Tales from the Ironwood

I wrote the following article between 12 and 18 July 2020. My thoughts had turned to my grandmother who would have turned 102 on the 13th. I never knew her but I've seen her face in the night sky among the stars while raising a horn to the disir. ********* Aut vincere aut mori is a well-known Latin phrase that has gained such popularity that it may be said to have attained the status of cliché. For me, this motto that brazenly announces "Victory or Death" is more significant than it is for most. It is emblazoned on the family crest of my mother's family –the McCabes. Through the years, I have researched my ancestral lines and spent many hours and dollars on genealogy websites. I submitted not one, but two DNA tests, as have a reported 26 million other people –a number predicted to rise to 100 million in the next two years.[1] The popular genealogy site Ancestry.com even partners with NBC Entertainment to produce a long-running television series, Who Do You Think You