Elevator Pitch

Here is my elevator pitch about genealogy:

In my spare time, I work on family history, trying to find (and write about) not just the dates and places, but the stories in between.  You know, the stuff my children DON’T roll their eyes at.

Then I laugh and they roll their eyes.

I hate elevators.

Who Are These People?

In my recipe box, there is a recipe of Vera Mariani’s called, “Mrs. Scott’s Delicious Cake.”  I remember Vera making this cake many times.  It strikes me as prophetic that the cake I think of as Vera’s is actually Mrs. Scott’s.  Who was Mrs. Scott? When did Vera taste her cake, find it delicious, and get the recipe?

As I pondered on this one day, I realized that there may be a day far in the future when my children’s children’s children see my recipe for “Vera’s Tuscan Chicken” and wonder who this Vera was.  There isn’t a Vera to be found in our family tree, so they will wonder about this Vera, just as I do about Mrs. Scott.

So I’m am writing a story for my children’s children’s children.  The story of Vera, the story of the Mariani family, and the story of Vera’s Tuscan Chicken.  It's about one quarter in the making, but until then, here are two delicious recipes:

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Mrs. Scott's Delicous Cake

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cup flour

5 eggs

Icing:

1 cup sugar

5 tblsp milk

Cream butter and sugar.  Add baking powder and flour.  Stir in eggs, one by one.  Bake in loaf pan (greased) 50 min at 350 degrees.

Icing: Boil sugar and milk hard for 2 min and then beat until stiff.

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Vera’s Tuscan Chicken(Chicken Wings and Peas)
10 Chicken Wings
1 Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley
5 Cloves Chopped Garlic
1 Large Can Tomato Sauce
1 Pkg Frozen Peas
3 Pinches Cinnamon
1 Pkg Small Pasta Shells

Directions:
Brown wings in hot olive oil. Add parsley and garlic and lightly brown. Add tomato sauce, peas and cinnamon. Cover tightly and simmer for 45 minutes. Serve over cooked small pasta shells. 

Thighs or breasts can be substituted for wings
Veal can be substituted for chicken
Zucchini can be substituted for peas

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Summer

Since I always loved school as a kid, summer vacation was bittersweet.  I’d be thrilled at the end of the routine, but already looking forward to the Brand New that the coming September* promised.

My summer vacations were filled with bike riding, reading and lots and lots of time with friends.  There were 4 or 5 summers with my best friend and her mom where we took their motor home around the western US and Canada.  One summer, we went south, touring the southern part of California, New Mexico and Arizona.  Then we traveled up to Yellowstone before returning home.  Another trip featured driving north through Oregon and Washington and up into Vancouver.

Motorhome

But the best summers were those where we traveled to Minnesota.  These featured long stays in Yellowstone Park, one of my favorite places ever.  We’d then head to Minneapolis to visit their family (and once also to Milaca to visit mine).  As the Minnesotans headed north to their lake cabins, we’d hitch along, spending a few weeks at Cass Lake near Bemidji.   

Cass Lake

When we’d leave for home, we once took the direct route home to California, but once, we went north.  We spent time at Lake Louise and Banff National Park in Canada, before driving across Canada and down through the Pacific states to home. 

Glacier in Canada

* What is up with school starting in August these days?  When I was a kid, the day after Labor Day marked the first day of school.

Letters, Oh I Got Letters

Actually, it was e-mails I got.  *THOSE* emails that we live and blog for.  The emails from someone SUPER nice who live in the town your ancestors are from and found you while doing random Googling and just may well be related to you.  And are going to run to the cemetery to see more.  And are super nice making you even more want to take a trip to Scotland. 

Now how to figure out if her William and Thomas and John Connor are related to my William and Thomas and John Connor.  And Jane.  Don't forget Jane/Janet/Jannett/Jennett/Jenny/Jennette.

We are guessing that her William is brother to my Thomas, but aren't sure.  Her William married a Janet Humes.  My Thomas named a daughter Janet Humes Connor...  Here William had children named Jane, William, John.  My Thomas had children named the same (and then some).  They were both from Carluke.  My Thomas' parents were William and Jane Simpson, born in Ireland.  The only William and Jane b. Ireland their age are the parents of Thomas (1851 census) and of William (1861 and 71 census).  But they never appear together, so we aren't sure yet if they are the same family.

We are working on it though.

Happy Canada Day!

I don't know if it counts, but I have a couple of generations born in Ontario.  My refuge loyalist symathizers, the Badgleys, took themselves up into Ontario and had a few generations.  Then they decided it was too cold and moved south into Michigan (I'm guessing at the reason).  Then to sunny California (where we had a winter storm earlier this week- IN JUNE!). 

So thanks, Canada, for letting my many times great grandparents in.  One of whom I hear was so fat that when he died you had to lift him out of the upstairs window.  I'm so sorry.

Treasure Chest Thursday - Oh, Playmate.

For my high school graduation, my grandfather gave me this music box.  It was a joke, he thought, as I was now all grown up and this is a childish gift, but I've treasured it and kept it close all these years.  It plays Oh, Playmate and the Berenstain Bears go up and down to the tune.  Nevermind the dust.  I put it there just for the picture.  I would never actually let my house get this dusty.  Really.

Wordless Wednesday -

From a tin-type of my sister-in-law.  We aren't sure who they are.