"Welcome to the Weekend Chat!" All Members Invited!! March 29th - 31st, 2019 [closed]

+20 votes
2.7k views

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New Members Saying Hello (our favorite!)

Puzzles and Tips 

"Today Is" 

Movies & Music

Where in the World?  Share your photos!

Members Checking in via "All About the Weekend Chat"

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Click here if Interested in Hosting the Weekend Chat and earning a Guest Host Sticker? 

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: What a great Chat! See you in April!
in The Tree House by Pip Sheppard G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
closed by Pip Sheppard
Thanks for hosting Pip.  Yes please, pictures of your wife's hard work.  Especially the carved top.

Welcome to Michele Bond and I agree with "wish I found Wikitree earlier"  I have no one to ask questions of about our family, my mom knew everything and my interest started after she passed.  She would have LOVED this !!  Oh well at least I am helping my first cousins discover their roots.
@Nelda: it means we men don’t have to do all the other chores on our wives’ lists!!
@Nicole: if my Grandpa was stil alive, he’d be sitting right here beside me passing on loads of info. If I’d only asked all my present questions back then!
Pip, thank you for your amazing job hosting the chat.

Dorothy, thank you for your "Today Is" post, the chat would not be the same without your being here.

@CB: “in the snotty areas people will call the cops if you don't cut your grass!” Funny but true! laugh

Pip my husband's grandmother was in her 90s and still living in her home but she of course could not do yardwork and her neighbors called the cops on her for it!
That’s ridiculous!!
I have a neighbor who's out there every day with the leafblower... his driveway is spotless.  We once had the town called on us when we let the front get a bit out of hand (you could have lost our toddler in the grass!).  There was a house for sale up the street and I suspect the realtor called us in.  Recently we decided that time was more important than $$ and signed up for a yard service, just to mow.
Unsuspecting and uninformed me moved from the 'burbs' to 'cow town' about ten years ago. Faithfully mowing every week in the summer, I noticed that the neighbors would rudely let their grass grow. They were so lazy, they wouldn't mow it for MONTHS!! I was steaming mad but polite and didn't scold them for their sloth. One day as I was mowing on my little John Deere lawn tractor I see a giant combine machine come in and harvest the hay for the cows. THAT was embarrassing!
@Betty:  hahahaha  OMGoodness.... I laughed !!!  My sister is a farmer in Saskatchewan she would appreciate this story !!!

My other sister has a saying... "Leave it alone and it will fix itself"    See no need for you to complain.... it fixed itself.

37 Answers

+20 votes

Today is....

                                            

NATIONAL LEMON CHIFFON CAKE DAY

Lemon Chiffon Cake Day is observed annually on March 29th.

For a nice refreshing spring dessert, chiffon cake is a very light cake made with vegetable oil, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder and flavorings.  A fluffy texture is made by beating egg whites until stiff and folding them into the cake batter before baking.  Chiffon cakes tend to be lower in saturated fat than butter cakes, potentially making them healthier than their butter-heavy counterparts.

The recipe for the chiffon cake was a closely guarded secret for years.  In the 1920s angel food cake was quite popular, but Henry Baker thought he could make a lighter, richer cake. The insurance salesman turned caterer tinkered with ingredients until in 1927 he came upon the perfect combination of ingredients and methods to produce the airy richness he was looking for.  

Keeping the recipe to himself, he offered his services to the Brown Derby Restaurant in Los Angeles which catered to Hollywood’s elite.  Until 1947, Baker was the only person to bake chiffon cakes.  Then he sold the recipe to General Mills for an undisclosed amount and the rest is baking history.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Here are a few chiffon cake recipes:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/lemon-chiffon-cake
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/lemon-chiffon-cake/ef1ca334-5665-4da2-a03b-3a92a5f8767e
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lemon-chiffon-cake/

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)

Chiffon Cake is a health food, so I declare. Time to eat!! Anyone in Nashville up to making one for me?laugh

Thank you Dorothy! Looks yummy
Another good "food." I was surprised at how little lemon actually goes into it.
Thank you Dorothy for another yummy food group.  Lemons are very good for your health.  They are a source of antioxidants.
+22 votes

Today is also...

                                                                    

National Vietnam War Veterans Day on March 29 honors the men and women who served and sacrificed during the longest conflict in United States history.

It was on March 29, 1973, when combat and combat support units withdrew from South Vietnam. Generations later, Veterans of this time period are gaining the respect that was not so freely given upon their return. Involving five U.S. presidents, crossing nearly two decades and 500,000 U.S.military personnel, it left an indelible mark on the American psyche.

Returning Veterans did not always receive respectful welcomes upon their arrive on American soil. There were 58,000 killed, never to return. National Vietnam War Veterans Day recognize the military service of these men and women who answered the call to service their country when she needed them. They didn’t make the decisions to go to war.

On National Vietnam War Veterans Day, we recognize the service and duty rendered by all servicemen and women of this era.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Around the country, commemorative events, speeches and luncheons are being held inviting Vietnam Veterans as honored guests.  Thank a Vietnam Veteran.  Buy them a drink or lunch.  Send them a shout out through their Facebook page or on their WikiTree page!! 

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)

My hat is off to all our Vietnam vets and to all vets as well!

Shout out to all the WikiTree Veterans who served in Vietnam or areas nearby like Thailand etc. I served in "Camp Samae San", Sattahip, Thailand, 90 miles South of Bangkok!

Here is part of our group in Sumner County, Tennessee, Chapter 240, Vietnam Veterans of America; which I am in both photos!!

To people who select "Best answers" in the Weekend Chats: There is NO "Best answer" in the Weekend Chat. Please read above the first posting (not the comments, but the posting). "All postings are equally important, no matter what's their topic."
Correct, Jelena!

Not sure what that was about but we do have that policy (of no Best Answer) up top in the "Welcome Message" on every Weekend chat!!! Just vote up the answer you like on the left side of the answer. Vote all of them up actually wink

I'm clicking Dorothy - up, up and .,. up? (laughing) can't click 'away'
Although in the UK, the Vietnam war featured in the press, TV and radio.       I have the greatest respect for those who fought in that war. Most of whom would have been around my age...........
A prayer of thanks and gratitude to ALL our vets.
+19 votes
Hello Pip, and all the community members.

Great weather here in Central Pennsylvania.

Today is the National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Hats off to all those resting in our tree from that War, and all the families affected.

Been spending most of my time outside cleaning up the flower beds and yard, but work on suggestions while having my morning oatmeal and tea. One thing about working on suggestions, it is job security.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Stay safe and take care of each other.
by Rodney Long G2G6 Pilot (849k points)
I know you’re enjoying the warmer weather, Rodney. Y’all had a long winter up there.
Thank you as well Rodney for your military service!!!

PS: Check out his photo (a US Marine!!)
I’m with Dorothy! Thank you, Rodney!
Thank you Dorothy and Rodney for your military service.
Ditto what they said.
+18 votes
Down in the forest the blackthorn and gorse are in full bloom and the pussy willow is out; snowdrops have given way to celandines and a handful of harebells; the hawthorn leaves are breaking out. No sign from the oaks yet. Better hurry up. "Oak before Ash, splash, Ash before Oak, soak." It's not hot enough for the animals to seek the shade and cows, donkeys and ponies are about on all the roads. They stand or walk or even lie wherever they feel like it and ignore the traffic totally. We nearly got a pig for Sunday lunch. We don't like them being about, they're small enough that you don't spot them immediately and can be as skitish as a badly trained dog. Lovely day, not a cloud in the sky.
by C. Mackinnon G2G6 Pilot (332k points)
CK, I think everyone is thrilled winter is passing and beauty is replacing the starkness. There is a law in some states that if you hit it on the road, it’s yours to eat. Of course, there is the issue of car damage!

I rather think Cs been in the New Forest. There aren't many places where donkeys and pigs etc. are likely to be roaming freely.

https://www.newforestliving.co.uk/guides/new-forest-wildlife-animals

+19 votes

Hails and horns, Wikipeeps!

What are your plans tonight? CANCEL THEM!

Tonight is the night of the #genchat conversation on Twitter about Wikitree and you don't want to miss it as our our Debi Hoag will be on hand to talk about this website and more. It should be an hour of fun and excitement and opportunities to interact with the industry's finest. Be sure to check out all the details here: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/791116/genchat-and-wikitree-march-29

See you there!

On another genealogy front, you may have seen me post threads in the Genealogy Help section a lot this week. There's a reason for that. I've been going over the basics of various trees stemming from my colonial New England roots and some people are just making me scratch my head. Here's the latest thread:

https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/798944/the-parentage-of-molly-mary-standley

Some things are not adding up as much as they should. Especially with Mary/Molly here. Things didn't add up with the Smiths. And then there's the Andrews line. I dunno, guys. Some things don't feel right. So, I ask. It never hurts to ask. And if the Molly/Mary bit is incorrect, it isn't that hard to fix. Chop off one head and two more take its place! Wait. That's Hydra....

If the Bailey line is fixed up it's no biggie. I have no issue fixing things.

On the non genealogy front, I'm doing okay. Working on a comic for this weekend and I have several scripts ready to go. Been kind of scaling back on the video front. That's okay, though. Just more time to write! =D

Not much else to report. Thanks for hosting, Pip! 

by Chris Ferraiolo G2G6 Pilot (756k points)

Looking forward to Debi’s talk. I especially wan to thank you, Chris, for reposting this today as I would have forgotten, like usual.

Smith: the universal brickwall. I’ve got two of those! sad

Sorry Chris, but 2 or 3am is my bedtime, I already said on Twitter I'm gonna do a late read tomorrow morning :)

Don't you know the saying: "When you solve one problem in your tree there are 4 others coming up"? ;)
No problem, man. =) If you weren't gonna do it, you know I would. Plus we have that thread elsewhere. No harm in covering the bases. =D

I have like one other Smith. Her name was Thankful. All I have to go on with her is a basic birth date. That is gonna be tricky.
Jelena, if ever a truth was spoken... “4 others coming up.”
It's okay, Jelena. I look forward to your comments about it here on Saturday. Should be fun! =D

As for the saying, I've heard that. Nothing wrong with doing some editing every now and then. =)

Stuff in the 1600s can be tricky sometimes.

I just need something. ANYTHING that says Molly/Mary's parents weren't the ones we got here. And then I need a source.
No hydra's on this tree Chris, lol. Thanks for the reminder about the chat!
No problem! Hope to see you there!
Thanks for the follow, Mindy!
Writing myself a note right now.
Excellent! More people to join! =D
Smith - I think I have four! There is one that I would really give up a portion of my tree to solve!
John Smith? Yeah. I have one of them.

Anyway, we are about a half an hour away from #genchat! See you there!
#Genchat for Wikitree was a complete success! Did any of you follow it?
*raises hand* I was there

Still in recovery mode, a long early nap followed by pizza and then #genchat ... reading the archive and responding til 3:30am, then bed. Man, my sleep cycles are so confused.
Sleep is for confomists, Debi! You did great Friday night! =D Eowyn answered a few questions, too.
+17 votes
Hey, Pip!  Thanks for hosting the Chat!

Greetings all you Wonderful WikiTreers!

Spring has arrived, and quite welcome (even the wicked juniper pollen)!  All the snow is gone and ground mostly dry.  I can happily admit that I was wrong in predicting that I would have December snow still on the ground in April.  They are predicting some snow on Sunday, but I'll believe it if it happens.

I have reached the point in tax season where work goes out faster than it comes in, and most people are still getting good news.  Some people just don't get it.  Yesterday, a client expressed disappointment that his refund was $500 less than last year, and paying me will use almost all of it.  (Now I want to adjust his fee to eliminate 'almost.')  I had to point out to him that his total income was $5000 higher than 2017, and yet his total tax was $700 lower.  Still not happy.  Like Mom used to say, "You'd complain if we hanged you with a new rope!"

Wiki-Wise, I have dispatched all of last week's rabbits.  Time to hunt up some more.

Cheers,

Herb
by Living Tardy G2G6 Pilot (762k points)

Welcome to the Chat, Herbert. If you need some rabbits and looking for a change, I have a list of brickwalls on my profile page. Have at it! laugh

laugh Pip, I suspect Astronautical brick walls rise well above my modest abilities!

Hi Herb - I'm glad the snow is gone too! Enjoy the spring weather smiley

If tax season is almost finished does that mean we will be seeing more of your creations?
Hey Nicole!  Might be May before I get my mind right, but yes I expect to be folding whimsical critters again soon.
I love when you post those critters.  I tried that little origami thingy, boy you need dexterity to do that... How j'u do that.  I look forward to them.

There are lots of easy ones out there for beginners, cuz!  Go slow, and use a bigger piece of paper.  Here's a rerun:

If I succeed I will post what I have done, but not this weekend.  hmmm and then maybe not.  Actually as I am writing this I am watching Jo Nakashima do the Youtube Play Button.  And I did find the monkey and a few others of your creatures.
So glad you found Nakashimasan!  His tutorials are some of the best, which is why I get so many of my models from him.  Besides which, they range from pretty easy to wicked difficult.  He rates them by difficulty, for what it's worth.

Which reminds me.  I once watched a documentary about Eric Clapton, and the interviewer asked him about some riff or other.  EC said, in his English accent, "It's quite simple, actually."  All I could think was, "You.  Are.  Clapton."
Yes, I volunteer for AARP Tax-aide. People remember their refunds, not their taxes. They made a mistake adjusting withholding down. Many people would have been happier with bigger refunds! Hard to explain to people, "You are paying 200 less in taxes, but your refund is down".
Even if people didn't adjust their withholding down, our beneficent government did it for them.  The payroll tables for 2018 calculated lower withholding, to go with the new rates and brackets.  So if people tried to adjust it for themselves, on top of the new withholding tables, they compounded the problem.
@Herbert: origami = Herbert’s tax assistant.
+15 votes
Thanks for hosting again, Pip. Those probate records can be very informative and some take decades to complete. I hope your notes will encourage others to go down that path. Most of my ancestors were intestate and managed to give/sell property to their children before they died. A few had very interesting wills. my PEI ancestors mostly had wills but  nothing quite as interesting as yours.
by Doug McCallum G2G6 Pilot (527k points)
Doug, in my old age (60ish), I’m falling in love again.... with probate records.
60ish isn't old, but falling in love with probate records can happen at any age. The inventories can tell you a lot about the family. The fights can be enlightening. Mostly I like wills that tell me the wife's name and list all the children (especially if listed in birth order).

I'm mostly looking at land records at present. Those can give family information as well. That is the only way I know that my 4 greats grandfather's father was James.
Speaking of names of fathers: I have a lines of Moores. Three different “sources” named the progenitor John, Charles, and William. It was a Rev War pension application which gave the correct name, John. It is, so far as my research has discovered, the only documentary source for the name.
Those pension applications are another great resource. The 1812 ones can be as good. Those are the only source for the marriage between one set of my 3GGrandparents. Her affidavit saying who married them and when but that the JP never filed the marriage and the records were ultimately lost. Two other people also filed affidavits to that effect. So many people ignore records other than BMD types.
+17 votes

Did not want to put my sort-of weekly genealogical funny in the comment with the Vietnam Dad!!

That same Vietnam Veteran (my long-suffering husband) has bravely trouped through countless cemeteries with me. A number of years ago, we were driving up through Louisiana, not on an interstate. It just happened that I knew of an old cemetery off the road that I had wanted to visit for many years. I had quite a few Dunns buried there. So, off into the woods we went to find this cemetery.

Sure enough, the cemetery appeared, very neatly kept and the long abandoned church was there. I began exploring and taking photos of all the tombstones. Here is one I found - not my family.

Buell L. West and next to him Mollie East West wife of Buell L.West

These things just can't be made up!! And, some people wonder why I enjoy genealogy so much!!

by Virginia Fields G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)

That is great! Name combinations can be awfully funny.

I love that name combo,  I have seen April March, Ima Fink (not kidding and no joke on this one)
Name combos that sound like North West South East and my anecdote to that.... When Kim Kardashian delivered her first child (with Kayne West) and named her "North", so that her full name is "North West", a tennis player tweeted: "Did she give birth to a compass?" I still laugh thinking about that

That IS funny Jelena.

We have a local news reporter named Jessica Dill. She recently married and her new name is Jessica Dill Pickle. This is not made up because I have family who knows her husband.
I knew a girl whose last name was Bible and she married a Cross.
+17 votes
Home from Florida and very happy to be the only one on my computer
program  In Florida I have to share with any number up to forty who want
to use the wifi program furnished us.  I have been pushed off so many times that I would be covered in black and blue marks if it were a physical
push.  At 82 I am finding it very hard to remember how to source profiles again,
and so many ways seem to have changed in the four months that I was inactive.  I try what I remember but it doesn't work.  Example, cannot bring up unsourced New York State profiles only which has been one of my pet projects.  I only get world wide profiles.  I have been enjoying the ability to read G2G without feeling guilty.  Our camp wifi is supposed to be only for "checking e-mails and banking"  and "share the limited time available".  Some hogs play games and use the monthly allotment of data in four days so the rest of the month all work proceeds at a snails pace.  I don't pretend to understand the workings, so used it very little.
I'm the only one on my computer program at home and have spent a lot
of time playing around on wikitree today, reading things I have missed for the last four months.  Am now beginning to be able to enjoy spring weather having left too hot summer in Florida, high 80's.
by Beulah Cramer G2G6 Pilot (565k points)
Beulah, we are so glad to have you back! I truly hope you enjoyed your sojourn in Florida. Looks like you missed all of the brutal winter weather.
Thanks.  I do enjoy the warm weather, not the snow at home that is reported on a newzjunky.com that I can check occasionally.  I have to return the last week in March to get income reports finished (the mail delivery is too unreliable we have found).  Weather has sometimes been
a real challenge but usually manageable.   I miss my husband, after his death six years ago, and have all of the work he used to take care of, as well as mine, to get reestablished, turn on water, clear out snow half of the time, carry every thing in and put away, etc.  But it sure beats the snowbanks and ice.
Missed you Beulah! You usually sign up for Clean A Thons and Source A Thons before me! I aspire to be a snowbird one day.
Lucy,  I am sure I'll not try clean-a-thons again.  I'd make more corrections that needed to be corrected.  I need to practice the sourcing
before the next thon though.  I always enjoy working with you.  Snow
birding is great for me.

Welcome back Beulah. Sounds like you enjoyed your snowbird time. We only had a couple of weeks in Florida. We did meet a couple in Melbourne who live near Watertown. We got up early one morning for a nature cruise on the St Johns River near Deland; the park WiFi was great at 6am. 

We are planning to take the RV and spend some sunbird time this summer. I hope to stay near Alex Bay, since it’s been over 20 years since we did the Uncle Sam boat tour. Right now I am planning - trying to find if there were churches between 1807 and 1830 in Cayuga county that I need to visit, or if   I do need to go to Ithaca to look at records in the Cornell library. I also need to visit family in CNY.

Try this https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:DBE_Unsourced#New_York

I used the reference and sourced a couple of profiles.  Thanks.  Florida did
a real number on my computer.  I'm hoping my senior computer class leader can straighten it out.  They kept throwing me off firefox  and onto
explorer which familysearch doesn't accept for research.  They wanted me to install a new browser but the computer would not accept anything.  All of my sources and records were saved on firefox and I am going to have to recreate my favorite sites, etc.                                                         
I didn't try to do wikitree with such limited time, rather spent my time on charity quilting.  If you get to Alex Bay and are interested in wealthy recreations spend some time at Boldt Castle.  The park department has
done a lot of restoration, past the point of where the workmen quit when
his wife died.  Look it up on internet and see what you think.
Since the boat tour allows dogs, but Boldt Castle doesn't we will probably skip that. I did have the opportunity, with my ex husband, to visit the camp of W Seward Webb and his wife Lila Vanderbilt the summer after NYS acquired it about 1977 before they burnt it the next winter. Wow!

Can you open Firefox at all? If so, maybe its not your default. You can try this https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/make-firefox-your-default-browser
When I try to download firefox, by their request, they tell me I already
have it, BUT no way will my computer access it.  All I get is a connection to explorer, and always a double image at that.  Roger is my go to guy on Wed. at the Carthage library class.   As you can guess, I'm not very good
at technology.
Hurray!  After trying to connect to firefox on Thursday, Friday and Saturday
with no success, I turned on my computer this morning (Sunday) and the
firefox page came right up with all of my old favorite listing, etc.  I didn't even click on the icon, it just appeared.  Now maybe familysearch will  let
me connect to records to look for sources without having to type all of the
profile information in again, if it worked at all.  Thanks for the help and suggestions.
+15 votes

Greetings everyone. 

On the Wiki-Front, I have not been especially active. The past several weeks I have spent a lot of time on DNA matches at Ancestry. This began before Thru-Lines was rolled out to me, and it was redoubled afterward. I have found Thru-Lines helpful, mostly in confirming known ancestors and downfilling side-branches. I'm hopeful that I will reach a point where the people who don't fit into my current will be small enough and distinct enough to begin to figure them out, and maybe, just maybe, knock down a brick wall.

Otherwise, I've not done a lot at WikiTree, I've sourced some Michigan profiles when I was tired of my DNA matches. I also created several family profiles as part of the last push to get to 20 million profiles.

On the home front, life is busy with the usual work and parenting. Tonight the family is going to our parish fish-fry and Stations of the Cross. Usually we can't go because my wife works late on Fridays but this week her days were swapped around a bit.

My wife's days were swapped around because it's her turn to work a Saturday tomorrow, so I will be spending the day with my boys. I will end up doing quite a bit of cooking. I plan to start the day with chocolate chip pancakes for the boys and later I will be making barbecue ribs, French potato salad, green beans, and cornbread for dinner.

Sunday we are visiting my parents to belatedly celebrate my mother's birthday. She was sick when we were all set to go a few weeks ago.

by Thomas Fuller G2G6 Mach 9 (93.3k points)
That meal (actually both) sounds wonderful. Stations of the Cross for us tonight, too. A meal of soups follow. We sign up two at a time. Our turn: Sopa (a Mexican tomato-based soup with pasta and Knorr chicken flavoring).
Love Stations. Especially the Ligouri ones.They're a bit flowery, but very powerful.
Our liturgy is different, and there’s another I wish we’d use, but I go along because, of course, it’s not about me. Still very powerful. Emotions and self-examination.
+17 votes

Hi Pip - thank you for hosting! You'll have to post pictures of the tea cart once it's done. I'll bet it will be beautiful!

I didn't get a chance to chat last weekend. I've still been working off and on with that 'quilt' family. I was wandering around WikiTree this week and had a thought 'hmmm, I wonder how recent of a person is already on WikiTree?' I typed a name in and whatdoyaknow?! Robert Lawson was already on WikiTree laugh I've been working furiously to get his profile done and his children added (quite a feat in itself) and still need to go borrow a few pictures to scan. And I need to go ask again where one of the middle names came from. Bertha will be next, with a quilt picture of her own. Not quite the story as the other quilt, but the love story of her and Robert is just too precious (I shared the photo and article this week in the forum)

The rest of my week I spent lurking around various corners in WikiTree, and a day in a courthouse looking for deeds and marriage bonds. Not anything as lengthy as you faced with that will! 

Have a wonderful weekend all

by Mindy Silva G2G Astronaut (1.1m points)
Hi, Mindy! Welcome to the Chat! I’ll be sure to take a pic of the tea cart. She’s working on it right now. Seven days until the daughter gets here.

Good reminder: I need to head to the courthouse, too!
Hey, Mindy! Thanks for the follow on the Twitter! See ya tonight at #genchat!

Careful lurking in those corners of Wikitree. Who knows what evils lurk in the....

DECOURSEY GEDCOM! *crash of thunder*
I'm Eastern time zone though. Will have to see if the hubby is that understanding (10pm?). Will a video be accessible afterwards? I don't want to miss Debi.

Oh no...............(running from the crash)

Oh wait! I have all my different WikiTree hats and even dug out my cape yesterday. Dun, dun, dun........... it's Mindy to the rescue winkangel

No video. Just tweets. To see them just do a twitter search for #genchat and you'll find them. And it is at 10 PM EST. A video would be cool, though....

Streaming #genchat on YouTube. Why didn't they think of that?!
because I didn't have my orange shirt on LOL
+15 votes
Hello everybody. Last weekend we went to visit my mother's cousins in upstate NY. I found out that this is a great way to glean information. My sister and I just sit there quietly and let them reminisce They share a lot of information about relations and stuff that they forget that they remember! One of my mother's cousins is in her late 80s and just closed her dance school last month. Yeah, you heard me right. She just stopped teaching dancing. She is a former Rockette and has always loved to dance. Her four sons lifted her atop a table and they all proceeded to dance as the finale. Her little brother is the same age as my mother (78) and they all grew up together.

We are studiously trying to break our "Ream" brick wall. I don't know why this particular wall bothers us both so much, but it does. My sister is giving everybody test tubes to spit into. She also emails lots of people. I keep the databases. I've also been doing the family trees of those DNA matches that have not done their own, whenever possible.

It's Spring! Finally. My husband and I remembered to start our seeds indoors this year. Last year we put everything directly in the ground and had a very late and skimpy harvest. Our frost date is April 15th. This is something, besides genealogy, that my husband does not understand. When I got home yesterday, he had moved all of our seedlings outside to one of those little plastic covered greenhouses. I had set a doggy gate over one of our bathtubs with a Southern exposure and was very proud of my set up. I found the doggy gate in use to keep the cat out of the living room (yeah right!). I didn't even yell or anything. I quietly found something else to lay across the bathtub and brought the seedlings back in. They only have one set of leaves and are not ready to go outside for more than a short visit. It's still in the 40 - 50 degree range here. Anywho, my husband was a bit annoyed and still I did not yell. I calmly explained that it was too soon to put the babies outside and if he wanted I would return his plants outside, but anything that I planted was staying inside until I say they are ready! Not yelling.
by Lucy Selvaggio-Diaz G2G6 Pilot (821k points)
What a great way to get information! Mom has been doing that with an aunt. Occasionally she asks a question about a record or a memory and the aunt will tell her something we never knew before. And I think we all have at least one brick wall that nags at us. Keep at it, you'll break it down eventually!
Lucy: all my “old folks” are gone, and I rue that I didn’t ask more questions! Go for it, and let us know what you learn.
+15 votes
One of our dearest friends, one with whom we've eaten lunch every Saturday for about 10 years and who celebrated her 99th birthday in February, passed away on Wednesday. You're just never ready...

Now that I've added all the aunts and uncles for four generations back, I'm starting to add their spouses and children. It's taken all my spare time (and some I probably shouldn't have spared) this week just to do the family of my gg-aunt Averilla, who was the mother of seven. It's been very interesting. Aunt Averilla, unfortunately, died from metastatic breast cancer before her children were grown.
by Nelda Spires G2G6 Pilot (554k points)
=( Condolences to you and yours, Nelda. Sounds like she had an amazing life.
Chris, thank you, she did. She loved puns and jokes and right up through Tuesday was doing fine and was her chipper self. She lived in a local Assisted Living Facility, but her daughter and she went out together for lunch and shopping many days and they had spent the day together on Tuesday. She didn't show up for breakfast the next morning and when they went to check on her, she'd had a stroke. She slipped away that evening. I'm glad she didn't linger long--she would not have wanted that.
Nelda, so sorry to hear about your friend, regardless of age you are never ready.  Our dear friend was 102 and still very vibrant in mind and in body until he got sick.  We still miss him, that was a year ago.
So sorry, Nelda, for the loss of your friend. I, too, am glad she did not linger.
+13 votes
I regret to say I have not done much on WikiTree this week. I have spent most of my time looking at property and  trying to make a relocation possible. Not far but about 15 miles northeast of where I am now. I also started planning and prepping for the Maple Festival next month along with Amateur Radio Classes in the near future. That does not mean I have stopped altogether but my progress is much slower and the edits are not major.
by Dale Byers G2G Astronaut (1.7m points)
I did forget that our puppy had his visit with the vet today. He was about 7 pounds when we got him and now he weighs over 17 pounds. I swear he grows when I blink my eyes. He is house broken already at only 11 weeks old.
I just went to the computer store near me and bought a "computer". it is a very small bare bones board with very basic input and output modes. It is called a Raspberry Pi Zero. There are a lot of projects that Amateur Radio Operators do on this board so I thought I would start experimenting with it. Hey for $39.99 I cant go wrong. I will also be checking out a slightly better laptop over the next few days as well because my grandson got a new laptop and gave me his old one. It is hopeful that his old computer will work better than my current one.
Hi Dale, Wow, your puppy is growing fast! I'm sure he's lots of fun. I love puppies. Hooray for you getting a new computer from your grandson--so nice of him to offer his old one to you. Hopefully it will do all you need it to do.
Nelda, I have not even checked out the laptop yet. It is a step up from what I have now but we will see. I am spending my time looking into the micro computer board I purchased. That one is linux based and the entire board is smaller than a credit card. As it is right now it can use a USB keyboard and mouse, I have plenty of them, and it can hook up to a HDMI TV, got that covered as well. Eventually I will be getting a touchscreen for it but that is after I configure it so that the bluetooth and wireless LAN are working. The power supply is the easiest part, it uses the same cords and power adapter that my old cell phone used, again I have plenty of them.

Dale, 17 lbs is almost not a puppy. Growth hormones? laugh

Keeping up with technology is not my strong suit. I was forced to buy a new desktop, and shortly after my 12 yr. old laptop started acting funky. Good bye, laptop. If I got a new one every few years, it wouldn’t be such a technology leap for me. frown 

Pip, The computer I had was a used computer my grandson got about 3 years ago. About a year and a half ago we bought him a new one but it is not really usable for what he does so he purchased a new one, with my advice this time and gave me this one, so it is not that old. Just this morning my display on the old laptop started looking funky, half the letters looked like they were in bold type and the other half were very light so after confirming it was the display and not my eyes or WikiTree I started setting up this computer for my use. I am not totally done yet but I will get there and so far it seems to be an improvement.

We helped him get the new computer by using one of our credit cards so I can not get a new computer until he pays his off, he plans to pay it off in 3 months, so I am hoping this one last at least that long but since this one is newer than the one Dee uses there may be some resistance if I try to buy a new one before her. It does not matter to her that mine is a hand me down and I did not pick it. So far it looks like this one will be fine after I get used to the bigger keyboard.

Dale, I think I'm moving to Ohio to that if I ever have any computer issues, I'll know who to take them to! laugh

+16 votes
Thank you for hosting Pip, I love how you re-cap in your intro, so following your example

On the genealogy front... I am needing to pare down my watch list!  In going through the Gail Morin Volume, I have created a lot of infant and child deaths.  Just because they died young and have no off-springs, does not make them less important.  They help to bring the family story together.  They are as complete as can be and not likely more can be added, and thus the decision to orphan them.  I feel good that they have been acknowledged and they are attached with their family.  Hard decision but practical I think.

On the WikiTree front... what an incredible community !!!

On the home Front... we still have snow !!!  Urgggg!!
by Nicole Boorse G2G6 Pilot (884k points)

Nicole, I am convinced the snow is the reason our ancestors moved to Louisiana.  That whole Grand Dérangement thing was a cover story.  Sorry your branch missed the memo. 

Is that what happened.... and my family still up here in the great white kinda North.  Hmmm will need to give them a chat when I see them; not for a while I hope. 

Hi Nicole, the snow will be gone soon and it will be time for your outside work. Enjoy the snow and cold while you can as it gives you more time for WikiTree. Thank you for creating profiles and taking care of the children and infants that passed away and can't speak for their self. Here today it was sunny and in the 70's, rain forecast with colder temps for this weekend.
@David: Hmmm, my husband also says "Enjoy the snow and cold while I can''  but more on the lines of "Don't wish your life away - it is going by too fast as it is"  And both of you are correct. During this cold season when going out is NOT fun I get to do a whack load of genealogy which is more fun than being in the extreme cold.  And GUESS WHAT!!!  It is snowing AGAIN today....
Nicole, I agree about the infants and such! Everyone matters! I have an old bible for. The early 1800s that recorded three infant deaths, one of them listed as four hours old. Tow of them did not have names. I put all three on WikiTree.
I found one (a couple actually) birth on July 2 a burial on the July 9 and same child here... baptism on the July 9th and death on July 2nd. That should help to put a story together.
+14 votes
Just a short hi from me for now as it's already turned Saturday here :)

On the home front: Spring is coming, the magnolias that are on the South side of the gardens are already blossoming, the ones that are more in the shadows need a bit more time though.

We were yesterday (technically said the day before yesterday) in an exhibition about Tizian and the Venice art. Very interesting...

On the genealogy front I added some folks on my MyHeritage-tree this week and I helped Wikitree on Wednesday to reach the 20 million profiles. On Wikitree I started creating profiles from the Madeira records. Before I start creating a new family I now really have to check if there is already a family. In case that's negative I can usually add the whole family, but for one profile I created suddenly popped up a potential duplicate - so I didn't add the profile but checked back first. it seems to be my girl and one brother of her (of about 7 or 8 siblings she has). I pmed the PM, but he still didn't respond. I want him to check the pdf to see if that is the person he has created. In case he agrees, a branch of about 25 persons will be connected instantly...

See you guys "tomorrow" morning
by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
Jelena, you’ve been a champ working those Madeira records. Good for you! Our Tree is all the better for your work. I hope that connection works out. Please keep us updated!!
+13 votes
Different topic #genchat:

It seems the genchat was a success, many people got to know the concept of WikiTree and the purpose. Will be interesting to see if some people will reactivate their account here or create a new account to join us. Chris, Debi and Eowyn, you did a marvellous job, I can imagine your notifications are overflowing.
by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)
It was fun! My notifications were on fire. But, it happens. Think of the people like celebrities or Internet personalities who get tons of them! Especially if they have way more followers. I am sitting at a little over 600. Friends who are vid producers have way more.
+12 votes
Thinking about getting older. A volunteer died last Saturday, she worked for over 25 years first as a preparer, then as a greeter. This is the first year she didn't work. She was 90.

Also on the death theme, we put down our cat Tuesday. We got him in 2007 when he was at least 3 years old, so he was at least 15. He was down to about 5 pounds, ate a lot but pooped it all. Luckily my husband was willing to clean up when he missed the box, which happened more and more.
by Sue Hall G2G6 Pilot (167k points)
Sue, I'm sorry for the losses in your life this week. Your volunteer sounds like a remarkable woman. Losing your cat-companion of so many years has, I'm sure, been difficult.

Sue, tears for your Friend, which is always difficult.  And tears for your cat.  The loss of a pet is also very difficult.  Though you may not be thinking of it now, you will probably get another cat. And I say this to help ease your heart.

I'm sorry for your loss Sue, Nicole has good advice there, that is what we did when my cat of thirteen years died, we got two female kittens. It helped but I still get teary eyed three years later.
Sue, losing a pet, for what ever reason, at whatever age, is tough to take. I had to take a much beloved dog in to be euthanized. I cried so hard, sobbing really, the staff asked if I would like to go outside. I was distressing the folks in the waiting room. They could hear me in the examining room.
+10 votes
So today is going to be one of those days weather wise. we are going from light spring jackets and rain to snow in 24 hours, welcome to northeast Ohio. my main plans today are to work on the two computers I acquired yesterday. One is my grandsons old computer, it is still better than my current one and the other is a Linux based micro computer, smaller than a credit card, that I am setting up for my radio work. I will probably work on Wikitree a bit in my spare time.
by Dale Byers G2G Astronaut (1.7m points)
Dale, looking at our weather channel it would appear that we are in the same storm pattern for the snow.  It is now snowing here.
Dale - my OM uses his Pi running tophat DV Mega Commander software for DStar and chats on 59A reflector most mornings using his iCom ID-51.
Kay, around me most use DMR but I am looking at a lot of options.

Nicole, it is warm but raining right now but they say Snow by morning.

And, Dale, you want to move FURTHER NORTH!?!? 

I am trying to reset my grandsons old laptop to factory settings and it is slow going. later today I am going to dig out my soldering iron and attempt to solder on the 40 pin connector to the "motherboard" of my Pi. after that it is simply a matter of connecting power, TV, keyboard, and mouse to work on the setup.
Pip, Still in the same county and only about 6 miles north but further east. It is an 11+ acre farm with a big barn and two shipping containers along wit a 3 bedroom house.
That sounds marvelous, especially all the acreage and barn!
And no restrictions on how high my Amateur Radio antennas can be!
That is definitely a plus!
+11 votes

Greetings from Everett, Washington!

Just a quick note here as I am off to breakfast with the adult children and then to take in all five hours of Wagner's Die Walkure, live streaming from the Met in New York.  We will watch it at my daughter's place of work where I also was last night watching the worthy movie Unplanned.  I will pack my own salad greens to eat from my pocket as I watch the Valkyries swoop about and laugh as they carry the dead warriors to Valhalla.  I will also be thinking of Bugs Bunny in "What's Opera, Doc?" which made me laugh and cry at the same time.

The plum tree got its minor branches sawed off by my husband, who did it without telling me.  I accept it.  It was inevitable.  Squirrels are still able to connect to the garage roof on what's left.  It will come down sooner or later.  Right now I am able again to get to the garage-library where I keep all my genealogy books except the ones I stack here around the computer.

I had a good day on Wikitree yesterday, and a bad one Thursday.  On Thursday I tried to find sources for a family of Watsons circa 1790 in Fayette County, Pa., and came up empty.  Yesterday I worked in southwest Virginia on some Kissingers and made connections and proposed some merges.  Then in the afternoon I connected our local winsome lass, Jennie Klemp James https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Klemp-73 whose photo of her gazing out to sea in period dress has become a sort of Mukilteo icon.  I will upload the photo to her profile later  I am writing a biography for the Mukilteo Monthly magazine.

Next weekend is opening day at the lighthouse, and the season of doing gigs in historical clothing begins.

So off to the opera!

by Margaret Summitt G2G6 Pilot (315k points)

Margaret, enjoy your night at the opera!

Margaret, you are always so busy, and I’m glad of it! Nice to hear about all you do!
Thank you Herbert... that was fun !!

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