I never knew my father but I always called my mother, mother. She was one great lady who did her best to raise 7 children without her husband present and I learned from her how to cook, sew, wash and iron and take care of myself in general. I haved shared those choirs with my wife and at the age of 71 still do my own wash. Charles ----- Original Message ----- From: <LorraineLatta@aol.com> To: <NYNIAGAR-FOLKS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2005 6:06 PM Subject: Re: [FOLKS] Sharing memories with others > My Mom and Vee are the only people I've ever known who used those two > particular names for their parents. When I was growing up we called my > parents > "Mommy and Daddy" and then later "Mom and Dad." I think it may be a > generational > thing, but I could be wrong of course. > > :) > Lorraine > > In a message dated 3/8/2005 1:25:58 AM Pacific Standard Time, > Aug67@cox.net > writes: >>> "Mother and Daddy" > --------------------------------- > Vee, > > That is what I called my parents. > Is it unusual? > > Leslie >

My Mom and Vee are the only people I've ever known who used those two particular names for their parents. When I was growing up we called my parents "Mommy and Daddy" and then later "Mom and Dad." I think it may be a generational thing, but I could be wrong of course. :) Lorraine In a message dated 3/8/2005 1:25:58 AM Pacific Standard Time, Aug67@cox.net writes: >> "Mother and Daddy" --------------------------------- Vee, That is what I called my parents. Is it unusual? Leslie

This is a fun one, Vee! :) I remember the phrase "Dagnab it" being used - don't laugh - well, go ahead (LOL) - in a kid's cartoon called "Deputy Dawg"! (usually followed by "you varmit" when chasing after a critter) :) I've been doing a lot of journal writing these past few months. I've found myself going down memory lane about "tv shows". I've been amazed at how many "commercial jingles" are for some reason "still in my head"! LOL I can still see that dog --- and the jingle ---- "N E S T L E S ----- Nestles makes the very best ----- choooooooooc'late!" And - I have theme songs. I got excited the other day when I found a web site where upon a click of a button - I could hear Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing "Happy Trails to You"! LOL So yes - expresssions - plus jingles - plus songs. Who knows how many "pop culture" things we have living inside us! :) Fun though! :) Deb

Re: looking at history - "good" and "bad" To me, one of the good things about history is that it is "there" for us to look at if we so choose. For any "big event" socially speaking - we can view it in retrospect as something we're "proud of" or "not so proud". But, I feel that there are always a zillion "individual stories" operating "inside of that" - of folks like "you and I".! In the story I shared, for example - for each person who was behaving "not so well" in the throws of survival and the lure of gold - there were likely a hundred others just getting up each morning and trying "again" to eek (spelling!) out a living. I won't get into "politics" - or what kind of history we're all taught in our school systems (back when I went - or now). I'm just glad that someone took the time, crew, money, etc - to try to tell stories - using all kinds of media - traditional - and on down to diaries and journals - to try to do the very thing I think "we" try to do in our family history. Present a balanced view - "in context" - of what was going on. In one of the ealier episodes - I was one minute "cheering" for one particular group - be it "Americans" - "Mexicans" - "Indians" - "Mormons" - "mountain men" - etc - and the next wanting to bop them over the head! LOL But that's the way life "is". Who knows what folks later will say of "our" times! I would certainly want them to look at more than whatever the "national events" were - and dig down to try to learn we folks were like - on the day to day of it - "in our context". Kit Carson came up in one of the episodes. He's the fellow that so many stories were written about. They got "bigger and bigger"! LOL Then - they showed a photo of him - and read from a letter "he" wrote talking about how "he" would like to meet that fellow sometime! LOL But - I don't think we can advance as a civilization - or a culture - or humans - unless we "do" try at least to take a look at what's happened before us. Themes happen again and again - both bad and good. Personally, I like to concentrate on the positive - and build on that. But, now and again, "being reminded" of the not so good isn't such a bad thing. Me - watching these - learning some things I never knew - is like younger people today not understanding about the Holocaust. To talk about that doesn't mean dishonor or disrespect to "all germans" - any more than talking about the American's policies re: "Indians" or "Chinese" means "all WASPs" aren't "ok". We all know the majority of human beings in "any" timeframe are more than likely thinking about their immediate family - putting food on the table - tucking kids into bed at night! So - I agree that CONTEXT is all important when looking at "the past". And - I say that "most folks" were good, decent ones - trying to live their lives as best they could. But - now and again - taking time to comtemplate those at the extreme "low end" and "high end" of the human spectrum - mourning a bit for the actions of some - celebrating a bit for the actions of others - helps us find "a balance" there somewhere. Anyway .... I really wrote all that in the original .. to show how an "average person" got swept up in a national "thing" (the gold rush) - had an "adventure" - then returned home to grow peaches! And - that in telling that story - the documentary "didn't" dwell on any one "point" - making it all the more "poignant". One minute, people are killing each other. The next minute - Swain or his wife are writing love letters. I liked that. (Sorry to go on "again"! LOL) It's just that the notion of "being ashamed" was larger in this particular episode because of the topics at hand. However, rest assured that I'll be the first to say "history" is ever a complex weave of factors. Like I said - "who knows" when the dust settles - what future generations will think of "us"! I hope - in the scheme of all the "big things" of our times - like that gold rush was - or the building of the railroad to come - that in the midst of it - there were "everyday people" - sitting here - reading Vee's daily life stories! :) Documentaries are just one art form that can try to take on such a task. In these - that's part of why I like them so much. It's NOT just national stories. It's INDIVIDUAL stories too. Ok - I'll stop yammering now. LOL Deb

In a message dated 3/8/05 11:30:44 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, Aug67@cox.net writes: > > I too am ashamed of some of America's history. I am not ashamed of any of America's history. To start with, I was not there, so I have nothing to be ashamed of. Bad things happened, and bad things still happen today. I can't imagine some of the things people went through back then, but for every bad thing that is brought up as history, I believe that, like today, we only hear the bad part. The ones that were "newsworthy" according to the media of the time. A hundred years from now, we may be looked at as being just as bad as the things we look at in our history. But the only things they will really know about are the wars we were in, and the stories that hit the newspaper. It's part of why I love genealogy. Everyone in my family always thought that my gr-grandmother was just a nasty old lady. One day I asked my aunt if there wasn't anything good about her, and my aunt said no, at first. Once she started thinking about it, she came up with several stories that changed a lot of my thinking about her. As I searched for information in records for her, I found out things that nobody had ever considered. She left her home in Ireland, left behind her parents and some siblings. She came here with her new husband, who was a sailor on the lakes. They came to western New York, instead of where some of her sisters were, in New Jersey, so he had work.. So, here she is, alone for months at a time, in a new place where there are many kinds of people, from many different countries with other traditions and ideas, because he is out on the lakes all the time. Then, in a few short years, he died of pneumonia, leaving her with one toddler and 8 months pregnant. This was 1899. Can you imagine her life at that time? There wasn't any social security, or health insurance. Because of what life was like in Ireland, where they did help you out, but took everything you owned to pay for it, she was terrified of taking anything that even looked like charity. So, she ran a boarding house. Having seen the house, and knowing things I've read about how hard it was, it makes it very understandable to see the person she became. I can't even believe a family of three lived in it, no less boarders. But I find her in the censuses as running a boarding house, with several other people living in the house. This is the person I heard about all my life: She had money, but wouldn't lend a dime to anyone, even if they had real need. If you made a silly mistake, she became very nasty, and acted like it was the end of the world. ( a "silly" mistake like dropping a sugar bowl full of sugar) She was known to go after my uncles with a broom, when they came home late. Basically nothing but a self-righteous termagant. For Christmas all she ever gave them was an orange and some hard candy, even though she had lots of money. Those were the only stories I had ever heard of her. Do you see the difference in my perspective of her now? So, I can't be "ashamed" of anything in history. I wasn't there, and I have no real idea why things happened. Had I been there, I would hope I would have done things differently, if I'd even had the ability to change anything. Kathy

> > I too am ashamed of some of America's history. ------------------ While I am too, I believe that it is important to remember that those things were the ways of the world for a long, long time. So, our ancestors were doing what history had deemed normal. Thank goodness that at least part of mankind has learned better ways to handle things. Leslie

Deb, Thanks for sharing this Ken Burns documentary with us. He does a great job with the various presentations he's made. Will have to watch for it. I agree with you, in that I too am ashamed of some of America's history. Evelyn

Hi everyone, I've been watching episodes on DVD from the Ken Burns' documentary "The West". Don't know if any of you saw any of this series when it originally aired on PBS, but it's well done, IMO. I recently decided to "start at the beginning" - and watch it all the way through. I've just finished episode 3 and found I had to write to YOU FOLKS. :) ----------- This episode picks up just as gold is being "discovered" in California. Many of the Indians are now living in what would be "Oklahoma" - from the eastern "push west" mandates, the Trail of Tears, etc. San Francisco is known as Yerba Buena at this point. ----------- Now - in this documentary series - there are multiple narrators - multiple "viewpoints" - video - photos - graphics - letters and diaries read aloud - all coming together to "tell the stories". So too - each episode selects a few "individuals" so we can take that segment of history "with them". Make the whole thing much more personal - and for me - "real". ---------- Ok - so now I get to why I'm writing you! (Yes, just as longwinded as ever ...) LOL One of the individuals they selected for this episode was a fellow named William SWAIN. He was an average fellow who decided to leave his wife and brother in the east to make his fortune in CA. He ultimately becomes one of the MANY who traveled as one of the "49'ers" to CA. They showed a map of his trip by boat from LEWISTON, NY through the Great Lakes - up and down - then meeting up with a wagon train group in Independence, MO. We learn of their trip - in grueling detail. We hear many other stories as the scenes and stories shift about - as they do in life. ---------- Through all this - we hear his letters written home to his wife - and her letters written to him. Ooooooh, they were wonderful! And of course, by the time the 49'ers got out there - let alone all the Chinese who came from the opposite direction - he found it a CROWDED PLACE near Sutter's Mill. We learn of the mining camps - the life he lived - the letters that changed in tone to his wife til finally his brother writes him urging him to "come home - with no disgrace - if he didn't strike it rich!" ---------- Cholera was an ever present danger to those on the wagon trains - and to each Indian tribe they passed by (and brought the disease to). ---------- Many stories of the gold mining. To be honest, I learned several things in this particular episode that made me truly ashamed of "that part" of our history. It was so crowded in the mining camps - and all the "surface gold" gone by the early comers - that later on - greed and fighting took over. The attrocities began. The Indians were forced into "labor" for the Americans - and later, slaughtered altogether. Taxes were levied on "foreigners" (anyone "not an American") - that was aimed primarily at the Chinese immigrants. One historian said that btw 1852 and 1870 a law stayed on the books that collected those same taxes - that ultimately led to 50% of the new "California" state monies coming from the Chinese alone! Mamma mia! ---------- Meanwhile, it was no life of luxury for the likes of the average person there - mostly male - mostly 20s, some 30s. Hard, backbreaking - and with a dream that wasn't "there". Men like William SWAIN wrote home of what they saw - and told others NOT TO BELIEVE the newspapers and to STAY HOME. ---------- Ultimately, William SWAIN boarded a ship in San Francisco - and made his way home - the "long way around" this time - and returned to home and family in NIAGARA COUNTY, NY. He spent the rest of his days doing fine - growing PEACHES. ---------- Just thought you all might be interested to see a "local" highlighted in a national documentary - AND - the use of personal letters & photographs to help tell that story. ---------- Deb

>> "Mother and Daddy" --------------------------------- Vee, That is what I called my parents. Is it unusual? Leslie

Dear Folks, I'm forewarning you that this is going to be a rambling story regarding "How I Spent My Day." So with that warning I'll tell ya the whole nine yards. Today I had three clinic appointment at the VA Hospital in Buffalo. I always hate the 1-hour drive up there but I steeled myself and prepared myself well. I had a 2:00 appointment for a mammogram and then one at 2:15 for a bone density scan and then one at 2:30 with my podiatrist. I got there in plenty of time but when I got to the handicapped parking spaces there and found that I would have to park too far from the entrance to the hospital, I knew that I couldn't possibly walk the distance with only the help of my cane. I drove up to the entrance and told the nearest volunteer or staff member what my problem was and told him that I would have to have someone pick me up to wherever I had parked and wheel me into the hospital with a wheelchair. It took a bit of doing but I finally made it into the hospital. From there I approached the "receptionist" and told her I was a patient and needed to be wheeled up to 2A. She got right on the phone and called the "Escort Service" but from there it really went down hill. It was obvious that the receptionist was new to the job and barely had a clue what she was doing. Whoever she called she was informed to the affect that "it wasn't in her job description." I don't know how she managed to find me an escort but by that time I was already 20 minutes late for my appointment. The escort was a bit brusque with me but she managed somehow to deliver me to 2A. Once I had checked myself into the clinic, she just disappeared without a word. Eventually a mammogram technician wheeled me into the horror chamber known as the mammogram room. I went through the routine of removing my clothing from the waist up, putting on one of the drafty hospital gowns and finally facing the ultimate horror machine. The technician was a very kind person who appreciated how painful the mammogram was. But no matter how kind and considerate she was, it was still the almost unbearable pain of having my breast squashed to the size of a pancake. If the pain would have been any worse, I swear I would have passed out. But there was one saving grace. Since my mastectomy in 2000, I had to endure such pain only once. After all I'm a member of the tribe of "One-breasted women." After the procedure was over and we were awaiting the results, the technician and I got into a giggly conversation that lifted my spirits. However by that time it was already 3:00 and I had two more appointments that I was really late for. The technician called both clinics and they were able to rearrange the appointments. But once again she had a problem calling the escort service for someone to take me down to the first floor in my wheelchair. Finally I was picked up by the same surly escort who had wheeled me up there in the first place. Nonetheless everyone in the podiatry clinic were very pleasant and had a sense of humor in spite of my being 1-1/2 hours late for my appointment. The podiatrist and I had a pleasant humorous conversation and so it relaxed me. It made me feel better when they were able to get an escort to wheel me up to the fourth floor where the Nuclear Medicine clinic was. That's where I had my bone density scan. Granted, it took a bit of time for the technician was able to finally wheel me into the bone density room. Nonetheless, he also had a good sense of humor and I finally was scanned. However, by that time I was aching from my butt all the way down to my ankles. He also had a serious problem with finding an escort for me (by that time it was after 4:00 and apparently it was the time for the "changing of the guard.) Because there was no one to help me, he decided that it wouldn't be all that much trouble for him to wheel me back to the first floor himself. Eventually he deposited me at the exit to the hospital and I was on my own from thereon. No big problem, I managed to get myself out of the wheelchair and hobble my way back to my car. The minute I got seated in the car I desperately reached for a cigarette. After all, I hadn't been able to smoke one for over 2 hours. The drive home was similar to my drive up to the hospital. All day long we had drizzling rain (thank goodness it wasn't snow!) and it was a matter of controlling the windshield wipers. At times I could set them at intermittent and then there were time when I had to set them at full blast whenever an 18-wheeler whizzed by me. That's the way the whole trip went. By the time I pulled my car into the garage and hobbled into my house I was almost mentally and physically exhausted. It was about 5:10. After I hung up my winter jacket and hung up my "fur" hat, I headed for the refrigerator and poured myself a big glass of Chardonnay and headed into my living room where I could take a few minutes to relax in my cozy armchair and get caught up on the latest murder mystery I've been reading. When it came to dinner time, I was refreshed enough to thaw out and heat up a scrumptious dinner of spaghetti with sour cream and ripe olives sauce. So even though I had managed getting through the frustration and pain that I had to go through at the hospital, I finally managed to drive myself back to the haven of my house. In retrospect it was all worthwhile in the caring for my health. But there ain't nothin' like home. vee

Lorraine said > That's funny, Vee. I have one that has stuck with me for years and years. > When I can't find something and then finally do find it, I always end up > exclaiming, "I've found you, Kunta Kinte!!" :) Dear Lorraine, now that's a new one on me. But I sure remember Kunta Kinte from the "Roots" series on TV written by Alex Hailey, a black man who had obviously traced his own family back to Africa to the nth degree. All of us around here were glued to the TV set when the next episode was about to be shown. In fact, it was so important for us not to miss a single episode that in the middle of the Blizzard of '77 the four of us Navy people who were car pooling together and found ourselves cut off from the world by a HUGE snow drift, actually managed to find a nearby bar across Niagara Falls Blvd. where we were able to relax a bit in front of the TV and watch the next episode. Oh yes, I remember Kunta Kinte! vee

Lorraine said, >A belated "thank you" for your kind words, Vee. Yes, your age being the >same > as what my Mother's would be definitely makes me feel like I'm reading > about > what her early life might have been like, through your words. I get a > real > kick out of reading about the music you enjoyed, the flirtations, the > fashions, > school life, even relating to your parents. It's funny how my Mom also > referred to her parents as "Mother and Daddy" as I believe you have as > well. Dear Lorraine, Thanks for your own kind words, especially when what I've written about my childhood, school days, WWII, etc., paralleled what your own mother probably went through. And what it makes me feel especially good to know is that there was someone else who called her parents "Mother and Daddy." > > Thank you also for sharing your third grade experience with us, even > though > it was harrowing. I never would've imagined that that sort of thing > happened > back in the simpler days prior to graphic TV shows and newscasts. Maybe > that's > a naive view. Your Mother must've been totally horrified to learn of your > experience! Yes, actually I'm relieved that I could eventually tell that story outloud. It was an ugly experience for a third-grader to have gone through. Although Mother and I didn't talk much about it later, there was no doubt that she was really horrified that something like that could have happend to her little girl. Since then and the advent of TV, it makes me shudder when I hear of more horrific stories about sexual offenders and of kidnapping and wanton murders. The only conclusion that I've been able to come to is that this world is going to hell in a handbasket and I'm no longer in a position to prevent it. vee

Lorraine suggested, > Vee, regarding your message about not being able to see the classical > music > credits on TV, here's a suggestion, even though it might sound a little > odd. > What about keeping a pair of opera glasses or small binoculars next to > your > chair? I'm thinking that's what I should do as well. I watch the TV > which is in > my living room, from my bedroom! It's a distance of about, oh, 25 feet > and > sometimes I can't see small credits. Fortunately for me, I have my > grandmother's Mother of Pearl opera glasses! Dear Lorraine, Thanks for your great suggestion; however, comma, I don't have a pair of opera glasses. I only have the binoculars I used to use in my bird watching jaunts. I tried them out and found that I couldn't get them to focus on an object only about 8 feet away from me. Therefore, I've recently got accustomed to just being a bit bugged when I can't quite make out the classical music credits. Hey, if the composer seems to look like Hungariandick, I can live with it. By now I can recognize the garble as Humperdink. Also, I've given up trying to read what key the concerto or symphony is in. I don't care if it's in the key of O or the key of 8. I don't plan on memorizing the complete reference anyway. Thanks again Lorraine for your suggestion. vee

Dear Folks, In yesterday's Niagara Gazette newspaper there was a small article that there will be a book signing at the Niagara County Historical Society this coming Saturday. The book is by Avis Townsend and the title of it is "Newfane and Olcott." It's been recently published and now is available for sale. It's in paperback form and it's about the history of that area. I haven't had a chance to call around to see where else the book may be available but I'm certain that it would be available at The Book Corner on Main St. in Niagara Falls. If you're interested in purchasing the book and wanting to know the price of it, just send an email to The Book Corner. Check out their website at http://www.fallsbookcorner.com/ In addition read the following article in the Lockport Union-Sun and Journal. It will give you a broader picture of what the book contains http://www.lockportjournal.com/story.asp?id=1333 and more information as where it can be purchased. Glad to pass this information to all of you who are interested in that eastern part of Niagara County. vee

That's funny, Vee. I have one that has stuck with me for years and years. When I can't find something and then finally do find it, I always end up exclaiming, "I've found you, Kunta Kinte!!" :) Lorraine In a message dated 03/06/2005 6:38:29 PM Pacific Standard Time, housman@adelphia.net writes: Dear Folks, Recently I'm aware that on almost a daily basis I think of one of the memorable expressions from old TV programs.

A belated "thank you" for your kind words, Vee. Yes, your age being the same as what my Mother's would be definitely makes me feel like I'm reading about what her early life might have been like, through your words. I get a real kick out of reading about the music you enjoyed, the flirtations, the fashions, school life, even relating to your parents. It's funny how my Mom also referred to her parents as "Mother and Daddy" as I believe you have as well. Thank you also for sharing your third grade experience with us, even though it was harrowing. I never would've imagined that that sort of thing happened back in the simpler days prior to graphic TV shows and newscasts. Maybe that's a naive view. Your Mother must've been totally horrified to learn of your experience! I think I'm fortunate to have lived a pretty sheltered life in that respect. But I must tell you that last August my co-workers and I had a real disturbing thing happen. One of our co-workers, a lovely 30 year old woman, was abducted from her apartment in Burbank, after arriving home from work. We were all nervous wrecks waiting and praying for some word. It came after two weeks... Sharon's body was found in the trunk of her car, in Chinatown. Two weeks ago, they finally made an arrest of a possible suspect - the maintenance man at her apartment complex! He is a registered sex offender. What do you want to bet that his employer didn't inform tenants of that fact?! Very disturbing, but we're just so thankful the creep is off the streets. Hope everyone is enjoying the end of winter and keeping warm. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Los Angeles today. Best, Lorraine Lorraine said, > Today would have been my Mother's 73rd birthday. She passed on far too > early, in 1985, after a long struggle with respiratory illness. Oh Lorraine, how sad. Bless your mother. I turned 73 just this past September so I can feel that we might have been close in sharing memories of the times. I guess that the reason I tell all of you some of the memories I have about growing up in Niagara Falls is because I want to record them in some sort of fashion. Regarding my vernacular, it appears that I'm reverting back to the old-time expressions like "dadratit" or "Oh for pity's sake" or even "laws a mercy!" Those expressions come to my lips more quickly than any of the swear words I became accustomed to in my 30 years service in the Navy. Hopefully your message will encourage me to tell you about my being in the third grade at Pacific Ave. School in LaSalle in the 1930s. Some of the stories still embarrass me but one of them has to do with my being sexually molested outside the school yard. Thank goodness I wasn't harmed. Please encourage me to tell the little stories of the times even though one of them was a bit ugly. vee

Hi Vee and folks, Just getting caught up with my e-mail inbox after getting bogged down with some family and work issues for the past few weeks. Vee, regarding your message about not being able to see the classical music credits on TV, here's a suggestion, even though it might sound a little odd. What about keeping a pair of opera glasses or small binoculars next to your chair? I'm thinking that's what I should do as well. I watch the TV which is in my living room, from my bedroom! It's a distance of about, oh, 25 feet and sometimes I can't see small credits. Fortunately for me, I have my grandmother's Mother of Pearl opera glasses! Best, Lorraine In a message dated 02/13/2005 9:52:26 PM Pacific Standard Time, housman@adelphia.net writes: Frankly, I've been trying to figure out how I can bring the TV up close enough to me to read the fine print but I'm hesitant about disturbing my decor. I like it just the way it is. Nonetheless, if I continue to be bugged about not being able to read what's on the TV screen, who cares about decor? Certainly Martha Stewart isn't in any position to give me advice!

Dear Folks, Recently I'm aware that on almost a daily basis I think of one of the memorable expressions from old TV programs. For some reason I remember the Jackie Gleason program, "The Honeymooners," in which Jackie as Ralph Kramden is trying to teach Ed Norton the basics of the game of golf. In that episode Ralph tells Norton to address the ball. Norton does as he is told and says, "Hellooo, ball!" Well, every once in awhile I use that expression myself when I'm trying to find something. Once I find it I say to myself, "Well hellooo"with Norton's voice in the back of my mind. There's another TV expression that I also remember. However, for the life of me I can't tell you the name of the program. As I recall it was a program involving a southern sheriff's office, his deputies and the inept mayor of a small southern town. On a number of occasions when the sheriff went to the mayor and told him the crisis they were in, the mayor didn't have a clue how to solve it so his standard reply was "Handle it, handle it." Now every once in awhile when I'm faced with a minor problem and I turn to myself and ask what I should do next, the answer I always get it "Handle it, handle it! Then every once in awhile whenever the moment is right, I remember Gomer Pyle's drawled out "Gollllee." Yep, on occasion when I'm pleasantly surprised at something, I say to myself, "Gollllee!" And then when I get angry with me, I say to myself, "To the moon . . . !" and I give a punching gesture with my fist. That expression was one that Jackie/Ralph frequently used on his program. There's another expression that I've used in some of my genealogy stories is "Just the facts Ma'am, just the facts." That's from the 1950s series Dragnet and that's what Joe Friday frequently asked of a witness. I'm certain that other TV expressions have come to my mind over the years but the above are what comes to my mind tonight. vee

Dear Folks, I thought I'd give you an update on the progress I've been making on the book of my stories about genealogy, family, WWII, my Navy days, etc. Frankly, I'm surprised that I've made such progress. I finally finished printing out all the appropriate stories that I've saved on my hard drive and three of my ZIP disks. And oh wow did I ever end up with a mountain of pages! But not to worry, I know that I can cut down on the quantity by changing my 14 point font into 12 point font. In addition, I know that I can run most of the stories one right after the other on consecutive pages. After taking note as to the basic categories of subjects, for the time being I've separated them into the years of the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and to the present. I'll insert my Navy stories probably right after the 1950s. There will also be a section on memories of my family including some of my ancestors, stories about genealogy, my travel adventures and my everyday memories over the years. Included are several of my thoughts about the horrible aftermath of 9-11. For the time being I've tried to put them in some semblance of chronological order and I know that the next step will be for me is to edit them regarding content and TRY to catch all of the spelling and grammatical errors. 'Twon't be an easy job. However, I have an idea that I'll have an even more difficult job ahead of me when I try to find each individual story on the 4 disks that I've stored them on to actually edit the originals. Nonetheless, it's a labor of love and I'm still plugging away. I know that members of my family will appreciate it as a sort of autobiography of my life and our family history. And for those of you who have enjoyed all of my stories and would like to re-read them in book style, let me know if you might be interested in having a copy of the book. Just send me an email and I'll add your name to the growing list. It will help me estimate how many books I should run off and once I come to adding up all of my out-of-pocket expenses including postage then I'll be able to let you know what the cost is per book. My estimate for the time being is that it wouldn't cost more than about $10.00. Still plugging away. vee

Vee said: > Dear Kim, > > I just can't fathom the temperature going as high as 67 degrees in SW > Nebraska! Good grief, Nebraska is just south of South Dakota. Who woulda > thunk it! > vee Dear Vee: Tomorrow it is supposed to be 70. I guess there will be a payback at sometime or other. We have the Rocky Mountains to thank for our nice weather. Everyone has been out working on their lawns. Kim, in sunny SW Nebraska, which is north of Goodland, Kansas, east of Colorado and west of Iowa, and east of Wyoming. :-)