"Welcome to the New Year Eve Weekend Chat" All Members are Invited!! 29 - 31 December 2017

+16 votes
1.1k views

image

New Members Saying Hello (our favorite!)

Puzzles by Laura Bozzay

"Today Is" by Dorothy Barry

Eddie's Picks - Movies & Music

Where in the World is Steve Today?

Members Checking in via "All About the Weekend Chat"

Have fun and let others know you liked their posts... click the stars and mark answers you like as "best".  Those posts will be temporarily highlighted by being placed as the first answer in the chat for a while.  Members will also receive email notification (unless they opted out) that let them know you liked what they did.

At the end of the weekend "best answer" will be removed as all answers are equal in the eyes of the Chat.  Click to learn more.

It's ok.... go for it!

imageThe 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 many will enjoy their multitude of reading options.

Weekend Chat 30 June - 2 July 2017

Enjoy yourself and spread good will :)

Happy New Year Everyone!!

WikiTree profile: David Selman
in The Tree House by David Selman G2G Astronaut (1.3m points)
Happy New Years David, thanks for hosting!
Happy New Year's from Beautiful SW Florida!
Ditto to what everyone said thank you for hosting Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat. Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
It has been fun and close to time for some ZZZZzzzz's. Have a great week.

28 Answers

+14 votes
 
Best answer

Thanks to Russ Gunther's encouragement to join the recent Military Challenge, I spent several few weeks working on profiles for veterans in my family.  I completed only four profiles for the challenge (compared to 244 completed by Russ!) and continued to work on one profile after the challenge ended:  Alexander Cragle.  I finally finished working on his profile tonight and am proud to report that it is as complete and well-sourced as I can make it.

I realize how incomplete many of my family profiles are, so my New Year's resolution is to focus my WikiTree activity on those profiles and participate in the challenges that will help me attain that goal, such as the Biography Builders challenges.

by Star Kline G2G6 Pilot (715k points)
selected by Russ Gunther
Russ is a great resource!  He helped fix a couple of my profiles that needed some military explanations.   He made them make sense and look good!
Ditto Laura, and Star. Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
Thank you, Star! Have a wonderful, safe and great New Year.
Thank you for your kind words Star!

It was a fun challenge, simple (except that adding new veterans always involves adding profiles of all of their known tree too, of course)! I also enjoyed going back to existing veteran profiles to improve them! I really appreciate the fine fellow WikiTreers we have here volunteering together in collaboration.

Happy and Healthy New Year 2018 to everyone!
+13 votes
by Laura Bozzay G2G6 Pilot (824k points)
This week's great puzzle. Thank you, Laura!
This is going to take all weekend to figure out!  Just looking real quick, I think I got the Hawaiian, Italian, Spanish, and Latin. Ooh!  And the Hebrew!
Some are easy and some are really hard.  The answers are in the answer folder at the url I listed above.
Thanks for a great puzzle as usual Laura. Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
I got Spanish, Italian and French. It'd take forever to get the others.
Great puzzle - I think I got the Indonesian one too. Happy New Year everyone.
+15 votes

This Week’s Tips

  1.  Run your suggestions report.  This is located under the menu path of My WikiTree and then pick Suggestions.  These are the things that might need your attention.  If everyone did this one thing and corrected any suggestions that need correcting or marking those as False Errors that are really, ok as is, it will go a long way to helping make our tree healthy.
  2. Look for unconnected people and try to connect them to the main tree.  If you can’t post the info to G2G and maybe someone else can help to connect the profile(s) you find.  You can run this just for your watchlist https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Special:Unconnected   The link is found under the Find menu icon on your WikiTree pages.
  3. Need some private help?  Contact a Mentor.  Under the Find menu select Mentor.  Mentors are experienced Wiki Genealogists who are happy to help others resolve their WikiTree problems.  The list will display names of Mentors ready to help.  To contact a mentor, click on their name, then send them a private message from their profile page.
  4. Review your Family List.  The Family List enables you to see more of a person's ancestors and descendants than anywhere else on WikiTree — up to 29 generations all on one page!  To understand how to use this feature review the information found on the help pages at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Family_List.  To see the list itself, go to your WikiID menu icon and select Family List from the drop down list.  You can select the number of generations you want to see.  If there is an (m) it means you are the PM for that profile.   By reviewing the list you may find siblings that are missing or children who are missing.  It is a good way to see everyone in one place.   
by Laura Bozzay G2G6 Pilot (824k points)
Great tips, thank you, Laura!
Thanks for the tips! I really appreciate the mentoring help that I've received. I've recently started looking at the Suggestions from my profile, where it goes back many generations to those I have connected to. I can see enough work here to keep me busy for many years!
Ditto to what David and Kay said Laura. Great tips. Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
I run it every week. I didn't have any suggestions this week. Oh well. I always find it funny when they say Francescoantonio or some other Italian name is spelled "oddly" to them. I'm like "It's in the record, chief."

Great tip. Always use the suggestions box. Sometimes it cracks me up when talking about the Italian profiles I have made. Note. More are coming!
Laura, so helpful! Always!!  --Thanks, thanks, thanx!
BUT, WHAT does "PM" mean????? (not prime minister, assuredly).
PM= Private message
Thanks, Chris --and to all of you. These suggestions are much appreciated!!
No problem. =D
+14 votes

What are your New Year Traditions and Resolutions??

New Year's resolution

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Early 20th-century New Year's resolution postcards

New Year's resolution is a tradition, most common in the Western Hemisphere but also found in the Eastern Hemisphere, in which a person resolves to change an undesired trait or behavior, to accomplish a personal goal or otherwise improve their life.

by David Selman G2G Astronaut (1.3m points)
I have had to neglect a lot of my friends the last few years due to family health issues that resulted in the death of both parents within 45 days of each other.  Being what used to be called the executor of the estate and is now called the personal representative, I spent all of 2016 dealing with estate issues.  

Then 2017 the focus was back on the business my business partner and I own. Plus welcoming a new grandchild and making sure the first grandchild did not feel lost in the shuffle of the new one.    

So I have had little time for the social fun I am used to. So this year my resolution is to get back to more of a normal work life balance and make sure I touch base with the friends I have not seen much of over the past few years.  I am blessed with friends who understood and have given me the time and space I needed to do what I had to do during that time period.  Just knowing they were there for me helped me get through the hardest parts of the last few years.
Our tradition is that we don't make resolutions! Simply put, people can't keep them
Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat. I resolve to be more peaceful and do what I am told or asked. To work even more to get things done around the house for my mother. To be more coorperative and not arguing so much.
Thank you David for posting this about New Year's resolutions. You gave me an idea for a great question on our g2g forum!!! I would like to invite everyone to check it out if I may, at the link below, and if you have an idea or two, please join in the conversation!!!  
https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/529984/some-suggestions-for-wikitree-2018-new-years-resolutions
Our family does not do resolutions typically. I would say however ,that I would love to have a closer relationship with my sister and have tried to work on it . I have tried to be more understanding , less judgmental  and forgiving. Having said this I cannot control what her perception of things are or change the way she sees my attitude.  

So mY New Year's resolution would be to wish everyone a safe and healthy year. The love of your family and whatever is your wish this year. Mine is acceptance of what I can't change ,and to be very happy with what i do have!
Deborah I know how you feel mine is the same as yours and ditto to what you said.Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
+13 votes
by Eddie King G2G6 Pilot (690k points)
Thanks, Eddie!
Babs had a wonderful voice.  Sad life in some ways.
She is awesome. You want to see something really cool? Look up Lindsey Sterling on YouTube. Her stuff is AMAZING!
Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
+13 votes

Martin Sheen

Nick Nolte

when they were young !

Movie Movie

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb3tnmeGjek

 

by Eddie King G2G6 Pilot (690k points)
Thanks, Eddie!
Never heard of this one.  Thanks for sharing it.
Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
+12 votes
Had a great Christmas ... was in Breckenridge (Colorado, not Texas!! lol) ... got a foot of snow on Christmas eve!  Brother-in-law cooked the standard prime rib on Christmas day ... my wife made twice baked potatoes and green chile and cream cheese corn ... good times.

Had another Christmas get together with my daughter and family on Wednesday as they were on their way to see her sister-in-law's family.  As I mentioned previously, that means we get the dog and the rabbit for a few days.  They didn't bring the rabbit cage as daughter thought the rabbit could just hang out in an old plastic swimming pool ... well, today I get up and my wife has put the rabbit in the carry-case as it was jumping out of the pool.  So, now I'm about to make a wire fence to keep it confined to the pool ... lol.

Hope everyone has a great New Year's celebration and on throughout 2018.
by Bob Jewett G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
Happy New Year, Bob! Sounds like you and the family has a wonderful Christmas.
Sounds like you had a great holiday, with rabbit memories for years to come. We are now enjoying the vegetable beef soup leftovers from the rib roast.
Ooh, that sounds good, Kay.  We also make a beef soup, Beef Stroganoff soup ... rib eye steak, mushrooms, lots of stuff, egg noodles ... give me a yell and I'll send the recipe to you.
That rascally rabbit!
Well as I said in the other weekend chat they came on December 24 and left December 25th at 5:00 p.m. I wasn't able to start decorating till Saturday and didn't finish decorating till the got here at 3:30 p.m December 24th and then I also had to fix what I was contributing to the meal also after everybody got here. Then I had to wrap up the presents and I was up on the December 24th at 12:30 and on December 23rd I was up until 1:30 a.m. on December 24th decorating. So I was very tired tonight. We had ham, cherry cheesecake pie, creamed potato, broccoli casserole, cauliflower with cheese melted over it, pineapple casserole, jellied cranberry sauce, green beans, and deviled eggs for our Christmas dinner at lunch time. We have since 2011 or since mom has had problems with her back also and her arthritis diease us kids have been bring and fixing things for us to eat for the meals when we get together anymore. Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
Bob, I'd love to have that recipe too!  (The first official meal I cooked for my also young husband (first marriage) was Hamburger Strogonoff. --so, about your soup:  it too as a certain sentimental value and it will taste much better).
+13 votes

Happy almost new year to everyone!

I hope you all are enjoying the cold...NOT!

The good news is the days are starting to get longer. The bad news it is cold out.

 

My New Years Resolution is to solve this list:

 

Top 10 Most Wanted Ancestors List 1.Samuel Redner 2.Sarah Benjamin 3.James Denton 4.Laurence A Selby 5.Thomas Conklin 6.John Granger 7.Camilla Wright 8.John Wood 9.Henry G Barnes 10.Mary Foster



 

I hope everyone has a wonderful 2018!

by Doug Lockwood G2G Astronaut (2.6m points)
Doug try posting about each of the in G2G.  Someone else may have the piece you need to make those connections!
Ditto to what every one said. Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
Thank you, Doug! Wishing you the best in 2018.
+17 votes

Today is....

                           

Tick Tock Day reminds us only two days are remaining in the year.  Do you have any unfinished business that needs to be done in this calendar year?  Is there something big you want to accomplish yet this year?  Now is the time to finish up as the clock is ticking!

HOW TO OBSERVE

Complete any unfinished business from this year.

History of Tick Tock Day

Every year people look forward to New Year’s Eve to establish their New Year’s Resolutions, which of course rarely if ever come to pass. But what of the last precious moments of the year already passed? Tick Tock Day urges us to make the most of this time to complete those tasks that can be done in that time, and further to remind us just how much can be done in a short amount of time if you truly urge yourself forward.

Did you intend to.. maybe add a relative you've been holding out on, to WikiTree.. or perhaps add sources or update existing profiles you have added or manage... How about finding and adding a photo or two on some of your ancestors. Maybe post that question you been wanting to ask but you keep forgetting....

 All of these things are possible in the last fading moments of the year, don’t let them go to waste! Maybe your unfinished work is of a more personal nature. Did you intend to.... reconcile an old friendship this year? Or close an old fissure between you and a family member? Maybe you finally wanted to take a moment to set something right and just never found the time. That time is now.. Tick Tock Day!

Sources: 

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/tick-tock-day-december-29/

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/tick-tock-day/

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)

Thank you, Dorothy! Do you have any unfinished business that needs to be done in this calendar year? Yes and thanks for the reminder, I need to repair or fix the old school house clocks that have stopped working, one I know has one of the two main springs broken. They are so old I am sure the works are worn out and I might just buy new manufactured mechanical works for them and later repair the old works for later use.

Wishing you a wonderful, safe and prosperous New Year!

Thanks for the information David and Dorothy. Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
It seems like that clock is faster all the time!
+13 votes
Wishing everyone a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year.

What are your genealogy and WikiTree resolutions for the coming year?

My short term goals are to finish offline research for my gg grandfather's descendants and add them to WikiTree. After that I plan to connect my Reed and Sanford ancestors to the tree, and begin working on some "easy" surnames like Burk, Green, Salisbury, and Knight.

On WikiTree, I hope to keep contributing, particularly with adding good sources to existing profiles, and encouraging others to do the same. I seem to encounter quite a few profiles that are in need of GEDCOM cleanup, so am starting to also tackle some of those.
by Kay Knight G2G6 Pilot (593k points)
I have an 8th Great Grandmother from Aberdeenshire Scotland area named Christian Knight.  If you find a connection let me know!  Mine married James Penny July 7, 1715.
Sounds like you have a good plan for the coming year, Kay. I usually do not make New Year resolutions that way I do not have any to break. LOL!!
That is a good idea David. Thanks for the information Kay and Laura. Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
I am trying to fix some issues with ones I entered in 2017 then I have entire branches to keep adding in 2018.  I hope to get at least 1000 new profiles entered in 2018 or more....
+13 votes

Our sheet is doing better and more people are starting to use the chat.This sheet is free to use by everyone who wants to. It has multiple tabs across the bottom with different spreadsheets along with an "Info" tab which gives tips and tricks in a handy location. Easily bookmarkable. If any group besides Data Doctor has a use for an online spreadsheet feel free to make a tab and join the crowd.

http://tinyurl.com/Doctorsheet spreadsheet
http://prntscr.com/hk72jy instructions

 

by Steven Tibbetts G2G6 Pilot (407k points)
Thanks, Steven!
Ditto to what you said Steven and David. Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
Is the printable one free of typing in the slots we must fill in? I assume (never! who me?) it is.
+14 votes
We started a new tradition this year for Christmas Eve and did the Feast of the Seven Fishes!  It was a rousing success!  We had more like 10 fishes, but whatever.  All the food came out fantastic.  For Thanksgiving, I had asked that my mother and sister come over early and we all cook together.  Well, they cheated and brought food to be re-heated, so they just watched me cook.  My sister is also not a great cook and brought burned vegetables and flat mashed potatoes.  Don't ask.

So, they listened to me and we did all cook together.  Everything came out great.  No burned Brussels sprouts!

For New Years' Eve we eat 12 grapes at midnight and I drink a bottle of champagne (my husband doesn't drink).  For the day, I have black-eyed peas and collard greens (my husband does not understand collard greens).  Been lucky so far!

I don't do resolutions, but I will continue to work very hard to get the African-American project in tip, top shape!
by Lucy Selvaggio-Diaz G2G6 Pilot (821k points)
Hi Lucy sounds like you and your family had a great Christmas. New Years would not be the same without having black-eyed peas and greens. I like collard, mustard and turnip greens even mixed and sauteed with onions and crispy bacon. Have a great New Years!
Ditto to what everyone said. Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
Cooking in my opinion is part chemistry, part art,and part creativity.  Food is a universal ice breaker and it is always fun to try something someone brings that is new.  Sounds like you had a very southern coastal style meal.  But the fun of doing the cooking together (even if some of it was more reheating) is very special.
It sounds like you had a great time with food and family. After doing genealogy and finding all my New England ancestors, I’m not surprised that it’s taking some time to acquire a taste for collard greens, which need salt pork to taste ok. I still miss steak and eggs and greens (with olive oil and garlic) from the very Italian town of Rome, NY.

Flat mashed potatoes! Haha. Reminds me of an aunt who could destroy most everything...except Jello with fruit in it.
+14 votes

Hi everyone!! I hope your Christmas holiday was exciting, and filled with surprises for the most part. 

Ours was a little different this year, as the kids went to their children's homes for Christmas and so we got to spend ours with the pets and a few friends stopping by. We did get to see the kids and their families later on in the week though. I was happy we didn't have snow nor got stuck in the ice. Just cold... temps in the teens at night but moved up to just above freezing during the day. 

Yesterday I was going through my Christmas photos from years past plus this month and found an interesting comparison. As you can see we went from a large Christmas tree to a table top Christmas tree. But check out the decorations, not knowingly, we decorated both trees similar to include the star on top. But the decorations used recently were not the same ones, but they sure look like it don't they!!

 

                                       Onward to  "2018"!

Well today, I am looking forward in anticipation for a great new year. As I walked with my oldest son a few weeks back, and came up upon a small bridge, I thought that sometimes you have to cross over to new beginnings, and that also includes living the retired life, not worrying about deadlines or getting to work on time etc. For some of you that may be the case. For others it may be a new job, maybe a promotion, or even celebrating a new family member being born. Here's hoping your new journey into 2018 is without stress, or fear but with joy to see what it will bring. May you all have a very Happy New Year!! 

                            

 

by Sandra Davidson G2G6 Pilot (188k points)
Hi Sandra, yes both trees do look quite a bit alike! Both are well done and look great! My wife and I do not put up a large tree anymore with just the two of us at home. We also are having a second Christmas tomorrow with our oldest grandson and his wife and one year old daughter ( one of our 4 great grandchildren ).They have been away visiting her parents for the last week. Hope your Christmas was filled with family and happiness! Wishing you a great, safe and prosperous New Year.

Sorry for the typo, trying to multitask and I know better!! I have a one-track mind!!!!
Thanks David. Appreciate that!  Sounds like we had something in common with our relatives and children spending Christmas elsewhere; and we.. with "just the two of us"... But doesn't it makes life interesting, and we sure do get pampered when we do get to go visit our extended families during the holidays!!
Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
Sometimes having quiet time by yourselves is really nice.  There is so much to do at this time of year it is often nice to do some things without having people over or having to go somewhere.  This year we are doing a quiet New Years Eve.  I am kind of looking forward to that.  I need some down time!
+13 votes
Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat. Well for a change I am here on time and will be here all weekend this time. No problems this Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat. If there comes up problems I will express them.
by Living Barnett G2G6 Pilot (500k points)
Linda glad everything has calmed down for you and you are here with us!
I am too it was getting very crazy there now it isn't I am glad.

Thank you, Linda! Wishing you the best in 2018.

+15 votes

Spreading goodwill? How about connecting a fellow user and sourcing part of their tree in the process. Not because that was what you were trying to do but as part of the rabbit hole which resulted. Sure, that does leave other parts of their ancestry unsourced, but it is a start. 

As for project progress, not sure which project should be reported on.... Let's put it this way - 12 to pick from!

by Richard Shelley G2G6 Pilot (245k points)
Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
Thank you, Richard! Have a great New Year.
+16 votes
I  picked up my mail this afternoon and found two pieces of mail.  One
was my dull old electric bill.  The other was an interesting package
which yielded a BRIGHT tee shirt.  It was my prize for participation
in the source-a-thon!  It is almost the color of the camellia bush in
full bloom outside of my trailer.   Printed on the front there is a ship, under full sails, where I can imagine my ancestors were on board in the 1700s as they approached a new land.  The logo says "My ancestors
arrived on the Juneflower".  Maybe that is or isn't the name of the ship
my forefathers were on but it doesn't matter to me.  I can't wait to
sashay into my computer class for seniors at our local library and show it off.  They all know I am doing genealogy and ask about it occasionally.
I even recruited one new member for wikitree.  I love it!!  They will
be surprised because I never told them I had won it.
by Beulah Cramer G2G6 Pilot (565k points)
Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat. Congrulations Beulah.
Thank you.  And good wishes for you and yours for the coming year.
Wear it with pride.  Well deserved!

Congratulations on the new BRIGHT tee shirt!

Bravo, Beulah!! !
+12 votes
In the frozen wastes of New Hampshire, one guy managed to break the ice sheath that was once his driveway, That man is me.  To say it's been cold here is a bit of an understatement. For Christmas eve we got a ton of snow and the driveway became a sheet of ice. I chopped it. I talked to Susan Anderson about the ice. She said to be careful. No kidding.

Had my birthday two days ago where I turned 29 for the tenth time. I still feel like I'm one of the younger members of the site. I know I am a little older than Eddie King. But, still. Born in '78 and saw some...strange things. If you grew up in the 80s, you remember the cartoons that sold toys and the Christmas classic that is Die Hard.

Had a great Christmas. Got a Nintendo Switch and watched the Doctor Who Christmas special. That was cool. Side note. Wikitree...y'all need to make profiles for the actors who played the Doctor! I think I found Hartnell.

Got a few updates. Friend of mine went to the Familysearch Familycenter to check out what there was for Ferraiolo in the records. There are two reels of film. The writing is bad, but, not totally unreadable.  You just need a translator.

Been working on the Hamels with Danielle. She corrected me on a few name spellings. Some French names are hard.

Other than that, I'm working on my New Years' comic. Gonna be doing a video soon. I hadn't done a comic review in a while as I've been busy and my computer wasn't running well. Got Windows 10 and now everything works great!

Hope everyone has a great new Year. My goal is to just fill in more people at this point. On my Quebecois side and the American Side I have pretty solid ground thanks to the big tree. I'lll be needing to fill them in.

Just be warned, Wikitree. The Italians are coming. And this will be sure to make Mr. Mike Maranda over at Italian_Roots very happy.

I think that's a lot of shameless namedropping for now. What was that? Three? Four wikitreers? Have a great new year, everyone!
by Chris Ferraiolo G2G6 Pilot (756k points)
I have heard mention of a Polar Vortex which accounts for the extreme cold temps that the eastern eastboard is currently undergoing...
Meanwhile in Maine we just go 5 mph slower and continue on. LOL
We're complaining about the cold now. Just wait until June/July. We New Englanders do complain a lot. Haha.

Steve, this is true. Very true.
Great stuff Chris... and I've even heard of a Nintendo Switch!! My son's girlfriend got one for Christmas too.
Nice. I got Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and Mario. Great games. =D
Happy Belated Birthday, Chris! 10 X 29 = 290 so I do not think you're quite that old!!
How do you know I'm not? I could be a Time Lord. =P But, yes. 29 for the tenth time. That would be 39. I turned 29 in 2007 and it stops as far as I'm concerned. =P
actually you would be 38. 39 would be 29 for the 11th time.
Hmm. Yeah. You're right. Oops. Lol
39...yes I am old enough to be your mother!  My oldest is turning 40 this year.  But I don't mind counting another year.  It is adding another year of learning and experiences.  Nothing wrong with that!
I imagine I am one of the youngest people here. I am a little older than Eddie King. He was born in the '80s. =)

I recently told someone I age like a fine wine. =) Besides, I still look younger than I am. My dad says that's a good thing. =D
Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat. I am the oldest I was born 1959 which makes me 58.
Thanks for selecting this as best answer. Had I known, I'd have gone for a story of epic proportions. I was on a snow covered battlefield. My tauntaun was fading fast. I knew he would perish and I would have to seek solace inside the smelly creature....
+13 votes
Well my chat with my mother and sister down in NZ went well.

I am currently looking into my mothers adoptive maternal line - the family that is legally hers , but not biologically hers. I dont have them up on wikitree yet - am still looking for names and dates. It also doesnt help that they used to go back and forth across the "Ditch" (aka the Tasman Sea) between NZ and Australia on a regular basis!! The 100 year limit on births for NZ records, doesn't help either.

Signing off from chat today was interesting - see you next year (and next week) LOL

It snowed again today and my other half was required to go and do some shopping - to get enough food to last us a through a 4 day weekend.

We dont celebrate anything except to maybe stay up and watch the ball drop in Times Square - but that's all.

We don't need to watch or see any firework displays. With a park right next to our apartment building, we get the neighbours letting off fireworks and rockets (some of which may or may not be illegal) pretty much right outside our windows so I'm positive that we dont miss any celebrating at all!! LOL

Otherwise we will have a quiet New Years like we usually do.

Happy New Years to everyone at Wikitree!!

May 2018 be a great year for genealogy!!
by Robynne Lozier G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
PS I am starting up the 52 Ancestors weekly challenge for 2018 if anyone is interested in joining in.

Details on this thread - https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/529844/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-challenge?show=529925#c529925

I guess you can all this my New Years Resolution - to do this every week for 52 weeks!!
Happy New Year, Robynne! Wishing you the best in 2018!
Ditto to what everyone said. Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
+14 votes
New Year Greetings everyone from sunny NSW. Its 32 degrees outside today, so pretty warm, but a lovely sea breeze. I'm going to make a New Year's resolution to drop in to the Weekend Chat at least once every weekend.

Also my WikiTree year in review ... I only started on WikiTree about the middle of January this year (even though I originally created my profile a few years earlier) but now I'm hooked. I've had a wonderful time learning the basics and getting the bulk of my closer ancestors up on WikiTree. I've had fun connecting, sourcing, data doctoring and arboring for the WikiTree community, and contributing especially to the England Project. Just recently I've joined the Mentors. I guess my enduring impression, apart from the fantastic resource that WikiTree is for genealogists and family historians, is the huge number of wonderful people on WikiTree who contribute to making it the welcoming, encouraging and collaborative online community that it is!
by Gillian Thomas G2G6 Pilot (261k points)
Thank you, Gillian, for your contributions to WikiTree and your participation in projects.It has been cool to cold here and is going to be in the low teens at night starting Sunday. Possible freezing mist, rain Sunday or Monday.
Gillian, glad to have you join us here.  Thanks for volunteering with all those projects!
Ditto to what everyone said especially David and Laura and you Gillian. Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
+14 votes

Today (Saturday, Dec 30th) is Christmas Tree recycle Day or "Falling Needles" Family Day. 

             

This day is a reminder for those of us who enjoyed a live Christmas tree over the holidays to clean it up and recycle it.  So.. I thought I would post this the night before (well it's now 1 am Saturday, but anyway) so you could get to work early Saturday morning lol !!!  

There are several ways to recycle your Christmas tree, giving new life to both it and your New Year’s resolutions to live lighter on our planet.

1. Living Christmas trees that come with their roots intact can, of course, be planted and enjoyed for many years. Pack the earth ball containing the roots in a bucket with sawdust, potting soil or other mulch. Keep the soil continually moist. Plant outdoors as soon as possible after Christmas.

2. A whole Christmas tree makes an excellent bird feeder for your backyard. Stick the tree in the ground or leave it in its stand. A wide variety of birds will be attracted by suet, cranberry and popcorn strings, stale bread and dried, chopped fruit in mesh bags. If you grow sunflower seeds, simply hang the whole sunflower head on the tree. Your family will discover that chickadees, song sparrows, cardinals and a host of other birds come for the food and stay for the shelter.  

3. Cut off all the branches and use the trunk to edge a garden. The trunk can also be strategically placed in your garden as a resting spot for birds, squirrels and other little critters. 

4. Place whole evergreen boughs on perennial beds or nursery rows to protect them from winter freezes and spring thaws. The boughs provide the steady temperatures that most plants need. Or, just use the boughs as post-Christmas house decorations.

5. Many communities throughout the country have tree-recycling programs, in which trees are collected from residents and then chopped up and used as mulch for plants in community parks and gardens. To find out if such a program exists near you, call city hall. Or, have your tree chipped at a local garden center and use it yourself for ground cover or mulch. (Or promise the gardener in your life this belated gift!)

6. The trunk can be sawed into logs and burned in your fireplace. Note: Don’t burn the branches, since they can send off sparks. This article offers excellent firewood splitting tips.

7. Both trunk and branches can be used by woodworking hobbyists to make any number of items, such as Christmas reindeer, birdhouses, candlesticks or paperweights. Feeling boldly confident? Try whittling your family portrait!

8. Use the needles to make aromatic potpourris and sachets to enjoy year-round. After removing the decorations, strip branches of their needles, which will retain their pungency indefinitely in brown paper bags.

9. If you still have your Christmas tree out in the yard when warm weather appears, there’s still a use for it. If permitted in your community, burn the branches and spread the ashes in your garden. The branches contain valuable nutrients and minerals that can enrich the soil and help yield better flowers and vegetables.

Source: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/ways-to-recycle-christmas-trees.html

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/falling-needles-family-fest-day-december-30/

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
Great tree tips Dorothy!   I read something here were the Park Service sinks them into lakes for fish habitats.
Great tips. I don’t know if it is still done, but in Virginia Beach there was a program to put Christmas trees along the dune line at the ocean to help replenish the dunes, as the blowing sands would cover them. Other waterfront communities may have similar programs.
They were all great tips. Hello everyone to the Happy New Year WikiTree weekend chat.
Great idea on recycling the trees! Thank you, Dorothy.

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