Settling In

I got my Christmas cards in the mail yesterday and finished up the last of my shopping and wrapping.
Since I don't bake like I used to and probably won't decorate quite as much, the holidays are open for me to PLAY.  I looked over my jigsaw puzzles out in the garage as I was kind of in the mood to set one up.  I didn't really want to do a 1000-piece, however, so I decided against that for now. I'll look around Goodwill for some 500-piece puzzles later.

I knew I could set up my sewing machine and I almost did but that would require a lot of ironing as I bought a stack of fat squares and they're still folded up.  I knew what I really wanted to work on was my genealogy files.  Once I sat down and examined all my notebooks, picture albums, and various notes, I realized I've got a heck of a lot of organizing to do.

I pulled out my family photo album with really old pics in it and looked over the index I typed up to go with it. (Virgos are notorious for making lists)  It had several descriptions that needed correcting or that needed more info but unfortunately, I couldn't find the file on my computer; just in a booklet I had put the pages in.  There's over 200 photos so I wasn't keen on having to type everything up again.
But....oh well....if I want the information correct (or as correct as I know it to be) I've got to retype it and amend the errors.

Actually, I love stuff like this.  Anything that keeps me on my butt is a plus.  ha ha

As I go through these pictures, I intend to research what I can.  This one, for example....

My aunt Velna is 3rd from left in the back and Uncle Arthur is far right in the back. Aunt Elva is 1st on the left in second row and Uncle George is 4th from left in the front.  I estimate this picture to be 1920 taken at Lincoln Creek School in the Centralia area.  Now I'm going to research Lincoln Creek and see what I can find.  This particular shot may have been in Galvin or Doty.  The notation on the back says: Last day of school. Class going on a picnic.

Once I started to really look at my old photos and old notes, I realized there were clues I was overlooking.  One of the pictures in my grandmother's files, for example, shows a picture of her sister's kids (Skaggs family) along with a neighbor kid named Blanche Gould.  I plan on researching ole Blanche and see if I can get a copy of this to her family.

Before sitting down to start this project, I went outside to take some pictures around the neighborhood.  Irritates me every time I see the block nearby where they took down all the trees and didn't fix the place up like they said they were going to. Here's a before and after.

Other winter shots below..... they're kind of boring but you gotta go with what 'ya got!

And here's three pictures John Ecker took.  His views are much more interesting.

                     Whoops!  Correction.  John says a friend of his son took these photos.

I used to watch shows  about people roughing it in the wilds of Alaska and silly me....I thought that would be a fun place to live.  If I was younger, that is, and could do the chores required. I've since changed my idea about that, however.  I had to put my long johns on again this morning as I just couldn't warm up.  I'd hate to live in a place that had cold temps a lot of the time.

Well, back to work.