SEPTEMBER ORGANIZATION CHECKLIST DearREADERS, Well, the kids are in school, most of us have finished our traveling and sleuthing (not necessarily in that order), and its time to settle down for a long winter's nap! NOT! Here's the lineup of this month's assignments! WRITE BACK and let me know how you are doing on these projects! Your comments keep Harold and me in stitches! Week One: At the family gathering on Labor Day, be sure to take LOTS of pictures, tape record interviews and post your descendant charts so people can SEE their name in print. Perhaps this will entice them to fill in the blanks for their birth and marriage dates, etc!!! Week Two: Transcribe taped interviews ASAP to NOTES in PAF (Personal Ancestral File) or whatever genealogy program you are using. Do this right away, while the conversations are still fresh in your mind! Describe the time of day, what your interviewee was wearing, etc; doing all you can as a reporter to describe the setting. You'll want your readers to be able to imagine they are right there experiencing this interview first hand. If your interviewee stumbles for words, or skips words use ... or (mumble) to deliniate. Do NOT fill in the gaps with your own words. If you MUST, add your editorial notes at the end, clearly labeling them as your own, and not the words of the interviewee. Week Three: Remember all that great stuff you gathered at the family reunions, summer picnics and such?!!! Well, this is the week to enter that information into your computer genealogy program. This may take a bit of doing, but do it NOW! Systematically, page by page, until like the Ragu Spaghetti Sauce, "ITS IN THERE!" Week Four: Write for copies of birth, marriage and death certificates on all this newly collected information. Sending a friendly, newsy letter to your extended family members requesting these will serve to strengthen the bonds you developed over the summer at your family gatherings. Send a photo or two! Gi ve, don't just ask! I realize this is a LOT to do in one month! But then this is the first chance after the hustle and bustle of the summer to get things really organized again! You'll feel a sense of accomplishment, and I'll certainly be proud of ya, too!