"Welcome to the Weekend Chat!" All Members Invited!! May 17th-19th, 2019 [closed]

+17 votes
4.1k 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: Another great Chat! Always good to hear from folks.
in The Tree House by Pip Sheppard G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
closed by Pip Sheppard

Posting early due to a thunderstorm and I need to shut my computer down. Yea for iPads!

Good Morning, my fellow WikiChatterers, and Welcome to the Weekend Chat! It’s a cloudy and relatively cool spring day where our ancient Appalachian Mountains are covered with beautiful green foliage and our enchanting waterfalls are stunning in their variety. The Smokies and the nearby Pisgah National Forest, a favorite for hikers, cyclists, and campers, are starting to see increased activity along with the warmer weather. Very soon, Dollie’s Ice Cream at the entrance to the forest will see hoards of young folks from all of the children’s camps here as they descend past the most photographed waterfall in America, Looking Glass Falls, on their way down from a visit to Sliding Rock which I enjoyed as a teen. The waters of the Davidson River are cold and the landing at the bottom of Sliding Rock will take your breath away, literally, as least your first time down.

On the home front 1: The chipmunks have left their burrows to make mad dashes to the seed under the bird feeders, spooking the squirrels with their antics. While the lovely goldfinches have mostly moved to more northern climes, the buntings have arrived to add to the color of the cardinals and blue jays.  I saw our first wood thrush of the year this week, and the hawks have been busy fishing in our stream and field running creatures into the trees as they swoop around looking for breakfast. This morning, it was one of the chipmunks, who didn’t notice that everyone else was absent beneath and around the feeders. The deer have disappeared to be replaced by a family of groundhogs that scrounge for a meal a safe distance from the house. With all of the work we do outside, it’s a blessing to stop and look at all of the wonders of nature from our back deck.

On the home front 2: This Sunday, I’m serving alongside our presiding bishop (Anglican Province of America) who has arrived for a diocesan visit and to confirm new members. I’ve met this fellow a few times, and he is a charming man, who also happens to be the same bishop who confirmed me and my wife.

On the genealogy front: A fellow WikiTreer has done some amazing work on one of my Volga-German lines, finding obituaries and digging through census records and immigration papers. The harder work will be crossing the Atlantic, but this member provided some leads that will further my investigations. Also, while doing a little work on the Integrators Challenge, I stumbled across as family that actually turned out to be connected to one of my lines. I shouldn’t have been surprised as it seems all of the families in the area had connections to each other in one way or another. Of course, it was to my prolific Lawing family in this instance. The Lawings seem to pop up everywhere. And, I’m pleased to have joined two English county teams this week, Devon and Cornwall. Cornwall is an ancestral county and since Devon is right next door, I thought I’d assist there, too.

I watch the Weather Channel occasionally. It used to be just for us, but now that I’ve gotten to know so many WikiTreers from all over the US that I’ve now picked up a new hobby: worrying about all of you folks in danger’s path. I hope you are all safe, all around the world!

Jump in and enjoy the Chat. I always look forward to hear what’s going on with my fellow WikiTreers.

Hello everyone. I am joining in, for the first time, since I just joined WikiTree. I am coming to you from Ontario Canada, where it is our Victoria Day Long Weekend - the official start to summer up here, though you would not know it from the weather. I am so excited to start my adventure with all of you. I have been working on my family's history for thirteen years, but most seriously for the past four years. It has taken me into some interesting places, most recently into the Royal families of Scotland and France. I will probably spend my weekend dabbling into this history more and learning how to navigate my way around this awesome web site. Enjoy the weekend everyone and be safe.
Thanks for hosting Pip, your write up about what is happening around you is fabulous.  A beautiful read.  Just an FYI, all is good on the weather front.

And... welcome Catherine to Wikitree.  You will have fun here.  But be warned, it is addictive.
Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat.

Ditto to what Nicole said Catherine welcome to WikiTree and the WikiTree Weekend Chat. Yes you will have a ball of fun here. Yes it is very addictive.

Thanks for hosting Pip.
Catherine, we are most pleased to have you join our community!

31 Answers

+21 votes

I was thrilled to see the list of British Prime Ministers added to the Relationship Finder Quick Links page. So much so that I went looking to see if the Heads of State lists have enough great-grandparents listed on WikiTree to add a list of them, too. Sadly, most of them aren't even connected. (Not even enough of them to justify creating a "Quest for Great-Grandparents" challenge for those few who are connected.) So I guess it's time to bang the drum some more for the connection challenges:

by Greg Slade G2G6 Pilot (669k points)

To my surprise, my closest cousin among British Prime Ministers is Winston Churchill. According to the Relationship Finder, we're 10th cousins once removed, so, to quote Kevin Bacon, we're practically brothers. wink

Wow, I'm a 6th cousin of Winston Churchill AND George Bush. I'm not checking the sources though, I have enough on my plate, but it is fun to play relationship-finder games!  Thanks for the nudge, Greg.
Connector coordinator gold star for you ;-)

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Greg, I haven’t even checked mine out yet, pretty cool being that close to Winston!
+18 votes
Hey, Pip. Thanks for hosting. Sounds like you've had a positive week. I mostly agree on enjoying seeing the wildlife. Locally, however, I think of rabbits as evil creatures. We have dozens of them.

Weather stayed nice and warm all week until late yesterday. It will be cooler with rain showers today and for the weekend.

On the garden front, all the beds are ready except for a couple that won't be planted until June. I did get the irrigation leaks fixed. The second one turned out to be  one where the pipe was not clamped onto the connector when it was installed 6 years ago. While repairing one leak, I slipped a bit and pulled muscles along the ribcage. Made digging very slow all week. Today need to fill in the holes.

Wikitree-wise I've been doing the usual categorization work and cleaning up some things in Canada Managed Profiles. Haven't done anything on my family. Need to get back to that.

Hope all had a productive week.
by Doug McCallum G2G6 Pilot (527k points)
edited by Doug McCallum
I'm with you on rabbits. I had one eat down a grow bag of potato plants in bloom this week. I thought they were poisonous, but apparently, this rabbit didn't care!
Rabbits love anything in the tomato/potato family. We lost some tomato plants that were set out this week. We are now using a combination of "coyote urine" and cinnamon oil. That has so far worked. What is worse is that they have now burrowed under the concrete slab porch and I have to get someone to come out and fill the burrows to prevent damage. One neighbor had to replace most of their outside landscape lighting due to the wires being chewed through. The coyotes used to keep the numbers down but now they seem to prefer going after cats and dogs. The only thing that would be worse than rabbits is if the prarie dogs moved in. They aren't far away.
My winter pansies are a smorgasborg for the rabbits!! Began using "rabbit scram" mixed into the soil and then an occasional sprinkle on top. Worked well this past winter.
Pansies are great for eating, even for humans. The flowers can decorate things are be eaten. What's interesting is the rabbits have left the celery, peppers and parsley alone but they sure do like the tomato.
Rabbits!  Argh.  I feel like Mr. MacGregor.

We raise rabbits, but the little natives love our garden, too.

Enjoy the weekend!

All the best, Janet
I'm sorry to hear about your pulled muscle Doug, it sounds uncomfortable.

I have a friend who calls it the "Irritation system", and I agree with you about rabbits too. This island is overrun and I've nicknamed one of the rabbits who feeds atop my big pots "Hasenpfeffer".
Doug, sorry to hear about your back, that is a nuisance.  Just curious, how do you procure coyote urine?

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Ditto, on Rabbits, Doug. They are connoisseurs of Asiatic Lilies! Grrr....
The nursery we buy plants/seeds/supplies at sells the coyote urine. How it is manufactured I don't really know but can imagine. We used to get bobcat urine but no one locally is carrying it anymore. It worked quite well but the smell was overpowering.
+22 votes

Today is.....

NATIONAL PIZZA PARTY DAY

             

Each year on the third Friday in May, millions of pizza lovers across the nation join in extolling the qualities of pizza on National Pizza Party Day.  Celebrate by inviting friends and family to share a night of fun at your favorite pizzeria.  Another way to celebrate is with a homemade pizza with fresh toppings or by having one delivered.

  • In ancient Greece, Greeks enjoyed bread covered with oils, herbs, and cheese.
  • In Byzantine Greek, the word was spelled “πίτα”, pita, meaning pie. 
  • A sheet of dough topped with cheese and honey, then flavored with bay leaves was developed by the Romans.
  • The modern pizza had its beginning in Italy as the Neapolitan flatbread.
  • The original pizza used only mozzarella cheese, mainly the highest quality buffalo mozzarella variant which was produced in the surroundings of Naples.
  • It was estimated that the annual production of pizza cheese in the United States in 1997 was 2 billion pounds.
  • The first United States pizza establishment opened in 1905 was in New York’s Little Italy.
  • Pizza has become one of America’s favorite meals.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Share photos of your pizza party on your favorite social media, here on chat (or just have fun with your family and friends and save a slice for me lol!!! )

by Dorothy Barry G2G Astronaut (2.7m points)
just had a pizza for lunch Dorothy very nice
Oh Dorothy!  

I'm in the middle of a Whole30 diet and would kill for some real pizza right about now.  And no, I'm not interested in cauliflower crust.  Y'all enjoy and eat a slice for me!

All the best, Janet
I just had a small escargot pizza, with pesto, lots of onion and garlic and three kinds of cheese.  If you like escargots, its amazing.

Yeah... had friends over, had pizza, We celebrated without knowing what a special day it is.  Of course any day with friends and pizza is a special day.  Thank you Dorothy.

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

It’s a party every time I eat pizza, Dorothy!
Thank you for your "Today Is" post! Now I am hungry for homemade Pizza and a cold drink!
I had pizza today on day late and it was good.
+19 votes
Hello everyone.

Pip, I enjoyed reading your nature paragraph above. You painted a very good picture with your wording.

Here in Central Pennsylvania we have a few pop-up showers floating through the area, then we are supposed to have a beautiful weekend.

On the tree I am reviewing and reading on my 3x GGM brothers and sisters. I found some new sources on Family Search that can be added since these profiles were made by another member about 3 years ago.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Stay safe and keep all four wheels underneath you.
by Rodney Long G2G6 Pilot (849k points)
Happy weekend to you too Rodney.

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Rodney, we had a short pop-up this morning. I thought I was going to have WikiTree day. Lasted 20 minutes. Back to the chores! sad

+20 votes
Good Morning Pip and Fellow WikiTreers!!

Pip, loved the description of spring in your area - sounds beautiful!! Here in north-central Texas it is a cloudy, muggy day with some storms due to slide over us tomorrow. We are waiting to see if we will get the bad ones with hail or those might glide on over east of us.

On the Wiki Front - I have been adding the ancestors of my two sons-in-law and sourcing as I go. I have made a lot of progress but still more to add and source. Also, I have worked on my Suggestions list - don't think it will ever be empty!! Have a few way back that I can't find sources for so will go digging in my paper files.

On the medical front - I had a bit of dermatology surgery on my lower  right leg last Friday for a Basil cell carcinoma. I am seeing the doctor to get the dressing changed this morning. Had to keep it propped up most of the week which gave me an excuse to be on WikiTree!!! Next, I am having another surgery on the 22nd, unfortunately for a melanoma on side of my left knee. Oncology surgeon will be doing this one and I am sure it will be fine but, another excuse to WikiTree away!!!

I hope everyone has a super weekend and fabulous week.
by Virginia Fields G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
Virginia sad to hear you are going to have a new surgery I hope you will be ok lots og good luck from here

Glad you at least had a wonderful with wikitree
Sorry about the surgery. I hope everything gets better soon!
So sorry to hear about your carcinoma surgery.  Feel better soon, Virginia!  

Sending WikiLove from East Texas! Janet
Take care. I had the same surgery last year and I spent my time on my ancestry.ca site. It is not fun to go through but you can get a lot done !!
Good luck on the 22nd Virginia!  I hope they find that the melanoma was caught early, that you heal fast, and then find that you're all done with stitches.
Good luck with your next surgery Virginia.  Sending good wishes and good luck your way.
Thank you all so much for the kind words of encouragement. I will be uncomfortable for a few days but I am sure all will be well.

Ditto to what everyone said here.

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Ginny, yiu take care of yourself. We love you too much, especially among the Greatest Gang!
+17 votes

I love it when Pip posts these early.

Hails and horns, Wikipeeps!

This week sees a lot of rain here in the valley. Seriously, I think we broke the planet or Mother Nature is drunk. Probably both. Definitely both. Place your bets here! I'll wait. We haven't been able to plant the garden. But, I did talk about it here:

https://arlhaverhill.blogspot.com/2019/05/52-ancestors-week-20-nature.html

On the genealogical front, my dad got a copy of a letter my grandfather wrote my great-aunt during World War II. He let me read it and to say it was surreal is a bit of an understatement.

Grandpa Marco died when I was just four years old. I have no memories of him at all. My only picture with him is from my christening where I was sitting on my grandma Ollie's lap and he was sitting next to us. So, seeing his actual handwriting was just surreal. 

He talked about how hard it was to be a paratrooper and seeing friends die.  He even wrote "Why did I sign up for this?!" Keep in mind he was like 19 or so. He was a kid. He wasn't scared or anything. Just venting to his older sister about the hardships of war.

He went into extensive detail about the jumps he had to do and what he had to do in order to make sure the jumps were successful. He was scared that his secondary chute wouldn't open. 

It was definitely an interesting letter. Both he and his sister served in World War II. It was just so surreal reading everything. Right after I read it, I e-mailed Cathie (my great-aunt's daughter) and told her what I thought of the letter.

Definitely a treasure worthy of the Legend of Zelda item get music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VRr9NG7RE0

by Chris Ferraiolo G2G6 Pilot (756k points)
Good choice of music!  It is a strange feeling to read an ancestor's writing, isn't it? I have a couple of treasured bits, none as exciting as a parachute drop during war, but its surreal all the same.

Nintendo doesn't mess around when it comes to music. The Zelda series has amazing songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J_bL2bjQ-k

Other Nintendo series' themes are good, too.

It's definitely strange to read their writing. I've often asked how my grandfather sounded. My mom said he sounded like my my father. That's comforting. I wish I could remember him. But, every little bit helps. It is definitely a treasure! 

Wow on the letter Chris.  I should dig out the letters my mother-in-law wrote to her mother in England.  She was a war bride in a new country.  I don't know how I came to have them, but I sure am glad I do.

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Very excellent and cool on the letter, Chris. I’ve got a few of those hanging around.
Cool, Pip. :) Any you wanna share with the rest of the class?
Patience, Grasshopper!
Awww.....

Okay......
+16 votes

Meanwhile...it's raining again in the Commonwealth, although I heard the weather person mention "near 80" next week. We'll see. 

My mom survived a "small" heart attack this week, though at age 83, I don't believe there are any small ones. Even the catheterization can be dangerous. But she is ok and on her way home with dire news to STOP EATING ICE CREAM. That'll be a challenge because it's our family's biggest vice. Dad had a hand-crank machine and we'd make it in the backyard all summer, using berries and peaches grown in our yard.  We always had some in the freezer when I was growing up, and right now there's some Trader Joe's Cookie Butter ice cream in the freezer. I know my mom keeps several cartons in hers. But..NO MORE. frownangel

Thanks for hosting again, Pip!

by Natalie Trott G2G Astronaut (1.3m points)
Glad your Mom is OK, Natalie!
Thanks,Herb!

How scary!  You should totally do your mom a favor and eat her ice cream supply.  wink I'm glad that she is feeling better.

All the best,

Janet

We don't mind if you send some rain to British Columbia, Natalie.  Maybe a pipeline?  We don't care if it leaks, as long as it holds water.

Glad your mum is okay.  I shouldn't be eating ice cream either, and you have me thinking about other things to do with berries and ice this summer.  Sno cones?
MMM, snow cones!
Janet, it's a long drive for ice cream (320 miles, give or take a few) but I'm due for a visit. I haven't seen her since last June.
Go visit your mom Natalie, and I know you will be a good daughter and help her eat the ice cream.  But seriously, that will be a difficult thing to give up.

Ditto to everyone on this chat Natalie.

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

No ice cream!?!? That’s over the top. I hope you can police that well. Of course, if you had me over, I’d clear out all the ice cream in the house!

Really, I hope your mom will recover quickly and follow the doctor’s orders. And I know it’s stress on you, too.
Prayer for you Mom's recovery, Natalie. Icecream was a favorite of mine but I also had to give it up to help keep the cholesterol down. Still, eat a bit at birthday parties for the grand and great grandkids.
+16 votes
Hi Pip thank you for hosting you ask where we are enjoying the hot weather and nature in Tenerife for 2 weeks, it is so amazing here and we enjoy every moment

How are you doing are you ok

How is the weather in yours and members weather are you having sunshine?

Looking forward to hear how you all are doing. Wow Pip you have chipmunk I just love them how wonderful to have so many animals around you.

Here are lots of bird did you know there are no snakes, Fox , bathers or any real animal or squirrel in Tenerife that is why there are so many birds

The only animals I se lots of running here are lizards they are adorable

Wish you all a wonderful weekend
by Susan Laursen G2G Astronaut (3.0m points)
edited by Susan Laursen
Hello cousin, glad to hear you're enjoying our warm Spanish sun ;-)

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Hi, Susan! A little rain shower this morning, then sunshine the rest of the day. We haven’t finished the back yard yet, and we’ve already started a little in the front. Oh, and we did see a snake this week. A small king snake which I promptly carried to the stream and dropped it in. We have lizards, too, the small kind: skinks. My wife calls them “snakes with legs.”

Hi Susan, Good to see you are taking a break from all the fun on your vacation to Tenerife. We see lizards around the yard almost daily and I agree they are fun to watch. The weather here is supposed to turn rainy early Saturday Morning, it was in the high 80's today with lots of sunshine. Tell Poul hello for us. Great photos you have posted on FB.

Thank You cousin SJ we certainly are.

Copenhagen is cold and raining most of the time I could live in Spain.

You are so lucky to live in Spain
Hi Pip

Your wife make me laugh call a lizards a snake with legs, they really are so cute.

What kind of snakes do you have?

Glad you have finish the back yard
Hi David.

So you have lizard in your garden, does Sarah approve of them?

They really are so cute, when they are sunbathing

So you had a lovely sunshine today, hope you will get more sunshine I will send you some.

Poul say hello and glad you like our photo on FB

We so enjoy our holiday. It is raining and very cold in Denmark yak

Say hello to Betty and Sarah
I'm a lizard fan... lived in California for a while and loved all the lizard diversity but ended up moving to a state with a whopping three or four species (only one of which is in my area, and I never see them).  I've had to learn to make do with frogs and salamanders.
Hope wonderful Lisa me too I just love lizard they are so cute.

How sad you never se them after you move.

I am stunt every time I meet them here in my walk.
+18 votes

I'm new to the weekend chat.

I'm an avid gardener, and it's going to be a scorcher this next 48 hours (but at least my tomatoes and eggplants will finally be happy) so my work is getting done before 9 a.m. I finished moving a mountain of about 10 yd3 of wood chips this morning, so yay for getting that done. Yesterday, working in the yard, I had a conversation with a brown-headed cowbird. He was following me around hunting for insects I'd revealed. Irises are in bloom, allium are in bloom, and peonies are in bloom. So are English peas. I'll be eating them before long.

Here at wikitree, I'm going back over my first five generations and sourcing thoroughly from my notes and improving the source formatting of what I'd put in initially. Before I put in those siblings of fifth generation ancestors, I'll re-source first. I'm pretty nervous about trusting anything that happened before 1800 unless I personally have been to the locale and dug through dusty probate records and newspapers. (Not that printed sources are always trustworthy. This past week, I read about an ancestor of mine who "walked seventy-five miles a day," to which I said. "I doubt that very much." And if I'm wrong and he did, I wish he'd been here to move my wood chips. cheeky)

I'm trying to find information on another crime in the family that happened in 1918 or 1919. I found the right guy (a sibling of a g-grandfather) in the state pen in 1920, which helped narrow down the time frame. I have an oral history. But I think this is going to require going to the most likely county and finding old local newspapers. Good news for me:  the murderer, I know, had one hand. Can't be many one-handed murderers in that time frame, right?

Have a great weekend, everyone. May your brick walls all fall....

by W Counsil G2G6 Mach 2 (25.4k points)
Welcome to the Weekend chat!
Welcome to the chat W Counsil.

I was able to find a murder in the local newspapers. All I knew was that it occurred somewhere between March and September 1918.  I had great fun reading the old newspapers, and found it in August. I hope you have the same luck!

W. Welcome to WikiTree and the WikiTree Weekend chat.

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Hi, WC! I’ve seen you in G2G already. Glad to have you join the Chat! Probate records are my favorite. Tons of info in those.
Sounds like The Fugitive!  Good luck with the search.
+14 votes
It has been a busy week here in Northeast Ohio. I was improving and almost back to normal with my knee Tuesday but then Wednesday evening out pup decided to make me choose between stepping on his leg with my full weight or risking a fall, I fell and he is fine. I managed to get back up with minimal help but my knees took several steps backward with my recovery and I hurt the shoulder I broke 2 years ago. This meant that Dee had to cut the grass by herself yesterday. We did sign the papers to buy the home we have been renting Wednesday so I am not moving but we will eventually own the home. I have managed to work on a few profiles along the way but no major achievements on that front. It is going to be rainy the next couple of days so there is hope on that front and since My leg is still painful to walk on for any length of time I am not going to the Dayton Hamvention this year, even with Sunday being Free admission.
by Dale Byers G2G Astronaut (1.7m points)
edited by Dale Byers
I hope you feel better soon Dale!
Ditto to what Laurie Said.

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat
Dale, you’ve really been through the illness and injury wringer the past several months! However, good news in the house, right?

Can’t you make it to the Hamvention with a little assistance? Say, a walker to wheel chair! Hate for you to miss it.
Pip, Thanks for the well wishes. As for the Hamvention, it is a 4 hour car ride each way to go there and then it covers 6 buildings at the Green county fairgrounds as well as the infield of the racetrack, and then some. It is huge and attracts people from all over the world. I went a few years ago when it was in a smaller location and will go again I hope but just not this year.
Not counting the flea market or food services there are 120 vendors as well as conferences and seminars running all day for all 3 days of the event. Yesterday, a slow day, they had 9000 visitors and one of my Facebook friends from Mississippi said that a woman from Japan came up to him because she watches his streaming show every week. Today even with a wheelchair it would be hard to get around there. Check out their website https://hamvention.org/
+17 votes

Hi Pip!  Thanks for hosting the Chat!

Greetings, WikiCousins!

It has been a gorgeous rain-free week in New Mexico.  I have my work computer about 90% back to normal.  Wildlife-wise, I sometimes get some nice surprises outside my office window.  I've mentioned before that a roadrunner lives nearby, although I haven't seen it recently.  Doves and hummingbirds are common around here, and sometimes large flocks of crows invade the parking lot for a few days.  There's a little flycatcher who hunts from perches on the sidewalk lights.  This week I saw a rabbit, I think for the first time in the five years I've worked here.  (Just the normal greyish kind, not a large white one.)  It seemed a bit disconcerted to find itself out in the open in the city.    And I did spend some quality time down the Coventry rabbit hole via G2G, which I believe led to debunking an Ancestry myth.

Speaking of birds, aaargh.

Parrot by Koray Yurt/PaperDreams

Cheers,

Herb

by Living Tardy G2G6 Pilot (762k points)
Laurie, I hope you avoided all pirates on your Baffin adventure!  Positive vibes sent for your memory!
That is a beautiful blue parrot Herbert.  And did you know that a flock of crows is actually called a murder of crows?

Thanks, Nicole!  It's a Norwegian Blue.  I heard that about crows, but I always thought it was made up.

Herbert it does look like a parrot. Ditto to what everyone said on this chat especially Herbert.

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Thanks, Linda!
Magnificent parrot, Herbert!!

Our early contingent of hummingbirds have moved on, so we’re waiting in the Round 2, the ones that stay through the summer. We had to get our feeders out early. The crows are AWOL!
Thanks, Pip!
Herbert, is your Norwegian Blue pining for the fjords?
Most desperately, Lisa!
Glad it hasn't joined the choir invisible yet!
+16 votes

Hiya Pip, thank you for hosting! How wonderful that you got that help with your Volga-German lines! 

I'm scrambling to catch my Wiki work up after an amazing ten day visit from my youngest daughter and her family. I logged on every morning and evening, as well as used my phone when I could during the day, but you know how that goes lol. I stayed caught up on my email but had to find time to fit in project tasks, and then now am working on what I wanted to do during that time but I didn't get done smiley

Not that I'm complaining! My youngest grandchild doesn't live close by but we have video chats a lot so she knew who I was when she got here. LOTSA lovin and kissing from her (baby drool included). The weather of course stayed cold and wet while they were here and is now dry and in the 80's F. We never did get to use the little swimming pool we got for her. 

We're not doing a big garden this year as mom doesn't feel up to it. I planted potted peppers inside (bell peppers, thai, cayenne, jalapeno and serranos) and will move them outside soon. Hey, no canning time will mean more time to Wiki this summer laugh

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

by Mindy Silva G2G Astronaut (1.1m points)

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Sometimes I check my WikiMail surreptitiously if family are around, like in the restroom!

We’re skipping the vegetable garden this year. Focusing on other planting this year... flood recovery.
So glad you had time with your daughter and granddaughter. They seem to grow up before we realize they are adults. Thank you for all your contributions to wikiTree and your support and help with the projects. Have a great weekend. Our son and his wife have an Organic farm and raise organic chickens and sell the eggs and produce grown at farmer markets. I will have to send you a photo of the large snake (about 5 to 6 feet in length, non-poisonouse) laying on the front window seal at Easter that he caught and put into a bag for release in the creek some distance from the house.

Hi Linda, Me too Pip lol! Family is important but I can't stay away from my WikiFamily for that long smiley Good luck with your flood recovery.

Thank you David. Yes they do, and you never stop worrying about them. ooh, can't wait to see the photo! I'm glad he relocated it. Hope your weekend is awesome!

+16 votes
Hei allemaal!

Here I am in Holland and again not doing that much on Wikitree. Instead I visited van Gogh today and will enjoy Amsterdam and Rembrandt on the weekend.

On the genealogy front I finished transcribing the Jehova's witness interview. Good that I finished that before I travelled. When I return home I will start the translation of the interview.

Have a great weekend
by Jelena Eckstädt G2G Astronaut (1.4m points)

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Hi, Jelena!! You’re in early and I’m late responding! Glad to see you finally got the transcription done.
+16 votes

Greetings WikiKin,

On the home home front: My wife left her job of five years and is beginning training at another one. I'm very glad that she will now have a much shorter commute, and likely a less stressful environment.

The twins began T-ball this week, and have already had two games. Things are going pretty well there, despite the fact that our only practice before the first game was rained out, and then the coach quit the morning of the first game. The older twin seems to love it, his younger brother seems to tolerate it - which is a lot for him. laugh

This coming week is their last week of preschool.

On the genealogy front: I was on a great streak of sourcing Michigander profiles on Wednesday and since then have accomplished little. I have spent too much time trying to straighten out a family of early Francophone Michiganders, for whom I can find few resources. I need to see if some of the WikiTreers with experience in French-Canadian records can do better. (If such a person is reading this and wants to look into it: [https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Michigan%2C_Unsourced_Profiles look for the Drouillards here]. There are plenty more of them who are unsourced that aren't marked as unsourced Michigan as well.

by Thomas Fuller G2G6 Mach 9 (93.2k points)
Hope your wife does well at the new job! Good luck!

Thomas my plate is full!  I don't mind helping you with bits and pieces of translation, if you're stuck on a French record then you can message me or contact another member of the French Roots project, but demand is higher than resources, so we'll need you to keep doing the heavy lifting.

If you're looking for French-Canadian sources, Drouin is helpful.  These records are generally Catholic, some are in English, but they are all behind a paywall,either on Ancestry or Genealogy Quebec.  Depending on your Drouillards' location in Canada you could also contact the Ontario or Quebec team of the Canada project. for ideas.

I am familiar with Drouin, and I was looking at it earlier today, actually. I can usually figure out the French if it's legible.

The Drouillards and other early Francophone Michiganders seem to go back and forth on either side of the side of the border. They're in Detroit, Monroe, and St. Clair, in Michigan, or in the Windsor area in Ontario, mostly.
Good luck with your research on the Drouillard's.  I took a look at some of them and being in the US I don't think Drouin is going to be that helpful.  I am also working on some Chasle form Canada turned Shaules in the US so if I come across any Drouillards I will let you know.

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Hi,Thomas! I started the week off with a bang, and have done very little the last three days. Mostly working on North Carolina Needs Profiles Created. Didn’t have much success with one connection, but there are some leads I’ll need the chase down before I give up. 

When the coach quit, I’m sure to stepped right up to the plate and took over, right? laugh

+15 votes
Greetings from Everett, Washington!

I just burned my left thumb taking the mozzarella sticks out of the oven. We'll see how this goes.

Last night it was pouring down rain. Husband checked the new enclosed deck to see if any water was getting in.  He said there was a bit in the back but later he said he was wrong about that.  My daughter brought in from the deck the piano bench (a prop for her photography) and set it in the kitchen to keep it out of the damp.  I asked her to have it out of the kitchen by 7 am this morning when I start breakfast.  She did.  That bench is all that's left of my youthful piano playing days.

She is thank the Lord recovering from another flare up of her nasal infection.  She felt well enough to work yesterday.

Tomorrow she has a 7 am team meeting at the theater.  At 11 or so I go to the annual clean up of the Pioneer Cemetery, when we decorate the graves and leave them up for Memorial Day. We put out flags of all the birthplaces: U.S.A., England, Canada, Norway, Japan on some 45 graves.  We leave oranges on the Japanese graves, as is the custom.  I will network with the folks who are going to be setting up on the day itself, especially our next door neighbor who has the big American flags in concrete bottom pots and who will bring them in his truck to set them up along the fence line.  Also we need folks to bring and set up the chairs for the audience, the brass ensemble and the mayor. I am in charge of the whole thing this year (previous years I was the emcee).  I expect I will have help but it's a good idea to go to the cleaning tomorrow and find out what the latest is.

One of the hairdressers at my local salon has a five-year-old (her boyfriend's daughter) who just LOVES cemeteries!  Lily asks her, whenever they pass a cemetery, if they can visit, and she rushes about reading all the names and numbers and asking questions about the inscriptions. I gave her a copy of my book about the Mukilteo Pioneer Cemetery and she was thrilled.
by Margaret Summitt G2G6 Pilot (315k points)
Margaret, I think you are an inspiration to all of us in the respectful  and caring attitude you have instilled in the community.  We have a small
group who come to the short gun salute ceremony the Vet's present.
So many of the older graves have no one from family still in the area,
and many of the newer ones just don't care, that it is hard for small,
rural cemeteries to survive in today's atmosphere.  Congratulations on
your commitment and your helpers.

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Margaret, I love how you and your folks keep up the cemetery. Just inspiring.
Sorry, I can't go to the cemetery today.  Family takes priority.  Daughter had an interminable meeting that ate up all the morning.  All the theater staff was required to be present to hear a policeman talk about dealing with an active shooter situation.  I drove her home and heard all about it.  We are just trying to de-stress right now. I am making lunch.
+15 votes
Hey y'all!  Greetings from East Texas, where it is hot and humid.  

Just got finished mowing the lawn and doing battle with the pool, or should I say swamp.  Hope it clears up soon.

This month, I've been working on the Integrators Challenge, a first for me.  I've been working on Texas, Needs Profiles Created.  Having a lot of fun with that.

This weekend, I've got to start lesson planning for the next six weeks.  Our homeschool year is getting ready to start.  We like to pad our schedule when it is too hot to do anything else, so that we can enjoy the two weeks of fall and one week of spring in Texas.  

Wishing you all the best, Janet
by Janet Clifton G2G6 Mach 6 (61.9k points)

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Janet! You are doing marvelous work on the Integrators Challenge this month! Those Texas profiles are looking great!
+16 votes

Thank you for hosting Pip!

I'm just back home from an Arctic Adventure on Baffin Island.  Trying to post a picture, but I've forgotten how to use a wiki in 10 days offline, so I've added a link instead.

I enjoyed the trip thoroughly, the arctic is beautiful and exotic, and I'm happy to be home among trees and flowers. Its full spring here, the rhododendrons are in full bloom, the daisies are starting to wink, and something in the air this year is agreeing with my iris

This weekend is the Highland Games in Victoria, and I've been invited to share a few of my stories about growing up in Nova Scotia. Its my first actual public event, so I'm feeling a few nerves, and will be glad for the company of some more experienced storytellers.

On the genealogy front, I've been slowly cleaning up some of the profiles for New England ancestors in my family tree, finding sources, dealing with occasional conflated information and untangling relationships.  My daughter is delighted to learn that a many-greats aunt was hanged at the Salem Witch Trials. It appears poor Martha Carrier was our ancestor Andrew Allen's sister. The young are so blood-thirsty! 

by Laurie Giffin G2G6 Pilot (104k points)
Sounds like you had a cool trip to Baffin Island (Ow. Sorry for the pun!!) Saw the pic and it looks great!

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Laurie, if you can get some pics of the Games and share them. I love a good Games. This summer, I’ll be attending Grandfather Mountain Games for the first time in about 20 years.
+15 votes

Hello WikiFamily and thanks Pip for hosting.

I've taken a break from my Mullins line for a while; last week had been bio building for letter "M."

Have taken to making a few free space pages for background photos while simultaneously watching some TV.  You know, sometimes you need to rest the brain and do something repetitive (data doctoring or cut/pasting photos).

SJ's Flower backgrounds
SJ's Family backgrounds
SJ's Old map backgrounds

Not much to say about the weather, in Spain its always sunny cheeky

by SJ Baty G2G Astronaut (1.2m points)
Cool backgrounds SJ.

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

Hi cousin how right you are about sunny Spain the weather are fantastic

You are very lucky to stay in Spain it is a fantastic country.

Love the bag grounds you are sharing with us wow special the flowers
SJ, I love the old North Carolina map. Of course, I love all things Tar Heel!
+12 votes
I think one of the more interesting events was the announcement of 42 USA presidents of 43 being descendants to John of Magna Carta Fame and having watched that tape at YouTube of the calculations done by that Numbers Man and having read a 2012 article in the Daily Mail (uk) about a girl's project that traced descendants of the USA Presidents whether by sons or by daughters upping the count from 22 by other researchers to 42 ... it was VERY interesting information

I would not have though King John had that many children. In fact I never gave a thought to how many children he had. BUT it is very surprising to me to hear 42 of 43 US Presidents are his descendants.
by Susan Smith G2G6 Pilot (652k points)

Ditto to what you said Susan.

Welcome everyone to the WikiTree Weekend Chat

That’s a rather amazing stat, Susan. I never would have thought!
+11 votes
Sorry so late but last night I spent the night so I could help mom to get her house situated so when we get the last of things from Loudon, Tennessee house up here then give away things that down there and put things that we are going to take to the dump to the dump. Then we will  clean it up and  put it up for sale as is. Us kids are going down there on Memorial weekend and paint the concrete wall with white paint that will seal the wall from getting damp down there and white will brighten it up also.

Yesterday me and my sister went to the John Reed that has nursing home, assistant living and memory care unit in it. I had been opened than been closed down so one of the clients had moved to Brookdale where we put my dad and she wasn't during good like my dad but they just recently opened up and the memory care unit isn't just yet but it will as of June 10 so we will be moving him then to John Reed memory care unit. John Reed now is own by a church so it is religious mission of a church. So it should be better the person I just mention is back there in the assistant living part of it and she seems to be doing better now. The rooms in the assistant living  part and the memory care unit is much bigger than Brookdale and I think it will be better for him. Also it cost a lot less than Brookdale. So that is where we are standing on my dad's stuff now. When we went yesterday to get papers for my mom to look at and fill out and then she will set a date when he will be moved there. But when we went yesterday my sister got to give me a tour of the unit and the assisting living part of John Reed since she already got to look a.. All the rooms they share bathrooms, we were able to reserve a room where he will have a private bathroom. But he will be taken to where they have showers for the clients and they will share that. They even have a nursing station in the unit that they don't have at Brookdale. I was very impressed it John Reed I think that it will be better for dad and my mother. The dining room where they at was much larger even. John Reed is very near to my and my brother - in - laws primary care doctor so after my doctors appointments like I have one on June 20 I can go see my dad and I can other days go see him every day except on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday when he has dialysis. So it is so much better location even for all of us except for my brother and sister - in - law since the live in Kingsport, Tennessee.

Welcome everyone to the Mother's Day WikiTree Weekend chat.
by Living Barnett G2G6 Pilot (500k points)
After we get him moved hopefully June 10th that will be when he will be in a better care unit and get my mother settled and get the house in Loudon, Tennessee sold and out of our hairs then it will be that might be near December about selling that house and mom being settled. After she said that she can't take care of dad at home she is saying that she hoping to get her house straighten up and get the hospital bed he is using at Brookdale and put in the master bed room then bring him to the house for Father's Day but I kind of reminder her what she said that she can't take care of him by herself and asked her if she wanting him to spend the night even. I hoping not but with way she thinks anymore anything will happen. Because John Reed was saying we could use the hospital bed that they have and dresser and a nightstand instead of bring what he has at Brookdale and we thinking about go that route. So I will not until then but since January I joined a senior center in Jonesborough, Tennessee where I use their fitness room on Tuesday and Thursday then on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I do silver sneakers class and get excerise that way. I also at meals on wheels lunch there except on Thursday when they have meals on wheels breakfast not lunch but I do not do that also I go on some hikes that is not so strenous and walks. Plus the have craft classes like rotographic card class on every Thursday from 9:30 to 12:00 and sometimes they will have canvas painting classes and wreath classes that I do there. Then me and my sister does things on every other Fridays  when she off and on Saturdays and Sundays we do things together and on Sunday mornings and night we go to church together.

Me, my sister and brother got to talking about what we need to do to the house down in Loudon, Tennessee and my mom needs to do go to certain places to tend to some stuff and since my sister is going to be off this Friday we are talking about my sister and I and my mom going down to tend to that plus pack up a lot of other things and hopefully with my sister SUV and my mom car that we can get what boxes of things that we going to bring up with us on Friday. Also my mom is hoping to contact a certain realtor that we are going to use to sell the house and hopefully the will be able to go to the house this Friday.So we can know what we need to do to sell the house as is except for we are going to do to it plus how much we can ask for to sell it. Because my brother has a lot of the block walls down in the downstairs garage ready to paint with white sealer. But we do have some few big things that my brother - in - law hopefully before memorial weekend on Friday get them on a trailer and put in his truck and what other things we are going bring up here. Also since my brother is a liscense artichect and he own his own business he is going to take the nails, and screws and plumbing supplies and leftover pieces of decking materials that we used to replace the wood on our deck that was leftover and going to use it at his business and nails and stuff his people that he has that builds what he draws can use, then the rest of the stuff that is good but we not going bring up like my mom's grandmother old singer sewing machine and also the old victorla that I have pictures on my free space page Leonard's family heirlooms and other furniture that is not good and turn up to the dump. So by memorial day we should have the house about ready to put up for sale and get money. Also we were talking about getting my dad moved to the new place by June 15th and get his stuff out of Brookdale by that time also. My mom going over to John Reed and see about what she wants to take over there and if she wants to use their furniture that in the room we have reserved for him. Why my mom is talking about going this Friday since my sister is off she needs go to the banks and get money get her accounts moved up here to pay for utilities till we sell the house and also take the cable stuff back to Charter since they will be giving her back money and the places will be closed on Memorial Day weekend. So after Memorial Day Weekend we probably will not be going back down their except for my brother - in - law because he need to go mow the yard unless we hire some one to  do that. So hopefully by Thanksgiving we should be rid of that house hopefully. So next week I might be on the weekend chat but I will hopefully after Memorial Weekend the next weekend which will be first weekend of June I should be back. I will update then and also attach what I put here in the two comments.
Linda, you are so busy with all of the family issues, I don’t know how you keep up! Don't wear yourself out! Hope y’all get that house sold quickly.

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