Lisa Learns Aloud

Musings made real by thinking out loud

  • The First Skirmish

    Throughout the early morning of April 19, 1775, a British column marches from the swampy banks of the Charles River, through rain and chill, toward Concord. Their mission is to confiscate arms, munitions, and supplies stored in the town by patriots. After capturing Paul Revere, they realize the mission is no longer covert. The patriots, led by Captain John Parker, had the luxury of time due to the warnings from Revere, Dawes, and Prescott. Minute Men, trained and paid by provincial congresses, safety committees, and towns, drilled regularly. A few of the officers, including Captain Parker, had fought in the…

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  • Paul Revere’s Ride

    Longfellow’s drama and the real story!

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  • Red Lines and Scottish Rebels

    The American Revolution day by day. May and June 1775. Red Lines and Scottish Rebels. One of the things becoming apparent is that although the colonies were separately working to form militias and safety committees, it was the Carolinas—North and South—that were among the first to adopt declarations moving toward independence. In May 1775, North Carolina adopted the Mecklenburg Resolves. These resolutions challenged royal authority in the colonies, declaring that anyone who accepted a royal commission would be considered an enemy of the people. It was a clear red line.The Governor of North Carolina, along with some other high-ranking British…

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  • Before it was a War

    One of the more interesting observations as I read the day to day events leading up to declaring independence is the timing of events in the colonies. By 1775, the Boston massacre (1770) and the Boston tea party (1773) along with other fuses, put the colonies in a revolutionary mood. The first battle was Lexington and Concord, which I’ll cover later. Events in the days before that first battle played out in Connecticut and Massachusetts. What’s striking is word of the battle wouldn’t hit Pennsylvania, the Carolina’s or Georgia for 3-14 days, yet decisions to create safety committees, militias and…

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  • America 250

    In honor of our 250th anniversary, I am reading a day by day account of the revolutionary war. History doesn’t happen linearly but simultaneously. Washington was doing his thing here, Madison there, Jefferson, and Franklin. I’m starting with April 18th, 1775, hopefully reading at least one entry every day. My goal is to read through 1778 (appx 500 pages) by December 31, 2026. I’m going to make you suffer along with me by occasionally posting a quote or thought from my journey.

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  • Kris

    First, this is not a sad story. If you’re crying at the end, I haven’t told this story as I intended. It’s my sister Kris’s 59th birthday. The 24th birthday in heaven. For me, losing Kris was like losing a third arm I never knew I had. I still have two, like everyone else, I am functional. I live my life like everyone else, with the myriad of emotions, good and bad. It’s natural to lose your parents first. It’s expected and normal. From the time we understand death, we understand that. Kris was my only sibling, 18 months younger…

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  • Christmas Eve

    The dark before the light. Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol has long been one of my favorite books. I couldn’t tell you why. I remember sitting upstairs in my room on Christmas Eve when I was about 14, at midnight watching the story on a small television, in black and white. There was probably a small Christmas tree in my room, maybe a few twinkle lights. The story spoke to me. Over the years, it became a personal tradition to stay up on Christmas Eve and watch the movie. The version I eventually settled on starred Alastair Sim. Originally black…

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