¡Buenos días a todos from the Old Pueblo! It is 8am and 77F (25C) with a high of 94F (34.4C) and sunny. I returned from my family visit in Wisconsin two days ago and am still ‘re-entering.’ I had to be up at 4am to catch the 6:30am return flight and my old body just does not want to cooperate as in the past.
I had a wonderful time with my family, especially at the Wisconsin State Fair. Two of my nieces entered a number bakery items an won blue (1st place) and red (2nd place) ribbons. My son-in-law’s sister won several ribbons for photographs that she entered. After admiring the wins, we strolled the grounds and stuffed ourselves with baked potatoes, fresh cranberry juice, homemade apple and cherry tarts, ice cream sundaes, fresh-picked corn on the cob dipped in butter, goat milk and Wisconsin’s own cream puffs. My brother was working security at the fair, which was the only time I got to see him and that was briefly given that something was always happening every few minutes. The family strolled the animal barns. Our favorite was the baby animals and we saw two sows with their very baby piglets nursing, baby chicks hatching, baby goats frolicking and so much more.
My sister, niece and I visited our mum on several occasions at the memory center. Her dementia is even more severe than what I witnessed in March. She is starting to get that ‘vacant stare,’ does not really respond to comments and does not recognize us. I met ‘Carmen’ another memory care resident. She is from Puerto Rico and only speaks Spanish. I was able to understand two or three word of each sentence she started, and then would mumble so softly I could not hear. When I did understand a full sentence, it was ‘word salad’ akin to what persons with dementia say in English. What was endearing was Carmen going to my mum and gently rubbing her arm or neck. I heard my mother say, ‘that feels wonderful.’ Carmen responded with, ‘healing massage.’ Then the two of them carried on a conversation, mum in English and Carmen in Spanish that was total ‘word salad’; however, they seemed to understand each other, which they probably did!
A highlight was a family trek to Cedarburg, Wisconsin, about an hour’s drive north of Milwaukee. I lived in Cedarburg from 1969 when our daughter was a newborn until 1975 when my husband and I divorced. We lived in a 170-year-old fieldstone farmhouse that we restored. It was next to the old fieldstone Turner Hall. Although this area was a part of Cedarburg, the little hamlet was known as ‘Hamilton.’ Originally, it had been settled by Irish and the area was called ‘New Dublin.’ However, around 1870, one of Alexander Hamilton’s sons, William, came through the area and the townspeople renamed it Hamilton in his honor. During my years there, I was a member of the Ozaukee County Historical Society and petitioned for a Wisconsin Historic Marker for the area, which was approved and dedicated prior to my move to Milwaukee. The neighbors who owned a farm across the road donated a small portion of land for a park. As well, in downtown Cedarburg, there is a beautiful old fieldstone woolen mill. The city fathers wanted to tear the two old buildings down and ‘modernize’ with a gas station and PDQ. Two entrepreneurs stopped that! The older of the two bought the front building and the younger purchased the larger back building along Cedar Creek. A neighbor couple and my ex-husband and I opened the old fashioned ‘Cedar Creek Mill General Store in the front building. It was original right down to the glass penny candy counter, old potbellied stove and brass cash register. The younger buyer opened the Cedar Creek Winery. Now the entire downtown area is peppered with quaint shops and stores, bed and breakfasts, and more. The winery is still open. Our general store closed several years ago. My neighbor/partners died several years ago. It was a joy to visit and reminisce, especially for my daughter, kid sister, who I babysat when I lived there and me.
And...while in Phoenix on my return, I stopped at my local independent bookstore. Yup! Another paperback. This one is by Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas E. Ricks and is titled Churchill & Orwell The Fight for Freedom. John Le Carré said of the book, “...The two never met, but their parallel lives and their views of how society should function, notions of individual freedom, limitations of politics, and so on—extraordinarily harmonious thoughts in different places, really very impressive. I went in assuming [they’d be at odds], but quite the reverse...”. I discovered a while back on WikiTree that Churchill and I are 7th cousins 2X removed through MRCA Hannah (Tuttle) Clark. This past week, with the Pseudonyms that Eric Blair (George Orwell) and I are 14th cousins 4X removed through MRCA Anne (Beaufitz) Scott! I’m just now starting the book, which is why I added John Le Carré’s comments.
As to genealogy, I started connecting family on my daughter’s tree last Sunday while in Wisconsin; however, there is such a mess of uncertainty that I left it for this weekend. I did, however, work on some Cornwall profiles for the England Team. Given that Jo Fitz-Henry called the family a ‘crap tangle,’ I couldn’t resist. Plus, working in Cornwall and Devon are two of my favorite GB locations.
I’m a bird grandmother again! I returned home to find that there are three to four baby Mourning Doves in the nest! Mom was sitting on the nest (the same nest in the bird spikes that was used earlier this year) when I left. I looked up when I returned and found three little heads peeking above the nest. I say four because I think I saw a little bird hinder facing me (a baby Mourning Dove moon shot). I’ll know more in the next couple of days.
Meanwhile, I hope everyone has a splendid weekend! Pip, thanks ever so again for wrangling the Chat!
