This has ended up being a long message and at the end there's a bit of a cry for help. At no point will there be any surnames mentioned. This message is only about ME!!!!! You'uns don't know how much you have overwhelmed me in the past few days with your responses to my recent postings about Grandma's apron and about horseback riding and about Uncle Will and Aunt Annie. Not only have you let me know how much you enjoy my writing, you have shared with me your own memories on the different subjects. And do you know what? Each time I would post such a message--generally very late at night--when I would check my email the next morning I always cringed, dreading the thought that someone on the mailing list might take umbrage (hey, I've always wanted to use that word!) with my non-genealogical/PD posting. But it just hasn't happened (well not in the very longest time and Rod took care of "that one" in a hurry!). But, do you know what else? You've also managed to get my shorts tied up in a bunch!! Several of you have suggested that I gather up all the stories that I have posted to the group and publish them in a book for sale. And I've taken serious (and appreciative) note of that. The funny thing of it is that it was only a few years ago that your warm suggestions would have triggered the light at the tunnel I was going through in my pathetic financial life. But now that I'm finally receiving my Navy pension and Social Security checks on a nice monthly basis, "selling" my writings is of little importance to me. But do you know what? (Hey, I just like to use that expression!) It seems that more and more lately, people from all over the place keep encouraging me to write more. And I guess what really hit home today was a phone call to me from the local Niagara Gazette columnist, Don Glynn, who was truly interested in what I had submitted to him in hopes that the story would be published in the paper. Hey, we chitty-chatted for the longest time--HE did most of the chitty-chat! He remembered that I wrote and published a book based on the local Town of Porter history and asked me right off the bat if I was still writing and if I was writing another book. I said yes and no. I was still writing (and I mentioned WHY I was still writing--and told him it was because of you'un's encouragement--)and no, I knew my start of a book about WWII in Niagara Falls was too big of a story to be told simply from the viewpoint of a little girl. I was thrilled to get such a call from him and, at the same time, he reinforced what you'uns have been telling me for a long time. That is, keep on writing! Now, why are my shorts all tied up in a knot? Well, now, what do I do? Type into my computer all the stories that have been bubbling up in my mind and seething to be let out over the past 50 years?? But what about my research into my personal genealogy? (OK, I'm not into that as much as I have been over the past 25 years.) But what about the current genealogical research I've been doing on our local familes here? And what about the exciting new computer our local museum has been given and was just delivered to my house today with a database program (Paradox) that we can use for cataloging and indexing every bit of artifacts and important genealogical information we have in our magnificent historical records? And here's the thing of it. I have a problem here. I LOVE to write and frankly I'm wallowing in the applause you have all given me. And I would LOVE to devote every last bit of energy in writing more. By the same token, I LOVE researching the local families in their search for their families' roots. Now, what do I do now??? BTW, those of you who aren't Senior Citizens yet and have been wondering what could possibly be exciting in our lives, WOW, do you have a surprise waiting for you!!!! Overwhelmed in Youngstown! vee ==== PENNA-DUTCH Mailing List ==== New? Looking for a quick connection? Visit the surnames list associated with this mail list at http://members.aol.com/PennaDutch/pdlsurnames.html