Time to make Some Valentine's /Re-mailing

I like homemade Valentine's. I grew up in the Sweetheart city of Loveland, Colorado. Valentine's is a big deal in Loveland, Colorado which literally stamps 1,000's of valentines in its valentine remailing program. If you are interested in making homemade valentine's and having them stamped. NOW is the time to get those in the mail or if you want your pre-bought cards stamped. Details in graphic below - link

UNSOLICITED HOMADE CARD ADVICE

Sending good mail feels good. It doesn't need to be perfect. Mine usually look like they are made by a Kindergartner. The thought does count. Adding a sticker, doodle, or a stamp to a premade card counts. Don't do this if it stresses you out. THIS ISN'T A COMPETITION!

Wordy Wednesday

 

Weekly Roll

 

My kids favorite Cornbread recipe is Poppy Seed Cornbread. The poppy seeds add a little something to it. It has been cold so there has been a lot of soup and cornbread action.

The Surprising Link between Soda Water and Metabolism and Weight Loss - I am a fan of the soda water

Inappropriate Thoughts

That box didn't have anything awesome for me.  But it cracked me up, so I am sharing. I am sure when people see me, they say, Awesome is here.  LOL

Deep Thoughts

I am regretting picking EASY as my word of the year. Things have not been easy. I have had a double ear infection plus sinus infection and January has been one of naps and pretty much not getting much accomplished. I am ready to see January out the door.

Wordy Wednesday

 

Weekly Roll

Linky Love

Couldn't resist the cute valentine's planter from Walmart. I also have the soil mate one too.

Shortage of Dunkin Donuts in Nebraska and New Mexico - this is a tragedy

 Inappropriate Thoughts

I feel like all the polygamy tv watching I have done qualifies me to spot a Polygamist in the wild. I feel like an expert. This is what happens when you are feel like you have been sick the whole month of January. You watch Secrets of Polygamy, Escaping Polygamy, Daughters of the Cult, Sister Wives. 

Deep Thoughts

volunteer sunflower by our dumpster Aug 2022

Well I had an interesting experience in our alley. Yep, I live in old town with alleys. We have dumpsters for trash cans in our alley.  There is like a dumpster for every 3 houses. I threw some trash in our dumpster, and I heard a dog barking from another dumpster in the alley. A dog popped up his head. He was having trouble getting out. He was like a Benji dog. The dumpster had like one trash bag in it so basically empty. I managed to lift him out the dumpster but had to put him on the ground once out. He was off like a shot. It looked like he had been on the run for a while.  Sometimes we all need a little help out a dumpster. Do what little good where you can.

52 Ancestors - Genealogy Meeting Tales

 I meet monthly with our library's local genealogy group. Usually, it is just 3 of us. We all are really familiar with ancestry and family search. This last week we had a couple who came and wanted to do research on their family genealogy.  We love to help. Everything was going swimmingly. We were about to wrap up when she wanted help in looking up someone not in her family tree. We were like sure. I am all for the Columbo moments of "Just One More Thing".

Backstory

This couple are rv'ers and have been trying to visit all national parks and park units. They visited Johnstown Flood Memorial in Pennsylvania. 

The south fork dam failed on Friday May 31, 1889, letting loose 20 million tons of water on Johnstown, Pennsylvania killing 2,209 people. source

While there they visited the Grandview Cemetary which has like 777 unmarked graves for remains, they weren't able to identify. This was back in the late 1800s. The lady encountered a "female ghost" who was saying help me find my baby.  The lady thought maybe the woman had lost her baby during the flood. She asked the ghost who she was, and she said, Mary. The lady thought to herself this is a huge graveyard and a common name. She felt led to the grave of Mary Stull. I think all of this shook her up a bit. It definitely left an impression on her. She took a picture of the grave and vowed to find out more about Mary Stull.

Mary Stull = Find a Grave

When we left the meeting, we had a strong feeling she had lost a child to the flood but after further research. I don't think that is what occurred. I looked at the list of the dead of that flood and no Stull appears. That why a 5-minute genealogy search is insufficient.

I want to tell you what I know about the person of the gravestone the lady took a picture of in Grandview Cemetary.

Mary Almeda Rager Stull

Mary was born on March 11,1963 born to Geoge and Catherine Rager. It is known from the 1940 census Mary had a 4th grade education. She married Lorenzo D Stull approximately in the 1880's. Mary was 17 years old according to the 1930 census.   Lorenzo was a farmer. Lorenzo and Mary had at least 10 children according to what they reported in 1910 and 1930 census. The article I am going to share below from The Daily Tribune Johnstown, PA (16 Nov 1909) says she had 12 children all living. 

Mary is the middle picture. Her mother Catherine is to the right and then her grandfather. Her daughter Martha Craig is left of her with her son being the first picture. This article was shared on ancestry.

She died Apr 29, 1946, of congestive heart failure.  She was age 83. She is buried at Grandview Cemetery in Johnstown PA.

In conclusion, I don't believe Mary lost a child in the Johnstown flood. If she did indeed have 12 children much further research is needed as she lost 2 children because they don't report having lost any children on the census and consistently reported 10 children. It is not out the realm of possibility that had 12. I am happy to share a little bit about Mary's story and a bit of ghost story mystery.

***This didn't really fit any of the prompts for 52 ancestors in 52 weeks and YES, I am labeling this as a side quest.

Wordy Wednesday

 

Words of Wisdom from Sharon McMahon 

Weekly Roll

 

We had some snow. It didn't stick around too long just long enough to cancel one day of school.

linky love

Fastest Nun in Southwest closer to Sainthood - Just found this interesting. I am not Catholic, but this nun was in New Mexico

Why you Should Add Vinegar to Bread Dough - I haven't tried this in my bread dough but intrigued

Inappropriate Thoughts

This last week I heard from my son, "Holy sh*t that worked."  That is not what I usually hear when he is sitting at his computer. I usually hear lots of swears. This was really a first. With every fiber in my being, I wanted to ask him what worked.  I didn't though. Why jinx it said my husband.  

Wordy Wednesday

 

Weekly Roll

Linky Love

Loveland Valentine Remailing Program

Podcast Recommend from my nephew - Swindled - I have listened to a few interesting stuff

Inappropriate Thoughts

 

It is not too early to think about Valentine Cards.  Send some good mail to someone. Homemade is relative.  Snail mail is not dead. 

 Deep Thoughts

Last Sunday, I sat here at the First Baptist Church for the last time as the First Baptist. Their last official service is this Sunday. It is bittersweet. The church will go on as the First Baptist joins with the First Congregational Church. This building will be their home. My parents and aunt were married here. I was baptized here. My grandparents were the janitor here and members of this church. I was married here. 

Side Quest -Washington Elm Scion

When visiting my parents in Loveland Colorado my mom mentioned the tidbit that an elm outside of a Walgreens was a seedling from a George Washington Elm.   It is named the George Washington Elm because this is the Elm that George Washington took command of the American Army in Cambridge Mass on July 3, 1775. A scion is a seedling of the same tree.

So in the interest of curiosity and history we later make a stop at the tree and Walgreens. The tree is literally part of the Walgreens parking lot.

The Washington Elm Scion and Marker is a bronze plaque mounted on a built-up wooden shaft inside an octagonal bench surrounding a huge elm tree located in a micro-park on the northwest corner of the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Eisenhower Boulevard in Loveland.

The inscription reads:
Scion of the Washington Elm at Cambridge, Mass. Namaqua Chapter, 1931 NASDAR

On July 3, 1775, General George Washington took command of the Continental Army at a ceremonial review in Cambridge, Massachusetts, under an elm tree which has become known as the Washington Elm.

In April 1931, Namaqua Chapter received a shoot from an elm tree grown from seeds of the Washington Elm. The shoot was planted in the yard of then Lincoln School. The tree had excellent care from the custodian, but soon died to the ground. Then, a green shoot came through but it, too, died and all hope was given up. However, the following spring a green shoot again appeared which kept growing. The tree did well, but after a few years the yard was converted into a gravel playground. Somehow the tree survived.

In 1948, when the tree was dedicated and presented to the city of Loveland and to the school board, it was tall, beautifully shaped and 15 inches in diameter. A marker was placed on a band around the tree but was later removed and stored. In 1965, the tree was again in trouble. The school land was sold to a company which did not intend to save the tree but changed its mind in the face of concerted opposition to the tree’s destruction. An underground watering system was installed in addition to a concrete wall to protect it from parking lot traffic. The tree lived and is now the only known survivor of three Washington Elm scions planted in Colorado.

Early in this century it became apparent that the Washington Elm at Cambridge was doomed. In October 1922, what was left of the tree fell over with a crash as workmen were trying to bolster some live branches. A plaque now marks the site of the tree which was estimated to be over 300 years old at its death. At its prime it measured 18 feet in circumference, 100 feet in height, and 90 feet in the spread of its branches.

Namaqua Chapter of DAR (above information from DAR website)

We also realized that we have visited here in the past. There is a virtual geocache at this location.

Thousands of Washington Elm scions were sent all over the United States when the original Washington Elm fell over on October 25,1923 and the tree was divided into 1,000 pieces and distributed among each of the states and their legislatures.

Washington has a scion on the campus of UW

So, I am calling my first side quest and now you know a lot about Washington Elm Scions. It is unknown scions that are still living.

New Year, New Word

I am a big fan of one little word for the new year. My word is easy.  I don't know about you, but I could use some easy.

I was inspired by the quote above. I pretty consistently choose the harder way, and I am going to work on that.