Wishing You a Blessed Christmas

About this time of year in the past, the Hero and I would be doing last minute shopping.  There wasn't a lot of money and so we would take the time to stop by the card aisle and choose a card we thought was just what we wanted to say to the other... We would then offer it to the other to read, then put back.  Then sentiments were held in our hearts.  I think of that as I walk down the aisles at the stores during holidays.
Christmas is not what you spend, rather what memories you make.
The late hours of sewing, assembling a toy, sitting and hold a little one and singing carols.  Hugs.
Making the most of each moment is so very important for a life time of memories.

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas from the Hero and me.

Blog Caroling -- I Love Christmas Carols All Year

Over the last few years I shared the Hero's favorite carol "O' Holy Night', and mine "I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day"

I love following Footnote Maven on the blog and on Facebook.  In spite of overwhelming challenges, she is always uplifting and showing how to overcome.  She has a regular 'Blog Caroling' theme every year.  This my support of her effort.  Not to mention, I really love Christmas music every day of the year. :)  This is a link to Footnote Maven's Blog Event. (Click on Blog Event)

 "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a favorite Hymn/Carol.  Our family knows the words to without a sheet of music. The text was written by Phillips Brooks. The words to this song paint such beautiful word pictures for me.  

Elements from LetmeScrapbook.blogspot.com  Finding Nativity elements is difficult. 

Merry Christmas Caroling to all. 

Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories No. 2: Holiday Foods

I have been avoiding posting, so much going on with family loss and challenges.  But I saw AnceStories post and decided I need to get a grip and enjoy the Holidays sharing memories.

Holiday Foods

In our family, there are many memories around Holiday Foods.

Two years ago, I shared GreatGrandmother Sackley Ellsworth's Rum Balls. Last year it was my mother's Date Roll.

This year it will be Great Aunt Mary Gadleman Ellsworth's Cheese Cake. 

When Holidays rolled around We would all gather at either the Hero's mom's house or his uncles. They are all gone now, but the memories live on.  

Mary's recipe from the Ellsworth Domestic Goddess Cookbook by
Aine Ellsworth Schulmire

Sentimental Sunday ...The Hero Back Seat Driving

The Hero was always on the alert for my safety while I was driving... or maybe safety of the car????
He would sit in the shotgun seat and give alerts like there's a red light ahead, or watch out for that car.  Annoying right.  I do have to say there was an alert he gave that always sent me into a fit of giggles.
The area had been plagued by pine bark beetles.  The forest had lost acres of trees.  Thus when he would bark out the alert "Watch out for that pine bark beetle, as I rounded one of our road's 90 degree corners.  I would just start laughing.  I could visualize a beetle on the side of the tree in a state of horror or shock at the "close call" he had just had.
To this day, as I turn the corner going home, I will chuckle and remember "watch out for that pine bark beetle!" and smile.

Love those memories.

Sentimental Sunday, The Hero Was a Mischievous Boy

A story the Hero would often tell to remind himself of how boys are not always angels, was one between his mother and himself at about age 6.
It was a beautiful day for being outside.  The Hero had been playing in the backyard, but soon ventured into the front yard. After a little, he wandered across the street to the neighbor's yard.  After a while, he heard his mother calling his name.  Did he respond?  No, he shimmied up the front live oak tree.  Climbing up as high as he could to keep from being seen.
Soon, he saw his mother come out into the front yard calling his name and looking for him.  He said, "I don't know why, but I scrunched down more into the branches and didn't say a word."  She then came across the street and knocked on the neighbor's door.  He heard her ask if the neighbor had seen him.  They walked out right under the tree where he was and started looking up and down the street.
At this point, he was thinking it was funny they didn't see him, and began to snicker.  He couldn't hold it back, one snicker turned into full blown giggle.  His mom looked up and there he was...   We are left in the dark at this point, because he said, he didn't remember what happened after she found him.
What do you think happened?

A Town Without a Library is like a Body Without a Brain.

I love Libraries. They are my number one resource when looking for what is available in a small town.  I always stop and visit when driving in an unknown area to me to see what they have.  I had the following experience when visiting the Fremont County Library in Landers, Wyoming.  I arrived with only 30 minutes to research in their genealogy department. They had a wonderful Wyoming collection.  Because of a small staff, they were unable to be with me, the books are locked in cases to protect the collection.  They would have to come pull a book, leave me in the room.  I would then have to go get them, and do the process over again.  It has to be an awful challenge to them, leaving what they are doing and helping in another area.  They were nice, and tried as best they could to be helpful.  It was evident time was not on my side, I told them what I was trying to accomplish regarding my great grandfather.  They immediately said you need to visit the new museum.  They called on the phone and found that it would be open another hour, so they gave me the directions. Their help ended up with my finding out where the burial records were sent for my great grandfather.
A Town without a Library is like a body without a brain.  
Now you know why I back the Support Your Local Library... Read on.

FIND A LIBRARY NEAR YOU

FIND YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY
INFORMATION INTEGRATED
WITH GOOGLE MAPS

DATA SOURCE:  IMLS

Sources:

• ALA Library Fact Sheet
• Bureau of Labor Statistics - Data
• Bureau of Economic Analysis
• Northwestern University Libraries information
• MIT Library Data
• Institute of Museum and Library Services
• Census.gov - Public Libraries in the U.S. 2009
• ALA - Funding Technology Access Study
• Volunteer Match - Engaging Volunteers
• Pew Internet - Libraries, patrons & ebooks

• ALA Quotable Facts - American Libraries
• Harrison County Library - Facts and Figures
• Stanford University - Library Facts
• Library of Congress - Fascinating Facts
• Libraries for Real Life
• Houston Library - Facts
• Library Journal - Annual Library Budgets Survey
• ALA - State of American Libraries Report - 2012
• NationalService.gov - Benefits of Volunteering
• ALA - Library Operating Expenditures

Thank you to StateStats.org

for providing this infographic and other free web guides and tools.

Sentimental Sunday The Hero Wanted to Hunt

When we were first married, the Hero wanted to be like his brother-in-law and hunt. His father had never gone hunting to his knowledge.  The Hero was wanting to put duck on the table... I mean meat on the table.  He asked Tim if he could go with him the next time the guys went out.  A date was set, and the Hero's dad gave him a his old shot gun.  He sat and cleaned it several times making sure it was in perfect condition.
The day finally came.  The Hero dressed in a jacket and jeans.  It was a cold morning for coastal Texas.  He drove over and met 'the guys' to go out to the duck blind.  They had a cooler of beer.  He was hoping for hot chocolate.   Their first order of business was to set him up on one side of the pond and they went to the other, with the words 'wait for the duck to land'.
He sat there, lying on the ground, vigilantly looking at the sky and the pond where a decoy had been placed near some reeds.  It was quite a while before he finally heard a quacking sound.  He strained his eyes.  A duck was nearing the pond. It slowed and began to land on the water.  The Hero was excited. The duck was in front of him! He took aim, shot, and missed because he was shaking.  He shot a couple of more times, but the duck got away.
The other fellows came over in a foul mood.  "Why were you shooting?  That was the lead duck, a scout. You should have waited until the flock began to settle in.  Now they won't be back.  Might as well go on home."
He came back home 3 hours later, cold and unhappy.  "Why didn't they stay with me or instruct me.  Tim should have known, I didn't know anything about duck hunting."
It wasn't the best experience, and the Hero never got to go hunting duck again.
Later, he raised ducks for the freezer on the farm.  He said it was a much better experience.

Serving Others.

Clayton Library for Genealogical Research in Houston. Having an activity on how to preserve photos. 

Today, I was having some fun on Pinterest.  It is a place I save things I want to go back to later. I have repinned some provident living things that I knew would be helpful for making sure I would not be found wanting.  In doing so, I began to see a trend of people posting things to help themselves against disasters.  I did not see any one posting things that would be serving others, thus I have started a board called "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You".  I decided to start sharing and keeping places that people help each other.  Here, I will emphasize Genealogy service.  I can not share one of my favorite sources twitter, because it is too wide a river of information. There are many who share helpful genealogy information all the time. I give a big shout out to all my gen friends on Twitter.  I will share some Genealogy helps I have come across.
Facebook has a new version of RAOGK  They also have many genealogy research communities and research groups.  If you are interested in helps for Genealogy Societies, and tips on research, We Tree  is an example of genealogy service.  There are several technological helpers in the blogging genealogy community 4YourFamilyStory ,  Modern Software Experience , and geneabloggers.com are examples.  If you just Google 'genealogy societies bulletin', or something similar, you will find a wealth of genealogy societies that have websites and information on what they have to share.  I only shared a very small example of awesome bloggers of genealogy helps.
I am glad I am in the genealogy world. I love the way they help us learn, and research. It is uplifting to watch how they encourage each other to continue their research. Other areas of society would do well to watch and learn from them on how to build people up.
If you are interested in helping this link is about volunteering.  Check with  your local genealogy library they can use volunteers too, as their budgets may have been cut reducing their staff.

Sentimental Sunday: The Hero's Dream at 16.

Most young men dream of cars, big jobs, et cetera, I guess the Hero did too, however going through his book of writings, I found a poem of his wish for his future.  I am far from home so I can not share the poem.  Will do that when I return home.  I have put off writing his stories now for too long.  A bit of writer's block as well as over whelming challenges in life.  Back to my story
The Hero simply wished to dance with his beautiful daughters at their wedding.  He said that many times later as our daughters grew.  I am happy to say this wish the Hero realized two times... It would have happened four but two daughters didn't have dancing at their wedding receptions.
Here are pictures of the two daughters and the Hero.

Mily and the Hero, He had so much fun planning this reception with her sisters.

Little Miss Sunshine and the Hero. Wonderful story behind this one..  Click and Read Here.

I am thankful he was able to enjoy these time with his daughters, it made sweet memories for both of them. He was a dreamer.

Sharing California in the 1940 Census

You all know how excited and happy I have been about the 1940 Census... I even wore this shirt to town to promote Indexing. Not enough response in town, so I am coming to you on the internet. Give us a big thumbs up if you have helped index or if you are indexing. 
Now the California 1940 Census is fully available to search. I know those who have waited, not so patiently for wonderful family information that are already busy searching. The infographic below is fun information posted by Archives.com. (Shared with permission)  Do you remember some of this names?  I do. 

Oklahoma 1940 Federal Census Finds!

I had started out flipping through the Oklahoma 1940 Federal Census and found my Aunt Della Whitaker and their two sons.  I soon tired of flipping through because the size of the image took so long to download.  Thus, I waited. The Oklahoma 1940 Census Index is now online. Click on the link above.
I love FamilySearch Indexers! I help index Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri, but I am only one person and with my schedule it would be the year 3000 before they were finished.  The power of numbers is awesome!
I started looking for my dad.  I thought he would be in Pawnee, Oklahoma, but was surprised to find him in Saline, Alfalfa County, Oklahoma.  He was with his first wife and he was a section foreman with the Rail Road.  I expected to find this.  He didn't meet my mom until after the war and his divorce.
My grandfather was fun to find, because it proved he was a blacksmith with the WPA project.  As I understood from my grandmother he was working with the builders of highway 64 going through Pawnee.  They were living in Perry, Noble County, Oklahoma.  My dad owned property there.  Next to them was his youngest sister.  Wondering where my Aunt Lynn was.  It was too early for her second marriage and I don't know who her first husband was.  Not a lot of talk about that.
I hope I have peaked your interest in helping with indexing or going and searching for your ancestors.  There is so much to learn on this census.  Click on this #1940Census to see many articles on this census.
Happy Hunting!

Sentimental Sunday The Hero, A Young Son's Memory

We are in hurricane season.  My youngest son and I were discussing his memories of recovery and clean up he and the Hero participated in after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.  They were part of the Mormon Helping Hands.   Before they left they were given on of the Yellow T-Shirts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_Helping_Hands

My son was telling me of unsafe antics that several of the older men were doing and how safety was not adhered to in his group.  I asked him if he remembered what his dad did?  He thought for a moment and said,
"He was a overseer or manager of sorts over several of the service projects and would drive around checking on them.  There was one home where a tree was held up off the house just by a window frame.  The men were standing around discussing how they could cut at this angle and remove that part, when dad came up.  He looked at the situation and said 'No, sorry, we can not do this job.  It is unsafe for the men and the people's house.  We would need different equipment than saws.  We will not do it. They will have to get someone with special equipment to do this.'  They were disappointed, but mom they couldn't have cut it with out the house being hurt without on of those big crane-like machines."
As I listened to him, I saw he was proud his dad was smart, thought things through, and didn't take silly chances.  (Of course, he wouldn't admit that.)
The Hero was proud to be a part of the recovery groups helping others getting back into their homes.  He was a Hero even then.
Happy Father's Day!

Sentimental Sunday The Hero and White Water Rafting

This is a story written by our oldest daughter and myself.   We included her perspective and the Hero's.

Why I have never been white water rafting.

We did not have pictures from the trip.

Note: I'm steering clear of using specific names.

Back when I was around ten yrs. old or so our ward (church congregation) went on a trip to Waco Rock (not a place - just a big rock in the river called that) on the Guadalupe River in Texas. We all camped together and then the next day we were to go down in canoes or rafts down the river. I had never been but was excited - it sounded SO FUN.   My father, ever the cautious one, impressed upon me the importance of doing just as he said, and wearing my life jacket.  "People drown doing this," he said.

For some reason, my mother couldn't go. (I was pregnant with our 4^th child, so I stayed home with the little ones).   Anyway, the point is, it ended up being only Dad and I on the trip, sleeping in our orange Volkswagen Bus that Dad had converted the backseat into a bed.

We got there late, but I still remember having fun. Campfires were going and we were invited to hang out with our neighbors and roast smores. Yum. However, the buzz going around the camp was that there might not be any rafting/canoeing the next day because earlier rains had caused the river to swell. My father made the instant decision - I was not going to go. I was SO disappointed. He made arrangements for me to stay with someone else in case he went - can you believe I don't remember who that was? I have a vague feeling it was Sister "T", but I can't remember for sure.

The next morning a joyful shout flew over the camp - Waco was open for business! My father started to crumble - I really, REALLY wanted to go. His arm went around my shoulders as he started to vacillate - he hated to see me disappointed. I remember a feminine voice of caution telling him he didn't want me on that river. It was too risky the voice said. So he left me behind.
The next few hours were the most terrifying I have ever experienced in my life - literally. Here is why:

About 30 minutes later there was a shout in camp - a canoe with one of our families had been overturned! We sped to a spot on the river and picked up the young girl - she was bruised from the water slamming her over and over against the rocks. She was shaking so bad from cold, shock, and fear. In the car she slumped back exhausted, while they checked her for broken bones.

I watched with growing fear as the women around me took her back to the camp, whispering that no one should have gone. I asked some questions about the teen, and they quickly tried to cover up what they had been saying, but the damage was done. I knew my daddy was in danger.  They tried to get me to play with the other kids, but I vividly remember the lazy dragonflies in the air as I looked across the way at our Volkswagen Bus and wondered how I would get home if my dad died. How would we get his body home? What would my mother do? I didn't want anything to happen like that. I remember crying.
What can I say - my imagination was always too good; twisted.   

 
Through that first part I learned my father & and a huge 6’+ man of about 290 pounds  had teamed up  to canoe. My dad’s partner showed up at camp awhile later, emerging from the trees. He was limping and had a broken nose. With me standing there, he spoke openly about how their canoe had flipped and pinned my dad underneath and knocked him into the rock. He said he'd had enough and decided to walk back to camp, but my dad had joined up with some kid that needed help. The kid's partner had also abandoned him on the river.

Dad was furious with Hugh for the spill they took. Here was his version: Before we started down the river we studied the approaches and decided that we would go down a specific side of the rock.  We gauged our paddling.  "As we started towards the rock, I was yelling at him to paddle to the left so we'd go one way but he kept paddling to the right against me... so we ended up against that damned rock and flipped. And I'm pinned under the canoe with my face smashed on the river bed against it like this (and then he'd do a mime of being pinned down).  My thoughts were I may die here.  And I would have drowned, except a canoe that was traveling just under water flowed over me and broke the suction popping me up off the floor of the river, letting me rise to the top."
 Back to my story:  I must have been beside myself with fear at that point. I vaguely recall someone saying, "take her to the end of the river so she can watch  the Hero." I can still see the rapids flowing over the rocks when we drove down to the ending point, my nose pressed against the glass, searching every raft that swept by. There were rangers of some sort all over the place. People were shaking getting out of their canoes and rafts. Word got around that they had shut the river down - it was a matter of just getting the people OUT now.

Kayaks, canoes and rafts, one after one showed up around the bend, some folks giving the rangers a hard time about having to get out. Then there was the guy who had a broken leg. I began to wonder if my dad had fallen in again - it seemed ages since his partner had shown up at camp. But finally, there he was - with a young man in a canoe. He made it, and gave me a BIG hug when he saw me.
My dad did go off on the park and how dare they allow anyone on a river like that! You had to know my dad. ;) 

But that's why I can't go white water rafting. I still WANT to, and I plan to force myself to overcome someday, but for now I still break out into a cold sweat thinking about it. We went floating down the Brazos at New Braunfels one year with my husband's parents, and although I didn't say it, I was terrified. But I did it - in a raft, not a tube. The saving grace - there's no rapids to deal with there. =)
From the Hummer:  I was just glad I wasn’t there and heard the story from them later.  

Sentimental Sunday A Hero Camping Memory

Memorial Day Camp out with the kids brought on many family memories of previous camp outs. 
It turned off chilly at night and we were laughing none of us had brought blankets for nighttime.  I said, "This reminds me of when I forgot to bring jackets when we camped out it Denver."  'No,' said the daughter, 'I remember that you took them out of the van after Dad had us put them in, saying "We won't need these."  Oh, all right, it was my stupidity that nearly gave us all pneumonia in July and the Hero is still the Hero.  You just can't rewrite history in this family.
Back to the story.  The Hero had planned a great trip for us through Colorado to Utah.  We were going to visit Leadville, because all of the family loved the movie "The Unsinkable Molly Brown".  His first words as we were packing were, "Make sure there are blankets and jackets."  I was rolling my eyes saying, "It is 100 degrees, I really don't think we will need those.  They take up too much room."  The kids dutifully brought down their jackets and stuffed them in the back.  When I was trying to organize the back of the van, they were just too bulky, so... Yep, I removed them quietly and took them back to the closets. 
We arrived in Colorado in the late afternoon somewhere off Hwy 24 at a camping ground. It was beautiful, a stream nearby. I don't remember where exactly just the general location. This looks like the approximate area.

Everyone was busy setting up the tent, and the fire for cooking.  Then the sun started setting, it was getting very cool. Dare I say more that a bit chilly.   Oh yes...  The Hero (this is the man who donned his red parka when the temperature dipped to 70 degrees in Texas) began looking for the jackets.  He searched, called the children to him to inquire if they had brought the jackets as told.  I had a flash back and sheepishly came forward saying.  "I took them out at home for more room."  It was a good thing that the Hero did not have the powers of Zeus, because I probably would have been struck by lightening and they would have warmed their hands over the coals.  Oh my.  He never let me live that one down.  "Don't forget to pack jackets like you did..."

Needless to say we all snuggled and crowded together that evening.  The next day, jackets were purchased.  Good thing he loved me...

The moral of the story is... Listen to someone who knows about the climate you are going to.

Interesting How Time Flies.

I just noticed this morning that I missed my own blogiversary by two days. I was checking my links and there it was, 363 days to blogiversary. I can remember the day my daughter helped me start this blog. I was already doing my personal blog and we decided to start a family history blog.  

I am so glad I began to write the Hero stories, because they would have been lost like his Journal are.  

Now, if I can get back on schedule with my posts.  Holidays and children's demands get in the way of my organizing, but it is more important to build memories!

Love to all who drop by and those that leave comments, thanks for letting me know what you think.  

Life is grand.

Hummer

Sentimental Sunday The Hero Communicated

Now that the Hero has left this life, I find myself struggling to keep in touch with friends and family as he would have wanted me to.  I don't know how he did it.  I look at the list of friends, he would call and think there are not enough hours in the day. He would always know about their challenges, families, and would be offering to help.  He would check on his family (I was an only child or he would have been busy in my family too).  His mother and I were talking about how he would strive to call her several times a week if not daily. Our children have mentioned that they miss him greatly because he would call and check on them. That they missed running challenges and happiness by him.

I miss his calls to check on me during the day.  We were always in communication once cell phones came out, before that it was long distance to his work in Houston.
He kept in touch up until the last 2 days of his life with family and friends checking on them.   This was a blessing because he had been able to talk with our Idaho family and give them love. Because of snow storms, they arrived a day late to see him.  I am glad he liked to communicate.

The Hero used phones to communicate.

Sentimental Sunday; The Hero Respected Mothers

Our first daughter was born just after Mother's Day.  Did that stop the Hero?  No, not at all. He wrote a poem for me and bought me roses.  He was so excited about the birth of our first child.
As you know his birthday was on May 1, on his birthday he would always call his mother and thank her for being born.  We always went down to her house on Mother's Day with the family and to wish her a Happy Mother's Day.
He loved the stories of Mary in the scriptures, and thought of motherhood as a sacred duty.  I can not tell you how many times he would come to the aid of a some lady who had a challenge.  He still believed in Chivalry.
One of tenderest stories is when we had gone to visit my mom just after she had started living in the Assisted Living Home.  She had anxiety that was almost unbearable to be around, as well as depression.  I was terrible and had told her to sit down and be still so we could talk. She had been getting up and down. He looked at me and shook he head 'no', I quieted down.  He then looked at her and said 'Mary, would you like to be held?'  She nodded yes. He opened his arms and she sat down in his lap and he held her like a baby. She quieted down and relaxed so she could talk. When he died, she cried like a baby.  She knew that we had suffered a great loss.

He passed the teachings of treating a woman like a lady and a queen down to his sons, but that is for another story.
I remember his strong arms around me when I was sad or hurting.  His loving words when I needed to be uplifted.  He was everything I hoped for as a husband and father.  He was a white knight in shining armor.

FamilySearch Indexing, Official vs Unofficial

Last Wednesday, I was privileged to be included in a panel discussion on DearMyrtle's Webnair . I was there to represent the Unofficial Share Batch For FamilySearch Indexing on Facebook. April Robertson the founder of the group had a prior commitment and volunteered me.  I understand the webnair will be archived.  It was a wonderful presentation. I had microphone problems and had to stay on mute most of the time, but the exercise gave me a chance to reflect on parts of the process of indexing, especially the 1940 Census Index, because of how fast it was made available for indexing.
My thoughts went to Official information vs Unofficial information... Is there a big difference?
What would be official?  To name a few, Support at FamilySearch is available through the Help area of the indexing page.  The FamilySearch Wiki  is all encompassing. It has an Overview, Project instructions, Project updates, Frequently Asked Questions, and Additional Helps.  I have given the link for the 1940 census but you can search for any project you may be working on.  Don't forget to read the Basic Indexing guidelines and the Field Helps, we tend to overlook the obvious many times.
These help sources are created by Support members who work tirelessly day and night in the background finding answers, creating help documents, and wiki entries.  Theirs is a labor of Love, as it is with the support members who answer phones and chats to answer challenges, or pass on information so challenges can be overcome.  I feel honored to be among their midst.

The Unofficial FamilySearch help groups include Facebook groups.. These could be a Facebook group started by a  Stake Indexing Director, a member of a specific area, or like The Unofficial Share Batch for FamilySearch Indexing  , one that includes people from all over the world.  If you don't like Facebook, they have Skype groups for getting other opinions and sharing batches.  There is also email.  I have a Ward Indexing Director, that emails me almost daily.  The people I see in these groups are the Magic in Indexing. They take of their personal time to give opportunities for others to research their families online at no expense.  What wonderful people, and they take it Very seriously.  They don't want to be wrong.  They ask for another set of eyes to look (Share batches) to make sure they are seeing correctly if the handwriting is difficult to read. They ask for clarification of rules, or if they see a problem not mentioned, they send feedback to FamilySearch Indexing support for them to address.  I am a member of the Unofficial Share Batch group and I have high praise for the positive manner they work together and strive to keep it that way.

It is a wonderful thing to see those that are developing, overseeing, and indexing all work together.  Sometimes the harmony gets off, but they are quick to fix and most of the time it is a beautiful piece of art.

Sentimental Sunday Celebrating the Hero's Birthday!

Last week was the Hero's birthday. He would have been 66 years of age.  It is hard to believe how time keeps moving.

Add caption

It was always our joke that he married a child... I was only 16, that is said with a wink.  He inherited a gene that made his hair begin to silver when he was 25.  By the time he was 30 he had heavy silver hair.  When we had our last son in our 40's, people would ask about his grandson.  It was a bane to him.  He was not ready for the early silvering.  I told him I hoped my hair would be as beautiful a silver as his when I began to grey... He would smile at me because he knew what I was trying to do.
Well, I will say it publicly today, Happy Birthday Hero, I know you are smiling and busy where you are now.  Miss you.
To all, hug your sweetie and tell them you love them.
Night.

Sentimental Saturday The Hero Left Memories

The logo the Hero created for Spring Gardens Nursery. They still use.

This month, I have been working at Spring Gardens Nursery in The Woodlands, Texas.  It was the company the Hero worked for over 10 + years.  I didn't think the it would be too hard since they have relocated and it has been over 3 years since the Hero left us.  This was not the case.  The owner asked me to clean and organize the drawers etc in the office.  I only made it through 4 drawers.  While cleaning, I was so surprised to find a note written by the Hero to the bookkeeper about my vacation time in 2004.  There was his old computer bag, file folders he had made, they are still using forms he made.  The owner frequently mentions memories he has about the Hero, and often it is in the form of a lamentation of wishing he had listened to the Hero.

The Hero is there all around me in new settings.  I guess that is pretty much like life and memories.  As I drive down the highway, I will see a restaurant and remember a day we went there.  There are so many memories to still write.  You will be seeing me for sometime.  

Sentimental Sunday The Hero and Taxes

To begin with it is my daughter-in-law's birthday!  Happy Birthday sweetie! (they always drop by)

While visiting with my daughter about the date, and the fact it was normally the deadline date for taxes, she started laughing and pointed out this was usually the date the Hero would go do to the airport to mail the tax reports, because it was the latest pick up in Houston.  That brought back some memories.
The Hero had a terrible experience with the IRS early in his business career.  His trust level of the IRS remained low all his life.  I ended up always doing our personal taxes.  That is a separate story.
Working as a bookkeeper and as a comptroller for several companies, he would wind up with his tax reports on the last day for filing, or decided to file an extension.  He decided they had less chance of being audited if it was filed later in the year.  (That being said, he went through two audits that I know of and his books always passed with high praise from the auditor, and even received an official letter of praise from the State of Texas. )
Back to the trips.  He would work either at work or at home until it was the last minute we could make it to the air port, then we (I would ride with him always...  Is it any wonder my oldest daughter would worry something would happen and she would be left with her siblings to raise?)  would drive 1 hour to the Houston Airport and mail the report or extension at 11:30pm.
It was lonely today after my visit with my daughter, no Hero to talk about the fact they are trying to take away the Homestead Exemption Taxes in Texas.  He would have had at least one opinion if not a heavy long dissertation on why that would be wrong. I have heard them before. I miss those talks.
Well since it is a Sunday, IRS taxes due date has been extended to the 17th.  The Hero would have breathed a sigh of relief.
Hope you relaxed today.  I did. : )