"Welcome to the Weekend Chat!" All Members Invited!! June 3rd -5th, 2022 [closed]

+24 votes
2.0k 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: Until next weekend, flourish in all you do!
in The Tree House by Pip Sheppard G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
closed by Pip Sheppard
Lint heads - people who worked in cotton, particularly cotton mills.
I really need to read your bios just so I can get the Morgan Freeman narration going. =D Nothing personal, Pip. You just make everything epic.

So....There's a White Squirrel festival? Huh. I kinda want to know the details and yet I am cautious.

Let us know what you think of Top Gun 2. You'll always be my wingman. Thanks for hosting!
Top Gun 2 is on my watchlist also.
Hi Pip,

I have also been adding 2 cousins from a mother. Rachel Hurd, who was young and unmarried when they were born. That was a century before #metoo so the family circled around her:

1) The baby boy's Grandfather, Arno Hurd, adopted him (Roy Hurd) so he would inherit the farm. Arno Hurd died suddenly in 1931. At the time of Arno's death, Rachel's son Roy was six years old and hed daughter Bertha was about 18 months old. They had been living on the farm with Arno and Ella.

2) Within a year of Arno's death, my gr grandfather Edmund Reed (a widower) married the young lady, Rachel Hurd, the younger sister of his daughter-in-law Faye Hurd (Faye was my grandmother). Though Edmund was 71 and Rachel was 24, he had the right skill set to teach the young boy, Roy Hurd, all the details involved in managing the farm, slaughterhouse and butchery. Ed could also be trusted to care for the farm without trying to seize control of it. DNA has ruled out the Reed men as the undisclosed father of the babies,  but my gr grandfather and his young wife had two girls together before he died in 1941. In our Reed family, it is common to be well and active into one's 90s. The town had to help with a bit of welfare for a few years after Ed Reed's death, and there was a close knit extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins to help with chores and keeping the kids on track with school, church, 4-H and scouts.

3) Then Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and young Roy was off to war. In 1945, Charles Lewis Heald married Rachel. Mr. Heald was the brother of Edwin Tracy Heald. Edwin T Heald was the husband of Rachel's sister Edna Hurd. Charles Lewis Heald was also a farmer and a widower; he had no children. He could also be trusted to keep the farm in good order until Roy returned.

All that would seem crazy at first, but it was actually very pragmatic. Rachel was a lovely lady, kind and smart. She must have also been incredibly brave and resolute to maintain her dignity and equinamity throughout. Roy was fond of the poem, I'm my own grandpa - at least, that's what my dad claimed on several occasions!

There is an epilogue:

My grandmother died at the age of 50. When my grandparent's youngest child-- my Aunt Rowena, married my Uncle Harold in 1944, his mother was a widow. The father of the bride, Leslie Reed and mother of the groom Alma (Doiron) Bourgeois were married the following year, giving my grandfather a 10-year-old step daughter. No more babies this time though.

Chris, Top Gun Maverick was GREAT!!! If you haven't been, ten DO see it. I cried a few times.

White Squirrel Festival

So THAT'S how that nickname came about!  What amazing things we learn here in the Chat.  Thanks, Nelda!!
A this is an amazing story of fortitude and kindness where one would not expect it, given the time period. What a heritage to pass down!
Whew. No actual squirrels are involved and I won't have to call PETA.

And I did like the original Top Gun. I'll have to check this out. Thanks!
My husband and I saw the preview for Top Gun 2 before watching Father Stu. I'm not a Tom Cruise though. I do like Mark Wahlberg.

Nelda, I've learned something today about lint. Now I know where the lint from the dryer comes from! We wear a lot of cotton in the Midwest.
Thanks Pip,

My father, brother, and nephew have extended the Reed tradition of adopting stepchildren and fostering the children of relatives who were in distress until their parents were in a better situation. In fact, the Hurd family has an even longer tradition of adopting children. I have to examine the records carefully if I'm to distinguish between bio and legal children-this is considered a false dichotomy.

38 Answers

+21 votes

Good morning Pip and the weekend chatters!

Weather:

  • It's currently 73º and overcast. Rain is forecast for this afternoon.

New App:

  • Greg Clarke has developed a new app called Sixth Degrees.  It calculates your connections (at each degree) to other profiles out to 6 degrees and draws a visual representation of it.

Shough Profiles:

  • This past weekend I standardized the Birth and Death Places and connected one unconnected member to the main branch (tree).

Ancestry Census update:

  • Ancestry stopped their weekly updates on the census indexes since they published their whole index a couple of weeks ago.
by Tommy Buch G2G Astronaut (1.8m points)
edited by Tommy Buch
I saw that app, and it's pretty cool, Tommy. Another way to check up on near family to see if they need sprucing up!

We've got rain on the way this afternoon. I guess we'll be attending the White Squirrel Festival tomorrow.
It's a brown squirrel festival around my house just about everyday.  Especially with all the cats roaming the neighborhood.

The squirrels hold their annual festival in my pecan tree.  All I hear is thump, thump, thump, on my roof and then the roll and thump on the ground.
WE have white and grays both, Tommy. They like hanging out under our bird feeders. One is a mix, white with a black stripe from forehead to tail. We call him, "Skunk," even though the colors are reversed.
You have any pictures of the "skunky" squirrel?
I'll have to look and see....
Oh, my, do we ever have gray squirrels! They love the "squirrel resistant" bird feed and do all kinds of acrobatics on it while stealing bird feed. When we throw out corn for the deer in the afternoons, the squirrels come running. It is wild to watch.

We don't see this as much at our new place, but at the old home, as loved watching the antics of our squirrels, playing, trying to get up the bird feeders. The ones here were more aggressive in getting up the feeders. I had to raise the squirrel blockers to keep them from eating everything in sight!

+21 votes

Hi from southern Ontario,

Chez moi/at home: what's happening here? Weather 2 days really hot, then rain, then yesterday back to long sleeves, shorts and slippers, it’s a traditional look! 

Yesterday was our provincial election, and the results were, not what I wanted! Only about 43% of 10.7 million eligible voters actually cast a vote and out of that number only about 1.9 million actually voted for the incumbent party. In my not very humble opinion, if you don't vote you may not complain. 

I still need to plant my peppers, I planned to do that after we voted, but by then it was only about 16 C and I wimped out. 

Genealogy: as in the previous few weeks I have been updating profiles that have not had any improvement since November 2020, adding at least 1 more and/or a better source, plus improving biographies, checking off as needed; gender at birth, no spouse, no more spouses, no children, no more children. 

Holiday planning: still waiting for the new Ireland and UK road atlas to arrive, if it doesn’t, I will hope that we can get one at the car rental office. I do have an old one, the 2013 version but I’m sure that some things have changed in the past 9 years. 

I’m quite surprised my how many ‘attractions’ require prebooking online and payment in advance. It really takes away the option of deciding what to do in an area based on weather and time available. I’m looking at less well known options that are similar to the ‘you must prebook’ places. I don’t know if the pre-booking is a leftover from Covid reduced numbers requirements. 

I asked for help on travel forums to create a circular day trip from Londonderry to the Coleraine area and back, Coleraine is where many of the Robbie’s ancestors lived before they came to Canada. 

Reading: I’m rereading 1916 by Morgan Llewelyn, it is the story of the Easter Uprising in Dublin, I had forgotten how well it is written. It’s a good primer for our visit to Dublin. 

What else: I’m getting my hair cut today, by a real hairdresser and getting my second booster.

I will have email and internet while we are away, but WT participation will be little if any, I have posted a comment on my profile. 

by M Ross G2G6 Pilot (701k points)

M, my traveling daughter books everything in advance, museums, restaurants, palaces, etc. Some of those DO require pre-booking, but she researches everything so there are no surprises.

Thanks for the book recommendation. 1916 would be a new area of reading for me.

It's amazing how many take the right to vote for granted. I make sure to vote in every election so I can at least have the right to grumble.
I do extensive planning and research and always have a list of interesting things to do and places to visit for each area.

I don't want to be tied down to specific times for each place,  There are many occasions when weather or traffic does not co-operate, or a previous place is more interesting than anticipated, we might have to change plans, and prepaying makes that complicated.
If you are hiring a car SatNav will be helpful but not infallible so road atlas is a must ( can usually be bought at most petrol stations) or a stationers such as WH Smith

Prebooking does seem to be a left over from Covid and make sure you have masks with you as many places still expect you to wear one
Thanks Anon, I have just been notified that the road atlas I ordered is available for pick up.

We always have maps, because while a Sat Nav/GPS will get you to the place you want to go, it very seldom takes the route we want to use.

We will definitely have many masks with us to use when required or when we will feel more comfortable wearing one.
+21 votes

Good morning Pip. Thank You for hosting what has come to be be favorite part of my weekend. Gotta admit this is also a great way to not overload on the depressing news. 

On the Genealogy side, I'm trying to decide if it possible to over document a profile. My Father who always seemed to be a minimalist, kept all this navel documents. Even completion of electricians school, and transfers. I also came across document showing promotion from 8th to 9th grade. It's interesting what others consider important.

The weather in Fenton, Mi is sunny and low 70s. Supposed to be more of the same for tomorrow but that depends on the weather I guesssmiley

by Marty Franke G2G6 Pilot (781k points)
Marty, I'm in the same boat as you. I found loads of my dad's navy (WW II) and army (Korea) stuff in a box, and now I have to decide how to add all this. I'm thinking of scanning a bunch of it and letting it speak for itself.

Same with my Mom's scrapbook from elementary to college. Just a ton of stuff!

Navel documents? Navel oranges, navel lint or...sounds fascinating!cheeky

Given the three options M, I'll vote for the oranges. They taste much betterlaugh

+22 votes
I don't have time for y'all !

Gotta read A PEOPLE'S TRAGEDY (Russian Revolution) 840 pages

And RISE AND FALL OF THE 3RD REICH 863 pages

Soooooo.... bizzzzzy... stretched out, cigar, coffee, Charleston Chew & DVD ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES.

Hahahs bye!
by Eddie King G2G6 Pilot (686k points)
Good reads both, Eddie. You'll be busy for a while. Have a wonderful weekend!

Salami sammiches for lunch. Looking at my orange marmelade. Put some on the salami sammich? Hmmm. Sure. I be adventurous. If I die, at least it be foooood that killed me devil

+23 votes

Virtual Vacation!

Biosphere 2, Arizona 

We visited Biosphere 2 in October 2011 as part of a 3 week south west trip. It fits in very well with my interest in ecosystems research. If you have younger kids or teenagers interested in the topic, it's a great experience for them. 

Biosphere 2 was an experiment that tried to answer the question; 

Can humans exist in a completely closed system that hopefully could provide all the food and oxygen needed for their survival? 8 people volunteered to live in the biosphere without leaving for 2 years. 

It was intended to provide information about the possibility of long term space travel if enough food could be grown, enough oxygen created to support life and to demonstrate whether people could live together in confined quarters for 2 years without excessive disagreements or other problems. 

For much more information about the project, https://biosphere2.org/ the under the glass research is fascinating, or just Google search the topic, this is a particularly good source of information.  https://www.britannica.com/topic/Biosphere-2

This is screenshot of the site layout, the lung was designed to regulate air pressure inside the glass enclosures. 

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This is an outdoor view, some of the domes were intended for food production. They are now part of the Landscape Evolution Observatory which is intended to study how climate change will impact crop production and both human and biological communities. 

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This building included several different ecological biomes

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This is the Ocean Biome, it included a coral reef ecosystem which is now being rebuilt and will test innovative solutions for restoring resilient reefs globally.

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This is the rainforest biome where it rains!

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There is also a savannah biome

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And a desert biome

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by M Ross G2G6 Pilot (701k points)
I remember when it all began M. You go to the greatest places. I'm impressed you got kids interested in it too. We went to Cape Canaveral and all we heard was whiiiiiining.
I toured Biosphere 2 about a decade ago.  It was interesting in that they could not produce enough food and oxygen to thrive.
Which, in my mind, just shows that we are in a symbiotic relationship with our own planet. The answer does not lie elsewhere. Our challenge is to protect what we have here.
Definitely Eric!
Marty, our kids loved Cape Canaveral, we actually visited because one of them wanted to go there, we drove from St Petersburg to Cape Canaveral and back to Tampa Airport for the plane home in one day, timing was a bit tense.
Part of our problem was with scheduling M. What can compete with Disney World.
Almost anything would be my preference to Disney or similar places, I freely admit I'm odd, I don't shop unless it is required, I don't eat take out, I refuse to buy 'stuff' because it's trendy or trending.

Canada's Wonderland is not far away and after 2 visits with kids in the late 80s, I said never again. I do not do theme parks, amusement parks unless paid to do so which hasn't ever happened.

Though I was brow beaten into going to Busch Gardens once on a Florida trip, and my opinion has not changed, too many people, too expensive, and many other issues.
Thankfully, I will never have to do it again. Kids aren't kids anymore, and I don't have the stamina either. I'm not a shopper, and the purpose of stuff is to collect dust.
Thanks for the pics, M!

I've been fascinated with ecosystems and conservation since high school and this factored in my choice of college studies. I used to dream of building an earth bermed  home with a front facing green house/ sun room  including large water tanks to modulate the passive solar heating. There would be vent windows between the green house and main house, and also air channels built into the concrete floors, with small fans to circulate the sun warmed air from the greenhouse or from a small fireplace. I also thought of having sun tunnels to bring daylight into the dark rooms. I would round off the corners of the outer walls to minimize heat loss. This was in the 1970s when no one dreamed so many people would have active solar panels of their roofs. Maybe heating bills and fuel prices were top of mind. Maybe I'm part hobbit and just want to live in a hole in the side of a hill.

Why am I reminded of that Pauly Shore movie, "Bio-Dome". Why do I even remember it? Wait. Was that where they filmed it? It looks familiar.

M, you are the first person I've known to have actually been to the Biosphere! What an amazing place.
We are quite keeky and go to many places that no one else even thinks about.
Yet another wonderful VV, M.  I remember being fascinated with the biosphere.
+23 votes
Hello from south central Kansas where it is a beautiful June morning!

I am back from attending the National Genealogical Society conference, in person, in Sacramento.  It was a wonderful conference, with great presentations, and I got to see some old friends. I was also able to spend some time researching in the California State Archives.

Now that I am home, I need to gather my notes and work on some new genealogy sources and techniques I just learned.
by Michelle Enke G2G6 Pilot (407k points)
Sounds like a great time Michelle. My idea of a good time.
Is there anything in detail that you're willing to share with us, Michelle? What was the most interesting thing that you learned?
They showed the documentary Far East Deep South about a Chinese family tracing their father's life in Mississippi during the Jim Crow era.  It was very moving and I recommend seeing it.  I think they said some PBS stations are showing it.

Judy Russell had a session on Name Changes and the Law which was very interesting in that in the past people could easily change their names, unless committing fraud. She traced the history of the laws regarding name changes and where to find this information. Her sessions are always great and are highly recommended.

I attended sessions on using technology to help organize my research such as using Trello, Excel, and Air Tables. The last two seem more useful to me.

They had many sessions on researching different ethnic groups: Asian and Pacific Islander, Hispanic and Latin America, German, Jewish, Middle East, etc and this was a very welcome addition.  I attended the German sessions on tracing home towns and reading the handwriting.

I also attended sessions on skill building to become accredited, for I may do this at some point.  All-in-all it was a very useful experience and will attend again.
When I hear folks talk about the conferences they attend, I get a little envious, but then I have two to attend this year. Neither, though, are genealogy conferences. Glad you were able to make it, Michelle!
+26 votes
it's just started raining here in Cheshire Uk I was hoping to get some weeding done but it will have to wait another day now

It is the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations here in UK so the press is full of it  even though there must be some other news surely!

As our lawnmower broke some weeks ago and we are still awaiting a part (from Sweden) the grass at the side of the house is now up top my knees and I don't think trying to trim with my shears will make much of an impression. My youngest son has said he will come and strim next weekend so fingers crossed it will not be too wet then

Cousins - a cousin several times removed emailed telling me about her month long  holiday in Portugal, She made me laugh when she came out with a saying I hadn't head in years .. When I asked about the weather she said that the sun was not splitting the stones most days (i.e. they had plenty of rain) It conjured up a memory of a friend's grandma who would tell us - away with yourselves now the sun is splitting the stones and wipe youse feet before you come back in.

A nephew's wedding photos and videos arrived by email and I was pleased to see that there was a video of the Chinese tea ceremony which I tried to video but the 2 photographers stood in the way! Their's is probably better quality than mine would have been anyway.
by Anon Sharkey G2G6 Pilot (112k points)

The Jubilee is getting quite a bit of attention in the U.S. as well. I recall my Grandparents they used to keep the lawn well manicured lawn with a goatlaugh

Our goats prefer washing and electrical wiring to grass oh and yes my cherry trees and raspberry bushes but grass no thank you very much. They are also escapologists which is why one of them is named Houdini
One of my nephews has two mini goats because they will eat the poison ivy which pops up everywhere near his property; my nephew is highly allergic to poison ivy.

The Queen's jubilee is a welcome diversion from news of mass shootings here in the U.S. I wonder if there's an active copyright on those bumper stickers of the early 1970s that read, "Don't blame me. I'm from Massachusetts."
Houdini... now that's funny! Very creative, A!
You are not the only one with a garden resembling a meadow. But ours is to some extent intentional. Our neighbour opposite quite likes it as do the bees.

Another day with rain here in the Conwy valley.

The concert at the Palace last night was very colourful and loved how they can use the background and lights to such great effect.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. It has been rather quiet here no street partying.
+22 votes
Hails and horns, Wikipeeps!

After a few days of warm weather we are back to cold and cloudy and in the '50s here in the valley. Should be warming up next week and that should be good as the Ferraiolo garden was planted.

I wrote a blog about conflict and with everything going on in the world I was hesitant to write about war and really anything to do with guns. I also didn't want to write about the conflicts with Find a Grave. So, instead I wrote a blog about a conflict that turned positive in the end: https://allroadhaverhill.blogspot.com/2022/06/52-ancestors-week-22-conflict.html

Check it out!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!
by Chris Ferraiolo G2G6 Pilot (753k points)
Hi Chris!
Your blog posts and subsequent postings here in the Chat are always fascinating to read.  This week's blog is no exception.  

P.S. Your sense of humor often has me chuckling out loud, which drives my family members absolutely nuts!

From your blog: "If only all conflicts ended this peacefully. If it did, the world would be a MUCH better place."

I wholeheartedly agree. Great story, Chris!

@ Candyce: Glad I can make you laugh. It's important to entertain as well as inform when you're doing a text blog. If this was a vlog, it'd be a lot of fun to do. But, it'd take a little longer than a week. It is an interesting thought. Glad you like the blog! =D

@Pip: Yeah. I figured that statement applies to online and offline things. So much vitriol. It's not healthy.
+20 votes

Hi All,

This week it seems that I went over 300K points on the forum. I read / lurk more than I post here, so it's taken me over 6 years just to get to this point.

It looks like I worked a lot on the Hottel / Huddel / Huddle family this past week, and related families. This is a name that I'm interested in and do quite a bit of work on. It has some really good genealogy resources: large books on the family and descendants. They were a German family in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. They seemed to intermarry to a number of other German families in the area. I would really like to start a One Name Study for this family name, but I don't think the project leaders or coordinator would allow me to manage another one, which is a shame. I really do work on all of my One Name Studies. It seems that I'm the only one that methodically works on this family, so I don't see why not allow me to manage another one. While I understand the intent of having a limit on the number of studies, to try to make sure people don't take on more than they can do, in this instance I disagree with the policy and I think that it needs some flexibility.

I also worked on what looks to be an NPE within the family. This involves working on several different family trees, based on genetic connection, seeing how they connect to each other, and how they possibly connect to the NPE. Very interesting detective work.

Based on another forum post this week, I tried my hand at connecting Redd Foxx to the global tree. Wow, I think that's going to be a bit tough. I wasn't able to do it. It would be interesting to get him connected though.

Oh, and I also did my first profile for the Bio Builders. That's an area that I want to work on to be better at. It just takes a lot of time.

Meanwhile, we're just getting ready for (good) changes on the home front in the next few weeks.

by Eric Weddington G2G6 Pilot (511k points)

Eric Thank You for my new genealogy nugget for today. Never heard of NPE. Is there a possible link between Redd Fox through his Wife Elizabeth (I'm Commin' to join ya honney). laugh

As always the Redd Foxx profile is in progress.

@Marty: Yeah, NPE is just a fancy acronym for somebody having an affair and having a child as a result. wink

As to connecting Redd Foxx... I don't really know. It will just take some dedicated research to hopefully establish a connection. Records seems to be pretty sparse.

I will be using it for a couple of situations in my family. Redd Foxx played Fred Sanford and Elizabeth was the character's deceased Wife.
You've been a busy WikiTreer lately, Eric. I see what great work you do.
@Eileen: Thanks for bringing up that Redd Foxx was not connected yet! He's an interesting challenge. I grew up watching Sanford & Son and always thought he was hilarious.
@Pip: thanks for the kind words. It's like working on a never-ending puzzle.
+22 votes
Bonjour from Paris! So much to write of but very limited Internet. Wonderful up front views of Trooping yesterday and Phantom last night. Not much activity for me today as I'm not feeling my best. London was chilly, Paris 70 F and humid. Got some great photos for MCB team. Have a great weekend!
by Carol Baldwin G2G Astronaut (1.1m points)
Well, someone's being an international woman of mystery. =D Hope you are having fun!

Feel better, soon!
I hope you feel better soon Carol. So much to see and do.
Wait Carol, you are already in Paris? So when will you arrive in Germany? I don't want us to miss each other :). Hope you feel better soon, Paris has too much sights to see to stay in the hotel for days.
Carol

Sounds like you are having a good time despite not feeling the best.

I've been looking at the weather forecast for Ireland, cloudy with showers, 16-19C, so raincoats and walking shoes, hiking sandals for England and maybe the 2 days in Scotland.
Hi Carol,

I hope you feel better for the rest of the trip and have a wonderful time! We are  looking forward to all the stories when you are back home and settled. For now, seize the day!
Hope you feel better, Carol. You've got a pretty extensive itinerary yet to complete! Hang in there!
Dear Cousin, you are in my thoughts and prayers for feeling better.  I admire your courage in undertaking this journey, and envy your presence in France.  Have a croissant for me, and enjoy the bread.  As always, the warmest familial regard and affection.
As promised, my shadow sits on your shoulders.  Sorry you aren't feeling up to par.  I'm pulling for you in my thoughts.
Get well soon and drink some tea. Take pictures if you have the chance.

France is on my bucket list.
+21 votes
Good Afternoon Pip and Chatterers!

I'll get the weather out of the way first: here in north central Texas it is rather warm but will be hot by Sunday - 90's. Today we have some low hanging black clouds but so far no thunderstorms in our immediate area. Probably will later this afternoon.

This week has been busy trying to help get my husband and our son ready for the drive to Washington (the state) to tackle work on our boat. The boat will be launched from the boatyard on Thursday and they hope to arrive Thursday afternoon. I am staying behind for a few weeks and will fly out towards the end of July to empty and pack up the items we will be keeping after 20 years of cruising up and down the west coast and living aboard for seven years. She will go to the sales dock in September and we hope for a speedy sale although it will also be nostalgic.

Monday one of our daughters is taking me to get a spinal injection (lower neck) to hopefully take care of some extreme pain. I need these every one to two years because of degenerative issues in my neck. Midweek, if I am feeling okay, my cousin is picking me up and we are traveling a couple of hours to East Texas to supervise the cleaning out of her grandmother's (my aunt's) house. This has been an ongoing project for several years and we are now down to the garage so should be interesting. I can't lift after the injection but I can point where things should go - like the trash pile!!

There will be some genealogy involved in the evenings. I have been adding my cousin's mother's family to WIkiTree and I think she is going to join and help with that. I recruit every chance I get!

Have a great weekend and I wish everyone a broken brick wall!
by Virginia Fields G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
I feel your pain Virginia. Spinal injections are no fun, Mine are lumbar though. I wish you all the best. Hopefully the house cleaning will lead to a wealth of heirlooms, pictures, documents, and the like.
You're selling the boat?!? Do I still get to call you Admiral Ginny?

Hope you have a safe trip. Just don't overdo it!
I was wondering about that, Pip! But then, I think once an Admiral, always an Admiral!
That's true: Adm. Ginny Fields, UWN (United WikiTree Navy, ret.)
I wasn't even aware that we had military service Pip. So are astronauts & pilots are part of the UWN? How branches does this Tree have?

Marty, I think those are WikiTree Air Force. (Or Space Force?) laugh

+20 votes
Thank You for hosting the Chat Pip.

Musings from The North Coast.

Weather, quite pleasant.

On the home front, For last week and most of this week I have been discussing the Ham radio Technician class that starts on Friday and runs for the next 6 weeks. I am not sure how much I will be doing yet but there are only two of us doing most of the planning so I could be playing a bigger part that in previous classes. Tuesday we went to the salvage stores because most offer an additional 10% off for seniors. I picked up a web cam/speaker system/microphone for $15 before the discount so I love that. Wednesday we just did the laundry not much else. Thursday, Just organizing things for the class. Friday, More of the same. The radio class starts this evening.

I did nothing on WikiTree that is worth mentioning, no time.
by Dale Byers G2G Astronaut (1.7m points)
Looks like your passion is keeping you busy, Dale, so it's understandable that genealogy needs to take a backseat once in a while. Enjoy yourself!
+20 votes

On this day:

1930: The American author Marion Zimmer Bradley is born

1959: Singapore gets its self-governance from the United Kingdom

1992: In the landmark case Mabo vs Queensland, the High Court of Australia recognizes the property rights of First Nation People.

by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
I took Singapore today, Professor. Another good read that was out of my usual area of knowledge. Thanks!
+21 votes

Greetings from Rochester, Minnesota!

Currently it's 70°F with blue skies and sunshine. 

Apparently my health issues are related to my thyroid and prolactin levels! Surprise. Surprise. I'll be seeing my endocrinologist soon before the next surgery at the end of the month. My mother had hypothyroidism which puts me at risk for it. I'm actually glad my care team is looking into immediately. 

In other news, the local Catholic diocese is getting a new bishop!  We are pretty hopeful and excited! He'll be installed next month on July 29th.

I'm trying to get back to genealogy but work and life tends to creep in. 

I didn't deal with squirrels this week but with wild turkeys and bats. 

by Eileen Robinson G2G6 Pilot (198k points)
Wild turkeys and bats!!! Now, Eileen, you know there's a story you'll have to tell.,

I really do hope all goes well with your medical issues. Hang in there!
I work on a hill. Not only that I work for retired religious sisters. Usually wild turkeys will block our way if we are coming into work.... especially during the mating season.

Apparently, I keep missing bat sightings because I don't work the night shift! The bats disappeared when it's daytime.
+20 votes
My computer did not work this morning when I turned it on while my coffee was heating up.  I always play on my computer while I give my coffee and acetaminophen time to loosen me up for the day.  I finally called hughes.net at 7 a.m. and was informed they were doing (somethingy) to the satellite and it would be up in an hour.  I left at 11 to have work done on my car, leaving a still black screen.  Back at 4 p.m. and every thing is back in business.  I'm assuming it did not disturb any one else by the times (6 hours ago starting with Pip) listed.
 
I picked up a four pack of broccoli and a cherry tomato, my
garden for this year.  Now to keep the deer out of them with my screening.  Last year a deer browsed off all of my green beans in a raised bed so I put the screens around them.  They resprouted and I had about 30 string beans.  Not worth the effort.

I envy all of the traveling vacationers but that is now beyond me with walking distances.  I will just enjoy the memories their remarks bring up.

Pip, my father in law bought a neighboring farm from an Underwood family here.  I wonder if they connect somewhere with yours?  They had twin sons, Francis and Franklin, born around 1870s who died in 1930s. I don't know much about the back story.  The only wikitree person I have been aware of from listings is a relative of Donnie Blackstone's who is buried near here.
by Beulah Cramer G2G6 Pilot (561k points)
Ugh. I had Hughes.net and satellite internet many years ago. Was not happy with their service. I hope for the best for you!
Hughes.net was all that was available in our rural area when I
got my computer.  They have been very good since the 2000s.
Beulah, Donnie Blackstone and I are cousins! But, not through the Underwoods. Mine landed in New Jersey, then to Maryland, then to Pennsylvania, and finally a branch to North Carolina. I bet those close to you were originally Massachusetts Underwoods, but one never knows!
Probably.  So many expanded into New York from New England.  My father's family certainly did.
+21 votes

Good evening from comfy Germany,

where the nights are still chilly, but the days have temperatures mostly over 20C, in my part over 25C.

Personally: It was a quiet week, we still worked a bit on the balcony to get it really "summer ready". Next week Carol, her family and I plan to meet at least for a bit when she arrives in Germany.

Genealogy: MyHeritage released Hessian death certificates through 1960. I typed in my surname and found the death certificate of my aunt. I only got to know of her existence a few years ago when her younger sister said: "By the way, there was still another child (her mother/my grandmother) had. It was a girl named Iris, she was older than me and died young. You gotta ask (my uncle on Bermudas) for more info, he should know a bit more." Ooooook, I added her immediately with an approximate birthdate, but every time we chatted with my uncle, I forgot to ask him. Well, now I found the death certificate of Iris and she died 15 days old. Yeah, I knew it before that she died young, but to see that now and to imagine the feelings of my grandma is still heart wrenching.

On WikiTree, I already summed up nearly 400 contributions this month. blush The {{Died Young}} sticker was obviously updated in a way and I took the opportunity to correct the place names in some early profiles of mine to historically correct naming and to check the boxes for "no spouse/no children". As those are some easy things to work on, you can amass lots of contributions in a short time.

Stay safe, keep the distance (yeah, I know I'm boring) and have a great weekend

by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
Great find, Jelena! All it takes sometimes is just one document.

Did you get your plants out on the balcony? What's out there this year?
We did get the plants out. There are geraniums, lavender, different kinds of mint, lemon melissa, thyme, rosemary, basil and oregano. This year it's more a spice garden than a flower garden.
i would never have geraniums on my balcony, if I had one.  Ever since I was a child I have had to contend with dry heaves if anyone crushed the leaves of my mother's plants.  And I had one particular brother who delighted doing it to me.  I avoid nursery sales near Memorial Day for the same reason.  The spices sound delightful.  What an advantage to have your own FRESH ones to use for cooking.  And some would just smell lovely if some one just crushed the plant leaves.
Sometimes boring is way better than exciting.
True that, Paul. I only need a little excitement in my life just once in a while.
+21 votes
Hello Everyone, how is things going, I am still working on my son's cousins family in KY , I did go to a cookout last Saturday evening to Quebeck/Walling community center, saw 2 of mother's siblings, and my aunt by marriage, it was nice to get out and see people ,
by Janine Isleman G2G6 Pilot (101k points)
I bet it was nice to get out and see people, Janine. It was a long two year for a lot of us who were more careful than others during the pandemic. Glad to made the event!
+21 votes
Thunder and lightning, and a downpour, last night. Then, promptly at 6 this morning, more thunder and lightning. I managed to get the dog's walk in between downpours. This afternoon there is hail.

The weather, fortunately, cooperated on Memorial Day, last Monday, long enough for the ceremony in the cemetery. I was the emcee; I spoke, then the mayor spoke, and the brass band played. Afterward I told the mayor I should have spoken longer; he just said, "more time for me!"

Immediately afterward I met with a student who is writing a research paper on the meeting of white and Indian cultures in the earliest days of Mukilteo. We went down to the archives and I was on my feet for a couple of hours tracking down sources. Just like library research in the old days. I brought up the 1870 Census on FamilySearch for him and showed him the intermarriages. All the kids (not many) in Mukilteo in 1870 were to white fathers and Indian mothers.

I have been working on the Kevin Bacon challenge in the last couple of days. Although descendants of my Quaker ancestors are related to Kevin's Quaker ancestors, I am finding few sources. I am not sure where my Quaker sourcebooks are now located; maybe in the garage/library across the hail-covered lawn.

I decided to hover around 10 to13 degrees from Kevin, which is where I have made a few connections.

Yesterday I made a great effort to organize the fabric in my bedroom, and another great effort to cut scraps into rational-size pieces. If I want them crazy instead of rational then I let them alone.

I will return to the perpetual search for more relatives. My best to you all. Happy Pentecost on Sunday.
by Margaret Summitt G2G6 Pilot (313k points)
A researcher's job never ends, Margaret. How kind of you to help that student out, even if it meant being on your feet that long.

The mayor's comment... just like a politician, right?

Have a wonderful Pentecost Sunday (we call it Whitsunday here).
+21 votes

Hello and well met!

Back home on the Massachusetts coast this weekend. It is overcast today and a delightfully cool 60 degrees F at 7:30 pm with 4 day forecast of sunny with highs in the mid 70s. Perfect weather for outside research!

This week I've done most of my genealogy work elsewhere, in woodside Cemetery in Westminster, Massachusetts, on ancestry.com, and familysearch.com, prepping for another surge on Wikitree.

On Wikitree, I worked towards filling in the children of my gr grandfather, Edmund Boody Reed, 

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Reed-28976 It's complicated and a bit convoluted so it took a while to get all to profiles up so I can complete the connections, which I relate in a detailed comment to Pip's post.

Happy hunting! 

by Anonymous Reed G2G6 Pilot (175k points)
You know, A, I gotta admire someone who can work on multiple sties at the same time. My brain just won't work that way.
It can be slow going but I can cross reference for accuracy and pick up some bits and pieces here and there. One life goal is now to add links to ancestry tree of those same people on wikitree and family search. The ancestry tree allows me to check ahead when I create a profile on Wikitree to sort out the connections to the main tree.

I wish I could quit ancestry because of the expense, but it has the most documents available for my now 31,000 relatives. I feel that if I make an error there, then I haven't dragged everyone else with me. Also, I'm curious about the quarter million hints!
+20 votes
Hi Folks,

Greetings from Braman Corners, and a big thank you to Pip, for hosting.  We've been busy in the garden, and doing odds and ends.  We finally had some overdue rain, which was greatly appreciated, in the gardens.  Sadly, it also means the grass will grow with renewed vigor, and our endless lawn will need attention.  Two more tractors left home for a new owner.  I thought it would make me sad, but I feel only relief at the loss of responsibility.

I continue with rereadings.  I also finished Fanny Trollope's Domestic Manners of the Americans, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

My genealogical week began with working on my grandparent's neighbors on Grand Island, with the 1950 census, proceeded to a granduncle, and moved on to recently found Decker ancestors.  I moved on to local Putman profiles, after finding a great historic marker site.  I still have some work to do, there.  Finally, I worked on adding links to Dutch Reformed Church Records, for obscure unindexed Family Search Image and Book records.  I am continually amazed at how rich, wide, and deep their records are.  They are poorly catalogued, entirely unindexed, and often found through serendipity, while searching for something else.

Thank you all for the connections.
by Mark Weinheimer G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
Hey, Mark, if you ever need any rain, just give me a call. They don't call it Rainsylvania down here for nothing!
Normally, Pip, we're Inundated, at least until July.  It's been a strange year, less snow than normal, and an unusually dry spring.  I'm not complaining, as the old farm adage goes, the dry years will scare you to death, but it's the wet years that will kill you.
Mark, you are so right. I remember very well digging drainage ditches with a shovel, sometimes during the rain, to get the water out of low area of our farm. Water IS a killer.
The dry weather was a real blessing, for the removal of our farm machinery.  The workmen were able to collect it all, with their skid steer, without horribly rutting things up.  Sometimes we get a good break with the weather.  I also remember years when planting season was delayed by a month or more and the utter despair that entailed.  I am greatly relieved to leave those concerns to others, now.
Spring was here in Germany also too warm (IIRC the 8th year in a row) and too dry (4th year in a row I think). Yesterday afternoon it showered strong but short. Mum says, about 5km away from us, where she was, there were only a few drops. We could use a few days of continuous rain.

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