"Welcome to the Weekend Chat!" All Members Invited!! October 29th - 31st, 2021 [closed]

+29 votes
3.2k 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: Coming to you from Charleston next weekend! See you then.
in The Tree House by Pip Sheppard G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
closed by Pip Sheppard
Congrats on the move! What is Dunn's Rock like? Nothing like a move to fill me with anticipation and dread, lol. Hope all goes well on that front and that you can dispense with germs and sadness, and enjoy the season to come. Thanks for hosting the chat!
Sorry you haven't been feeling well, Pip!  Glad you're on the mend.
Sorry to hear that you were down with an illness, and glad you're recovering.

Better watch out! There's something about Arizona that draws you in -- I think it's the wide open spaces and being able to see for miles and miles. I hope your wife will love it here too! Hope to see you both on your next trip.
Thank goodness it wasn't COVID or the flu! I hope you are getting better. Sinus infections are no fun especially if one has asthma.

By the way, you went to my birth state. On your next trip, check out the city of Tucson. It's a nice place and they spruced it up since my last visit! I do miss seeing the airplanes at the Air Force base.
Hi, Pip! Glad it was nothing terribly serious and you're on the mend...that said, sinus infections can be a real bear.

I fully concur with Carol's remedy!
Sending healing prayers and bear spirit medicine to you.      Let’s scare those germs away.   Hope you feel better fast.    

A good bourbon will help open the bronchial area as will zinger or chamomile tea but bourbon is more fun just do it at home and no driving or using power tools.   Stay safe and get well. (Waves magic wand).    This the season where your Celtic DNA responds to fairy dust and herbal magic.     Slippery elm.  Marshmallow honey and other goodies. Are things I try to keep on hand.  Along with hot chocolate.  I put hot chocolate into my grandchildren’s candy bags. Along with candy canes. (They are in short supply already it seems).    Hugs my friend and Celtic brother
Greetings, all, from da U.P., eh!

Been an interesting week. I can't believe we've had no snow yet; we usually see a dusting by now even though it doesn't stick. Halloween usually brings it on if nothing else. My first Halloween here, my then-boyfriend and I decided to go bar hopping dressed as Oberon and Titania - green tights, capes, leaves in our hair. Of course it was sloppy and slushy and we caught really bad colds!

Genealogy: in addition to killing off a few cousins (described above ;) ), I was able to mostly connect my Chick line back to the original settler of that name in York Co., Maine. Mostly, because I puzzled over my 3rd great-grandfather, who was born in 1810, but his parents didn't marry until 1814. A scandal? Doubtful in Puritan New England. As far as I was able to figure out, he must've been his mother's child by a previous marriage and adopted by her 2nd husband. They were less formal about such things back then.

Tried to get a haircut Thursday (it was starting to get shaggy and curly like Tom Baker's as Doctor Who), but had to break up with my stylist as she has left off wearing a mask (doesn't think it's important). Unwilling to subject myself to unnecessary risk, I found somebody else only 10-12 miles farther from home.

The good news is that after a few calls to my insurance folks, I'll be seeing an orthopedic surgeon in Green Bay in December. 50 years of ballet have left me with bone spurs on my bone spurs...he's an ankle specialist who works with the Packers, so maybe he can help me be able to dance again with less pain. Here's hoping!
@D Armistead Best of wishes with your orthopedic surgeon. I truly hope that something can be done. Well done, you for finding a new stylist and not supporting someone who isn't going to support public health. AND Go Packers! Best Team Ever!
Thank you, Carol! Not a big pro sports fan, but if I were, it would be the Pack for sure!

Thought about writing her a letter, but she's one of the closed-minded drones around here who just want this to be Over and are willing to swallow every wacky social media pronouncement that will magically make it so. Selfish.
@D Armistead... You're time is much better spent on WikiTree!

45 Answers

+30 votes

Good morning Pip and the weekend chatters!

Weather

  • Wednesday was a very intense morning/afternoon for my area. A tornado touched down to the west of me in Lake Charles, Louisiana, but all we got in my area was some very strong winds and heavy rain.

Genealogy

  • Since the new Cousins feature, I have been working on my lines trying to extend them (and add sources) to increase the number of cousins. The new feature revealed that I am 7th cousins once removed to Hollywood actor Dick Van Dyke.

iPad

  • updated to the new iPadOS 15.1 version

Faith

by Tommy Buch G2G Astronaut (1.9m points)
edited by Tommy Buch
Tommy, I saw that you were getting some pretty severe weather and hoped you were ok. Glad to hear you didn't get the brunt of it.

Saving the video to watch later.

laugh You live in a VERY lively weather area -- tornadoes, hurricanes, floods ... all you need now is a few earthquakes .. jeepers 

The new cousins feature is blowing the doors off, isn't it?  I've had my closest yet cousin reach out to me and I'm in the process of typing a reply email to her.  I never realized I had active Treers who were my cousins.  Great feature!
Hi Tommy, I haven't checked out My Cousins yet, but I guess I will have to go do that now!

Glad you stayed safe and dry!
I started to do something similar to your genealogical project. I take some random people (some formerly featured connections or so) and check out how well the connection to me is sourced, step by step. That way I found out that even one of my Texas cousins was actually unsourced. I found her in a census living at her uncle and put that in a comment, so now she is sourced.
Stay safe down there, Tommy! Seems like the weather events are getting more spectacular, and closer together...or maybe the media have just got better at reporting them. Some days, keeping up with the news resembles trying to drink out of a fire hose.

The cousins feature is great, but I ended up killing off 3 or 4 of mine! Before you send the FBI to my door: it's because I'd created profiles for some who were born in the 1920s and never completed them. Figured it was unlikely they'd still be living, so I had to check and do the dirty deed. Good incentive to get back to work!
jelena you are a treasure on all continents
+29 votes
Good Morning, everyone!

Pip, I am so glad to hear you are better and that you did not have Covid!

Our part of Texas had a huge wind storm yesterday - gusts to 60 mph which knocked out electricity to some in Dallas and Ft. Worth. We were spared that event but some are still without. It is a lot cooler and Fall seems to have arrived.

I have not done much genealogy the past week or two. Boxes are still being unpacked and items put away. There are still a couple of items that have to be repaired and we await the repair person for that!

On Tuesday I happily visited the orthopedist and got an injection for my painful hip! It is beginning to feel much better. Today, I will be seeing the retina specialist - reluctantly. I am afraid the surgery word will be used - I will update my post late today with the verdict.

Have a great weekend - November and Thanksgiving is almost here!
by Virginia Fields G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
Thanks for absorbing some of that wind gusts. The wind gusts in Southwest Louisiana were up to 29 mph yesterday. It was strong enough to blow open the door at my business throughout the day.
Ginny, I saw that y'all had some very high winds the other day. David got knocked out!

We will be doing the same with our move, Unpacking poxes and such, but we will have a leisurely time of it as the move is only three miles away. Still, no fun.

Hope all your medical things work out for you! Keep us posted!!
Ginnie, only in Texas can will someone say they was shot in the arse (hip) and feel better for it happeneing
Update to my earlier post - I saw the retina doctor this afternoon - was there a long time! My eye is no worse but also no better but he gave me the option of coming back in four weeks to again see how it is doing. If it declines in those four weeks, he will make the decision that the surgery has to be done. Right now, it is up to me and I opted to wait. Maybe I can finish unpacking these boxes and get through Thanksgiving!!
Hard to be unpacking while in pain, I hope wind and pain levels are both improving!
Been wet and windy here this week but some sun today and wind dropped.

It is more autumnal and leaves are blocking the drains so some places get flooded short term until they clear the blockage.

Hope you get unpacked soon I have project to move things in to my new office but not done much this week.
+30 votes

Today is....

  

NATIONAL BREADSTICK DAY

National Breadstick Day recognizes the delicious goodness of dunkable pieces of warm and tender enjoyment. Observe this celebration annually on the last Friday in October. 

Breadsticks come in many forms. They can be soft or crunchy. Breadsticks can be flavored with garlic, onion, salt or cheese. They can also be sweetened with cinnamon and sugar.

They often accompany Italian meals. Pair them with pasta covered in alfredo or marinara sauces. Add them to a soup course. If you prefer, enjoy them with your salad. The aroma of fresh-baked breadsticks warm a home and improve every meal. 

Some recipes call for cheese. A variety of cheese options can be used. Other recipes add a little bacon to the dough for an even richer flavor. When it comes to dipping sauces, breadsticks satisfy just about everyone at the table. Restaurants and home cooks offer up cheesy, herbed and spicy sauces for dipping. If you can’t decide, order extra and try them all!

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalBreadstickDay

It’s a great time to make homemade breadsticks. We even have a recipe or two for you to try. Experiment with herbs and spices while you celebrate. Invite family and friends over for a hearty meal and show off your breadstick-making prowess. 

If you’re not ready to break out the yeast just yet, order up some breadsticks from your favorite restaurant. Who do you think makes the best breadsticks? Make sure you give them a shoutout and celebrate with all the best dipping sauces, too. Use #NationalBreadstickDay to post on social media.

Homemade Breadsticks
Parmesan Breadsticks
Garlic Herb Breadsticks

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
Hi Dorothy! My favorite way to enjoy breadsticks is to dip them in marinara sauce when I am enjoying a really great bowl of pasta!
Dang, I almost ordered some breadsticks yesterday when ordering pizza for supper!
I did find out, when much much younger, they do NOT make very good drumsticks ... they shatter

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalBreadstickDay

LOL, easy answer, bite, chew, and enjoy. cheeky

I have a love affair with breadsticks
Went to our local bakery today and the breadsticks were green, with Almond slice finger nails. Bwahahahaha!

-Just had to edit to say my (adult) daughter was pointing at faces with the finger breadsticks, saying "Smell my finger!" until she pointed at the dog, and he bit it off!

Wow didn't know this — but I did have breadsticks from Olive Garden yesterday yes

+23 votes
Thank You for hosting the Chat Pip,

Weather, It finally got down to the seasonal temps for the most part this week with a lot of rain.

On the Home Front,

Monday, The only thing of note was I had to go and get my hearing aids serviced, next appointment in mid April.

Tuesday, We did a bit of shopping, hey 30% off made it worth the trip. I bought, among other things a wireless automatic rain gauge with an indoor/ outdoor thermometer and hooked that up in time to measure about .2 inches of rain in the afternoon.

Wednesday, Shopping because it is payday for me and we need to eat. They announced on the news that for 2020 more people died in the state of Ohio than were born and they said this was due to Covid. It made me wonder if this trend was world wide.

Thursday, I discovered that a Free Space project that I was trying to push forward about 5 years ago has gained some traction and I started to get involved again. To what extent I am not sure but the category for Ham Radio Operators has been around for a long time now, I actually discovered it by accident, and the last time I looked it had 103 names in it and it is growing fast. The category has as of early this morning 35 active WikiTree members in it. We had a funeral for a family member yesterday, with one or two more looking close now, so I really did not get much done with anything. In the evening the grandson who works in HVAC stopped over to figure out why our furnace was not working correctly. He discovered that the crew who installed our AC unit did not have one of the wires connected and the others were very poor quality. He fixed the problems all the while complaining about the poor installation of the entire unit. The only comment I can put on here is he called them "Stupid .........", well lets just leave it at stupid.

Today, I might be slow to respond because today and tomorrow, Friday and Saturday, we are watching the great granddaughter so she takes priority. Plus I am getting my Covid booster Saturday morning

Genealogy, I have been contacted by a leader from WikiTree asking me to take on some unlisted profiles left behind due to the passing of a WikiTree member. I said I would and I then added my daughter to the trusted list of some of them because her husband is related to people with the same surname, not to mention she is younger than me. Other than that it is just still continuing to add sources to some unsourced profiles I manage and make them fit the guidelines a bit better.

Our area is going to be quite busy this weekend because of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions taking place tomorrow.
by Dale Byers G2G Astronaut (1.7m points)
edited by Dale Byers
Dale, does Ohio have a low birth rate?

In Ontario, Canada there was 142,739 births in 2020 and 9865 Covid deaths from the beginning of Covid to October 26, 2021.

Dale, I remember when we were moving into our home (which was brand new) that the AC quit working (in December, mind you). It was freezing in the house. Called a repairman, and he discovered that the installers used aluminum wiring that shorted out. And, they installed the filtering system backwards! To say the least, the repairs cost us quite a bit.

Pip, In our case they blocked access to the wiring with the coolant line and drain line, use the wrong sized wire nuts,way He told me how the lines should have been run but that would require a major job and at this time we are putting that on the list for the future. He was not impressed with the company that did the work installing the system.
M, I do not have the exact numbers but they did say more people died than were born for the year. Plus the deaths were not just Covid deaths but those made the total deaths exceed the births for a negative population growth.
That makes more sense, our total deaths for July 2019 to June 2020, were 115,126 quite why the death stats are from July to June is a mystery.
I think it's because that doesn't split the 'flu' season, and it could be it also matches the fiscal year for a lot of government agencies. I work for a community college district and our fiscal is July 1 to June 30.
Hi Dale, My husband had a ham radio license, mostly for the local fire crew he was part of, but he also enjoyed getting together with the ham radio club for the check-ins and their once-a-year bbq where they'd have triangulation competitions. Thanks for reminding me of that!
M, Please add the category [[Category: Ham Radio Operators]] to his page and put his call sign in his biography section to have him listed in the project page.

Thank You

Dale K8DOB
Will do Dale, Thank you,

Momo
+27 votes
Good morning from north Georgia, USA!

Goodness, October has flown by! We have had a mix of good and bad weather this past week. Yesterday, strong winds took down some trees nearby and knocked out our power for several hours. Today is rainy.

My husband had a cardiovascular check-up in Atlanta this past Monday. When he had his heart attack two years ago it was discovered he also had an aortic aneurysm. The good news is that it has remained fairly stable in size between then and now. At my husband's age of 88, it is inoperable even if it were to enlarge. The doctor this week basically told him to "live his life" but to do things to keep his blood pressure low (it is) and not to lift anything over 25 pounds. We will not have to return to Atlanta for this check-up again in the future, unless my husband's regular heart doctor recommends it. I'm really glad because that drive into the city is brutal.

My genealogy work has been normal and ordinary this week.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween weekend!
by Nelda Spires G2G6 Pilot (554k points)
Glad to hear the good report on your husband, Nelda. And you are right, the drive into Atlanta IS brutal! Been there, done that, and don't care to again unless I have to.

Cloudy and cold and expecting more rain today.
It does seem like everyone this week are getting strong winds!

Prayers and blessings to your husband Nelda, we wish him many happy years!
Good news for your husband, Nelda!! I hope he has continued good health for many years to come!
Sometimes normal and ordinary is exactly what we need. It's good advice for all of us to "live [our] lives", lol. Happy Hallowe'en!
Nelda, I'm glad to hear your husband's condition is stable. Sending him good juju! And any day you don't have to make the  drive to Atlanta is a good day!
+26 votes

¡Buenos días a todos from the Old Pueblo! It is 8am and 66F (18.9C) with an expected high of 89F (41.7C) and sunny skies in Tucson, Arizona.

 

My son-in-law, Curtis was discharged from hospital early this week following open-heart surgery and is doing well. Originally, he was to have a pacemaker and defibrillator placed; however, the cardiologist did not insert the defibrillator. Curtis and Jennifer do not know why, but they will find out when Curtis has his next cardiology visit in two weeks. My daughter has not gotten much sleep because she has to escort Curtis to the bathroom during the night to prevent falls. He is disoriented from the pain medication and fell his second night home. Jennifer is back in the classroom teaching 8th grade history in addition to caregiving her husband, and keeping up with her son, Seth, who has returned to the Georgia Academy for the Blind this past Monday following surgery for a bowel obstruction. Jennifer posted a photo of candy treats that her students left on her desk as a ‘welcome back’ to the classroom. Curtis sent her a beautiful bouquet of flowers to her classroom to thank her openly for taking such good care of him.

 

I thought I was going to be lucky earlier this week when I got a notice from my insurance company sent to let me know that they refused to cover brain imaging scheduled for today. I called the radiology department to tell them about cancelling the appointment and they told me that the nurse practitioner for the neuro-radiologist sent additional information in support of this particular scan, so...I have to go in at noon today for yet another brain imaging. The only good thing about going in yet again this year is that the people at radiology are so nice.

 

I heard from my colleagues in Mexico this week as well. The certified diabetes educator training will still be video-mediated this semester and I am now slated to teach 1) sleep disorders and sleep health promotion and 2) complementary, alternative and holistic practices next Friday, November 5th. This will be a marathon from 2pm until 8pm Arizona time because we do these courses back-to-back. I have been practicing my PowerPoint presentations in Spanish every day this week because I have not really spoken with very many people this year in Spanish or English. I am excited, though, because these colleagues are the family of my heart in Mexico. I am hoping to hear that we will be back in the classroom in Mexico next semester.

 

Pipster, a bit of Tucson Celtic Festival and Highland Games news for you! I spoke to a nice person who is organizing the volunteers for this festival, which occurs the weekend of November 5-8 (naturally the Friday that I have to teach). I am doing 4 hours of volunteering next Thursday, the 4th, Saturday, the 6th and Monday the 8th (clean up) for which I get one free ticket and a T-shirt (totally unexpected). I decided to do it just to get out of the house and find out about this festival. I’ll take photos and send a few to you.

 

Nope, I have not heard back from Walgreen’s regarding my 1978 UK travel-a-thon photos. I was told that it would likely be about three weeks and they will send me an email. I can only hope they will be able to develop even half of them. I found that I have a $38 credit from Costco and will apply that to getting the photos developed once I get the USB drive with photos.

 

Today is my mum’s 97th birthday. My sister and nieces will be going to the memory center to celebrate her birthday and take cupcakes for the staff. People ask me how I could have ever worked in hospice dealing with death. I now tell them to spend a couple of hours at a memory center, then come and ask me that same question. I have no idea how the staff do such wonderful work that takes miles of patience and are still able to maintain their sanity. I told my sister and the girls to give the staff a case of tequila instead of cupcakes, for medicinal purposes of course. After all, tequila is distilled from the blue agave. I have seen miles of the plant outside of Guadalajara on ‘road trips’ to Guanajuato. Vicente Fernandez (the Frank Sinatra of ranchera music) has his own brand. Maybe the other Vicente (Fox) has his own distillery. On the other hand, maybe he just drinks tequila, adds it to Coca Cola, or drinks it as a side to his reefer.

 

Genealogically, I mentioned last week that I was going to work on Curtis’ family tree on WikiTree as a get-well gift. I started back with the Johns family, for whom Mags Gaulden is PM (and a nice piece of blueberry pie image to you, Mags). I managed to do his mum’s family from Benjamin and Mary (Allis) Johns (ca. 1704) right up to his mum. I did a lot of clean up on the Find-A-Grave aisle along the way, but so far, no one has really incorporated profiles I left for him or her. Now I am adding information about Curtis’ paternal side, which are predominantly from Sweden...Lindblom, Peterson, Anderson, Johnson, ya, shure, you betcha!

I wish every one of you a wonderful weekend full of fun, health and harmony. I am off to the radiology lab, then maybe a Starbucks (I call it Starcrack because my sister is addicted), then back to work on a global health syllabus for the university.

by Carol Baldwin G2G Astronaut (1.1m points)

You always seem to have so many things going on Carol!  It will surely keep you young. wink

Hi SJ, despite 76.6 years and multiple health conditions, I am extremely lucky with extended WikiTree family, extended family of my heart in Mexico, as well as my own family to keep me engaged, company and entertained. My daughter's husband is only 48-years-old and he just had open heart surgery. How could I have the audacity to complain about my difficulties when they pale in comparison to so many others near and far! Plus, I am fortunate to have writing group colleagues and some academic work to keep my brain functioning. Plus, I get joy from people like you, who send photos of your babies, and the Pipster's visit, who brought four WT family members together for a fun-packed day! I'm very lucky, indeed.
I am really looking forward to your travel-a-thon photos and

I am always impressed with all the different things you do.

How did the radiology visit go? I'm hoping for a good result!

You're gonna have a lot of photos to share soon. Not only those from the vacation you took so long ago, but also from the Celtic festival. Wish I could be two places at once, since I'm going to be in Charleston for their highland games the same time as yours. 

God bless Jennifer with all she has on her plate. And Happy Birthday to your mum!

Look for me in February or March next year!

Dear Cousin Carol,

Thank you for your hospice work.  My dad was finally returned home, through the intervention of hospice after months of hopeless hospitalization, 3 days before he died.  He had one day of great joy, before failing.  That was the first day, in months, he came fully alive.

As always, dear cousin,

Warm regards,

Mark
You are amazing and inspiring! And your family too! Now I feel like a whiner. I hope all the healing happens apace, for everyone, and your teachings go smoothly!
@Pip Well, now I'll whine, then wine. It was a brain CTA with contrast, meaning they had to insert an IV for the dye. I begged to have them use the left arm because the veins are somewhat better, I am right-handed and I needed to work on the global health syllabus. The tech insisted it needed to be the right arm (so not true because I've had this done before). She blew the first vein (I'm on an anti-stroke blood thinner) and it bled like a stuck pig. Then she used a right wrist vein and it hurt like hell. I actually cussed out loud. I've never had such pain even with students practicing on me. When I got done, she removed the needle and about an hour afterward, I removed the tape and this wrist vein still bled like a stuck pig and there's a hematoma! So, not writing, no WT, no nothing until about an hour ago (9 hours later). And now the wine! Looking forward to your visit in Feb/Mar!
@Mark, Hi Cousin! I am so glad to know that your dad had at least one great day prior to dying. And most importantly family was with him. We all have our preferences, skills and gifts differing. My passion in nursing was hospice/hospice home care. I could never do memory care, or ER, or ICU. On the other hand, I have a sister who adored cardiac step-down. Not for me, though. So glad you had some quality time with your dad. I definitely understand 'hopeless hospitalizations.'
@M...My family would be the first to tell you I am far from amazing and inspiring and more like a pain in the arse. Everyone has their special skills and talents. I just like to do research, teach (because I learn so much, truly) and work on collaborative papers. I am jealous of a lot of WT members' talents, like M Ross' ability with photography and her patience doing cemetery documenting, Chris F. doing blogs, Diane's and Nic Donelly's ability to transcribe documents. Every person on the chat and on WT has very special skills that I lack, which is why collaboration is so important. But I'm going to tell my family what you said about 'amazing and inspiring' and thumb my nose at them.
{{{Carol}}} hugs coz! Maybe I should give you a few extra because it sounds like you had a stressful week. {{{Carol}}} can't wait to see your pics from the Celtic festival! I sure hope you have good luck with Walgreens processing that old film. Love the tequila instead of cupcakes comment. Hugs coz!
I miss Tucson so much. It's homecoming weekend at The University of Arizona!

Hospice care is amazing especially in a skilled nursing unit. We are grateful for the hospice care agencies in Rochester, Minnesota. It is a labor of love.
Hi Eileen! Go Cats! I got my doctorate at the U of A, then worked for ASU. Some call me traitor. I say that I'm a hybrid "Wild Devil." Rochester had great hospice/palliative care programs that are really impressive.
@ Carol. Everyone's creative in their own way. You just need to dig deep and find that thing you are passionate about and go for it.

=D
@ Chris Hi cousin Chris! So very true! And all of us collectively have a passion for genealogy (Pipster sourcing in a kilt is quite an image)! Enjoying your blogs!
Thanks, Carol! =D
+28 votes
Greetings from Everett, Washington, where it has been raining for the past week. I much prefer La Nina to the heat dome of the past summer.

We had our Mukilteo Historical Society board meeting last night and solved the mystery of why the electric bill at the lighthouse is so high. It is clear that, every time someone charges an electric car at the charging station in the lighthouse park parking lot, the historical society gets the bill. The cable is spliced into the meter that we pay for. The PUD thinks the meter belongs to the city but isn't aware that we, not the city, pay the bill. In any case, the city is aware of the problem and appears ready to reimburse us. Revising the utilities clause of the Facilities Use Agreement will assure that the city pays for the charging electricity.

I swabbed my cheeks yesterday and sent off the DNA test kit to MyHeritage.

Tomorrow night I will accompany the family and our children's friend to the theater where daughter works for a special showing of the Claude Rains vehicles, the Invisible Man and the Wolf Man. This will be our Halloween event.

We bought four pumpkins to carve. When daughter gets off work this afternoon I expect we'll start designing and carving.

I reached my 1000 contribution points for this month.

Yours faithfully, Margaret
by Margaret Summitt G2G6 Pilot (315k points)
Margaret, at least it was figured out and the society is going to get reimbursed! I know you're glad of that.

Claude Rains... I remember watching BOTH of those movies when I was a kid.

If you get a chance, send us pics of your expert pumpkin carvings.
Hi Margaret,

Is there a way to add a pay for charging terminal, like a parking meter, but they have to pay for the wattage? Not worth the expense, I suppose. Glad you're getting reimbursed anyway.

We haven't carved a single pumpkin yet, sounds like a plan for the weekend!

Oh, and I went and looked, and we are 19th cousins, which probably won't show up on MyHeritage, but I'm on there too.

Best,

Cousin Momo
Today the rain is over; the sky is clear and cold.  The first frost has appeared on the rooftops.

My daughter is going to carve pumpkins today.
+24 votes

Thank you for hosting, Pip, germs and tummy and all the other stuff cheeky

HOME FRONT -- dog came again, was retrieved, showed up again, sent home (again) ... 

We did have rain, no one dancing in the street that I could see. We were told that was a Historic since 1880 tom, 3 inches of rain (for that particular date, each year) ... It appears as though we will have mostly cloudy today, with the sun playing peek-a-boo maybe 

Sig O in his Gardener guise is going to put some trumpet vine seeds in a pot of soil and after they sprout he will plant them over at the fence ... we have some, came with the house, on the OTHER side of the yard ... but he wants some onacross the way to help hold up the fence, laugh, because so far for something like 6 or so feet of fence "everyone" wants $600 to $1000 buckaroos to help their retirement fund or whatever ... well -- However, I think if the vines flourish it will help the ecology of the neighborhood ... I believe in planting trees and shrubs  

That little black cat Sig O adopted, I have not yet figured out if it is female or male ... it's fast on its feet and I have not been able to get hold of it. 

Today is Friday, meals are delivered on Friday's if nothing untoward interferes, and THAT has been known to happen, yessiree indeed to the great consternation of yours truly ... 

GENEALOGY -- adopted a batch of Stadtmiller et al land have been updating them ... Stadtmiller that settled in Tulare Co, CA are marital connections to my family lines -- that's the desc of Johann Georg Stadtmiller (1812-1869) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree - more than one PM attending 

 SCOREBOARD -- I've got 1790 Contributions .. 

by Susan Smith G2G6 Pilot (652k points)
Susan, we've used trumpet vines, too. The only thing we don't like about them is that they lose their leavers here in the cold. One thing is for sure, you can hardly kill one!

Black cat? What black cat? I'm guessing that the others have adopted him/her, too. and the dog, which they are probably getting used to now that he is spending so much time at your house.
Hi Susan, I like trumpet vines too. Passionflower is another good one for vining.
@Pip, black cat was feral is now a semi-house cat

@MHolquist, ah ha, I googled passion flower vines, and they are similar to the orange trumpet vine in peristence and in their "invasive" behavior (they spread, and spead, and ... )

BUT he gots seeds of the orange trumpet vine I think. He got seeds anyway and some potting soil and a Plan to Plant ...
SCOREBOARDING again, at the moment at 3:00 PM local Pacific time, I have 1907 Contributions ... it's that DUNN + HUDSON, HOBBS ... Lil ole MaryJane Dunn and her two spouses

I did profile Wm Hudson and and profiled his 2nd spouse, but only listed their childen. Prob won't pofile them.  As for Mary Jane's 2nd, Mr Hobbs, still haveto profile him and the kids he had with Mary Jane ...
+26 votes
Hails and horns Wikipeeps!

 It's close to Halloween and we are all set. We have full-size candy for the kids should they come. Full-size is the law because "fun size" is a lie. Ask anyone. Seriously. Ask 'em and they'll all say the same thing. "Fun size" candy is a lie.

On the genealogy front, I posted a blog about something that may or may not be shocking: https://allroadhaverhill.blogspot.com/2021/10/52-ancestors-week-43-shock.html

It's more confusing than anything else. At least I got some closure to the Pine Grove cemetery vandalism fiasco from August. The cemetery was cleaned up and someone took a pic of my 2nd great-grandmother's stone. I expressed my thanks. I should probably link her to the blog. We shall see.

Enjoy!

In a few weeks, the Italy project will have a time to shiny in the Year of Accuracy as we tackle the tree of Michael Lacopo. That should be fun. Will be working with the team on his paternal line to see what we can find. I am sure we'll find some good stuff and perhaps some living cousins in his ancestral commune. We shall see!

On the non genealogy front, I cleaned up sticks in the driveway as a storm knocked several branches around in a tree above my driveway. In fact, one branch snapped off and is currently lodged between two other branches high up. I don't think anyone can reach it.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!
by Chris Ferraiolo G2G6 Pilot (756k points)
I truly believe that the unit of measurement for fun size. Is a total pile of goat pellets.
LOL! That is true, man. Very true!
I have a similar branch problem from when a tornado traveled just outside my neighborhood. A broken branch. Just sitting in the tree. Unreachable, and apparently van withstand 60mph wind gusts as well as 40mph sustained winds. That was around 2 to 3yrs ago. I love and hate my tree. It's a locust tree. The leaves are tiny and get everywhere. Maybe the leaves are fun size. Because they suck.
The tree over my driveway is a maple tree and it's one of many around here. It gets really nice fall colors from time to time. But, one good rainstorm and all the leaves are gone. That's why I have to be quick to take a pic because the next day the leaves will be gone.
Hi Chris, Always enjoy your blog posts! If it was me I'd pursue the Plummer connection, since it doesn't appear to be his Mom's maiden name. Maybe his parents and Phebie's parents were friends? Curiouser and curiouser.

Indeed. But, remember "Just a Friend" was a song by Biz Markie. Whatever happened to him, anyway? Need to Wikipedia him.

Edit: Oh.....Oh, no.  That's unfortunate.

Anyway, yes. They might have been good friends. No idea where in Haverhill or even in Lynn his parents are buried. I know his father died there.

Hi Chris, good story and quite the mystery for sure! Got a couple of rather curious events in both my Northern and Southern branches, come to think of it. Glad the cemetery was cleaned up...so sad. We have an old, unused  Catholic cemetery here that has fallen into disrepair; locals say that as kids they used to use some of the grave markers as bases for softball games. The old Methodist one is in better shape, but so overgrown with kinnikinnick and vines that it's easy to turn your ankle in a pothole if you venture in without sturdy shoes and a walking stick. We don't have enough volunteers to maintain them except the occasional Boy/Girl Scout troop.

Have a spooktacular Halloween with plenty of full size chocolate!
Never thought to play softball in a cemetery. Weird kids, man. Then again they probably didn't know any better. Whatever. Hopefully that cemetery gets cleaned up!

Have a great Halloween!
Best of luck with Michael Lacopo’s lines, Chris. I can’t wait to see the results!
+25 votes

Hi from southern Ontario,

Chez moi/at home: what's happening here? I'm too busy! 

The horticultural society AGM is coming up fast and I'm still trying to convince various people that their reports needed to be ready last week so they can be sent to the membership. The financials have been approved by the auditor so that side of things is complete.  

Okay enough of that! 

The weather is still several degrees above average, lots of rain, no frost, no snow, which is all fine with me as I still have bulbs to plant. I did get the vegetable bed cleared but there is still a lot to do in the garden.

Our friends Rob and Pam from Regina, Saskatchewan will be visiting for a week in mid-November. You may remember from other weekend chats that his mother and his aunt (both of whom are in a seniors' residence close to us) are both over 100 years old. His mum will be 106 on 29 November.

WT: It was my WikiTree second birthday on the 24th October and such a nice big family I am now connected to and part of.

Alton Cemetery project. Hooray! The Hunter family is finished along with the very intertwined 9 member Lovell family. There are now 322 people in the Alton Cemetery category 22% of the total. 

Cousin Sharon has finished researching the 13 member Madill line so I can now add them to WT, it often means I have to create profiles for family members who are not buried in the Alton cemetery so that the family is connected to other people already on WT.  

Covid: Capacity limits were lifted on Monday, and distancing requirements providing people are wearing masks. Quite what that means to everyday activities is somewhat complicated. And I have yet to figure it out. if it means I can sit 3 inches from someone in a movie or live theatre because they are wearing a mask, I don't think I'm interested.  

by M Ross G2G6 Pilot (708k points)
edited by M Ross
Hi M, Happy 2nd WT birthday and congrats on the completion of the Hunter family. As to sitting next to someone at  live theatre, the only place I know of where I was willing to do that was in New York City where we had to show proof of vaccination and photo ID alone with wearing a mask at "Chicago" and "Hadestown" and even the musicians on state work masks unless they played trumpets (or the like). I'm still wearing masks when I go to the grocers and I got my booster 3 weeks ago. I want to protect me and, especially, others around me.
The official plan says, masks and vaccine passports are here to stay until March at the earliest.
I used to see photos in the Media of people in China, Hong Kong, Tawiwan, wearing masks, saw them many times, and got usd to the sight like almost a ddecade ago, never once thought I'd see that here in this county
Hi M, and Happy WikiTree Birthday! What does AGM stand for? My guess is Annual Gardeners Meeting. Cheers!
Hi M, does that make us M & M's?

AGM=Annual General Meeting, where financial reports and many others are presented to the membership for formal approval. Elections are held etc, but Annual Gardeners Meeting works as well
Mmmmmm. M & Ms. Or the 13th letter club. lol
Happy second WikiTree birthday, M. You’ve accomplished a lot already since joining!
+26 votes

Hi all from rainy London! Well, actually, it's not raining at the moment but there's a weather alert out for rain so I think it must be coming eventually.

This week I made my closest connection to a notable (on WikiTree at least) and there's a great story to it! I've always been fascinated by great-great aunt Nellie who's the only close relative I know of that went to America. As I may have recounted before, Nellie married German-American solider in the Canadian army who was stationed in Britain and moved to Kansas with him. Unfortunately, she caught TB after an operation and sadly died at the age of just 26.

Here, however, is what I just found out. Nellie's widow, before committing suicide in 1939, married Nora Morris. When he died Nora became a nurse in Arizona to make ends meet. What she probably wasn't expecting was that she meet the US Treasury Secretary's son whilst he was ill and she married him in 1941.

Thus, by 9 degrees, I am related to William Hartman Woodin. The trail is very convoluted but I find it pretty nest none the less, especially since I've always been so interested in Nellie and what became of her life in America.

by David Smith G2G6 Mach 7 (76.9k points)
What a brave woman, she kept going on
Wow. Tragic but meaningful stories of their times. TB ruined so many lives then. And then Nora ended up in Cloverdale. Maybe they retired there?

The rabbit holes we hare down!
What a round about connection, but that’s genealogy for you. Nice working researching that, David!
+25 votes

On this day:

1787: Mozart's Don Giovanni premiers

1866 or 1867: James Beckwourth, a pioneer in exploring the American West, dies

1923: Turkey becomes a republic

by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
Hi Jelena, I'll go with James Beckwourth today because he is a hero of my brother's, who would choose the life of a 'mountain man' if possible. Personally, I'll take Don Giovanni because Mozart's music is so delicious. I had the opportunity to visit his birthplace in 2015 and to see a musical composition by this 7 year old (with all those notes) was really something!

Wow -- Sounds very much like a the anit-heroes round in scifi fiction, but Mr Beckworth is "for real" 

Also, aside from the wikipedia article, there is a a Youtube presentation of the operal, wity Englis subtitles Mozart - Don Giovanni - complete (English Subtitles) - HD - YouTube

I went with Turkey. I knew only a little about it becoming a country, and boy were there a lot of links. Thanks, Professor!
+25 votes

Weather: October is the best.  Warm by day, clear air (no humidity), lots of clouds (beautiful sea views), and the water is still warm enough to swim.

Genealogy: Swedish Rabbit hole.  I'm in 2 weeks now.  Made so many new discoveries.  My wife is not a fan of WT these past two weeks.  Special thanks to all the Swedish Treers and others who have helped me in my research.  I've knocked down multiple brick walls and have done my first real genealogy since over two years ago.  Sorry to my projects that I have been selfishly ignoring. blush

Some examples of the stellar support I've received and some great examples of why Wikitree is so great:

What is this Swedish given name / surname: Garne? Gamme?
Question for our Swedish speakers - f vs s
Ancestry World lookup request (Sweden)
Is Johan Gustaf's last name at birth Petersson or Hörling?

One of the biggest family mysteries that goes back 75 years was who all of the missing siblings were for my 2nd great-grandfather Carl Johan (Olsson) Helgren (1845 - 1929).  From a family tree written in 1945 by my great-grandmother we learned that Carl had a lot of siblings: 

[Olof and Botil] had 17 children, a family which included two sets of twins and one set of triplets.[3]

Kowabunga!  Talk about a lot of kids!  As you can see from the profile I've now been able to identify about 15 or 16 of the 17 kids.  And his parents both had been brick-walls for about a decade.  With help from Eva and Maggie and some others I've been able to ID his grandparents and one set of great-grandparents whose profiles I'm developing today.

All and all, I'm having so much fun on Wikitree these last two weeks.  There really is nothing like finding (and confirming) a new ancestor!

by SJ Baty G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
Hi SJ, I just added some Swedish ancestors to my daughter's husband's tree! Lindblom, Anderson, Johnson, Peterson! Hope you and the family are doing well!
Wow SJ, well done!

My family history as far back as the 1600s are English, English, English some Welsh, no Scots and only in the mid 1800s does one family branch arrive from Ireland.
Wow, that is a beautiful photograph, thanks for sharing it!

@ Carol - colds going around, the kids all have the sniffles but we're all good and enjoying the 'perfect' weather. Our eldest dressed as a Witch for Halloween to school today and I'm sure she had the best costume. wink

@ M Ross - I was thinking you have to still be in England, checking your profile, yup wink  Most of the folks in the New World are mixed mutts within a few generations cheeky

@ Maria - I shot that pic this morning at "time to get ready for school time," but sadly that ends Sunday night (roll the clocks back) so sadly, I suppose it will already be light when I wake up on Monday crying

SJBaty, sounds like the breaking up of a logjam on a swift waters river ... very exciting
SJ, my family emigrated to Canada in 1966 so in many ways I am still in England as far as my ancestors are concerned.

My grandchildren have many different ancestors including a many times GGF who came to Canada from France in the 1600s, and a more recent GF who was born in a concentration camp during WW2.
Hi SJ, Congrats on the progress. I have a great uncle Gumme, but after immigrating to the States, he went by Gustaf, Gust and Gus. Thank you for the very helpful links you posted!

@SJ I am not looking forward to the change of an hour either. It is not yet dark when I go home from work, but next week it will be. I wish I could go somewhere where there's still warm enough in the sea to swim! smiley

Gorgeous photo, thanks for sharing. One of my fave things here in Arizona are the spectacular sunsets over the mountains.
What a beautiful shot there, SJ!

My wife is regularly not a fan of WikiTree, but she is going to get her time in with me during this upcoming move. I’m reckoning that she’ll be back to “not a fan” in January when we’re done.
Thanks Pip.  We had a snap heatwave come in, temps were up to 30c/86f today - perfect weather for taking the kids out trick-or-treating.
I bet y’all had a blast!
+25 votes
Good evening,

here in Germany, the Covid numbers are skyrocketing, the number of new infections is actually higher than it was last year. And *still* some regions say there is no need to wear masks in schools. Yeah sure, Sherlock... Now our institute for infectiuous diseases says for the first time in this season "people should reduce their contacts no matter if they are vaccinated or not, because when there are many infections, also vaccinated people can be infected." And then, one NT soccer player wants to wait "on studies about long term damages of the vaccination." AAAARRGH. (It may be visible that I really lost the patience with such... people.)

Personally, we had a week without any appointment. We really enjoyed it, we didn't even do that much at all, but only relaxed. This is also sometimes really needed. But we got a really nice letter, yes I mean a real letter with paper and stamp and such. One of our little relatives in Serbia wanted to write mum a letter, his sister added a "quick" painting, and then he went with his mum to the post office and chose the stamp when they sent it on the way to us. They didn't tell us anything to surprise us, but were really happy when they heard it had arrived.

WikiTree-wise, I was hopping around here and there. I corrected some locations in Irene Cornish's tree, I did a bit in my own project, I saw that the father of the F1-racer Ayrton Senna died and shook the head about the info here in the tree that was taken from FamilySearch. I alerted Mindy on Discord about the obviously wrong information I found, and she took care of it. Pip is right, Discord is the fastest communication channel WikiTree uses.

Stay safe, keep the distance and have a nice weekend
by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
That is so wonderful. I really enjoyed that part about receiving a hand written letter.
Thanks for all you do Jelena. I always enjoy your posts.
I have a very precocious granddaughter who wrote grandpa and me letters while we were in Florida when she was in first grade.  I treasured those letters she wrote over the several years until she got too busy to write them.  I still have one, and she is now almost thirty.
How wonderful to receive a real letter, Jelena! I still write them too...hate the phone, and emails just don't always get across what one's trying to say.  Had to block a cousin from Facebook when he began publicly abusing me about my response to his comment...he failed to notice that I was *agreeing* with him. Sigh.

I feel your pain about the nay-sayers who are causing covid cases to spike. Have any ever gotten smallpox? Polio? Well, then. I wish they would think about their fellow citizens and community for a change.

Stay safe!
Your week was the opposite of mine, Jelena. We had appointments out the yingyang, mostly my wife’s but there was one for me last Monday.
+25 votes

Virtual Vacation!

Crawford Lake is a Halton Region Conservation Area. Its about 30 minutes drive from my house. We often take fall walks there as the leaf colours are marvellous.

I took the picture of the snapping turtles, the carving pictures are from the Halton Region Conservation website and my cousin took the rest of the pictures. 

500px-Virtual_Vacation-231.jpg

We also often take English visitors there because the site is very interesting especially for people from a place where recorded history has been around for 2000 years. I once had to explain to a 16 year old relative visiting from England why there is no written recorded history here prior to the arrival of Europeans. 

What's there, a reconstructed 15th century Iroquoian village and a very rare meromictic lake. 

500px-Virtual_Vacation-232.jpg

Traditional canoe inside the longhouse

500px-Virtual_Vacation-230.jpg

And in answer to the question: What on earth is a meromictic lake? A meromictic lake is one that it is deeper than its surface area. 

I'm not sure what numbers are used, I'm assuming that it is whole numbers imperial or metric measurements and not the surface area in sq feet, or square metres as these numbers are what is given; the lake is 24 metres or 75 feet deep, and 5.9 acres or 2.4ha in surface area. 

This means that the lowest levels of water are very rarely disturbed, and little oxygen reaches the lowest levels or bottom of the lake. The layers of silt were undisturbed. And why is this important? In 1971 the lake was studied because it was a meromictic lake, as part of the research core samples were taken from the lake bottom. 

What was found is where this story starts. Ancient corn pollen was found deep in the sediment of the lake. The presence of corn pollen meant settlements, after 12 +years of archaeological digs the remains of 11 longhouses were found on the site plus more than 10,000 artefacts from the ordinary day-to-day lives of the Iroquoian people who settled in the area and were growing corn over six hundred years ago.

Drying Racks

500px-Virtual_Vacation-233.jpg

One of my cousins in one of the reconstructed longhouses.

500px-Virtual_Vacation-234.jpg

What's there today? 3 reconstructed longhouses, a grinding stone from about 1500, typical small fields that are used to demonstrate the growing of the three sisters plants, corn, beans and squash as was practiced by the First Nations in this area.  

A boardwalk around the lake, a 4.7km one way 9 .4 km round trip trail which runs through the Nassagaweya Canyon to Rattlesnake Point another conservation area. 

500px-Virtual_Vacation-229.jpg

Lots of very big snapping turtles in Crawford Lake and something new since we were last there, a series of larger than life wooden carvings have been installed along the Hide & Seek Trail which leads through areas of endangered plant species.  

500px-Virtual_Vacation-235.jpg

500px-Virtual_Vacation-236.jpg

500px-Virtual_Vacation-237.jpg

500px-Virtual_Vacation-238.jpg

The lake is named after the Crawford family, who lived on the site and donated the land to the conservation authority.

by M Ross G2G6 Pilot (708k points)
Thank you, M for the VV.  As it happens, I have often grown 2 of the 2 sisters together, with great success.  Winter squash and pumpkins are ideal companions for corn.  Back in 2005 , we had a drought year.  Some of my corn had winter squash and pumpkins as companion crops, while other plots didn't.  The plots with squash and pumpkin vines shading and protecting the ground produced far more corn.
Wonderful! Thank you!
Hi M, Wow, I love this VV because it has beautiful photographs and stellar 'unwritten' history and great information about Iroquois life and culture. The information derived from the meromictic lake is fascinating. Has any of the research team compared the log houses of the Iroquois with Viking houses? I sometimes read about similarities between the Native peoples of the Americas and the Vikings and the suggestion that Vikings got here way before Columbus, which could account for similarities in buildings and so forth. Can you recommend a book or two? Thank you so much for this fascinating VV.

Thank you M - love your photos heart and the written commentary

Carol, yes the Vikings were in what became Canada at L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of the Great North Peninsula of Newfoundland, in 1021 way before Columbus. And yes I'm putting on my nerd hat!

Carbon dating of wood scraps found at the site has pinpointed this date because of increased carbon in the wood which has now been connected to a solar storm in 993. 

Longhouses; are just long narrow buildings and variations have been found in many locations around the globe and were not exclusive to Vikings or Iroquois. Places include many in what is now Russia, Scandinavia, Germany, England,  eastern and western North America , the far east and others. Wikipedia has a good article about all the places they are found. 

The idea that the Vikings traveled as far south as Massachusetts and New York is based on one word, Vinland, which is found on a Viking 16th Century World Map. This word has been interpreted to mean Wineland, or a place where ingredients for wine making can be found. The assumption was made that the "wine" was made from grapes which did not and do not grow in Newfoundland, it's far too cold. 

But wine can be made from many fruits, Newfoundland has about 2 dozen native berries including blueberries, cranberries, cloudberries, partridge berries, bakeapples and many more . Somewhere in the Icelandic sagas there is a story about someone's relative being found drunk after having made wine from local berries. The Icelandic sagas are written stories from the 9th to the 11th century, they have been translated from Old Norse and yes you can buy the book in English. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagas_of_Icelanders

And yes I have been to the Saga Museum in Reykjavik.  

Some links: the second one has the 16th century map. 

https://www.rom.on.ca/en/collections-research/magazine/vikings-in-canada

https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/exploration/norse-north-atlantic.php

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/new-dating-method-shows-vikings-occupied-newfoundland-in-1021-ce-180978903/

Now I'm taking off my nerd hat!

Looks good on you, wear it anytime! Somewhere around here I have a book called Woven Into the Earth, about textile finds in Greenland, it's a neat book to pore over. Found it on Amazon , it's a little pricey, but probably found easily in a library too. Your pics brought it to mind.

This is the best VV ever!  Being a nerd myself, as well as an avid follower of "Oak Island" on the television, I love seeing these photos and hearing the story.  Thank you so much.
Huzzah for your nerd hat and all nerds! Thank you so much for this glorious information. I will check out the links! My narrow nerdiness is generally focused on researching sleep disorders and chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and depression, then writing policy papers. I need to get my nerd nose out of this type of research and expand my nerd horizons!

@ M Holmquist thanks for your recommendation!

@ Candyce Thanks! I'll check out Oak Island if I ever decide to get cable TV again!
What a wonderful story, M, and beautiful pictures! I want to visit there someday.
I only took the pic of the snapping turtles, most were taken by a cousin and the wood carvings pics came from the Halton Region Conservation website.

I will tell my cousin you liked his pictures!

It might be a long drive from your home to southern Ontario.
Gotta say just how much I enjoy these virtual vacations, M. Those carvings are just fabulous! I’ll have to take some photos of the art work around here to share.
We will have to take a walk there when there is snow, the sculptures are wonderful and I think there are about 15 of them.
Oh, I bet it’s beautiful in the snow!
+25 votes

Wednesday evening I went to sleep in anticipation of a 'weather event' scheduled for 4 AM, 1/4 inch of rain an hour for 16 hours, surely enough to lower sea levels before it drained back.....dreamt I had something in my pocket, a box of matches.....woke up at 4 AM ready to light the world on fire and discovered I had no matches, and, it was raining, for the next 16 hours.  Went out and about for the day and found out it was just a rainy day like we've been having, some years, for my lifetime, after all it is a 'West Coast Rainforest' here.  Today, I went out in the brilliant sunshine, poking through the clouds, and could only find some surface water, in low spots of the hay field, which in my 'earlier' days in the spring of 1898 and 1948, was under 25 feet of water.....not to be outdone, upriver the Coquihalla river valley, in the mountains, accumulated 211 feet of snow in the winter of 1915/16.  OK, what's next?smiley

by John Thompson G2G6 Pilot (346k points)
Sounds beautiful. Are you in Vancouver, John?

Yes, M C., we are located fairly close to the Greater Vancouver area, in the Lower Fraser Valley, about an hours  drive on the freeway from downtown Vancouver......a good jumping off point to the drier interior climate if it gets too damp here.......or if the incoming tide gets too high, as the average elevation of the 'flat land' is 33 feet and we're at the low end at 15 to 18. surprise

Susan, I've seen my windshield look like that and could hardly see further.....shared the sound with Kathy.....it reminds us of sleeping in the motorhome when the first pitter patter starts and then builds. smiley 

John, we had our first day of sunshine in about a week and were glad of it. It’s been wet and cold here (until today).
+25 votes
I got my covid booster three days ago.  My neighbor told me
of a drugstore doing walkins but I started at a much closer local chain that I had been unable to communicate with for
my appointments at the beginning of the fiasco.  They gave me, in person, an app't for Nov 11.  I'm leaving Nov 13 so just left it as standing.  Went to the walkin on a very dreary rainy day and went right in, no one else there, got my shot within 10 minutes and left.  I had a freezing reaction and very sore arm with the second shot so I expected the same with this one.  No,  no sore arm, no feeling cold.  Just a good feeling to not to have to cope with computer problems.

I have been straightening out paperwork, etc before leaving.  It seems to get harder every year.   I took some
donations for Salvation Army thrift store but brought them home because the receiving area was closed.  I still will wear my mask while shopping.  We are in a high infection percentage area.

We have had three days of beautiful weather so I have been closing down outside.  They are predicting the rain and wind will hit tonight.
by Beulah Cramer G2G6 Pilot (565k points)
edited by Beulah Cramer
We got ours, too, Beulah, I'm glad you got yours.
Hi Beulah, I got my booster about 3 weeks ago. I just heard scuttlebutt that there might now be a fourth in the next year. My guess is that this will become the 'new' flu shot. I only wish that we could get everyone across the globe vaccinated, especially in developing countries.
Amen, Carol! The global rollout is still too slow. Maybe, as your Franciscan Father suggested, folks who don't want the shot could donate it to a developing nation? No excuse I can see, except for a compromising medical condition. I'd like to get on with my life too, but it'd be nice to *have* a life to get on with!
I’ll still waiting on my Covid booster, Beulah. Not happy about having to wait. I’m calling the health department tomorrow to see how much longer I’m going to have to wait.

I know you are really looking forward to your trip since you had to cancel last year’s.
+29 votes
Aloha from Lincoln, Nebraska.

I caught that stupid upper respiratory cold that's been going around. Thankfully it's not the influenza or covid. I will be getting my flu shot soon. As well as a booster shot for covid. I have had this cold for over a week. It felt like a sinus infection at first. I should have stayed home from work. But I did not. My head feels like it's beyond full. No matter how many buckets of snot I cough up, spit, or blow out my nose. Before I started taking sinus medicine. I was even more miserable. This cold sucks. Muscle weakness, plugged sinuses, sore throat in the morning.

The highlight of my work week is Today: The upside is I got to go to Kansas City to drop off an electric jack hammer. Which means I got to eat at Hawaiian Bro's. A fellow customer outed me as a Hawaiian. Which led to the manager giving me 3 free meal cards. One for every employee that couldn't say Kaumualii. Which is my middle name. After the third one struck out. She said she had to stop, otherwise I would probably have 8 free meal cards.  Thankfully I can still taste.

Family: As far as I know. All is well in my household. My 9 year old is still excited that he went to The Roca Berry Farm on the 17th. He says it was Ultimate Fun.

Weather: Rain, flooding in the northeast part of the city on Monday. Lot's of rain, and wind this week. Today, I got to see the sun. It was glorious. I'm already crying that the temps have been below 60.

On the genealogy part of my life. I'm slowly working on some new branches while trying to improve the older ones.

If it wasn't for my inability to write somewhat ok song lyrics. I would have 4 songs basically completed. Maybe I'm being to hard on myself. A lot of times when I read the song lyrics to most of the songs I like. The lyrics suck. Then when you hear the guy that screams/growls/yells the lyrics. It's not like you can understand what they're saying anyway. One song I like. It sounds like the dude says volleyball 3 times in the song. It sounds super clear when he says volleyball. Apparently he is actually saying death to all. So using that rationale. Maybe I should just start screaming whatever words come to mind over the music. It's not like I sing like Jerry Vale, The Beatles, The Monkey's, or whomever else the kids are listening to these days. I learned to sing from listening to Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.
by Paul Kreutz G2G6 Pilot (129k points)
Hope you feel better, man. Just remember everyone is their own worst critic. It's hard to even edit videos without getting annoyed by the sound of your own voice! Good luck!
Dude, I hate the sound of my speaking and singing voice. When I hear it through headphones, or a PA system. Since we are hearing it the way other people hear it without the "bone reverb". That we get when the sound leaves your mouth and enters your ears. Thankfully, I love the way my voice sounds when I yell, scream, and growl. In recordings, when the music is playing into my headphones. When I hear my singing voice, it doesn't sound like the way I hear it in the car. It sounds way different in the headphones.
I hate the colds and respiratory infections, Paul, I got the Flu shot, he early, this year.  I'm sick of getting sick.  Be well and know we all are disconcerted at the real sound of our own voices.
Get well soon, Paul. And remember, whenever you get stuck with the German part of your genealogy, you know where to find me.

Well, now I want to hear you sing C is for Cookie. Sounds like you'd do a great cover!

Next time I'm near Kansas City (visiting my Topeka cousins) I'll have to check out Hawaiian Bros.

Thanks for the story and the tip!

One for John in rainy Canada and I think you will also appreciate it . Or maybe not. 24Hour Heavy Rain Drive in Canada/Best Ambience of Rain in a Car/Sleep Sound/Reiki Relaxation&Sleep - YouTube

I promise that you didn’t catch it from me, Paul. I didn’t even fly over Nebraska on the to or from Arizona! But, I sure do feel for you.

You made it back to Hawaiian Bro’s!! Good for you. That’s how I feel about eating at Burwell’s in Charleston when I get the chance.
+21 votes

I just noticed that I was actually mentioned in last weeks ARRL Ohio Section newsletter. It is way down in the newsletter but there is an article about the Huntsburg Pumpkin Festival and the picture I took of the booth is in the newsletter along with mentioning my name and Call Sign.

here is the link http://arrl-ohio.org/news/2021/OSJ-Oct-21.pdf  if anyone would like to check it out the mention of me is on page 29.

by Dale Byers G2G Astronaut (1.7m points)
Very cool and a nice mention, too. How many of you do you know by call sign only, I wonder?
+24 votes
Well, I think I fried the keyboard of my laptop. Some keys work but most don't. Dropped my drink on it. It's an old laptop but I wasn't planning to get a new one right now. Posting this from my phone. I have a tablet I can maybe use until I replace laptop. I just hope I can find someone to help me transfer everything from this laptop to a new one. Phooey!
by Nelda Spires G2G6 Pilot (554k points)
Nelda, You might want to try and find a wireless keyboard and mouse that can plug into your laptops USB port. It is not a great solution but it could make life easier until you can replace the laptop and it is a lot cheaper than replacing the whole computer.  As for the transfer, I have a 1 TB USB hard drive and I back up my hard drive, not as often as I should, with that so that if the need arises I could use that to transfer things to a different computer.
Dale, I leave a thumb (something) on my laptop all of the time, per instructions of our former senior class instructor.  He is no longer working and the program has been closed down for over a year.  Can I assume I am backed up for my ten year old laptop who may be on shaky legs?
Beulah, You actually have to tell the computer to do a back up and even then you have to specify what you want backed up. at least that is the way it works on my Windows 11 computer. You could install a removable drive and set the computer to save everything there when using it so that you could then set up a new computer to use that drive as the primary drive but I am not sure about how your "thumb drive" was set up or even if it is big enough to act as a back up. My external drive is 1 TB and my internal drive is 357 GB so I have plenty of room to do a backup whenever. You always need a larger drive than your internal drive to be safe.
Then I think my thumb drive is as useless as Nelda's laptop.
I'm so afraid that the thumb drive will go the way of the floppy disk, and the CD, and all the other inventions we have used to keep our stuff recorded.  I remember taking a, what was it(?), 3.5" disk of saved photographs to Walmart to have them saved to a CD.  They were terrible and so unusable!  I cried as the pictures of my girls were on those 3.5s and now they are lost forever.
Woohoo! I am back in business, albeit a few bucks poorer. Purchased a new laptop this afternoon and had a relatively easy time setting it up, despite some arguments with it about passwords. I was able, on the old laptop using the "on-screen" keyboard, to access and save my primary FamilyTreeMaker file to its free cloud storage this morning. I was also able to save my husband's family tree file to a thumb drive. After that, the program started crashing so I didn't get my son's father's family tree file saved. But, I was able to download a GEDCOM of that tree from Ancestry.com after I got the new laptop set up and FamilyTreeMaker installed on it. Alas, I don't have my original one huge tree from which I had extracted those three smaller trees a couple of months ago which contains lots of media files and extended step-family. I also don't have any of my photos, document, or Excel files. There's a business in town I'll take the old laptop to one day next week and see if they can somehow extract those files for me. If not, oh well. I'm going to try to learn how to store files to the "cloud." I have some free cloud storage. Maybe that will be better than saving to media which becomes obsolete.
Nelda, I don't like storing things in the "Cloud" but I have a external hard drive that plugs into a USB port and try to back up important stuff to that. I have never needed to use it to recover anything so I hope it works as planned.
Gah! Computers and all the hinges that can go wrong. I spent well over and hour Saturday fighting with my desktop freezing up. It’s better, but not all the way fixed! Phooey!

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