27 April ’23 …

Weather has been turning toward a warm May.

~~~

While sorting photos and identifying the people in them with the year the photo was taken I tried to determine if I could remember or guess at an approximate year a photo was taken.

During sorting I came across a photo of my paternal grandfather, Laben Jehiel Elmer Tyler, and his older brother, John Purnell Tyler, both of whom were born during the Civil War so they were about 6 and 9 when the photo was taken.

Notice their feet …

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A sideways change of subject

Here’s an interesting note about an “event” reported in the Old Farmers Almanac …Tony Gemignani spun 17.6 ounces of dough for 2 minutes to form pizza base 33.2 inches wide, in Minneapolis, Minnesota — 2006

I enjoy watching the local pizza spinners, but their pizza skins never get quite that big.

~~~

And another change of subject. This time Copied from CNN friday morning 21 April ‘23

“The shooter who killed five co-workers at a Louisville, Kentucky, bank this month left notes that revealed part of his goal was to show how easy it was in America for someone dealing with a serious mental illness to buy an assault-style weapon. The gunman purchased the AR-15-style rifle seven days before the April 10 shooting after quickly passing a records check. Separately, communities across the US are grieving several recent shootings in which young people were shot after making a common blunder. Among the cases, a 6-year-old girl was shot after an angry neighbor opened fire over a basketball rolling into his yard. Other young victims include two teenage cheerleaders in Texas who mistakenly approached someone else’s vehicle in a grocery store parking lot, a 16-year-old boy who rang the wrong doorbell in Kansas City and a 20-year-old woman who turned into the wrong New York driveway.”

Now tell me again why assault-style guns are a “right” which was granted under the 2nd amendment to any member of a legal government militia, and not to just anyone who happens to belong to a made up army to own one of these killer guns.

More than once I’ve been told “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” when actually people with any kind of gun, particularly one designed for only killing people, do just that … kill people

 ~~~

I’ve been watching a tv show called Alaska Daily on ABC.  It’s about the high number of native women who disappear with no effort by the law system making little if any effort to find them, living or dead.

The lesson to be learned is a dismal one.

However there is, in addition to the central lesson which makes it well worth watching, a lot of it is shot on location.  

I have a cousin living north of Anchorage away from the cities with no paved or even gravel roads. She travels close to 20 miles by shanks pony or a snow mobile or a two dog sled to pick up her mail ad comnicates by radio.

I always enjoy her paintings and photos. 

  ~~~

And speaking about Alaska … Remember the widespread oil slick created by the sinking of the tanker by the name of the EXXON Valdez? 

1987 she went aground in Prince William Sound spilling 11 million gallons of oil, the largest oil spill ever. 

My middle son was in the Coast Guard aboard the buoy tender the Iris which was deployed to help in the cleanup and he brought home a small jar of the bay water including some of the spilled oil floating on top of the water.

~~~

Because I write this blog using stream of consciousness and because I read the Old Farmers Almanac’s daily post which includes along with who was born on whatever date of is the printed issue, who died and a list of what events of note happened on the that date, one day last week it included the Hindenburg Disaster in 1937.  I remember when it happened because it was all anyone at school was talking about and one of our teachers had a radio at school (we still didn’t have electricity on our farm and so didn’t have a radio).  I clearly remember hearing a reporter on the scene saying “oh the humanity of it”.

I also clearly remember Les Nessman, the news reporter working at WKRP in Cincinnati, repeating those words verbatim when the Owner of the station decided to throw turkeys out of a small plane to celebrate Thanksgiving as a PR stunt and as gifts for the station’s listeners.

The only problem was that the turkeys were frozen hence Les’s declaration as he watched the mayhem below …  “Oh the humanity of it”

   ~~~

To close out the week … Robert Burns, also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet who probably said it best …

“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.”

So ‘til next week … 

19 April ’23

19 April ‘23

The week started below freezing … 27 degrees.

Today I slept in.  It is now 0614 and 30 degrees.

 ~~~

Another death added to my list.  The woman who was the first to greet me when I moved into Victorian Village died late last week.  

Although she and I didn’t visit too much lately, since we both had become mobility challenged. 

I will remember that greeting.

~~~

I am in the process of renewing my membership in the DAR, this time as a member-at-large, in order to access their list of pedigrees of Revolutionary War veterans.  I hope they will have information to help me fill in some of the blanks in my brick wall, Cuthbert Sims. 

I have complete information of his service time and some birth information due to his pension records but little about the time between his discharge from the Continental Army and his request for a pension in 1835.  The time between is scarce. 

I hope research through data in DAR records research finds there may help since records for Warren in Somerset County, New Jersey during the missing time is scarce other than tax roles.

Mayhap the game will be afoot.

~~~

Every so often, while watching the tv, I am subjected to snippets of some “game” shows and  become advised that, with the exception of my chosen sister’s daughter, those auditioning are screamers, wavers of arms, screamers, and jumpers up and downers.

I once tried out for one of those shows and was told I was smarter than the others but I wasn’t active enough to make the show interesting.

My niece was smart and she had an interesting backstory.  Both she and her mother were teachers who taught the same grade in the same classroom just a few years apart. 

~~~

Back to the subject of genealogy, I recently found photos of my mother and her cousin Roberta with whom I share a birth date. 

Roberta had an interesting life. She was a beauty and was a showgirl with the Fanchon and Marco entrepreneurs on the west coast as was Zigfeld and his Follies on Broadway in New York.

I correspond with one of Aunt Roberta’s granddaughters and am sending her the photos and a pedigree Doug, one of Aunt Roberta’ s sons, researched.

It is always exciting when I can provide something to add to the research being done by a relative.

~~~

John was here last saturday to do some planting … rhubarb and asparagus … and check on the roses. All the roses, including the miniature one, seem to be beginning to leaf out as is the lilac.

And he was back today (wednesday the 19th) to add a lot of lovely blue and purple with one black Hollyhock.

While he was here last week, he helped me choose a recliner which will allow me to have my feet up.  The only other recliner, was part of the big sofa which belongs to Mark but which was kept here until he had a house and so is now in his new house.

My new chair has a lot of features which will be great, more like the seating in movie theaters.

They will be taking the big oblong dining set and the round table which has been holding the tv in the living room (and which had been my Nuna’s) will be my dining table.  It is a good switch since their table will now seat six while mine will be good for four. 

I have always been the kind of person who chooses places to put furniture and leaves it there.  My sister was the opposite.  She rearranged all her furniture at least once a month.  

~~~
Do you think lemonade is simple?  After all, children make and sell it once the weather gets right.  

Think again. It really has an extensive history.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/history-of-lemonade?cmpid=email-hist-inside-history-2023-0419-04192023&om_rid=d1e0c7c6f9cd1bd795585832b18d8c47db18da133669769ef6c111f38fbc682a&~campaign=hist-inside-history-2023-0419

This story ncludes recipes.

Let me know if you try any of them.

~~~

Every so often, while watching the tv, I am subjected to snippets of some “game” shows and  become advised that, with the exception of my chosen sister’s daughter, those auditioning are screamers, wavers of arms, screamers, and jumpers up and downers.

I once tried out for one of those shows and was told I was smarter than the others but I wasn’t active enough to make the show interesting.

My niece was smart and she had an interesting backstory.  Both she and her mother were teachers who taught the same grade in the same classroom just several years apart.  

~~~

To close out the week …

I’ve seen a better day, but I’ve also seen worse. I don’t have everything that I want, but I do have all I need. I woke up with some aches and pains, but I woke up. My life may not be perfect, but I am blessed.

‘Til next week …

5 April ’23

 5 April ‘23

Does anyone still designate snow falling like rain as “snain”.  I don’t recall where I learned it but it seems accurate.

Today is the 31st of  March meaning tomorrow is April Fool’s Day.  However, no fooling, today started with snain at 0638.

Today is Saturday the 2th and there is no rain or snow but the water in the drain on the end of the drive is frozen.

Tuesday was clear and cold.  Wild wind last night but calm, sun, and cold today. 

Hammerstein says it all …

“March went out like a lion

A whippin’ up the water in the bay

Then April cried and stepped aside

And along come pretty little May!

May was full of promises

But she didn’t keep ’em quick enough for some

And a crowd of doubtin’ Thomases

Was predictin’ that the summer’d never come

But it’s comin, by gum

We can feel it come …

June is  bustin’ all over …”

We can only hope by gum.

~~~

Just a couple of days ago I came across tv news by and for children from 6 to teens on another.  So if you have kids or grandkids and wonder what they are thinking, watch these shows.  They are by kids and for kids but they help us older folks learn what and how they are thinking.  There are such shows on both NBC and CBS (I don’t know about ABC) just know they are on the air early.

  ~~~

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency have jointly announced the names of the four astronauts who will take a journey around the moon next year aboard the Artemis II rocket to learn what will be needed for the first trip to Mars.  The three Americans and one Canadian will fly farther than the humans who traveled to and landed on the Moon during the Apollo missions that ended more than 50 years ago. (CNN 2 April ‘23)

~~~

A recent news report was about the double in syphilis cases.  Over the years I have been involved with syphilis.  

The first was when George and I were required to prove we did not have the disease before we could be given a marriage license.  That was more than 70 years ago.

The other was when we were members of a Society of Friends’ group assigned to do service work one summer in the New Mexico “Insane Asylum”.  During that assignment we and others worked with patients in third stage syphilis and saw the symptoms.

I thought, since treatment is now so simple, the disease is no longer present or was at least treated so the report of its continued presence was a surprise.

~~~

Interesting Q&A on the Old Farmers Almanac one day last week … 

Question was “Where does dust come from and what is it?

Answer was “Dust is particles of less than one millimeter in diameter, regardless of its content. A significant portion of dust is dead skin fragments from human bodies, tobacco smoke, airborne particles of pollen and plants, industrial smoke, clay, and other mineral (soil) matter. Major volcanic eruptions also produce thousands of tons of dust, and dust from outer space can be yet another source.” 

Stardust … ???

In 1927, Hoagy Carmichael wrote a melody that would become one of the greatest hits of all time, “Stardust.”

https://www.google.com/search?q=listen+to+hoagy+carmichael+stardust&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS1019US1019&sxsrf=APwXEddc59M7EdAo59h

~~~

 I’ve been having trouble interacting with my phone so my sons will be getting me a simpler elder’s phone.  I hope it will talk to me in techno language I can read and make use of easier with my tremor.

~~~

There has been a lot of news about a crisis line (977) available 24/7 mainly aimed at suicide thoughts by offering emotional support and information about professional help.  

More than 60 years ago, I worked on such a line for the Los Angeles area.  We were not available 24/7 but only from 6 pm to 4 am.  That seemed to be the “critical” time frame we were able to cover.  

We worked in pairs in the office of a church in the San Fernando Valley in 5 hour shifts.  

That which is available now is meeting a growing need.

I wish there was no need, especially among the young, PTSD among veterans and LEOs (LawEnforcement Officers), and the elderly.

However, I am glad it is no longer merely a finger-in-the-dike effort at making help available.

~~~

At my age death, or near death, reports are a given.  Last week the list was three … one to dementia, one to kidney failure, and one to “old age”.   

I suppose all three were actually due to having lived to an “old age”.  

There are only four of us left from our high school graduation class (1947) of which we are aware.  One in Arkansas, one in the Seattle area, one in the town from which we graduated, and me.

~~~

To close out the week …

There are things you have to do.  There is a way to compromise what you would not like to do with what needs to be done.  Grieving is one.

‘Til next week …