Ancestors

I have been having so much fun working on my Fanuly Tree, that it has almost become work, instead of just fun. But, I think a lot of that is because I haven't learned how to keep the tree from getting so big, it is becomng unmanagable. But I have found so much.

It all started when I found the wrong person. Pat is not whom I thought she was. I was trying to contact one of HRR's cousins, and wound up with a "shirt-tailed"relative. Pat and HRR share an aunt and uncle, although the two of them are not related. You have to stop and think about that for awhile. Then, through HRR"s cousin in Marysville, I found about a cousin in Southern California. I wrote to her and she has filled me in on some of the family. Through her, I have tried to make contact with another distant cousin of Grandpa's. So far, I haen't heard from her. I hope we can get the contact because I am very afraid my mail might have gone directly into her spam folder. It happened before. Then there is this gal in Florida, who is the ex-wife of the grandson of one of HRR's aunts. She is apparently very much into the geneology and is giving me lots of help.

Last Wednesday I went to the LDS Family Research Center in Yuba City, and they helped me for two or three hours doing research. I think I've mentioned that I am very proud of the fact that I am a direct descendant of the pioneer, Daniel Boone. Years ago I was able to trace him back to his father (I believe) who was born in Engliand in 1866. Well, now I know that the last known date for the family is the great great grandfather of Daniel Boone who was born in 1595 in England, but who died in 1670, in the United States. As Judy said, "Mama. that means we had family in the United States before the Revolutionary War". Yep, sure did!!!

I am trying to trace my family: Arand, White, Roberts, Boone; Then there are the branches - the Weyands, the Banks' , the Springers. Then I get the kid's trees - the Hodges., the Goss', the sparks, the springers, the Boleys, the Morrells, the browns, the DeWalls, the Hughes, and on and on it goes. You might say, yes, but some of those surnames were of fathers who no longer are a part of the family. But, they will always be part of the family, as long as there are children of those relationships as a part of our family tree. I haven't started with HRR's family - here you get into the Rohleders, the Olsons, the Kirchbergs, the Grunewalds, the Windiates, etc. When you get these names all attached to one tree, you begin to see just how far your family really is "connected". Not related, just connected. I'm anxious to see if some suspicions I have do develope. I wish this lady who is being so helpful to me lived a bit closer, but she is in Florida, and all her help has to be by email. She has sent me pictures of some of the old family grave markers, which I believe to be all in the Rosalia, WN cemetery. I also have some I took when I was up there in 1994. They are on video, and I am going to find someone who can pick some of those pictures off, so they can be put on the tree.

Think this is a good place to stop. If any of those names mean anything special to you, please get in touch with me and lets see what we can figure out.

Ancestors & Descendants

Hello, again. Not used to me writing every day, are you? Well, yesterday I got another gripe off my chest, and good things happened to me today, so I thought, why not write it down while it is still exciting to me. There is an old saying that says something about bad things come in threes. I never was one to believe in "old wives' tales", or some of these old idioms from sayings of generations ago. So, in this case, I turn it around and say that good things are coming in threes. At least good news is coming in threes. Actually, in this case, it is probably good things coming in fours. Not too long ago, I learned that I was going to be a greatgrandmother again, for about the 29th time. Then, a week or so later, I learn I will be gr-grandma again, and today I learn it's going to happen again. That will be 31 great-grandchildren. Don't ask me how many are blood and how many are step - I quit counting that. And I also learn of a pending marriage in my family. Who? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out. I'm sure some of you already know, but nobody will hear it first from me.

Years ago I had spent literally hundreds of hours researching and building family trees for all sides of the family. It was really lots of fun, but also a lot of work. When I got sick in 2006, and never thought I would be able to pursue such a project, things got kind of scattered. For some reason, noboby seems to know where my stuff is. I had many file folders full of old pictures, photos of US Censes sheets for verious years, and even a Spanish Land Grand for my grandmother's place. I'm sure most of it is still around, but I guess God only knows where. Maybe some of it will turn up, at least I hope so. I have gotten interested in working on it again, and without the information I already had and the program I was using, I'm kinda up s*** creek.
But, today, thru a contact I have made in Florida, I was introducted to another computer program. It is fun, and I have really been going to town with it, but I don't think it can do all the things the other program does. This one is free, and the other one costs about $250 per year. Really, that is not all that expensive, especially for what you get, but you have to pay the full year at one time - no monthly payments. Bummer!! Maybe as I get used to this program, I will understand it, and it will become easier. I hope so. But, I'm still thinking about getting the new- old program - it seems so much easier to crossreference.

Apology, sorta - peeve, definitaly

I was just rereading my last post for probably at least the tenth time, and I got to thinking about what I said at the last of it. I'm sorry, but that is still how I feel about what goes on at a high school graduation. I said it was supposed to be a serious time in the life of the graduate. Well, 60 years ago, when I graduated from high school, things like that were major, serious, events in the lives of young people. But you know, I think I can realize that things are different now, it is a different time. All that "foolishness" the graduates do is not rebellion or meaning to be disruptive; I think it is just their way of celebrating the fact that they have finished their years of primary and secondary school. For many, this is the end of their school years. For some, there will be more years, maybe many more, before they have to face some of the realities of life. Now that I've done some serious thinking, I think I can understand why they do the things they do. That doesn't necessarily mean I like the idea, just that I think I understand.

Not long after I started these postings, I really vented about some of the things in the education system now. One of my biggest gripes, is the way the education system is taking such a beating in the state budget process. But I don't care how badly the system gets beaten by the budget cutbacks, I don't think that excuses letting kids go through school without learning some of the basics of life. Sure, they are teaching more advanced scientific and mathematical subjects than when I went to school, but darn it, when I graduated from high school, or even from grade school, you could read my writing, and I could at least use correct grammar and punctuation. (Belive it not - some times you wouldn't think so from reading these posts). About 10 years or so ago, I went to visit one of my grandkids at high school one day for some reason. One of the classes she was taking was "keyboarding" or learning to use the keyboard (type) on a computer. I was absolutely dumbfounded when she handed me a paper with an "A" grade on it. The spelling, punctuation, and grammar were atrocious. I was told, I believe by the teacher, that that was not the purpose of this class. In this class, they were just suppossed to prove they knew how to use the keyboard - the rest of it would be taken care of by another teacher!! To me, that just did not make good sense. "English" in all it's forms, should be a part of every class. I hadn't thought too much about it later, because I really wasn't involved in the kids school work, but I got an email from one the other day. This kid had finished high school, and I was really shocked at the email. It was almost as if the computer did not have capital letters, and maybe it is from texting too much on the phones, but spelling seems to have gone by the wayside. Now, this is really frustrating to me. Oh well, I guess, as I said, I am getting old!!

Well, I think that is enough for now, so That's all, folks!!

Hifh School Graduation

Another first!! It seems as if there have been a number of firsts in my life in the past few years. Actually, it has been awhile, but I was the first member of my family to graduate from a 2-year community college, back in 1998. There had been members of the family who had completed fire training, police training, auto mechanics school, food management courses, and Certified Nurses Assistant courses, but I was the first to complete a regular 2 year college course, with an Associate of Arts degree. That is since my Mother, who graduated from San Jose State (it was called San Jose Normal then) back around 1915. And it only took me 50 years to do it. Yes, I graduated from high school in 1948 and from Yuba Community College in 1998. Last year, I had three members of the family graduate from a school. My oldest daughter, Kathy, graduated from Yuba Com. College; my youngest grandson graduated from Marysville High School, and his sister (my youngest grandchild) graduated from grade school. Now, this year, my oldest GREAT-grandchild, the granddaughter of the daughter who graduated from College last year, graduated from Marysville High School. They're going to be keeping me busy with graduations for a few years. Next year, if things go right, I'll have two or three graduating from Yuba, and it's going to be that way now, for several years. My sister-in-law once said I got just as excited over the 5th or 6th or 10th grandchild as I did the first, and I think it will be the same with these graduations. Each one is such a major step in the life of that particular person, I can't help but be proud and excited.

Having a GREAT grandchild graduate from high school really made me realize that I am not a young person any more. My physical problems have shown that for several years, but last night, I really felt it in my senses. I didn't get all emotional, no tears or anything like that, but something that seems to have become common in these graduations, and which I do not care for at all, is the stunts the graduates themselves pull, and some of the things that happen at an event like this. I'm not sure how many graduates there were, but I'm sure it was well over 200, so, as has been a long standing thing with this high school, the ceremony was held in the football stadium. Well, out in the open like that, I guess certain things can be expected, but that doesn't make me like them any better. One thing last night, that I found to be very annoying to me personally, was people blowing the canned air horns. A lady sitting just behind and to the right of me, had one, and she really blasted it. Those things are LOUD. I asked her very nicely not to do it, and sure enough a few graduates further down the list, she did it again. Again, I asked her very politely to please not blow that thing anymore. She just ignored me, but, one of the security guards on duty did come along and confiscated four or five of the horns. Well, that just made it a game. When he would walk by, there was no sight of one, and as soon as the guard went by, someone would bring out a horn, blast it, and put it away before the guard could catch them. This became quite a game for some of the people, my own family included. Personally, I found it very offensive to the people sitting around who did not like it, and the fact that they were literally making fun of the guards. As the diplomas were presented and the graduates left the platform, some of them were doing tricks, turning handsprings, etc. I left as soon as my Grgranddaughter got her diploma so I could beat the crowds to the rest room so I missed some of the stunts the grads pulled. I understand they had beach-balls tucked under their clothes, and were blowing them up during the ceremony; some of them, mine included, had cans of crazy string didden in their clothes, etc. OK, now why don't I like things like this? Well, to me it ruins the effect - the solemnity of the ceremony, etc. That's what I mean - my age is telling on me. A graduation like this is supposed to me a major, serious, event in the life of the kids, and then such things as these stunts go on - not for me, sorry.

Well, I guess I have vented enough, so I will close for now. Have a nice summer, everyone, and

That's all folks!!

Texas, finale

Well, the boat ride was lots of fun, as was the getting off. Unfortunately, Judy was watching Jami, so she didn't get a chance to get any pix of all the foolishness. Anyway, after all that fun, we went to lunch, and then back to the house to get ready to go to Houston for the flight home. Actually the airport is called Houston, but it is really in (H)umble, which is a little bit north of Houston. I have not flown much, but I've been in Seattle/Tacoma, San Francisco, Burbank, Ontario (CA), and a few other smaller ones. But I have never been in a terminal the size of either the one at Houston, or the one in Denver, CO. They are HUGE. I thank God that my granddaughter, Esther, who made the arrangements for me, thought to ask for "meet & assist". This gave me special treatment from the time I arrived at the airport, until I was safely either onto the next plane, or in Kathy's car. Those airports are so big it must be several blocks or more, from one loading place to another, and as hard as it is for me to walk very far, I would have been up s... creek without a paddle for sure without that special treatment. That really made the whole trip easier. The flight from Houston to Denver was a little rough - kinda like travelling over a dirt road, without any potholes. I was in the very front row, but we were just in front of the engines, and it was really quite noisy. The sky was pretty overcast, so I didn't get to see much, even tho I was in a window seat. From Denver to Sacramento, it was almost the opposite. The flight was very smooth, and mucn quieter. I had been in an Air-bus both times. I wound up with an aisle seat, and the TV screen was only about 8 to 10 inches from my face, so I couldn't watch it. The man across the aisle from me, one row up, had his TV turned to the GPS channel, and it was kind of interesting to see the altitude and speed at which we were flying. Most of the time, we were at about 35-37000 feet, and at 500 mph or better. And such a smooth flight. The lady in the window seat had the curtain closed most of the time, so we didn't get a chance to see much. The gentleman who was seated in the center seat was such a nice man. He had to have been 6'5 and weighed about 250 lbs. but he didn't complain at all about his seat. We were in the seats just in front of the emergency exit, and those seats did not recline, so we just had to sit straight up. The seats in fron of us did recline, and when they did, that's when the TV was just a Pepsi bottle's length from my nose. My seat partner and I got into the usual discussion as to where we were from, and where we were going. It turns out he was coming home from having visited his mother in I believe it was Minneapolis. It turned out he lives just a few miles from here. He lives nesr Blue Oaks Blvd, and Washington Street, in Roseville. He really was a very nice gentleman.

When we got to Sacramento, Kathy was waiting for me. It used to be your family could wait with you in the waiting area until time to load, and they could be there waiting for you when you got in; but not no more. They cannot go beyond a certain point when loading, and they have to wait in the main waiting area when you are coming in. And the attendant was right with us. It was quite a long walk from where we met to where we had to go to pick up my luggage. Then, Kathy was worried about how she would get me to the car (out in the parking area). The attendant said not to worry, and he escorted us back to where we had met, then took us out to the parking lot, right to our car, and helped put my things in the car, and helped me get in. Realy royal treatment. I was in a wheelchair all this time. I had very mixed feelings about my situation - I knew I could never have done all the walking, but by the same token I felt like an invalid being pushed all around in a wheelchair. But I was very grateful for it.

It was a wonderful trip in all. I would have liked to have taken a little more time, mabye another day, to get there, but because I did not do any of the driving, I did get to see quite a bit. The desserts were beautiful, wild flowers blooming everywhere. But after two days of that, I was ready for the change of scenery in Eastern Texas. And, yes, I am ready to go again. Next time, I would hope we could take more time to see a little more as we travelled, or I could fly both ways.

I did not have a camera with me on the way going, and I really wished I had. There were two times particularly I wished I could preserve what I was seeing. We were driving alond the highway, and came up behind a semi. The tail end of it was very nicely painted. I can't describe how it was decorated, but in very large letters it said something like "Jesus Christ is not s Swear Word". And then, as we passed the truck, the whole side of it was painted to match. I didn't know until several miles down the road, that Judy had a camera in the center part, and did not think about it. Another time, we were driving along, and we were seeing occasional Yucca plants that were in bloom. They were very impressive, and just at a glance, they looked like men with big white drum major type hats. AT one time, off to the right, there was a whole hill-side of the plants, all in full bloom. The first thing I thought of was the story in the Bible where the people are gathering on the hillside to listen to Jesus give his Sermon on the Mont. No kidding, that's really the thought that came to my mind. I think this was along the river east of El Paso,and I also thought how easy it might be for the Mexicans to get into the United States if they could rig costumes that looked like drum majors, and mix with these plants.

Back home again on Thursday evening. It was a good trip, and I enjoyed it very much, but I was ready to be back home. But, I am also ready to go again.

So for now, That's all folks!!