GeneaPress: Illinois State Genealogical Society Announces Webinar Series

GeneaPress: Illinois State Genealogical Society Announces Webinar Series:

Just think you can go to class in your 'jammies and no one will know:)
'via Blog this'

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.

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. 

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!!"

The Thanksgiving Table

Tomorrow is the big turkey day and the family will be gathering at my daughter’s house for the feast. With few exceptions the Thanksgiving Day gathering has been an annual tradition. Though the location changed from time to time over the years, the tradition held together well.

 I don’t recall how we celebrated as I was growing up and living with my parents. Once we moved to Chicago, I’m sure we just had a quiet family dinner with the five of us – my parents, my two brothers, and me. Later, after my sister was born, my brothers and I were all married and living far from home.

However, by 1963, at least for a short time, we “kids” were all back home with our spouses and children. Once again Mom had a houseful to cook for at Thanksgiving. I guess that's when the tradition really began. Time went on and the two boys with their families moved away again but my husband, Jim, and I stayed on with our two girls. Thanksgiving became a holiday to bring all of our families together. My mother included Jim’s parents and sister in all the gatherings which meant we didn't have to divide our time between sides.

Jim and I and the girls moved from small apartment to small apartment for years – no room for hosting a Thanksgiving dinner. Finally, in 1971, after nearly ten years, we bought our home with room enough for all. Thanksgiving became my holiday! How I loved cooking, decorating the tables, and bringing everyone together!

But, of course, I wasn’t quite satisfied. My vision of Thanksgiving (Norman Rockwell style) included everyone sitting around one large table, – all the adults, at least - not split between numerous small tables and TV trays. Jim, as he so often does, came to the rescue. He built a table long enough for all the grown-ups and wide enough to handle the serving dishes, turkey platter, and place settings. The children still had to sit at a card table, but that still fit my vision.

I loved that table. It served us well for dinner after dinner and not just on Thanksgiving. It’s still around somewhere, I think. I’ve not used it in years and it’s been passed from daughter to daughter through the years. I won’t need it back but I still have the picture in my mind of our families giving thanks around it.

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!! 

Wordless Wednesday - My Girls

Just a sample of the 500 plus photos scanned from the box under the bed!! Project complete!!

A New Toy

I've been saving up for a long time to buy an IPad. The tablet size just seemed like it would be so much easier to read than my IPhone - which by the way I love. I guess that was really my problem; other than the size couldn't see any big advantage to the purchase. After all, I do more writing and taking notes than anything else and I really didn't think the IPad would be too advantageous with my needs.

Even so, I set out Wednesday thinking I'd come home with and IPad. I'd seen a really good price at our Sam's Club but decided to check my options at Best Buy first. While talking to the young man assisting me, I mentioned I do a lot of writing and he directed me to the Asus Tablet ( an Android system) which comes with Polaris - an app which reads and writes to MicroSoft products like Word, Excel, and Power Point; all products I use. In addition, I added the docking station which, when docked, turns the tablet into a net book with a full keyboard, USB slots, SD slot and additional battery power.

I'm giving it a try. I have 14 days to return it if I find I don't like it but, so far, I'm very happy with it. I've added a few apps and am writing this post with it using the keyboard. If I find something I really don't like, I'll let you know.