Pass the Sleeping Pills!

I’m about to make all of you tired!!

First of all….Friday, I made my first batch of Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bakes….I had on hand oats and peanut butter and was trying to find something easy to make for the annual family reunion this weekend at “Old Man’s Cave”.  Yes, you can say it….I’M CHEAP!!  Actually, I’m on a very tight budget and really can’t afford to buy a lot of anything extra for 1 meal. If I had potatoes and onions and eggs….they’d be getting Potato Salad from me!!!

I have to admit these were really good….just ask my son who has already devoured about half a dozen….I did make a second half batch and reduced the amount of sugar this evening… (or is it morning?? I don’t know anymore)..They are rich!! (Did I mention they are good??)

Then I spent Friday evening tracking Hurricane Irene on the Weather Channel as it had decided the East Coast needed a good storm.  After a few hours and knowing it would not hit my Hometown until late Saturday; I went to bed….perchance to sleep, to dream….Yeah right!!!  Saturday was the opening day of my favorite pass time…..FOOTBALL!!!!  (Oh come on! You knew it was coming!!)  I was ready at 8 a.m…..notice I didn’t say bright eyed and bushy tailed….just ready! 

Now in case you were wondering, I asked my friends who still live in Virginia Beach to keep me informed about the weather occurring in the path of the hurricane. One of the girls I grew up on the beach with has a friend who lives beside my Mom, so I was confident I would be kept up to the minute on “Miss Irene”.

If you have been following my blogs, this year was going to be “Exciting”.  Mother Nature was not kind to the Park where we play football.  The Parking lot had a “make-over”, if you will, because when it rains, the parking lot is generally not some place you want to park your car….unless you like dirt and mud….and getting stuck.  Well the “Brilliant Powers that Be” (i.e. Parks and Recreation “Contractors”) decided it was not a good idea to put a drain in the middle of the parking lot and pave it; but rather they spent thousands of dollars to grade it, put down weed block and several (^) inches of rock down…..Thus causing 2 major problems….

the Parking lot was now higher than the football field, so when it rains the water spills on to the football field and baseball diamonds creating a swimming hole since it’s already in a valley

 

and the rocks, unable to be packed down due to being on top of weed block, created a virtual “Rock trap”.  If you own a small car and not a monster truck, you can get stuck and have to be pushed (or pulled) out!

The solution was that they would turn the field sideways

without moving the goal posts this year….(Maybe they will fix the football field next year??) This means no field goals, and spectator  seating could only be placed on the one sideline nearest the Scoreboard….which all the spectators would have their backs to…..

I should have been an engineer….Even I can see this creates more problems…but people seam to work everything out. Huh? We’ll fix them!  we will put our chairs on the hill facing the scoreboard!

So I needed to be at the field at 8:30 to get one of the good parking spots on the small patch of pavement and not in the rocks….

Nine hours or more later, I went home….Tired from 4 football games where I rarely sit down, taking over 600 pictures of the teams, and some how getting “volunteered” to help sell 50/50 tickets….(What can I say? I am gullible!) Oh and did I mention parts of my body were a few shades darker? 

tan lines from my bracelets!

But boy did I get some good photos and make some new friends….I was “adopted” by the cutest bunch of boys! Here, you tell me….is this boy cute or what??

He is 2 years old, his name is Tyreese, he practices with the football team his cousins play for and he does 10 push-ups every morning!! The bottle was almost as big as he was!

So first thing when I get home, I carried all the stuff in from the car….Now get ready to be tired…..I downloaded the 600+ photos from my camera, took the spare battery up to chare it for tomorrow, Cleaned the abscess on my kitten that had popped while I was at football, created 3  sets of CD’s for one football team, sent 8 e-mails with photos attached, checked my Facebook, fixed myself something to eat, walked some sidewalk chalk over to the girl across the street, uploaded photos to my Facebook and checked my requests, let the dogs out, tried on the new outfit my mother-in-law bought me, texted my younger brother at my Mom’s, made half a batch of no bakes, visited with my mother-in-law for a few minutes, showed her how to block people and requests on Facebook, rubbed my sunburned down several times with “Banana Boat After Sun with Aloe and Vitamin E”, ( several times!) washed dishes, checked the news reports and weather reports for the Virginia Beach area, “borrowed” some photos to use here…

I used to ride my bike here

I shamelessly stole these photos from a Virginia TV station!!

 

..and…..oh I forget what all else I did! But you get the idea….Oh Yeah! I wrote this blog!!.

Now it’s 1:30 and I need to get up in 8 hours to shower before the family reunion thingy…..and take more pictures to share with a family of idiots related to my husband…..

Hugs and Love to all!

If you don’t hear from me again, it’s because I’m in jail for trying to hide the bodies in the caves…..Come bail me out!

 

 

 

To my Wonderful friend, Anne

A dear friend of mine whom I met through Windows Lives Spaces suffered a loss today.  A dear friend of hers, Kath passed away in her sleep.  Kath was her friend for more than 20 years.  Anne has been caring for Kath through hospital stays and home care givers for some time…

We knew the end was near as her doctors had already informed Anne it not be long.  Kath stopped eating and taking her meds….and spent much of her time sleeping, only to awaken to call out to Anne. No amount of caring and loving prepares us for the end of our days.  Kath has lived a long life and had such a wonderful friend by her side to count on.  Anne was Kath’s guardian Angel here on earth….Now Kath will be Anne’s in heaven….looking down on her and smiling at the wonderful person who cared enough to let Kath’s last memory be a kiss and kind words from someone she truly loved…..Kath passed away in her sleep the other night…..

To Anne, we are here for you through your sorrow and wish you pleasant and happy memories as you send your dear friend off to join the other Angels in heaven.  We love you and we send many hugs and kisses your way.

Remember all the good times you shared with Kath…..May they bring  a smile to your face and help you through this time of loss.

 

Hugs and Love to all….and to my dear friend Anne, I am so sorry for your loss.  You are a wonderful friend

Whoa! That was some Dream!!

Last night I dreamed I was living in an old mansion that was on the farm where I used to keep a pony when I was a teenager.  I was hanging out alone with an old friend of mine…Jose,,,(Quervo) ….Once upon a time between marriages, I would have a bottle of either Jose or his cousin Pepe (Lopez) around all the time.  I drank it straight…no salt, no lime or lemon….Once in awhile I would chase it with Sothern Comfort…..Those days are long gone.  It has been several months since my bottle of Baileys ran out (making milkshakes!) and I have not been near a store that sells liquor for quite a few weeks….so I know it was a dream.

In the dream, I got Mexican speaking stupid drunk….I remember friends coming to check on me, and I was speaking fluent Mexican when they were trying to talk to me.  I remember them helping me to bed and feeding me 2 extra strength aspirin and handing me a glass of “Virgin Mary”  (Bloody Mary- minus the Vodka) to fend off the hangover that I would surely wake up with….When I woke, I climbed in the shower and stayed until the water got cold, got out, brushed my teeth, gargled with mouthwash, brushed my teeth again (trying to get rid of the cotton someone obviously had stuffed in my mouth the night before) and repeated the 2 aspirin and Virgin Mary hangover cure…..

When I went downstairs, this gorgeous looking ,dark hunk of a Texan was fixing Juevos Rancheros, rib eye steaks, homemade biscuits and gravy and home fried potatoes…..A pot of coffee was brewing on the counter and a tall glass of orange juice was sitting near the refrigerator….See?? I told you it was a dream!!!!

First of all , I’ve never been to Texas, and the only Texan I knew was neither tall, dark or handsome!  And I have yet to meet a man who thought enough of me to get up and make a bowl of cereal for me let alone a full meal!  I didn’t want to wake from this dream, but it must have been around Christmas time because the “Little Drummer Boy” was playing inside my head.

Now first I have to tell you that yesterday I went to bed around 9 p.m…..I just couldn’t keep the tooth picks in my eyes to keep them open any later; so I was up at 3 a.m….and I played on the computer for awhile and had a bowl of cereal before I started yawning and heard my pillow calling me….(No really!  I did!!! Keep that guy with the net and the white coat away from me!!!) 

The next time I woke up was my usual time as of late….around noon….And that was from this wonderful dream….This time the bathroom was calling my name. 

And Boy was my head spinning!  I could swear that it had not been a dream and I actually was hung over!  I have been drunk in over 6 years!!! And I don’t get sick as a general rule…Once in a blue moon, I will feel a cold coming on, but that is usually those nasty summer colds or a winter cold.  So after stumbling to the bathroom holding on to the wall the whole way, I tried to sit at the computer for awhile but just couldn’t stay upright without feeling like “Ralph” would soon be visiting.  So first I lay on the chaise for awhile trying to find something on TV I could watch without having to get up and change the channel every few minutes….Didn’t work, So I went back up to my room and lay down.

After awhile and eating a sandwich for lunch, I felt well enough to go down and finish the Football banner I had started the previous day.  And here it is:

I am still not feeling at my best, but several hours in the sunshine have improved my balance and restored my stomach to a level of calmness.

Now, where did that Texan go??? I have some plans for him…….

Hugs and Love to all!!

The Slacker

Okay…you can call me a slacker if you want.   I have let my blogging fall by the wayside this month but with good reason…..FOOTBALL!!!!!!

With my grandchildren living over 860 miles away and too busy enjoying living near the beach to remember dear old grandmother who is missing them, I have had to find things to make me want to get out of bed every day and go on with my life.  Believe me, it has been hard and not a day goes by that I don’t miss them and maybe even shed a tear hoping to hear something from them…I even enjoy getting “poked” by my grand-daughter on Facebook.

my grandchildren enjoying the beach (photos “borrowed” from their Facebook pages)

Football started the First day of August. Although I miss seeing my grandson on the field playing, it has become an outlet for me….a reason to take my camera and get out of the house for 2 hours a day.  I have had to endure many questions about my grandchildren and have put on a brave face when trying to pretend that I am happy for them….Don’t get me wrong! I am happy for them, but the sadness is that I am not there to see them or hear their voices….even if it sometimes ended in them arguing amongst each other.

Coaches at new player conditioning July 26th

Each day, Monday through Thursday, around 5:30 p.m., I turn off the computer, pack some drinks, grab the camera case and head out to practices. The first week the boys practiced without pads.  The  past 2 weeks they have been fully padded.  It has been interesting watching the progression and the changes that have been made in the boys and their attitudes.  Last year we had 2 cousins that the coached referred to as “Beavis and Butthead” as they seamed more interested in what was growing on the field (grass) than what was going on. This year it looks like they came to play. Our smallest player for the past 3 years, Tony, has grown….some and is now a receiver/running back to replace my youngest grandson….Whom coaches and parents alike have reminded me daily that they really miss….(Not as much as I do!) One of our corners from last year has had to step into the quarterback position and is learning plays, how to pass, etc.  And a reserve quarterback from last year has stepped into the position of center and is learning how to “hike” the ball to the quarterback….not an easy thing to do if you aren’t used to it. Imagine standing with your hands down beside your feet , your legs spread at least shoulder width (or more) apart and tossing a ball backwards to waist height of someone else….without actually seeing that person as your head is supposed to be up looking forward.  I suggest trying to toss a roll of toilet paper that way to someone!)

This was an extra exciting week for me….On Tuesday, they had a scrimmage against another team….a practice game if you will….to see what they have learned, what they need to work on and a preview for us spectators of things to come. The other team has a girl on their team who plays a line position.  I have known her mother from last year when her son played for the same team as he does again this year, and from basketball.  Although no one really keeps score, and the coaches act as referees, it ended in a tie game.

Taylin #45

Our girl from the past 2 seasons that we affectionately called “George” (in the words of one of our coaches “I’m not yelling “KiKi” on a football field”), has moved on to the Junior High level and is still playing football thanks to one of the Youth league coaches moving up to coach at her school.  (Last year’s Junior High coach told her she could join the team, but she would sit the bench.)  She asked if I would go to her 4-Way scrimmage on Wednesday and take pictures of her playing for the 7th grade team.  Now here’s how a 4-way scrimmage works…..there are 4 teams.  Team A & B  and team C & D each play 3 rounds each of 6 minute Defense and Offensive….Then they switch and team A & C play and team B & D play for the same amount of time….Finally team A Plays team D and team B plays team C…..So with water breaks and time outs to adjust players on the field…we are talking 2 hours of football.  (Now don’t forget, I still watch the Youth league practice when I am done here! Another full hour!!)

 

can you spot the girl player??

#9 is another former Viking who plays for the other Junior high in our town

And one of the boys who played for our team 2 years ago asked me to come to his scrimmage for the 8th grade team on Thursday!  Although I know many of the players from the past teams, on Thursday, most of them play on the same team this year. 

#’s 6, 9, 41 & 66 are among just a few of our former players

#41 Tyler

The Blue and  Gold team is Ewing while the ones playing in Blue and White are Sherman players.  My middle grandson, if he was still here would be playing for the Blue and Gold Ewing “Senators”.

I have had something else to keep me on my toes too.  My brother-in-law found 2 wild baby bunnies and after an internet search, I was able to keep the healthier larger one alive for the past month.  He has now moved into the larger rabbit cages with the domesticated bunnies. He seams much happier, but my Shih-Tzu wonders what happened to the bundle of fur he would watch over.

And I have volunteered to do the Football banners again this year as well as the Spirit wear t-shirts for our team.  With the first game only a week away, I have it drawn out and half way painted…But I must run to the store for more paint….I hope the sidewalk is not as hot as it was yesterday….I ad to put socks on to keep from burning my ankles.  And the Flies were biting viciously!!

So I am still around….just busy….

Hugs and Love to all!!

Sometimes I wish

I am so upset right now…..

I just had a phone call from my middle grandson.  I could tell he was crying.  Apparently his mother has not paid any of the utilities since she has moved to Florida and today their power was shut off.  They owe over $400. Their temperatures have been in the mid 90’s (around 34 C) and the humidity makes it feel 10 degrees hotter.  So they are without Air conditioning or even fans….and in the dark.  The food in their refrigerator won’t last that long and they have no way to prepare food.  They don’t have candles or flash lights; and their only means of communication are all powered by electricity.  For whatever reason, they have not been able to get food stamps.

I feel so sorry for them, but I can not help them from where I am.  If they were here, they could at least stay with me where we have food and power, but I don’t have any money to send to them….or I surely would.  Apparently my daughter has checked in to see if someone could help out and found no one.  Maybe her work will as they are a catholic hospital.  She still insists this is the best move she has ever made….The kids don’t think so now….

I told my grandson that maybe tomorrow he could ask someone to take him to the local library where he could sit in the Air conditioning and read where it was cool and well lit.  If he takes his cell phone charger with him, he could charge that there, too. Some libraries even have computers  you can use for a specific amount of time…All you need is a library card.

Then I asked about football…..neither of the boys will be playing this year.  The middle grandson went out for practice one day and collapsed in the heat.  He wasn’t used to playing in that kind of weather.  I told him that maybe in the winter he could either wrestle or play basketball to at least keep in shape and get used to the new climate. 

It breaks my heart to know they are sitting in the dark, in the heat and that they won’t be playing sports….

 

I wish I could reach through the phone and hug them…..

I  wish I could pull them through the phone and take care of them….

It’s a Rough one

Today is a rough one for me.  I have good days and bad days.  Usually the weekends are the hardest.

During the week, I have football practice to look forward to.  It’s hard to be sad when you see 26 boys learning to work as a team.  Surrounded by coaches parents and players, I don’t have the chance or the reason to cry; even though it makes me a little sad to know I am not watching my own grandchildren. Fridays are busy with paying bills and running around….no time to think….or cry.

But the weekends are the hardest.  Perhaps because for over 19 years, my grandchildren filled my weekends….Between Football, basketball, Soccer or Track; going to games, or just having them over to play in the pool or on the computer, they were always here with me.  For nearly 6 months, every Friday I would pick up one or both of the younger grandsons; and even sometimes the oldest grandson, and my weekends would be filled with making them happy.  And at the same time, making myself happy.

Now the weekends are hard because I am alone.  I try to occupy my time watching TV, playing on the computer, writing letters tomy mom or even going out somewhere to take pictures.  But I am alone….and I can not hold back the tears.

The hardest part is not hearing anything from them in weeks or months in the case of the oldest grandson.  I know they are having summer fun at the beach or just hanging out….But I really miss them….I would so  enjoy a text, an e-mail or the sound of their voice on the phone….

Some say tears are a way of cleansing the soul…

But why does it have to hurt so much?

If I could reach out to my grandchildren now, I would tell them how much I love and miss them….I have tried to…but my messages go unanswered…

And so, alone,on my own, I miss them and cry…..

But tomorrow is Monday and I look forward to watching the joy in the eyes of children who are not related to me…. 

 

Hugs and Love to all!! and don’t worry…..I will go on……

I was just going to trim……

So I went out and cut the grass Wednesday before Football practice. For some ungodly reason,my lawn has been growing so fast that I have had to cut it every 3 or 4 days….Probably because of all the rain and humidity but the high heat keeps me from doing it any more often.  I have 3 men living in my house and not one will get off his lazy but and cut it for me.  But believe me, at least one of them thinks he can criticize the way I do it….I quickly told him if he didn’t like the way I did it, get of his duff and do it himself….But that would be work!

Now I have been slacking on the trimming because I have been hoping that said man would go and get the 2 cycle oil so “we” can use the weed eater…It’s not going to happen unless I do it myself.

Thursday, I decided to do the trimming.  We have a fenced in back yard and the neighbors have a concrete patio with a nice privacy fence….right up against our chain link(which is mostly their chain link. we just have parts attached to their poles.) The grass just loves this chain link and so do the wild trees that seed themselves from other trees in every one else’s back yards…. We have no trees or bushes in our yard whatsoever…okay with the exception of rose bushes.

My mother-in-law is 81 years old. She doesn’t do anything outside except criticize what I plant. So I grab my supplies from the garage….the had trimmers, my pruner from the house, my role around garden stool, a trash bag, a rake and some gloves and I “go to town” on the wild grass that the mower can’t get to…. I start at the back gate, being cautious around the tomato and pepper plants that the “Brain Children” have planted on top of each other, trim around the fence and the rose bushes clipping off dead growth as I go and work my way up to the side gate and back along the mother-in-law’s side of the house.  I even pull up the grass growing in the side walk and right up against the concrete foundation.

Then I work my way out the gate on my side and trim around the foundation and down along my side garden. Then “stupid” hit me….I should edge the sidewalk. but first I trim around the front stoop walk, front garden and over to my mother-in-law’s side.  This is where it get hectic.  She planted a garden of hostas and because it’s the way she always does things, instead of digging up all the grass first, she just put screen down and lay a shallow bed of white rocks around them….So the grass grows up through the screen along with other assorted weeds and tree seedlings. I wasn’t planning on weeding her side at all, just trimming around the fence and walk where the mower misses.

Stupid question Number 1: “What are you doing?”…..well let’s see, I have trimmers, a trash bag, a hand full of weeds…..Oh I must be planting weeds! RIGHT!!!!

So now I’m getting tired, but I really want to trim the sidewalk and edge it….You’ve got it! BY Hand! That’s when the work really began.  You can tell this yard had not been edged in quite some time. First, I need to put shoes on as I have spent the last few hours barefoot in old shorts with my bathing suit underneath. (and it’s a good thing, too as the shorts decided they had had enough and started splitting out everywhere!) So I use the smaller pointed shovel and locate the edge of the sidewalk (3-6 inches covered in grass) and start a long drawn out process of did a few feet, pull the sod up, shake the dirt loose  and toss the grass into the wheel barrow. I used 3 wheel barrows full of grass/sod to fill in the holes in the backyard that my son’s female dog has created. (Please take! You have a great root system!!) Did I mention that my husband “fixed” the wheel barrow wheel?  The “new wheel he put on was flat!

The husband came out once when I asked him to take the wheel barrow around…then watched me work for awhile.  My mother-in-law said I made her tired just watching me….and besides, it had always been her doing the inside work and my father-in-law (who passed away in 2001) took care of the yard…Must be nice! I can’t get my husband to do anything but complain about how I do it!!

While digging for the lost sidewalk, I noticed the grass growing in the gutter along the street…. And before you know it, I had 5 bags of weeds and clippings, 2 more wagon loads of sod/grass (I switched from the flat tire wheel barrow to a child’s wagon with a plastic tub in it), drank 4 large glasses of drinks (Water, Tea and even some soda) and 6 hours later, I had trimmed, clipped, weeded, edged and filled holes enough to stop for the evening….I drug the last load of grass around to the rear along with all the tools and trash bags.The front walk has been reclaimed and the rain water will flow smoothly along the street next time it rains.

 

Six Hours from the time I started…..

Hot, tired, sore, dirty and pretty pleased with my work, I finally took off my shoes and socks, threw my poor rag shorts into the garbage and sat down in the baby pool in the back yard drowning my body in look warm water….Ahhh refreshing!...But not quite as refreshing as the shower I took when I went in the house.

As I stepped out of the tub and wrapped up in the bath sheet, I heard voices waiting to get in the bathroom…So wrapped in a bath sheet from neck to toes, I sat on the Chaise in the living room in front of the AC and Fans….and almost fell asleep like that!

That’s enough Yard work for me for the week!

Hugs and Love to all!!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?????

Well I am!!

Last week was conditioning.  It is where the new recruits come and and the 8 head coaches and all their assistants put these kids through the beginnings of their youth football training.  The next step is the draft.  The order of the draft depends on last year’s standings.  Each of the 8 coaches take turns picking their next “football stars’’ until all the new kids are on a team…The only thing is if there are brothers (and in rare circumstances, sisters) trying out, they are put on the same team.  Cheer Leaders are also put on the same teams as their siblings.

This Monday, all 8 teams started their first day of practice. For the first week, there are no pads and no helmets so their is no tackling. Yeah, try to tell that to the returning boys who are just itching to put someone on the ground!

The new kids have to learn how to “wrap”, shuffle, “Karaoke”, hit, keep their heads looking up, and the 3 point stance.  Offensive and Defensive lines are chosen as well as quarterbacks, running backs and receivers.  Usually the center is the heaviest boy….as some positions have weight restrictions.  This keeps the bigger boys from plowing over the smaller boys.

Perhaps the most exciting part for the parents is watching the practices and seeing how much their children grow and change over the season.  For me, this season is bitter sweet….For once, I won’t be watching my grandsons play….But I decided this won’t stop me from participating.  I went to all the practices this week and took my camera.  I will continue to go to every practice and every game….and my photos will once again be part of the story. 

I have friends with children who still play, and they look for me there.  So far, I have been asked several times where my youngest grandson is, or who I have playing on the team.  Although it hurts to answer these questions, so far I have been able to keep it together. This year, I will be watching 3 other teams play; because my friends have children on different teams…

So for the next 4 months; I will be busy…practices 4 days a week at first.  Then games 3 days a week, and finally play-offs in November.  I am even going to try to make it to some of the 2 Junior Highs’ games as I know kids on both teams. “George”, our girl player from last year, is fortunate to be able to play this year as one of the Youth League coaches (Jerry “Oompa-Loompa” from the Raiders) has taken over the 7th grade team for her school.  He knows what she can do.

the returners, With “George” and Coaches

I will worry about the holidays when they come around and try to focus on the present.

I did hear from my middle grandson.  He starts Junior High Football tomorrow….I wish him luck…Maybe I will get invited to visit him in Florida and watch him play 1 game….But I’m not getting my hopes up yet. 

Chasing my tail

As most of you may know, besides photography and grandchildren, one of my great passions is genealogy.

This past 2 weeks, I have been contacted by 2 people who had inquiries about their own family history and how it related to mine.  Somehow, they found some of my postings and asked if I could help with theirs also.

One of them was a little easier.  It was concerning my husband’s side. I have access to a book on his family that goes back to their ancestor migrating to Virginia from France.  Unfortunately it leaves much of the “in-laws” out as most of the information was provided by the relatives “many moons” ago.  The book was a compiled genealogy that was collected by the means of letters written to anyone with the name and a fact sheet to put family information on….Then it was sorted and made into a book and copies were only made for those who paid for and ordered the book…..Now out of a print, many “new” relatives now are left scrambling trying to find people who just happen to own a copy….and even some of those who purchased the book wish they had purchased 1 for each of their children…Hind sight they say is 20/20….This young woman is searching for information on her relatives not included in the book….in-laws.  Her mother is listed in the book as well as her father….but no dates and neither are his parents names listed.

The other inquiry was from a person related to an ex-husband of my great-grandmother….And that is where the tail chasing begins…. We know that at one time all the relatives on this particular branch came from Canada.  They settled in Moira/Brushton/Malone New York.  Some of the French names were mangled and changed to sound more “American”…LaRocque became simply Rock, Quenneville became Kenville…..and the Indian names were really varied. One has been seen as “Mannet”, “Manet”, and even “Minit”.  We have heard tales of the town even banning it’s people from speaking French…

Now here lies the problem.  This was a largely Catholic population. This means large families….One of these men at one time had over 150 descendants living in the same town; over half of it’s population!  From what I know of Catholicism, divorces are a no-no.  Marriages must be dissolved and annulled before anyone remarries.  There must be records of these somewhere, probably in church records.

As I searched for something on this first marriage, I found several things to be true; 1) At one time, my great grandmother was married to a man named Thomas (from Canada) and they had a son Roy, 2)She had a brother who was married to Thomas’ sister, 3) both Thomas and my great-grandmother remarried  and 4) In Thomas’ father’s obit, both he and his sister are listed but she as “Mrs. so and so” !  No grandchildren, spouses or even surviving relatives other than children are listed.

So I go to my resources….several people I have e-mail contact with.  I send an e-mail to one lady and get a reply back that goes something like this…...”Hey (insert name here), you should contact Sharon at this address. she has a wealth of information on these people”…..uh, Duh! I am Sharon!!  So then I get another reply, “Oops! Sorry didn’t realize it was you” ….Wasn’t my e-mail address on the e-mail I sent to you??? Then also in the e-mail; “you should try to contact (insert name) or (insert name)…..no contact information for either person…So I reply requesting their contact info….I get this reply “I gave you their e-mail address earlier”….Uh No, you didn’t here’s a copy of what you sent….. ..Or call “St. Mary’s Church at this number they should be able to help you”…. I sent several e-mails to them before I e-mailed the first person to no avail; so why not try calling them?  Except there is only 1 person at the church, he has no help, and does not know if or where the records would be.  He gives me the name and phone number for the woman who has the cemetery records. All I am looking for is the contact information for the town Historian!!!! I know there is one because I received some information from them years ago! 

Round and round I go……Sending e-mails and getting the usual response of “Contact this person, (insert name) and no contact information!!

One of my favorite shows lately has been “Who Do You Think You Are?” , a show about famous people looking for their “roots”…..They make it look so easy…They show up at a library and who is waiting for them?? A genealogist….Well let me tell you, it’s not that easy!!  I sure as hell can’t afford to drive to B.F.E. New England and hire a genealogist to find records!  And I don’t speak French so going to Canada is not the answer!

Wish me luck…I will be going to our local Library and maybe even the Genealogy Center in town to at least help the young lady looking for her father’s side of the family….I may even visit a cemetery or 2.

Hugs and Love to all!!

 

 

Daddy, How was I born?

Daddy, how was I born?
A  little boy goes to his father and asks 'Daddy,  how was I born?'

The father answers,  'Well, son, I guess one day you will need to  find out anyway!  Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo.  Then I  set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we  met at a cyber-cafe..  We sneaked into a  secluded room, and googled each other.   There your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive.  As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared that said:  
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You’ve got Male!

Another Let Down

Soooooooo

I’m trying my best to stay positive and happy.  It’s not working.

For awhile, I was able to see posts (on Facebook) from my oldest grand-daughter whom I haven’t been allowed contact with in 8 years because of her mother.  I have talked to her on the phone with her on several occasions when she went to visit my son; and I saw her when my oldest grandson graduated, but was not allowed to talk to her as her mother yanked her away. But I was happy that she at least let me see her Facebook page.  Then I made a mistake , I guess, and sent her a private congratulatory message when she graduated. The next day, she disappeared from Facebook….Either she deleted her Facebook page (Probably unlikely) or her mother found out and deleted me….either way, now I have no more contact with her.

Then yesterday, I sent some messages to my other grand-daughter now living in Florida. She also deleted my messages.  when I texted her on the phone to ask why, she said they “looked tacky”. I bought her a cell phone for her birthday last year, and have been paying the bill ever since but I am not allowed to post messages on her Facebook page….. So rather than become involved in a long drawn out probably heated discussion, I told her I would just delete her Facebook page from my contacts and then she wouldn’t have to worry about getting any “tacky” messages from me… And I did….

I am the only grandmother she has.  Her mother knows nothing about the “sperm donor” that helped make my grand-daughter or his family…Only his first name, he was in the navy when they met at a bar and drove a pick-up truck.  A one time fling.

I guess when my daughter and her family goes to visit my ex later this month, she will have a new grandmother…

But I will never have grand-daughter again. I am “tacky” and “embarrassing”.

Hugs and Love to all!