Genealogy stuff, part 2

More newspaper clippings and obituaries, again primarily from the Bagley, Clearwater County, Minnesota region. Some extending into greater Minnesota (even Rochester and Stewartville) and some into North Dakota (mostly the Larimore area).
As before, they are alphabetical by last name and you should check all of these blog entries (Aug. 12 and Aug. 17).
Email me at jennifer [dot] my3sons [at] gmail [dot]com and I will be happy to mail them off to you in a SASE you provide.

So without further ado ...
William John Baker
Marvin Balstad
Mrs. Floyd Bardwell (filed under Curfman)
C. W. Barrows
Mrs. C.W. Barrows
Jacob Gerhardt Beckman
Charles H. Benedict
Mrs. P. Benedict (filed under Sorenson)
Zella Berman
Mrs. Anna Brustad
Mrs. John Carlson (Gertrude Nystad)
Mrs. Anna Cease
Melvin Christenson
Selmer Christianson
Tom and Banna Christianson
Dr. W.C. Covey
Mrs. Glenn Curfman (filed under Curfman)
Timothy W. Dee
Edward Eide
Mrs. E. Englehart/Englehardt (Margaret Brown)
Lynn "Butch" Everhart (filed under Curfman)
John H. Gordon
Nathan "Nate" E. Gordon
Fred Grover
Otto Gunsch
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Halkney (50th anniversary, see also Marian Oleson)
Frank Halkney
Mrs. John Hanson (filed under Curfman)
Ole Hayes
Jesse J. Hill (filed under Olson)
Olavus T. Holty
Mrs. Pearl Hopke (filed under Eide)
Mark Hvezda
Edwin Dwight Ingalls
Hans J. Iverson
Mrs. Teoline Jacobson
Peder Jorgenson (filed under Sorenson)
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Kolding (filed under Christianson)
Lt. and Mrs. David Kolding (filed under Christianson)
Joseph Konick
Charles Langworthy
Dr. B.W. Lemery
Mrs. Johanna Loun
George W. McCall
Mrs. Matilda Elizabeth McNamara
Robert Marshall
Mrs. Ben Martine
Donna Mellinger (filed under Curfman)
I.O. Messelt
Edna Vera Mootz
Charles Murphy
Mrs. Herman Nass (filed under Curfman)
Henry Bernhard Nasset
Marian Eleanor Oleson (marriage announcement to Allen C. Luebke, see also Halkney)
O.A. Olson
Orvis L. Olson
Floyd E. Nelson
Alton H. Rendall
Joseph Rosicka
Roger Sanquist
Mrs. Helen Sorenson
Lester Sorenson
Arnold Stavig
John H. Towey
John W. Walker
Mrs. Annie Walland
Dennis Watson (filed under Curfman)
Mrs. Stewart Watson (filed under Curfman)
Mrs. Devere Wilson (Julie Edna Johnson)
Mrs. Nellie May Woods (nee Farnsworth)

That is a complete list of what I have right now. I will add to this if I find any more in the boxes I have left to go through.

Too much stuff

I've posted before about the stuff I have accumulated by being the family historian. The latest batch in my collection is from a great-great aunt and uncle who had no children of their own. With no direct descendants there is no one (including me) who wants all of the memorabilia they collected during their lives.

A lot of stuff is connected to Ft. Riley, KS. Bob must have served there during WWII. There are some photos of military units with mountains in the background. That's not in Kansas, I am positive. Some internet research confirmed his obituary, which said he served in the Pacific and was wounded. But I was frustrated in determining where his unit was trained before deploying to the Philippines.

I called the museum at Ft. Riley and connected with a very professional man who not only said the museum would be glad to have the small collection of postcards and memorabilia, he found information about the unit and has promised to help me get the photos to their proper home.

All of the items will be donated in the names of my great-great aunt and uncle and their photos will be included in the collection as well.

If you are a genealogist it is certain you will collect historical documents that are of no interest or use to you. Please consider donating them to a museum or historical society. I think it's a great way to keep your family members alive.

Funeral Cards

On August 12 I posted a list of obituaries and other newspaper clippings I have that I am willing to send to those who want them for genealogy research. As of today that list is still incomplete, but I wanted to add funeral cards that I have today. Check both lists because some of the names are on both pages. I am filing all of it together alphabetically so if someone requests a particular name I will probably find all pertinent documents but it would be helpful if I knew I was looking for a news paper clipping AND a funeral card, so list both in your request if the name is on both pages.

Ida Louise Anderson
Evelyn Charlotte Fletcher
Hans Flom
Ingeborg Groven
Oscar A. Hallan
Mrs. Archie H. Hammond
Albert E. Hurd
Harry John Hurd
Jens Martinus Jespersen
Brynjel T. Johnson
Anna Langworthy
Charles J. Langworthy
Sidney O. Larson
Sigvald Peter Lund
Myrtle B. Moen
Bennie P. Nelson
Norris J. Nelson
Ingebrigt J. Netland
Benjamin F. O'Dell
Albert Olson
Arnold T. Olson
Olaf Olson
Herman Peters
Ray Peters
Thomas Pollard
Bertha Bassett Rendall
Dempsy Charles Rendall
John C. Schultz
Elmer A. Skare
Stella Nathalia Sorenson
Mrs. Borghild Swenson
Richard M. Swinburne
Carl O. Wahlin
Esther W. Wahlin

All 3 posts containing genealogy for this month are complete. Email me at jennifer [dot] my3sons [at] gmail [dot] com and let me know what you are looking for, and if possible, how you are connected to the person/people in question. Once we've connected and established that the record is of the person you seek, I will email you my mailing address. If you mail a SASE to me I will be happy to have it go somewhere useful.

Items that are sent off will be crossed off but not removed from the list. I would suggest adding a comment to the entry after receiving the item that lists the name and your name or some method of contacting you for future researchers. I am sorry, I just can't promise to stay organized enough to keep track of what is sent to whom.
Thanks.

Genealogy stuff

I am an amateur genealogist and I recently received several boxes of stuff cleaned out of an elderly relative's home in Bagley, Clearwater County, Minnesota. Among the family obituaries and funeral cards there were many newspaper articles, obituaries and funeral cards of community members who are not related to my family. The articles are primarily of tragic events -- car accidents, accidental shootings, sheriff's sales and the like. I am not sure why this woman took such a prurient interest in the newspaper but I thought perhaps the articles might hold value for a family member, so I kept them in spite of the feeling I get from them.
Below is a list of them. The list is now complete. If you are a researcher and have run across this in a web search I will be happy to mail them; simply contact me through the link at right and send me a self-addressed stamped envelope.

To contact me: comment below and leave your email or phone number OR email me at jennifer[dot]my3sons[at]gmail[dot]com. Please use all names listed, for example, Mrs. Frank Peterka is also listed below as Letha Maruska but it is filed under Peterka so I will not find it if you only give me the name Maruska.

I am happy to mail these at no charge, but I do need to ask for the self-addressed stamped envelope simply so that I don't incur mailing costs. Thanks for your understanding.

Names with a strikethrough indicate the document has already been sent to a family member.

Frank C. Anderson
Mrs. Ida Anderson
Alfred John Astrum
Mrs. Frank (Martha) Bailey
Joe Balik
Mrs. Elsie Bang
Mrs. Leroy Bang (Margaret "Sally" Mootz)
Martin Bang
William Stanley Barrows
Mrs. W.C. Barrows
George Henry Baumann
James Hubert Blix
Mrs. Euguene Bodner (Luella Mae Johnson)
Mrs. Francis (Frances Elizabeth) Bonik
Leo Bonik
Patsy Boon (age 8, daughter of Jobe)
Magnus Bratland
Leslie "Red" Brustad
George Buck
Mrs. William Butler (Phoebe Josephine Fix)
J.C. or J.D. Calloway (formerly of Larimore, N.D)
Mrs. Michael Carroll (Catherine Lewis)
Mrs. Collin (Winnifred Mary) Campbell
Oscar Carlson
Mrs. Anna Cease
Albin L. "Christy" Christenson
Anna Clemens
Harry Courtney
Mrs. Clifford (Iva) Covey
Dr. Kenneth Covey
Dr. W.C.Covey
Timothy W. Dee
Larry Doyle
Dr. H. M. Eisenlohr
Henry Ellenberg
Alfred P. Erdelt
Gladys L. Ewers
Mrs. Colonel (Alice Amelia "Meda") Farnsworth
Mary Lee Farnsworth
Ole S. Glomsrud
Jay B. Goodnough
Arlen M. Gould
Iver Grodahl
Dr. John Grogan
Harold C. Hagen
Ed Halladay
Luella Mae Hammond
Palmer Haugan
Magnus Helgeland
Oscar Melvin Hendrickson
Mrs. Dave (Edith Florence) Hier
Arne J. Higdem
Virgil Hill
Belander Hough
Harry John Hurd
Mrs. Frank (Marie) Janous, Sr.
Wayne Jasperson
Jens Martinus Jespersen
Betty Mae LaFountaine Johnson
Mrs. Gina Johnson
J.P. Johnson
Mrs. J.P. Johnson
George Price Jones
Tolef Julin
Anthony Joseph Kawski
Mrs. A.D. Keye (nee McCall)
Myrtle Kleven
Lillian May LaDue
Norma LaFontaine
Oscar Larson/Larsen
Mrs. Oscar Larsen/Larson
Mrs. Ole G. Lee (Clara Oline Sletten)
Mrs. Leroy (Eileen) Lewis
Adolph Lindgren
Mrs. S.C. Lobdill (Jospehine Elizabeth Farman)
Oscar Lukkasson
James McCall
Mrs. Bert McHenry
Wilbert McHenry
Mart J. McMahon
Robert Marshall
Mrs. Louise Mathison
I.O. Messelt
Mrs. Andrew Molenaar
Donald Stanley Nelson
Mrs. Laura Nelson
Norris J. Nelson
Sever Nelson
Steven Nelson (age 7, son of Norman)
Ingebrigt Netland
Carl Norlander
Frank A. Norquist
Reina O'Brien
Fred Oelrich
Mrs. Fred (Alma) Oelrich (formerly Mrs. Frank Kelly/Kelley)
Olaf Olson
Oscar John Olson
John Halsten Oversea
Mrs. Frank Peterka (Letha Maruska)
Herman Peters
Claude O. Peterson
Fern Alma Peterson
Lloyd Iranus Peterson
Valoy Fern Peterson
Edwin Pingrey
Charles S. Pingrey
Mrs. Charles S. (Margaret) Pingrey
William A. Reed
Ernie H. Reff
Olai Risan
Gene Robbins
Lyle Rotzien
Mrs. Lyle (Bertha) Rotzien
Logan Sackett
Mrs. Emma Searles
Joseph E. Seeley
John F. Sheehan
Theodore Simenson
Elmer Skare
Selmer Sorenson
Stephen Elmer Clarence Sparks
Mrs. Stephen Sparks (Anna Marie Volden)
T.O. Stensrud
George P. Stiles
Eugene Sullivan
Tobias Sunderland
Mrs. R.M. Swinburne (Daraxra Ollie Numbers)
John Herman Thayer
John Peter Theis
Armer Alvin Thompson
Mrs. Elmer Tibbetts (Antonette)
J.H. Towey
Mrs. Clifford J. (Mildred) Turner
Ben Vorderbruggen
D.H. Waggoner
Ardith Wahlin
Robert Wallingford
Emilie Marie Wastweet
Robert Widrig
Gene Ellis Wilberg
Vernon Willborg
Charlotte Wolf
Ed Wright

Say my name

Saturday Amy Winehouse died.

Sunday the theme of our church service was Green Burials. Don't know what that is? Google it. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Okay. So I am a Unitarian Universalist and it stands to reason that many UUs (who are pretty environmentally responsible as a group) are interested in green burial. Me? Not so much.

Of course, I am all for losing the concrete vault, the shiny casket, the embroidered satin lining, all of which make me a little sick to my stomach, but I am not a "plant me in a pine box or a cotton shroud and I will decompose and literally push up daisies" kind of girl.

Cremation for me, please. And I would like the environmental offset fees paid, as well. But I won't know, so whatever.

As for what to do with me, my husband jokes that he's going to scatter my ashes on the crab grounds in the Bering Sea, since King Crab is my favorite food and I LOVE the television show The Deadliest Catch. However, as a girl who hates the cold and the snow, I think that's just cruel.

So I decided to document my choices here. I understand that nothing is legal or binding about this but I have hope that my family will honor my wishes.

Cremate me. Don't buy a casket or anything fancy. Do NOT burn my jewelry, including my wedding ring. For heaven's sake, I don't need it. Jewelry should be worn.
Divide my ashes in 3 parts: one to be scattered at Maple Lake, Minnesota in Polk County near my grandparents' cabins; one to be scattered in the ocean, one to bury. Bury those in Bethel Cemetery in Clearwater County, MN. I am in the process of finding out more about that cemetery and obtaining a plot, but I have chosen it because my great-grandma Anna's brother Arne is buried there. He was 2 years old when he died and it was the cemetery nearest the farm. Later the family moved to a different farm and everyone else is buried in a municipal cemetery nearby.

Bethel is out in the country. It's small and a little overgrown. In doing genealogy research I have spent a lot of time in many cemeteries and I know what I like. Bethel is friendly. There are trees and shade and it's peaceful. There are lots of different sizes and shapes of headstones. And as long as I'm talking about what I like in a cemetery, let's talk about Sunnywood Gardens in Grand Forks, ND, where my Grandpa Don is buried. I HATE that cemetery. It is right in the middle of town at the intersection of 2 very busy roads. It doesn't have enough trees and feels commercial, too sunny, and just yucky. If I die and it hasn't been done yet, I want him moved to Bethel. Leave my grandma where she is ... Grandpa, Arne and I will have a grand old time in a shady, quiet corner.

I want a headstone -- not fancy or ornate, plain is fine. And for now, I simply want the epitaph to read, "She Loved." I may change my mind, but I think that says it all.

And then -- don't come back. I mean, visit if you want to, if it makes you happy. But if it makes you sad, or you feel any guilt about not visiting, or whatever, then don't. Think of me. Have a drink. Listen to some Springsteen.

Say my name out loud.

Letting in the Light

We sang "This Little Light of Mine" in church today, and the theme of the sermon was stories. How the stories of our lives make us who we are, how they can help us learn about ourselves, how we can puzzle out their meaning as we tell and re-tell them.

This weekend has been revelatory. I am learning new stories, and I hope in the telling I can somehow begin to make sense of it all.

The relative I wrote about recently continues to be unwell. The secret she hid for so many years has taken its toll and she has lost all quality of life.

Inspired by that, and perhaps looking for further reasons or basic information another family began digging in papers supplied by the ill woman in healthier times. Papers she distributed to the entire extended family with genealogical information, including a copy of her father W's death certificate.

I had seen W's death certificate before. She sent it to me with the same packet, probably 10 years ago.

I hadn't realized it, but he died in a mental hospital in the 1950s. A contributing cause of death was "psychosis." Could it have been Alzheimer's Disease before it was recognized as a disease and not a normal part of aging? He was in the institution for almost 4 years before death. What and who put him there?

None of this has ever been discussed before. The stigma of mental illness, the shame of abuse, the desire to move away from it all and begin fresh -- these must have been the motivations of all involved.

But the perception now, today, in the age of full disclosure and navel-gazing, is that keeping the secrets was wrong. Some people in the family feel betrayed. They wonder why even simple acknowledgments and explanations were not given; why didn't they tell me SOMETHING?

I can't know the reasons, the symptoms, the fear or anguish. Everyone who could shed light on the story is dead or mentally incapacitated.

But this I know for sure: the stories will not die with me. I am opening the closet door and letting the full sun shine on them. The stories of my family's past does not have to define its future. We can acknowledge that our family, like so many others, has had trials and tribulations. We can talk about the pain and suffering of so many people, trying to keep painful secrets locked up. We can have sympathy for the suffering they endured, even the suffering that was self-induced because of fear or ignorance or who knows what.

Today, I shine my light on my whole family. I call upon all those involved with this to face the demons of the past in a fearless manner. The past cannot hurt us unless we fail to acknowledge the lessons that were supposed to be learned.

The Mother Lode

Yep, I have hit it. It's the jackpot of family photos. I just don't know how I am going to wade through all of them. It's overwhelming.

My great-aunt was an Alaska Pioneer and her brother, my great-uncle, also ventured up there for a time to teach school. He left a bunch of photos from 1950, all clearly dated and marked with information about each scene shown. I called a local historical society that was delighted to hear I was willing to send them the photos. I was delighted to hear that they would take them off my hands. LOL

After spending much of the day scanning photos (on the new scanner that is SO awesome it creates files too big for Microsoft Photo Editor to open!), I have decided that first I am going to try to file paperwork and documents in individual file folders (since I already have most of those made up and in a file cabinet). I am going to make sure photos are labeled and put them in boxes for now so they can be scanned and scrapbooked or stored in photo boxes later.

And I think I'm ordering the new software the 15th. So exciting.

Progress ...

Rob got 2 additional shelves put into one of the closets. Here they are now:



The closet on the left. Top shelf is craft stuff that will be moved and an accordion file that holds a good number of old family photos that don't fit into my smaller photo boxes. It will soon hold many more as I get them sorted and labeled. Middle shelf is resource books, including a family Bible and a baby name book.

Bottom shelf holds binders with individual family information.

Have I mentioned this didn't make a dent in the stuff I showed you the other day? Ay, caramba! Or uff da, whatever.



The closet on the right. Top shelf holds several empty scrapbooks as well as a number of scrapbooks and albums that are full.

Middle shelf is photo albums and scrapbooks, all full.

Bottom shelf is my sewing basket and button box.

Yeah, it looks pretty good. Until you see that I still have a long way to go. I think we emptied half a dozen boxes and a couple of those plastic crates. Not much in the grand scheme of things. Pray for me.

A quick trip east

to Chippewa Falls, WI today. Checked out the grave of my great-Uncle Henry and cleaned up the stones for his parents as well. I was glad to see the stone from the VA was pretty close in appearance to those of my great-grandparents.

Rob got the patio blocks laid yesterday (and got a terrific sunburn as well).

My friend Kris called last night and she is coming for a little visit mid-month. If I had known that I probably wouldn't have pulled out all those boxes. LOL Nothing like a little motivation to help get things moving. Rob is measuring and cutting wood right now to add some additional shelves to the his-and-hers closets in my scraproom. It will be most helpful to have direct access to all of my resource books instead of having to dig through all of these boxes.

And .... drumroll, please .... yes, Rob is hanging the final curtain rod in the bedroom so I will be finishing the remaining curtain this week. Now to find some hold backs. Any ideas? I hate the big "C" shaped ones ... I want them to be more flush to the wall. I don't like them sticking out so far.

The big task for tomorrow? Filling the new backpacks with all the school supplies. I finally broke down and ordered from Lands' End this year. Last year Garrett went through 3 $15 backpacks -- I figured this year I'd spend the $40 up front and theoretically these will last them multiple years. I like that LE stands behind its products so we'll see.

Mobile!!!!

I am posting from my new laptop. Yep, my sister-in-law mentioned that she was going to eBay her old laptop a few weeks ago. I told her I'd buy it, and despite her protests (it's really old, I don't know if it will do what you need it to, are you sure you really want it?), I insisted I did want it.

Bless her heart, she refused payment and gave it to me. Rob backed up her data and we mailed it off and he installed a new operating system and added a wireless card.

And here I sit, on my bed, blogging.

This will allow me to use the computer at the DFL in the main entry, rather than hiding in the front office. And best of all, it will allow me to do my genealogy on the road. I just need new genealogy software. But one step at a time, dear readers, one step at a time.

Right now I am basking in the glow of a new (to me) laptop.

Man, I LOVE hand-me-downs.

So far so good

There was no red in yesterday's list because I hadn't accomplished anything yet. Today I will change a few things to red so I am pleased with myself. All of the pages for Spencer's album have been journaled and uploaded in order in the slide show. You can click on it to look at the individual layouts at your leisure. And yes, I know there isn't a page 6. That's for the still-missing first birthday photos. I'll get there, I promise.

My grandma called today and left a message -- she is sending me yet another box. No worries, though, everyone in the family is accounted for so there shouldn't be any repeats of last summer's surprise. LOL Just more photos, documents, and a family Bible. I really need to go through all of my treasures. *Sigh* Maybe next fall.

Guess that's it for now -- I am off to try to get through a few more tasks.

Tradition

I've written here before about my dad's service in Vietnam. I often mention my old Army buddy Teresa.

I don't think I have talked about how far back the military tradition goes in my family.

My brother served in the Navy.
My grandfathers served in the Army and Navy.
My great-uncle served in the Army.
At least 2 of my great-great-great grandfathers served during the Civil War. One volunteered in his 50s. He was born in Prussia and was an immigrant to this country, he joined up with a Wisconsin unit and ended up in General Sherman's march to the sea.
Way back there, some 13 generations ago, one of my ancestors served during the Revolutionary War.

That service is one of the most fascinating aspects of the genealogy research that I do. Where the units traveled, the battles fought -- all of that information, usually so dry and factual, becomes interesting and rich when you realize an actual person in your family was there.

I am grateful to have heard some of the stories straight from my dad. Thanks, Dad, for your service. Thanks to my brother "the swabbie", also, for his service in the Gulf. Thanks to Teresa --- Type type type to kill! --- and thanks to all the current and former military servicemembers for their dedication, their courage, their sacrifice.

Uncle Henry ....

has left the building. It is not a small feat to mail human remains through the US Postal Service, but it was accomplished today. He is on his way. But I don't think the 3 Postal Workers I encountered while trying to mail him will ever be the same.

Fall is in the air

We camped this weekend and were most grateful to have a furnace. It got down to 32 degrees Fahrenheit Saturday morning!

We attended the Minnesota Renaissance Festival on Saturday, where little Miss Pippa was the star of the day. People loved her. So did a fawn pug puppy named Dieter. LOL She was unimpressed.

We're back home now, and I have tackled "Mount Washmore" as FlyLady calls it. I hope to be done tomorrow evening. It is BAD.

And I thought I would update on my progress on the list (okay, and add a few things) from last week:

-copy recipes onto index cards and place in album
-paint back of scrap shelves with magnetic paint
-finish door jambs on main floor
-stain trim in basement
-hang suspended ceiling and install tiles in basement bath
-sort and organize photos
-sort and organize family history stuff
-sew bathrobes for kids
-sew table skirts for scrap room
-finish sweatshirt for Mom
-finish sweatshirt for Nancy
-choose photos, have them printed and laminated to create border for hallway
-mail envelope to Sally with Henry's paperwork
-print family group sheets for Aunt Ida to have them proofed and corrected
-write thank you notes for the Ohio trip
-make cards for Sally for her birthday
-add trim to baking cabinet
-sand / paint baking cabinet before obtaining solid surface top
-stain hot tub
-tear up hallway carpet
-remove tile from entry and bath
-stain arbor
-stain front door trim
-stain back door trim
-hang wood blind in family room
-paint hallway
-finish surf painting for kids' room
-finish bedroom curtains
-work on decorating idea book

Okay, it doesn't look like a lot, but remember I had to pack for camping and I babysat some friends' kids, and I DID manage to get enough evidence together to prove Rob is eligible for membership in a special group of a genealogical society in Ohio. Which isn't a big deal except it gives me access to more resources and if our kids or other descendants want to join later they will only have to document their link to us. So.

Yeah, I am off to do laundry and get my kids to finish their homework, then it's grading math papers and calling potential volunteers for the book fair. Have a good week, all!

Spencer's mini-session

He had an hour and a half in the classroom today. It went great. He was perfectly happy and I couldn't be sad because he was so excited. This kid has been in classrooms since he was 2. He has waited SO long to be in kindergarten. How can I be sad?

Of course, all bets are off tomorrow. I have to put him on the bus.

I did realize today that my first child went to kindergarten about a week after turning 5. This kid is the age his brother was at the END of the school year. He is so ready. *Sigh.*

In other news, I tamed the paper beast in my house today. I took 4 paper grocery sacks full of seriously compacted shredded paper in them outside for the recyclers today. It feels so good. Tomorrow the genealogy material from our trip that is threatening to take over the world (or at least my scrap room) and maybe getting all the paperwork together to mail to my grandma so we can finally put this Henry thing to rest. (Again with the jokes. Sorry. Honestly, I just really think it's funny ....)

Labor day weekend

The house is clean enough; company will arrive in a few hours and the rest of the family who lives nearby will descend upon our home to eat soft-shelled chicken tacos with all the fix'ns. I have purchased disposable plates and cups so I won't have to do dishes but the guilt of that crap taking up space in a landfill could kill me, too. Oh well.

My "crap room" is pretty good, too -- the floor is mostly cleared of the boxes and bins of my great Uncle Henry's life. Now it is all shoved in the closet and with a little luck this winter I can organize, label, file, and toss. I will make sure I have people here when I open the closet, though, because it is entirely probable the contents will spill out and crush me.

I am contemplating a few home improvement projects -- from a small painting task to removing tile and replacing it with vinyl to a larger painting project to (finally!) living and dining room window treatments. I just have to be sure that whatever I take on I can do alone since Rob is stunned by the amount of homework involved in this Executive MBA thing. LOL

Some big genealogy stuff in the works, too -- paperwork to send off to people, Uncle Henry to ship to Wisconsin (I know it's horrible but I still am very amused by this. Currently he is in the gardening cabinet in the garage next to the fertilizers. Ha ha), and a substantial application for a genealogy group that will require quite a bit of documentation that must be obtained and sent off by Sept. 15.

So what am I going to do when I log off? Get some thank you notes addressed and stamped, put my leg up, and let my husband do all the chopping and food prep for dinner tonight.

Have a great labor Day weekend, all, and don't work too hard.

Weekend

We had fun at the Twins game. And they actually won. That was cool. It was my first pro game since I started actually learning something about the game. It is not as boring as it used to be because I understand more now, but I still read half of a novel while we were there.

I am still working on the genealogy paperwork to bring along to Ohio. I have a ton of scanning to do since the new program I'm using allows you to attach photos to individual records. I may do it on one of those little pro machines and have a CD made. The quality is a lot better than my scanner (which was a Mother's Day gift in 1999. Back then it rocked. Today, not so much.).

Okay, I am tired. More later this week, I promise!

Summer stuff

This is Evan and Sonya on Tuesday. The kids all had a great time playing in the pool. And of course I love having little girls around. Just a totally different feel.

Rob's mom is here. We went to the county fair last night and I had a funnel cake. Delish. Although I totally pissed off the lady in the booth because they were handing out lily-livered (read: not golden brown) cakes and I asked that it be cooked correctly. Not that it bothers me to have people pissed at me. I just commented to Rob (very loudly) that I was unaware it was my responsibility to make people happy. Funny, I actually thought it was HER responsibility to do that, seeing as she was working in a food booth at a freakin' fair. Yeah, that went over well. LOL However, I got a funnel cake that was properly cooked. So there.

Rob's mom brought RAIN with her. We have been so dry it is a welcome relief.

And today we are on our way to a Twins game. We invited Garrett's friend because we had an extra ticket and we are taking the light rail to the Dome. I'm worried because the Village Idiot will be in town to see the bridge disaster up close so I expect traffic and security (not to mention air travel) will be a nightmare up there today. And god forbid any news outlets should let anybody know when and where he's going. Argh.

I have our trip planner done and in a binder, complete with all addresses, phone numbers, and confirmation numbers for hotel reservations.

Next step -- putting together a binder with family genealogy charts, historical documents, photos, etc. to bring along on the trip. I called Rob's 2nd cousin twice removed and he will be delighted to escort us to old family homes and the cemetery where all the old and venerables are buried. I know, to most people it just sounds creepy, but I can't wait.

Okay, peeps -- have a wonderful weekend!!!!

Treasures and housecleaning

These were in the box my grandma sent yesterday. Amazing, huh? The first is my great-grandfather Walter. He was born in February 1884. The second is my grandma Sally at age 2 in 1925. The third is her mother, Edith at about age 16 (1899), the last is Walter again (Edith's husband, my great-grandfather), around 1920 in the workshop of his granite monument company. Awesome.

The boys and I are trying frantically to get the house in order before my dad arrives this evening. We are always thrilled to have him but with the camping lately the housework has suffered. And since we haven't got much of a system down for packing/unpacking/storage, the house was full of huge Rubbermaid containers of camping food and there is still a cooler of drinks in my kitchen. We are getting there, though, and Dad is bringing the Porta-Potti down for the camper as well as some awesome nesting mixing bowls and dishes (place settings for 6) so I will have plenty of dishes to feed 12. Very cool.

The A/C guy is coming this afternoon for the annual check-up and I am going to try to get an estimate to have a tree pulled from the back yard, a hair appointment, a nail appointment, and something fixed for dinner since Evan has baseball at 5:30.

Oh -- and it appears I have the ashes thing under control. The crematorium in Arizona faxed a Transit authorization to Rob at work. I can UPS the cremains and the paperwork to the cemetery in Wisconsin. They will take care of placing him in the family plot and my grandma will cover the bill. Grandma will sign the form requesting a free marker from the government (he is eligible because he was a WWII veteran) and pay the $60 fee for setting the marker when it comes in. Much less of a hassle than I anticipated.

JACKPOT!

My grandma sent me a huge box of family memorabilia -- photos, papers, newspaper clippings -- all from her brother, who died about a year and a half ago. This is a wonderful thing, and I was so excited about the stuff I discovered in there.

However, it turns out that she (unknowingly) sent her brother's cremains, too.

Yep, good ol' Uncle Henry is in the garage right now, waiting until I can take him to Wisconsin to the family cemetery plot.

My grandma was horrified. I have to be honest, though, I just laughed. Hysterically. It really IS funny.

Or maybe it's just me.