How to EmBADbarrass A Four Year Old!

We’ve coined a new word at our house, “emBADbarrased” Our four-year old grandson is the author. 

Last Friday, he twisted my arm and talked me into going to McDonald’s, that famous haute cuisine establishment for the preschool crowd. While sitting at our booth, he spilled the smallest drop of his orange juice on the tabletop, and proving that I am a smart aleck with all ages, I said something like, “Aaah …, I’m tellin.’” 

Instead of the usual freckled face grin that I was expecting, I was surprised to hear him say in an almost anguished tone, “Don’t, I will be emBADbarrased, and I will never come wiff you to McDonald’s again.”

Oh, break my heart. Never again to know the joy’s of Happy Meals. Don’t tempt me kid! Taking pity on his anguished tone, I let him know that I wouldn’t dream of emBADbarrassing him, at least not for such a meager reason as a drop of orange juice.

But the new word has stuck with me and I have been inserting into all kinds of conversations with my husband. 

It’s like the time, when the grandson was going through some serious potty training and the reward was some nifty Sponge Bob and Cars underwear. Excited by the prospect, and wanting me to know he was coming to my house the next day, the little fellow grabbed the phone away from his father one night and bellowed, “I BRING MY UNDERPANTS!” 

For months after that, I would randomly punctuate my conversations with, “I BRING MY UNDERPANTS!”

Now that I know the little guy has reached the stage of self-consciousness, I will have to take special pains to figure out what kinds of things I need to avoid. I truly love the kid, and I would never purposefully cause him a moment’s unhappiness. 

Walking back to my front steps as he and his mother were backing out of the driveway last Friday, I heard a shout, “Maw T-U!” 

I turned around to see him wildly blowing kisses at me out the passenger car window. Apparently, THAT didn’t embBADbarrass him. 

Until Next Time!

© 14 July 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

To The Aid of Fellow Procrastinators

Okay, let’s be honest. You’re reading this post because you’re putting off doing something you know you SHOULD be doing, but just don’t feel like settling into doing it quite yet. That’s cool. I’m always happy to oblige a fellow procrastinator. 

If you’re looking for some quality material to procrastinate over, might I suggest you go over to the blog, Shades of the Departed and check out the 3rd edition of “Smile for the Camera.” 

There are twenty contributors writing on the topic, A Celebration of Home. 

If the boss catches you reading them, just tell him you’re doing research. No, I’m not going to tell you how to correlate the Celebration of Home posts with your particular job. You’ll figure something out. You are, after all, a smart one aren’t you? I mean you are reading this post – case closed. 

Until Next Yadda Yadda Yadda ...

© 14 July 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

To Bury a Civil War Soldier

On April 11, 1884, the General Assembly for the State of Ohio passed an act that would allow the state to defray funeral expenses for any former Union soldier, sailor or marine whose family did not have sufficient funds to cover the funeral expenses. 

In Vinton County, Ohio, a board was set up to review these cases and decide who would qualify for these benefits. A payment was approved for $28.40 to bury my great great grandfather Henry Smathers, on March 5, 1888.

I have written about both Henry and his wife, Louisa, in previous posts. (An Amputation in Georgia and Pension File Stories: Louisa Ish Smathers, Disappearing Woman.) 

Henry served two tours of duty, reenlisting for the second term on January 23, 1864. Five months later to the day, at Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, Henry received the wound that resulted in the amputation of his left leg. The pension deposition of Louisa leaves little doubt that the family lived a life of postwar poverty. Below is an itemized accounting of how the $28.40 was spent. 

1 Coffin $15.00 

1 Robe $ 5.00 

1 Pair of Slippers and Gloves $ 1.40 

Hearse and Team $ 5.00

Digging Grave and Filling $ 2.00 

As of this moment, I have not found where either Henry or Louisa is buried. Perhaps, for them, it is enough to know where and how they lived. 

Until Next Time . . .

© 13 July 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Memories of a Childhood Home

When I dream of home, the place my sleeping mind takes me is to the gray shingled house where I lived from the age of two until a few months before my eleventh birthday. The house, built by my Uncle Boo, was a wonderful cozy place that we outgrew with the arrival of my baby brother. Our house was one of the first built on the street, and there were no sidewalks.

For a number of years, a large tree at the corner served as a mail drop, with a variety of mailboxes nailed to its trunk. At the time, it seemed perfectly natural to walk down to the end of the street and get your mail off of a tree. In retrospect, it was a very peculiar arrangement, which today, would probably cause a public out cry and qualify as a crime against nature. 

The one end of the street sat at a higher elevation than the other end of the street, so that it felt like you were walking down a small slope as you progressed down the road. The houses on the opposite side of the road, all had retaining walls in the middle of their backyards, which were handy for jumping off and playing war, unless of course a mom happened to be looking out the back window, admonishing you NOT to jump.

I don’t have in my possession a very good picture of the house itself. Below is a picture that shows the side of our house with the back door, as well as yours truly with my long nose accentuated by mother’s insistence on short, short bangs. My mother and I were constantly at war about the length of my bangs throughout my childhood. I guess we can see by this picture, which one of us was right!

 

Besides my middle sister as a playmate, the neighborhood “gang” consisted of my friend Debbie and her brother Ronnie, Diane and her brother Jerry, Susie and sometimes, when he deigned to grace us with his presence, Susie’s brother Chris, Mary Ellen, and once in awhile, Pony Tail who lived at the farthest end of the street. Other kids from nearby neighborhoods would also play with us, but this was the core group.

Debbie was the one who taught me how to make the sign of the cross, when she was going through catechism classes. Of course, being a Lutheran, my mother frowned upon showing off this new talent when I went to our church the next time. When I found out by accident, that not only did she get to make the sign of the cross, and have a cool set of rosary beads, but that a quick confession absolved Deb for all that particular week’s sins, I was all like – sign me up! 

And what particular sins could a child under ten have that would make the idea of confession sound good? Well, for one, there was a game we played that involved throwing your flip flops at bees who were minding there own business in the clover, and then running like heck, squealing if the bee chased after you. Of course, one bee got revenge for all, when I was running in my front yard one day, and ran out of my flip-flop, stepping squarely on one of those fine creatures. He rewarded me by jabbing his stinger into my instep. I gave bees a wide berth after that.

Another time, instead of playing hide and seek with my friends, as I desperately wanted to do, my mother made me keep an eye on my baby brother and my two-year old sister, while she went inside to start lunch or maybe dinner. My youngest sister was painting on a large piece of paper on the sidewalk, when I looked away, craning my neck to see what my friends were doing across the street. I don’t think I looked away that long, but it was long enough for sis to get bored with the paper, and decide that using my brother’s face for a canvas was a much better idea. When I looked back, there my brother was with big black circles painted around both eyes. He never let out a peep. Was it my fault he was born with bad reflexes? 

In my memory, summers lasted forever, and the days were filled with kick ball games, running through the sprinkler, communal reading of comic books, and plays performed and written by those of us in the neighborhood. It was a great place to spend a childhood, and there are many nights where I am back in that neighborhood, with those friends and that house – even if it is only in my dreams. 

Until Next Time! 

This post written for “Smile for the Camera’s” 3rd edition – a celebration of home.

© 10 July 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

The Family of Man - Dancing the Matt Harding Way

When I stray away from the subject of genealogy on this blog, it's usually to post about family, pictures, or maybe the weather. For this post I'm traveling still farther away to, well let's just call this subject, "The Family of Man."

If you haven't watched it yet, here is the link to Matt Harding's You Tube video, "Where in the Hell is Matt (2008)." The more appropriate title would be "Dancing." I'm guessing the video will leave you with a smile or maybe, if you are a sentimental schmuck like me, you'll be a little teary eyed at the possibilities of one very fine, grand world.

If you would like to read more about Matt's project you can read Jessica Wanke's piece at NPR, entitled "YouTube Phenom On Dancing Badly The World Over."

If you are interested in taking a look at Matt's Outtakes for his Dancing video you can take a look here. hey are also pretty entertaining. 

Until Next Time!

© 10 July 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

A Whole lot of This and That

SANDUSKY COUNTY KIN HUNTERS MEETING THIS SUNDAY 

Just a reminder – This Sunday, July 13, the Sandusky County Kin Hunters will be having their monthly meeting at 2:00 Pm at the Sandusky Township Hall on Rt. 19 North in Fremont. Dave tells me the speaker will be Lolita Guthrie of The Ohio Genealogical Society. Her topic will be “Cemeteries, Our Buried History?” As always, the meeting is free and open to anyone interested in family history. Parking is handicapped accessible. If you have any questions or need further information, contact Dave at 419-502-7620. 

23RD ANNUAL OHIO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY CHAPTER MANAGEMENT SEMINAR – SATURDAY AUGUST 16 

I’m tardy on mentioning this next item. The 23rd Ohio Genealogical Society Chapter Management Seminar will be held Saturday, August 16th, at the Holiday Inn of Elyria, Ohio located at 1825 Lorain Blvd (State Route 57) between Elyria and Lorain. This is free to OGS members and OGS Chapter members, and $25.00 for all others. Below is the schedule of events: 9:00 - 9:30 Registration (complimentary doughnuts and beverages available) 

ORDERS TAKEN FOR BOX LUNCHES:

($10.00 cash for each box lunch) 9:30 - 9:40 Opening Session E. Paul Morehouse, O.G.S. President Kenny R. Burck, O.G.S. Chapter Management Seminar Chair 

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 

9:45 - 10:45 Session #1

A - “Lineage Applications - Compiling Yours/Reviewing For Your Chapter” - Margaret Cheney 

B - “Taking a Look at Your Township and Village Records for Your Next Chapter Project” - Thomas Stephen Neel

C - “Developing or Locating Quality Programs for Your Chapter Members” - Gwen Gotham Mayer

11:00 - 12:00 Session #2

D- “Attracting New Members for Your Chapter” - Deborah Lichtner Deal 

E - “Deciding What to Publish and How to Get it Done” - Sunda Anderson Peters

F - “Whose Materials Are They?, Keeping Ownership of Your Chapter’s Possessions” - Bvenitta J. Williams 

12:00 - 12:45 LUNCH - Box lunch served with a $ 10.00 charge for each box lunch 

1:00 - 2:15 Session #3

G - “How to Find and Generate Quality Material for Your Chapter Newsletter” - Wallace D. Huskonen H - “Attracting, Directing and Keeping Volunteers” - Cinda Anderson Justice 

2:30 - 3:30 

“Meet the O.G.S. President: Your Chapter Relationship with OGS & Other O.G.S. Issues” - E. Paul Morehouse 

Closing Remarks and Door Prize Drawing (must attend to win) 

Kenny R. Burck, O.G.S. Chapter Management Seminar Chair Note: If you are planning to stay overnight at the Holiday Inn, the cost for OGS will be $79 plus tax. Deadline for reservations if staying over Friday night is JULY 16. Contact information for the Holiday Inn Phone: 1-800-321-7333 Internet: www.hokday-inn.com/cle-elyria If you have questions, contact Kenny Burck at 513-851-9549 or kburck@juno.com or OGS at 419-756-7294 or ogs@ogs.org.

CARNIVAL OF GENEALOGY POSTED

The 51st edition of the Carnival of Genealogy has been posted! This edition was hosted by Thomas MacEntee of Destination: Austin Family. Thanks Thomas for a great job! The topic was Independent Spirit. It's always surprising how so many people can take the same topic and make it uniquely their own. The topic for the next edition is AGE and will be hosted by Lisa at 100 Years in America. (It almost feels like I'm announcing - Party at Lisa's!)

Until Next Time – Happy Ancestral Digging!

© 9 July 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

If those are a Jar of Mustard Pickles, then this must be Heaven!

One of my favorite geneabloggers, Janice Brown of “Cow Hampshire” wrote a cute piece the other day entitled, You say Catsup, I say Ketchup. (For the record, I say ketchup but write it catsup.) In it she talked about the origins of catsup, how it wasn’t always made with tomatoes and she closed her post with a recipe from The Farmer’s Cabinet of Amherst, New Hampshire, published in 1852. 

Janice’s piece had me going down memory lane. As a child, I can remember my grandmother making delicious homemade catsup. That got me to thinking about all the other goodies that grandma used to make. 

My favorite was her mustard pickles. A few years ago, my mother and I went through Grandma’s old recipes looking for the mustard pickle one. We would examine each recipe, and then reject it as we remembered some key ingredient that was missing. Now you have to understand that it had been three decades or longer since we had tasted this wonderful recipe, so we were straining some dormant taste buds to recall exactly what was in her famous mixture. And so it went, the two of us coming up with a variety of entries in the mustard pickle sweepstakes. 

Finally, we found one that we both agreed was probably the one grandma used to make her wonderful concoction. I don’t why we were in such a hot sweat to find it – neither of us can. In any event, below is her recipe – she called it Mixed Pickles Recipe. I call it:

Grandma’s Mixed (Mustard) Pickles Recipe 

1 quart small pickles 

1 quart pickles cut in chunks 

1 quart big lima beans 

1 quart carrots cut in chunks 

1 quart string beans

1 quart small white onions 

1 quart green tomatoes

6 red mangoes (grandma referred to peppers as mangoes) 

6 green mangoes (peppers) 

2 head of cauliflower

1 bunch celery 

 Boil each separately in salt water until tender, except pickles and tomatoes. Let them stand in salt water, drain them, then make a dressing of the following:

2 quart vinegar 

1 cup prepared mustard 

1 T tumeric powder 

1 cup flour 

2 lb brown sugar 

1 tsp celery seeds 

1 tsp mustard seed 

Let vinegar came to boil add the flour, turmeric made into a paste. Add the rest of the ingredients. Let come to a boil. Add the vegetables that have been cooked then add pickles; tomatoes let all come to a boil. Can while hot. 

When I die, I will know I’ve gotten into heaven, if when I open my eyes my grandmother, Anna, is standing there with a jar of mustard pickles, and there’s a fork and a plate with my name on it sitting near by. 

Have a safe and Happy Fourth of July! 

Update: I've submitted this post for Bill West's Geneablogger's Picnic. I'm bringing the Mustard Pickles. Yummy! I can't wait to see what everybody is bringing!

© 4 July 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder