Spirited and Lively Older Women Thread

QCA

Oh, Barbara, I can just imagine the freak-out!  So glad it was short-lived and everything's okay.  Relief is a very sweet thing, isn't it?  Enjoy it and just look what you're going to do next---in 2 days!! My time of anxiety comes up near the end of next month, after Thanksgiving.

This week has flown by and I've enjoyed every minute, being DH-less and GS-less.  DH will be back late Saturday night;  the ferry will pick them up from the island at 2:00 Saturday afternoon and then it's a 6 hour + drive home.  I must say I'm getting lonesome, but I've gotten a lot done.  Made 4 qts of soup yesterday and froze it, so far have made 3 trips to Goodwill, and have almost finished cleaning out my closet today, and I still have tomorrow and Saturday to get rid of more stuff. 

AmyJo, I hope all is going well with DD and the grandchildren, and that she's feeling better now.  And again, I'm so glad everything's stable with you!

What do people do with old family photographs when they have no idea of either who's in them or the relationship to the family?  I've been going through old photos that Aunt Kate had (some of you may remember that she was 98 when she died this past December) and many of the relatives I can recognize (or guess) but some I have no idea, relative or not.  Some are incredible just for the historical significance.  I'm the last person who would know some of these people, as many were gone before my children were born.  Any thoughts?

Going to bed early for a change.  Hope all have a good day tomorrow!

Kathy

Dilly

QCA-Kathy - I have some of the same old-picture quandaries.  Did Aunt Kate live in basically the same area most of her life?  If no one in your family is interested, would a local historical society like them?  -- They often are happy to get old photos.  I have some great old photos of young women & couples from c.1905 when my grandmother went to Friends' University in Wichita - I know none of the people but intend to give the photos to the Alum. Society & let them figure it out.

Barb, so glad your mam went ok; I had the same "rush" last time with additional views but all was well - it was a scare for only a half hour or so...  My next, like you 1/12 yrs out,  is next Thursday and I'm trying to "compartmentalize", and just stay busy this week.   So, Have A GREAT time on your cruise, with a clear mind and just relax and enjoy.... All that traveling and you don't have to drive anywhere, must be a real treat.

QCA

Thanks, L_C.  She lived in the same town all 98 years, a small town about 50 miles from where I live now.  Surely there's some type of historical society and I plan to check.  That's a great idea.

Kathy

chabba

Kathy, you can also check with local libraries and museums.  My DH's grandfather was a photographer in the late 1800's and the local museum where he then lived was thrilled with them. 

3jaysmom

sooo glad it all turned out ok, Barbara: now you can relax and enjoy the cruise, nothing "waiting " for you when you get home!!!have a ball, and post lots of pictures!!!.......3jays

BarbaraA

I will try to post pix, tho' not sure how to on my iPad. I know I can get them to Faceblook. Not sure how to get them to here. I may use Photobucket. I think that will work. Well, one more day at the hated job, then off to the hairdresser to have the hair color she wrecked fixed (I hope) then Saturday rushing around (forgot to pack nylons and bathing suits of all things and luggage went out last week).

walley

Barbara a

How have a great time on your cruise.Enjoy

lassie11

Barb - getting the photos to Facebook is the hard part. After that, to get them here, just right click, press save and you can paste the photo here. In my experience, they are a bit big and I don't know how to resize them - that's no problem as we'd like a good look at your photos!

SoCalLisa

somehow that doesn't work for me Lassie, I have to use photobucket or picasa web album

lassie11

that has to be one more of the mysteries of cyberspace. If we had a teenager nearby, no doubt we could figure it out right away!

Isabella4

The teens I ask, my G/children, always seem to have other fish to fry right when I need help....or go thru' it so quickly I just can't keep up. I need it there, written down, in front of me, in comic strip form ! I have my G/daughter coming in the morning to help me with my DVD recorder..at least I think it's a DVD recorder. It has sat there for so long now I have forgotten what it's called.  I bought it August 26th, and it's still sat there all brand new and unused !! I am sooo missing all my favourite programes, just can't concentrate on TV whilst on the pc, so when I get to bed I have nothing to watch to get me off to sleep. Friday night is a treasure of 3 really good gardening programes, and I am missing them week after week !

I have had a very quiet day today, just continuing on slowly clearing out cupboards and drawers. I started about a month ago, and am slowly, very slowly, making progress. Today was handbag clearance day....sorry to say most of them went right back into their cupboard. I have a big 'thing' about bags, so even tho' I divided them all up into 'yes' and 'no' piles, most of the 'no's' went right on back into the cupboard !! I shall probably never, ever use any of them again....but....just can't part with them !! After the handbag fiasco I was onto old photo's....I have packets and packets....and then some ! but again couldn't bring myself to part with most of them. I found a cowards way out tho'...I have put all I don't really want, but cannot throw away, into a box and will present DD with them when she comes tomorrow. That way I shalln't know what is saved and what isn't. DD isn't half as sentimental as I am about old things, so she will no doubt bin a lot of them.

All this 'downsizing' is keeping me from my sewing machine....I am supposed to be doing DD some curtains, but haven't even started yet. Aiming on a sewing day most of tomorrow. One of my sausage dogs is my 'sewing companion', plus my 'pc companion' and 'gardening companion' ( when I used to be able to garden !) I have her a little cushion next to my sewing machine, and one for her under my pc, and if I forget her she starts to howl. I have a child gate to keep all dogs from near my pc, and a glass door at the bottom of my stairs where she will sit and see where I am and h-o-w-l until I let her in with me.

Right, I am off to have a look around on my pc. I am trying to trace where my father was stationed during WW2. On to a real loser here, trying to trace a daughter he had whilst he was married to my mother, and who is 2 years younger than me. I don't even know her name, her date of birth, or anything about her. I DO remember my mother and father rowing like mad when I was quite small, about this child, and the fact that he was sending regular money for her, and my mother was giving him merry hell ! I also remember the childs mother got married and new husband adopted her, so my fathers maintainance stopped. My G/parents told me the child was the 'image of me' and told me what town she lived in...in about 1946 !!....but that's the sum total of my knowledge, so I don't suppose I have even a slight chance of tracing her. I just wondered....VERY long shot here....that if I could get my fathers service record there may be some info. on there. All these years I have had this information, and never before thought to see if I could 'find' my half sister !! Without the name of this child I don't think I can get anywhere on this one. The only thing I AM certain of is my fathers name !! Then that might not even be on the birth certificate !!

Isabella.

SoCalLisa

  I took pix at an Ikebana Demonstration is afternoon

wish I could do something like that..

LynMichel

Great news MaryJo.  I wish I could do something like that too Lisa.  Thanks for sharing the pics.

marlegal

Wow, I've missed 5 whole pages - no way to catch up on all ... I just jumped to the last page.

Barb, I am sooo happy your mammo was good so you can enjoy your cruise. Still sorry I won't get to see you while I'm in Florida, but them's the breaks. This time next week I'll be relaxing in FL with some BCO sisters at a resort there. I am so ready to just kick off my shoes and chill ... no entertainment but sand and water necessary for me. Might try to get to a local spa for a massage while I'm there, but that's about as strenuous as I plan to be!

Hugs to all.

BarbaraA

Lassie, you can't right click on an iPad. That's the issue. we will see.

lassie11

ah ha - seems I need an i-pad so as to be up with the times.  A friend brought one to a lunch thing last week and it looks pretty interesting.

Dilly

Oh, Lisa, thanks so much for the ikebana. We were in Japan 1954, and Mom took ikebana lessons (among many other classes); and I have her vases and frogs, but not her talent.

We rode over on a troop transport ship; I was seven.  We were among the first dependents arriving in Yokusuka (sp), and a bunch of us were on that ship. It took two weeks. The trip over, and our time (my second & part of third grade) in Japan is one of my very best childhood memories. It helps that my beloved younger bro was born during that time after we moved to Tachikawa.  We brought our car, and did a lot of exploring.  Thanks again for the photos and the memories it brought!

BarbaraA

Lisa, I love the Ikebana also. My town has a show every year that I go to featuring Ikebana and it is exquisite!

marlegal

Joyce, our DD went to visit her inlaws in CT this weekend...little did they know!! of course, even Phila is getting snow today. crazy, crazy.  we're at our trailer in NJ and it was just rain, but very cold. closing up tomorrow till spring .. always bittersweet

BarbaraA

I hope the Caribbean is safe or I will be REALLLLL PO'd.

3jaysmom

have a GREAT trip!gal friend barbara: but nylons.. are they "just for fun" with garters, and everything??? who wears them? (otherwise) i knowTMI...love ya.......3jays

 hope you all stay well. joyce is right, we are having the rainstorms outta hell here. last wk a tornado, a town away, which is WYYY too close for me!! raining cats n dogs.. but like i tell everyone, ya don't hafta shovel rain... unless you live in miami.. then, it floodslol....3jays

barbe1958

Lisa, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but didn't you spell Ikebana wrong on your composition?

Isabella4

3jays....you made me splash my coffee all over my keyboard with your question " are they just for fun " hahahahahahaha.... woah.... those were the days !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Isabella.

Dilly

Barbe, look again, Lisa used capital "i" as in "I" Ikebana.

SoCalLisa

I did oops

jazz3000

SoCal- Your photos are so clear causes me to wonder what camera you use to do the job? Canon or Nokia?  don't come back with a Brownie, LOL. The woman you shot has certainly perfected her art hasn't she? always enjoy seeing through the eyes of others with photos.

Isabella- Finding a missing family member is very difficult sometimes, and I can see how a missing sister would cause you to search for the information. Your fathers service records should have some information, more especially if he was in while all this happened. The U.K. has different set up than U.S., but I would think someone in Gov Archives would have the listings of adoptions. Your father would have to had signed the paperwork for the adoption. 5 years on either side would narrow the search down. I run down geneology when I have the time. Ugh! War is hell for any generation. Leaves the rest of us searching for all the missing pieces. I have the same kind of timing with my family. Help! LOL

 Barbara- I'm so envious, and it's safe as long as you don't go wandering off with strangers. LOL

Isabella4

jazz ...thankyou thankyou...I just never thought my father WOULD have had to sign his child away...just never thought of this line at all.

Isabella.

pj12

Isabella,



My mother "acquired" my older sister as an infant in 1942 but did not formally adopt her until 11 years later when she had remarried and we were going to Europe and had to get passports. In the US at that time the rules were not followed as conscientiously as they are now. The secrecy of her origins has plagued her all her life. My mother went to her grave not sharing any information and, as the years passed, any relatives who might have known something have all passed away too. She and I can conjure up all kind of possibilities but they are all just theories. But the not knowing is just a tragedy.



It sounds like your possible half sister was born in about the same time era. Finding someone who remembers a baby born "out of wedlock" would be hard enough, but in England during the war years? I think you have your job cut out for you!



But if anyone can find a needle in a haystack it is you! And what a gift you would be giving your half sister! Good luck.

3jaysmom

hey Isabella: i NOW there's more than us we? here that remember those days....hahaha a distant memory here, but nice to look back on, none the less......thats' why i always feel you" get me "...........3jays

Anonymous

  Isabella, If anyone on the threads writes a book, it should be you.  Not only do you have all sorts of adventures on your farm what with the stolen goods your neighbor was trafficking, the antics of the animals, being friends with the gypsies, now you are tracking down a sister.   If you were here in the States you could enlist the help of the Mormons....they helped my mother with some of her genealogy tracking and have huge libraries.  When I was working in Switzerland, I went to the Geminde (think that was what it was called in German) which was where they kept all the records in the little town my great great grandfather was born in and was able to find out about him and his brothers and sisters.  I would start in the town you were told she used to live in (may still for that matter) and if you are able to go there and really do look alike, maybe someone will say, OMG, you look just like so and so. My cousin's wife found out she had a brother she did not know existed until he looked them up and she said it is amazing how much they have in common even though they were raised by different parents.  

I heard from the onco at MDA yesterday....on a Sunday! I told the man he works too hard. Anyway, even though my onco's office did send him my records, he said it was pretty much nothing of use and a lot of redundant notes.....didn't give dosages, results or duration and that is what he wants to see. So I am going back and making the request AGAIN today. I am noticing new aches and pains, both muscle and bone and am thinking a lot of this is in my head just because I am currently not on any treatment...imagination is a dangerous thing.

I have a load of Halloween cupcakes I baked last night to deliver to their office so that may make them more co-operative about getting my correct info sent off.....(said as she gives her witch's cackle)