The man I remember as my great grandfather was a fit, bespectacled man with thinning white hair and a kind smile. Wearing a starched white shirt, black pants, and a dark tie, he sat on the grass in a lawn chair one hot, muggy, Wisconsin afternoon, proudly watching his children and grandchildren enjoy spending time together. Even over-dressed for a…
The day a hairstylist fired me
Flash back to when I was seven years old. We were getting ready to go on an extended vacation to visit my mother’s relatives and the day before we left on our journey, my mother decided to take my sister and me to the salon for matching haircuts. Something cool and chic that would be easy to maintain during our…
Willie the cat
Whenever things get tough and I start to feel sorry for myself, I like to think of our cat Willie. He has suffered greatly since the day he was born and has many handicaps, yet he’s the happiest, most contently creature I know. Willie was bitten by his mama shortly after his birth, a tragic mistake that should have taken…
Everything old is new again
When I changed my blog from a write about anything that suits me blog to my author blog, many of my posts were put on hold because they had nothing to do with my book. They have everything to do with my life, however, so I’ve decided to re-post some of my favorites. Hope you enjoy them as much as…
Bookish things
When I’m not writing or researching my family history, I’m often on Pinterest looking for things that inspire me. Old books do that quite well, and I often find myself daydreaming about their contents, especially if they are journals or diaries. Here are some of my favorite pictures. …
The Complexity of DNA
It felt like I was a liar. All my life I had been telling people I was half German, possibly more. After all, my mother’s family and ancestors were all German for hundreds of years, and there was also German on my father’s side of the family. The other side of my family was mainly English and French. When my…
More Childhood Photos
I’ve spent months going through my late father’s boxes and boxes of photos, slides, and negatives. There were so many that it was overwhelming to even consider trying to scan them and convert to digital media myself. We sent them out in groups of about 1000 each to be professionally scanned and, in some cases, restored. I found a few…
Radio Waves
Recently I had the pleasure of doing an interview with Greg Thomas S., Public Affairs Host of “Conversations” which airs Sunday mornings at 6:00 a.m. on KNDD, KISW, KKWF, KHTP in the Seattle, Washington area. We talked about one of my favorite subjects, genealogy, and how it impacted the story line in Braha. Greg was so delightful to speak with, and…
Braha Book Trailer
The book trailer for Braha is here! Click on the link below to go directly to the trailer on YouTube. Braha Book Trailer