"Welcome to the Weekend Chat!" All Members Invited!! November 6th-8th, 2020 [closed]

+22 votes
2.7k views

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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.

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Enjoy yourselves and spread the love!

WikiTree profile: Pip Sheppard
closed with the note: Wonderful to hear from everyone! See you soon
in The Tree House by Pip Sheppard G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
closed by Pip Sheppard

It’s time for another Weekend Chat, my fellow WikiChatterers! And greetings once again from Cathey’s Creek where the season of frost has arrived. Our seasonal flowers took a hit this week (All the leaves are goooone, and the flowers are gray (and the flowers are graaaaa-ay). I’ve been for a walk on a frosty daaaaay). The kitchen tiling is DONE!

On the Home Front: A first cousin of mine found some old, undeveloped films rolls that his father took in the 60s and 70s. Boy oh boy, are there some GREAT photos. He posted several on Facebook where my daughter saw them and sent them to me asking who was in them. Talk about your “down memory lane” moment. There’s only one I can post here. My daughter cropped one to cut the living people out of it. It’s of me and my brother, Tim (a WikiTree member). I’m guessing it was taken about 1962.

I’m suffering from politics/election exhaustion. As a history major – political science minor, I usually revel in this kind of stuff. We got up early to vote at our precinct. I actually love this part (voting on-site, yakking with folks). It’s all the TV talking-head commentary afterwards that gets to me. I went to bed at about 2 a.m. on election night. Now I only check once in a while, not really caring anymore.

On the Genealogy Front: I’m following my own advice by working on only one family, even if it is LARGE, before moving on to another. And wouldn’t you know that it is a Smith family and their descendants. These are old Berkeley and Horry County families in South Carolina.

If we ever have a grandkid (not just a granddog!), then naming games come into play. A couple of years ago, I gave my daughter a list of approved names (yes, I’m demanding the right to name). Mostly, they are surname combinations, even for the girls, like Owen Galloway, Sydney Reese, etc. (This is my attempt to reverse the “daughtering out” of names in my family.)

Lately, though, I’ve been looking for names that will NEVER fly, those very unusual Southern names that always cause a suggestion to show up. I found one I sent to my daughter, the name in her husband’s fam: “Zulene,” the first time I’ve even seen that one! Ain’t gonna happen! The other reason I sent this name along was to prove that all the crazy names aren’t just on MY side of the family.

Around WikiTree: Our very own Chris Ferraiolo will be live streaming on Family History Fanatics at 2 p.m. today. Greg and Chris will be discussing 3 Reasons You Should Use WikiTree to Build Your Family Tree.

ALSO: There is a Wikitree Live Cast tonight! It’s called Friday Date Night. Subtitle: “Join us as we find some lonely profiles and date them.” It starts at 4 p.m., so if you have some time, this will be a fun way to get together will your fellow WikiTreers to clear out some profiles that have no dates.

Did anyone else see that we hit 25 million profiles and 3/4 million members this week?

Continue to be safe out there!

Enjoy the Chat!

This is the photo (cropped) showing me and my brother, Tim. Of the 12 grandkids in the original photo, three are wearing only shorts and nothing else, the three country boys, my brothers and I. Typical. (That's me in front)

That's right, Pip! Devon, Andy, Greg and I will be comin' at ya live this afternoon on YouTube! Be there and represent the site. I'm even wearing my WikiTree hoodie! I hope to see everyone there. Should be a great stream!

Aww Baby Pip with the buzz cut. Tryin' to look fresh before fresh was a thing. I wish I could say I never tried a buzz cut. But, that would be an outright lie.

As a fellow Poli sci major, you know I am right there with ya. Let's not discuss the race. =) Just chill and have a good time away from the crazy!
What!? No kilt?

Thanks for leading the chat (again) Pip!
Same here Pip. I love politics. Would love to discuss it here but, sadly can't.

Looks like you and your brother are at the swimming pool in Summer time. Very cute.

The strangest name I've heard is Darenda. It is a mash-up of the mother's name and the mother's sister's name. Mother's name was Darlene. Mother's sister's name was Lorenda.

Have a great weekend everyone. *going to eat nachos*

Well, Betty, I thought I was going to get nachos, but I ended up with tamales instead. surprise

It's weird. I don't find a taco wrapped in a corn husk appealing. I do love nachos.
Pip, did you know there was a Pillars of the Earth eight-part 2010 TV miniseries?  I had forgotten about it until it popped up on Prime video here
Pip, such a cute picture!
No, I didn’t know! Going hunting now! Thanks!!!
Cindy, I was often accused of not smiling enough for photos, even very early on. I’ve seen the evidence, and they’re right.
Awww...such cute kids! In the South one tends to wear just enough clothes to be decent...and shoes only when necessity or safety dictates. Right?

Thanks for hosting again, Pip. Without going into detail, let's just say my blood pressure's gone down and I'm finally getting a decent night's sleep.

LOL, got some singular names in my family too that I would never suggest for a grandkid if I had one: Bethenia, Sophronia, Zadock. They are, however, being used for characters in the book I'm writing (it's set in the 1800s)...
Haha! D, at least Zadock is a biblical name. The others sound an awful lot like mine family.
Pip, I think they called Zadock "Zed"...makes sense. The other two are Greek, and Bethenia at least has biblical connotations...a variant of Bethany, a town near Jerusalem. Everyone else is a confusing mix of Johns, Jameses, Marys, Williams and Betsys/Elizas with the odd Frank/Francis or Jesse thrown in.
Dude, in your childhood pic, you're making Military ID face. That's awesome. In my southern branches of my family tree. I have some great names. Names like Pleasant, Zula, Hasseltine, and Elgeantine

46 Answers

+22 votes

Today is....

NATIONAL NACHOS DAY

On November 6th, National Nachos Day recognizes the snack favored at sporting events across the country. In their purest form, nachos are tortilla chips covered in nacho cheese, queso or other melted cheese and served with salsa.

Where Nachos Began

First created sometime around 1943, the popular and loved nachos are of Mexican origin.  

History tells us that Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya created the original nachos in 1943. According to his son, Nacho was the maître d’ at the El Moderno Restaurant in Piedras Negras. One evening after the kitchen staff had left, a group of U.S. Army wives stationed at Fort Duncan in Eagle Pass came into the restaurant. After a long day of shopping, they were hungry and asked for a snack.

Anaya prepared some tostadas cut into triangles. After topping them with shredded cheese and sliced jalapenos, he heated the dish in the oven. They were such a hit with the Army wives that they named the snack “Nacho’s Special” before he could make another batch.

Word of the new creation quickly traveled. People from all over tried them, loved them, and over time, the name changed. Eventually, Nacho’s special became special nachos.

The popularity of the new dish spread swiftly throughout Texas and the Southwest. And since then, it has gained millions of fans across America.

Nachos Today

We love nachos so much, we top them with all sorts of things. Sometimes we even go overboard. We call nachos with an abundance of toppings loaded nachos, super nachos, or nachos supreme. Serve them as a snack, an appetizer, or even prepared with extra ingredients as a full meal.

Since the time of the original nachos, the toppings have expanded. Today we add beef, chicken, and seafood along with a variety of seasonings. This snack even satisfies the pickiest eater. Whether you’re a vegan to full-on carnivores, there’s a nachos recipe for you.

In restaurants across the country, nachos find their way onto the menus of other cuisines, too. Some restaurants substitute the chip with a potato base. Another option is to replace the toppings with ingredients from the culture. For example, to make Italian nachos top the chips with mozzarella cheese and Alfredo sauce. Asian nachos may include wasabi or curry. Each version of nachos brings its own unique flavor to the table.

HOW TO OBSERVE National Nachos Day:

Quench that nacho craving. Celebrate with the best toppings and don’t hesitate to overdo it. You can always share! Invite friends and family to enjoy nachos with you tonight. Try making a variety of nacho dishes to share. Make it a celebration by including games and share with others. Share your favorite recipes and flavors, too. Need a recipe? Try this Baked Chicken Recipe.  

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
As I leave to run errands, I just might have to stop by El Ranchero, just to celebrate! Hanks, Dorothy. (I plan my weekend meals around your posts.)

Enjoy El Ranchero!! At least our food variations don't cause so much debate and confusion around the world these days!!  Most people LOVE to eatlaugh

Being a Texan - you are really speaking my language with nachos! Love them.
I like nachos. This restaurant in town really packs nachos with everything. It was the last restaurant I went to.....before the dark times.
Oh, I know what I want for lunch! Not sure I'll be able to swing it today, though.

laughNACHOS are the perfect meal ... chips, chili con carne, avocado+sour cream, SALSA !!! 

Lay out the chips, spoon over them the chili con carne, layer up with medium Salsa, and slather with the avocado+sour cream .... yum 

.... don't get no better than that, let me tell YOU, honey, that's a great meal ... easy to fix at home, too 

We are the other side of the pond so don't share your National day. However we should be enjoying some nachos tonight and enchiladas just wondering if my son can give it a different twist today. I will have to look for suggestions.

heart crying I have mixed emotions here about those nachos. I mean, I don't HAVE any corn chips, although I have the fixings for chilli con carne ... I don't HAVE the avacado / sour cream sauce, and feel buckets of self-pity for that ... I do have Salsa, lots of it ...  I just don't have what it takes to make me a plate or three of nachos ... boo hoo 

Dream the impossible dream ... this is my quest / to follow that that star (which is at this time a boat load of nachos ) 

Hilary, did your son come through for you? cheeky

Meal was nice thank you Pip
Most Wonderful!
+21 votes
Hails and horns, Ladies, gentlemen and Wikipeeps of all ages!

This has been a week of little sleep and maybe a little less genealogy than I would have liked. I was working on some other stuff. But, I did do some genealogy in order to take my mind off of things. Stuff like....

This blog about the bearded men in the tree: https://allroadhaverhill.blogspot.com/2020/11/52-ancestors-week-45-bearded.html

I honestly feel like I phoned that one in because most people in my fam didn't have beards or moustaches. I just kind of listed who had facial shrubbery. I know Pip has a mighty 'stache. Perhaps I can persuade him to grow it to carnival barker size! =)

And speaking of Pip, thanks for linking the stream I am going to be on this afternoon. I have my notes ready and I am ready to go! You can catch the action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3ThJ40r83M

And be sure to tune in tonight for date night. *plays lounge music* We'll be telling you all about how to date a profile on the swankiest youtube channel ever. And that includes the sing-a-long blogs. Be sure to check it out on ALL social media outlets

Sarah and I did a demonstration on how to date a profile the other night. We did it live! =D

Well, that's it from me. I gotta get ready for this afternoon. Take care and have fun wiking!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!
by Chris Ferraiolo G2G6 Pilot (756k points)

laugh Personally I don't think you have enough to do Blogmeister although I suspect anyone tried to keep up with you they'd be flattened by exhaustion 

Ain’t that the truth! devil

I'm also working on a comic for this weekend. =D
Hey Chris! Having several hirsute ancestors (as well as a hubby with a righteous ZZ Top beard, which I love), I had to check out your blog...very cool! Consider Transcendentalist Joseph Palmer of Leominster, MA, who suffered mightily for his insistence on wearing facial hair in 1830 (it didn't come back into fashion until Abe Lincoln, etc.). Went to jail for attacking guys who tried to forcibly shave him. His tombstone says, "Persecuted for wearing the beard."
+20 votes
Buenos dias from the Old Pueblo! It's pushing 8am this Friday and 74F (23.3C) and cloudy. The high will be 93F (33.9C)! And it's November!

I worked the polls on Tuesday with my neighbor from 5am until 9pm. Everything went smoothly. We set up a voting booth outdoors for those folks who chose not to wear a mask. There were all of two who grudgingly put them on to vote indoors. This was my first year and I was an ipad clerk (the person who checks your voting location and tells you where to go if you're at the wrong place). If you've moved and are at the right place, you see the woman who was sitting next to me (my neighbor) and you get a provisional ballot. We had a fair number of provisional ballots, particularly young families who had moved within the past few months. This tells us the toll that Covid is taking on people evicted or losing their residence for whatever reason because of the effect the pandemic is having on the economy. It was heartbreaking, especially the number of young people with little children. I bought two bags of Hershey's kisses. The 'little' voters got two (one for each hand). The big voters got one and I loved the look of shock in their eyes above the mask when I asked if they wanted a kiss! Then they saw the Hershey's kisses.

Genealogy took a back seat this week because of the elections, reading guidelines and exhaustion from that long day on Tuesday. I slept most of Wednesday. Nevertheless, I did finish one line of the Baldwin family...Capt. Isaac Baldwin, who died of a bullet wound to the chest following Bunker Hill. He and his wife had some six children, the youngest born one month after his father's death. They're all bio'd and inline sourced. I'm going to try and clean up some older Baldwins and source them properly. So my task this weekend will be 'Clean up on aisle Baldwin.' I have one more Green to take care of as well.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I am self-isolating for the next two weeks given that I was in the public domain for that full day. Take care all!
by Carol Baldwin G2G Astronaut (1.1m points)
Thank you for your service working the polls. *salute* I can tell it is a thankless job. Good luck with the self-isolating. You can use this time to WikiTree!
Glad you had a good day working the polls! I miss that part of the work which involved interacting with the public, but not the part the election officials are having to do right now. I think I retired at a good time (middle of 2019.)

laugh Sounds like it was pretty peaceful compared to some of the places across the nation that were "newsworthy" according to the Media 

Good for you, Carol! I’m so glad to see so many of our folks involved in helping at precincts and census taking. We have a ready civic mind group, don’t we?

And, thanks for working on the family of patriot Isaac Baldwin!
I'm with you Nelda! I wouldn't want to be one of the people counting! Sounds like you did retire at a good time.
Hi Chris! No need for thanks. I really felt it a civic duty and it was a privilege. Things went very well. I live in Pima county, Arizona. I've been kind of keeping an eye out on the returns, but it's Friday and I'm focusing now on adding to my tree. Judging by emails from colleagues from other countries, I think the rest of the world is more curious about what's going to happen.
Carol, when I accepted the appointment to be our county's Chief Registrar back in 2009, I told my colleagues and staff to do whatever they could do to keep me off CNN. I have to say, for the most part, I had a relatively smooth ten years. I knew this year would be a challenging election, but little did I know just how challenging. That was not the reason I retired. The main reason was I was needed more by my husband who I just didn't think could manage being at home by himself anymore while I worked. As it happened, he had his heart attack in October 2019 which would have required my dedicated attention to him in any case. I think the person who was appointed Chief Registrar after me has done an excellent job this year under very trying circumstances. They still have much ahead of them--sounds like a Georgia recount will be necessary and there will be a run-off for at least one of Georgia's U.S. Senatorial positions.
Hi Nelda,

I am very sorry to hear of your husband's health challenges. It sounds like you were really wonderful at and dedicated to your job and all of us need folks like you, especially in these trying times. I, too, would want to stay as far away from any news programs. I do not have the skills to navigate questions, nor would I want to. The folks in GA, PA, AZ and NV have their work cut out for them and I hold positive intention for all of them. Yes, it looks like there will be run offs in GA.

Most importantly, I'll send positive healing intention for your husband and for you!
Still had to salute, Carol. It's a tough job and you're doing a great job. Good luck!
Thank you for your service at the polls, Carol!
+21 votes
Well, this week is about one thing: the thing we cannot discuss here.

Oh, and there is the 100 million+ names in the open data files to import to get genealogietools.nl a bit more intelligent. Loads of time to listen to more news...
by Michel Vorenhout G2G6 Pilot (307k points)
Had to chuckle, Michel. Yep, we can’t discuss it here, but we can complain.... kinda.
I dont think anyone has anything to complain about - right now.

Congrats to the USA!!!

That depends....cheeky

Yeah, we Americans are nothing if not contentious! If some folks can't complain, they might as well just lay right down and die! ;P
+21 votes
Happy Weekend to All!

It will be a beautiful day here in north central Texas. In fact, it has been a beautiful week and is predicted to hold through next week. Warming a bit too much but we are to have some cooling about Tuesday of next week.

It has been a sad family week. My only surviving aunt (my Dad's youngest sister) peacefully passed away early Monday morning (Nov 2nd). She was 102 years old last July. It was the end of a generation and really hit hard. I am so thankful that we had her for over 102 years and even more grateful that she just went to sleep. I will wait about a month before making her visible on WikiTree and I have permission from my cousins to do that. She did a DNA test for me several years ago so I will be able to post that.

With my aunt's passing, it occurred to me that I need to begin developing biographies for all my cousins (17 in that family) and have them ready when the time comes. Plan is to create some questions to help each cousin provide information about their life so that I do not have to guess at details. I will keep these tucked away until time to use them and will give a copy to one of my daughters and hopefully, have her join WikiTree so she can post them if I am not able or am not here. I am one of the three youngest of the 17 and there are eleven of us still living so hopefully, there is time to develop this project!

Meanwhile, I am still organizing my genealogy files and it is now going well. Several family surnames have been changed into three ring binders along with family group sheets and pedigree for that family. Still a lot to go.

Have a glorious weekend and yes, hide from the 24 hour a day news-guessing. It becomes frustrating and a great excuse to just bury ourselves in our ancestor-quest!
by Virginia Fields G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
I'm so sorry for your family's loss of a loved one. It's wonderful you are using your genealogical talents to commemorate your aunt's life and are preparing to do so for those of your generation.

laugh Eh. I wake up W, Th, F and I ask google "election 2020 who is the new president" and I get a REALLY nice map drawn up by AP (Assoc. Press) and a count of the electoral and all sorts of other interesting info ... a REALLY interactive map ...  

This question is a la the Wicked Witch in the Snow White tale "Mirror mirror on the wall who's the fairest of them all?" and what happened to HER demonstrates the perils of .. a whole long list of things that I once read somewhere, an essay ... 

Oh, Ginny, I am terribly sorry to hear of your Aunt’s death. My mom was the last of her generation, too. I mean really last, being the last of all her first cousins. Your aunt had been around so long, it really will leave a gap in your life. My wife and I offer you our condolences.
Thank you so much Pip. I appreciate your comments. Thinking back my maternal aunt was the last of her generation when she died in 2009 at 93. They had a lot of cousins and she was the last one.
Hi Ginny,

I want to add my sincere condolences to you and your family. It is something to lose the last of a generation. I will hold you and your family in healing light. Take care and stay safe.
Thank you Nelda!
Thanks Carol for your kind words - I appreciate it.
Ginny,

So sorry on the loss of your aunt.
Ginny: I also want to express how sorry I am for your loss.

Anne
So sorry, Ginny, to hear of your aunt's passing.  I never knew either of my grandfathers as they both died before I was born; but I bet they had some great family stories. May she rest in peace.
+21 votes

Sad news: we winterized the camper.

What a week! The Bio Check App was released and linked in the weekly WikiTree Newsletter email. This led to quit a bit of G2G Discussion. There is also a link to Bio Check from WikiTree+ Text Search. I am working on some much needed updates for the Help.

To check ancestors for any profile, select Check Profile from the Biographies to check pulldown, then enter the profile id.

by Kay Knight G2G6 Pilot (593k points)
Ahh, yes. The bio check app. That was really cool. =D
I did find some "style issues" by following the link to your app which was included in the weekly newsletter. I'm glad, though, it didn't reveal a whole lot of other problems. Good luck with revising the "Help." I'm one of those who needs lots of very basic instruction.

crying why is winterizing the camper a sad news thing? At least you still have one, ... neighbor of ours moved to a bigger house elsewhere but left HIS travel trailer parked across the way until he could come and fetch it ... thieves backed in while in broad daylight, hitched it up and drove away with it ... bummer ... WE ALL thought he'd hired someone to come get it FOR him ... oops 

Kay, I think I’m beginning to “feel” my WikiTree year by what y’all are doing it’s your RV. laugh 

And... thank you for the list you sent me. I’ve got some work to do! You really are so kind. The kind of WikiTreer who makes WikiTree great.

laugh laugh Kay Knight, to pass off the tsunami if commentary and Answers that occurred about your bio App as "quite a bit of G2G discussion" is to fall short of the true dimensions ... and few demented from the looks of it ... wow? Got as much traffic on that as any number of hot-button topics can provoke ... 

If anyone would like to take a stab at giving me some help on the revised help...

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:BioCheckHelp

(I was one of those in college who dreaded the max page limit on papers...)
+19 votes
Happy Weekend!

Pip, thanks for hosting our Weekend Chat and serenading us with your Mamas & Papas cover. That will be stuck in my head now.

I'm glad to report that this past week has been so much better than last week. The dog's appetite has picked up and she seems like she feels much better. We are sitting here waiting for someone to come deliver gravel for our driveway.

My WikiTree work the first part of the week was predominantly improving the profiles for my Great-Aunt Nancy's ten children. She's on my paternal side. Then I switched back to my maternal Hildreth side again on Wednesday, Thursday, and so far today.

Hope everyone has a very nice weekend!
by Nelda Spires G2G6 Pilot (554k points)

laughNothing like having a patriarch who had four wives and 27 children by the four of them and bless them, something like 19 of those 27 children also married or at least acted like they had and then proceeded to have four, seven, a dozen, children ...  not that you are facing this challenge but it could sneak up on you 

First one to mention that someone got that song, Nelda. My wife and I were dancing (well, she was) to that song and singing it a few days ago, and it got stuck in my head, too.
+19 votes
The weather is great here in Colorado. Warm temps make it nice to finish off those fall chores.  But the winter weather is coming.  Fire danger seems to be pretty much over. But COVID danger appears to be ramping up quickly here.

On the genealogy front, I have been fixing a lot of FindAGrave citations that I created to be more accurate.  I was doing the {{FindAGrave|123456}} type which is frowned upon without the rest of the citation. But that also gives me a good chance to review data on profiles and add other sources and improve the bios.
by Gurney Thompson G2G6 Pilot (443k points)

laughSounds like the skies are cleared up from the smoke from the fires which indicates that maybe Colorado is not still on fire? 

Gurney, I saw on the Weather Channel that y’all were going to get real winter weather out your way. I would enjoy it as I love snow (though my wife hates it). It’s been chore time around here, too. Though cool at night, we’ve been having wonderful afternoon weather.

I’m still finding old FindAGrave citations in my older profiles that need fixing.
I haven’t heard about fires for a week or more and this next snowstorm should blanket them pretty good. The air is clear in the Denver area and out on the plains. Great stargazing suggests that the fires are basically gone.
+17 votes
This week was eventful. We had another member of the family contract COVID. He is in his 40's and he is in the hospital, not doing too great, on oxygen. We had a record number of new cases this last week as well, almost twice the previous high  for any day. I did work on some profiles this last week but nothing major on that front. I also had to work on 2 laptops in my home to get them working better.
by Dale Byers G2G Astronaut (1.7m points)
I forgot in my post that our dog hates people who wear masks. My sister stopped off on her way home from work yesterday and Oscar went crazy because she was wearing a mask. He is very friendly to everyone so this came as a shock when he was barking and growling at her, he has seen her before.
Sorry to hear about your family catching this horrible virus. I hope they will be better soon!
Hope your family member recovers well and quickly. None of can become complacent about this virus, that's for sure.

sad Hope everything turns out okay and also that you can convince the dog ... hmm ...  Probably not. 

Hi Dale, I'm very sorry to hear about the family member contracting Covid19. Please know that I will hold you and your family and your family member in particular in my positive healing intentions. You take care!
So when you get bored, Dale, you just open the shop up (Byers Computer Boost Co) and start to working. I heard y’all were getting a rise in cars of Covid-19 there, so it’s good you have something to do inside! I admire your technical abilities.
Pip, I should be getting a Windows 10 desktop system to fix on Sunday. I probably will not start on that one until next week because I have a testing session to attend on Sunday this weekend. That will bring the count in the office to 2 desktops, 3 Linux based Pi computers a Smart TV and a laptop. At times there could be 2 laptops in there.
Sorry to hear about your family member.  Thoughts are with you.
Sending good juju to your family, Dale! We've had a spike in cases in our small towns, largely because there's a stubborn segment of the population that refuses to take it seriously. I don't go out much except to teach my three classes (most students are remote learners) and for essential errands.  Glad you can stay busy...
+21 votes

On this day:

1846: Austria occupies the Free City of Cracow

1860: Abraham Lincoln is elected President of the United States

1919: The Portuguese author Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen is born

by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
Abraham Lincoln, there's a sad man in his personal and public life and a tragedy

#1 is my read for the day. Thanks, Professor!! yes

+19 votes

Michelle_s_Library-2.jpg

This week was sunny and warm and I decided to visit our local zoo and feed the lemurs.  They love craisins, and their soft, furry fingers feel like cotton balls!

Last month, I achieved 1,000 contributions, which I don't often reach.  I think it is because I love to find as many sources as I can for each person, which really slows it down.

Hope everyone is enjoying nice weather and has a great weekend!

by Michelle Enke G2G6 Pilot (416k points)

What a great photo, and so much fun to boot! Glad to see you were able to get out and about, Michelle. Good for you!

What a great thing to do in this week of weeks! thanks for the great photo! You take care, Michelle!
I would also like to feed lemurs. But I don't know any zoo where that is possible.
There are only a few places where you can feed lemurs.   When I travel to zoos or wildlife parks, I always check for animal encounters or feedings.  I have experienced some amazing things this way.
+17 votes

laugh Really grooving in on that dreadful interactive map of the General Election, and it's not just presidential but it does states and all ... helluva way to start your day 

WEATHER -- gray skies, with a patch here and there of blue-ish, "cold wind" ... what a change 24 hours can make ... 

GENEALOGICAL COUNTING -- examined my Contributions and found out that inclusive of last Friday and until this moment I had created 69 profiles and I had added 117 profiles 

BUT I am still coping with James Willis Tinsley - WikiTree Profile and four wives and his 11 children and maybe some missing kids and possibly a 5th wife? and not all the kids on all the census, but where ARE they ... how many survived to marry and have kids also? And so on down the list but y'all know how that is ... 

ADVANCED SOURCING ... also dealt with being mugged by someone who, as part of their list of 100 whatevers, had decided that ADVANCED SOURCING of a citation was the ticket 

Okay, like I have a birth and a death date for someone from some source and I verify it with Social security and maybe I get lucky with a transcript of the death certificate ... so I inline ref on the birth date (both of these citations) and then I ditto on the death date. I am confirming each of these dates, you see?

 And that doubling of the citation caused the computer to hiccup and produce a 1.00 and 1.01 ...  For reasons I do not know this double bump is offensive to ... whom?  It is different strokes for different folks but it did give the Mugger 4 shots at me out of her list of 100 to "fix" ... she DID give me some clues about how to notate the inline ref but .. that requires from me "more keyboarding" that I'm not at all enthusiastic about embracing ... I LIKE the copy and paste of a citation ... I don't WANT to keyboard "extra" ... and the double bump doesn't distress ME at all ...  and do I sound grumpy? Yes. I am grumpy. 

Given enough time I'm certain I will discover a silver lining in this somewhere ... well, the Mugger DID get 4/100 corrections made ... that's silver enough, yes?  

laughSure cure for the grumpies, just look for a silver lining, no matter how inane or insane it might appear to be .... devil 

by Susan Smith G2G6 Pilot (652k points)

There you go again, Susan. Mentioning a profile with a surname frequently in my family. I have lots of Tinsleys in collateral lines here. 

I know of that multiple use of a source thing, but I just wait on someone else to fix it, that or only use it once! Too much else going on in my head to add more coding to it. Rather cluttered as it is. laugh

cheeky Them Tinsley are on my mama's side of the tree ... Sarah (Howell) Tinsley - WikiTree Profile 

Sarah (Howell) Tinsley and Susan Smith are both descendants of James Howell.

1. Sarah is the daughter of James Howell (abt.1763-aft.1850) [unknown confidence] 
This makes James the father of Sarah.

1. Susan is the daughter of Nancy (Howell) Smith [confident] 
2. Nancy is the daughter of John Theodore Howell (1871-1945) [confident] 
3. John is the son of Burrell Bertram Howell (1839-1929) [confident] 
4. Burrell is the son of James Pinson Howell (1806-1865) [confident] 
5. James is the son of James Howell (abt.1763-aft.1850) [confident] 
This makes James the third great grandfather of Susan.

Using ref name isn't that difficult.  I used to think like you, Pip, that there wasn't that much room left for new stuff, but I find there is. 

I no longer look for "one new thing" to learn each day, but if I learn a few new things in a week, I know I'm not yet ready to keel over.  cheeky 

cheeky Melanie, Curiosity is the mark of an active mind ... so long as you are curious enough to google something or hunt down some bit of evidence you're doing okay 

I myself don't go LOOKING for anything new, it just has a tendency to shove itself in my face and demand attention ..  

crying Yeah, insofar as the inline ref hiccup ---  I don't want to launch myself at anything or into anything. I don't WANT to wade in the waters of Advanced Sourcing. It's only Style, not substance.  STYLE is a matter of personal taste. Or so I heard whilst growing up and growing older.  

 I think possibly only the OCD [of Style] are bothered by this hiccup of the computer ... [OCD -- having a tendency towards excessive orderliness, perfectionism, and great attention to detail]  

+18 votes

Currently, it's 17˚ C and sunny in Fort Erie, which is really surprising for November. The predicted low tonight is 12˚ C, and tomorrow's predicted high is 16˚ C.  

The light of my life and the delight of my eyes is taking advantage of the weather to try to get more bulbs planted. We actually bought some crocus and daffodil bulbs this year, so our hope for the Spring is to have a nice succession of crocuses, daffodils, tulips, and lilies, so there should be something blooming for weeks.

On the genealogical front, this week, I had it kind of rubbed in my face that, after years of working on it, on and off, there's a notable Slade branch that I still haven't been able to connect. (Sigh)

by Greg Slade G2G6 Pilot (669k points)
Greg, we just planted several bulbs, too. The double blooming variety so we get them more than once in a year. The crocuses went into pots. We wait until they fill the pot up and then transplant them. We just love our flowers!

Greg: I was just checking today's Weather Forecast for Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada and Toronto, Ontario, Canada (where I live) and it is supposed to go up to 19˚ C  (66˚ F). When we reach temperatures that high in November, it can only mean one thing - we will see a lot of Canadian men in shorts this weekend. 

You lucky ones. We had only 1°C tonight. During the day it was over 10°C again. And a lot of sun.

This morning, I was explaining my latest hare-brained scheme to the light of my life and the delight of my eyes, and she said, "You're very creative in a unique way." I don't think I've heard "You're so weird" put so diplomatically before... wink

Your wife is a wise one, she is.
Greg: It sounds like you and your wife have discovered the secrets of a happy marriage: kindness, generosity, support, friendship, and a sense of fun.
+16 votes
Greetings from Everett, Washington!

Today is raw and windy, with the sun shining just enough to make us wish it was warmer.  On Wednesday and Thursday it was all blustery and constant wind.

I am sitting here waiting for a Zoom meeting to start.  I will be taking the minutes for the Mukilteo Historical Society board's approval for a grant from the City of Mukilteo, which is due at 5 p.m. tomorrow.  The city is offering aid to businesses and other organizations that need financial help.  Although the Historical Society has no paid employees, we need funds to keep the lighthouse up and running.  There will be lots of technical stuff discussed in the meeting which I am sure to get wrong and as usual I will end up correcting the minutes when it comes to financials.

We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on Tuesday as best we could.  I went off my diet and had some cake and wine which I regretted later.  We shared many photos with my adult son and daughter who live with us.  

This morning I completed an article about the public boat launch next to the lighthouse.  It was opened in 1957 and is still in use today, though not as popular mainly due to increased fees ($15 per person) and cramped space.  For years the city has talked about relocating it.  There was talk about locating it near the new ferry terminal which opens at the end of the year, but the map shows no space for it. I am meeting our archivist tomorrow to get more information.  

I use Wikitree mainly as an escape.  I choose people who lived in locations far far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife.

I AM Dale's dog!  

God bless and keep you all.
by Margaret Summitt G2G6 Pilot (315k points)
Hiya, Margaret! I love your passion, your willingness to do so much so that so much will not be forgotten.
+15 votes

smiley When y'all talk about aunts and uncles and grandparents and cousins then is when I realize how lonely my life was --

  But I didn't grow up around my aunts and uncles and cousins and there were no family reunions to go to; my parents were essentially estranged from their families -- I did meet, once, an uncle (bro of my mother) and a several nephews of my father; and several sisters of my mother; and several half-cousins of my mother; but excepting one sis of my mother, I was not acquainted with them 

I have to suppose y'all are fortunate to have known so many of your kindred, excepting I don't feel "left out" so much as mildly curious about what it would have been like to have cousins my age and us playing in the yard and going to the same school and such -- hard to miss what you never had hard to imagine what it would have been like 

by Susan Smith G2G6 Pilot (652k points)
Susan, you now have WikiTree Family!

smiley thank you Michelle, for reminding me about that richness

Susan - I grew up in a family of four.  I knew my dad was "somewhere".  I knew my (widowed) grandma was "up north".  I knew I had one uncle, and two cousins, but they, too, were "way up north". 

My mum was a double orphan before she was 10.  She and her only brother were handed off to different family members.  Mum knew she had cousins - lots of them (her brother grew up with some of them) - but didn't see much of them from about 9 years old, until about 18 years old.  She didn't see much of her brother, either, for about that same time frame.  (That didn't stop them from being close.)  There were LOTS of letters exchanged over the years, so I have scads of notes on different rellies to read through.

My father was an only child. Any cousins* he had he didn't want to know about  - so much so he didn't even know how to spell their names.  My grandma's siblings and their offspring were all "back home in the Mother country", all except the one who came to the US as a War Bride.

* His father had a half brother and a half sister, both of whom had kids.  *I* am in touch with those kids.

I remember feeling terribly envious of all my friends who had dads who lived at home, and who had scads of siblings - and scads of cousins who all lived nearby (mostly on the farms next door). 

In my life I can count on one hand the people who are really closer to me than my siblings, and still have spare digits for extra counting.  One of my friendships is of that type where it can be years where we don't see each other, and when we do it's like we've never been apart.  She is my heart's sister, my soul twin, the sister I never had when a child.  I count myself richer for knowing her, and take joy in every cousin I never knew when I find them and link them to other cousins I never knew.  (I take as much joy in finding cousins/grandparents/x-degree rellies for other people as well.)

Susan, I never knew what it was like to be alone as a child, I am the second child of seven, my parents were both from 2 child families and perhaps that had something to do with my large family. We came to Canada in 1966 and left my cousins and other family members 3500 miles away.Nine of us was enough that we were never alone.

You asked what it was like to have a big or bigger family. There were times when I wished there were less of us, there was never time for a one on one relationship with my mother or father. My older brother got newish clothes, I got newish clothes, my 4 younger sisters never got new or newish clothes. We had to share everything, we didn't have personal possessions. 

After we all grew up and had families, there were never less than 38 immediate family members at family gatherings. It was loud, busy, chaotic and even more so when some sibs brought their dogs. 

Friends of my parents used to ask 'how can you cope with all those kids' later when my parents were older and became ill, they said 'it must be so nice to have all those kids around to help'

This picture is of a family wedding in 2007, there's only 23 immediate family members. I edited it to a pencil sketch as there are living people in it.

500px-Miscellaneous_images-20.jpg

laugh Well, Melanie, you are correct, biology doesn't always warm the heart; nor can distance or time passed dim a true affection. 

MRoss, indeed the size of the family parents came from may well have an impact on the size of the family the children may have ... hmm ...

My father was from a dysfunctional family, as was my mother. Papa was one of 11 I think it was and included 2 half-sibs from his mother's 1st -- Mama was 7th of 7 and her mother died when Mama was 11 or so .... they grew up in poverty

Your family gatherings sound like events I would have enjoyed people watching while at them
MRoss I really like that sketch !! Kudos to you !!
M, that looks really nice!
Good morning from Wales Susan, I can understand your feelings  completely.

I grew up in an adopted family in 1949, where I was shall we say I was looked on as the "tophy baby, or look what a wonderful thing we did, baby", but was never  really a member of the rather large extended family.

69 years later through DNA, I and my maternal family, including my maternal half brother, and a family back  the 1500's, and even though no one had a clue I existed, and they were deep south country bible belt, I was immediately welcomed with open arms, sadly my mother past in 2002 so I never got to meet her, and I have been treated like I was always there.

So when you think there is no one there, you never know what's around the corner.

James
James, you give us hope, thank you
+17 votes

Hi from southern Ontario;

It's almost summer again, we have temps of 20C and sunny, after last weekend's deep freeze now we can sit outside in T-shirts at least until Tuesday. We went for a long walk in the warm sun.

We had a very pleasant surprise this week, Bell Canada showed up on Wednesday to bury the cables that they had said couldn't be done until April.

Another good thing; CAA the equivalent of AAA, had the brilliant idea of installing snow tires at member's homes. So two cars had snow tires installed while we went for our walk.

I spent too much of the day fixing the formatting on our horticultural society newsletter; for better or worse, I am the proofreader. 

There is also the topic that cannot be mentioned which has occupied more time than I want to admit.

WikiTree progress: I'm still working on my suggestions list down about 250 since last week. I have also been working on correcting some of the glaring errors on the profiles I adopted, these errors exist on almost every online tree I have seen; propagating endlessly because people can't be bothered to find sources.

I was contacted thru Ancestry by someone who is the 4 x grt grandson of my 6 X grt uncle. My 5 X grt grandfather is brother to his 4 x grt grandfather. I cannot figure out what relation we are to each other. 

by M Ross G2G6 Pilot (708k points)
CAA replaces tires?!? We’d never get that with AAA. Of course, I’m too far south for them to even consider it.
They install snow tires, and I assume will put the summer tires back on in the spring,about $100 per car, we have snow tires on rims, they are stored in the garage from April to November.

Usually we have to put them in the trunk, drive to the dealership, hang around while they are put on, drive home, put the summer ones in the garage and then do it all over again for the second car.

It was about the same price as the dealer, but very much more convenient and much less dirty and time consuming.
+15 votes

Pip, cogitation leads me to suppose the similarity of surnames in our two as yet diverse ancestral lines (I LOVE being pompous) ... ah, yes, --  I'm pretty sure geography plays a role in this similarity .... I googled "list of southern states" ... 

As defined by the U.S. federal government, it includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.Sep 30, 2020

These are further divvied up Geography. The South Atlantic States: Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. The East South Central States: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. The West South Central States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

Now, of course, or so I think anyway, every one of those states listed would have a history of their pioneer families, yes? Texas has and so does Mississippi -- I know that I've seen the lists or institutions badges and / or certificates mentioned here and there -- Georgia has that Georgia Lottery list although I guess that's not only pioneers ... 

There IS the 1790 Census and the 1800 Census which would at least list head of household ... not sure where one would look prior to 1790, however -- someone who does "hard core" genealogy research would know -- 

laughAND it also depends really on whether those familiar to you surnames are part of my blood kin or merely married into my family lines ...  (more of that pompous stuff) -- 

by Susan Smith G2G6 Pilot (652k points)
Susan, we in the South learned a long time ago that the federal government’s idea of what is the South ain’t the same as our definition.

crying Yes, Pip, we will accept your definition of "the South", what with you being a Southerner to the bone, and me only being a bit on account of my ex-pat Texan parents ... laugh

Close enough, Susan. Just remember to move back before your go, or you might be buried in unholy ground! laughlaughlaugh

devil Cute, Pip, Cute  ... I have this really cute curse, one of the exotic and (frankly) weird "May you ..." kind, involving feathers and coffee mugs and salads ... but I refrain from publishing it here ... devildevil

You so funny!
+15 votes
Is it 2021 yet?  lol  Things have to get better next year!!

Okay, on the fire front here in Colorado ... whew, that snow storm last week stopped a lot of the wiled fire progress.  After the roads were cleared from the snow the fire fighters made great progress on putting out hot spots ... those guys/gals are just great.  Still work to do but we're makin' progress.

As an aside to the fire notes ... I raked up some leaves and decided to clean out the gutters a bit ... well, I'm up on my step ladder with my leaf blower and it's like two thirds leaves and one third ashes ... yikes ... big ash cloud.

Genealogy-wise, I.m still pluggin' along.  I'm at a point in my Jewett book where folks aren't connected ... so, I'm having second thoughts about entering folks that aren't connected to the Tree.  One positive from that is that there was a Munnis Jewett that wasin to book and I started looking ... well, I'd already enter a Morris Jewett several years ago that had all the same info ... sometimes those source transcribers don't get it quite right!!  That let be put in all of Morris' family information.

Take care all!!!
by Bob Jewett G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)

laugh Bob, there's no chance at all they will ever BE connected to the Big Tree if they AREN'T entered to start with ... 

I've had oodles of those kind and voila some of them have connected after a dozen zigs and a few zags ... connected doesn't wholly mean blood related, it also includes marriages  

Thanks Susan!  Spoken like a true Wikitree-er!  I'll forge ahead.
Knowing you, Bob, you wouldn’t keep that from forging ahead. The unconnected Jewetts. You’ll find a way.
+15 votes
Happy weekend, everyone!  Still on pins and needles, like everyone else, and trying to get work done at the same time.  Spent the week finally getting those exams graded, just in time for the grad student projects to get submitted.  So more grading this weekend, plus prepping next week's lecture.  Meanwhile, the cat's glucose decided to dive down to the low end of normal one day, and I had to stay up until about 2 am to make sure he wasn't going any lower than that.  He's fine, but I'm tired...

Genealogy odds and ends so far this week.  Some cleanup of the stuff I was working on last week, and aimlessly poking around my DNA match list at Ancestry.  Hopefully I'll do a little more this weekend as a break from lecture prep.
by Lisa Hazard G2G6 Pilot (263k points)
I don’t know how you keep up, Lisa. I think you need a vacation, but then who would watch the cat? Hang in there and do something for yourself once in a while.

That's what WikiTree is for, Pip!  laugh

+13 votes

Virtual Vacation

I visited these places in 2018, I picked a historical site, a historical event and really fascinating tree roots. What are these and where are they? 

500px-Miscellaneous_images-21.jpg

500px-Miscellaneous_images-22.jpg

500px-Miscellaneous_images-23.jpg

by M Ross G2G6 Pilot (708k points)
It reminds me of New Zealand, but I am not sure with the relatively fresh Volcanic soil in the second image.
The pictures are all in the same geographical area, but different parts of it, the soil is fresh lava that is still steaming. I just love helicopter tours.
No Idea on 1 and 3 but 3 is just neat ... my guess on 2 is the Island of Hawaii and the aftermath of the Kilauea eruption on the SE side of the island.

1. Is the Pu`u Loa Petroglyphs in Volcano NP, close to the coast along the Chain of Craters road, estimated to be 500-1000 years old, they are carved into lava.

2. Bob is right again the SE side of the Big Island we arrived on the Island just after the lava had mostly stopped flowing, and took a helicopter flight from Hilo, the extent of the lava flows was just amazing.

3. Is very neat, the roots you can see are from the Elaeocarpus angustifolius or blue marble tree, often called a blue fig tree, actually a member of the olive family, the blue marbles are the seeds. The tree is native to Australia but has been used for a very long time for reforestation on Hawaii and is now naturalized.  

We saw them at the Kona Cloud Forest about 3000 feet above Kailua-Kona on the west side of the island. If you ever get a chance to go there do it. It is the most fascinating ecosystem I have ever seen.

And another tidbit parts of Avatar 2 were filmed there.

https://www.konacloudforest.com/

Just beautiful, M!
Makes me want to start booking (once this epidemic is over)!

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