"Welcome to the Weekend Chat!" All Members Invited!! September 17th - 19th, 2021 [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.

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Enjoy yourselves and spread the love!

WikiTree profile: Pip Sheppard
closed with the note: See y'all next weekend! Stay safe.
in The Tree House by Pip Sheppard G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
closed by Pip Sheppard

Good morning, my fellow WikiTreers! Welcome to another Weekend Chat! And greetings from Cathey’s Creek where I am not going to complain at all about the three days of light rain we’re having. Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi got hit again by another storm dumping several inches of rain and spawning tornados. My heart goes out to those folks who have experienced three hurricanes/tropical storms in one season.

On the Home Front: I must have had a touch of food poisoning yesterday. This is not the way I want to lose weight. I cannot figure out what I ate that would have cause such intense stomach pain and frequent trips to the loo. I had a case of that malady a few years ago, so bad that my wife was ready to call the emergency medical service. I think I’m over it this morning, but it was a rough night for sleep.

I finally heard from my professor who send my first assignment: reading six packs of lecture on Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Cretan, and Greek religious beliefs and philosophy. This was plowing new ground for me. In all my study of history over the decades, I had never really read in depth in this area, studying mainly early modern to the 20th century. I sat for around six or seven hours (over time), highlighter in hand, marking the high points. I need to email the prof to let him know I’m finished. He’s going to want to have a video meeting to discuss this.

I’ll be watching a live online conference these next two days. (Why is it I can never get enough learning?!?) Four hours today, four tomorrow.

If Icarus had been a Scot, he woulda said: “Dinnae be daft; the sun’s no’ hot enough to melt wax!”

On the Genealogy Front: I’m still working on families of people buried at Kongsvinger Lutheran Church Cemetery. Tedious, but lots of good sources. One of the sad things that we all run across are the deaths of children, sometimes multiple children in one family. Kalle Marthin Anderson (who changed his name to Charles Martin Anderson) and his wife Louise Sather lost three children in a very short time span:  Luella Adelia at one year old in 1915, Mildred Adelia at age five in 1921, and Joseph who lived only one day in 1917.

These kinds of finds only make me sad. I cannot imagine the heartfelt pain and suffering that many families experienced with the loss of a child or several children. I remember my grandfather, the ninth of ten children, telling me the story of the death of his younger brother. Grandpa was only five when this happened, but his memories about it were very vivid. His own father, a carpenter of some note in the area, built the little coffin for two-and-a-half-year-old Bracken Ridge Underwood, and his mother made the lining. He was buried not in the family burial ground at Castanea Church, but at a nearby cemetery, Flat Rock where there was Baptist Church that no longer exists.

My grandmother lost two siblings., one at six months and another at a year and a half. One of these, James Holland Neal, had a picture made, probably shortly before he died. The picture on his profile shows a smiling little infant. You can see Grandma’s handwriting on the edge of the photo. James and his sister share a gravestone at the old family burying ground at the Paw Creek Presbyterian Church.

I hope that all of you are not only safe, but flourishing. Life is short; love one another.

Enjoy the Chat!

One of my favorite books is Fragments of a Faith Forgotten by G.R.S. Mead.  Written I think in the 1850s.  The Ancient Religions have always fascinated me as does paleoanthroplogy.

Sorry to hear about the food poisoning.
Hi Pip! First, I am so very sorry to hear of your bad night! If you didn't have a flu shot, the only thing I can think of is something you ate, or something in the air that you breathed in that upset your digestive system. I am glad to know you are back in the 'pink'.

Your class sounds challenging and interesting...kind of like a World Religions class I took back in the day, but yours is much more intense. As to quest for knowledge, I think that is great. All should be 'life long learners'.and open to different ways of seeing/perceiving alternative views. Plus, think of your class as a 'kilt'. One can never have enough learning, just like collecting kilts.

You take care and stay safe. Let us know when you will be in Tucson!
You're the man Pip!  You know, I only saw you for the first time in the last thon chat.  You're much more animated than I expected and younger looking too ;-)

AS ALWAYS, thanks for hosting!  I don't get around as much as I should but I have 3 good excuses why!
Hi, Lynette! Yeah, this is an area I really have been wanting to bone up on. For years I have been looking for a good book on Assyriology and general Mesopotamian studies. I wish I had done it earlier.
Carol, that's a good way to look at it, like collecting kilts! (Still waiting on my last one.) I'll let you know when I'm booked for Tucson.
SJ, you have three excellent reasons why! Hope all is well where you are, especially with keeping up with the little ones.
Food poisoning is not good. Feel better. Take some antibiotics and take care.

And wow. Now I'm picturing Pit from Nintendo with a Scottish accent. Pit is based on Icarus. In fact his game is called "Kid Icarus". The first game was the definition of Nintendo Hard. It was a platformer from the '80s and I always died in that game. There was a much more forgiving game produced in 2009. And I like playing Pit in Smash Bros.

Have a great chat, everyone!
Hi Pip and everyone else! Thanks Pip and all posters for the nice discussions.

I wanted to comment on your work on the Kongsvinger cemetery, a wonderful job you are doing! The names of Kalle Martin above and his parents, to me sound more Swedish than Norwegian, so don't make too hard a decision of where they were born.
I too have experience many happy returns to the loo. Last week I lost two pounds on the salmonella diet. No fun. Feel better Pip.

I'm so sorry Betty, but I had to laugh at your description. laugh

I really hope you are feeling better now.

Ah, "salmonella diet" stirred unpleasant memories of one honeymoon spent in the bathroom due to salmonella ... 

Susan,

On your honeymoon? Yikes. I am on my regular loo schedule now. Thank goodness.
I'm more concerned about he ONE honeymoon part, begs the question, How many Honeymoons? and which number was that one?

laugh I ain't gonna say, Lynette, in order to protect anyone still innocent about such things 

Glad you're feeling better, Pip.  Food poisoning is no fun - I remember one particularly horrible bout in Boston years ago after eating a street tabbouleh salad that had probably been in the sun too long.  Had to sleep (?) on the floor between trips to the loo because the waterbed was making it worse!  Nothing really bad since then, knock on wood.

I've always been fascinated by history and world religions and applaud your perseverance.  A priest friend loaned me a collection of medieval women writers which is fun to dip into from time to time: Hroswitha, Hildegard, Julian of Norwich, Christine de Pisan.  Afraid I'm too ADD to do what you're doing though...oooh, shiny!

Below in a few minutes you will find my story of chasing the Wentworths.  (Hey, you asked. ;) )Thanks again for being the awesomest chat host!
Antibiotics aren't really needed or useful for most food poisoning. Your body will take care of things on its own in a day or so regardless. (disclaimer, I'm not a real doctor, but I do know antibiotics are over-prescribed).
Rob,

I like germs. Gimme, gimme, gimme. Basic tidiness is important but hand sanitizers are only setting you up for a major problem. They are useful in hospital settings where immune systems are compromised but, for those of us who have hearty immune systems, they are unnecessary and perhaps harmful. I don't use them. :)

Rob, I didn't take anything for the food poisoning (like you said, antibiotics don't work on that). I just had to let it finish working its way through my system. Not fun at all, but I did lose about four pounds! cheeky

36 Answers

+24 votes

Good morning Pip and the Weekend Chatters!

Weather:

  • Rain:  Mon, Tue, Wed and Thu
  • Sunny:  Fri and Sat
  • Rain:  Sun
  • Hurricane/Tropical Storm Nicholas: no issues to report in my area; school was closed on Tuesday.as a precaution due to possible flooding across the parish

Computer:

  • Finally, I have my MacBook Pro up and running again. The last macOS update was yesterday ... a security update for ALL Apple devices.  It's great to be typing on a keyboard once again. Now, I have six weeks of catching up to do.
by Tommy Buch G2G Astronaut (1.9m points)
edited by Tommy Buch
Wow, Tommy...that was quite a 2+ minute video of your rainfall. I did enjoy seeing the heron. Try to stay safe and dry!

laughSounds like you did a Snoopy Happy Dance -- indoors, where it is dry .... 

Hiya, Tommy! So glad to hear you finally got the tech issues worked out. You've been suffering under that long enough. And, also glad to hear you came through the latest storm well. I was thinking of you while watching the progress of Nicholas.
That OS update is on my list of things to do, but I'm behind a bit (10.13.3) so I have a feeling it won't be a simple process.  Glad you got yours done.
Got that update for my Ipad, too. No real changes that I can see.
+25 votes

Today is....

      

NATIONAL APPLE DUMPLING DAY

National Apple Dumpling Day on September 17th honors a sweet delight of Autumn.
With fall fast approaching, this food holiday comes at the height of apple harvests. Apple dumplings are an easy dessert to make. Simply peel and core apples, season them with cinnamon and sugar and wrap them up in a prepared pastry dough. Then bake the apple until tender. The flavor is similar to an apple pie. 

Apple dumplings are believed to be native to the northeastern United States, around Pennsylvania.  Often found among the delicious Amish recipes, it is frequently eaten as a breakfast item, too. However, they are also regularly eaten as a dessert and sometimes served with ice cream.

Not only do these pastries taste and smell like fall, but they look like it, too. First, the bright apples in their many colors come into our kitchens by the baskets and boxes full. Then we season them with warm-colored spices. Finally, when the pastry comes out of the oven filling our home with that delicious fragrance, it presents us with a gorgeous golden crust.

HOW TO OBSERVE Apple Dumpling Day:

Celebrate the day by baking up a fresh order of apple dumplings. We even have recipes you can test. Perhaps you can enjoy eating some apple dumplings while watching the 1975 Walt Disney movie, The Apple Dumpling Gang. Visit your local bakery and order their apple dumpling. When you do, be sure to give them a shout-out!

Try these recipes for breakfast, snack or dessert!

Mountain Dew Apple Dumpling
Apple Dumpling Cake

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
Sounds good for breakfast.......room service!
Greetings Dorothy and hope you are doing well! I love apple dumplings warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Haven't had them in years!

Oh, I love these!! We're headed to the store, so I'm going to be looking for ingredients. Dorothy, you always come through just in time! Thanks!

Dorothy,

Perfect for dessert tonight. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hi Dorothy,

Yum! One of my favorite treats at the Carolina Renaissance Festival (which sadly I have to miss this fall due to COVID concerns). Especially with a little ice cream, on a nice November afternoon.
+23 votes

Well......Good Morning!......again. smiley smiley smiley

by John Thompson G2G6 Pilot (346k points)

There are a still a lot of thatched roofs around here (more than anywhere else in the country). I can't envisage thatch being effective as a roofing material if crawling with animals. And as Susan says how on earth would dogs, get into the roof?  some old pictures of Dorset thatch

Eek.  Thank you Helen for the link, that was informative and gave me the quivers, what with the fires in CA ... thatched rooves would not be safe up in the hilly parts of CA .. probably not in urban areas, think there's a law in place about fire resistant roofing ... 

Puppy becomes a roofer (fun story) (UK) - BBC News - 25th May 2019 - YouTube

>Dog climbs ladder to sit on thatched roof with best friend - YouTube

I note what the thatch looks like there on the second film, that's tough looking tight woven THICK THICK THICK 

A guy on my street has min pins ... he built them a stairs so they could go on top of the roof to bark at everyone and everything in their "space".

Helen......Apparently I had found the same site as you mentioned, however, I got sidetracked on, 'Thatching in North America', branch.

I had to google "min pins" ...

Tell you one thing about them, it, if you sneeze, you WiLL lose a min pin

Lynette, Kathy says, the second story sundeck is high enough for our dogs, as they get excited enough at ground level, with the recreational traffic, on the dike road trail. laugh

Susan. Good to know. I'll inhale some sneezing powder when I walk in front of them again.  Or maybe sprinkle it around the house for the owner to sneeze.  

John. this guy actually built stairs for the dogs. I rarely see them in the yard. Always on the roof.

Nothing wrong about having the dogs on the roof, unless there is a city or county mandate against it ... keeps the cats from playing up there, and it keeps birds from nesting up there (which is one of the reasons the cats go up there) and .. well he may want to check his roof to find out whether the dogs are doing their business up there on the roof, dogs lacking any social ept 

Not at all like cats are.
One winter we had so much snow piled up behind the summer kitchen that our two Chows would climb up and sit on the roof every day, where they could get a good view of the entire neighborhood.
+23 votes

Buenos días a todos, but NOT from the Old Pueblo! I am writing from my sister’s home at Eagle, Wisconsin. I arrived on Tuesday. Bonny and I will be leaving for New York City on Saturday morning. We return to Milwaukee on Wednesday and I will return to Tucson next Thursday. We were supposed to visit with mum at the memory center on Wednesday, but it was canceled because a staff member tested positive for Covid! They are allowing my niece, Elyse, to accompany me tomorrow for a ½ hour visit…only the two of us, double-masked and only in mum’s room given the distance I traveled.

Elyse, the senior nursing student, has been doing an internship at a large, metropolitan ER in downtown Milwaukee. She loves it. They offered her a job last week when she graduates in December and she accepted the position. I cannot mention the starting salary and signing bonus, but I wish she had talked with me before she accepted because I would have suggested she request an increase in the hourly rate and the signing bonus, especially given the ER demands, 12-hour shifts and nursing shortage being experienced locally to globally. Well, not my call. She did her rotation today and they had another 5 patients come in with Covid! I don’t even bother asking her if they are vaccinated because invariably they aren’t. 

I saw my brother, Lev, and sister-in-law Sue only briefly yesterday. We were to visit with mum, but since it was canceled due to the staff member testing positive for Covid, we met at Lev’s home to have a conference call with the memory care staff over mum’s medications. Apparently, her screaming and striking out have worsened. So now she is either stoned from the medication, or screaming. Lev, Elyse and I worked with the memory care head nurse and the hospice nurse to come up with some guidelines, especially for the weekends. Mum’s physical status is definitely deteriorating and she’s sleeping more; however, when she is awake, apparently she is screaming and violent. It’s hard to know if it’s anxiety or pain. We’ve decided at this point that it is more pain than anxiety and are working her medications from that angle.

My visit was brief with Lev and Sue because my sister, Bonny, had to take her dog to the urgent care vet because of a small foreleg wound that wasn’t healing (since June). So $138 later, we got take home for supper and gave the dog 3 antibiotics in a piece of hotdog, and I put the cortisone cream on the wound and wrapped it with a piece of self-adhesive bandage. The highlight of the evening was Bonny loading the dishwasher and watching her two dogs lick the plates as she put them in the dishwasher!

My daughter, Jennifer, stopped by to visit me today after her full day of teaching. Jennifer is the 8th grade teacher who left one school because they removed poetry from her language arts curriculum and is now teaching American History at another school. She covers post-Civil War to current times and incorporated language arts via books, like Elie Wiesel’s Night during the various sections of history that she covers. I don’t know which of you lovely men chatterers mentioned that you loved your history class because your teacher incorporated music. I mentioned this to Jennifer and she said that she does include music relevant to the start of each historic section. Apparently, they just covered moving the American Indians onto reservations in the late 1800s and she played traditional music from Pow Wows done by various Plains Indians. The students really like it. She just looks so much happier and more relaxed with this job change, which is great given the medical problems her husband is facing with his genetic heart condition.

I haven’t done much genealogy this week, although I spent the better part of today working on completing the Wharff-McIntire daughters and their respective clans. I’ve got three of six children of one daughter nicely profiled and will finish the other three tomorrow while everyone is at work (save for the ½ hour visit with mum). I’ll finish the other daughter next week when I return to Tucson. BTW, one of the spouses was in the Spanish-American War. If anyone can tell my how to make that sticker easier to use in his profile, I would be much obliged. The ONLY sticker that I don’t have to fight with is the American Revolutionary War sticker. I spent nearly 45 minutes just on that Spanish War sticker and finally just canned it. I could have actually gotten another profile done!

I will miss all of you this weekend unless the hotel has a hotel computer I can use to access our chat in the evenings. We are definitely taking the ferry to Ellis Island, a tour of Harlem on Sunday morning, a ‘ghost tour’ of Greenwich Village. I’m not sure about theatre tickets because Bonny tells me they are quite pricey and a number of shows that have just opened are sold out. I warned that we should order tickets for Waitress and Hadestown weeks ago, but naturally she thinks we can just go to Times Square and get tickets at the last minute. I’m the type to be at an airport 2 hours ahead and she’s there 2 minutes ahead. Nevertheless, I still love her.

Wishing all of you a great weekend and a great week! Take care and stay safe!

by Carol Baldwin G2G Astronaut (1.1m points)
Happy Weekend Carol!  enjoy your visit!

Carol, when my older daughter finished up her first program (to get her LPN certification), her first job was at an emergency room in Valdosta, Georgia. She loved it! Often she would call us and tell us about her adventures there.

Hand it to you to even doctor an animal! Bonny was fortunate to have you around this weekend.

I love you daughter's approach to teaching, incorporating other stuff into her lessons. That's the way it should be, a multidisciplinary approach. Kudos to her!

Enjoy your trip. We'll want to hear all about it!

Enjoy your trip.  I will enjoy Francis Albert for both of us if you agree to enjoy Ellis Island and New York City for me.  (The agreement I have with grandchildren is they take fair rides for me and I take quilt shows for them.)
What a busy life you lead!  You have the most lively of stories.  You also reminded me of a phrase my late mother-in-law used to say:
"My dishes are as clean as water can get them.  Here Water! Here Water!"
@ SJ Baty Hi SJ, it's so great to hear from you! Will think of you and all our responders, soldiers, when we are at the memorial.

@Pip I'm taking all of you along in my heart when we are in New York. My niece and I just got back from visiting mum. She has hospice/palliative care and they allowed to of us to visit with masks and isolated with mum. She is having a good day. No memory, but smiles, purring when I did light massage and so forth. I purchased a decaf cafe mocha with extra whipped from Starbucks, but cannot tell you how it was because mum chugged it like it was a brandy old fashioned! We became pointless when lunch was served (salmon, fries, cole slaw, buttered bread). Plus, our very pleasant hour was up. Elyse is sharing some of her ER stories and I bet she and your daughter could have a story swap field day! You take care!

@Beaulah Cramer...I so love you (and Francis Albert) and I am taking you along in my heart (see note to Pip above). I've been humming to 'Start spreadin' the news, we're leavin' to day...with Frank singing it in my brain.'

@Candyce Fulford. You can work on the French family while I cruise the streets and avenues of NYC. I actually have been very concerned for my sister, Bonny, who has been mum's primary care given and is having serious 'control, abandonment, and letting go' issues. Part of this trip is to get her away and into some semblance of 'normalcy' (as best as we can define at this time) with travel, which we have done together in the past (although not like the gambling trips she and mum would take together). I can see the anticipation in Bonny's eyes and she has been planning the itinerary. It will be good for both of us as I have several specialist visits that I have to deal with in early October, but especially seeing a spring in Bonny's step again. She's 17 years younger than I, so we're sisters, but I was a 'surrogate mum' when she was born.
<g> Good one, Candyce...I heard it as the old uncle living in a mountain cabin with a hound dog named Coldwater...
+24 votes
Good morning from Everett, Washington. Today it is raining. Hooray! Enough to make actual puddles.

Last night we had a wonderful dinner with husband's two co-workers and friends from USC Film School. I, an alumna of that "Other School" across town, sat between them. They made a deal of this but it wasn't on my mind. It was fun for the whole family as we all got to participate. I heard some wonderful stories, about meeting Charlton Heston and driving George Lucas in a golf cart.

I have been sewing 3" patches together into sets of 4. I need 400 of these to make a quilt top 60" x 40", including seam allowance. 400 to make ONE quilt top whereas I have the means to make at least FOUR, which is what the colors of the different patches want. There are AT LEAST 1600, probably more, in the various boxes and bags in the living room. And that's just the three-inch squares.

I wrote a piece for the Mukilteo Monthly about school pageants. Husband and I have an assignment to write a history of the Boeing plant in Everett for our local newspaper. With that in mind, he visited the Boeing Archives yesterday and got permission to reproduce some historic photos. Boeing Archives are like the archives in Raiders of the Lost Ark. And it's cold in there.

They (Boeing) are planning on moving the entire archive from Bellevue to Auburn. Most of it has not been digitized. They have a staff of 5 people or so.

Have a blessed week, you all.
by Margaret Summitt G2G6 Pilot (315k points)

Sounds like a fairly quiet week, for you. Compared to other weeks. laugh

Margaret, I always enjoy hearing about your quilting adventures. They remind me of my Mom who loved quilting: bed quilts, table runners, place mats, baby quilts.

A history of the Boeing plant? That sounds like an endeavor. I hope you can sort through all the stuff in the archive. I think I'd have a hard time slimming down my choices. I know you'll do a great job!
Hello cousin!  I do not recall having seen any of your quilting work.  Have you posted any of it here or have some links?  My mom is a big quilter and she's drawn my wife in as well.
Your wife may have been "drawn in" but believe me she was born with more ability than many of us to be able reproduce such beautiful handiwork.  I love to create color combinations and simple designs for my quilts but all projects have to be machine friendly.  I hate hand sewing.  It reminds me of the story my husband's aunt told me about his mother, a professional dressmaker in the early 1900s, trying to teach her to hand sew some under pants.  Carrie said she had taken out one seam so many times the material was literally ripped.  One day when no one was looking she threw the panties into the wood stove.  It was looked for, and lamented the lose of said item, but Carrie never learned to sew to the expected ability and hated doing any.
Hi Margaret, are you piecing by hand? I'd never get even one done. Too many UFOs in my house! My guild is having a retreat in the church basement for the next two days, so at least maybe I can get one of the tops "put up," as the old folks used to say. Think I'll have to farm it out to someone with a longarm, though; otherwise it'll never get done. (Somehow machine quilting seems like cheating to me...)
@Beulah, sometimes the learning curve goes 'round the bend and one must just give up...;P
Aunt Carrie sure gave up according to her.  My mother-in-law
continued to try but to no avail.  Carrie got married at a young 18, maybe to get out of the house.  Divorce followed a few short years later after 6 children, (5 living, ) and having a corresponding  18 year old husband.
+22 votes
Happy Friday!

Working on my Templetons again as I am doing a presentation on them this coming week. The Fun part? I got to chat with Pip a bit about a Scottish Clan chartered for my Templetons in 1948 and about a beautiful Tartan ascribed to the Clan! Thanks for the help Pip!

As an aside? My Templetons are Irish. LOL!

Mags
by Mags Gaulden G2G6 Pilot (638k points)

Mags, I wish you the very best in your presentation. That Templeton tartan you found is absolutely beautiful. I'm almost temped to see if I can figure out the thread count on that one and see if it can be reproduced.

Well, as I've told Pip....If it's not Scottish, it's crap!

Hi Mags! Got any pie to go with that presentation? Awesome that you are doing a presentation and I wish you the best, although you always do your best. I would love to see the tartan!
My only Templeton in my ancestors is my 4th great grandmother Mary. She was apparently  born around 1751 most likely in Ayrshire Scotland and married Mathew Morrison some time before they had my 3rd great grandmother baptised on 5 Aug 1787 at New Cumnock, Ayr, Scotland. So much work still to do...
+22 votes
Good morning from lovely Tucson, where the nights are now getting into the 70's.  Good sleeping weather.  Still hot during the daytime, yesterday I think was 107.

I've been making progress in my life issues.  The physical therapy is over for the pelvis with just a few aches here and there and with cooler mornings I may be able to hike again.  The PT is also over for the shoulder, but I still have pain there.  Must keep doing the exercises and stretches.  My heart pain is getting less and I can do more things without crying over Phil.  Last weekend I was able to listen to music at home, first time since Christmas.  My kids and I have a Christmas trip planned to honor the first anniversary of his death, and for me to not be alone then.

About that time I will be MOVING, still in Tucson (Oro Valley).  I bought a home under construction and have been very busy with selections, ordering furniture, etc.  It's something to look forward to and a new start in my life.  I've barely done any genealogy except my regular Acadian duties for the past few weeks!
by Cindy Cooper G2G6 Pilot (324k points)
Cindy, all that you've gone through this past year breaks my heart. I'm glad you're on the mend, and glad, too, that you have this exciting new home adventure ahead!
Hi Cindy Cooper! Well done, you for all your accomplishments, health progress, grief work and a new home in Oro Valley (very posh). ONE of these days teaspoon! I won't return until the end of next week. I have a slew of medical appointments the first week of October, but let's see what we can figure out. Hugs!
Cindy, I'm thrilled that your recovering is coming along. I was really worried about you there. I know your heart is hurting, and is will be for a while. Mine does for my mom, and I still catching myself weeping on occasion. Hang in there. Your cousins here will always care about you.

Congrats on the new home! Hope your move goes well!
May you build many happy memories in your new home.
They will continue the thoughts from the past, but will be a
new experience to build on.  Congratulations on your determined efforts to have brought you so far so fast.  It
tells us a lot about you!
Hi, Carol, I have got to get us to a date at Teaspoon!  After you get back I'm out to Cali to see my grandchildren for the first time in 2 years.  Let's plan a date for the first or second week of Oct.
+23 votes

Hi all, hope everyone is doing well.

My sister got clobbered pretty bad with covid and its been touch and go for the whole week.  In the last 24 hours she seems to have cleared the worst of it.  This morning I woke to find a photo of her from my mom and she has returned a little color.  Seeing the nurse in the space suit is a bit surreal.  Big thanks to cousin Todd for the medication advice.

Not much to say about the weather here, its always nice in Spain.  The "too hot" has passed to nicely hot and the water is still quite warm so it makes for great beach days.

On the genealogy front I've made a new Wikitree pal this weekend who shares my interest in the Revolutionary War Army of General Clark.  My Abbott ancestor was under Gen. Clark and I'm looking forward to some collaboration to see if I can find more records.

That Wikitree pal connection came care of the revitalization of the 1776 Project.  I've organized the project into teams and did an audit of the badge roster.  At least half of the folks I queried are no longer active or don't want to be part of the project any more.  But on the other hand, the other half have joined a team and the project is buzzing with new activities.  We have already appointed some new team leaders and at least one of them is already organizing her team into a viable unit.

The Military and War Project is next and it is a much bigger project so I'm (sort of) a little reluctant to start the process there.  That project has a lot of members but just needs a little reorganization.  So I think I'll be busy in the coming weeks.

On the home front, I have been encouraging my wife to turn her sewing hobby into a real business.  She started an Instagram account and finally opened an Etsy shop and this week it finally paid off.  She picked up a sizable order and she's busy sewing as I type.  I had donated one of her items for the Scan-a-Thon last year:

The wife is all smiles this week having gotten this order and I'm very happy and proud of her.

I hope all of you are doing well and I look forward to reading your replies.

by SJ Baty G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
I remember that beautiful case.
Thanks Beulah.  I just remembered something to add to my post but since you've already replied I'll just add it as a comment.

During my "check-ins" with the 1776 Project members, I left profile messages for ~ 550 project members.  Probably 1/2 of these badges were given in the last 3 years and the other half in from 3 to ~ 8 years ago.  I was surprised to find that four of our members had died since they were last badged and someone from the project checked in on them.  

This really made me pause and question my own mortality.  I've been procrastinating leaving a profile will but I really must do that this week.  But more importantly, it brings home that we won't live forever.  So give your family a hug, send an "I love you" to your far away friends and family, and enjoy life - sadly, it won't last forever.
Very nice needle work, very hard to do I found out some years ago.  That's a lot of fine work there, she's talented

Beautiful work and excellent that it is now available for others to own and enjoy. Job well done smiley

Thanks Susan and Rosalie, I'll pass the compliments.

Kids are in bed, she's sewing and I'm on WT.  She just posted this to me an hour or two ago.  She is making 13 of these for a wedding next week.  I think they are monogrammed napkins for the bridal table.

Beautiful embroidery, SJ!

And I'm happy I can still help on the 1776 project. Thanks for reaching out to me.
Very nice, takes me back to embroidery lessons at convent school.
SJ, Reorganizing the M&W Project is going to be a huge project. I have to commend you for tackling it. It's been needed for a long time. Good for you. (I need to get myself on a team!)

And also good for you for encouraging your wife's creative endeavors. I've been trying to get my wife back to painting, unsuccessfully so far.
My compliments also, SJ. This is beautiful!
+16 votes

Genealogy -- been grappling with the imposition of the newest kink in profiling ... crying I am undaunted.  

Full discussion at: Did you see the new draft saving and integrated suggestions on edit pages? - WikiTree G2G -- there's two ways to save, one is to save your draft and the other is the Full Save. 

yes You can't do the Full Save without explaining what you did. There's a range of "explanations" available.  

crying Not sure if the bugs that afflicted Draft Save have been "fixed" ... it was like being caught in one of those traffic circles doing 50 mph bumper to bumper (been there done that) ... after dumping out entirely, I went to Full Save for every twitch on a profile.... 

The only disadvantage would be to 'thoners who might not garner as many Contribution points due to having to scroll down to Full Save AFTER having to select an Explanation - which is situated at the bottom of the page (please scroll down), the one and only place you CAN save your labors, AFTER you select an Explanation devil -- I am confident that the 'thoners will adapt -- they will normalize their procedures 

I am also confident that the code writers on this improvement will be able to untangle the mess of unintended consequences that followed the latest improvement ... 

I dunno, the image I got was that it was in fact like living through the aftermath of a half-dozen 100-year old eggs exploding in a very small kitchen -- and thereby decorating ceiling, walls, floor, and all other surfaces including yourself -- takes hours to clean all surfaces  

by Susan Smith G2G6 Pilot (652k points)

@LYNETTE -- The link I gave was to the discussion -- at great length if you also click on the "see previous comments" etc devil

I truly think, once PM have adapted and adjusted their procedures to the new requirements, that they will have no difficulty.  That's if the problems of unintended consequences are 'fixed'.  

I think it will in the long run only serve to cut down -- somewhat -- on the quantity of 'fixes' the marathoners rack up -- many of those who rush through chasing points won't be able to rush through as many (quantity) as before this REQUIREMENT for Explanation was imposed 

Won't interfere with the competition, but will shave a tad off the points racked up 

But remember, it will also slow down plodders like me that are just helping wikitree, not out for points.  My total should go down proportionately too shouldn't it?  I have been using an explanation on all entries for the last five or so years so it doesn't change any habit for me.   Let's hold hands as we cross the finish line like they show on all of these "sportsmanship" clips.  I don't very often look for point totals any more.  I vote for answers in questions I am interested in to keep track of where to start reading the newest articles.  Yellow triangle=old article.

Oh, it slows me down also, I'm one of the plodders also 

I've been using -- more or less using -- explanations for the last year and some and DO applaud the imposition of the requirement for an explanation --  

I do have a bit of irk over having to scroll all the way to the bottom of the profile in order to do a Save, especially when all I did was add or correct one of the fields up at the top 

But everyone who sticks to WT will adapt ... 

SJ we can only stuff into our brain x amount at the front -- stuff not used on a regular basis is shoved toward the back, out of sight, out of mind ...
IDK, it took me 3 seconds to adapt to the change.

I just give a description before doing a full save, no need to bother with drafts. I write software for a living, and a big part of the process is using version control to save the current code, and a description is required when doing a save. I still save as often as before. It's only a second or two to scroll down, and a few seconds to type something in.

Apparently I'm more of a plodder than a marathoner, I like to make sure things are right before doing the save. I see the draft saved message come up sometimes while I'm thinking over things.

Well, Rob, sounds to me like you have a good work habit there cheeky -- it is what I do now that I have to devil --  do whatever I'm doing, & scroll down and click the Explanation(s) and then Full Save. 

 Anything else happens -- and sometimes some really strange things do -- I give up, kick out of the profile and go find a different one to work on - there's one that involves if I recall Wikitree+ and something and that's just not in my bag of things I understand ... I did try, really, I tried, but ... 

So now if it shows up I dump the profile and move on 

I'm enjoying the image of the kitchen with egg everywhere.  Though I do like the new draft capability.  And I totally applaud the requirement to explain the changes - at least as some level - as it is SO helpful in monitoring profile changes.  The more detail the better, actually.  The only awkward thing is to have to scroll to the bottom to Explain and Save.  Especially since there is a large gap now between the facts and bio.  If it's a long bio, it's a lot of scrolling down.  There must be a place somewhere to leave these types of comments.
@Cindy -- I totally am with that, a long long walk to the bottom of the page in order to save, AFTER you explain what you did.  A really really long walk in some cases.

There are ALSO those moments of being frustrated of your goal (to save) because of the Old Habit established before the new requirement to Explain Your Action ... you sit there click click and click and ..... ahhhh ... gotta explain it ....
Have you folks tried using CTRL+End to skip to the bottom of the page quicker?  It may take you a bit too far down, but then it's just a simple 'PgUp' to get to the Explain and Save.
@Candyce, HOT DANG!! it worked.  ctrl+end (the two keys) did just what you said it would ... had to scroll UP a tad, but that was not a problem
+20 votes
Hails and horns, Wikipeeps!

How is everyone? Doing okay here. I posted a blog about how farmers from Italy were able to work the land so far from the land of their ancestors. It's more likely than you think: https://allroadhaverhill.blogspot.com/2021/09/52-ancestors-week-37-on-farm.html

I also chatted on Facebook with my 2nd cousin who is an actor in Germany/France. I gave him the pic we have of his parents. He had never seen them that young before and was very thankful. The pic was from the early 1970s and my grandpa Marco must have taken it and hid it for so long. It was recently discovered. I was tempted to edit the pic and clean it because it is cracked a bit. Yay for photoshop skills. It shouldn't be too hard.

 On Myheritage, my father and I got dna matches from the fam in Switzerland. Everyone's popping out of the woodwork. Thankfully, I know where everyone goes! More or less. There are some people I am confused about. That's where What are the Odds comes in handy.

I've actually been putting it through its paces because I've been using established trees and seeing how long it takes for me to get to the actual connection.

I also worked on David Allen Lambert's tree and taught the Wikitreers how to pronounce Haverhill. It's "Hay-vrill".

On the non genealogy front, we closed down the 2021 Ferraiolo garden. As I said in the blog, our crop was...ummm...not that great. So-So. I blame the weird weather we had in May! My dad sure does.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!
by Chris Ferraiolo G2G6 Pilot (756k points)
Very cool story about the photo - I love it when we're able to help a cousin see a family member or relative that they had never seen before.
Yeah. Pasquale has seen his parents. Probably just not that young. Pic was taken around 1970.
I had a great year for our grapes this year, I think it was because the spring was so dry, didn't have the usual problems with mold and black rust. I don't have a lot of grapes, about 20 x 40 feet on a pergola.
Of course there are many harvests in different locations. The Spaghetti harvest is always amusing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEqp0x6ajGE
@ Rob: Congrats on the grapes. Yeah. We had a weird spring. Wet and kinda cold some times. Hopefully, next year will be better.

@ M Ross: Ahh, the spaghetti harvest. Nice.
Chris, you did have weird weather to start the growing season, but I've got to hand it to you for working that garden anyway. Some years are better than others. A late frost killed off our irises before then really had a chance to bloom, but these are double blooming, so we're seeing a few come out (finally).

I also love the photos you share in your blog, even the ones I've seen before. And the way you write makes me wish I had known many of those folks.
+23 votes
I have been cross dressing for about twenty-five years. It all started when my children were born boys. I had always planned on having a boy and a girl. More's the pity. Love my boys immensely but they're not girls. I found myself in the young boys and men's section of the clothing stores. It occurred to me that the boy's and men's shorts were incredibly less expensive than the women's and girls shorts. As I work out at home and need to impress no one, I decided to buy men's shorts and save myself a ton of money.

Finally, I'm out of the closet. :P
by Betty Fox G2G6 Pilot (183k points)
@Susan, I think it has a lot to do with hegemony: dress like the dominant group and you don't get slammed (at least in most Western nations). Whereas males in female attire risk ridicule or violence. (In some First Nations tribes, however, Two-Spirit people were traditionally respected and honored.)

This is one reason I love my sci-fi cons and medieval re-creation groups: you can dress as anybody you like and not get pushback.
@Susan: good point about Germany, but sad; strict interpretation of Deuteronomy. I think English Puritans would just shame or pillory you:

https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-anatomy-of-abuses-by-philip-stubbes-1583

In 1800s US, some places you could be arrested for cross-dressing.
Susan,

Portlandia is the home of humans on leashes, daily protests (pick your least favorite symbol of authority), diminishing police forces, legal marijuana, illegal American flags, high rent, growing homelessness, and urinating in elevators.

I wish it didn't exist in reality.

Okay, time for Rules to be laid down. 

No male nor female shall, upon the pain of public punishments, dress in the clothing that is not particular to their sex. 

Think I read those words or some words that are similar in a book or article long ago, and it stuck in my mind --

And I see photos of men and women in sarongs and every other kind of clothing style from round the world - "oh, yes, but they're foreigners, that's okay for THEM" starts bouncing around in my mind along side that edict ref cross dressing 

Whatever you do when you are naked and dangling or bouncing, do not do it where I can see it, thank you.  

Cross-dressing per se does not faze me nor daze me.  At least it does not, if the clothing is suitable for the weather and does not contravene the laws about ref to human anatomy unchained and uncovered in public 

Don't go to Portlandia, home of the naked bike ride. Lots of dangling there.

Edit for punctuation.

laugh I'll bet the City Fathers and the Chamber of Commerce, both, rely upon you, Betty, to seduce travelers into visiting Oregon,  and Portlandia in particular 

cheeky Sounds like if New Orleans is under water without much hope of draining dry, that the Mardi Gras will be removed to Portlandia and not be the least diminished by the relocation 

Alas, such things can happen when incomers love a place to death. Boston, Austin, Charlotte, Ely (MN)...rampant gentrification accompanied by a loss of heart and the characteristics that make a place unique. I hope they never make a show set in my town! (Though we could use a few more *sane* people..)

laugh laugh Y'all should be satisfied, now, to know there's zillions of women in the western world (industrialized world) who can wear male clothing (pants and shorts) what has a zipper.  

I was told -- and do not vouch for what I was told -- that the male zipper opened up on the left and the female zipper opened up on the right) (or maybe it was right for males and left for women?) whatever. 

I could not imagine myself staring at crotches long enough and closely enough to determine if the person was wearing "male" or "female" pants (or shorts) ... I still cannot imagine myself doing so. 

But the point being that both versions looked the same excepting for the zipper clue --  So a woman could wear a man's jeans and yet it would be designed for a woman and you could tell by which way the zipper opened.  

I'd have thought the fact that a man's jeans etc are "pouchy" in the crotch on account of ... and the woman's jeans are not ... that "pouchy" look is a major clue ... but there again, you have to stare long and closely to find out ...

laugh 

I still wear women's clothes and some open to the left and some open to the right.  It's not like the man's earring signifiying gay like it used to.

cheeky man with earring Used to signify his sexuality, yes, until I ran into some wearing an earring in each ear all at the same time, same a woman would, without dragging her sexuality into the open 

+18 votes
Good afternoon from north central Texas!  Still a summer 90-something but not as high as the real summer and... we are getting our first whiff of fall early next week with highs in the 80's for a few days! A welcome relief.

On the family front - the son-in-law and their two boys have recovered from Covid. The boys are back at school and work. The son-in-law is back at work part time - still gets tired but is slowly regaining strength. My husband's sister and niece left today to return to Louisiana. Electricity, gas and water have been restored so they felt they had to go home. There is still a lot of rain from Nicholas but that is supposed to move on to the east of them. On our home front, our new wood floors have now been stained and today got the first coat of polyurethane finish. Another coat either tomorrow or Monday and then it will sit for 2 or 3 days to completely dry and harden. We think we are about 2 weeks from leaving the hotel life and moving back to our house.

On the genealogy front - my genealogy group had our first in person meeting since Covid began. We had a good turn-out plus five visitors who are interested in joining. I also began a three week class on Y-DNA - self -paced and I haven't had much time this week so I plan to spend the next couple of days getting the classwork and homework done for the first two lessons. Also, some really exciting news is that the Dallas Public Library is open but by appointment only. Four of us have an appointment for the genealogy floor next Wednesday so I need to make my list of people and locations that I most want to work on.

Pip, I know how you feel when finding those young children who died. My maternal grandparents lost two of their children - at 2 years and 5 years old. Their siblings, including my mother, never really got over the loss. There are so many more of those losses in my tree. Most of those children would not have died in more modern times, especially with the vaccinations for the childhood diseases.

I wish a happy and safe week for everyone!
by Virginia Fields G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)

Very nice post Virginia.  Glad to hear your kin are out of medical danger.  Nice to hear the homestead improvements are coming along (I have a ton of work to do myself).  The local genealogy group sounds very cool.  Virtual presence is nice but it isn't the same as chatting over a coffee.  Too much room for misinterpretation, ya. wink

@CANDYCE -- Boredom is never a problem for anyone; what they DO when bored to relieve that boredom is where problems are conceived laugh; what is born from that are consequences, quite often unintended ones

Good to hear your family are doing better Ginny

Well, Candyce, it  is possible, if you go ahead, you will either form a group or you will join a group for genealogy.  You seem to have a clear idea of why you would want to form a group or join with one:  like-minded companions 

Wonder if there's something called "life hacks for family historians"?laugh

 

I belong to 3 family genealogy groups, the participants in each group are cousins, from first to 4th cousins and descendants of various family ancestors, my mother's ancestors are at the top of one group, my dad's is another group and my DH's Canadian settlers are the third group, each of which is like a mini-WT, we share sources and discoveries it works well.
That sounds great - I have thought about forming a family group but just have never gotten around to it. Sounds like yours are well formed and have a lot of research interests!
The groups can't meet in person, we have people in Australia, England, Wales; Plus Ontario and British Columbia, Canada.

It does give us access to some good local sources as well as more global options.

Sounds like a good group.  I have a similar group in our family, except we only meet to play pinochle. laugh

Ginny, there used to be a genealogy group here, but mostly made of up old people (like me). Many of them were terrified of Covid, and so meetings have never returned. Maybe next year, I hope.

I know you enjoyed having family around, even though ti was because of difficult circumstances. 

Things are cooling down here, too. My wife is not pleased, but then I can take it better than her. surprise 

Pip, we met by Zoom all during Covid. The downside was that many of our senior citizen members would not "click" on the Zoom button to connect to the meeting. Results were much lower attendance. We hope to lure them back now that we can meet in person!!
+18 votes
I am being inundated with pests.  The cluster flies are coming in to hibernate for the winter and they find easy pickings in the walls of a 140+ years old house. Solution: fly swatters and a couple of freezing nights.  Robo calls solution is hang up.  Computer ads.  No solution, a new one appears before the one I xed out disappears.  Solution:  any experiences our members have with Adblocker?  I know it says free but the small print suggests it is for just a trial.  I would appreciate honest opinions, I don't believe every thing I read in the products own testimonials.

We have received several days without rain but we are just about even with seasonal averages, although it seems like
a lot this summer because we had such a dry spring and low snow fall averages.  My very small raised garden beds did very poorly, too much rain I think.  The deer liked the green beans up on their head level before I blocked them.
I went out to cut some of the knotweed plants but they are just full of honeybees in the flowers so I delayed it again.
They have been too wet to keep cut a lot of the time because, with my bad hip, I am afraid of falling on a muddy slope and doing more damage to me than I will do to them.  I have a grandson coming this weekend for some work and that may be his job in a couple of weeks if he
has time.  Truth be told, he rather be fishing on Lake Ontario but is doing me a big favor.  I will be treating him
to a breakfast at our local Grange.  We have missed them since the pandemic stopped all things like that in Mar. 2020.  Small villages have so few social events that well
attended and supported ones are really missed.
by Beulah Cramer G2G6 Pilot (565k points)
For the robo calls, on your mobile or home phone?
Land line.  The cell doesn't work unless I am more than 1/4 of a mile away from my house.
Worrisome, because: what IF you get rid of the bugs in the walls and the walls come down because it's the bugs that keep them together?

Nah. Can't be so.  We'd have heard about it by now

Bees, yeah, more than one house has had that. One house had a wall full of snakes. eep.

eep.
I've used adblock / adblock+ for years with no problem.
That's what I need to know.  Our local "news" channel is almost impossible to use with the pop up ads.  The local newspaper is smaller and less informative and I try to use both but it is a real struggle at times.
Beulah, we are getting out usual late fall invasion of stink bugs. That's why I never knock down our spider webs outside near our doors, even though it makes us look like we don't take care of our house. The spiders are having a feast! Yea!!!

How was the breakfast at the Grange?
The breakfast was good.  I expected a large group by viewing the line of cars at the roadside but they told me the big crush had gone.  I had invited my grandson and know he likes to sleep in so I made it 10, not 8.    He then came up with me and restacked a pile of wood that was pushing out a wall and making a hole that the coons took advantage of.  They knocked the vinyl siding corner off,
now I hope I can find someone to replace it before winter.
The prevailing winds are a viscous southwest  and not the
kind I expect sympathy from.  It was nice to see some of our neighbors getting together again.  How was your week
end?

It was a busy one, Beulah. I attended a two-day online conference (Friday and Saturday) and enjoyed it immensely. Sunday is always busy around here what with church and stuff, but I did get a good nap in! smiley

I am so glad I'm not your shadow and have to keep up with you.  I would need a nap every four hours in an awakened day.

Well, Beulah, laughhe gave up sleeping (apparently) more than 4 uninterrupted hours per 24 ... that might have something to do with it ... he power naps, maybe as much as an hour and maybe a bit more every so often during the 24 hours (looks more like a collapse than a nap) ...  cheeky

How much sleep would we sacrifice just to be as busy as he is? crying  I am like you, 4, 5 hours and then 2, 3, 4 hrs of sleep and then back "on the job" (more or less) 

He's probably "a type A on steroids" ??

Triple mega steroids.

Y’all so funny! laugh

+20 votes
It is a gray and depressing-looking day here in the southwest corner of a northeast State.  The air has a feel of expectation to it, like the calm before the storm, yet no storms are predicted until Wednesday - thank goodness!  The family is doing what our family does on a Friday.  One is working from home.  Another is attending her college class via computer.  Still another is nursing a migraine and is in bed upstairs.  And the last of us is getting ready to return home from her trip to Washington, D.C., not a day too soon, in my opinion!

My genealogy work yesterday and today has been spent unraveling records of a certain young lady on my Watch List.  At first, I set out to confirm that Silence and Silent were the same people, both stillborn.  After quite a few hours it became abundantly clear that they were indeed two different people.  Now to clean up a profile or two, or three ... *sigh*.

In other news, Medicare is no longer covering the major portion of the cost of ONE of my medications causing more than a doubling of my bill.  I am trying to work with my PCP AND my pharmacy AND Medicare AND the State's health care system to get some financial help here.  It's not like I don't need that medication to stay alive, because I do.  In my opinion, the whole system is ridiculous!  I'm sorry if that got you started on your own rant.  I'm certainly not happy with it all.  And it's not the fault of one administration over another.  This has been happening for decades.

I think I'll escape into my research.  I find the 1800s rather comforting today.  Later!
by Candyce Fulford G2G6 Pilot (117k points)
I'm still in shock about US healthcare.  The savings in medical insurance from US to Spain more than covers our mortgage, and I'm not kidding.

For a family of 5 (yes, 5!) we pay about 120 Euros per month.  We have a 20 Euro co-pay for doctor visits.  We've really "used" the insurance 3 times: two babies, and our daughter needed emergency surgery and that entailed a 4 day stay at the hospital.  Each of those three events, all in including all tests, lab fees, hospital stays, in-hospital medication, really everything, our co-pay was under 500.

While visiting family in the US my wife cut her hand and we had to go to the ER.  They irrigated the wound (really, they washed it) and gave her two stitches.  We were out in 20 minutes.  I about had a heart attack when the bill came and it was over $1,300.

I know that the insurance situation for us was untenable when we moved away and sadly, it doesn't seem like its gotten any better.  I don't know what the solution could be but I hope they can work it out.
There are plenty of solutions, all that is needed is to look at what is done in most first world countries.

No one should have to sell a house or rob the liquor store to pay for medical care.
Candyce, I'm with you. The 1800s are a comforting place for me to block out everything else.
+19 votes

Hello WikiTreers!

Not my best week, but not my worst either...

Pip, thanks for hosting. Appreciate you so much, cuz! I'm sorry about the tummy bug. Mine started last Saturday. By Monday I was feeling somewhat human again. I like your closing sentence, "Life is short; love one another." The world would be a much nice place if everyone abided by that creed.

So, Monday I had to return to my sleep specialist with my CPAP so it could be checked for defects. I didn't expect any so I was surprised when I was told it was not producing the pressure it should be. It seems it was supposed to get up to 7.5 cmH2O and the tech could only get it up to 6.1. Since my machine is, therefore, defective my insurance should help pay for a new one. The catch is that they are in short supply. I was told it could be weeks or more before I get a replacement. In the meantime, I am to continue using the one I have as it is better than not having one at all. 

Had a hassle regarding my routine medications on Monday. I had no refills on one of them so I went by my pharmacy wondering why, since I'm enrolled in the "automatic refill" program, my doctor had not already been contacted for a new prescription. Apparently someone or something had un-enrolled me from the program. They gave me an emergency supply of three pills and sent an electronic refill request to my doctor. Later in the afternoon I got a text from the pharmacy saying my doctor had refused to refill. So, I called the doctor and left a message for clinical staff wanting to know why. Thirty minutes later I got a notification from the pharmacy saying my refill was ready. Not sure what happened there, but I also received a voice mail from the doctor's office saying they had never rejected the refill request. Anyway, it's all straightened out now, I hope.

Also on Monday, my beloved husband asked me where Penni was. Penni, our dog, died on March 4. When I told my husband she had died, he was visibly confused and upset. He truly did not remember. He asked me the same question on Tuesday, but, thankfully, not since then. His dementia is progressing and it is such a hard thing to watch this happening to him.

I had gotten some bad news re members of my husband's family on Sunday. On Monday I learned even more of the story about the situation. I certainly cannot go into details here, but this has been very hard to learn and know how devastated my step-family are. Because of his cognitive issues, I did not see a point in telling my husband. I got a phone call early yesterday from one of the family with an update and my husband wanted to know about the call. I told him there was a problem but I didn't go into detail. I hope I am doing the right thing by sheltering him. He has a simple phone he can use and he calls his children every day, sometimes multiple times a day because he can't remember he called them already, to tell them he loves them. The children are all aware of his decline.

WikiTree, which is usually my refuge from real life when I get a chance, was a bit challenging this week. I will get used to the changes, I am sure. The thing which threw me the most was that the Auto WikiTree Tables app and the WikiTree changes did not play well together so I had to disable the app until Ian Beacall was able to figure out how to get it to work correctly again. Ian is such a wonderful person and, in my opinion, we are blessed to have him as part of WikiTree. I did not get much done on WikiTree this week.

One thing we've begun doing in the late afternoon is feeding a small herd of deer. We usually have six visitors--four does and two fawns. I spread a special deer feeding mix on our front yard, then we sit quietly and watch while they graze. Very peaceful and relaxing way to wind down the day. Just in the past few weeks, the does are losing their lighter summer coats and become darker as the thicker, longer, darker, better insulating fur grows out. The fawns have gotten taller but still have their spots. They still try to nurse occasionally, but their mama (they are fraternal twins) is trying to wean them. 

I hope everyone has a good weekend. We have no major plans but will probably meet friends for lunch tomorrow. Since our usual place to meet here is closed for dine-in, as are so many places, we've begun to drive down to a Culver's in a neighboring town.

Fawns

Edit...I forgot to mention one other thing. Ancestry just updated my ethnicity estimates...I am now, according to them, 48% Scottish, up from my previous 41%. My Irish also went up from 21% to 27%. But my English estimate dropped. My Norwegian ethnicity estimate disappeared completely (surprising, considering I found Norwegian ancestors via WikiTree relationship finder.) But I picked up a Germanic estimate of 4%. Germanic?! I have no idea where that could have come from at all.

by Nelda Spires G2G6 Pilot (554k points)
edited by Nelda Spires
Our does are becoming a much redder color.  They really stand out in an alfalfa field.  It seems countering to the premise of being harder to spot during hunting season's
antlerless session.  We have way too many deer so it is usually added to the beginning of the regular season.
Beulah, are your deer white-tails? I've been trying to learn more about deer. I've always enjoyed having them around, but, until now, did not know much about them. Now that we do not have a dog, they come around more. We have many deer, too, but not an over-abundance. I suppose the local hunters keep the population in check. Many people enjoy venison--I do not.
Yes, they are white tails.  The government trend setters claim we have more deer than there were here when just the Indians existed.   More deer are killed in car collisions than are killed by hunters in New York State every year.  Many city dwellers change their attitudes after a dry year and the deer browse off their expensive landscaping.  Sometimes a farmer will have a hay crop severely damaged in the spring while they munch off the tender new plants.  Several tears ago, after a mild couple of winters and the herds had built up, there was an area near here that people were coming from all over to see the huge number of deer in the fields in the late afternoons.  Hay was very short on first cuttings in that area that year.  Luckily the deer moved off into the woods eventually.
Beulah, one thing I read this week is that the timing of the "rut" in Georgia is estimated based on car-deer collisions because a study found a high correlation between the two things. I've come close to hitting deer, but never have, thank goodness. One of my cousins, many years ago, was riding on the back of her boyfriend's motorcycle. A deer ran out and they collided with it. My cousin was injured very severely--bones in all extremities broken--but she survived. This happened in a metro-Atlanta subdivision.
Your Norwegian ancestors obviously became Germanic!
Between my daughter having had four minor collisions and a daughter in law who has totaled two cars plus all her dents, the car repair business on this road has made a fortune on the family.  I have driven it for 50+ years but seem to be more cautious.  I'm also not in such a hurry with a car load of kids.
Nelda, God bless you and your family and we'll add you and your husband to our prayers.  I have never experienced cognitive decline in any family members so I can't fully understand how this must be for you.  We send you our best wishes.  And thanks for the thoughtful email today, it was very nice to receive it and to read your words.  All the best from our family to yours.
Melanie, my Germanic ancestors must be those behind my brick walls! It's just puzzling to see the Norwegian estimate totally disappear, so you could be on to something--maybe the Norwegians were Germanic generations before they were Norwegian? Or do I have it backward?

Or maybe ancestry just doesn't really know.  cheeky

Thank you, SJ. I witnessed dementia in one of my grandmothers, but I was not responsible for her day-to-day care--that fell primarily on one my uncles until she was moved into a care facility. I'll put that off for my husband as long as I possibly can. I appreciate your good wishes.
Melanie, it's been interesting to see the evolution of my ethnicity estimates. My first estimate, just a couple of years ago, had me primarily English--now English is in far 3rd place. How they figure all this out is far beyond my capability to understand but "they say" the more people who test with Ancestry the more accurate the estimates become.
@NELDA -- Friend of mine long ago, her husband coming home from work (graveyard shift) out on the highway outside of town, deer ran in front of him, ... anyway, he staggered around, he said, and collected the dead deer, tied it down, and drove the rest of the way home, no windshield, blood all over the front, in back, inside, and him and very nearly gave his wife a heart attack when he staggered into the kitchen an hour later than usual and covered with blood etc

(it was the etc that really ticked her off, all OVER the driveway, the stairs to the back of the house, the kitchen floor, him and his clothes and took forever to clean up -- they had voracious pests (insects, nasty ants included) in that part of the county)

Nelda, I love the photo of the deer. We have two that visit us pretty regularly in the evening, a mama and her youngun, still speckled like yours. The come for the seed the birds knock out of the birdfeeders.

I'm having to retake my Ancestry DNA test. My brother let his account lapse, and the tree and my DNA were deleted! Gah!

+19 votes

Greetings From Brightlingsea, Essex, England

Quite a good week weather wise apart from some rain on Tuesday. September is fast going and soon its October and time to get the heating going again.  Have booked the chimney sweep - he is coming in October. Have already ordered some coal (Smokeless variety).

Several events this week - Lunch at the Yachtman's Arms on the Waterside - with the Royal Naval Association, coffe morning on Wednesday as usual at the Community Centre, invite to the art exhibition at Brightlingsea Museum as a Friend of Brightlingsea Museum, when they have an event there is always tea & cake. Todays event was a visit to the dentist for a check up - all ok though.

Not done alot on wikitree this week. Hope to do more over the weekend

Have a great weekend everyone ....

Images from last Saturdays Colne Barge Match & Smack Race - Brightlingsea

by Chris Burrow G2G6 Pilot (220k points)
edited by Chris Burrow
Chris, thanks for posting the photos! One of these days I'm am just going to have to visit Brightlingsea just to see all the things you have shared with us.
+14 votes

On this day:

1631: The Battle of Breitenfeld is fought

1978: The Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel are signed

1991: The Hoyerswerda riots start

by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
Professor, I attended an intense conference the past two days, so I am catching up. Breitenfeld (along with other assignments you've posted.
+19 votes
All is well in Kentucky. The summer hasn't been too hot or wet, and that is fine with me. We still have the Covid - 19 hanging around, but I have had my shots and  hope that i'm  protected.

I did visit my wood lot in Hart County and was attacked by chiggers. I though they would have moved on this summer. The good news is i'm turning 80 years old tomorrow.             Later!
by Mark Anderson G2G3 (3.9k points)

Happy 80th, Mark!

Happy, happy birthday!

cheeky Just the perfect way to celebrate a birthday -- doing the Chigger Jig While Scratching ... eep 

ANYWAY, many happy returns -- kiss

Happy Birthday Mark! yes

Chiggers! Oh my gosh, how I remember. AS a boy I used to fish at a nearby pond and learned very early on NOT to sit on the banks and fish.

Hope your birthday was wonderful, Mark!
+19 votes
Having not been back to New England (where I once lived) in 40 years, and itching to find out more about my Yankee ancestors, I decided to plan a socially distanced camping and graveyard stomping expedition that would, of course, include eating lobster, either outdoors or in a restaurant that observed COVID safety protocols.  I met many friendly people in my grandmother's home town of Jaffrey, N.H.; visited two cemeteries where the Jaquiths, Wilbers and Stebbinses were buried; dined on a wonderful seafood casserole; took pictures of the old farmhouse and high school; and stayed in a delightful little cabin on a farm in a nearby town.  It was late May and still cold and rainy, but I had plenty of blankets and a lovely view of Mt. Monadnock.

After a nice visit with a former student who's now working in Manchester, I went on to Berwick, Me.  The rain persisted.  My tent at the primitive campsite flooded, I crawled into the back of the car to grab a couple more hours' "sleep" without freezing, and ended up bailing and checking into a motel to dry out.  There in Wells, I finally got my lobster stew and a rum punch.  Next morning, I was off to find the Wentworths.

Now, the states of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire are literally crawling with Wentworths, who were early settlers and part of the Puritan Great Migration.  But my Wentworths were buried in a mystery location: a small cemetery off the beaten path on a road that, according to Google Maps, only existed across the river in New Hampshire (it was called something else in Berwick).  Many historic cemeteries being on private property, I'd left a message at the city hall (they never called back) and finally texted the property owner, who said he wouldn't be around but I was welcome to visit any time.  Somehow, I couldn't get it across to him that I had no idea where the cemetery was!  After driving around out in the bush for a while to no avail, I finally stopped at his office.  Two employees had no clue where it was, either, but asked his wife, who came up, kindly gave me directions and even typed the street address into my phone.  I had to park near a tree nursery and squish across several swales to get to the cemetery, but I found most of my Wentworths...I think.  Lt. Timothy, my 5th great-grandfather who fought in the Revolution, is listed as being buried somewhere else, but his tombstones are there.  By now I was so confused that I forgot to leave him the Betsy Ross flag I'd bought.

Then, after grabbing a bite at a drive-in, it was on to the huge Evergreen Cemetery, where I found a good many of my Chick relatives' graves, as well as some neglected folks (no relation to me) whose stones I photographed for posting later on FindAGrave.  By now it was baking hot and I was due in northern Vermont, where I'd never been before.  My ancestor Reuben Randall is supposed to have a Civil War marker, but I couldn't stick around to find out.  He'll have to wait till next time, as will my 2x ggrandmother Amanda Horn(e). Another clouded story...she married a Chick who went off to Massachusetts to work in a shoe factory, and died there. (Work dried up in Berwick, I guess.)

Next time I hope to do a walking tour of my mother's home town of Florence, Mass., a historic mill town and center of the Abolitionist movememt.

Be well, all, and stay safe!
by D Armistead G2G6 Mach 8 (80.4k points)
I hope the weather did not ruin your memories of Jaffrey and our beautiful Mt. Monadnock!  Next time you come to the area, look me up in Nelson, just a stone's throw from Jaffrey!
Thank you, Candyce, I sure will! Nelson: home of another of my rabbit hole families, the Tarboxes. My Tarbox ggggrandmother, though, was born in Londonderry and I can't find anything on her family!

No worries; nothing could ruin Monadnock for me (unless they built a casino on it).
Tarbox. Now there's a name I am familiar with. There are a few souls buried in the Munsonville Cemetery in town.
One fellow from around there is named Stearns Tarbox. He's probably a distant relative of some sort, as a woman named Rebecca Stearns is my 6th great grandmother! Tangled web for sure!

D, I love this adventure of yours, hunting all over for this cemetery! Reminds me of trying to find one a couple of counties over here in the mountains of North Carolina. I finally stopped at a old house near where I thought the cemetery was. The son of an elderly lady who lived there took me through a pasture (lots of cows) and into some woods. There was that small cemetery surrounded by a barbed wire fence to keep the cows out. I was thrilled!

+18 votes
Good evening from good old Germany,

the Covid numbers do sidesteps with a small tendency to decrease, the election campaign is coming into its last week, so everybody tries to convince the many people who still don't know who to vote for to vote for them. And this is done with some dirty laundry in there too. Well, it doesn't affect us anymore, on Monday I put our vote into the mail and that was the moment when I officially declared the election campaign over.

The weather is getting cooler here, although it's still quite comfortable. Covid wise, it's more than 95% of people with Covid on the ICU that are not vaccinated, the rest are vaccinated people who have a supressed immune system, because they have to take medicine because of rheumatism or transplants.

Personally it was a quiet week, we waited for some stuff we want to send to Serbia in a package. It's come now, so tomorrow or next week we can send it down there.

Reading-wise I'm just reading a book my social mum borrowed us. It's a bit of economically special language, so mum lets me read it. She says I get more of it than she would. I think that's true. So my Serbian Geography textbook has to sit on the backseat currently. And then I asked mum where the Buddenbrooks are. I mean the book of Thomas Mann. I know we have it, mum remembered where she put it when she had finished it last time. So now that book does the Serbian book company waiting to be read...

WikiTree-wise, I joined the current challenge week. There are lots of ancestors of Dana Leeds in Baden, and the Baden records are well indexed on FamSearch, so many generations that can be filled. But not anymore tonight. For tonight it's enough.

Stay safe and have a great weekend
by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
Hi Jelena, and here I thought the US had cornered the market on lies, dirty laundry and unfit candidates! But 'nuff said on that score...

Here, too, we have people who are eligible for the vaccine and stubbornly refuse to get it. They are most of the hospital cases too, taking up all the ICU beds that folks with other conditions sorely need as well. What can you do?

Good luck with your Baden profiles!
Jelena, I actually read the Buddenbrooks years ago when I was on a Thomas Mann kick. Some of his stuff was tedious, but there was much that I truly enjoyed. Most people don't know about Mann which is sad. He's worth a good read.

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