What I Read May

The most welcome sign. Last week, I went inside the library for the first time since March 2020. The majority of my reads I get from the library. I have to say the library is the main hub of our small town. There is no parks and recreation department so the library puts on a lot of programing. When it shut down, I was sad and though I realized the reason it was a loss. I love how my library really rallied and were creative with curbside pick up and some pretty unique programming. 

I am linking up with Modern Mrs Darcy's Quick Lit. Check out what everyone else is reading.

Nomandland by Jessica Bruder

This was the unlimited e read for the month at my library. I find people who live in RV's full time fascinating. Nomadland really explores why many adult and those of retirement age are choosing to live in RV's and work as camp hosts or as camperforce at Amazon even at amusement parks. These are the new modern day gyspy's.  I love how people weren't described as homeless but as houseless. Nomandland was also turned into a movie which I haven't seen. 

Weekly Roll

Linky Love

Border Patrol Agents Considering Early Retirement - totally back the green line - Quote that stands out to me -

 "Over the years many outside forces on both extremes of the political spectrum have intentionally, or unintentionally, politicized our agency and our mission," Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott wrote in the memo to acting Customs and Border Protection

Inappropriate Thoughts

It is hard to believe Hana Williams story ended 10 years ago. Hana was Ethiopian adoptee that died of hypothermia who was also starved to death by her adopted parents. This happened in the county that adjoins the county I live in.  While I have never met the Williams, I attended MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) functions with people who did know the Williams. What is hell is wrong with people?  I am still mad and angry and ultimately so sad about about this 10 years later. Both Carri and Larry Williams are in jail and lost custody of their birth kids. They both got long sentences and their appeal was denied.

Some details here from another blog back in 2013 - Quipshots and a very detailed overview here

Light of Day Stories - remembering Hana 10 years after her death

Weekly Roll - Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day

Linky Love

Hundreds of People are Section Hiking the AT of Italy Oh you know how I love stories about long distance hiking. This is interesting

Emily Ford Hiked 1,200 miles in dead of winter - This is about hiking the Ice Age Trail during the winter. 

What Works Depends On What is Obstructing Change - interesting read

Experimental Cooking

Strawberry Rhubarb Cake - this was gobbled up pretty quickly. This is a super moist cake

52 Ancestors - Crime and Punishment

I am linking up with Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks.

What do you do when you run across an ancestor has a criminal past?  I am currently researching a ancestor that is a bit closer on my tree. I think sometimes these can be sensitive subjects when talking with other relatives. I have decided to share a different story below.

So I have decided to tell you about my father's 1st cousin 4x removed - Franklin W Thornton. Franklin was a Post Master in Pasadena California who embezzled $760. Apparently he embezzled money to become a photographer. He then fled and was caught in Columbus Ohio. He served his time at San Quentin Prison California State Prison.

Franklin Thornton is the inmate on the far left. He was sentenced to 3 years of hard labor. He was jailed 0n 0ct 1899 and discharged in Feb 1902 according to find a grave. He lived for a few years in Los Angeles as a dry goods watchman and eventually ended up moving to Chicago Ill to live with his single daughter and he continued to work as a watchman.  Franklin died in 1928 in Pasadena California at the age of 72.

Weekly Roll

 

There is about 5 weeks before my son graduates from High School. Final Countdown seemed like a good theme song. Got to admire their hair in the video.

Why Would You Walk From Washington DC to New York?  Good Read

Podcast Suggestion

Undisclosed - I totally binged the last season(The State vs Jeff Titus). It was So compelling that I discussed it with my husband. The is a series called Killer in Question on ID that one of the episodes covers this case.

Sourdough Update

Still feeding the starter. Tried Vension for Dinner 's Kate's Master Sourdough Recipe. It was delicious. Loaves pictured above not from that recipe.

State of Autism at Our House 2021

 In honor of Autism Month, I thought I would share the state of Autism at our house. Well I didn't quite make it for the month of April so the first day of  May will have to do. I live with a 22 year old High Functioning Autistic person. 

He works 10 hours a week at a local brewery doing janitorial work. He has a job coach who he really likes and basically just checks in on him a couple times a week. I can't say enough nice things about his coach and where he works. This is a good fit for him. 

He takes 1 class a quarter at the local technical college. He took fall off  from school. Doing all the work online was actually stressing him out along with Covid.  When he did make it back for winter quarter, he did okay- excellent in the grade department. He always does excellent in the grade department. All the school work including the group work was online. It was a big stretch for him.  He has a lot of school related trauma. He hadn't done group work since middle school so we had a lot of chats why it would be different in college.  I really liked this article about transitioning to adulthood and why college might not be a good choice for those on the spectrum and the qualities they need to be able to succeed. Preparing for the transition to adulthood part 1 There is a lot food for thought in there. 

There are still some behavior challenges. He gets easily frustrated especially with video games and online college work. He often misreads social cues and relies on others to clue him in. I spend a lot of time discussing other peoples behavior. It took me a number of years to realize how much anxiety my son has.  His anxiety looks a lot like anger too.  It is nothing like it was years ago. Thank goodness for medication and behavior management. 

He lives at home which is good for him. He pays rent. He purchases all his food. He still can't manage the stove and knives are a bit scary for him. He is however excellent at the air fryer. I prepare his breakfast and dinner. 

He doesn't drive and uses public transport. That is great but the public transport adds about 4 hours to his 2 hour work day. By car, he works about 20 minutes from home. This is a challenge that social service people like to gloss over.  As his Mom, I take him to the bus hub so his commute to and from work is not as bad. Social Services always say, "well he has access to public transportation." That is all well in good if it doesn't eat up your whole day.

One thing I can say about my son in the words of a preschool friend "He is the one with the big heart". I don't know what the future holds exactly for my son.  One of his best qualities is that he persists even when others feel he is not capable. I hope that serves him well. 

52 Ancestors - Brick Wall

 

I am participating in Amy Johnson's Crow's 52 ancestors. The theme the previous week was brick wall. A brick wall in genealogy is described as not being able to find information on a person.  My wall is more a crumbling one.

Geneva M Wolf also know as Geneva M Groshong , Mabel Genevieve Wolfe, Jeneva M Berg,  Dorothy Mae Geneva McElwane (1903-1993) is my crumbling brick wall. Geneva was a woman with many names. For this story, I am going to call her Geneva. I know so much and so little. 

She was mother to my husband's grandfather, Pappy(using a nickname for privacy purposes), and according to family tales she up and left during the middle of winter in Aiken, Minnesota. Yes, she left during a Minnesota winter.  Geneva left her young son not even a year old by the fire, His father, Carl,  returned to find him cold and the fire long since burnt out. He ran the cold child to his parents house,  a good few miles away. 

As a Mom I have so many questions. Where the conditions so bad this was Geneva's only way out and why did she leave her son? This kind of leaving in the middle of winter I think took some preplanning. Their homestead was far from a town and it was a small place that everyone knows everyone. She would of have needed assistance to leave. Where did she run to? Why didn't Carl go after her?

Pappy would remain at grandparents until his formal schooling years. Geneva was to come into contact with Pappy after WW2  when she sent him a red cross message. They reconnected briefly and he met his half sister LaVera Sandstrom (1924?- ) According to Pappy, LaVera had the most beautiful baby girl. He also believed that LaVera was also married to a GI. Pappy is mentioned in Dorothy Mae Geneva McElwane's obituary along with LaVera. 

I cannot find Geneva in the 1930 or 1940 census. I believe that Geneva met Carl because she replied to an ad for a housekeeper but Carl was also a well known fiddle player that played at all the local dances. Geneva was from Crow Wing, Minnesota. It is possible she met him at a dance. In 1919, Carl had just returned from World War 1. He was a decorated Army military vet. He received the purple heart. His family also said he was a very different person once he came back from the war. Pappy also believe his mom, Geneva, to have a lot of different marriages up to 9 possibly. I can only account for 2 legal marriages- one to Carl in 1919 and one to Henry Tuttle Haight. Geneva married Harry Tuttle Haight in 1925 in Des Moines, IA. I believe Harry Haight was a store clerk at the time. She also appears to be married to Randall Garland McElwane. I am unable to find a marriage record for Randall Garland McElwane and Geneva aka Dorothy. Randall McElwane was a WWII vet. I think they were possibly married in 1944. This is time she appears in city directories in California with that name.

My brick wall specifically is what happened to Geneva after she left Carl especially in the 1921 to 1940 years. I know Geneva was married in 1925 but I believe that was a short marriage. Geneva eventually ended up living in Lost Angeles and Harbor City, California. 

 I also would like to know about her daughter La Vera or Vera. which I can find her in the 1940 census as living with her grandparents Mary and Peter Groshong in St Paul, MN listed as Vera Groshong, Step Grandchild. LaVera is listed as LaVera Sandstrom in the obituary for Dorothy Mae Geneva McElwane. She listed in the 1940 Census as being born about 1924.  I don't know who was LaVera's father was. I have searched the Minnesota Birth Records and cannot find a birth record. It is made challenging by the fact that Geneva often went by different names. I have tried her many aliases without much luck.