Can't See Clearly Yet in Healdsburg

Here we are another week and the day today, Saturday so far is almost identical to last Saturday. Heavy rains this morning with gusty winds and cool temperatures , , , but inside the house there are plenty of things that "warm the heart and soul" . . . nothing like a fever to bring your temperature up and what bigger fever have we had as a country in a long time -- LOTTO FEVER -- that's what . . . $640 Million up for grabs. I have resisted checking my ticket just so I can maybe think that "I might have a winning ticket" . . . the drawing was last night.

Several states reported that their sales per hour ran in the $Millions. California was no exception, the chance to become a half-billionaire for risking just $1 . . . there were some stores with long long lines waiting to buy. The store I went to had no one in line and no waiting. The evening news was covered with numerous what-if stories.
Even people that usually do not buy lotto tickets, did. I'm sure everyone at least said "It could happen . . ."

But if that were not enough to get your temperature rising the other anticipated "big winner" is only a couple of days away from sending millions into a frenzy also. It is even rumored that the web could be slowed down or even halted if the gurus are not careful come Monday morning at 9 A.M. EDT (6 A.M. here in the Pacific).

The above (click on to enlarge) is all about the long awaited release of the 1940 Census. That information has sat in the hands of NARA for 72 years and it is about to be set free. What could cause the internet to stumble is that if everyone tries to gain access to the data right away and at once. I plan to give it a few days maybe even a few weeks before trying to get access. Since names are not indexed yet (I am volunteering to do some of that indexing) finding your relative will take extra effort and planning. But when the indexes become available it will be so much fun to find your tree members in 1940 -- post Depression, pre WWII.

The first five states that will be loaded and released for indexing are: Delaware, Virginia, Kansas, Oregon and Colorado -- I personally have only a few to look for in those states. In the above,  the article on the lower right, it details what the procedure will be starting Monday. I am so glad that I am a member of Ancestry.com because they are the most likely to have an index ready for use before any other site . . .

So, What is NOT Happening in our Town of Healdsburg


Today was to be the opening day of Healdsburg Little League and the dedication of the new Rec Park. But due to the weather that is not going to be today:

I went over to the park -- two blocks away -- earlier this morning. You can see the rain soaked grounds and the totally empty stands awaiting another time. The newly re-done stands and grounds are beautiful even in the rain. I decided to check out the Russian River to see if the "creek had risen" but it is far below flood stages -- and that is a good thing. So while the water table is being replenished we have to cool our heels for the opening game. I have to say that the teams are probably ready as they have been practicing sometimes even in the rain in the ball fields behind our house.

Project Status & Dino's Week


One thing that the rain did was to put aside any outside project work -- but we had one new wall to finish in the master bedroom --  and that received new paint and trim yesterday bringing that project nearly to completion. We are happy with the work and now will have to decide on new window coverings.

You can see Dino checking out some of the work. But Dino too had a busy week with respect to GDB. On Tuesday evening we attended the weekly training and this week it actually was a combination of us -- the puppy raisers -- and Dino learning some things. This week we got to find out a little about what it feels like to be a blind person using a guide dog. We did some exercises where we were blindfolded and were led through a simulated dog-led walk. We also did some everyday tasks like counting money and selecting food items. Dino did a series of exercises as well.

During the week -- it rained most of the week -- Dino participated in various activities around the house -- most having to do with resting up for the next activity or feeding, whichever came first.

Dino is now over six month's old and he has turned the corner so-to-speak on being the "cute little puppy" he is now the "good-looking dog". And I have to say a very well behaved dog -- we have only heard him bark twice, he is just very mellow and well mannered -- most of the time.


What's Happening in the HILES -- BOULDRON -- and Related Surnames Tree


As I mentioned last post, I never know for sure what branch I will spend most of my time on during the week -- and that makes it interesting as well (for me anyway). This week I did spend a lot of time on some more of the Gillett branch. But I have two newspaper subscription sites that I use -- NewspaperArchives.com and GenealogyBank.com.  So this week I found myself getting lost in reading old newspapers -- and even some of the old ads as well -- but while searching through some old Seattle Times papers from almost a hundred years ago -- I stumbled upon a relative of Gail's. Since there are not many Bouldrons around then (and fewer now) I wondered who and how this person was related to Gail. I had some of the basic information about this person -- but because she went by her middle name I wasn't sure
if I had everything correct about her. The article was a wedding announcement and from that I -- got a picture (which I always like getting) and dates and new family members that I did not know about before. As I dug into the folks -- one name would lead to others and then to others as well.

It is surprising to me that when I do identify these people I wonder if our paths had ever crossed as I used to wonder when I traveled a lot through airports -- whether I had known any of the travelers in a previous life. We not-too-long-ago had someone tell us (another relative of Gail's) that they could not believe that we lived in Healdsburg and that they had had lunch here . . . since we would not have recognized them, we could have been sitting right next to them . . .

So, above is some information that I updated about Mary GENEVIEVE Bouldron. She is a first cousin of Gail's -- one generation removed. I don't even have her parents pictures -- I'll keep looking though.

The above is a screenshot from my website:  Dan's Website

When you visit my site a good idea is to start at the "What's New" page to see what I have recently updated or added. I have a lot more information than what I have had the time to put there.

And when looking at Mary Genevieve Bouldron go to her individual page to see the family data -- both her parents information and her spouse's info.

There are a lot of choices that you have of using this page -- Individual -- Ancestors -- Descendants and others. Check 'em out.


Born on this Day


While March has a huge amount of birthdays and many in the past week -- just two were born on March 31 -- so a "Happy Birthday" wish goes out to them.

So This Just In with Regards to the LOTTO


The drawing was last night so the results are now in -- at first they reported one person won, thank goodness it is now confirmed that three persons won -- let's see, 3 into 640 . . .

But others won too -- here are some details:

If you are holding a ticket -- and who isn't -- check out the results. You can see my ticket and how it fared -- actually better than normal . . .


Another GDB Puppy


To end up this post I could not resist showing another photo of one of the other puppies from Guide Dogs for the Blind. I know that they don't have an exclusive on "good-looking" pups, but this one is up there with the best . . .

And so ends another week -- I used to say that "if only I won the lotto" I could leave this chicken job. But it is unlikely that I will ever win a lotto and I don't have a job to leave . . .

So tonight instead of having our traditional "burger Saturday night" we are invited out for dinner and I am sure what we'll have is equally as good or maybe even better . . .

See you in a few!

Branches,Books,Birthdays & the Bird . . .

On a cold, dark, rainy Saturday morning Dino and I are left to wander about the house . . .and to work on this post. Dino alternates from one of his beds to the other but hardly stays active for very long. He is celebrating his sixth month birthday anniversary (born on September 24, 2011). He is really getting to be an easy pup to have around. He pretty much goes along with my activity throughout the day -- and eventually that will be what his daily life will be like depending on his blind companion . . .

In the above collage you can see the rain on the decks, pelican and in the pool . . . Dino and I are dry -- except for the every few hours when we venture outside. As I write this, Dino is napping in the bed on the left -- when he gets tired of that, he goes into the family room bed (on the right) and resumes his nap. It's a great day!

Someone gave me the Bird . . . (not the first time)


I often can not figure out the reason for getting the bird and this time is no exception. Last week for no apparent reason Gail actually had the bird shipped-in . . . it sat in it's box (rather large) all day until she arrived home to open it and present it to me. It is the result of a random impulse upon spotting this bird while perusing one of the many catalogs that find their way into our home. She could not wait for just the right occasion -- as is probably the normal reason for giving the bird -- so decided at the moment of anticipation to surprise me.

So -- here is the bird, a most unique one at that. It is a heavy metal bird made of authentic tool items -- some I'm actually familiar with -- and mounted on a heavy metal pole suitable for planting somewhere in the yard in the coming weeks. It is fun to receive gifts -- even the bird -- for no apparent reason other than, just because . . . I'll be looking through the catalogs for a suitable answer to the bird.

Working in the Branches . . .


I often never know in what branch of the family that I will end up spending most of my time during the week.This week was no exception. I received an email from Ancestry about someone in the Gillett family that they had found as a possible relationship to us. It turns out that that person and our family are related, but while filling in the "leaves" of the branch I came across a cousin that I never had known of before. And since he was an interesting person AND I could find some "things" out about him and his wife, I include a brief look at them:

Apparently Mickey was a well known and respected jazz-saxophonist. In the above article (there should be no "E" on the end of Gillett unless he changed his name) it tells about his life a bit. To me it is amazing that here is a cousin that was a somewhat prominent personality and our family was not even aware of him. He was in the entertainment world and lived a fairly short life -- he died at 51 years of age. He was born in Eureka, California and married a San Francisco girl (Bernice Baldock). Besides being an accomplished musician he also had a law degree. I have not found that he had any children though.

The above shows where he fits into the family tree -- he is a second cousin, two generations removed. He actually is the nephew of James Norris Gillett, former Governor of California, who is a first cousin of mine.

Another New Look for my Website 


Check out the new appearance of my site -- Hiles & related families genealogy and you'll see . . .
The site has all the old information plus some new ways of displaying that. I work on the site every week and make additions frequently. It is always nice when I hear from some of you with "new stuff" as well.

In the above you can see the first page that comes up when accessing the site. The photos are randomly displayed from the "inventory" and are clickable to go right to the individual's page. There are some other new features as well -- check 'em out.

Birthdays from the Tree

Besides Dino's six month birthday today, just two are "born on this day" . . . Happy Birthday!

Best Wishes for a great day!

Genealogy on TV


Each week on Friday night -- WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE -- is shown on NBC (Channel 11 in our area). The episodes have been very interesting so far this year -- including the recent one on our cousin Reba McEntire -- this week's featured celebrity is Helen Hunt, I am hoping to catch it on reruns as it was preempted locally. However a new show premieres Sunday night on PBS -- "finding your roots" which I hope to check out . . .

I could only hope that the "discoveries" found on these shows would be duplicated in our tree . . .

From wandering around the web . . .

Lastly a snapshot found on "Stumble Upon" while searching the web while watching the aforementioned baseball game . . .

Click to enlarge and guess how many . . .

So that is a peek into our week -- hope you had a good week too! In a few hours we'll wrap it up with burgers for a Saturday evening . . . hopefully, see you all in a few!

Ides, Pi(s) & Paddy's . . .

There is a break in the rain . . . today. While it has rained most of the week and today was to be included in that I have yet to see a raindrop. So we have clouds both white and grayish and occasional sunshine. Earlier this week we attended Dino's training class at GDB and because it was raining so much I did not get a chance to photo the activities -- too bad because it was like a doggie scavenger game. It was held at a strip mall in the nearby town of Rohnert Park. Each pup (there were about ten or so attending) was given a piece of paper containing six tasks or events to accomplish in various stores in the mall. Because I didn't take photos I am including a recent photo of Dino in the backyard before the rain . . .

I used a new "App" named "Reflection" from the iTunes store and it allows you to take any photo that you have and make a mirror image -- so that is what the picture above is -- I plan to use the other features with other photos in the future.  There are so many things possible with Apps I can hardly keep track of all the different ones that I have downloaded for my iPad. Speaking of iPads the lines are again long for the many folks purchasing the newly released iPad(3). I have the original version and I use it every day and find more uses for it all the time -- it did not stop me though, from buying a Kindle Touch (this week) also, to be used just for reading  . . .

This Week

So -- besides GDB it has been a full week of "days" . . . besides my Grandson's sixth birthday on Monday there is the Ides of March, Pi Day and of course the biggie of the week -- St. Paddy's Day, today.

Pi Day -- so how do we celebrate that day -- there is some controversy though as you can see from the above collage, the purists would argue that the only "real" Pi day could only have occurred centuries ago.

I take a more relaxed view and say, hey, 3-4-12 is okay as a rounded remembrance. I don't let Pi get in my hair so to speak ever since my school days. Now, pie, cake,  that's another matter . . . there was a website that I consulted for this, check out:  Cake Wrecks it is a kick.

Now, the Ides of March . . . also coming from school days (Latin Class) I have always remembered the sayings associated with the Ides but I wonder what my favorite 3rd grade teacher -- Mrs. Ide -- would have to say about all that -- she was a fun teacher, drove a Hudson and had dachshunds . . . she also gave me several silver dollars as a reward for finding and returning a wallet that someone lost in our town . . . funny the things that you remember.

Saint Patrick's Day, not being Irish -- that I know of, it has been a day that has meant a variety of things. Mostly in the form of some celebration of sorts. In various cities that I have lived or visited on that day I can recall the mandatory (or else) wearing of green and the eating (and drinking) of a variety of things Irish. I certainly love corned beef and beef stew ( I made stew this week just thinking about it . . . )

So the stew -- on a cold rainy day making the recipe for the comfort food was amazing, the aroma filled the house -- we both loved it so much we had it two nights in a row -- and we have enough left for another night as well, just not in a row:

If you click on the above you'll see what a beautiful dish it is -- you can almost sense the flavors coming through . . . it was SO good.

Our Happening Town . . .

A couple of things that are current in the town that we love and live in are included in the following collage. Everyday we are so glad to live in this community. Where else would you find the kinds of events and signs of  humanity that I include here. One is a very light-hearted approach to our view of life and the other much more meaningful and thoughtful. 

Project Status This Week




Due to the weather, the project work has been scaled back except for the work that can be done indoors and/or the astute contractor who sees a couple of hours break n the weather and send a couple of workers to attend to doable things . . .

The focus this week was on the new wall in the master where a new slider was installed and the previous single door removed. It involved several sessions (the folks are perfectionists) and it looks great and is almost ready for painting.  The other project that could be done -- piecemeal -- is replacing the rotted walkway with new pressure-treated boards. This runs along side our home and Dino actually likes walking on that a lot . . . the boards cover a cement drainage.


Dino versus the other Brand


Dino this week has had to play indoors mostly. He does not mind going out in the rain, it is mostly me that finds it inconvenient to be in the rain playing with the dog . . .it is not the case with all dogs as you can see in the next pic -- some dogs,  when they have to play indoors go all out. so far Dino has remained his quiet self, we are so glad.

I can't imagine walking into the kitchen and seeing the above. Both dogs have the same pose, they just are relaxing after different activities.


A New Look to the Old Website


I am way out of my comfort zone with web designing (among other things). I have been pondering changing the appearance of the site (www.danhiles.com) but would rather submit to a root canal day at the DMV than to tackle the job. But I enlisted the help of the man who developed the software that I use and he updated the software for me and then I changed the template for the site.

Click on the above and you can see how some of the pages look now. Certainly feel free to give me your comments and/or suggestions. There are many features that can be utilized when accessing the site to make your visit more interesting and rewarding. There are some aspects though that I'll be working on in the coming days and weeks -- it all just takes time. I for one like the color change and the more refreshing look.
All of the contents ate still the same and more will be added as I can.

And on the above shows the 6 folks who have birthdays today -- St Pat's Day -- one of them is Dan Murphy, just lucky I guess . . .

Look Who is a Cousin


While on Geni the other day, I could not believe what I found out. For years I have enjoyed the music of a very special country singer -- Reba Nell McEntire. I even once, while at a silent auction at one of the local wineries here -- much to the chagrin of Gail -- placed a bid on a autographed CD and a TV script and won those -- but NOW I find out that we are cousins. It is such a delightful surprise (for me anyway). I don't suppose we'll be exchanging messages or having each other over for dinner as we hardly do that with relatives that we know about and are geographically close . . .

Click on the above and you can see the connection between us (if you can follow it). To me it is fun to know that we are in the "same" family so to speak. And I just recently saw her story on "Who Do You Think You Are" what a coincidence.  Check out Geni and maybe you can find the others that we are related to . . .


Well that is more than enough for one week -- I had other things to add but they will have to wait til the next post.   I hope your week was good too -- we are going to have "burger Saturday night" see you in a few.

MOON OVER OUR PELICAN & HEALDSBURG

There was red sky this morning when I took Dino out for his early morning relief session and to retrieve the Press Democrat from the front driveway. It was cool but not as cold as previous mornings this week. I always remember my Mother's comment about "red-sky" so I'll be looking out for some sort of weather . . .

Not only did we have the red sky thing there also was a full moon out this week. The other morning as I ventured out (with Dino) the moon was full over the top of our weather-vane in back which of course is westward facing. I did not have to see the full moon to know though that it was there this week . . . I heard many tales from my wife about "things" going on in the workplace to know that . . . it's fun to say that even though I have been retired now for many years (13) I definitely recall the phenomenon.

IN THE KITCHEN


I took advantage of the still on again off again cooler weather to engage in one of my favorite things -- makin' chili. Actually I took advantage of the sale on red peppers at Safeway when Dino and I were browsing the store last week. I make chili about every four to five weeks -- and usually enough so that I have a ready supply for lunch almost every day. Gail has decided to not eat very much of the chili so that I have "more to last" for just me. There may be other reasons I suspect.

Chili making is like therapy for me and it usually takes about 2--3 hours to get it all into the pot AND it is never exactly the same each time depending on some minor available ingredients e.g. multiple types of meat . . . but I successfully completed the initial work and then slow cooked the pot throughout the day.

The above are some of the ingredients that I use -- I am sure I didn't photo everything, but basically I start with char-broiling the peppers (red or not) and then slow-cook three to four kinds of meat in various forms (ground versus pieces) and then utilize several other things like tomato paste, tomato pieces, several onions, several cloves of garlic and of course bean matter -- some whole and some of the re-fried type. Then multiple spices are added (married) to the mixtures and ultimately I combine the two -- the skillet and the pot into the very large pot and stir and taste throughout the day.

Dino watched almost every step underfoot in hopes that something would fall his way -- it didn't happen. The only thing close to falling his way was me -- as he is in the midst of a small work area. I would like to share all this with him but given his dietary issues it would not be a good thing . . .

I have chili now frozen and ready to be nuked as needed for my luncheon pleasure . . .

FROM THE TREE -- FAMILY, THAT IS

We are in the second week of March already and there are numerous birthdays for this month -- some 192 of them that I know of because there are still many folks that I have not tied a birth date to as yet. But there was only one "born on this date" :

If you check out the above you'll see that one of our McBride cousins from Pennsylvania is celebrating today as her birthday. Coming up in the next week -- Monday -- there are 11 tree dwellers whose birthday it is on March 12 -- including my Grandson, Caleb.

When you go into the website (www.danhiles.com) you can navigate around to see the relationships of the other 10 folks -- some are closer-related than others . . .


PROJECTS AROUND OUR HOUSE

We have a lot of things going on right now and I've picked three to highlight today. My days have been filled with answering questions and making decisions all week having to do with these  projects. Unrelated directly to the projects are things like keeping Dino on his feeding schedule, med-schedule and relieving schedule without interfering with the numerous folks working on the projects.

Above are the three projects that took up most of the week and most of my "overlooking"   . . . there was another project that was also going on -- having to do with the pool that I haven't highlighted. Anyway if you click on the above, the left side shows roughly the "before" pic of the project and of course the "after" pic is on the right.  They are not totally completed as yet -- but getting there. And in each case above the projects are "lookin' good", such quality work!

Next week -- the finishing touches on two of the projects and then the painting of the completed wood work . . . the pruning of the trees (not all shown) is complete, just awaiting the budding out to come.

While all this activity was going on, Dino was really an excellent pup. Several times throughout the week the "visiting" kitty showed up and we had to balance that too in the mix. The two of them are relaxed around each other -- the visiting kitty really just comes for some treats and then heads-on-out, I'm sure for another "stop" on her daily routine.

There is more to the story  of the "visiting" kitty, but that is for another time . . .


LOOKING AROUND THE WEB


I almost always try to look around for websites that can be fun and helpful to both genealogical efforts and "just for the fun of it" . . . here are three sites that could apply to both categories. The first one has to do with writing -- and it is always in the back of my head that it would be "fun" to write and actually not only have reader feedback but maybe even some remuneration . . . so check out "hubpages", the web address is on the pic.

The second site has to do with another favorite topic of mine and that relates to photography and displaying some of the family history type photos e.g. in a unique way. The site is www.mixbook.com and has many opportunities to make and send photo books  -- I especially like their quote -- "learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow". I enjoyed the site and I tell myself that I might even utilize some of what they offer.

And lastly, growing up one of my Mother's favorite shows was Lawrence Welk. I think it was just my younger brother and I left at home when it was the Saturday night tradition to watch this show. While I enjoyed many aspects of the music -- e.g. Pete Fountain, for one -- I looked eagerly for reasons to stay focused -- one of those reasons was "the Lennon Sisters" and now because I was visiting a genealogical site, www.rootsweb.org, I find that Kathy Lennon is interested and working on her family history -- you just never know what you'll find . . .

1940 CENSUS & INDEXING


As we all know it is now only twenty some days til the release of the long-awaited 1940 Census. And as I shared last week there is the need  (once it is released) to help out to index the names of the more than 132 million folks. I started indexing for familysearch.org this last week by working on other projects that they have the need to be indexed as well. This helps the genealogical world and it helps me get back into indexing once again.

The above is an example of the kinds of things that I was indexing. The work is very nicely presented and the help if needed is really great. The software is so easy to use and it is rewarding to work for an hour or so and then repeat again as time permits. So when April 2 arrives, then we can start indexing the actual census and that will really be rewarding -- and who knows, maybe I'll get to index some relatives . . .


So that was a glimpse of our week -- Gail is in the throes of "March" which in her profession is an "in-between" time -- in between hectic and more hectic . . .

Tonight of course we will enjoy "burgers and sweet-potato fries" and if we get nervous and/or sleepy we'll change our clocks one hour ahead even before the 2 am suggested time . . .

Have a good week, see you in a few.

Post Leap Day -- Pre DST -- Saturday, Again . . .

I can not imagine what the tornado riddled part of the country is like this day in real terms. What happens to all the displaced families and how does the rebuilding process begin. Looking at photos of the destruction is almost unreal. In the midst of all the rubble are lifetimes of personal things. Being a collector of things and a hobby genealogist would mean that so many physical representations of memories would be lost. Of course being alive after the storm would be the most important -- everything else can be replaced and redone.

Locally, the weather here has been some rain, some clouds and today lots of sunshine and the temperature should near the 70s. Trees and shrubs are starting to bud. We can see the progress of the roses starting their cycle and growth. With the arrival of March it seems like spring. The potted geraniums are a pleasant welcome to the front steps and a quiet reminder:

The other very tragic news of this past week was the incident in Chardon, Ohio. The website for Chardon says it is the "Home of the Maple Festival" sadly from now on it will be known for this weeks events. I think back to my high school days and I remember some concerns about certain kids -- mostly recognizable "hoods" as we referred to them then. I can not imagine being a student in high school these days with having in the back of your mind that maybe some unstable kid that has gotten possession of a gun -- automatic or not -- has the mind to randomly take revenge for something real or imagined.

Ohio is the state so many of our family tree came from after coming from probably Pennsylvania or other more Eastern States. The website -- Chardon, Ohio  I do  not think we have relatives from Chardon or living their now. It is going to take a long time before this event will begin to fade from our awareness. It does though bring up the memories of Columbine . . .

Other Events Last Week


There were some events last week that were not tragic and one of those was "Leap Day" which occurred
on Wednesday, February 29th. This day occurs every four years or so with some exceptions . . . I searched throughout our tree to hopefully find some anniversaries or birthdays that happened on this day to no avail -- if anyone knows differently please give us a holler . . .

I did find folks though from our tree that were born on this day -- 3 Mar . . . so we wish them a "happy birthday" celebration!

The leap day info graphics and explanation came from Dick Eastman's blog, the Our Family History came from my website:   Our Family History



Another event that happened last week was the Oscars presentation and while we have not seen a single movie of all those nominated, we will eventually. And now we have some idea of which ones we want to see. Plus we love the hoop-la that goes with the show. We also had pizza as is our tradition . . .

On the same day as the Oscars -- last Sunday -- we made the trip to San Raphael and reclaimed our guide dog puppy -- Dino -- from the Vet's Clinic there. It was a fun time and Dino seemed to really be happy to be home. In honor of his return he got a new toy and an additional bed to sleep on when he is in the office with me -- like at this moment.

In the above can be seen his new bed, toy and the pre-Oscar nap that Dino and I enjoyed . . . someone shot a couple of pics very quietly . . .

Coming Events


One of the most exciting genealogical events is coming in just 30 days. I have been looking forward to this for several years. As you know the federal census is taken every 10 years since 1790. While the information is used in the aggregate for a variety of purposes, the individual personal information gathered by a census taker usually at the doorstep of -- our ancestors -- and other folks is kept private for 72 years. So this information gathered 72 years ago (1940) is about to be released to the public in just 30 days.

The information will be released on April 2, 2012, but locating it will come probably sometime later. By that I mean, there is no existing index of the people in the census UNTIL one is generated -- and that can take time for the 132 million some names in that census. So if you would like to assist in creating the index you can -- I have done this for other censuses -- it is rewarding and fun -- plus you never know if you'll actually index some of our own ancestors and currently living relatives . . .

Here is the link where you can learn more AND even download the indexing software:

the 1940 Census Project   check it out and volunteer to help.


Another event coming very soon is the return of Daylight Savings Time (DST). So, next weekend, actually Sunday March 11 at 2 A.M. push your clocks ahead one hour (Spring Ahead).

For some of you it will mean that coming home from work just may be in the sunlight . . .

Just for fun Genealogy


The automobile has been a major factor in my life and in the lives of many of our ancestors.  Just this morning in our local paper there was an article about the "10 worst cars" ever produced. I have carefully avoided any that were on the list -- but I sure remember some of them -- e.g. the 1958 Edsel.

So I happened on a website that has a genealogy of automobile companies and it is quite fascinating. So many of the old photos that I see in our family's albums include someone proudly standing in front of their auto.

So click on the above and then for detailed info visit their site:  Automobile Companies Genealogy

They actually have a ton of great charts -- some you can even purchase . . .


So, that was some of our week. Tonight we are borrowing a "page" from my childhood and are going to have just regular hamburgers -- along with some fries (sweet potato) and some slaw . . . we just won't be watching "Perry Mason". We will be watching (among other shows that we have recorded during the week) "Who Do You Think You Are", Reba McIntyre and probably the "Amazing Race" from last Sunday. Ain't time shifting grand . . . TV the way we like it!