"Welcome to the Weekend Chat!" All Members Invited!! November 17th - 19th, 2023 [closed]

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CHANGE TO BEST ANSWER PROCESS:  After much discussion we have come to the conclusion that all answers in the Weekend Chat are of equal importance and weight.  So we are going to discontinue the Best Answer portion as it adds points and then takes them away from posters and is causing some hurt feelings.  So in the interest of everyone is equal and valued we will delete any best answers given which will deduct those points because it has been pointed out that to give everyone best answer is also not a viable option. 

Weekend Chat is for everyone. It's a place to catch up on what people are up to and to share what you've been doing.  New members can say hello, introduce themselves, ask questions, and meet each other.  Our seasoned members can share progress or successes from their projects, give tips and advice, or chime in on hot topics.

Post as many answers and comments as you wish. It doesn't hurt anyone to post a lot and enjoy the multitude of topics.

Enjoy yourselves and spread the love!

Comments

The Weekend Chat is HERE! Join us, my fellow WikiChatterboxes! And greetings from Cathey’s Creek where the weather is mild and the trees are bare, all except the ones with the dark red leaves (which I have not gotten close enough

On the Home Front: Our little town is planning lots of activities from before Thanksgiving to Christmas, and I am trying to convince my homebody wife to go with me to see the goings on. Lately, she is happy to just sit at home, but I am too antsy to do the same. Part of that is my ADHD, and another part is a desire for something different to do.

Grading of the church parking lots is planned to start this morning, which means I’ll go to therapy at 8 a.m., return to post the Chat by 9:30 a.m., and then off to the church to make sure they know where the boundaries of the lots are. The actual paving won’t take place until after Thanksgiving.

I had to get away from the deep books for a while, so I went online and ordered all the Mitch Rapp books written by Vince Flynn (and after his death another writer). I read the first one, about 640 pages long, in two days and have started the second.

There’s a place online called Book Series in Order, but I was kinda disappointed that this site only lists them by publication, not in chronological order of events. There’s a later book, American Assassin, that should have come first, but instead of confusing myself, I’ll just follow the site’s list. American Assassin was made into a movie. I have about 19 more books in this series to go. I needed the mindless break.

For Thanksgiving next week, one of our kids will be here, and we also invited a few others from our church with no family in the area to join us. Hoping for four extras to be with us.

On the Genealogy Front: Tomorrow is the anniversary of the birth of my aunt, Dorothy Sheppard Gadamowitz, in 1930. I did not know Aunt Dot very well, even though she visited from her home in New York fairly regularly as far as I can tell from others who knew her. The sources for her are rather sparce, a little too sparce to write a good bio. I need to talk with my last surviving aunt to find out more.

Interestingly, Aunt Dot’s husband, Dominick Gadamowitz, died on Dot’s birthdate in 2001. I never remember meeting him. He, too, has very few sources. I did find both of his parents in records, and that they were immigrants from Poland. I can find no record of either of their parents. I’d need help from the Poland Project for that, if possible.

Also tomorrow, is the 155^th anniversary of my g-grandparents Jacob Sidney Underwood and Esther Cathey Lawing. I have pretty good bios for both as there are plenty of documentary sources for both. Plus, my grandfather told me many stories about his father. Jacob joined the Confederate Army at 18 in 1864 and participated in all the battles of the Army of Northern Virginia from the Battle of the Wilderness until the surrender at Appomattox. Both of his forenames became the inheritance of many of his descendants.

My mother knew her grandmother and was able to fill in a very few details of her life. A news article from her later years, which I included on her profile, gave more information than my mom did.

Here’s to all of you for visiting here week after week. I do love hearing the news. Be blessed.

Enjoy the Chat!

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Hey Pip! Perfect timing! It is 7:30 am here in Tucson and I just finished my missive. It seems like yesterday that you were posting just starting the work on the church and all that needed to be done. Now the church is done and parking lot grading is underway! WOW! I think taking a break from the 'heavy' reading is a good idea. I have been re-reading some of the works by our American philosophers (C. S. Peirce, William James, John Dewey) as they help me to 'think' in different ways as I work on that policy paper. Since the paper is done, I put these blokes back to bed and now have been reading fun remarks by cousin Winston Churchill.

My youngest grandson has ADHD and needs to keep busy. Both of you accomplish activities that are very constructive, of which you both should be very proud. Perhaps your 'homebody' wife and very active you really complement each other. She 'brings you home' and you 'bring her the world.' It's a win/win!

And you have yankee relatives from New York! How cool is that. I am sure the Poland project will help. Their Bingo session was fantastic. After the Baldwins, I am going to see if they can help with my Koput ancestors from Poznan, Poland.

Congrats on the 155th anniversary of your GGPs! I love that WikiTree can provide opportunities to keep our ancestors and their various birthday, anniversary, etc. activities alive!

PIP, I wish you and all of your family near and far a very Happy Thanksgiving with lots of turkey, stuffing, squash, and pies.

P.S. Will there be a Chat next Friday, or will you be 'Black Friday' shopping? How about a Black Friday chat???

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I know that in today's culture Churchill is under scrutiny, but I have to love the guy and not judge him according to present standards (that's called presentism). He was the man for the hour.

Yes, there WILL be a Thanksgiving Chat. See you there!

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At this point what books haven’t been made into movies? I hope you have a great Thanksgiving. I’ll be sure to post as well as I have a blog. Got a blog this week too. See ya in my main post!

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Lots of books, but my problem, Chris, is that I am a purist. If one is going to make a movie of a book, then follow the book. Jackson's LOTR was nearly unrecognizable to me. Blasphemed Tolkien.

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Enjoy all the holiday events your town has to offer. I go to many events by myself as most of my family isn't interested. I attended the Veterans Day festivities last weekend but bumped into some friends, so did have several to socialize with while we enjoyed the parade.

I hope your shoulder/back improves and therapy strengthens your core. Stay safe while working out!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I'm sure your guests will enjoy the food and fellowship.

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PIP!!  Where is your Alabama Cheer? The fat lady is a singing. 

Yea, Alabama! Drown ’em Tide!
Every ‘Bama man’s behind you,
Hit your stride.
Go teach the Bulldogs to behave,
Send the Yellow Jackets to a watery grave.
And if a man starts to weaken,
That’s a shame!
For Bama’s pluck and grit have
Writ her name in Crimson flame.
Fight on, fight on, fight on men!
Remember the Rose Bowl, we’ll win then.
Go, roll to victory,
Hit your stride,
You’re Dixie’s football pride,
Crimson Tide, Roll Tide, Roll Tide!!

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Did you write that for me?? Luv it. Roll Tide Roll!

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Better yet Copied and Pasted it!

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I read all the Mitch Rapp books back when they first came out - loved them and was so saddened when Vince Flynn died. The later books were not as good, in my opinion.

I hope you and your family and the lucky people from your church who will be celebrating with you, will all have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

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Cam and I are like you are your wife.  I'd rather be at home, doing genealogy, hiking, playing bridge, mah jong, or pickleball with my girlfriends.  I've been many places (30+ countries and most US states).  I don't really feel like traveling, contrary to many people who have an impulse for it.  Cam does too and wants to do different things every day.  He also likes having trips to look forward to.  After our summer travels (3 major trips), we had been hom eONE DAY and Cam was already talking about what we could do for another one (even though we have next year already planned with big trips).  I wanted to cry.  

I dread them in advance but have enjoyed the experiences while they are in progress.  My son hopes they will have a baby next year and I think, when will I be able to go see the new child because we have so much travel planned already!  Plus Arizona has some very beautiful weather months and I'd like to enjoy my new house a bit.  So we have compromise - hot summer months for travel per Cam, one cold winter month for travel (January, which we both agree on) and two months we absolutely must be here (October and April).  But it still makes me tired even just writing about it right now!

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Hey Cousin Pip,

Thanks as always for hosting the Chat.

Ha, so like me, you do have some Yankees in your tree! ;) As for the southern side: that's some fine work you have done on Sid's profile. Scanned it briefly (too much going on this afternoon) and will take a closer look when I have a break tonight.

It's been a week, so I won't be posting much but will try to check in with everyone later. Cheers...

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@Pip: "Presentism." Thank you. I didn't know there was a term for it. Those of us who study history in depth sometimes have difficulty explaining the past to folks who judge our forebears by (presumably) enlightened 21st century standards.

LOTR: to me, the books and the films are separate animals, each of which I can enjoy on their own merits. Sadly, I don't know too many moviegoers who would sit as still as me for Tolkien's hifalutin language...and I did appreciate their giving Arwen the opportunity to engage in some heroics, rather than just sitting around waiting and hoping for Aragorn to become king. :) The Old Forest, Tom Bombadil, Entmoot and Saruman's later shenanigans would make for a very long series indeed!

Which reminds me that I finally got the film "Copperhead"  (Peace Democrats in 1862 New York State) through inter-library loan. Enjoyed it despite the poor box office receipts and pans by critics. Too much dialogue and not enough shooting and blowing up of things for most folks, I fear.

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I didn't know that word "presentism" either though it clearly explains what is happening in many places in the US.

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Noun: presentism

"Uncritical adherence to present-day attitudes, especially the tendency to interpret past events in terms of modern values and concepts."

Presentism is rampant in many places and on so many topics. 

Everything from, you said (that is I said) your family had little money when you were a child, your mother was a university educated woman why didn't she get a job?

The answer of "she had 6 children under the age of 11, there was no daycare, who would do the housework" was not acceptable. 

The person's solution ' hire a nanny and a maid service'!

Answer 1

This Week We Go Back To The Country With A NEW Parody!

Ancestry Put The WikiTree Back In Me

Sung to the tune of The City Put the Country Back in Me

• Released in 1994. Written by Mike Geiger, Woody Mullis and Michael Huffman and recorded by American country music artist Neal McCoy.
• It reached number 5 on US Hot Country Songs!
• The music video was directed by Martin Kahan and premiered in late 1994. It was filmed in New York City and New Jersey and features a prominent display of the former World Trade Center Towers.
  • Parody by Dave Draper

Here is the music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6qI_UoG0vw

• Click on the link and the music should play, then come back here and try to sing along
  • or open the link in a new window

• Ancestry Put the WikiTree Back In Me
• I joined Wikitree but I thought it was a dead end road.
• My every dream was to just find folks of old;
• Like a siren Ancestry called out my name!
• I started a tree! Turned it into memory lane!
• Well I made my profiles! Yeah, they looked like gold!
• But then I realized my sources stunk ya know
• I started missing things, my sources couldn’t find
• I re-found WikiTree shining like a big neon sign
• Wikipeeps had sources and bios that were best by far
• They showed how their kin folk drank from a mason jar
• I think I found what genealogy should be
• Ancestry put the WikiTree back in me!
• Music
• When you go on the forum you don’t have to leave your room
• Just ask for help, Wikipeeps help you find your roots
• Now it’s the best in the world of genealogy
• Ancestry put the WikiTree back in me!
• Wikipeeps had sources and bios that were best by far
• They showed how their kin folk drank from a mason jar
• I think I found what genealogy should be
• Ancestry put the WikiTree back in me!
• Yeah, Ancestry put the WikiTree back in me!

For More of Dave's Weekend Chat Parodies >>>CLICK HERE<<<

Comments

Very cool, David! This one:

• Just ask for help, Wikipeeps help you find your roots

This is so true. With the help I found from my fellow WikiTreers, I got a lot further than I would have on my own.

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You are by far my favorite lyrical artist David! Thank you for sharing your talents with us!!

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Once again, a top ten hit!

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Thank you for sharing your lyrical gift with us each week!

Happy Thanksgiving and if you haven't done a parody to Alice's Restaurant, next week would be a great time to celebrate Alice. The song is a must for me at Thanksgiving.

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I was thinking something to a Dylan tune, but I guess Guthrie will do just as well.

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A filk of "Alice's Restaurant" - quite the challenge! But I'm sure Cousin Dave would rise to the occasion!

Answer 2

¡Buenos días a todos from the Old Pueblo! It is 7:00 am and 62F (16.7C) with an expected high of 80F (26.7) with clear skies in Tucson. At long last, we had a good rain last night. All it took for rain was to wash my car three days ago! If I had only known, I would have washed it every day this summer!

Our nurse-collaborative policy paper on night nurses having poorer health outcomes with concomitant personal, insurer, organizational and federal costs is near completion and reads very well. We had our zoom meeting on Wednesday and our next zoom on December 13^th will finalize it for submission. Now it is just a matter of checking to make sure sources in the paper are listed in full in the resource section and checking for typos. One co-author found a study that reported medical errors to be the third leading cause of death in hospitals. Most occur on the night shift. Night shift nurses are also prone to more cognitive problems and early onset dementia. A major recommendation is to implement and test short night shifts (e.g., four hours from, say 10:30pm to 2:30am and 2:30am to 6:30am) so that nurses can sleep when they return home or just before their shift so as not to disrupt melatonin. Cleveland Clinic tested 4-hour shifts on days a few years ago to help single mother (86% of nurses are women) to care for school age children, which was successful. There is no reason why this could not work on night shift. The World Health Organization reported back in 2007 that night shift workers were more prone to breast, testicular and prostate cancer due to melatonin disruption with circadian rhythms, and melatonin supplementation is not the answer. There are other brain chemicals that interplay with melatonin.

I had hoped to finish some additions that one of my colleagues sent yesterday; however, I spent the afternoon and much of the evening in the Emergency Room (ER). I have had increasing right flank pain for the past couple of months. Given that I had four bladder infections in five months’ time over the summer, I was worried about kidney stones (flank pain can be a symptom). I went to urgent care, but they sent me to the ER because urgent care doesn’t have imaging capabilities. So, I sat in the ER for four hours waiting for an ER bed to open. Meanwhile, I reviewed our latest version of the paper reconciling revisions from co-authors and checking to make sure that sources in the paper were consonant with all the listed sources in the References section. I was finally taken to a room, had imaging, blood draw and such. The good news is that I do not have kidney stones. The ER doctor thinks it is a strained/sprained flank muscle and ordered a muscle relaxation medication. The downside is that my blood pressure is high (stroke territory), probably from pain. So, I will increase the antihypertensive dosage until I can get the flank pain under control and when I see my primary care provider in early December.

I wish I could say the same for our chapter as to near completion on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity for the Women’s Health textbook. Iris and I found out last Friday, that although we submitted our chapter back in early June, the editor of our chapter has not even read it! The publisher wanted a brief abstract and key words and told us our chapter was not uploaded! So, after sending an email to Elsevier (the publisher) along with both Editors, we heard on Monday that the editor of our chapter would read it this week and get back to us next week. And then I wonder why my blood pressure it up?! I guess I know what Iris and I will be doing during Thanksgiving week!

The Buckinghamshire Baldwins are on the back burner for a couple more weeks. I started WikiWork on my sister’s paternal line and have added at least four generations. Her paternal line is predominantly from Sweden, Germany, and Poland and I want to ‘gift’ her with this for Christmas. I mentioned this in last week’s Chat, and Maria Lundholm left several emails saying that she would help me with the Swedish line. Maria has been an absolute GIFT for me! She has not only added sources from Sweden but has extended Bonny’s line in several cases. I cannot thank Maria enough. She is an exemplar of what WikiTree is all about when it comes to collaborative effort. I even learned a Swedish word…Kram! (Hugs)! I have also found that Bonny has Merten/Martin ancestry and one of these German ancestors was an early settler of Germantown, Fauquier, Virginia Colony in the early 1600s. I will reach back until I connect the Merten line with this early settler, which will take another week or so, then will return to the Baldwins before the England Team catches me slacking.

Pip, as ever, thank you for leading the Weekend Chat. I keep thinking that as each month passes, I am another week closer to seeing you and Mike! I also want to wish all my WikiTree friends and family a great third weekend of November 2023. OMG! Next week is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Happy Thanksgiving to all. And we should also remember the indigenous members of our nation on this day. It is the least we can do.

Comments

Carol, I know that your research, collaboration and writing must take a lot of energy, but you seem to love it so. I think your work in all the areas that are near and dear to you and other will have an impact for the better.

FYI: My back went out in therapy last Wednesday. It cleared up (mostly), but then last night it started acting up again, bad enough to take on of the two oxys I had left over. My chiropractor is closed today, but therapy this morning seemed to help while I was working on the arm.

So glad you had Maria helping you out. What a treasure she is.

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Hey Pip...I am very sory to hear of your back problems during therapy. I will hope that you stay on the road to recovery. Be very careful with those pain drugs. I have no idea what the ER doctor prescribed for my flank pain. If it is some sort of narcotic, I will likely deal with the pain, like bind my guts in a wrap-around corset of some sort. Actually, this might help you.

Working with my nurse colleagues on papers is a joy and keeps me from focusing on all my aches, pains and other related aging issues. Working on WikiTree is also a wonderful pain diversion and gives on a feeling of accomplishemtn. And, yes, Maria is an absolute treasure!

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Carol, I'm beginning to wonder if I should wear a brace to improve my posture. I am sure that that is what is causing a lot of my back pains. The spot that went out the other day was one that I have been dealing with for years, but usually only ever three or four months. It usually clears up the same day, but this one didn't. I am now out of the left over oxy, so no more of that.

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Pip, you are very tall and I think that a brace might help just by providing back support. I am headed to the pharmacy to get my pain medication and a support. I have also made a couple of appointments for massage with a focus on the low back. Between the lumbar stenosis and this right flank pain, massage will help...perhaps even using CBD oil during the massage! I do worry about the over-prescribing of oxy. If that is what my Rx is...I'll do without. You take care!

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Carol,

I am looking forward to reading your research paper. I worked as a registered nurse on the night shift for eight years; then rotated shifts for 4 years; and gave up bedside nursing as the hospital I worked for was transitioning to 12-hour shifts, which just didn't work for me.

I hope your infectious situation improves and you are able to focus more on the things you love like genealogy. Happy Thanksgiving.

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Hi Margaret, this particular work is a policy recommendations paper and needs to be reviewed by the American Academy of Nursing. It gets submitted (before February 1), then the board reviews it, send it back if there are issues, then returns for the board and they submit to the AAN journal. The paper is then peer reviewed, so likely won't be published until at least April or so. There are several nurses on the Chat, along with other health care workers who generally request the publications. While this paper focuses on nurses who work nights, the health issues (and costs) are relevant to ANYONE who works nights. I worked nights for a number of years in order to be home for my daughter during the day. Nights were awful for me. And going to 12 hours is insane.

Fortunately, kidney stones were ruled out at the ER and I am now using CBD cream (meh), an abdominal brace (helps more that CBD) and will take the muscle relaxant when I go to bed as I need to think clearly as I add to my sister's paternal line tonight.

I wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving (I do feel badly for the turkeys, though...their gobble lives on as families gobble their food).

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And a  Happy Thanksgiving back at you.  I hope there are a few of your favorites that will let you indulge without too much discomfort.

Answer 3

Greetings Pip and everybody,

I thought I would post today to see if anyone cares to know I am still alive.

I think it may finally start to turn Autumn around here. The weather got cool a couple of weeks ago, then got warm again. Current forecast calls for cooling starting Sunday through the rest of the week. Not that I don't like warm weather, but I also like where I'm at because we usually have all 4 seasons. Ready for that.

I actually did a few extra sourcing on profiles this week. I got a notice that someone did something on a watchlist profile and discovered some more family members needed some sources, etc. I don't have a schedule so sometimes I'm up in the middle of the night and end up checking these things. Also going to do the Saturday Sourcing Sprint tomorrow.

Something I haven't cooked in years is fried chicken livers. Picked up a quart of them last Monday so I'm going to do them today. Creating an egg and milk soak and then into the bag of flour seasoning mix and drop into the skillet. Hope it comes out OK. I'm also planning on a tuna casserole.

AND I'll probably go ahead and do a traditional Thanksgiving (U.S.) dinner this Thursday. Turkey, ham, potatoes, stuffing, etc., even though I'll probably be alone.  My brother and his wife are going to Nashville, TN, to have the holiday week with his youngest son and newest grandchild.

 

All in all, not a bad week.

 

And on we go...

Comments

Hi Luther! Nice to see you on the Chat! I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. On the other hand, chicken livers are definitely NOT my 'cup of tea' and the thought of them just makes me squirm. The upside? More livers for you since I don't want them...ever...never...in a million years!

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Luther, I care! 18th cousin twice removed​​​​​​​

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Of course we care, Luther. You are missed wen we don't hear from you.

I lived for a while in a place that had only two seasons: three weeks of winter and 49 of summer. Now e have all four, but my wife sure doesn't like the longer winters. I am hoping for snow, of course; she not at all.

I'll take a helping of the tuna casserole! Bring it with you and have Thanksgiving here! You are always welcome.

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No gizzards! Sounds like you're treating and cheating yourself. What you are missing in gizzards you can make up with tobasco sauce. Enjoy.

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K...I have a gut problem, a serious one, that precludes me from using tobasco, high fat foods, colas, fried foods, raw veggies and fruit. Even lettuce has to be steamed if I want a salad. With this particular diet, there are days where life doesn't seem to be worth living. My diet is primarily clear soups, oatmeal, and an occasional cookie. But even before this diet, the thought of chicken livers or any liver wants to make me hurl in technicolor. Alternatively, I feed my spirit with working on WikiTree and collaborating with colleagues. Plus, as with Luther, you can have my share of...(hurling) livers, gizzards and such!

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Sounds like my Dr., If you like it, don't eat it, if you want it, you better leave it alone! When I noticed a change in my gut, I started eating nuts, salads and raw veggies. After things went from bad to worse, two or three co-pays later, I found out  I did exactly what I should not have done. Go figure.

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Luther, if I had to guess by looking, I would think we are closer than 16th cousins. With a grandpa named Jesse James, and a Smith to boot, in spirit if not genetically.

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Hi Luther,

Surprisingly, we are only 15 degrees! I have so many BROWN cousins and your family is close to some of mine in Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. We both have a grandpa named Jessie James too! My great-grandfather is Frank James. I loved my grandpa, Jessie, and told everyone I knew Jessie James was my grandpa. He was bigger than life to all the grandkids.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving! It sounds delicious minus those chicken livers.  Hope your Autumn weather continues.

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In my old days as a crime fighter, I supervised a Jesse James. It seems that mom intervened in the naming of his brother David. David Franklin James. His mom called him David, everyone else called him Frank.

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Good names!

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Hey Cousin Luther (15th 2x removed)! Welcome back - I missed hearing from you.

You were stationed at the DLI? What language? So was my 1st husband (Russian). I can still remember useful phrases like, "Where do you keep your incendiary bombs? May I see them?"

Hope you have a restful Thanksgiving...but you can have my share of the livers!

Answer 4

Top of the Morning from the “Show Me” state. Not sure of the origin but, I have read that was a phrase used when bushwackers encountered each other, or foe, when hiding in the brush. A wrong answer resulted in certain death. Not that it matters but, what if it did?

 

Looks like winter is on its way. Much cooler with cold on the way. The deer harvest was down due to high temps, several days in the upper 70’s. Next week40’s and 50’s with ice on the pond, makes me wonder what Santa has in store.

 

On the genealogy front, I have to wonder how much information my grandparents knew about their family and didn’t talk about or just didn’t know. I find characters and connections everyday that I find noteworthy. Then again, I don’t call anyone to enlighten them on my findings. Seems I was born and raised the same way I will die, just another Smith kid. I have known several people who are/were related to well known if not famous people that could not care any less than they did. Did they know something others did not or did they just not agree about religion or politics?

Comments

K, what with the heavy acorn crop this year, we have been seeing many more deer than usual. Five yesterday right under the edge of our second story deck. They can't see me through the screen, so if I am very quiet I can sneak over to the edge to watch them.

One set of my grandparents (from whom I grew up across the pasture) were full of stories. Grandma's grandmother was a Smith and boy did she have some stories to tell. "Uncle David died of a dirty mouth," she would say and such like that.

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Hey K...you aren't just another 'Smith kid.' You are a Smith kid on Wikitree with a Wiki-family!

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My distant cousin Draper ancestors settled in Southern Illinois next to Quaker Draper non distant cousin ancestors.  I converse with one of those Quaker Draper descendants, a WikiTree member, and he told me what his family said: 

'''Those Draper over in the next county ain't our Draper!'''

They might have known more than you think!

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I am sure that is the case. Grandma had two cousins who, one was married to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, her sister was only married to Joseph. We were more connected to Orrin Porter than Smith, either way, that kind of info could have made me more interested in history. Then again, she was married and having babies by seventeen and probably less informed about her cousin than I am about mine.

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David, anytime I asked my Grandma if so-and-so was related to us (with a surname in our family) she would always say, "No, those must be South Carolina Beatys, Underwoods, etc."

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@ Carol- I'm OK w/ being just another Smith kid. A few of my friends made the connection between me and my family. Several in town knew my connections to family. Overall, I was raised to believe that I would be judged by my actions and behavior more so than by who I am related to. Best I can tell, that was good advice.

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GO CHIEFS! 

Answer 5

Yesterday (Thursday) we were visited by our daughter, her son and his daughter, Maria, our youngest great grandchild at 5 1/2 months.......she is certainly a good natured young lady and smiles easily.

Comments

Maria or your youngest g-grandchild? 

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Pip, Maria is our g-granddaughter, born June 1st this year......for awhile, yesterday, Kathy and I were part of a 4 generation group.

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Sure hope you were able to get some four generation photos! That is so special to spend time with your great-grand.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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John, how are studies about Gen Ewing and Order #11 coming. Have you come to part where his military expertise, along with his two other brothers (all 3 Generals), comes from being the son of a Senator, Thomas Ewing Sr. Thomas Ewing Sr's foster son and eventual son-in-law was none other than William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman's march to the sea that left a fifty-mile-wide path of destruction and the complete devastation of Atlanta even though it was not of military significance and the war was virtually won by that time.

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We did, Margaret, we took photos with numerous poses.  As for Thanksgiving, we celebrated in October, however another celebration is welcome......thankyou.

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K, your 'heads up' gave me incentive to also review the roles played by his father, brothers (Hugh and Charles) and his foster brother (also brother-in-law, W.T. Sherman) and how their actions affected the lives of the citizens of the United States.

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Hopefully I can carry this energy to the museum this morning and encourage a few visitors to look a little deeper into history.

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The left wing of Sherman's army, under Henry Slocum, passed about 10 miles from my great-grandparents' farm near Monroe, GA. They escaped direct devastation but not hardship...probably suffered as much from depredations of Wheeler's cavalry (or fake agents of the quartermaster) as from Federal troops.

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D, as per your comment, I studied Sherman's "March to the Sea" paying attention to Henry Slocum and Joseph Wheeler's activities......having a guide helps etch this period in my memory.

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@John, Trudeau's book "Southern Storm" is an excellent reference. A difficult read in places (see below), but informative with good maps.

 A tragic consequence was that hundreds of self-emancipated enslaved people following Sherman's army, en route to Savannah, drowned attempting to cross Ebenezer Creek. :(

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D, I found the author, Noah Andre Trudeau, then found "Southern Storm" which Google Books allows me to preview up to the start of chapter 4.

Answer 6

Hails and horns, Wikipeeps!

Well, I finally did it. I cracked 700k points and Dieter made a thread congratulating me. That is pretty cool. It’s easy to rack up points posting a 52 ancestors thread every week, right? Speaking of…

https://allroadhaverhill.blogspot.com/2023/11/52-ancestors-week-46-this-ancestor-went.html

This week’s post is about Benedetti’s deli and my connection to it. It takes some mental gymnastics, I admit. But you get there in the end.

Thanks for hosting, Pip! I hope everyone is doing well. Im currently at my brother’s house in Virginia for Thanksgiving. We’ll be having the usual turkey, lasagna and all that good stuff. 

The flight was uneventful and quick. I think the pilot wanted to make up time. Will have a great time in va. I hope everyone has a great thanksgiving!

Comments

Chris, reading your blog yesterday, I had to look up the deli and I WANT TO EAT THERE! Maybe on my road trip, as long as you go with!

Enjoy yourself at your yearly get-together. Sounds like a lot of fun. Think of me when you're eating that lasagna!

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Pip, I’d be happy to go with you to  Benedetti’s. :)

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Ciao Cousin Chris! Are these Benedettis related to Tony Benedetti (Tony Bennet)? That would be awesome. You have a really great Thanksgiving with your familia in Virginia!

P.S. My cousin just posted an upadated FB photo and it is a pretty good sized Tardis near her home! I wonder where she got it! I wonder if Lowes in VT are selling tool sheds in the form of Tardis (Tardi?) Hugs!

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Ciao, Carol! I am not sure if they are related. But, here’s the earliest Benedetti I have found: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Benedetti-121

I think it would be cool, too. But, ya never know.

Very cool about the Tardis. Not surprised people made one. I wonder if it’s bigger on the inside,

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@Carol, I saw a deer blind for sale at our supermarket that, if painted, would make a good Tardis...but that might defeat the purpose...

Answer 7

Checking in from Central Illinois USA!

Less color! More cooler!  My great retirement job hanging door tags for my son's window cleaning, pressure washing and gutter cleaning biz seems to be very effective!  By the end of November I will be out a job until March 2024 when I will be at it again.!   I enjoy the walking in the wealthy neighborhoods, getting great landscaping ideas, getting paid for exercising and thinking about my BOOK!

The goal is to have it finished by next year at this time.  But I still have a lot to learn about writing a novel. I continue to write the story in little snippets and searching for mistakes new writers make.   I love my early morning meditation times when I sit in the recliner and just visulize each sceen, over and over, thinking about what it needs and what it doesn't need!   I have even written some music for the book!  I'm not sure how that works in a novel.  QR Code to a website where the reader can hear it?  hmmmmm!

Comments

David, your "retirement" job would be a boon for me, health-wise. All that walking would be good for me. Like you, I would also be checking out the landscaping for ideas.

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I need someone to pay me to walk around too! My current plan is too expensive. I usually walk all the isles of Costco because they have the higher shopping carts. The only problem is the bakery. and all those free samples.

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Marty, I sometimes get my steps in via the grocery store. 

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I used to walk the red line that is painted on the floor of our local Walmart. Tales have been told that the red line had been a feature unique to Walmart stores. They had been painted to encourage the locals to come into the stores during inclement weather to get their exercise walking the perimeter of the store. Sounds good to me!

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Pip, best landscape materials I see around these beautiful houses is black sparkled rock bordering their sidewalks and house surroundings.  The black rock is bordered by cut stone in a perfect line and the grass line is totally manicured where it meets the stone. Inside the black rock areas are populated with a variety of different size plants with multiple colors and with some rich areas of ground ivy.  Throw in a statue or an antique artifact and you got it!  Stay away from river rock and mulch or wood chips, because it just looks like a cheap landscape fix...it doesn't work, IMHO.

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I'm glad to know I'm  not the only one doin the shoppin cart shuffle aka the senior slide 

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David, you could incorporate the score into the text where appropriate and let people sing/play it themselves. Me, I just quote the lyrics to a period song or two (lacking the chops to write anything original in this case).

Like you, I have snippets collected over several years - mostly random scenes in no particular order - though I did manage to choke out a first draft of the first ten chapters. Can't seem to get out of research mode.

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@D  I have permission from my wife to obtain Living Writer.

I tell you what, I will read your snippets if you read mine!  I have great ideas but sometimes express them poorly or with grammatical errors.  Lets work together! 

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Deal! I'm just the opposite - great technique, but need work on the plot holes.. ;)

Answer 8

Hi from southern Ontario,

Chez moi/at home: what's been happening here? On the home front, our new furnace was installed on Wednesday, with a great amount of dust created and much noise. It is working. But the new touch screen thermostat that came with it will take several months of study to figure out how to use it. There is extensive information about installation, there is no information about settings, how to find them, what they do and how to change them. Another example of I’ll tell you about this, but I won’t tell you how to do it. 

I watched a very disturbing video called Planet of the humans, directed by Jeff Gibbs and produced by Michael Moore. The short description- it is controversial, and looks at whether renewable energy as currently described is possible. One example, using biomass to generate electricity is generally thought to be a good alternative to burning coal. What is happening in some places is clearcutting of forests to burn as biomass. 

The Hort society AGM was on Tuesday evening. After far too much time correcting mistakes in the finance report caused by errors in how QuickBooks creates categories, and rewriting sections of the society constitutions and bylaws to conform to the new Ontario act governing non-profit organisations it is all done. I no longer a Co-President! 

WikiTree and family history: I have continued working on my short biography suggestions now down to 105, from 357 six months ago, I have one Find a Grave suggestion that will be fixed when 3 profiles are merged at the end of November. And no other suggestions at all. 

Well not entirely true, I have about 800 unknown death date and unknown death location suggestions, they are not currently fixable. They are all for siblings, in laws, out laws of many times GG ancestors, all the info I have for them is a baptism record and no way to know what happened to them after their baptism. If they had unique names like my great grand uncle Ethelbert Leopold Horatio Wright, it would be simpler. 

I worked on the Murch family, and ended up having to fix the FS profiles, one of those FS families with 3 kids born within 11 months in different places!

What else: After I found a box of old family vacation photos in the basement a few weeks ago, I will now have the time to decide if they can be scanned successfully, a lot of them are scenic. Maybe they can be old Virtual Vacations?

Plus, I borrowed a projector screen from the Hort Society, it isn’t currently being used. We have a slide projector but without a white wall to project onto it’s difficult to tell if the slide is worth scanning. I can now use it to sort through the remaining 2000 family slides out of the original 14,000 that I inherited from my dad. And I think I have to figure out how to put stuff in/on cloud storage.

I’m still trying to find a warm place for a week of vacation in February or March any suggestions? 

Comments

M, are you happy to no longer be the co-president?

For a warmer place, Key West, Florida. And if that's not far enough south, then beautiful Costa Rica! I'd go again!

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Yes Pip,

I am happy to not have all the duties that are involved. Though I am now Past President I will be still be on the board, and will be advising the new Co-Presidents on how, what and when for a year.

Apologies in advance: Key West is a place we have thought about previously,  but without any intended slight to the USA, I'm not at all sure we want to visit Florida in what is sure to be a contentious election year.

I'll check out Costa Rica.

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CR: Lots to see and do, environmentally and culturally. I loved visiting there for a week.

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Hi M, fortunately, my heat/aircon only requires a baby-version thermostat, that the lords of thermostati!

I did not know that Michael Moore was doing another video (if it is the Michael Moore from Michigan who did such videos as Bowling for Columbine). I'll have to see if the title is on Netflix. I have a limited number of streamin channels (? whatever they are called).

I think it is a spledid idea to turn your old photos into virtual vacays! Given your skills with a camera, your worst are likely better than some peoples' best!

Warmth in February? I was going to say the same thing you implied about Key West. I won't go there until elections are well over and depends on election outcomes.

*Cancun with a bumboat to Isla Mujeres?

*Costa Rica?

*British Virgin Islands?

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It is the same Michael Moore, directed by Jeff Gibbs 

I think this is the right link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk11vI-7czE

Cancun? maybe.

Costa Rica, perhaps

British Virgin Islands are beyond our budget.

Cayman Islands is another idea. 

Or Turks and Caicos Islands, I really wish that when Canada had the opportunity to annex the islands in the 1970's and again as recently as the 1990s it would have happened. 

A place with sun and heat being part of Canada would be wonderful!

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M...my brother and sister-in-law love the Cayman Islands when weather gets too cold in Wisconsin. It's their 'go to' vacay at that time.

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M, it seems as though the current proposed remedies are as bad as the ailment. Biomass, soybean cultivation destroying rainforests as a side effect of lowering meat consumption, palm oil plantations, wind turbines disturbing wildlife habitat...What to do?

I grew up in Florida before developers ruined it, back when it was (relatively) sane, though racism and xenophobia were a problem. (Looks like those folks are back with a vengeance.) My stepmom and her daughters live in one of the few sane areas, but it's hard to get down to see them.

I'd opt for an eco-tour in Costa Rica, though locals probably can't wait for the turistas to clear out!

Answer 9

Virtual Vacation! 

In September 2015 we went on a 2 week vacation to upper New York State, Cape Cod, Maine, New Hampshire and then home again through Lake George, New York State about 2500km. 

We spent a day at Camden, Maine.  It is very obvious that Penobscot Bay is one of the best and most scenic sailing areas in the state of Maine. Camden is a working harbour, with lobster and fishing boats traveling in and out of the Bay each day to catch fresh seafood and lobster.

The harbor was full of many types of boats, the fishing boats, small sail boats and tall ships. 

I’m not sure if I knew it was on Penobscot Bay before we arrived there.

After years of watching MASH and the character Donald Penobscott, Margaret ‘Hot Lips’ husband, then Charles Emerson Winchester arrived on the program as a new surgeon, going on about Cape Cod and then I got the two of them muddled up. I thought Penobscot Bay had connections to Charles Emerson Winchester. 

It doesn’t make a difference, because Camden, Maine is lovely. 

I learned that Camden Maine is famous for being “Where the Mountains Meet the Sea” plus its also ‘Where the River Meets the Sea’. 

The Megunticook River (what a name!) drops over the rocks/dam at the head of Camden Harbour creating an impressive waterfall. It is a short river, only about 3 miles long, that flows under the main road and under the buildings on the edge of the harbour, but you can walk along the edge and see that it also runs between the buildings. Many of the buildings that the river flows under are flooded in the spring. 

 

Many cormorants can be seen on the rocks and fishing in the harbour. 

This picture is from the New York State digital library, free use with no restrictions, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. "Another view of the falls in the village." Estimated date of photo, between 1860 and 1900.

The river's path was much more open, and there are significantly fewer buildings

We might revisit this area in summer 2024, we will be visiting the Canadian Maritimes and it is an easy drive from New Brunswick to Maine. 

Comments

Hi M, I have been to Maine (all 50 states, actually). It is gorgeous! Megunticook is a Native American word meaning "big mountain harbor." I am originally from Milwaukee, which non-Wisconsinites have difficulty saying properly (along with Waukesha, Mukgwonago, etc.). Milwaukee is a Patawatomi word with several meanings (e.g., gathering place by the water; good, beautiful or pleasant land; council grounds). For me, Milwauke is not so good, beautiful or pleasant in winter!

Your photos, as always, are really beautiful and bring back some lovely travel memories. The photos of the harbor, flowers and falls are particularly stunning.

If I don't chat with you before, I will wish you a Happy Thursday on the day that our U.S. Thanksgiving occurs!

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Carol, I just answered you, and somehow messed it up and it disappeared.

American Thanksgiving is 23 November?

I made a list of States we have visited or at least driven through, in no particular order.

New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, North and South Dakota, Vermont, New York, Maine, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Washington, Hawaii, Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin I think that's all.

I don't think I can count California, as it was only a layover at LAX.

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M, that's 24 states if I am counting correctly. Quite honestly, a lot more than many U.S. citizens have seen!

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I have New York and Maine listed twice so 22 states, and forgot Virginia and West Virginia now back to 24 states with 26 left that could take a while!

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That definitely is beautiful country up there. Right up until the Leaves change color. Once that happens it's time to pull up roots and run south. Cause once the white stuff (unnamed) falls you are STUCK!

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Beautiful pics, M. I have family roots in southern Maine (Berwick/Kittery) but am anxious to return and explore farther north one day soon. I really want to see Acadia National Park.

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Hey Keith, those of us that live in my part of the north will have wet snow on Sunday morning.

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Amazing pictures!  I always love them!

Answer 10

Salam semua. Minggu ini singgah di negara-negara yang saya lawati dalam Jelajah Global 15 Negara ialah Malaysia. Bahasa rasmi ialah bahasa Melayu dengan bahasa Inggeris digunakan sebagai bahasa kedua. 

Di hadapan Wikitree saya, saya kini telah mencapai 3500 untuk markah CC7 saya dan mengurangkan senarai pantau saya kepada 5388 daripada titik air yang tinggi melebihi 6200. Begitu perlahan tetapi ia akan sampai ke sana. 

Di hadapan peribadi saya, saya mendapat kunjungan hebat daripada ibu saya dan kami menyaksikan anak perempuan saya melakukan tarian bachata solo dan tarian latin dan hip hop berpasukan. Jadi ayah yang sangat bangga.

Comments

Hai Derek, mesej anda minggu ini sangat menggembirakan memandangkan maklumat yang anda kongsikan dengan persembahan tarian anak perempuan anda! Saya ingin mengucapkan Selamat Kesyukuran kepada anda dan keluarga anda. Pelukan besar!

Answer 11

After years of being one who offered help to people who obviously could use some (think walker or cane or crutches or even age) my chickens are coming home to roost.  Today I snagged a granddaughter to help dump the recyclables at the transfer station we are required to take them to-nine miles one way from home.  She had the job done in about ten minutes and I only directed her where to go for each category.  I have appreciated help from passers by when I could only take a small bunch of newspapers and then sit down to rest before doing the next of about 5-6 trips.  Then I brought her home and had her sweep and mop my floors.  With my IBS they looked like an unhousebroken puppy lived here.  I can't reach the floor by bending over and have to rely on my picker and a wet cloth, which is seldom sufficient.  Her over controlling father
used to nit pick all of their jobs so they got so they hated him and even hid so he couldn't make them do things.  I set her up and went to watch the noon news on tv.  She asked me if it met my standards.  My reply was very well received.
I paid her for that and several other jobs but her pay is going in an envelope to pay me back for a loan.  She can't
save a penny from her 3 hr. a week job and seriously has
mental problems since her Dad tried to throw her, at 16, out of the house to quit school and get a job.  Which is against the law!  I am doing my best to be grandma, not her warden, but soon I am threatening to become it.  Her help was greatly needed to set up my quilting so I can now go back since my ankle took six months to heal up from the sprain.  However, it gave me lots of time to help add information to Civil War veterans from New York.  Some are a challenge.  All Andrew has to go on is a first and last name from induction or mustering out.  By reading some you think it is very rare but find about five living at the same time.
I have been invited to my daughter's for Thanksgiving so we purchased a butternut squash today.  How nice to pass every thing down to the next generation.  May every one have a happy holiday and enjoy the fall season if you are like me.  But dread the coming winter.

Comments

Hi Beulah, I want to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving with all the trimmings!

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Beulah, you are a blessing to your granddaughter as she is to you.  I'm sorry for your physical troubles but glad you have her to help you.  Have a nice Thanksgiving with your daughter (and the over controlling husband?).

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Over controlling is now out of the picture.  My daughter decided she had had enough when he started the verbal abuse she had taken for so long in on the girls to such a degree.  She got a divorce two years ago and his whole family now refuse to have anything to do with them.  Not even a Happy Birthday or Merry Christmas phone text. There is a lot more laughter in the house these days.

Answer 12

On this day:

9: The Roman Emperor Vespasian is born

1867: The Hungarian capital Budapest is founded

1989: A Student demonstration in Prague marks the start of the Velvet revolution

Comments

Hi Jelena, I will go with the Velvet revolution today. Any kind of peaceful protest would be my cup of tea!

Answer 13

Good evening from Germany,

where the weather has been mainly grey and rainy this week, but not cold. It didn't rain this week as much as last week though.

This week, we cleaned the shelf with our spices in the kitchen. And again we filled two crates with all the stuff and had to put it back.

I want to change my general physician. Mum's old one retired (now he wants to write his doctoral thesis at the age of over 70) and there came a new one. Last week mum had an appointment and I accompanied her. There I asked the doctor if she still takes new patients, and yes she does. So I went yesterday to my old physician and asked for the  file with all my stuff. By German law these are my belongings and they have to give me that. "Well you can get all the letters from other doctors, but only in copies." (No I can't, they have to give me everything.) So I answered: "We have two possibilities: Either you give me all the stuff or I ask my new doctor that she asks for it." "You are free to do that." And I will! I am happy when my file is finally at my new doc.

Our doctor will give us the next Covid-shot on Tuesday. Mum will also get the flu shot at the same time.

Genealogy-wise: I jumped around and did something here and there, I worked a bit on categories and fell nearly in a rabbit hole, I sourced, I watched the WikiTree-Symposium-videos (4 more to go), I hope to finish them this weekend. Aaaand I finally learned how to use the Challenge Tracker for the connector's challenge. Last but not least I suggested to do a complete German roster for the Profiles of the Week on May 22 next year, when (former West-) Germany celebrates its 75. birthday on May 23. I will have to write biographies until then to prepare them for that...

Have a nice weekend, stay safe!

Comments

Hi Jelena, my sincere best wishes to you and your mum. You are so generous with your time on Wiki-Tree. I look forward to seeing the German roster for Profiles of the Week in May!

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Considering the German roster, it is only a suggestion I made. The decision if it will be used will be taken on May 20 in the German evening....

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I am hopful that your suggestion is taken. I do think we need to 'expand' our tree to become more inclusive. Many of us in the US have German ancestry and I have learned so much from you and others who are so knowledgeable as to German records, sourcing and links to global ancestry.

Answer 14

Howdy folks! Greetings from central Oklahoma USA! I hope this finds everyone well and getting excited for Thanksgiving if you celebrate this, my favorite holiday, wherever you are. We will be traveling to southern Illinois and hanging out with my Dad's side of the family, which we do every year. This year is going to be even better with my sister and her husband joining us as well! It will be the first time to see my brother in law since he had brain surgery and I can't wait to see him! I'm ready to hit the road!

Tomorrow is family picture day. The grandgirl wasn't around the last time we did family pics, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out. The photographer is a gal who grew up with my eldest daughter and I coached her in softball, so we keep with our "shop local" mantra this time of year. 

After photos, we'll come back to the house where I'm making my great grandma Rosie's famous paprikash chicken. It's one of the three recipies of hers that I make. It's also the easiest. I'll have it all together and in the oven before we leave, so it should be done when we get back. After that, I'm pretty sure we'll play our usual cut throat games of dominoes. Our family is very competitive, so game nights get interesting at times. 

Genealogy wise, I have started going over some profiles on my watchlist that needed some attention. While we are in southern Illinois, I will be going through my cousins file cabinets of research, and I cannot wait to do so! Other than that it's been Greeter and Ranger duty. 

Thanks Pip for being the host with the most, and I hope everyone has a great weekend and Thanksgiving!

Until next time......

John

Comments

I just learned to play Dominoes this summer!  It is deceptively easy but challenging.  Fun.

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@John

I know there are many different domino games. Do you play the one known as Turkey Foot? My cut-throat in-laws hosted many a holiday after dinner Turkey Foot game. Ah, the memories ...

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Hi Candyce,

That is one of several domino games that we play. Last night I was threatened by my eldest daughter that she was going to put me in an old folks home.  They still hate losing to Dad!

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Hi Cindy.

It can be a lot of fun for sure!

Answer 15

Hi all!

On the genealogy front, I have been in contact with my brother for the 1st time in 40 years, & he is sending me the Brunson Book my dad wrote as well as taking a DNA test at my request.

I also hope to see a woman by the name of Karen Black on the Tree soon. She is another Brunson researcher & has some of her work up on a site that's getting ready to go static in 2024, so I offered her the possibility of WikiTree for her research to be preserved.

I have a Humanities Project that I have been working on & I put in for funding for it today. This funding would be used in my Ascension Center Campus Business Plan to teach people how to unplug from the toxic grid.

On the home front, log-jams are starting to clear & Energy is starting to flow; it's a good time for Positive Change.

Bonne soirée. Bonne nuit. Bonjour.
Bonne journée. Où que vous soyez dans le monde, faites attention.

Comments

Pat, I'm glad to see things are improving for you.  It's great your brother is now in contact with you.  I hope a Happy Thanksgiving season is included for you too.

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I have a sister I have not been in contact with for several years.  Might I ask what broke the silence between you and your brother?  If too personal, forgive me for the intrusion.

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The death of my ex-brother-in-law in April of this year impacted me more than I thought. I reached out to my brother because he had things I needed/wanted & he was the only one I could get them from. So, you might say Spirit moved me. As it turns out, that might be the last time I get to talk to my brother; evidently he isn't doing well.

But on a brighter note, I have received word about the state of the financial backing for my Humanities Project; I have been approved!!!

So now I guess I add my Humanities Project in my weekly chat; something new to talk about anyway. I am creating an Ascension Center where we teach people how to un-plug from the toxic grid. The 1st step is wholesome, wholistic natural food. This is done by growing your food source in an aquaponic system. My system would be a system that feeds the community & since no one has ever really tasted nutritious food, we are building a restaurant. The restaurant will be 100% supplied by what their aquaponic system produces. Another step is to build a hotel to house those coming in to take the workshops on how to build their own systems, either for personal consumption or community need.  

There's more, but I won't bore you with it. I just have to say, I'm excited!!!

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Thank you for your answer.  In a way, it's good that you needed to talk with your brother, and I hope you will again before it's too late.

Your aquaculture food project/restaurant sounds very interesting.  I'll look forward to hearing more in the future.  Congratulations on the funding approval.

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Pat tell me more about your aquaponic project! Aquaponic or hydroponic/

Indoors? Outdoors? Will you need heat or cooling?

What will you grow? How big will it be?  Who will work there? Who will you sell to? And, and ?

As part of an Urban Agriculture course I got very interested in this topic.

Answer 16

Greetings all, I try and read the chat but don't contribute.
 Is it possible to fix the Discord announcement that the Chat has started? For me this announcement that the chat is live appears about 12 hours before the chat actually starts, I keep looking for it and it's not there.

 For a comparison it's about 12.15pm Saturday in the South Island, aprox 22 degrees C, and I'm still dealing with the damaged grapevines from the frosts about two weekends ago.

Answer 17

Hello everyone from the Pro Football Hall Fame City of Canton Ohio.  Weather you ask well, it started this week with a high of 60 degrees, and tomorrow we will have a high of 48 degrees.  The good news is that I finally finished all my yard work except for my big aster bush up in the front of the house, which just finished blooming.  Now just a few more things and I can put out my Christmas Decorations!!!

I finally got my surgery almost scheduled; it looks like it is going to be sometime in January.  It was supposed to be this month, but it got delayed because my doctor got bitten by a tick and he now has Lyme disease. I feel bad for the doctor. He has been practicing at the Cleveland Clinic for almost 50 years and now he must wrap up his practice.  The surgery is going to last five to six hours long so they can remove the noncancerous tumor that is inside my spinal cord. Hopefully, after he surgery, I will be able to walk without falling so much.

ADHD, I understand that well, they didn’t have a diagnosis for that when I was a kid. I finally got diagnosed with that a few years ago.  That is why when I write I am all over the place.I am like that when I talk too.

Genealogy-wise,  I need to finish a project for the Stark County fairgrounds and I plan to start working a project centering around Eastern Orthodox church and the Saints of the church.  I also found a great resource for people who have family in Braxton and Lewis County. West Virginia. Orlando, West Virginia (orlandostonesoup.blogspot.com).

On the Kitten home front, they are getting bigger and now can get to the top of the cat tree. Two of them, have been adopted. So as soon as Luna gets fixed she will be sent to her furever home.  Pez and Taco  

These two still need to be adopted

Thank you all for reading

Chris Wine

Comments

@Chris, first, I will hope for your surgery to go extremely well and will keep you in my healing meditation and intentions.

I know there were a lot of kids my age and a bit younger who got 'rapped' for inattenion in school when, in actuality, they had ADD/ADHD. My daughter, Jennifer, is 54 now. When she was in 3rd or 4th grade, she came home very frustrated because they has been drawing angles and her paper was a mess, with erasures and such. She failed that assignment and was devastated because I know she worked really hard on it. I mentioned this to a nurse friend. I was working in hospice in Milwaukee at the time. This friend said there was a new program at Alverno College that tested children with these types of issues. I made an appointment. Jennifer was tested and found to have a 'perceptual motor learning disability' (she will never teach geometry; here drawings of people are very Picasso; and she still has trouble with parallel parking). This was the first I had ever heard of these types of learning problems and that was back in the 1970s!

Nowadays more adults are getting diagnosed 'after the fact.' My concern now are children, particularly boys, who get diagnosed with ADHD when they might have an untreated sleep disorder! When I teach about sleep, I preach about kids being tested for sleep problems first and if negative THEN get tested for ADHD rather than needlessly putting the child on a medication.

I hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

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Those kitties are adorable!  With darling pictures like that I'm sure you will find homes for them.

I hope your surgery goes well and that the tumor never comes back.

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Hi Chris! Your 18th cousin twice removed  Thanks for sharing!

Answer 18

Hello, and good evening from Everett, Washington. This morning I scraped frost off the windshield. It will be another clear and cold one tonight.

I went to the supermarket and found they did have one turkey drumstick for sale. I looked at the price and about fell over: $22. I looked again at the label and saw it was labeled beef steak. So I asked them to relabel it. It came back as turkey, about $5.

Tonight my daughter and I had sashimi at a local place, along with some tempura vegetables.

My friend Phylis asked me to work a full shift, from 11 to 3 tomorrow, as the brick walls instructor at the Sno-Isle Genealogical Society. I have only one appointment, at 1:30, but she asked me to be there because her husband suffered another stroke last week, and she needs the day to check out a facility for him.

I wrote a speech for the Toastmasters club about my mother's sudden death on Thanksgiving weekend 1984. I've not told the story as a speech before. It's about the way the holiday began in an ordinary way, and how I summoned the will to continuing dealing with small, if not large, details of everyday life in the weeks afterward. This speech will be presented next Wednesday.

The family has been talking about a trip to Oregon in the spring. My daughter would like to see the coast again. I feel that I can share the driving with my husband.

On WikiTree I have been filling in the gaps of distant cousins' spouses and children, doing random acts of connection, bringing up the CC7 count, although some unknown person has been raising the count more than I.

While entering information for one of those distantly related families, I saw on a Google search that Ancestry has a file with several entries for the Angelroth surname in Erfurt, Thuringia. I dearly want to see that file, but I refuse to support financially the "evil empire." I will be going to a local Sno-Isle Library branch to use the Ancestry Library Edition to see if I can find the file there.

I will keep you all posted as to whether I find anything.

Have a safe and thankful week in preparation for the reunions.

Answer 19

On this day:

1626: St. Peter's Basilica is competed

1786: The German composer Carl Maria von Weber is born

1922: The French author Marcel Proust dies

Comments

Hi Professora Jelena, I must go with Marcel Proust today. Thank you for these weekend histories!

Answer 20

Good morning from Oro Valley/Tucson AZ.  It's a little cool here this week, in the 70's and cloudy.  We had .1" of rain on Thursday (always a notable event).

I've had one of the worst weeks of my life.  My beloved kitty, Leo, was suddenly struck with a blood clot that disabled his back legs.  He was in so much pain and distress, moaning like I have never heard.  A trip to the emergency room revealed that he could not be treated or expected to recover.  It was a clear but horrible decision to say goodbye to my dear boy.  He has been through so much with me, follows me everywhere in the house (even to the bathroom or waiting at the door for me to come out).  He played games (Sheets and Carpets were two of his favorites).  I screened in the "Catio" so he could be outside  safely and he loved to watch birds and animals in the yard.  I am sure many of you have lost a pet and miss them dearly.  This is my first experience with that heartbreak.  I keep "hearing" him or expecting to see him come out blinking his eyes after a nap, or running his tail along my legs while waiting for dinner.  And many more memories.  Cam loved him too and he was a dog person before becoming a Leo and Peter person.  Peter is our other kitty and he seems listless and morose too.  We are giving him extra pets and treats.  We always though he would go first because he's had cancer for nearly a year now.  I was preparing for that, not for Leo to go so soon.  He was 14 and had been a feral cat when I got him at 6 months old.

Now I am committed to the genealogy class I am teaching for the Newcomers Club this coming Monday.  It's a trial run to see if I can do it.  This weekend I will write down the agenda and pull the videos from WikiTree to use.  I'm open to helpful tips!  There is also a waitlist, so if I like doing this, there will be more classes next year.

On the Acadian front, we are going to use an Acadian as an example for a new app that is being developed.  We found one (she had been deported 4 times starting with the British in 1755) but she didn't have many of her descendants yet on WikiTree.  She only had one son who lived to adulthood, so he was easy, but he had 9 children that I've found, anyway.  I was able to find all their spouses families, sometimes building back a few generations to connect to WikiTree ancestors.  I still have to search for the other marriages to find all the grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Fortunately we have good sources for Québec during that time period so it's a matter of time and creative researching to find them.  It turned out to be a fun project (at home).  Someone is going to be really pleased to see all these relatives waiting for them on WikiTree (I hope).

Comments

Cindy it can be heartbreaking, we have had 2 cats who died after long lives even though it was expected it didn't make it easier.

I worked for Hallmark Cards for many years, one frequent request from customers was for a card on the death of a pet.

After many years they created one;

They will not go quietly, the pets who have shared our lives

In subtle ways they let us know, their spirit still survives

Old habits still make us think we hear a sound at the door

Or step back when we drop a tasty morsel on the floor

Our feet still go around the place the food dish used to be,

And sometimes, coming home at night, we miss them terribly.

And although time may bring new friends, and a new food dish to fill,

That one place in our hearts, belongs to them …

And always will 

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M that is beautiful and expresses my loss perfectly.  Even though I have tears reading it, I appreciate that you posted it.

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Hi Cindy, I am so terribly sorry to hear of the death of your precious, Leo. There really are no words. I am from a family of pet lovers and their deaths are as dear and painful and other family members. My sister even has a burial section in her 'back fourty' in Wisconsin and some of our mum's ashes are now joined with my precious ShisaMatsu Toshiro Kurasawa Baldwin (a Japanese Chin), my sister's dogs, cats, birds and even a relative's lizard.

I am going to emulate M Ross with a poem that we had hanging in our hospice unit. My dad liked it so much he asked to have it read at his memorial. It was penned by Mary Elizabeth Frye:

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

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Oh, Cindy! We share your pain over the loss of your furry friend. We also had to say goodbye to one of ours this past week. It's such a heartwrenching, traumatic thing for us humans. For our dear boy, it's like he knew what was going to happen. He cuddled and purred up to the very end. He passed feeling happy and loved.

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Candyce, I'm sorry for your loss.  Unfortunately it was a sudden and painful end.  I'm glad you got to hold him.  We had the opportunity but it lasted only a very short time because he was clearly in pain (blood clot resulting in loss of use of his legs).  At least I could give him a kiss before the end.

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Cindy, so sorry to hear about Leo. We lost our Alice a few days ago too...

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I'm sorry to hear that.  Alice is a sweet name for a cat.  I'll bet you miss her.