Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 23 May 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #20 ISBN: pending Osiyo, Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, Daniel Radcliffe [Harry Potter] recently was interviewed and is attributed as saying that he wasn't a reader before reading the first Harry Potter book but has now gone on to reading other books. Our youngest grandchild, about to turn six years, is constantly asking what this or that word is. She reads every printed word she finds. Her reading curiosity is insatiable. Reading is probably the greatest thing to do, next to maybe writing. I fully admit that I learn something when I pick up a book, or a newspaper, or open a letter. In fact, last week I was reading an article by my favorite columnist, Roberta DeBoer, in The Blade, Toledo's daily newspaper. She was writing about the dismantling of a backyard swing set long used by her daughter. Ms DeBoer was describing an event in her family that would [or at least should] become a recording of treasure. A story that will live on into future generations. It is one of life's small details that characterizes our existence. It belongs in a family "scrapbook" or history. My wife began a notebook many years ago containing the cute and riotous sayings of our children. These bring back many fond memories. Following that, we began memory books for our grandchildren. They contain the trips and events that we, the grandparents, and those children shared. They contain such pictures and accounts, such as the great salt flats when they looked like a great sea ... the surface was covered with a couple inches of water. The pictures show two grandchildren wading. Memories like these are the very first things to slip away and time flies by so quickly in the hectic days we all live. These books serve as "scrapbooks" of memories. Scrapbook is a modern operative word which has turned into a huge craft industry. Today, scrapbooks are a throwback to past generations. That industry would convince us that they must be made of "acid-free" paper and that pages must be fashioned ever so artistically. Well, the acid-free sheets are OK, but too much artistic endeavor really does take most of the fun out of it in addition to detracting from the memory it preserves. It could well be that this modern craze is a type of resistence of our high-speed/high-tech world of computers, palm-pilots, pagers and cell-phones. It is wonderful to turn pages of memory books and reminisce. Our family made a scrapbook for my Mother-in-Law for her 80th birthday celebration. We put many pictures in it and each relative and friend wrote something to place in it. Today, our Son-in-Law handed me a two page written essay that our daughter had written for that occasion. He had found her copy and thought that I would appreciate having it for our family history. It did bring some lumps to my throat. Archivists, those professionals that preserve our famous historical documents, advise us to file our documents away in dust-free, archival paper and never let it see the light of day. They are concerned with exposure to temperature, light, dust, and the acid contained in our former ways to preserve documents. However, what good is Grandma's picture if her great grandchildren never see it? With our modern tech equipment we can scan our pictures and documents and print them. We can then store the originals in such archival materials as we wish and still display them out where they can be appreciated. Scrapbooks can be purchased and usually come in sizes like 12 X 12 inches, even 14 X 18 inches. However, they also come in 8 ½ X 11 inches. This size is easier for older folks to handle and also convenient for copying. Old black and white photos can be arranged on pages of muted color and soft design to enhance their attractiveness. However, it is not the best of ideas to use complicated backgrounds, they tend to detract from the heritage being preserved. It is Graduation time. We have two grandchildren graduating in the next couple of weeks. Yesterday we had a picnic party to celebrate one's graduation and birthday. I took some pictures and when I got home yesterday I edited them and put them on a CD. Today, on her real birthday, at her choir concert, I gave this disk to her to help build her scrapbook. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: = = = = http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html