Thoughts on researching your ancestors

 

Ancestors

May 9, 2026

I’ve always been interested in genealogy. I started my interest when I began following thoroughbred race horses through the Los Angeles Times sports page as a kid.   I always went to the sports page first to view the previous day’s race results.

Now, to be honest, my parents’ home was about a mile and a half from the Santa Anita track, up in “The Rancho”.   The Rancho was mostly land once owned by Lucky Baldwin, of the LA County Arboretum fame and he was a horse owner.   In fact, one of my great uncles trained some of his horses and lived near the Hugo Reid adobe.   Another of my great-uncles was the personal assistant to Anita Baldwin and traveled with her all over the world.

But, I digress.

So, I followed race horses for YEARS.   My maternal grandfather, who lived less than a mile from Santa Anita, used to take me with him to watch the horses race in the afternoon.   I honestly don’t know how he got away with dragging a 10 year old girl with him, but he would place small $2.00 bets for me.   I often didn’t pick the winning horse, but I got pretty good at picking the horse for 2^nd place (place).  I frequently came home with a good pile of winnings.

When pedigree query came onto the Internet, I was THERE!  I spent HOURS on my computer looking up horse pedigrees. I wouldn’t bet on a horse until I checked out his or her pedigree.   Sometimes this helped, often it didn’t.   The trainer made a huge difference. 

I remember seeing Native Diver run at Hollywood park.   My grandfather told me stories of Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, and Citation.  He actually took my mom and aunt to the track to see Seabiscuit run.   What days those would have been!

So, I’d been told stories about having ancestors in the Revolutionary War.   Both my mother and father picked out one ancestor to research and yup…found their lineages and followed them back to the war.  My mother’s ancestor was a 2^nd generation Swiss immigrant family from Bern, Switzerland.  My father’s  ancestor that he traced (John Hickok) was a father who went off to war with his 16 year old son.   The father survived.   The son ended up as a British prisoner of war on a ship in New York harbor and didn’t return.

With the invention of the Internet, I was able to trace more of my ancestors, especially the ones on my dad’s side (the FEMALE LINES).   He completely ignored them.   I found them to be much more interesting than the dull, dry, boring Connecticut farmer males on his line!   And, they had ancestors who fought in both the French & Indian war and the Revolution!

I found one ancestor, on my mom’s side, who was a SPY for Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox”!  Another was a fife for the Militia (fife=small flute).   Another one bred horses used by the militia and another one was a wagon master. I’ve found two who were in the War of 1812 and one who fought in the Civil War.

It takes TIME to do the research, but with all the information available these days on the Internet, it’s pretty easy to do. You’ll need to start with your ancestor’s full name and date of birth and go from there.   JUST be aware of other people with the same name as YOUR ancestor!   That’s why having a map and plotting their information on a map is useful.

I just have a couple of cautions:   BEWARE of Ancestry.com…I’ve seen a LOT of mistakes there.   People don’t live to be 200 years old and girls don’t have children at age 8.  So, I NEVER took notes on info from that website without having it confirmed from at least 2 other sites.   And, BE REASONABLE.  I ended up having a map on the wall in the hallway to trace where my families went.   It was a steady westward expansion, except for my dad’s male lines which remained in Connecticut.  The map also presented a visual representation of time and movement.  One of my cousins has a wife who is a professional genealogist, but I’ve never asked her for professional help.   She DID, however, send photos of the John Hickok house back in Connecticut which she and her husband visited,  as it is now a historical interest home.  (It’s an example of an early salt block style house.)

Don’t be afraid to write to other relatives.   Our son is actually doing the research on his dad’s lines and he’s found cousins all over the country!   Of course, he hasn’t done my lines yet…sigh…

I did write to a cousin back in Connecticut and he send me back a long letter full of family info.   And, since my father was the last male of his direct male line going back to 1632, I went looking for a male cousin with a possible DNA match and found one and he provided a lot of information before he passed. Some websites have forums where you can ask questions about your ancestors, too, and people will answer.

So, between all the resources that I used, I had a fairly good idea of who my ancestors were and where they came from.   Then the son started his own research and even took a DNA test, which confirmed my own findings.   But, I’m even a bit skeptical of those results, which don’t show any German ancestors on my side and I have TONS of them!   I’m not really sure how these companies map out their results, so just make sure their results back up your own independent research.

If you have any questions, please post them below as I check in daily.   I’m NOT an expert at family research, but I HAVE worked on mine for over 10 years now and I’m confident with my results, which, for the most part, have been confirmed through DNA testing, except for the German element!   Maybe they just lump that in with “Northwest Europe”?   And, I have a LOT of Norman ancestors which also didn’t show up on their map.   Anyway, right now Ancestry has a Mother’s Day special on DNA tests for only $29.99, if you are interested.

Until next time!

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Why don't appliances last anymore? 050826

 

Why don’t appliances last anymore?

May 8, 2026

I have a 20 year old set of Maytag washer and dryer and they are still going strong (fortunately).  I DREAD replacing them someday.  The dryer has had a local independent repair guy come a few times because the timer doesn’t work, so I just set our Alexa with an alarm to let me know when clothes are dry.   The washer has NEVER had any problems whatsoever.   They are NOT computerized models.

Our 21 year old Frigidaire finally gave out 2 years ago and we replaced it with a Whirlpool with an ice maker and water filter and we love it.   I wonder how long it will last?

Our stove/oven is also a Frigidaire and it is…15 years old?   I honestly don’t even remember.   It’s a gas model, as is our dryer.  

Honestly, some days I just take the sheets out to the illegal clothes line and let them dry in the sun.  And, yes, I LOVE the smell of freshly dried sheets from the clothesline.   Towels, not so much, as they always seem to be stiff.

The water heater is also about 15 years old.  I remember when the old one died and we found water all over the kitchen floor.   NOT FUN!

We don’t even use the dishwasher anymore.   Yes, it works, but it’s just the two of us, so we actually wash our dishes by hand.   I get a simple pleasure of standing at the kitchen sink and looking out into the back yard, watching the little finches at my dead sunflowers, stealing the seeds.

The air conditioner system is now 10 years old and OF COURSE, if it goes out, we will have to replace it.   We’ve been lucky so far this year when temps were below triple digits, but now that the summer heat is here, we are running it.  I miss having the windows and doors open and listening to the sounds of happy birds outside.

Last summer we had to have most of the roof over the house and garage replaced because the tree trimmers I hired to trim back a pine tree hanging over the bedroom dropped it onto the roof and broke and displaced 7 of the tiles on the tippy top.  So, I found a contractor who did the replacement of tiles work and actually the garage was in worse shape than the house roof, but all is fixed now.   I’m glad because now there is an “El Nino” forecast for next winter, which means more rain will be on the way.   So, we are ready for that.

Like us, our house is aging.  The son-in-law came by last summer and painted the main bathroom and I LOVE IT!   It’s so fresh and clean.   I can’t paint anymore and hubby has NEVER been a painter, so we are lucky to have a handy son-in-law.   I actually went out and fixed the side gate which had several missing boards and now it is presentable.   SOMEDAY I would love to have a new gate, but at least, for now, I can put up with this one and it is functional once again.

So, we limp along day by day and cross our fingers that nothing else goes out and we will make it through another brutal summer here in the desert.  The last few summers have been BRUTAL and this summer doesn’t look any better, so I will stay inside and sew tote bags and aprons and spend hours on my laptop.   I don’t read many books anymore.   I don’t know why, but I just can’t get into reading.   But, that’s a separate column.

Until next time.

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May 8, 2026

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Why I'm not shopping at Whole Foods (2nd column) May 7, 2026

 

Why I’m not shopping at Whole Foods

May 7, 2026 (2^nd column)

I’m boycotting Whole Foods.   This is the store that, when I saw they were coming to my town, I was one of the people at their entrance the very second they opened.   I’ve been shopping there now ever since on a bi, even tri-weekly basis.

But no more.

First, their prices are OUTRAGEOUS.   I can no longer afford to shop there.  Instead of buying their oranges (5 for $11.00), I bought a bag of 9 for $5.99 at COSTCO.  I’ve spotted some of the organic snacks at COSTCO, too, so I buy them there, too.

Second, their meat is GOD AWFUL!  Hubby, whose stepfather was a butcher back in Pennsylvania, ALWAYS complained about the quality of their meat. And, the men that work in their meat department are surly and sour.   They scowl.  Frankly, they’re RUDE.  So, I buy meat elsewhere, too.   Enough of that! I’m tired of having my selection(s) thrown across the counter at me. I was DONE with their meat department a LONG TIME AGO.

Third, half the time the stuff they have on special is out of stock.   HOW CONVENIENT!

Fourth, I’m sick and tired of supporting another damn billionaire who doesn’t care for us “common folk” while he parades around gala openings showing off his current wife.

Fifth, I plan on making my own salads AT HOME.   While I enjoyed making up my salad combinations at Whole Foods, I can make my own at home without it costing me $11.99 a pound!  I do enjoy their broccoli salad and I might get a small box of it every now and then, but other than that, I’ll be making mine at home.   Sometimes when I go there and actually look into their romaine salad mix, I see brown lettuce.  One time I saw the guy throw new stuff into the old lettuce container, stir it, and walk away.   How safe is THAT?

Sixth, while I love their little chicken tenders, I can also make those at home and I’ll actually know the ingredients that go into them.

Finally, just HOW SAFE are salad bars?  I’ve had stomach issues a few times that I’ve eaten food from the Whole Foods salad bar and frankly, I feel like I’m playing Russian roulette with my selections.   I KNOW how clean my kitchen is.   And, hubby is very firm on our kitchen cleaning routine (since he started working for Alpha Beta when he was 16 and saw first hand how to clean and sanitize one…)

So, my conclusion is that while there are certain items I might still run in and grab, my trips to Whole Foods will be a lot less frequent and a lot less expensive.  Especially in these days when the price of gasoline keeps going up!  The only good side to that is that we do have a hybrid and I usually only have to fill it up once a month, even though it requires the premium blend.

Until next time!

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Things we don't have anymore 050726

 

Things we don’t have anymore…

May 7, 2026

My bias is that I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s.   As I watch the grandkids grow up these days, I remember things we had back then and no longer have.

First, my parents had one telephone for the whole house and it was located in the kitchen and was a rotary phone.   I remember my mother running from the bedroom to the kitchen to answer it.   My aunt & uncle had one that was on the wall.   Ours was on a cabinet.   I was always envious of that wall phone.   Remember when you could slam down the phone?   What a joy!   NO MORE!

Second, remember ice cube trays?   I sure do because I was STUPID, STUPID, STUPID one time and licked it and yup, I got my tongue STUCK on it.   Next…

No, we never had our milk delivered.   But, I go remember the egg ranch store down the street from my grandparents and my grandfather would walk down there and talk to the guy who sold the eggs.  

Third…NEWSPAPERS.   Who even gets a newspaper these days?   I NEVER see one in any of the driveways around us.   One neighbor used to get The Desert Sun (i.e. The Desert RAG) every day, but no more.   My parents used to subscribe to the Los Angeles Times, which these days is a complete JOKE and WASTE OF TIME.   I grew up reading the front page and the racing results in the Times while munching on my morning cereal.   These days I barely even glance at it, it’s THAT POORLY WRITTEN.   I remember the days when it had an entire page devoted to recipes.   HA!

FOURTH…street lights.   Now, I know some streets have street lights, but ours doesn’t.   My parents’ house had one by the mailbox and I remember the fall nights when it came on about 4:45 p.m.  I miss streetlights.  We, and all our neighbors, now either have the stick-in-the-ground Dollar Tree lights (which we have) or they have their lights attached to electricity.   But, no street lights in our neighborhood.

FIFTH:   pay phones…The last time I used a pay phone was about 10 years ago up near Lake Hemet.  For some reason my cell phone died and I had no reception.   I was fortunate to find one at one of the private campgrounds up there and I did have enough change to phone home to my husband.   Nowadays I don’t see any along the state highway.   Are they even around anymore?

SIXTH:   Television sets with “rabbit ears”.   Yes, we had one.   I seem to recall our tv was in black and white before the color ones came out.  Oh, and going along with that were the big stereos of the 60’s.   My father had one and he used to listen to Oklahoma and South Pacific over and over and over to the point that I can’t even listen to either of those soundtracks ever again! But, he dearly loved his stereo setup and would retreat to his man cave to escape my mother’s cooking.

THOSE WERE THE DAYS!

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Why don't people write letters anymore?

 

Why doesn’t anyone write letters anymore?

Wednesday

May 6, 2026

I’ve always loved writing letters.   My maternal grandmother wrote to me almost every day.   I had a huge pile of her letters and I remember her handwriting well.   Unfortunately, at some point in the 30 years since she died, I have lost them.   I’ve torn the house apart looking for them, just to hold them and reread and hear her words.   I cannot find them anywhere.   I have found a couple of her letters and they are carefully guarded now because they are so precious.

I write the grandkids (5 of them) who live all the way across the country at least once a week.   I’m sharing family stories with the oldest and I make cute cards for the youngest ones.   The two middle girls get medium sized letters, stickers, and bookmarks.   How many of them have written me back?   ZERO.   NONE.   Not a single one.

Writing on a piece of paper with a pen in hand is different than email.   I think it is more personal.   You have to THINK before you put your words to paper.   Now, I can type (or I used to be able to type)…100 words a minute.   I’m fast.   I owe it to all my years at the piano, enabling me to have nimble fingers.   But, I LOVE to write out letters.   I have all kinds of papers and pens.   I even have fountain pens, which I adore!  For me, writing isn’t a chore.   It’s a delight.

I joined an online group of folks around the world who share postcards and I went out the bought many different postcards, but I never really made any connections with any of those people.   There was one gal in Portugal who was teaching English to her students and we did write back and forth for a while, but then we stopped.   It seems like people always STOP.   Do they not have time?   Don’t they want to communicate with another human?   I don’t get it.  I realize some people are verbal and don’t care for writing skills, but I get such pleasure out of it I can’t imagine that others wouldn’t.   Maybe I’m wrong.   I guess I am wrong.   Our culture, our society, our country is too damn busy with the latest headline, the latest Tweet or Truth Social post, that we’ve lost connection to one another.   And, that’s too bad.  It’s sad.   It’s a complete breakdown.   I hope we survive it.

 

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More thoughts about newspapers and digital ones 050526

 

May 5, 2026

Tuesday

 

Recent Changes

 

Has anybody else noticed how poorly written and run both the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post are?   We subscribe to both of them, along with the New York Times.   I grew up reading the Los Angeles Times.   I spent many mornings glancing over the headlines and then turning to the sports pages to see how my horse picks for the races were doing!   YES!   Even at ten years of age, I was following the horses.  

 

But, I digress.

 

They both have turned into RAGS or, even worse, propaganda rags.  I hardly read anything on the LA Times anymore, except stories about rattlesnakes or mountain lions or bears.   What a waste!   The Post is even worse.   I hardly read it at all.

 

If I want information, I go to the New York Times, which I am still learning how to navigate, or I go to The Atlantic.   I see that The Atlantic has picked up journalists and writers from the WA Post and they now write for it.

 

There used to be a column written by a gal who posted recipes in the LA Times.   In fact, I have a book of compiled recipes from that era.   And, they are really GOOD recipes.   But, alas, no more recipe column like the good old days.

 

And, to be honest, I miss the feel of a newspaper delivered or bought daily.   I remember when my Grandfather used to walk across the street from their house, buy a copy of The Herald Examiner, and bring it back to the kitchen table where he would review the horses running.   He used to take me with him to the track, Santa Anita, and I’d leave their home with $2.00 and usually come back with $10.00 or more.   He, of course, would place my bets for me and I was pretty good at choosing the horse to place (come in 2^nd).   I was never really good at picking the winner.  I did, however, pick the winner of this year’s Kentucky Oaks, Always a Runner, because, well, I liked her name.   I did NOT, however, pick this year’s Kentucky Derby winner…didn’t even notice him!  I haven’t really kept up with my horse racing interest, which probably is a good thing, because I have so many other things to do now, but I DO miss sitting at my parents’ kitchen table, eating my cereal, reading the back of the cereal box, and looking at the previous day’s horse racing results.   THOSE WERE THE TIMES!

 

Anybody have thoughts or comments?

 

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