Mission accomplished

It may have taken me most of the day, but I found my family tree, and cleaned up the stock room. It was a perfect day for it, as it was cool and cloudy.

The nice part is that it is just in time for recycling. I see the problem. My mother-in-law will not keep anything, so she gives it to my husband, who when I'm not looking makes a deposit on the floor. Other things, typical for this time of the year, pots and boxes which took very little time to clean up.

This was a general cleaning but the work is still ahead. I need to get rid of the yard-sale items, and because we painted the rooms upstairs, bought new drapes and accessories the old ones which just don't match but are perfectly good, remain to be forwarded somewhere. Also, we now have baby furniture to dispense with. That sure sounds funny, but it's not. Cycles, we are going through another cycle.

Lets face it, I'm a neat freak and it'll be gone before you know it. I feel so much better tonight, having made a great difference, visually.

Now to get rid of the stuff I will not be using and giving it to someone who can. Pictures, mirrors, lamps, and rugs. Any takers? Don't be shy.

I'm sitting here having a good laugh for myself. Must be getting late, or I'm really tired. Have had a great time looking at one side of my family tree. My mom was right, my grandmother was one of 18 children. As there were only seventeen names, one must have died as an infant. Let's see, born in St. Luke, Canada, Louis was about 6'2" I'm told and she was a little doll, from Lacolle, Canada. She died at 59 the same age as my mom.

Can you imagine calling all those kids to dinner, let's try: Emma, Frederick, Delina, Joseph, Rosanna, Leo, Adelard, Arthur, Frank and Louis, Rose Alma, Florina, William, Valida, Mary Angel, Isabelle and Roland. That may be why they invented the dinner bell. I can see it now, whose turn to do the dishes?Poor Exilda, had to live in the kitchen and bedroom. Not much else to do in those days, I guess, time restraints.

Twelve settled in Woodstock, CT while Louis and Exilda came to town along with four of their siblings. Louis lived to be 88.

My grandmother, Valida, had only eight children. The four boys did not survive. Leo the only son raised was adopted. She also had a set of twins Doris and Dorothy. Rita and then, Irene.

Times are sure different now, I can't even fathom how hard they had to work. Grandma used to grow and can everything. She made jelly, root beer, and special pickled and corn relishes. The best apple pie, Polish golompki and chicken dumplings you ever tasted. Oh ya, and every Christmas, her special cut-out rolled cookies and spice cake. She won many awards for bake-offs and I still have some of her printed recipes, like the Red Velvet Cake.

The family tree is a wonderful idea, it brings back many wonderful memories of wonderful people who are my family.