Good morning, Whitewater.
Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of seventy-seven. Sunrise is 6:26 AM and sunset is 7:19 PM. The moon is in a waxing gibbous phase with ninety-seven percent of its visible disk illuminated.
It’s the birthday, from 9.7.1860, of Grandma Moses:
Fireboard decorated by Moses in 1918. Via Wikipedia.
Anna Mary Robertson Moses (September 7, 1860 – December 13, 1961), better known by her nickname of “Grandma Moses,” was a renowned American folk artist. Having begun painting in earnest at the age of 78, she is often cited as an example of an individual successfully beginning a career in the arts at an advanced age. Her works have been shown and sold in the United States and abroad and have been marketed on greeting cards and other merchandise. Moses’ paintings are among the collections of many museums. The Sugaring Off was sold for $1.2 million in 2006.
Moses has appeared on magazine covers, television, and in a documentary of her life. She wrote an autobiography of her life, won numerous awards and was awarded two honorary doctoral degrees.
The New York Times said of her: “The simple realism, nostalgic atmosphere and luminous color with which Grandma Moses portrayed homely farm life and rural countryside won her a wide following. She was able to capture the excitement of winter’s first snow, Thanksgiving preparations and the new, young green of oncoming spring… In person, Grandma Moses charmed wherever she went. A tiny, lively woman with mischievous gray eyes and a quick wit, she could be sharp-tongued with a sycophant and stern with an errant grandchild. “[1]
On this day in 1977, Wisconsin saw her first judicial recall:
1977 – Wisconsin’s First Judicial Recall Election
On this date Wisconsin’s first judicial-recall election was held. Dane County citizens voted Judge Archie Simonson out of office. Simonson called rape a normal male reaction to provocative female attire and modern society’s permissive attitude toward sex. He made this statment while explaining why he sentenced a 15-year-old to only one year of probation for raping a 16-year-old girl. After the recall election, Simonson was replaced by Moria Krueger, the first woman judge elected in Dane County history. [Source: Initiative & Referendum Institute]