©2009-2016 Becky Higgins

Thursday, December 29, 2011

My 2011 Goal Results & 2012 Goal

This year is nearly over and I know without a doubt I'll not be reaching my 2011 goal of writing and publishing my Leisure family. I did make some progress. I decided on a format and created an outline. The format which includes biographies for my direct line seems to have been my stumbling block.

As you may know, if you've followed my posts, writing my father and my grandmothers' bios took considerable time and no small amount of "pondering." I feel great accomplishment in saying their stories are finished (some editing still needed) but, since my Leisure line in America goes back to the 1700s, I have oh so far to go.

What I'll need to do in 2012 - because this goal will carry over - is be diligent in keeping to a writing schedule. No excuses this year! Of the 24 hours in each day, at the very least, one must be dedicated to completing this task. Let's say five of seven days anyway, with the exception of vacation days. See there I go again!

I know I'll be drawn to more research as I go along and, though I don't consider that wasting time, I'll need to balance it with "getting things down on paper" - so to speak. I must keep reminding myself the research will never be finished - there will always be something new popping up; but, maybe, some of that should be left to the genealogists who come after me. After all, I have lots of lines I need to cover before I'm through. If I don't provide what I know in a concise and easily accessed manner, very likely my work will end up in a recycle bin somewhere.

So, I welcome 2012 with new enthusiasm and commitment to publish my Leisure Line.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Doing The Happy Dance


Lucky for you, you can’t see my version of the happy dance.  Picture the combination of an Irish gig and the twist being performed by a senior (albeit not too senior) citizen with a stupid grin on her face. That’s it and that’s enough because I don’t want to gross you out!
Why all the frivolity, you ask? Did you find a missing ancestor? Did you break through a long standing brick wall? Have you found that missing cousin who has all the family photos and the family Bible?
No, I answer. None of those wonderful things occurred. But, I am a step closer to my 2011 goal of writing up my Leisure line. Now it doesn’t mean I’m even close to any publication which I had hoped would happen but I did finally finish my Grandmother’s bio.
I once heard a fellow genealogist say “Writing about our recent ancestors is easy because we know more about them.” Well, I’ve found just the opposite to be true. Yes, I did know both my father and his mother. Yes, I could relate from personal experience certain events. However, with both I had, let’s say, issues I needed to deal with in order to present them in as true a light as I could.
Writing Grandma’s story helped me pull back from my view and take a look at her life from, hopefully, her perspective. I came to understand why she reacted to events and circumstances in certain ways. I now see her in a different, more accepting light.
The happy dance is over. I’ll move on to my next ancestor in the line – Mary Frances “Fanny” Leisure. This one should be easier because I didn’t know her personally and I’m not starting with baggage that needs discarding. 

Friday, December 9, 2011

My Ponderer Is All Tied Up

Wow, it's been awhile since I've had a chance to post here and I will probably be remiss for a while longer. As silly as it sounds, it's all because of our dog, Bessie.
That's a picture of her before she injured her knee and before the surgery last Friday to correct it. Now the back leg you see is shaved and looks like a naked turkey leg.

She is four and a half years old and very energetic. In fact, it is her athleticism that got her in this fix in the first place. She had what in humans in called an ACL tear most often suffered by athletes who run fast and turn too quickly.

Her incision seems to be healing well and the swelling is finally gone, although she still isn't using the leg too much. From what I gather, it will be eight weeks before the leg will be healed and probably three months before she is back to normal.

Right now the trial is keeping her from licking the incision area and keeping her quiet and off her feet most of the time. Really it's not like dealing with a person; she doesn't seem to understand all this is for her own
good. She only knows she's starting to feel better and "why can't I get off the deck and chase those squirrels?"

Anyway, between my husband and I, we're on 24/7 watch the dog duty at least for another week when the wound should be healed. Maybe after that my pondering mind will get back to thinking about research, writing, and family history. For now, it's "No, Bessie, leave it alone!!"