Belated February Birthdays

Paula reminds me of the other birthdays celebrated in February:  Bill, Julia, Delaney.  I didn't mean to exclude them--I was just trying to pay special homage to birthdays that are special for some reason this year.  Sorry!  March:  Aiden and Amy (let me get a little ahead of the game)

Additional February Hodgepodge

I knew there was something I forgot to include in the earlier February post.  I follow the Good Morning Gloucester blog (and if you love Gloucester too, I highly recommend it) and they had lot of footage of the recent storm.  I was particularly moved by the power of the sea during the storm in this video:

I am reminded that some of the storms that took our ancestors occurred in February.  Far out to sea.  I can't imagine the power of the storms out on the ocean.  I can really respect their courage in the pursuit of their livelihood.  God Bless them all.

February Hodgepodge

Still having a little trouble getting back into a routine.  I hope this isn't a pre-retirement indicator!  I believe I will feel a great deal more motivation once I've regained some perspective following retirement.  Can't lie, though--the prospect is a little scary.  No more work.....all day every day.....it's kind of intimidating.  Not so much that I'll change my mind though!

It's Mardi Gras today and I have to admit to feeling a little bit celebratory--we got an unexpected day off from school due to water problems.  We even got the word last night so that it was a glorious evening anticipating how to spend this gift of time and relaxation.  It's these little February holidays that I grab on to in order to make my way to spring.  It's a tough month without something to hang on to. 

Valentine's Day this week.  Those bright splashes of red in the stores and decorating establishments draw your eye away from the snow and ice.  It's just a fun holiday though I guess it can be rife with tension and worry or perhaps disdain depending upon your relationship status.  Regardless of that, there are bright decorations and CHOCOLATE treats available everywhere.

This is a classic -- I don't know WHY he doesn't appreciate my efforts to celebrate Valentine's Day!

February also brings Ryan P's birthday!  I hope the first birthday away from home wasn't too difficult for either Judy or Ryan.  I know it was hard for me the first time so I imagine others feel the same.  I don't think my kids felt that same twinge but I did.  

Happy 19th Ryan Patrick!

February also brings Paula's birthday and birthday celebration.  Hmmmmmm........what a way to end a month!

Less said about this, the better

Coincidence?? I wonder........

Doing research on family members often turns up some interesting connections with the past.  For example:

Earl is actually a non-blood who married one of Grampie Brown's granddaughters.  They apparently divorced and perhaps you'll notice he died the very same day Jim was born.  One door closes and another opens?  I don't know.....it was just interesting.

Also to note is that Judy and Patrick share an anniversary with Dad's aunt and uncle Florence (Pierce) and William Gleason.  Perhaps you remember Dad's cousin Bill Gleason.  His parents were married on Aug 10 1924 in Gloucester.  Whenever I see matching dates, I smile a little bit to myself.  I wish I had a picture of them to share with you.

Another interesting piece of the family history is that there are more twins on the tree than you may have expected.  On the Bentley side (Gloucester sea captain), there are twin boys Philip and Charles born in 1907.  The Ameros are related through the Handran side (Nanny Ryan's mother was a Handran) and they had boy/girl twins Edna and Reedy in 1898.  Another set of Handran twins are the Butler girls Anastasia and Ann born in 1873 in Gloucester.  OK, so maybe an entire century went by before there was another set of twins with Calvin and Claire, but still.......... Actually I can't say there weren't other twins in between.  I'm just not there yet and I've been surprised to run across what feels like so many sets of twins!  Somehow I did not expect that.

There are always surprises to find in this hunt. 

Summer 73 - Fall 74

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts and she mentioned her oldest pictures.  I thought it might be fun to take a look at my very first pictures.  Pictures I had taken, put in an album and stored away.  I dreamed I'd write about the development of photographic technique  and blah blah blah.  Hang on--I knew I could make it interesting. Really.

My first official photo album is one of those magnetic page albums with a pink straw cover.  It's labeled Summer 73 - Fall 74 and numbered 1.  HEY!  I'm a librarian--what did you expect?  I realized right away this time period was a very critical one in our lives.  We moved to Walton in the Summer of 1973--40 years ago this year!!! Forty.  Four decades.

So the first pictures in that album are of the last summer in Silver Creek on Buffalo Street.  The very first pictures are of Kathy and I with a couple of the neighborhood kids that we babysat.  I think you've seen this before.  I have Marcy Homokay who lived in that house you see behind us.  I know Kathy has told me that name of that little boy she has but I can't remember (Scotty?).  I believe they lived right next door.  I"m pretty sure I made that top for myself. 

We must have camped at Allegheny that year too--funny I don't remember that trip being the same summer that we moved.  Obviously done deliberately by Mom, Dad, Jean and Burt.

I think you've seen this too but it's never too many times to see Mary Jane and Paula on this kid's motorcycle at Allegheny! 

Mom let me have a going away party and I thought it would be fun to have a "make your own pizza" party.  I'm pretty sure this is the SEX pizza--Sue Tampio, Dave Wilson and hello Paula!  Always loved that kitchen.

Then the first Walton pictures follow with Thomas boy from across the street (Paul?  the older one?).  Kathy and I went to Florida that year too.  I remember choosing to go to Florida rather than on the senior trip.  I didn't think I'd earned my way onto that senior trip like the others did and, for me, it was a no brainer to go off to get spoiled by Nanny and Weenie instead.  Weenie was really pleased that we'd choose to spend our money and vacation with them. 

Judy celebrated her First Communion Spring 74.  Isn't she cute?  And pious.......

Prom pictures--Kathy with Jim Grotevant and me in my Nanny made dress with Glenn Schmidt.  Graduation followed by one very sad graduation party in our garage.  Tim, Emmy, Kevin and Cathy came to visit.

Judy, Mary Jane and Cathy (about 2)

The ole fan-in-the-doorway trick even though that house stayed pretty cool considering.

And my first Geneseo pictures complete the album.  I was in a triple that freshman year.  One of the girls was addicted to nose spray and that sound still makes me cringe.  Forty years later.  Four decades.

That album covers just a little over one year and it contains so many pivotal events and memories!  The pictures themselves lack quality but they are very much cherished for the memories they bring.  I"m glad I got this album out again. My most recent album is number 37 but I don't think I'll go through them all tonight.

PS Happy Birthday shoutout to Kevin Kelly!

Happy New Year 2013!

I haven't been keeping up with the blog very well lately.  I have no good reason.  I've just been stuck.  But I think I'm un-stuck for now and I hope you're glad for a new post.

So here's a little bit of randomness:  the Board of Education accepted my resignation last night effective June 2013.  I've never actually resigned from a job before.  Huh. 

Speaking of random things:  here's some of the stuff I found in the Ryan family Bible:

I'm not sure who Richard Gordon Ryan belongs too yet but Richard and Ida Boulae Ryan's family members are very familiar to me.  Richard (with wife Ida) is Grampie's oldest brother as well as the oldest child in the family.  This likely explains how these children are well documented.  By the way, you might remember Ida from an earlier clipping I shared when she went missing for a time--apparently she returned safe and sound.

Another page:

This is a little messy so I think it's possible these deaths were noted together then later corrected.  In other words, this wasn't a Bible in which life events were recorded as they occurred over generations.  It appears to mostly have captured a period of time in the Ryan family. 

Here's an interesting little item that fell out of the Bible:  this was very carefully cut out of a book or newspaper:

He's very handsome but I have no idea why he's so carefully preserved in the Ryan family Bible.  Hmmm.  But the Nevins side of the family weren't the only ones with a legal career.  This Judge John J. Flaherty was the Essex County Superior Court Judge and State Chair of the Democratic party prior to his death in 1906 when he was only 47.  He was probably at the height of his career while Grampie and his siblings were growing up. 

Here's another interesting piece of  history:

The United War Work Campaign was a massive fund raising effort to support World War I.  It says "A Million Boys Behind a Million Fighters" at the bottom.  John  would have only been 11 when he donated this dollar toward the effort.  This was a time when civilians pulled together in huge efforts to provide support at home and abroad for their military.  It's interesting to me that American society has swung back in that direction now.  PS Remember that John was later accidentally shot by a buddy with a rifle.  Never said it was a boring family!

Cookie anyone?

I spent the afternoon baking cookies yesterday.  I realize most people do their cookie baking on a different schedule, but that's what I felt like doing yesterday.  I use Mom's old Betty Crocker Cookie Cookbook.  It is BEAT UP and RAGGED.  It's spine has been taped over but of course that's long since become ineffective.  There are stains and marks everywhere in in.  I don't remember how it happened that that cookbook found its way to my kitchen, but I take great comfort in it.  It sits right next to the Betty Crocker cookbook Mom gave me for Christmas in 1980.

In the back of the book, there are a series of "best cookies" from particular time periods and this is the one from the time period of Mom's birth.  I thought it was kind of interesting to note the special notice about molasses and that "Betty Crocker service responds to the needs of depression-hit homemakers with balanced low cost recipes and menus."  I've always been quite certain that the effects of the Depression era mightily impacted Mom's cooking and baking habits.  You can see how these pages are well worn even though they are way in the back and likely rarely consulted.

In the front of the book, Mom has noted her name with 11/64 indicating a date.  She has also taped a universal recipe to the front here--I've never tried this one but I have made many others in the book.  Yesterday it was chocolate crinkles.  To prepare to bake, I removed several sticks of margarine from the freezer so they could come to room temperature before I got ready to bake.  This chocolate crinkly cookie recipe didn't even call for margarine!  It uses vegetable oil instead.  Makes me wonder how these recipes have evolved over the years to accommodate current health concerns and economy. I didn't do that research so you are spared that much in this post.

Since she got the book in November of 1964, I figure she must have gotten it into her head that she was going to bake Christmas cookies that year.  What was she thinking?  5 small children at her feet every minute and she wanted to bake cookies?  Who knows, but this is a little view of how things looked on Dennison Road in 1964:

 I think you've seen most of these, but they still make me smile and I hope the same for you. (sorry Judy).  I hope you have a peaceful and happy 2013 the year that I retire.