Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts

Friday, November 25, 2011

Thoughts on Black Friday

Today we played, as we always do. But my teenage daughter had a fascination with Black Friday, and Target (.25  miles from our home) had some interesting things, and guess who showed up for the midnight opening.

She was expecting riots and trampling crowds (the pepper spray at Walmart was a surprise). Everyone was very well behaved, and the there were at least 400 people!

We arrived at 11:30pm, waited for midnight, and wandered over near the door. They were well organized and we wandered around the building to find the end of the line.

It moved quickly. By the time we entered the store, every cart was in use! I've never seen every cart gone!

Electronics was was a zoo, as to be expected. We looked around for things on our list, found very little. We went to the front of the store, and they were using crowd control for the cashier's line.

I spent about $35, and was in bed by 1:05 AM.


After we got home from playing, I went over to Target again. The store was pretty empty (it was about 8:30 PM), and I found EVERYTHING on my list. It was great! No crowds, plenty of carts and staff to answer questions.

Lesson: sure...if Black Friday has something you want, go get it. Just go in off hours. Stores have X number of products to distribute over the weekend. Why be a part of the crush and fight over what you want...or not find it? Go later, shop, and succeed.

As with life, it's all about timing.

Sheryllyn

Friday, November 18, 2011

It's Not Him

Sigh.

I received a call this morning from a Marty, a staff member of Morgan Griffith, Congressman for Virginia.

I had written to Mr. Griffith to see if we might be related.

I can't find any recent information on our grandfather (nothing since 1930 census). He and Mr. Griffith have the same name, and are from the same area (Philly, PA). I was so hoping that a) he would respond and b) we were second cousins.

Well, he responded, at least through Marty. Turns out he is into history, and has done some work on his geneology. But no, it doesn't appear we share the same grandfather.

Mr. Griffith graciously invited me to make contact if I am in DC. Next time I go to Baltimore, I'll try. (and I'll give you a heads up too, Neil!)

Morgan Griffith of Glenolden PA, born 1902 in North Carolina, what happened to you? Where is your family? Is there someplace in Ancestry.com I've missed?

Maybe a trip to Philadephia is in order. Well, after Mom stabilizes a bit.

If you've got ideas, do share!

Monday, October 31, 2011

MYSTERY SOLVED!

LOL, we are watching Jeopardy! and the questions were on sea animals and shells (how Providential!).

Sure enough...our ice cream cones were included..."They are named after this carpenter's tool they resemble"

None of the contestants got it..."The answer is: What is an Auger?" Thanks Alex!


Therefore...we found over 300 auger shells...

And the squiggly thing...it appears to be a Worm Shell, only ours is calcified.

Now if someone finds the sand dollar in the photo...

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Great Finds at the Beach Tonight!

Tonight was awesome on the beach! We found over 20 perfect scallops, over 300 "ice cream cones" including rare colors of all black and all white, oyster shells (a first); a lobster tail (another first, and it still had meat on it!); crab heads and claws, one large fully intact crab; muscles of all sizes; some wild stuff we don't even know what it is, barnacles growing barnacles (a first); and best of all a 6-7/8" purple starfish (a definite first)!

Can you find the sand dollar?

The wild squigly stuff is in the upper left corner, by the oyster, crab and muscle shells. Gray and twisted. My son says it looks like hardened intestines, it is so twisted!

Ice Cream Cones are our favorites. We usually find a few, never the motherlode we found today. I called it a "cone convention that got busted." The question would be...what were they busted for? LOL We usually hunt and hunt and find one or two, but today we would look down and have them all around us.

We had never seen black cones before, then I found a tiny white one. So rare (to us)! Usually cones are brown or mottled brown. I even found one that was a skeleton of the shell. So cool.

If you know what we found, please post!

I went from "never finding a cone" to find easily 100. Unless it is a scallop, I'm the worst at finding shells. I'm always looking at the sunset!

God's creation is awesome. The beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of man's intellect and will.

Perfection is in the little things.

Bolsa Chica State Beach, Warner & PCH, Huntington Beach, CA
High tide was about 12:30pm; and this was about 5:30pm - 6:30pm. Very low tide, and a large flat shelf.



Where's Waldo?...find the Sand Dollar!


6-7/8" and still soft (but very dead). Love the purple color!

The bottom of the Star Fish. The blue lines on the bottom right leg are drying cracks that have begun.
The holes in the center are fascinating!


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Unrecognized Signs of Gluten Intolerance

My mother's nurse called to say Mom's skin was irritated on her neck, arms and chest, and that she had an extended nose bleed (10 minutes). A several weeks ago she was extremely lethargic, because her sodium levels were too low, and has been an salt tablet ever since.

Nose bleeds, low sodium and dermatitis are all signs of gluten intolerance, according to a medical doctor who specializes in nutrition.

Her attending staff know she is gluten intolerant (so am I, my children, and so was her mother and many of grandma's siblings, her nieces/nephews and great nieces/nephews.) I was told it was genetic, but the doctor corrected me and said it was passed through the mothers. (Well, isn't that genetic?)

With this knowledge, then why is she fed oatmeal, wheat bread, and wheat-based crackers? Why do they bathe her and moisturize her skin with Aveeno (which contains oats) on her? Does the right hand not know what the left is doing?

How does it all work? When someone who is sensitive ingests gluten (the protein in wheat, oat, barley and rye), it affects their intestine. It might affect the upper or the lower intestine, or both. While the body is trying to process gluten, a few signs may be visible. When the body can no longer handle trying to process the gluten a number of signs may show up simultaneously.

In her case, she is unable to absorb much nutrition through her intestines, so her sodium drops. Her system is overwhelmed with gluten, and with it being applied topically, her skin is broken out. Her liquids are restricted to raise her sodium levels, so her mucus membranes have become dry (and we have had a brief Santa Ana wind), and a nose bleed has resulted.

These things are not unique. Every year in Northern Kentucky we could have a number of extended nosebleeds. The air would be dry from the heat, and without knowing about our gluten intolerance, we were ingesting it freely.

Mom was aware she was gluten intolerant a long time ago, but she chose not to make the simple dietary changes. Whenever we were in town, all the food would be gluten free (prepared by yours truly) and she would see wonderful improvements, including her memory (she was having a struggle saying the right word and talking about the past; she chose to be silent to cover her embarrassment).

After a short while of eating correctly her speech would flow and she'd be a chatterbox of historical events! It was amazing to witness. Then we would leave, she would return to eating gluten and the situation would reverse itself.

Frustrating, yes. Yet not as much as her staff bringing this suffering upon her while under their care.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Aw! I'm Blushing!

My Darling Daughter and I went to the Gem Faire today. She's very creative with her beading (subscribe to her blog at http://www.styleandgraphite.com/ as she is certain to post her creations either featured or on her person), and needed to restock.

It's a small show (the largest of the OC Fair's Cavalcade of Crap, oh, I mean of Products buildings and the breezeway between the two buildings), and she's wisely frugal. She knows who charges the same prices at the show as their stores, and who charges less. ("Smart girl!" says her mother proudly.)

We discovered again (it's been years since we attended) that the best prices were in the back of the house (isn't the fun always there?). At one of our last vendors, a young man had joined his mother to assist with sales.

As he was verifying my ID (CA Driver's License) he commented how much younger I looked. I was stunned - the photo is only 3 years old. The picture on this blog is a year or two more than that. He kept going on about it, and I laughed that it must be the new products I'm using (more on that later). With a joyful step we headed home with our purchases.

What a way to make my day!

Saturday, July 30, 2011

The Importance of Vetting

Usually when we hear of vetting, it has to do with political candidates or with high level employees.

Yet vetting is important in all kinds of areas. As Brie Vandekamp (of ABC's Desperate Housewives) says, "Perfection is in the small details."

vettingpresent participle of vet (Verb)

Verb:
  1. Make a careful and critical examination of (something).
  2. Investigate (someone) thoroughly, esp. in order to ensure that they are suitable for a job requiring secrecy, loyalty, or trustworthiness.
While we were in Northern Kentucky last month closing up mom's home, my daughter found some items that belong to a high-school friend of my mother, Colonel Maynard 'Dusty' Rhodes, Ret.

Dusty quit Sarasota High School in his Junior year (perhaps exaggerating that he was older than he was) to join the Army Air Corp, which became the Air Force and retired 30 years later. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He flew in World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam wars.

And he's still alive!

We shipped back a number of boxes of important things, including his cross, one epaulet wing, and photo. I found him (through his campaign contributions!), and had several conversations with him. From his conversation I picked up information about his son, Clifford. Cliff is an attorney in Florida, and oversees his father's care. Cliff and I also had some pleasant chats.

Now you can already see how I've vetted the Colonel. It gets better...

Since I'm causing him to wait for his things (neither of then knew the materials were with my mother!),
I started their family tree in Ancestry.com.

For the longest time I struggled with the information about Maynard's mother. I was sure from the censi reports that she was much older than she reported to be. But how can you lie about be 18 years younger than you say? Perhaps for a while, but eventually your age will show...especially as a woman and with child bearing.

When his parents married, the census 'overview' stated that his father's "Mother In Law" lived with them. When I looked at the original document, the census-taker had written "Grandmother In Law." YIKES! There's another generation that has been skipped!

And then I found it...when his mother was born, his maternal grandmother died from the birth (and she was only a teen). His mother was raised by her grandmother (his great grandmother) her entire life. When his parents married, her grandmother came along.

WOW. If I had never vetted the details from the original census document, we'd never known that there was a missing member of the family.

Even when I asked Maynard about his mother, he said he knew very little about his parents (and he was one of youngest in the family).

He has, BTW, one of the most interesting trees I've seen. They are Southerners, and had several members in the Civil War. After the war one of his relatives, a war widow-turned-seamstress with young children, lived in all-black neighborhood in Florida.

Now that's community.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

New Guy!

A new guy (Jonathon Sams) was at worship today, and a group of us hung out in a pretty little park afterwards.

The sun was very bright, and these were taken with my phone, which isn't the best camera for these conditions, lol.

Great conversation! Hope to see you more, Jon!







Friday, October 15, 2010

One World Tree

Ancestry.com has something called One World Tree, where members have submitted their best work. I have found some errors there, which is sad. I think it comes from 'borrowed ladders' when the 'lender' hasn't documented the individuals fully (vetting is so important!).

I've found some info that fits in our family tree, yet I know it is wrong (based on documentation I have found). And the person who created the website isn't a member anymore and/or doesn't use/check the email they used when they created the tree. No way to find them, no way to compare notes, no way to make corrections.

{Sigh.}

For instance, my maternal grandfather is a mystery to me. Morgan C Griffith (b. Apr 1903 in North Carolina), AKA 'Jack', of Glenolden, Pennsylvania. His parents were Wilmer C Griffith, and Frances Miniva Morgan. (Morgan is his mother's maiden name and his middle name might be Cooper, after his paternal grandmother's maiden name. Cooper might also be his father's middle name.)

Morgan/Jack married my grandmother Helen Gladys Zimmerman at her parent's home near Chicago (according to family records), took his bride by train to his parents home in Glenolden, PA, and then....? After my mother was born her parents (Jack & Helen) divorced, and she lived with her mother's parents outside Chicago until she was about 6 (1930).

By then, my grandmother had become a nurse, and traveled with wealthy families to Florida as a nanny/nurse. There she met George Perry Lord, and they married. Mom moved to Sarasota, Florida to be with her mother & step-father. Her name changed (informally) from Lola Mae Griffith to Lola Mae Lord.

What happened to her father Morgan/Jack? At some point (since I've lived in California) she told me all about the death of a family member on his side (a paternal grandparent?). She went to the funeral in Pennsylvania from Cincinnati (which means this happened after her arrival in Cincy in 1944), saw her 3 half-sisters, other family members and was introduced as a distant family member.

That means that Morgan remarried, had another family (at least 3 girls) and _____?


There is a politician, (Howard) Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, Virginia, and is a U.S. Representative (VA's 9th District). Are we related? Mom says he does look like Jack (does she clearly remember him?). In the photo on Wikipedia, I can see a family resemblance in the cheeks, head shape and eyes. Mr. Griffith was born in Philadelphia (Glenolden is near Philly) before his parents moved to VA.

I did reach out to Mr. Griffith, but have not heard back.

I hope I do. I'd love to fill in the blanks!

(See update: Morgan Griffith)

Sunday, August 29, 2010

The Importance of Friends

Look for the silver lining.

As my mother's health began collapsing in May, I was surrounded by hospital staff. I was there a lot over a two week period, and got to know several of the staff. Through them I met Jonathan Sams.

Tonight, we caught up with Jon, and he met the rest of the family.


I really like this picture for several reasons. One is the look of interest on his face, and the other is "the letter C." That isn't was being discussed, of course, yet it makes for an amusing photo.

Jon has eyes full of expression. I'm glad the light was low enough that he had taken off his sunglasses!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Ancestry.com

I joined Ancestry.com tonight.

Mom and I are home now (in California, that is). We had a great flight into Long Beach, an airport so small you walk out to the plane and up the steps. Since dinner she's been answering my son's questions about his ancestors.

I figured I'd better capture the gems I didn't know. I set up a recorder and let them talk.

I know a lot about our 'near' history. I've always been interested in my parent's families and what was happening. When we were younger, all of us were much closer. I miss it.

Ancestry.com is interesting. It's facebook for dead people!

The real interest seems to be finding the live ones, so you can find out history you don't know, but AC makes that rather difficult. You only see "Living ______" (fill in the last name of the father above them) for anyone living in a tree that you view. (It is cool how AC finds other trees that resemble yours, which helps you build your own genealogy). Unless you want to chat with the tree builder (and some of them have stopped being members, yet the tree remains), and they are willing to give you the contact info of their relative (very, very rare), you only find dead people!

Ancestry.com:   facebook for dead people.

It should be their advertising campaign.

And yes, I want credit!

(c) 2010 S. McClintock

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

My Purpose

My goals for this site are to:
  • Cover gluten free needs, information, recipes and options (GlutenFree)
  • Cover gluten-free and vegetarian information, recipes and options (GF-Veggy*)
  • Review skin and beauty products (Product Reviews)
  • Review changes in the marketplace (Marketing)
  • Review Health, Insurance and Financial and Aging news items (News)
  • To capture any notable moments with my family (Family)
You know...a catch all for things I think are important! ;-p

If your comment does not show up immediately, it may be in moderation mode.

* Thanks to my daughter's new found interest in Vegetariansim. Her Daddy would call this section 'GF Dirt-Eater.' LOL