Summer 2013

My very best friend is KittyGirl and I think she is beautiful.  We have had a good summer, even though time is catching up with us.  She is about age nineteen, but I don't know for sure since she just happened into our lives and we didn't know where she came from.  It was June 2002 when I first met her at my mom's. She was living up over their garage in what we called "the attic".  It wasn't long before she had moved into their house and was there to stay.  I can remember Lee saying, "Okay, she can stay but she is NOT coming in the house."  It was about a week later mom said, "Guess who is in the house?"  She adopted them immediately and took good care of them as long as she could.  Eventually she had to find another home so John and I brought her to Colorado.  So here it is the eleventh year that we have known each other and it is down to just the two of us, so we are pretty good pals.  2013 has been a good summer for us.

Perhaps the most exciting event of the summer was the birth of my great granddaughter, born August 5. Her name is Stella Evelyn Lewis.  Everyone on this side of the Rockies can hardly wait to meet her, but that may be awhile yet.  Fortunately, her dad posts pictures of her and Oliver in their family blog so we can all see her growing up before our very eyes.  I can hardly wait to hold her.

I have had an unusual amount of company this summer. Folks I haven't seen for a long while.  My sister-in-law and nephew from California were here for a visit as they were  going south to Denver from our hometown of Gering, Nebraska.  They had attended a family reunion there for her family.  It was so good to see them.  And it was interesting to hear of their recent trip to Greece.

Shortly after that my two granddaughters from Montana stopped with their mother, Kristy.  We had a grand visit.  Oh my goodness, they are getting so tall and are real beautiful young ladies.  They were the first of John's family I have seen since 2009.  They really liked my apartment.

My youngest daughter was here with me for a week late in July. We had the best time - eating out, shopping, watching movies, etc etc.  She was en route to Aspen to look for work.  Again, I felt so alone after she left,  but I am getting good at getting over it fairly soon.

I switched from my desktop computer to a laptop the first of August.  That took a bit of fine tuning and learning a few new things but it is working out real good.

Other than that I have kept busy in my usual pursuits.  I finished my book, Katherine's Children the Meech and Huffman Families of Franklin County Ohio.  Oh yes, I forgot to tell you, this summer I finally found the parents of Dennis Meech.  That is Katherine Huffman Meech Huffman.  At the beginning of the summer I only knew her first name, but now I know her full name and her husband's name as well.  I felt sort of lost after this discovery, because I get so entangled in their lives I miss them when they are done.

I am happy to say I am now trying to  find the parents of another ancestress so I am in good spirits once again.  Now I am working on Catharine French McLaughlin.  The females are such a challenge. It seems they go form being someone's daughter, to someone's wife and then someone's mother. End of story for the ladies.  I believe when they are ready to reveal their story they see that it is done, and I am delighted if I am the one that gets to do it.

Oh yes, this summer I studied the Grand Army of the Republic and American Migration Trails.  Both of these led to a new Power Point presentation.  I am presenting the G.A.R. on September 6 so we will see how it is received.  I found it fascinating to learn about this Civil War Veteran's organization.  The migration trails was fun as well.

I guess this sums up my summer of 2013 -- except to report how hot the weather was.  Other than that it has been a good summer.  This year seems to be flying by.  Later, Patj