Last Week of October Already

Example of dismay:  when you wake up late and discover one of the few shows you actually look forward to on TV is half over!  I've come to enjoy the CBS Sunday Morning News Show and for someone who always seems to wake up too early every morning, I was agitated that THIS morning wasn't one of them.

Problem was my sleep pattern was interrupted at 4 a.m.  I woke up with  HORRIBLE left hip pain. Struggled to roll over and struggled to get out of bed. Struggled to walk to the bathroom and thought: How can my body be in so much pain when all I've done is let it rest?!  Grrrrrr....  I downed an Aleve and heated up the hot pack in the microwave and decided to try and spend what was left of sleeping hours in the recliner.  It worked but I missed half my show.  Sure hope this hip pain moves on down the road.  I think it will but I did get my walker out from under my bed, just in case.  Yeah, I have a walker for "those days" when age is winning the battle.

At my age (and I don't take my luck of living this long for granted) I've come to accept the fact that there are just plain going to be those days when various body parts are going to give me grief.  If it isn't my hip, it's my knees, back, or shoulders.  Even with all this aggravation, I'm thankful I'm not suffering with migraine headaches.  I doubt I could take  it.

I pulled the memory foam topper from the single bed in this room and pulled it back to my double bed where I spend my nights.  This routine has become "just something I do."  If I wake up with a hurting body, I pull the foam off my double bed and back to the single bed so I can sleep on a firm surface.  I still haven't figured out for sure which is better. Probably neither.  I'm just old and fat and this is the way it's gonna' be.  Ha Ha

I fixed myself a yummy breakfast of hash browns, poached egg, toast, coffee, and bacon. Curled my hair so I don't look quite as much like a witch as I would otherwise, and now I'm off to the sewing room to listen to an audio book and see how much progress I can make on my latest quilt.

I worked on ancestry a bit last night and retyped all my "Charlie Blankenship clues" so that I can have them handy if I ever make it across town to the Morman Church library.  I suspect, though, that my Charlie is going to remain elusive.  Here's what I compiled:

Charlie clues:

---Charley is mentioned in a letter my g.grandmother (Jane Downs Blankenship) received from her sister  in 1896 when Jane & Lewis lived in Salem, OR

---The obit for Lewis M. Blankenship, lists a son “Chas” living in California (1911).

--- My grandfather, when asked by one of his children about the younger brother, Charlie, said: “he just ran off.”

--- I have an old school group picture of kids in Ramsey? with “Charlis” written on the back.              

---Young boy is pictured in family photo dated 1890?  Probably taken in Illinois if family moved west in 1892.   However, it could have been taken in Oregon in 1893.  Jane Downs Blankenship died 1898 at age 58.

---1909 army enlistment for Lane Co  OR (Charles N)  (found somewhere on ancestry?)

Was he adopted? Did one of the other siblings have an illegitimate birth? Did Charlie change his name when he grew up? Is Charlie a nickname or a middle name? Why can’t I locate a birth or death record?

Father: Lewis Marion Blankenship b 2 Oct 1841 Fayette Co, IL// d 16 Jul 1911 Eugene, OR

Mother:  Jane M. Downs b  10 Dec 1840 DE//d 10 Jan 1898 Independence, OR (ma Oct 1859 Fayette Co)

Siblings:

Georgianna (Georgie) b  14 Jan 1861 IL ma. Jacob (Jake) Millon Stark. She died 9 Apr 1935 Eugene, Lane Co, OR

Elizabeth C (Lizzie) b. 1863 Polk Co, IL ma. William J. Thomason in Sangamon Co, IL 26 Jun 1890. She died 12 Apr 1927, 1023 3rd Ave, Eugene, OR

John Allan  b 30 Nov 1865 Taylorsville, IL ma. Lillie A. Thomason 28 Aug 1897 (?or 1886) Salem, OR. He died 12 Apr 1948 in Shedd, Linn Co, OR.  She was born 3 Aug 1878 Pawnee, IL Sangamon Co. She died 21 Mar 1954 in Shedd, OR            

James Summer b 4 Mar 1867 IL  He died 22 Oct 1949 in Eureka, Humboldt Co, CA

Thomas E. b 8 Feb 1869 Died 29 Jan 1881  (almost 12)

Henrietta (Etta) b Jan 1871 IL  ma. William Patton in 1896 in Pendleton, OR. She died 17 Mar 1957 Pendleton, OR

Martha (Mattie) b Mar 1873 IL  ma. Arthur Thomas Steele. She died 24 Jul 1961 Suver, OR

Zadock (Zed) b 27 Jan 1875 IL   Died 29 Nov 1932 Polk Co OR (Suver or Eola?)

Lewis Gene (L.G.) b 9 Dec 1877 Ramsey, IL  ma Viola Mae Holt on 24 Dec 1903 Winlock, Lewis Co. She was born 28 Sept 1883 Auburn Nemaha Co NE L.G.  died 14 Sep 1960 Jefferson Co, Port Townsend. Mae died 24 Jan 1938 PT

Minnie Mae 2 Mar 1879  died as infant

Charles M  b 15 Mar 1881 IL    (in notes of a cousin) UNKNOWN IF VALID

Notes on Charlie’s father, Lewis M:

Came to Oregon in 1892 and located near Independence, (or Eugene in 1907) where he rented a farm, and he and his wife spent their remaining years. He was a successful farmer and stock raiser and was held in high esteem throughout the community. He was a veteran of the Civil war and while living in Illinois served several years as assessor and sheriff. Is listed in Civil War draft registration records in July 1863 in 11th Congressional District

Here's a picture I got in an email from Mary yesterday with the subject line telling me: He really thought he was driving and he was serious about it.

Saw Maddie's name in the Port Angeles paper this morning:

Port Angeles' Madelyn Dougherty earned third place after completing the course with a time of 20:27.