My New Year's Memories

Over at AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants, I wrote some writing prompts about New Year's Eve and Day memories. Here are mine.

*Do you remember the first time you were allowed to stay up and see in the New Year? How old were you?

The first time I actually remember staying up to see in the New Year must have been New Year's Eve 1978, which was spent in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Our family had flown from our home in Southeast Alaska to Western Michigan to spend a month with extended family members during the holidays. We were at my mother's parents, Grandpa and Grandma DeVries. We probably watched the festivities in Times Square on television, and then as the New Year was rung in, we spent some time in prayer for our nation and the world, and then wished each other a Happy New Year before going off to bed. I'm sure my little brother, who was 4 years old, was asleep, and probably my 2-month-old sister. I was 11 1/2.

*How did you and your typically spend New Year's Eve during your youth? Did you go to a Watch Night Service and participate in communion and prayer? Did you watch the ball drop in Times Square on television? Did your community have a fireworks show?

From earlier times in my childhood, I remember going to church on New Year's Eve, but not as late as midnight, of course. It was an evening service and usually there was prayer and communion. We didn't watch television, because we didn't have television service on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. There weren't any fireworks, either!

*Did you have first-footers, mummers, or bang pots and pans on your front porch? Did you wear party hats and use noisemakers?

I don't ever remember any special celebrations at home when I was girl, probably because I was too young to stay up so late. We lived in an isolated area, also.

*If New Year's Eve involved feasting of some kind, what were the usual fare and beverages?

Because there weren't any kind of celebrations, that kind of nixed feasting, too.

*How do all of the above compare to the way you celebrate New Year's Eve now?

Since our kids have been old enough to stay up and see in the New Year, we usually have snacks and sodas (and rum and cokes for the adults). We'll often rent a favorite movie, then check in with the replay of Times Square shortly before midnight. We have party hats, rattles, and party horns that we take with us out on the front porch and wish the world a "Happy New Year!" Most of the neighbors do the same thing: a quiet party at home with noisy celebration in the front yards at midnight. From our front porch, we can see the fireworks downtown two miles away. I do like to invite our across-the-street neighbor (a friend we've had for over 20 years who we encouraged to move into our neighborhood about 10 years ago) to cross our threshold soon after midnight. He's a dark-haired Scot, and that's supposed to be a symbol of good luck!

*What about New Year's Resolutions? Did you make any when you were younger? Do you make them now? How well do you keep them? Was there any year when you really did a fabulous job at keeping them? What were your goals and how did you keep them?

I've always been a resolution-maker, I suppose. I probably started when I was a teenager. One year (1981?), I kept a diary pretty faithfully, filling in the days I'd miss within two or three days. I wish I still had it; regretfully, I tossed several of my teen diaries and journals when I was an adult because I was embarrassed about my writing. Who knew that 20 years later, I'd be writing my thoughts for the whole world to read! :-)

*How did you typically spend New Year's Day in your childhood and youth? Did you visit family and friends? Did your family host an Open House? Did you watch the Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl game or another favorite sport? Or did you go to your favorite ski resort?

I don't remember any particular New Year's Day before 1979, when I watched the Tournament of Roses parade for the first time at my Grandparent DeVries' home. I never would have suspected that eight years later, I would march in that parade myself!

My badge from marching with The Salvation Army band in the 1987 Tournament of Roses Parade

When I was in college, I spent several New Year's Days skiing at 49* North. Gosh, just thinking of it makes me realize how much I miss skiing! My daughter went snowboarding a week or so ago for the first time, and she she told me about wearing a helmet. I kind of chuckled when she told me because in my day, we never wore helmets (it's much safer now, I'm sure).

*How does it compare to the way you spend New Year's Day now?

Now, I'm more likely to be taking down the Christmas tree and packing things up. When the kids were younger (and being homeschooled), we used to get together with some family friends that had children close to our own children's age. The kids would go sledding at a nearby park with the dads and we moms would sit and visit while watching the littlest ones.

*Are there any special customs from your heritage that are integrated into your New Year's celebrations?

The closest thing would be having a First-footer: a dark-haired Scot being the first to cross your threshold in the New Year bringing good luck.

*If you celebrate Christmas or another seasonal holiday before the New Year, when do you take down the decorations and put them away?

Depending upon whether we have plans for New Year's Day, I try to get the decorations down on the 1st or 2nd of the month. This year, it took me much longer, simply because doing everything takes a little longer with my healing shoulder. I was encouraged, however, noting the difference between how immobile my shoulder and arm had been when putting up the decorations five weeks earlier compared with how much improved it had become.

"Week Forty-Three: The New Year" Posted at AnceStories2

This morning I posted "Week Forty-Three: The New Year" over at my journaling prompts blog, AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants. How did you celebrate the New Year growing up? How do you celebrate now?

Do you wish your ancestors had left some sort of written record of the events in their lives for you? The next best thing is for you to record your memories for future generations!

My Favorite Season

I'm finally getting around to answer my own journal prompts from my AnceStories2 blog.

*How do you feel about fall? Is it a favorite season, or do you prefer another?

Fall is my favorite season of year...I love the variety of colors and temperatures and weather. One of the things I look forward to every year is seeing the trees in all their glory against a clear blue sky. I call this shade of blue "October blue". Here in Spokane in the early mornings, the fog settles like a blanket not only on the river, but on the land for miles around; in fact, Spokane International Airport (five miles southwest, up on the West Plains) is one of the most fogged-in airports in the world.

*What are your favorite fall activities (indoor or out)?

I am one of those people that enjoys raking leaves.

*What are your favorite fall sports (to watch or play)?

I'm not a sports fan; however, the occasional high school football game is always fun.

*Do you have a favorite fall outfit to wear? Corduroy slacks and plaid flannel shirt, a cozy sweater, etc.?

Pretty cardigans are a favorite, along with leather clogs.

*Do you have any particular household or garden chores that you regularly do just in autumn?

I usually don't have yard chores; my husband does most of that. I always enjoy the "getting ready for winter" feeling I have when he drains the hoses and puts them away, covers the air conditioner and mows the lawn one last time to get up all the cones and leaves. I tend to stock up on canned and dry goods and put some extra meat in the freezer, knowing when snowy weather or freezing temps come, getting to the grocery store may not be a viable option.

*Have you ever gone leaf peeping?

Not really; although a few years ago, we took a drive into Montana over Labor Day weekend and already the leaves were turning. It was beautiful. I so enjoy seeing the colors of the trees change around here, since I grew up in Southeast Alaska--full of evergreen forests--with only an occasional deciduous tree in sight.

*What observances of nature do you regularly watch (birds flying south, squirrels preparing for winter, etc.)?

Geese flying south has long been something I watch for, from the time I was a girl in Alaska, to a teen in Northeast Washington, and even now, in the city, I'll see them head for the nearby lakes.

*What flowers that bloom during this season do you especially like?

Mums and sunflowers are my favorite fall blooms.

*Do you visit any orchards, pumpkin patches, or corn mazes?

When I worked at the elementary school level, we take a field trip every fall to Green Bluff, an orchard and farm area northeast of town where all the locals go. Nearly every farm has some sort of fun doing in addition to having their orchards and fields open for pick-it-yourself harvesting.

*What about the local fair?

The fair here is technically in late summer, about a week after Labor Day weekend, but it does get one into the fall/harvest mood. I go every year with my special needs students on a field trip.

*Do you do any kind of harvesting or food preparation (canning, drying, smoking)?

When there was a cherry tree on our property line and the lot next door was abandoned, I'd make cherry jam. It was a sour cherry, so I had to use lots of sugar. That was cut down in order to make room for the duplex (ick) that was erected a year ago. We have a rhubarb plant and pepppermint. I've used the rhubarb for pies and dried the mint leaves for homemade tea. Growing up, my folks did a lot of canning and drying, and in Alaska, the smokehouses would be going all during the fishing season. Smoked salmon is still one of my favorite treats.

*What about hunting?

I've never gone hunting; never had the desire to do so. My nephew calls it "hiking with guns", since it seems whenever the men go out, all they do is hike down one ravine and up another, for miles and miles and miles...

There would usually be a deer or two hanging from someone's front porch in Alaska and I remember my mom making the best dinners with the venison that my dad must have shot.

*Do you do any kind of fall traveling, other than holiday travels?

Not normally. We usually visit my in-laws in the summer or, lately, during the holidays. In October 2000, the four of us took Amtrak back to Western Michigan to visit my grandparents and other family members. I combined a little genealogical research and visited ancestral graves for the first time. I had always visited Michigan in summer or winter, so going in the fall seemed very different. It was much more humid than it is in Eastern Washington; rather than dry, crisp leaves, there were soggy, decaying ones everywhere. I didn't really care for it.

*Which is your favorite fall holiday, and why (Hallowe'en, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, or others)?

My daughter was born on Veterans Day, so naturally it's a favorite. However, I have not been to one Veterans Day service since she was born, since we are always so busy with birthday preparations. Hallowe'en is fun now that we're getting more children coming to our door to trick-or-treat. Thanksgiving is always a good family time. I give up; I just can't choose!

*What are your favorite fresh foods that are in season at this time? Favorite fall recipes or beverages?

Mmm...I love acorn squash with maple syrup and a slice of ham; I also love apple cider, cold or hot.

*Share favorite memories of fall from your childhood.

Since we lived with evergreens around us in Alaska, it's hard to think of a memory that I know occured in fall. Across the bay was an island that had some abandoned homes on it with a few deciduous trees. I always loved to look over there and see the trees turning and wish I could take a boat over and explore the houses. They seemed like treasures, just out of reach.

*What do you least like about this season?

The idea that winter is coming.

*What family birthdays, anniversaries, or events are commemorated in the fall? Are there any significant family history events that occurred during summer?

We have many, many fall birthdays from September through November in both my husband's and my families. My family always has a mini-reunion at a buffet house, usually on the last Sunday in October. It's a combination reunion, birthday celebration (we bring gifts), and early Thanksgiving, since Thanksgiving is usually the "off" holiday where family members would spend time with their in-laws and then come together again for Christmas.

*Do you have any hobbies that you take up during the fall months?

Not especially. I do like crocheting, and it's nice to be working on an afghan when it gets chilly. I'll sit with it on my lap and work on it while watching a movie or TV show on DVD with the family on a weekend night.

New Journal Prompts Posted at AnceStories2

Please don't fall over in a dead faint. It's been a good three months since I've posted journal prompts at my other blog, AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants. With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I'd better get "Week Forty-One: Fall" posted.

There are so many excellent carnivals being posted every month, I haven't felt the need for journal prompts lately--plus, life just gets busy.

Fall is my favorite season, and if I have time this week, I'll post my responses to my own prompts.

Celebrate Summer!

Featured in the July 26th Edition of Terry Thornton's "Harvest from the Blog Garden" at Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi.

It's been a while since I've mentioned my journaling prompts over at my other blog, AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants. I've been posting prompts fairly regularly this summer, but have not been writing my responses. Last week's topic was "Summer," and this is something I've been wanting to write about for some time.

*How do you feel about summer? Is it a favorite season, or do you prefer another?
Summer is my second-favorite season, following fall.

*What are your favorite summer activities? Do you enjoy being outside, or would you rather curl up with your air conditioner? I am not a fan of the heat...remember, I grew up in Alaska! So I tend to stay indoors a lot, or go out in the evening (the morning tends to aggravate my seasonal allergies). I do enjoy going out to the lakes round about here (Spokane: Near Nature, Near Perfect) because you get the glorious sunshine with a nice breeze and can jump in the water to cool off when you get too hot. When I was younger and worked at a summer camp, I loved to water ski. The last summer I skiied (22 years ago...yikes!) I learned to slalom, which was absolutely awesome!

*Do you have a favorite summertime sport to participate in or watch? Occasionally, we will go to an Indians game. Our family is really not into sports. I do like watching all aspects of the Summer Olympics, and was disappointed that CJ Nuess did not make the Olympic swim team (his mother, a 1968 Olympian, is my supervisor).

*What is your typical summer outfit? I tend to wear sleeveless tops (dressy or casual, dpending on the setting) and capris or longer shorts. I love going barefoot and wear flip-flops if I have to wear shoes.

*Do you take a summer vacation? Where do you normally go, and what kinds of activities do you do there? We have two or three places we usually visit during the summer. The first is Deer Lake just west of here in Lincoln County, Washington, in the scabland country. It's desolate, semi-arid, and very beautiful in its unique way (here's an example). We tent camp with my children's father's family, usually for the weekend, although they tend to stay longer. It generally gets to 100*+ during the day and down into the 40s at night! There are rattlesnakes, cattle, and coyotes. It's like living in the Wild West! We have to tote in water and the only facilities are an outhouse. But it's a Midkiff tradition going back to when my children's paternal grandfather was a boy. I missed it this last weekend, because of genealogy computer classes and some commitments on my side of the family.

The second place we go to is a resort at one of the Little Pend Oreille (pond duh RAY) Lakes up north in Stevens County. We rent a cabin and stay for about a week, usually in mid to late summer. Often my children's uncle's family also vacations with us. We have lots of good times and memories of practical jokes, water fights, and late night games of Balderdash! See pix here.

My kids usually our kids go to Silverwood for the day with their youth group. We've gone as chaperones for school events and a couple of times my children's father's employer had company picnics there. Since they've added the waterpark, it's a lot more fun than just the great rides!

*What is your favorite summer holiday, and why? I love the Fourth because we get to spend time with my parents at their beautiful log cabin up north. They always have a barbeque and extended family, plus half their church (it seems!) are invited. Then we come back to Spokane and watch the city fireworks show from the campus of Gonzaga University.

*What kinds of summer foods or drinks do you enjoy? I love fresh berries and peaches, potato and green salads, and cold soft drinks. I also enjoy the occasional beer on a hot weekend evening on the front porch, just enjoying the quiet evening or sometimes visiting with neighbors.

*Share some favorite memories of summer vacation from when you were a child. We didn't go anywhere on a summer vacation because we lived in Alaska far from family. We practically lived in one of the nation's largest national forest, so there wasn't much of a point in going camping, with wildlife literally all around us! The closest thing to a summer vacation we had was the trip we took after my parents sold their house in Alaska. They put everything in storage, kenneled our farm animals, and bought a camper and truck. We took a ferry from Prince of Wales Island, Alaska to Prince Rupert, British Columbia and drove down the coast of BC, Washington and Oregon, then came up the east side of Oregon and Washington. All the while we camped at campgrounds and looked for real estate. After finding their present home near Colville, Washington, we drove back to Michigan to visit family while the former homeowners moved out. On the way back to Washington, we stopped at DeSmet, South Dakota, the setting of many of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. That was a memorable and fun summer!

*What is your least favorite thing about summer? Heat.

*Do you enjoy summer storms? I love them! When I was first married, I lived out on the West Plains and used to go out on our deck and watch the lightning shows. I've never been afraid of them.

*What is the hottest summer temperature you remember experiencing? 116* in the shade at Deer Lake, 2005, I think. Ugh!

*Do you have a memory of a cool or cold summer? Has it snowed on the Fourth of July in your area? It was awfully cool this year for a while. We had snow the morning of June 9th (yes, I realize it wasn't officially summer yet). It made up for it by having 100* temps two weeks later, very unusual for June. It usually rains here from just after Memorial Day to right around the Fourth, then gradually heats up to a sizzling hot August.

*What family birthdays, anniversaries, or events are commemorated in the summer? Are there any significant family history events that occurred during summer? We have nine family birthdays, an anniversary (not mine), Father's Day, and graduations occurring in June. I'm about to force all the young married couples in the families to sign contracts agreeing that they will not give birth to any more children in June! I'm always broke then, and it's a good thing it comes halfway between Christmases!

*What summertime hobbies do you pursue? If you are a genealogist, do you travel to ancestral locations during this season? I have more time to devote to blogging, research, and lookups during the summer. If I get a chance to travel and I come anywhere within 100 miles of my children's paternal ancestors' cemeteries, I try to swing by. All of my ancestral locations are back east (except for one cemetery in the Willamette Valley).

*Do you have any summertime photos of your ancestors? Check out the 49th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy ("Swimsuit Edition") for great stories and photos of genealogy bloggers' ancestors in swimsuits and summertime wear. I participated in that carnival and my entry is here.

New Prompt (Week Thirty-Six) Posted at AnceStories2

"My Computer" is the topic of 12 prompts I've posted over at my journaling prompts blog, AnceStories2: Stories of My for My Descendants. I had hoped to write more about my own computer experiences in this post, but my laptop is being a brat and only allowing me to be online for a few minutes at a time. Thus the image to the left ;-)

If I get an opportunity later this week, I hope to post in detail about my memories of my first personal computer, Internet and e-mail experiences, and my loves and dislikes of the technology age.

What memories of your first computer and technology experiences will you leave for you descendants?

Spring: Not My Favorite Season

This morning I posted "Week Thirty-Five: Spring" over at my journal prompt blog, AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants. And I have to admit, Spring is not my favorite season. In fact, to name them in favorite to least favorite order, they are Fall, Summer, Winter and Spring.

Now some people just get all excited about Spring. They love that the snow is gone and the flowers are coming up, the days are getting longer and warmer. But to me, Spring has always been too vague, uncertain, and variant. As Lucy from Peanuts would say: "Wishy-washy." By the time we can actually say that Spring is here, it's late May, and summer is just around the corner. Spring brings snow, hail, wind, rain, ice, sun, clouds, and more of the above...usually all in one afternoon, too! When I was a girl growing up in Southeast Alaska and we had Spring weather like that, it was called "Fish Egg Weather," because it meant it was the time when the salmon went upstream to spawn. I remember seeing a creek which was located about a mile from our home being absolutely choked with salmon laying their eggs. Since the weather as a whole (wet and rainy) didn't seem a whole lot different in Spring compared to Summer or Fall (Southeast Alaska gets 160 - 180 inches of rain a year), it's hard to look back on my childhood memories and say definitively, "this happened in the Spring," or "this was a Spring memory."

One thing we had to be cautious about in Alaska in the Spring was the fact that bears were coming out of hibernation and 1) they were hungry; and 2) the females had their cubs with them. These were not pleasant thoughts to consider while walking the lonely one-mile long road from our house to town on the way to school and then back in the afternoon! Dad always said, "they're more afraid of you than you are of them" (doubtful!) and "make a lot of noise while you're walking, like singing or whistling, so they can hear you coming and go away," which is probably how I got into the bad habit of talking to myself, while doing mundane tasks. :-) Since these were black bears, not grizzlies, I was pretty safe, and I never did run into any on my way to school or back. In fact, it was my brother who ran into a bear when he was about 5 or 6 years old in the woods behind our house, and it happened after we moved to Eastern Washington. The bear ran off, and I'm sure Adriaen did, too...in the opposite direction!

On a side note: one of the things we did for fun was to drive to the dump several miles down the road between Klawock (our home town) and Craig to watch the bears. We didn't have television on the island at that point and there wasn't a theater, either (it burned down not long after we moved there), so entertainment had to be creative! There would be bears all over that dump, especially on garbage day. I remember one time when we went, there was a sow and three cubs, and as they ran off into the woods, the third cub was limping a bit. We saw plenty of sows with twin cubs over the years, but that was the only time we saw one with triplets.

One nice thing about Spring in Alaska was that there seemed to be a lot of rainbows during that time. My friends and I had a superstition that you couldn't point at a rainbow, because that would make it disappear. Funny how kids are!

Once my parents started their little farm, Spring meant baby animals being born: goat kids, bunnies, and chicks, ducklings, and goslings. It also meant a lot of work, because the kids had to be bottle-fed so that we could milk their mothers. And as anyone who's ever had a farm or small homestead knows, Spring is the beginning of plowing, planting, and lots of weeding!

When we moved to Eastern Washington in 1979, it took some getting used to a different climate. This side of the state is called the "dry side" for good reason; unlike the West Side, which is more like Southeast Alaska in its climate (damp and rainy), Eastern Washington has four distinct seasons and much drier air. Summer and winter go to temperature extremes, with August blazing in at over 100*F and winter dropping as low as -40* temps when you consider the wind chill factor. Spring was more defined as a season in Eastern Washington than in Alaska, I noticed when I moved here. There are a lot more deciduous trees, which, of course, bloom (the magnolia next door is a favorite); and the lower latitudes allow for a longer growing season, so I could see a lot more variety in the flowers that grew in people's gardens. However, Spring also meant pollen, especially pine pollen. The grand Ponderosa pines in this region put out huge quantities of pollen which are visible in the air on windy days, or on lake and pond surfaces in thick green layers. I lived in this area for nearly 20 years before I figured out why I was getting so run down every May...to the point of becoming pretty ill: I have allergies. One of the things that also seems to trigger my symptoms is lilac blooms...and where do I live? In the Lilac City, no less!

Eastern Washington has fairly clay-ey (is that a word?) soil. Every spring, my parents' long driveway would turn to a sticky, muddy mess as the deep snow melted. Seems I remember numerous times when our 1940-something four-wheel-drive Willey's Jeep and other assorted vehicles they owned got stuck in the driveway. Dad cut back a lot of trees over the years to let in sunshine to the driveway to help dry up the mud, but still, it often meant many summer days for us kids scouring the garden, roadsides and woods for medium-sized rocks to fill in the ruts. After all those years, you'd think their driveway would be cobblestoned from the amount of rocks we placed in it!

Spring Break was always a great relief (and still is, now that I work for a school district!). We never took vacations (as a school custodian, that was/is one of Dad's busiest work weeks). My favorite Spring Break happened when I was a junior, I think. It wasn't anything special, but I remember we had a picnic, and there was a favorite musical on TV. I just remember it was a fun family time.

I don't have a particular favorite Spring holiday now, although as a kid, Easter was a favorite, for obvious reasons. And speaking of favorites, my favorite Spring food is fresh asparagus, which is shipped up here from the Yakima Valley and is simply delicious!

So although Spring may not be a favorite season, there are still enough enjoyable things happening to make it be "okay" for me. What about you? How do you feel about Spring? And will you leave some Spring stories for your descendants to read someday?

The 45th Edition of the CARnival of Genealogy is Posted

Jasia has just posted the 45th Edition of the CARnival of Genealogy over at her blog, Creative Gene. The topic of this CARnival is "Cars as Stars of Our Family History." I believe this may be the biggest carnival yet, with 43 posts submitted by 34 authors, according to Terry. Every family has car story (or two or twelve!), and these geneabloggers are no different. Love 'em or hate 'em, cars have been a part of everyone's family history since their invention (my own submission is 1967 Model No. 1). I encourage you to read these excellent posts, and then perhaps take some time to write down your own car memories. You may also like to record your stories of how you learned to drive, and my journal prompts from Week Twenty-Four: Learning to Drive over at my other blog, AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants can give you some ideas on how to do that.

The topic of the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be "What Traits Run in Your Family?" Here are some things to consider:

Which of them did you inherit? Do you have your mother's blue eyes? Your grandfather's stubbornness? Your aunt's skill with knitting needles? Is there a talent for music in your family? Or do you come from a long line of teachers? Have you ever looked at an old photo and recognized your nose on another family member's face? Tell us all about your family traits and please submit your articles by the deadline, April 15th (no inheritance taxes will be assessed ;-) . Thanks to Lisa Alzo for the topic suggestion!

New Prompt (Week Thirty-Three) Posted at AnceStories2

When Mr. Boast laughed, Laura and Mary and Carrie and Ma all burst out laughing. They couldn't help it. Pa's laugh was like great bells ringing; it made you feel warm and happy. But Mr. Boast's laugh made everybody laugh.

From By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder, published 1939 by Harper & Brothers, New York, pg. 127.


"Laughter, the Best Medicine" is the topic for Week Thirty-three over at my journal prompts blog, AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants. Who in your family shares your laugh? Do you sound like one of your grandparents? What about a cousin, aunt, or uncle? Who giggles like you?

I've shared a couple of memories of family laughter at this list of prompts, and I encourage you to leave a record for the generations to come of the jokes, humor, and sounds of laughter of your generation and those that came before you!

Honoring Our Presidents

Today is Presidents Day in the United States. As a public school employee, I have the day "off," as do my children, from school. Yesterday I posted "Week Thirty-Two: Honoring Our Leaders" on my blog of journal prompts, AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants. I've encouraged my readers to write what they remember about celebrating and honoring the birthdays of two great leaders of our country...or for my non-U.S. readers, writing how leaders of their own country are honored. In this post, I've chosen to write my own responses to the prompts.

Honoring our leaders is not a concept many of us think about anymore. With the Sixties Revolution, the Viet Nam War, and the Watergate Scandal, leaders are no longer accepted as honorable, respected individuals of authority, dedicated to carrying out the will of the people. Instead, we're convinced they're all crooks, out to get glory for themselves, and to play their party's political games. Unfortunately, this has been proved to be true countless times, and this attitude has colored our perspective of even the truly great leaders of our country, such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. We're too focused on their humanness, their weaknesses, and the mistakes they made while in office to see that for the most part, they were men of integrity and courage, and sacrificed much personally for the good of the country.

As a child, I don't remember celebrating either president's birthday in elementary school. I couldn't tell you if we had a day off for honoring either one, although we probably had Presidents Day off when I was in high school. I don't remember any lessons that focused on Washington or Lincoln other than when we came to learning about them in the context of American history when we started studying that subject in fifth grade. I do know that we never had an assembly or watched a play that focused on either of these leaders, in all of my years of school.

I do remember reading about both Washington and Lincoln as a girl in elementary school. For a town of about 300, without a public library, our school and classroom libraries were phenomenal! Our principal/superintendent was married to the woman who was my teacher for three years, second through fourth grades, and together they ordered all the latest books in education and literature for the little school. I especially remember biographies of American leaders and Native Americans published by the Garrard Publishing Company, as well as the Childhood of Famous Americans series by the Bobbs-Merrill Company. We also ordered books from Scholastic. Between these and the influence of my parents, I developed a love of history, and can recall things I learned from reading these books over thirty years ago!

In my humble opinion, Abraham Lincoln was our greatest president, not just because he held the country together during a time of crisis; not just because of the Emancipation Proclamation (which I believe was more a political move on his part); but mainly because of his courage to stand for what he believed while under probably some of the heaviest criticism a president has had to endure, both politically (from his own party--not just from the South), but personally. Many forget that his wife was from the South, and that his own family was a prime example of brother against brother, father against son. He also had great compassion, and had he not been assassinated, it's clear that Reconstruction would not have been a time of vengeance against the South. It's possible that the Jim Crow attitude against African-Americans might not have taken place, or may have been less severe, preventing much of the anguish and terror that lead to the Civil Rights Movement.

Because I work for a public school district, as I've mentioned earlier, I get Presidents Day off. The State of Washington requires that prior to having Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday and Veterans Day off, the school must provide either an assembly and/or lessons to address the reasons behind the holiday (I'm in agreement with this, 100%!). However, it does not do this for Presidents Day or Memorial Day. I feel that this is not equitable, and that we are cheating our children of learning opportunities. Our children learn more about the Civil Rights Movement than about American history--which caused and shaped that movement--as a whole. Another thing I dislike about the attitude taken towards Presidents Day is that is it often commercialized. With tax returns upon us, businesses are using this time to profit. I'm especially annoyed by automobile dealerships' and furniture businesses' commercials on television that have costumed figures of Washington and Lincoln urging potential customers to shop at their stores. The public would be outraged if a costumed figure of M.L. King was used in commercials the same way during his holiday, yet we don't even blink when George and Abe are jumping up and down and shouting at us to buy the latest vehicle!

Finally, Presidents Day is also a time when Purple Heart recipients are honored--military personnel who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after 5 April 1917. While reading the criteria for this decoration, I realized that at least one family member has been eligible for this award, my maternal grandfather's brother John Chester "Chet" VALK, a member of the 101st Airborne Division who was killed parachuting over Foy, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. I am going to have to ask family members if he was ever awarded this medal posthumously.

Happy Valentine's Day!

My first memories of St. Valentine's Day must have been from second grade (I had the same teacher for second through fourth grades, so I can't be sure). I remember making great big Valentine "mailboxes" by folding large pink, white, or red pieces of paper--the kind used for backing on bulletin boards--and cutting them into a heart shape, with the fold at the bottom end, making it not-quite a true heart shape. The side edges were stapled together, and the top front folded down. Our names would be written on them, and we would decorate them with "lace" (pleated streamers glued around the edges), heart-shaped doilies and glitter. These mailboxes would be hung on the wall outside our classrooms so that we could easily place our Valentine messages in our friend's container.

Our classroom was decorated with pink, white, and red streamers, as well as little Valentine men hanging from the lights. Each man's face was a heart, and his arms and legs were created so: two pieces of construction paper, about one-inch wide by 12 inches long were placed at right angles to each other at one end and glued together. Then the bottom piece of paper would be folded over the top; next the other piece would be folded over that, and so on and so forth until it created a spring-loaded limb. The ends were glued together. One end of the limb was glued to the man's face and the other had a small heart glued to it, to be either a hand or a foot. Four of these limbs were made, as arms and legs, and they were hung by colored yarn.

After all the excitement of handing out Valentines, we'd take our own mailboxes down and open up the cards we'd received, while we ate our goodies. I'm sure we had Kool-aid and cupcakes and cookies as refreshments. I know we had word game worksheets such as crossword puzzles and word searches that day...although I'm sure little work got done! I enjoyed getting suckers and chocolate, but never have liked those heart-shaped message candies...they taste like flavored chalk!

What are the memories you have of St. Valentine's Day? Have you written them down for your descendants? I have more prompts for you at my other blog, AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants.

New Prompt (Week Thirty) Available at AnceStories2

"Crafts and Hobbies" is the theme of the prompts I've posted for Week Thirty over at my other blog, AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants. I've been in a "crafty mood" lately and thought it would be a good idea to write about. Girls are usually taught things like needlework from their mother's line, and boys are often shown how to do woodwork and other hobbies from the men in their families. I know from written records that she left in the family history book that my direct maternal great-grandmother, Lillian Fern Strong, could sew and crochet. She taught sewing to her daughter, my grandmother, Ruth Lillian Hoekstra. My mother learned to sew in Home Economics, but I never took that class in high school. From this, you can see how the craft of needlework died off in my mother's line.

I taught myself how to sew after my daughter was born when wanted to make her clothes. I also taught myself needlework such as crochet, knitting, cross stitch and plastic canvas work. These crafts are well practiced by the women in my father's family, but since I didn't grow up with extended family, I was never taught these by them. One of my dad's sisters moved to the area from Michigan in the 1980s, a few years after our own family moved from Alaska to Eastern Washington. She's always been available when I need help finding patterns or materials, or improving a technique.

I have tried to teach my daughter how to sew, crochet and do cross stitch. She has had a difficult time with all of them, and I think her lack of interest has overwhelmed any attempts she's made. However, she draws great quirky doodles and can make the loveliest cards and scrapbook pages. She also has recently shown an interest in beading and macramé.

When I was little, my dad and I collected stamps, and my mom started a coin collection. For a number of years, my son developed a fine coin collection and would do extra chores to earn money to purchase antique ones at a local numismatic shop. Nowadays, my dad has a fine model railroad collection; he specifically collects Marx toy railroads, and comes to Spokane frequently to buy, sell, and trade at model railroad and antique toy shows.

What sorts of arts, crafts and hobbies are practiced in your family?

Responses to last week's prompts on "Family Life" can be seen here.

New Prompt (Week Twenty-Nine) Available at AnceStories2

Continuing in the vein from last week, Week Twenty-Nine's topic is "Family Life." I wrote most of the prompts early this--I mean, yesterday--morning, but with Scanfest and all we were trying to do at home to make sure we could survive all the snowstorms we've been having, I didn't post it until now.

FYI, Spokane has just about shut down. Spokane International Airport was closed all afternoon after a landing jet skidded off the runway (no injuries, thankfully). Jay Leno's show at the casino was canceled after the pilots for his private jet decided it was too risky to travel to this area, much less land at the air field. The school district will be closed on Monday for the first time since Ice Storm 1996 and for what is probably only the second time in the last 20-something years. We received about six inches of snow Saturday/Sunday night on top of the several inches of compacted snow and ice leftover from the 14 December and numerous January (I lost count) storms we've had this season. It snowed for most of the day AND it's supposed to snow every day for the next eight days. The county and city have 115 snow removal vehicles working 24/7 to keep the arterials, routes to the hospitals (mostly located on steep hills, of all places!), and bus routes open. About 9400 people were without power in outlying areas. Residential areas have about eight inches of snow-turned-slush-turned-ice on the streets. We ourselves got high centered in our alley/driveway attempting to leave to bring dinner to a sick friend. Fortunately our neighbors helped my husband dig my car out and then push it past the icy spots. My hubby spent four hours Saturday and eight hours Sunday shoveling snow and raking it off the roofs of our house and outbuildings.

Thankfully, the Internet has been working just fine, and I hope to post about the fun time we had at Scanfest in the morning.

New Prompt Available at AnceStories2 (Week Twenty-Eight: Games and Puzzles)

I've just posted new prompts over at my other blog, Ancestories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants. This week's topic is Games and Puzzles.

Also, there are links to online responses to last week's prompt, Civil Rights and Diversity, posted here.

I hope you are leaving stories of yourself for your descendants!

New Prompt (Week Twenty-Seven) Available at AnceStories2

"Civil Rights and Diversity" is the topic for Week Twenty-Seven over at my blog of journal prompts, AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants. These are issues that many of us often don't want to think, much less write, about. I've often wondered what my ancestors thought about things such as giving women the right to vote, or how they interacted (or didn't) with people of other races, ethnicities, religions, abilities, sexual orientations or social classes. I grew up as one of a handful of Caucasian children in a Native Alaskan community until I was twelve years old, very aware of the racial and cultural difference between my own family and others in the community, yet feeling comfortable in that society. The transition to a mostly-white, very social-class-conscious community in Northeast Washington was very difficult for me, especially since it happened during my early teenage years, already a time of social anxiety and angst! I now am grateful, however, for the very different childhood that I had.

There were many positive responses to last week's topic "Winter," and I've created a post where I've linked to those who responded to the prompts on their blogs. I plan to do this for all future prompts. If I've forgotten anyone, please let me know. I do know that Terry Thornton of Hill Country of Monroe County, Mississippi will be posting his response this coming Tuesday.

New Prompt Available at AnceStories2 (Week Twenty-Six: Winter)

For the first time since early October, I've posted a new prompt over at one of my other blogs, AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants. Week Twenty-Six's focus is on Winter. I invite and encourage you to write down something--anything--for your children and grandchildren, or nieces and nephews about your memories of childhood winters. Add to it any stories you heard from your parents and grandparents about their winters.

My New Year's Genealogy Resolutions for 2008

In Roman mythology, Janus (or Ianus) was the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings, and endings. His most apparent remnants in modern culture are his namesakes, the month of January and the caretaker of doors and halls: Janitor.

Janus was usually depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions. Janus was frequently used to symbolize change and transitions such as the progression of past to future, of one condition to another, of one vision to another, the growing up of young people, and of one universe to another. He was also known as the figure representing time because he could see into the past with one face and into the future with the other. Hence, Janus was worshipped at the beginnings of the harvest and planting times, as well as marriages, births and other beginnings.

Wikipedia contributors, "Janus (mythology)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Janus_%28mythology%29&oldid=180708812 (accessed December 31, 2007).

I suppose if we genea-bloggers lived in Roman times, we would worship Janus. He would make a wonderful god of genealogy! He could see the past and the future, and was celebrated at births, marriages, and other beginnings, events we celebrate as well. Like Janus, we are the keepers of the gates, doors, and hallways into our family histories; those entrusted with the keys. We are janitors--custodians--of the past for the generations that come after.

My post today is a reflection of my 2007 genealogy resolutions and a listing the ones for 2008. Like Janus, I am looking both directions at once. I had five goals for the year 2007, and much of my 2008 resolutions will be a continuance of them, while I have added a couple of new things as well. Here is my 2007 list, with comments on how I did:

1. To continue and to improve my process of recording my research, especially when I search online databases. I've done much better than I ever have in recording where I've been when searching online, but there still is room for improvement. My problem is impatience...I don't want to slow myself down to record where I looked, and then I end up wasting time in the long run by repeating searches. I did create an Online Research Form to help me, and I resolve to do better in 2008.

2. To cite my sources properly. It's a lot of work, especially to go back and re-cite 20 years' worth of information that I used to enter in note form on my computer. I give myself an A on this resolution, as far as my databases went. I used my RootsMagic citation wizard a lot this year and went back and started re-entering (or entering for the first time) my sources. There's still much work ahead, but the acquisition of Evidence Explained! was a bonus for my genealogical toolbox. I do need to make sure that I cite my sources correctly on this blog, and go back and cite old posts.

3. To photograph and log my genealogical "treasures," items that have once belonged to my ancestors and late relatives. Hmm...I kind of forgot about this one. I was going to have a private blog to log the treasures, but I think Tim Abbott's Cabinet of Curiosities is going to be a good way to record these. Scanfest is also a part of this. I'll renew this resolution as well.

4. To begin to slowly change my hard copy files from a file folder system to a notebook system, using archival-safe, acid-free page protectors. Nope. This one was a dud. It was expensive, time-consuming, and an inefficient way for me to store and access my records. I started to keep my HOEKSTRA materials this way, and although it looked very good and professional, it just was plain awkward. My original plan was to prepare materials for a possible book, but I've got too much research ahead of me to do any near publishing. I've decided to stick with file folders for all my family lines, and I've been implementing Sharon DeBartolo Carmack's system explained in Organizing Your Family History Search. RootsMagic allows me to color code family lines, and I'm using colored folders for my files: blue for my dad's lines, red for Mom's, and green and yellow respectively for my father- and mother-in-law's lines. Also, orange is for my maternal step-grandfather's family and purple is for my paternal grandmother's adoptive family lines. So while the original resolution didn't work, its alternative has.

5. To continue to blog at this location...to be consistent in writing both prompts and responses for my new blog, AnceStories2. I deserve an A+ for the first part, but receive a D for the second. This is my 340th post since last year's resolution on this blog, but I sloughed off badly on AnceStories2. I don't want to abandon it, so I've decided to continue to post enough prompts up to Week 52, giving readers a year's worth of prompts. From that point on, I'll probably blog occasionally on various other ways to record one's memories.

My 2008 resolutions are to continue with the five points of focus above, either in the same vein or the altered goal I've mentioned. Additionally, there are two other goals I want to work on, preservation and writing. The first requires that I lease a safety-deposit box at my financial institution in which to safely keep original documents and family treasures, photo negatives, and computer backups. I'm also going to buy some larger flash drives to back up my files on a regular basis. The second involves doing more non-blog writing by submitting articles for publication. But I'd also like to blog my mother's letters in a private blog, perhaps as preparation for a book.

There you have it: record; cite; archive and preserve; organize; and blog and write. I think I'll make a little sign with these goals and hang it near my computer as a daily reminder. What are your goals or resolutions for 2008?

New Prompt (Week Twenty-Five) Available at AnceStories2

I just posted a new prompt at AnceStories2: Stories of Me for My Descendants called "Your First Job."

I had several "first" jobs growing up. The first time I made any money apart from my parents was selling earthworms (25 cents a dozen) to fishing customers of the Log Cabin Resort next door (well, it wasn't a resort in those days...just a gift shop and a place where you could hire a fishing or hunting tour guide). It was owned (and still is) by the Fabry family just outside of Klawock, Alaska. (Skip Fabry was my fifth- and seventh-grade teacher.) On our little farm, we raised rabbits for meat and skins in a metal tool shed like the kind you could buy from Sears or Wards. Under the rabbit cages, we had deep stalls filled with earth to catch the rabbit droppings. Dad had ordered earthworms from somewhere and added them to the stalls to break down the compost. All of our food waste and garden waste was added and mixed into this compost pile. This rich composted soil was then mixed into our garden soil to fertilize it, along with the worms, which would naturally aerate the garden soil by digging little tunnels through it. I would get a spade and start digging and find a dozen worms, which I would place in an empty coffee can with more soil, cover it, and take it up the hill to the Fabrys.

My next two jobs were during high school. The first one was at my high school in Colville, Washington, where my dad worked as a custodian. He had heard from the cooks that there was a helper's position open. Every day, I would leave fourth period ten minutes early, go to the cafeteria, wash my hands and help serve lunch. The first few years, I worked right in the serving area. One of my duties was heating up and serving "chuckwagons," which were a meat and cheese sandwich on a sesame seed bun, heated briefly in a microwave so that the cheese would melt. They were in high demand...even more than hamburgers and pizza. I believe it was in my junior or senior year that I was put in charge of the salad bar, where would collect payment from the students. This job entitled me to a free lunch, and having a 50-minute lunch period, I had plenty of time to meet up with my friends and socialize before going on to fifth period. I worked in the cafeteria all four years of high school, and my experience there was a good asset for my resume for my next job. I enjoyed the cooks I worked with (I still remember the names of two of them: Earlene and Shirley), and in my senior year they all chipped together to buy me a nice gift for graduation. I also enjoyed the opportunity of checking out the cute guys that came through the lunch line. ;-) Sadly, I was such a nerd, none of them paid any attention to me! Besides which, I had no clue then that "cool" girls would rather be caught dead than work in the cafeteria! But I didn't think of those things; I thought of it as a good job experience and a way to earn a good, hot lunch.

The first job I had where I had to fill out an application and pay taxes was working at The Salvation Army Camp Gifford at Deer Lake in Eastern Washington, near the city of Loon Lake, off Highway 395. You may remember that my parents worked for The Salvation Army in Alaska; when we moved to Eastern Washington, we would occasionally attend services at the Corps (church) in Spokane, which is how I learned about the job opportunity at Camp Gifford. I worked there for all or part of the summers of 1982 - 1986. In the summer of 1982, I worked half the 10-week summer as a staff-in-training (SIT) and half as a kitchen helper, although really, it was the same job. I was listed as an SIT because it was a probationary period, but all that summer and the next, I had the same duties. Two other girls and I helped the cook prepare three meals and a snack and serve them. The last three summers there, I was a counselor. I have such wonderful memories of my summers there, and in writing about this, I realized I'll have to write in more detail about those times, for my kids' sakes. There were a lot of first experiences those summers: my first boyfriend, my first kiss, learning how to swim, and learning how to water-ski were some of those great times. I also learned that having a job required paying expenses; besides paying taxes, I had to contribute towards the cost of gas for the 70-mile round-trip journey required for my dad to pick me up each Saturday morning, and then repeat Sunday evening to begin the next session. My money was used to purchase school clothes, yearbooks, and any extras that I wanted to have over the next year.

I feel fortunate because most all of the jobs I've had were pleasant, learning experiences where I made new friends and enjoyed what I did to make a living. I'll never be rich from the wages I've earned, but my life has been enriched because of the jobs I've had.

Remembering 9/11

UPDATE: I had no idea when I wrote the post below that the media would be present at the middle school where I work to document the "Messages of Hope" assembly. Go here to see a slide and audio show of this event, on our local newspaper's website. You can also see the story and watch a video at the website of one of our local news stations here. (I'm not in any of the photos or footage.)

I haven't written for my AnceStories2 blog in two months. Today as I pondered the events that took place six years ago, I realized that they should be a topic for a journal prompt. Every American was affected on September 11th, and yet little of what we personally experienced will be recorded for posterity...unless we take the time to do so. On September 12th, 2001, I asked my children--Missy, then age 10, and Matt, then age 7--to write down something to help them remember how they were feeling that day. I knew that someday, their great-grandchildren would want to know. I wrote my thoughts and emotions, too.

We had just started the 2001 - 2002 school year a few days previously, and were starting to get into the swing of things. I was finishing getting ready for work, while my kids were in the living room, ready for school, waiting for me. They were watching PBS, and one of them called to me that a plane had hit a building somewhere. I walked into the living room to change the channel (my usual response when a news tragedy aired, to keep the kids from getting an eye- and earful), and then realized that whatever was happening was on every station...and it was horrible.

We saw how the towers were collapsing, and my son began to cry. He had no clue as to the terrible loss of life that had occurred; he only knew that a dream he had had was shattered. We had visited Chicago only a year earlier and he had been thrilled with our trip to the top of the Sears Tower. His next goal was to visit the World Trade Center in New York City. For a little boy who loved to make tall towers with Legos, that had been his ultimate dream. As I did my best to try to comfort him, I was angry with the evil behind all of this destruction that was even robbing my son, thousands of miles away.

When I heard that it was a suspected terrorist attack, and that not just New York City, but also Washington, D.C. was hit, as well as talk of the military being on alert, I called work, uncertain as to whether school would be canceled. Assured that for the time being, school would continue as normal, I decided I had better wake my husband before we left. He works nights and I didn't want him to wake up to an empty house and hear the news alone. I can still see the look of shock on his face as I told him...probably an expression that my mirrored my own.

In the emergency staff meeting before work, our principal (a veteran) did a wonderful job of allaying our fears by reminding us that our hometown of Spokane was very unlikely to be a target of terrorism, and that we needed to model for our students a calmness and "business as usual" attitude for their sake. We were also cautioned not to turn on our televisions while students were in the classrooms.

That morning, the two teachers that I worked with did an amazing job in front of 40 anxious and confused first- and second-graders, one of whom was my son, and another who was a disabled student that I assisted. I can remember with clarity as we stood as a classroom to recite the pledge of allegiance how each of us adults in the room were unable to finish aloud, so overcome were we by emotion.

When we returned home at the end of the day, I sat and watched the news in horrified awe until I could no longer stand it. The devastation did not fully hit me until the next morning. I woke up and turned on the TV, and realized it had not been a bad dream at all, but it was very, very real. It was then that I finally broke down in tears.

This morning, at the middle school where I now work, we will have an all-school assembly at the flagpole. A fire station company will be our honored guests, while a small group of leadership students will release helium balloons. Attached will be messages of hope written on 3x5 index cards by staff and students. We will have a moment of silence. And we will remember.
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"Keeper of the Light" graphic originally created 2001 at http://prayerpraisepeace.homestead.com/light.html for free public use. This website has been disabled for several years.

Stay Tuned...

Last Sunday, at Scanfest, I mentioned to Jasia that I never seem to run out of ideas to blog about, but I do run out of time to get them written in an efficient manner. For instance, right now I have 13 posts sitting in my drafts folder, with another 3 or 4 ideas in my head. Let's not even talk about my AnceStories2 blog, which I've sadly neglected, but for which I have half a dozen posts started as well!

I had hoped to get the next "issue" in the story of my great-grandfather's service in the American North Russian Expeditionary Forces (ANREF) posted early this week. Then a little matter sprang up in the online genealogy world and I was busy keeping my readers updated on that!

So the last two afternoons and evenings I've done more research on that next ANREF post...but the more I research I do and information I uncover, the more I want to know! Oh, yeah, I also want to participate in the next Carnival of Genealogy, too!

Stay tuned...!