
She ran this bank until it closed in 1946.
Let us pause here for a moment. Women didn’t get the vote until 1920. She successfully ran a bank for years before she could walk into a ballot booth.
But I digress. She gained fame in 1933 when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered American banks be closed as part of the Emergency Banking Act and she refused to comply.
As a privately owned institution, she believed they were not governed by the state or federal government. In a letter to Roosevelt, Battles said “We’re minding our business, you mind yours”.
They remained open as they always had, placing no restrictions on deposits or withdrawals, but they did serve only existing customers that week.
The Erie Times News published a story about the incident under the headline “Girard Bank Says ‘Pooh’ To State And U.S. Edict.” The funny thing was that it wasn’t even big news back then. The story ran on page 11.
If you visit the Hagen History Center in Erie, PA, you will find a room dedicated to this pioneering business woman who thumbed her nose at the feds.
The exhibit tells the story of her life as a banker but also that of an artist, a world traveler, a gardener and what appeared to be a woman who embraced life fully.
She died in 1952 and her home in Girard is now owned by the Hagan History Center. That’s less than 30 minutes from the Hagen Center in Erie.
This museum has some amazing exhibits including maritime history, Frank Lloyd Wright’s field office, art and stunning mansions to tour. Go visit!
Today is Friday. We have made it to the finishing line before the long holiday weekend. At least, I hope it’s a long weekend for you. Wherever you are, I hope you will celebrate the completion of this week even if it’s just a little bit.
Buy yourself some grocery store flowers like the sunflowers I bought for myself a few weeks ago. Take a long walk in the woods after work. Stop by your favorite local bookstore and buy some fabulous book to kick your feet up with. Take a long, hot bath. Grab your favorite sandwich at the local deli. Pack a bag and take an impromptu road trip. Close the curtains to keep out the heat and have a Harry Potter movie marathon.
Do something that will bring you joy or peace or relaxation or excitement or whatever it is you need to help you say “it was a long week but I managed the stress and I am still standing.”
You deserve it. Now go.
The kids these days are pretty excited by this cool idea they have. They think it would be great to have a phone that just stays at the house that anyone can use and that isn’t connected to the internet.
Seriously. I’ve seen the videos of young adults talking about how amazing this would be.
Since that isn’t possible, they are settling for these retro phones where you connect your smartphone via Bluetooth and talk with an old school corded phone. It doesn’t take pictures or connect to social media or anything. It’s just a phone and you have to sit or stand still to use it.
My tired little Gen X heart can’t imagine how we’ve reached this full circle moment but here we are.
I got rid of my landline several years ago because it seemed like an unnecessary expense. These days, I’m thinking about going back because I’m tired of having an iPhone in my hand all the time and it’s my only connection to the people who might need me.
As an only child with aging parents, it seems unwise to silence my phone at night. If they got sick and needed to reach me, this is all I have. As someone with apparent insomniacs for friends, I’m astounded by how much noise my phone makes in the night as they text or send social media messages whenever they’re thinking about it despite the hour.
Maybe a landline IS the answer.
Unfortunately, locals I know say they are getting letters from the phone company letting them know they will be shifted from landlines to internet based phones. This will be worse than useless to many who have held onto their landlines.
In my county alone, many of our residents live in hollows where cell service doesn’t go. Satellite internet is costly, unreliable and inaccessible in a power outage. This won’t help these people.
Anyway, everything old is new again. I guess. If you need a retro Bluetooth phone, they’re available online. This one is at TJ Maxx.
While wandering through Rebellion Books in Bedford, Pennsylvania I spotted this fantastic print called Fairytale Wood. All the little animals enjoying themselves and living peacefully won my heart. There’s even a black cat.
The colors and details make this image seem simultaneously realistic and magical.
It didn’t seem to be for sale. Sigh. It feels like everything I actually want to buy these days is not for sale.
Turns out, Mary Brett (1902-1990) was an English artist whose illustrations have been known to generations of children. She had little formal training but completed a correspondence course before she began a career illustrating and writing children’s books.
Here’s another look at the painting.
Isn’t it enchanting?
Everyone talks about how short the summer has been and how they can’t believe August is already over. As a person whose summer has dragged and feels like August was nine weeks long, I am so excited to write these words:
Welcome September!
I tolerate summer. I don’t enjoy it no matter how hard I try. It’s an annoying season and, at times, oppressive. It’s too humid and hot to actually enjoy the outdoors. People I know who say they love summer don’t spend nearly enough time out in it to justify actually liking it.
The humidity makes my straight hair curl and frizz in ways that I don’t approve the minute I walk outside . Summer clothes are ugly. Plus, because the days are longer we are expected to keep pace with the sun and be active longer so as not to waste day light.
What’s worst though is that I do suffer from Summer SAD. It’s the same as the kind of seasonal depression others experience in the winter only mine is because there is too much light. I can feel this loosening its grip a little more every day and I look forward to the more balanced days of September and October.
In southern Ohio, September is still very much summer but it’s usually less intense than August.
So, bring on September with its cooler mornings and somewhat more moderate days. Hello to the month that gives us fresh apples, pumpkin spice and an excuse to indulge in all things maple. Let’s all breathe a little better with humidity levels starting to recede. Let’s stand in the woods and drink in the smells and sights as leaves begin to turn and as the start of Fall approaches.
It comes but once a year and I will rejoice!
The photo above is from last year at this time on Presque Isle in Lake Erie. That place is a little slice of paradise if you ever get to visit.