How Are We Doing, World?

We've been through a wacky week or so, haven't we? Here in Michigan and many other places in the U.S., restaurants, bars and schools are closed. Many places are open by appointment only. Pretty much everyone is staying in and the streets are really quiet. I'm glad we had our little trip when we did. It started with a nice celebration. Rick and I met 27 years ago on March 11.

I was being evicted from my apartment because of the illegal cat Stimpy and was looking for a spot to live and he had just opened his new duplex. I didn't move in (I ended up across the street) and we didn't really start seeing each other apart from being neighbors for two years. But March 11 was a very good day for us!

We celebrated at a lovely restaurant in Strathroy, Ontario called The Clock Tower, on the way to our friends, Suzanne and Jim. We had a tasty dinner and then it was off to London!

That night we watched the extremely alarming presidential address and follow-up and early the next morning, Rick took off for his trade show. We found out it was canceled after he was about four or five hours into the trip. He ended up staying the night in upstate New York and headed back to Michigan. I stayed with Suzanne and Jim for a few days.

Restaurants were still open -- but very quiet. (As of Monday, March 16, restaurants and bars in Michigan are closed.)

We saw the same things in Canada many of you are seeing around the world. Lines in stores, carts filled with toilet paper (Why? This is not a gastro-intestinal virus.) Many empty shelves. This had been the toilet paper department.

We couldn't find chicken at three stores.

But, the shelves weren't empty, people were being nice and keeping a safe distance. I was able to buy Rick a bag of Canadian flour. But it was a pretty popular commodity.

We also nailed a few used book stores. Between new purchases, books of Suzanne's I brought home and our belated Christmas celebration, I'm set for the "confinement."

She's set, too -- with more books and an impossible jigsaw puzzle!

It's wonderful to spend extended time with a friend you've known for more than 50 years. Suzanne is like me -- between books and media, she could be confined indefinitely and not get bored! They also have three slot machines in their basement and tokens for them. No gains, no losses. But we passed some time mindlessly pushing buttons and watching pretty wheels move! A race to the bottom!

Add to that some games of Sequence -- we were good to go!

There wasn't much traffic when she brought me home Sunday, although at the border they told her that she would be in self-quarantine for two weeks after returning from the U.S. (They didn't tell me to stay home, but I'm sticking close!) Meanwhile, Lizzie was glad for me to unpack. New things to sleep on. I'm waiting for feeding time to put them in the drawer. (You could title this "Same Picture, New Clothes."

And so yes, I'm isolating as much as possible. And what will I be doing in that time? Well, decorating for spring, to be sure. I'll be catching up on blogs and comments. There is always work to be done in the basement. And I have plenty of wool to poke into felties! Oh, yes -- all those 28 books I brought back from Canada!

I hope you have onions.

It's a new world out there.

Bits and Pieces of a Life Well Lived

Bits and pieces of a life well lived.

Another found treasure. As I was sorting through jewelry I rediscovered my grandmother's locket.

I love the message written by my grandfather and saved by her. "I will pay for your travel." I suppose that was to marry him. How did they meet? Where was she? I think possibly Montana, for when splunking online I found a marriage record from Michigan that said not valid in Montana, the state of the bride's residence. I believe she was a teacher but how she ended up in Montana from a youth spent in Wisconsin I'm not sure I'll ever know.

The locket itself is a treasure -- about the size of a quarter with a small diamond in the center and a raised laurel leaf pattern circling the bottom. A treasure I am glad to have and must wear more often than I have recently.

Why is it that when you toss the towels on the bathroom floor (with full intent of tossing them into the laundry bag), someone decides they make a great bed?

In the "I should have been smarter" category -- When the squirrel jumps onto the bird feeder I can usually scare him off (for about five minutes) with a firm rap on the window. I do this often. But I doubt I'll continue this method, after having stuck my fist through the window pane. Until it is repaired, bubble wrap is a fairly reasonable temporary hack!

Spring is coming to my house. I decided it was time to lose the red slipcover for something lighter!

Much improved! And more to come!

And I have a few new felties I'll be sharing in more detail soon. I want to have at least 50 for my November sale or advance orders. With the other recent additions, I'm about 20 percent there!

In the kitchen, a bit of baking. They make a small batch -- six large or 24 little ones, perfect for little hands

And here's a sneak preview of the guys attached to those little hands! Pouty and Perky. One was definitely not in the mood to pose, but that was short lived!

I've been reading too and will have a few words to say on that soon! Meanwhile, off to live my life!

Washing and Drying!

The other night after music practice, Rick went into the bathroom and washed his hands. He called out "What should I dry my hands on?" To which I replied, "The towel."

He then brought up a good point. "If you're so concerned, why should I wipe my hands on the same towel you use?"

(To which I replied, "If you wash them right, it doesn't matter.")

But he's right. Not everyone will. So I trotted off and bought one of those inexpensive packets of washcloths and put them in the cute Longaberger basket Linda sent me a few years ago for Christmas.

No excuses now!

A good rest always helps when you are holed up inside...

...and if you can't sleep, howl at the moon.

(From my window on 3/10 -- I think this is the Worm Moon, which somehow seems very appropriate.)

Maneuvering Down the Genealogy Highway

I have a new cousin! Probably third cousin, maybe fourth. And it's a very cool story. But first, the background!

Several years ago when watching "Finding Your Roots," comedian Stephen Colbert's story was featured. As host Henry Louis Gates, Jr., gave him his family tree, he revealed a familiar name -- Leatherman. That's a name I knew well from my mother's family and it set me to wondering, "Is Stephen Colbert my cousin?"

That question sent me down the Genealogy Highway, trying to dig out the story of my mother's ancestors. I've mentioned this here before -- discovering my great grandfather's story (he was in one of Michigan's insane asylums for the last 13 years of his life); finding the graves of my great grandmother and her father in Michigan and her grandparents in Ontario; and visiting the home site and the church where my second great grandparents on her mother's side were married while we were in London. I even set up a blog about that family search.

But I really knew very little of my dad's family, especially on his father's side. So when I discovered the photo of Hannah Wells Holcomb Hard, my fourth great grandmother, I was curious to learn more.

I started out with her name and dates on the back of the card, which I assumed were birth and death dates -- 1765-1865. A search on various genealogy sites revealed some information but far too many holes to be sure I was looking for the right person. But then I remembered something else I had found at home quite some time ago with little context.

It was a book -- a photo yearbook -- published in 1896 -- that highlighted the first 100 years of Ohio's Western Reserve. This is basically the Cleveland area and the towns in several surrounding counties. There were some badly scrawled references to certain pages and some names marked with an asterisk in the index. One of those names? Hannah Wells Hard. And sure enough, there was the photo of my fourth great grandmother, along with her daughter, Harriet, my third great grandmother.

This gave me another search term -- Cleveland. And when that went in, along with the name, I came up with a rather long book written by Harriet's daughter (my second-great-gran's sister) which included at the front a history of the family. The book was online and after some copying and pasting, now lives as a word doc for my reference.

I've always had a warm feeling and great affinity for Cleveland, given that cousins on my mother's side all live there and we've visited for many years. I love the city, what I know of it. I had no idea I had some connection to it!

The book had loads of information on the founding of the region, the churches, the colleges (Baldwin - now Baldwin Wallace - and Oberlin) and the various organizations, notably the Women's Club (responsible for the publication of the book) and the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Let's just say my ancestors would not approve of Cork Poppers!

The online book sent me back to Familysearch.org, with some names and locations. Their records revealed interesting things like Theodore Parmalee's Revolutionary war records (or some of them). Whether this was Harriet's husband Theodore or his father is still up for grabs, but it is the direct line, which gives yet another generation's information.

Well, I couldn't keep all this to myself. I posted this page on my Facebook page and one of my friends, the wonderful Kim, my IT Goddess (without her, I'm not sure I'd have a working computer!), wrote, "I have a Parmelee in my family tree."

Well, it turns out -- I think -- that her second great gran Eliza Parmelee, is my second great gran Lucia Parmelee Davis' sister. It was their sister who wrote the history I found online.

Should the DNA check out -- or more facts -- it would appear we are probably third or fourth cousins. I can't think of a better person to add to my family tree!

And as for my people? Well, this is Lucia's daughter, Adelia, and her husband, Henry Croope (what a beard!), my great grandparents. It's hard for me to wrap my brain around all that!

I have no idea how this daughter of a doctor met farmer Henry Croope, or where. I do know, though, that she kept bees!

I have some direct information on Delia (my dad wrote this letter to his mother who was in the hospital when Dad was eight. Apparently he was really missing his mom!)

I can see why. She also served up Dad's pet chicken, Pedro, for dinner one night and when someone said "That was good," she said, "That was Pedro." Dad was about eight and I don't think he ever forgave her. Nor was he that fond of chicken for the rest of his life. I also have the eulogy he wrote for her when she died. She, too, was active in the Temperance Union. I'm not sure if we would have got along.

From Hannah to Harriet, Harriet and Theodore to Lucia, Lucia to Adelia, Adelia and Henry to Charles and the Charlie to my dad.

And Dad to me.

So many people I never knew I had. Some I discovered by sheer accident. My people.

March, Madeleine Recipe and Making Merry!

Hello, March!

Birdiferous 2020 calendar by Kate McNenly

Ours has come "in like a lamb," for a change. It has been sunny, Michigan-March warm (40s) and the sky an impossible blue, one I couldn't match with my watercolors in a million years.

Goodbye to February and Mardi Gras. (Lizzie doesn't mind leaving Mardi Gras behind.)

Hello, blue jay at the woodpile.

Hello, tender shoots. We can only hope they'll last long enough to become flowering daffodils.

Last week Rick took his bike trainer down to a local brewery with others from his bike club for a fundraiser.

They were collectively pedaling 2,500 miles over several hours. I went down to say hello and was duly impressed.

His feet were whirling so fast I couldn't get a good photo!

Several of you have asked me to show my new stove! Here it is! (With a new towel, too.) I'll show you the rest of it when Rick finishes the wall and I can move the things that belong her back in. It's getting old working around them.

But the stove works like a dream. The other day I made madeleines. I love this recipe -- it's easy (if you have the madeleine pans) and delicious. (I used to only have one madeleine pan and I lost it. I looked for ages and finally bought another. I found the original in the couch cushions. Don't ask -- I have no idea. But it sure is nice to have two!) The way the batter spreads, I'm not sure I'd try it without the pans but they might work if you experimented with other pans. I might try it with my shortbread molds.

If I knew where the recipe came from, I'd link. Truth is, I've tried to many and mixed up the best of several that it probably is a mishmash anyway. I just know it works!

Melt: 1/2 c. butter and let it cool a bit

Mix butter with: 2/3 c. sugar till light and frothy

Add: 1 t. vanilla  /  zest of one lemon or one orange

Add: 3 eggs, one at a time and beat well and not too fast so they don't curdle.

Beat all of this at high for about four or five minutes. It will turn from thin to a thick batter that doesn't drip from the spoon. By hand fold in 1 c. of flour with 1/2 t. of baking soda (sifted together) till fully blended. It helps to do this with three "batches" or mix-ins of the flour/soda mixture.

Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. (I left mine longer because I was busy; it's fine.)
At the same time, butter WELL and flour your madeleine pans and put them in the fridge. (At least one hour)

When it's time to cook, heat oven to 375 and put in the madeleine pans. I used a small cookie scoop, which was just perfect for the size and easier than winging it with a teaspoon. A melon baller is about the right size if you don't have a cookie scoop. It will "flatten out" when baked. Bake for 10 minutes (up to 15 -- I think I did about 11 or 12.)

When cool you can dust with powdered sugar, half-dip them in chocolate (both pictured) or drizzle a glaze with the lemon juice and powdered sugar. They're extra wonderful when served warm! This recipe, using that scoop made 32 madeleines.

Enjoy!

Be Prepared. I Am -- Are You?

Are you ready for Coronavirus? I know we shouldn't panic -- do we panic for the flu? But those of us "of an age" or with compromised immune systems or other issues may be a bit more on the edge. There has already been at least one confirmed death of Coronavirus as I write this, and that from a non-traveler or "community spread." It's time to take this seriously.

I know I am. Because of my lung issues and colonozed pseudomonas aeruginosa, I take this one personally. This disease is not my friend and I'm doing my best to be prepared. We all should because given how it seems to be transmitted, if it comes to your town or city, the last thing you want to do is be out in crowds hanging at the pharmacy or grocery with other sick people.

So, I'm preparing. I must have 40 books on the "to-read" pile, plenty of fleece for felting and lots of paint. I should buy more cat food, though. Lizzie takes a dim view when her food supplies get low.

Seriously, I've been reading articles on the virus like crazy and have found a couple that are particularly interesting. Features from NPR and Scientific American Frontiers were helpful. Now that we hear scientists are being gagged by our government to keep from talking honestly about this disease and its spread (and also hearing otherwise, to be fair), we may be relying on second-hand sources (whistleblowers, leaks, etc.) and not getting the whole story. Knowing what we can learn now is essential.

For current information, we check the Center for Disease Control (CDC) site. 

 Understand, I'm not talking about prepping for the apocalypse. We're talking about a couple of weeks when it might not be to your best advantage to leave the house.

It's very logical. Do you use prescription meds? Plan now to have whatever enough of whatever prescriptions you might normally take on hand so if you are quarantined or self-quarantine, you are set and won't have to head out and either infect someone with your germs or be infected by someone else's. And while you're stocking up, make sure you have adequate supplies of things like Tylenol or Advil and cough drops. You'll use them sooner or later.

The same goes for food. It never hurts to have canned goods or frozen foods at the ready that could get you through a spell. (Those of us who live in the frozen north know what it's like to hit the grocery store the night before a severe winter storm warning!)

The article talks about hand washing and masks and other ways to make sure your home is sanitized so you don't pick up or spread additional germs. Wiping down telephones, shared keyboards and other items just makes sense.

I'm pleased to say I think I'm pretty well set (though I may pick up a few extra boxes of Kleenex when I'm at the store! I'll always use that!) When I was cleaning cupboards before the kitchen re-do, I found enough tuna fish and pasta (penne, spaghetti, linguini, buccatini, ravioli -- yes, all of it; we eat a lot of pasta at Chez Gypsy). There was rice, canned tomatoes, soup, and lots of tea! It could last for weeks. (I'm only a little embarrassed to admit to that!)

And last summer I made tons of pasta sauce from the tomatoes I bought and there may even be a little pesto left, too. Note to self: Buy oatmeal.

 Everyone is telling us to keep calm and wash our hands. (With soap and warm water, as warm as you can take it. The virus doesn't hold up as well under heat. Ditto for drinking hot fluids. Like tea.)  That might not be enough but it's a good start.

I think the best gift I ever got from Rick was when he told me I didn't need to help him at his upcoming trade show in Massachusetts this month. All that hand shaking and being near loads of people from all over -- and who knows where they've been -- would have me a nervous wreck. Instead, he's dropping me off in Canada at my friend Suzanne's to celebrate Christmas, talk books and watch movies for a few days. There is one reported case in London where she lives, so I'm thinking we might not go out much!

As for Rick, I'm giving him some hand sanitizer to take with him -- and he'd better use it!

Wiping down counters with bleach wipes is always a good thing and hand sanitizer will be useful if you do have to be in crowds and can't easily wash hands (20 seconds, please or "Happy Birthday" twice).

I write this somewhat (but only somewhat) tongue in cheek. I know it's not too productive to get our knickers in a knot about this unless there is good reason. But then I think about the implications of someone like me getting this disease and the havoc it could wreak with those I love. It could do the same with you and yours.

Besides, I can't bear the thought of all the bad things they would say about me if Rick and the kids had to clean the basement if I croaked.

Good luck, everyone. Stay healthy.