21 September 2016

Wednesday Hodgepodge 21 September 2016

For more information about this fun weekly meme, click here.


1. Thursday (September 22) is the first official day of autumn in this part of the world...how will you welcome the season? I know some of you have been celebrating way too early, but it's official now so permission granted. House Beautiful recently listed ten ways to make your home smell like fall (you can read the list here. What's a scent you love this time of year and how will you add it to your home?

I will probably welcome it in the same way as I do every season here on the Texas Gulf Coast…inside with the air conditioner on high. While I can hope all day long for fall to bring cooler temps here, the likelihood of it happening is slim to none. For the last two days, we've had heat advisories with warnings to stay indoors due to a heat index right at 110 degrees both days. Fine, our air conditioner is indoors.

I love the smell of baking bread and cookies, etc. I like the smell of cinnamon, too, but sometimes that gets overwhelming. These smells will be achieved by cooking said items and probably eating way more of them than I should!

2. Apple pie or pumpkin pie? Apple cake or pumpkin bread? Warm apple cider or a pumpkin spice latte?

I love both apple and pumpkin pie, but I think I like apple the best. I don't know if I've ever had an apple cake, so I'll choose pumpkin bread. And most definitely the warm apple cider wins over the pumpkin spice latte!

3. Do you suffer from what is sometimes referred to as an afternoon slump? What helps ward it off before it hits and/or tell us what helps you shake it off once it's here?

I suffer from an all the time slump these days. I think I am dealing with anemia again, plus some things have come along to wreck our sleep schedule. Once it hits, my vision is worthless, so I can't read. Since there's nothing I can do once it hits, I may as well take a nap. Naps are happening a lot lately.

4. Ladies-how have your friendships with women inspired you or made you a better person? For the men here today- how have your friendships with men inspired you or made you a better person?

I don't know if my friendships have made me a better person or not, but they have shown me other points of view. New perspectives can be very eye-opening.

5. Are you a people pleaser? If you said yes, do you think that's a good or bad thing? If you said no, do you wish you were more of a people pleaser?

I have always wanted to please people, but this is something at which I have failed miserably my entire life.  One gets to a point where she stops trying because she knows it will never happen.

6. The seasons are a-changin'...share a favorite song relating in some way to change (not necessarily seasonal change, it could be change of any kind).

That's easy…Angels and Demons by the Aviators! While several parts of the song imply change, this is one that I really like:

That's why I'm here
I've been broken too
So maybe you can fix me
And I'll fix you.

7. What do you wish would never change?

The bond of family is something that I wish would never change. I wish that families were always together, never suffering times of estrangement or betrayal. I wish that things didn't come along to destroy the unconditional love that one should have from family.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Spence, All Girl Babies in AbbevilleI have had a great week in regards to finding family history tidbits. Over the last week, I have found where my grandma and her next older sister graduated from high school (1935 and 1931 respectively). AND I found the hospital announcement in the 7 March 1944 newspaper announcing "Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Spence, baby girl"…that would be my mama. I have also found articles about my grandma and her sister were both members of a literary society. Her sister, Aunt Julia, was apparently involved in quite a few activities with these clubs. I am hoping to find more in regards to my grandma's participation, too. I was hoping to find a marriage announcement for my maternal grandparents since I'd been able to find the graduation announcement for grandma, but no luck there. I am having a wonderful time searching and reading these old newspapers via Newspapers.com!

Family history aside, these papers are very educational when it comes to history in general, too. Some of the old advertisements are funny because they are worded in ways that maybe we don't talk anymore. Some of the advertisements were quite shocking to me, very graphic for that time frame, until I realize that the roaring 20s were "roaring" for a reason.

I have read way more about World War II in the last week than I ever read about in US History class or my college history classes. I've read the casualty lists, the obituaries for boys that were only coming home to their mamas in a box, and some not for many years later. How horrible it was for those families to not even have their sons' bodies to bury. Some didn't come home until after their parents were dead, too. Then, there are the articles about the pandemic of the Spanish influenza, columns and columns in the personal/society sections of sick people. Some got better; many did not. More sadness.

Well, obviously, I could go on and on about this because I already have. I am so happy that my Zing got me the subscription to Newspapers.com!(Not an affiliate link, just a regular link!)

Please read David's Wednesday Hodgepodge post over at Random Thoughts and Observations.

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12 comments:

  1. You have made some great finds in the newspapers.com papers lately.

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    1. Thank you and I agree. I hope that I will be able to find that photo that we talked about through their site.

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  2. I love researching family history; actually I love history in general. So many surprises were revealed when I got into ancestry.com. A very distant relative was second in command to the King of England and my great-great grandfather was the dog keeper for the Queen. SO much fun! Have a great week.
    Cheers!
    Lori in Blue Ridge, GA

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    1. Me, too,...love history, that is. I love seeing where our family's history intersects with this country's history and world history. Ancestry.com is great! I have had a subscription with them off and on for years now. Newspapers.com is a great addition to Ancestry and I have had way more successes it than with Ancestry lately. I wouldn't want to do without either one at this point.

      How cool that you have kinship with the royal house in England. We allegedly do, too. One of my folks was the high sheriff of London a zillion years ago. I supposedly share a foremother with the current queen and David allegedly descends from Longshanks...Edward, I think the first. I never can keep that one straight. This, of course, makes my Irish blood boil pretty good. :) I bet being the dog keeper was a fun job. Our Laynie would like that one for sure!

      What other interesting things have you found in your family's history? I found an Indian massacre on my side through the Calhoun line and a duel on David's through his Bird line. The funniest thing that I've found recently is that my mother-in-law and father-in-law were related through their 6th Great-Grandfather Morgan. :)

      I could talk your ears off about this all day long, so I'll stop now. I am glad that you love family history, too!

      Have a blessed day. :)

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  3. It seems that history is way more interesting than it ever was presented in school. Enjoy your family research. Research in general is such a rewarding pastime. I live it. I enjoyed your hodgepodge today.

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    1. Oh yes, it most definitely is more interesting than what they taught us in school. Did you ever hear of the New Madrid earthquake? I never heard about it in school, but it was a big deal. It was 50+ days of earthquakes and aftershocks over multiple states, radiating from New Madrid, Missouri. Here is a link about it: New Madrid Earthquakes

      I feel the same way that you do about history and research. Sometimes it feels like it is what makes my heart beat and my lungs breathe, the whole shebang. I find it very exciting and most especially when I see how it relates to my family and can find their place in it. It is just wonderful.

      Thank you! Have a blessed day. :)

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  4. I am more of a pumpkin person but when I found the recipe for pumpkin apple cider I fell in love I also have been able to see the best of others through friends
    come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com

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    1. Pumpkin apple cider sounds like it would be pretty good. I've never had that before. Thank you for sharing your link here.

      Have a blessed day. :)

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  5. I am a big fan of naps : ) Many countries around the world encourage a mid day rest, but we're not one of them. I do love a nap! Enjoy your research...I haven't done much of that myself, but my dad did before he passed away and my sister kind of picked it up and put together family history albums for all us kids. I treasure the book.

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    1. I wonder how things would go here in this country if the mid-day rests were encouraged?

      I am glad that your daddy did family history research and that your sister put the album together for all of you. That is a great treasure. :) I plan to put a book together for the kids, too. I am certainly finding lots more things to include in it, which is better than just having names and dates, which is all that I have for some people in our tree.

      Thanks for hosting the hodgepodge! Have a blessed day. :)

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  6. Replies
    1. How long do you usually nap? We are napping a lot lately. Sometimes the naps are short, sometimes many hours long.

      Have a blessed day. :)

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