Guide for Happiness

I received the following in an e-mail circulating through cyberspace. I felt it had some value and that anyone reading it might benefit from the message. I know I did. I find that I can find more reasons not to get up out of bed and get going than vice versa. Sometimes we just need to remember what we might be missing. We need to be keep focused on storing up those good memories. So here is the story.....

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coiffed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. "I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. "Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." "That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. "It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing."
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Winnipeg Birthday Trip Addendum 1

Skinners (Clockwise from L) Linda, Len, Aleta, Barry, Greta

L'Esplanade Riel

As you can see by the pictures we had some fun before and during the party. Linda and Len arrived with Barry and Greta late Thursday and we got to do some touring on Friday and Saturday. Got to see the St. Boniface Cathedral, the Fork's Market, a couple of antique shops and off to Skinner's in Lockport, Manitoba. I have to say I haven't been to Skinners since don't know when and it was like the old days with the best hot chocolate, dog and francophone fries one could sample. You have to get down there if you are in these parts. Trust me, it's great. I've attached some pictures for your pleasure, I didn't want to be completely outdone by my big sister Linda. You can check her blog and pictures at the Kootenay link on the sidebar. Unfortunately Blogger does not seem to allow us to post up more than a couple photos at a time so I have had to break up this post into multiples. More to come.

Welcome to Geriatrics

(L-R)Irene, grandson Darian, Bill, daughter Amanda, son Joe and Shannon, John's Cheryl at end

First of all, may I apologize to all of you for my not posting for quite some time. I've been busy (Linda would say "doing what?"). Just busy. We put on quite a surprise for my big sister Irene's 65th birthday which just passed on October 22, 2006. We put a real good one over on her this time. She was completely in the dark about the out of towners who arrived just for her. I have to thank Bill for making this the surprise it turned out to be. Of course, even more so thank you to my sister Linda and husband Len, Uncle Merv and Auntie Georgina plus cousin Betty-Lou and not to forget thank you to Barry and Greta for making this such an event! They certainly went to quite an expense to get here and I certainly appreciated the effort. It was so good to get together again and see everyone. Unfortunately it ended rather too quickly and the weather didn't cooperate as I had hoped. It warmed right up after they left which was good for us but not for the time we spent here. The snow is arriving tomorrow and it sounds like it may be a cold Halloween in these parts. Enjoy!.... and HAPPY BIRTHDAY IRENE!

(L-R)Len, son Joe, Irene, Uncler Merv, Greta, Barry, Amanda, Darian

Hello to the living. I'm sorry not to have blogged for such a while but as I told my sister Linda, when you work all day with computers you really don't feel like getting down to business in the evenings too. I am so looking forward to being able to say I don't have to go in to work today.... that day will come, sooner than later thank heavens.

I have to say I have not been feeling my usual tip top. I find I am succumbing to the symptoms of the "evil thing", the dreaded "menopause". I think it is also a bit of anxiety as well. When you have a family history of heart disease and then you can't get or stay asleep because your heart is doing the "alien" thing inside your chest and your stomach is distended with gas so you feel like it's your time, well what can I say. Your EKG is normal and the only thing the doctor can offer you is "antidepressants" with their own negative side effects, it just is not pleasant. To top it off, you're not even in menopause but "pre-menopause" and so you're still getting visits from your "little friend" and this friend doesn't necessarily show up at the usual prescheduled time or day! It's just not fair. What really bugs me is that in my case there is not any purpose for this "friend". I don't have children and CERTAINLY don't expect to have any soon. I think there should be a predetermined expiry date on these things so at least we women can have a date to work towards.... just like retirement! I mean really, this is supposed to be a natural occurrence, well so is the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables! You are supposed to consume fresh fruit and vegables by a certain date after you bring them home from the store! Why can't that be stipulated for the "friend". When we have guests come visit our home, most guests have the common sense and decency to stay for no more than a week and go home; if you're lucky they don't come and visit again for a year. Certainly I would not expect to have the same guests come every frickin' month and stay for a week! O-M-G!

Sorry for the above, I guess I am just feeling sorry for myself. I had one of those unsettling nights and today I feel like sh*t. I have so much to do around here and I have zero energy and still feel gassy. I'm hoping the tea will help. I thought I would post some pictures I took at the English garden at Assiniboine Park which is located in Winnipeg. For those of you who are not familiar with Winnipeg the park is within the city, just west of the downtown. I have to say we do have lots of greenspace in our city. The second picture of the pond with the bronze figure of the boy with his boot is a landmark. Not too many years ago someone stole his boot but it was returned a couple years ago to its rightful place. If you are ever in Winnipeg in the spring, summer or fall, you must see the english garden. In the spring on Mother's Day the park sells off perennials from the garden; it is always a busy time.

I felt the need to just get this posted so even though I started this yesterday (Sunday), I'm finishing it at this moment. I've had a busy day working without Sylvia. She's on vacation which means I get the privilege of covering and picking up the slack. It used to be my job until she joined our office and my, my it's busy without her. (or maybe I'm just slow, I dunno) Well got to run and get busy while I can muster a bit of energy tonight. Lots to do. See ya!

Long Weekends

Ah, 'tis Sunday evening of a long weekend and the dishes are soaking, Loreena McKennitt is playing and I am longing to get my entry completed. Today Uncle Merv and Auntie "Cookie" Georgina Wilson called to let me know that finally my grandmother's headstone has reached its final resting place... albeit 53 years late. I am sure that Connie is quite happy to be acknowledged. I know my own mother would be pleased. As humans we like to leave our own mark, even if it is just a grave stone noting that we existed at one time. I have included a picture of my grandparents Constance Audrey Abigail Wilson [nee Stiver] and Charles Henry Wilson. Grandma Connie passed away from cancer in 1953 long before I was born. Grandpa Wilson died of heart disease in 1948. Uncle Merv and Auntie "George" are flying off to London ON next Monday to visit their son Roy who is not doing too well, suffering from MS. I last saw him two years ago at Merv and Georgina's 50th wedding anniversary. It was good to see Roy even if for the last time.

I have added some new "old" photos to flicker so if you want to reminisce then by all means have a look. There are so many, many photos of value (and some that mother took that I have no clue why they exist). I have discarded those that are of, oh I don't know, maybe there were UFO's or something... pictures of nothing in a sky seem like a waste of good film. You will see that I have some pictures of Mom, Dad, Mom's big sister Eva and baby sister "Miriam" Vicky along with some pictures of the Wilson kids etcetera. I hope you all enjoy. I have put them into sets so they are not all jumbled together.

James is staying over one night and today we spent part of the afternoon at Assiniboine Park (formerly called City Park). What a beauteous day for walking around the English Garden and checking the duck pond. The sun shone and the temperature was even a slightly too warm 26C. It seemed hotter than it was today. I took a few pictures of Canada geese partaking in some offers of bread. So many people were milling about the park today, it was a pleasure to see. Later I found out that there had been venues within the park promoting the Winnipeg Symphony.... missed that I'm afraid. Was a good day anyway without all the other fluff.

So glad that Krista is back on-line with her blog. I really missed the usual excellent photos posted there. I took a tip from Krista not to go out without the camera handy. So many great shots are missed when we don't come prepared. I will add another entry shortly with some photos of my fun today. Well.... have to close as those darn dishes are waiting.....

Vee Von't Zay Anytink about Za Vor!

Yesterday I received two emails from my very distant cousin Nancy (a very distant cousin through the line of Russell Forman of Ontario; we are both descended from the original John Forman). She passed along a wealth of additional information about John Forman's brother Joseph Forman who also came to settle in Ontario. In addition, after some hunting that very day, she was able to give me the lowdown on my grandmother Mabel Nunn's (married to my grandfather James Harris Foreman) lineage. It seems that Mabel Nunn was the daughter of Samuel Nunn and Marilla Misener (I actually did find out the name of Mabel's parents from the 1901, 1906 and 1911 Manitoba census). However, Nancy was able to dig deeper and provided me with an even bigger load of information. So here is how it goes:

My dad, George Foreman is the son of James Harris Foreman and Mabel Alberta Nunn. James Harris is the son of William Foreman and Melinda Harris. William Foreman was the son of John Forman and Margaret Long who came to Ontario from England.

Mabel Nunn was the daughter of Samuel Nunn (b. 1846) and Marilla Misener (b. 1852). Marilla Misener was the daughter of Leonard Misener (b. 1799) and his second wife Sarah Elizabeth Knockout. Unclear of what happened to his first wife. Leonard Misener was the son of John Misener (b. 1774) and Catherine Young. This John Misener's father was also Leonard Misener (b. 1744) and mother Eva B. Bender (not clear of the spelling). Anyway the Miseners were a New Jersey family line.

From the 1906 census it indicates that both Marilla and Samuel Nunn (Mabel's parents) were born in Ontario as well as Mabel. I suppose at some point they must have moved from Ontario and in Manitoba had Mabel's younger brother Benjamin Nunn. There are still Nunns living in and about Manitoba. I am tempted to start calling these people in the phone book just to see if they perhaps are descended somehow from Benjamin who apparently we have lost track of. From looking at the 1911 Manitoba census it appears that both the Nunns and the Foremans lived in the same area in Wheatlands, Manitoba. At this point James Harris Foreman and Mabel Nunn are already married and have the first 3 children. My dad was not born yet for another 2 years.

It seems that there is quite a bit of German heritage in this family background as the Nunns were German, the Miseners were German and the Stivers (from whom my mother is descended) is also of German ancestry. It is only the Formans who specifically can be identified as originating in England. The Wilson line also goes back to the USA, specifically Alexander County of the Chicago area. I am hoping to trace that lineage back as far as I can but I am pretty sure with a name like Wilson it will also go back to England. It is all just very, very interesting. Will keep you posted further.

As in previous posts, I am unable to upload a picture yet again. Not sure why, too big maybe. Anyway I had hoped to post a picture of my grandfather for whom this search started, Charles Henry Wilson. I will sort out the pictures I have and upload them to Flicker so that they are grouped and labelled appropriately. Keep watching.

It's a Good Thing!

Oh what an exciting day today has been. A few weeks ago I sent away to the Province of Manitoba for some records relating to my grandparents' (both sides) marriage registration. I am particularly interested in tracing my roots down the Wilson line. Unfortunately there has been very little information about my grandfather Charlie Wilson. My own mother could not provide me with much valuable information other than to say that her dad worked primarily as a mechanic and was from Chicago, coming up to Canada working on the railroad. I have received some little bits of information from another descendent of the Stiver line (Stever, Stober often name is changed). Previously I received a copy of the wedding notice that was published in the local paper at that time. The notice unfortunately did not provide me any information about my grandfather other than what he wore. Today, after a few weeks, I finally received a copy of the marriage registration. I could barely hold back my glee to find not only the name of my great-grandparent Wilson from Chicago but also..... wait for this...... my grandfather had been married before!!!! The registration indicates that he was a widower at the time of the marriage when he was listed as age 34. My grandmother was listed as age 22 (thus shattering the long held belief that my grandfather was a good 20 years older than my grandmother). It also narrows down a bit what year my grandfather was born. Although the registration does not indicate birth dates, at least we can do the math. Charles Henry Wilson's father is listed as a Harvey Wilson employed as a "sea captain" and born in Chicago; his mother's name is listed as Hannah Williams and also born in Chicago. Exciting stuff huh? Oh and the wedding took place in Elgin, Manitoba on May 24, 1921 and witnessed by the bride's sister Lola Anderson and Lola's husband Victor. The social event took place in Oak River, MB where the couple would reside after the wedding.

The other piece of information that I received was my grandparents marriage registration on my father's side. Although I knew their names, this information also provides the names of the witnesses, one being the bride's brother, Benjamin Nunn of Wheatland and a Lulu Johnston of Brandon. My grandmother's name was Mabel Alberta Nunn and my grandfather James Harris Foreman. They were married on October 31, 1906 (Halloween wedding) inWheatland, Manitoba. Of course I knew the name of his parents, William Foreman and Charlotte Melinda Harris. The Foremans came to Manitoba from Ontario and before that from England. Interestingly, the Foreman name actually was Forman and I discovered this weekend from sifting through internet research that it was William Foreman that altered his last name a bit from Forman to Foreman. One Canada census in the late 1800s indicates that William Foreman has a different last name from the head of the household. Don't know why he did that but there you go - mystery solved!

A third bit of information I received was information on the death of my great-grandfather Marshall Bidwell Stiver. He died March 27, 1919, ten days after seeing the doctor; he died of the spanish influenza. He died at home in Elgin with his wife Eva May Stiver (nee Park) at his bedside. Both Stivers are buried in Elgin cemetery. My grandmother Constance is buried next to them; an Anderson grandchild is buried in front of them. The Andersons (Lola and Vic) are buried not too fary away in the same Elgin cemetery. Just thought you might like this little bit of information. My mother gave us a copy of a picture of her grandmother, who must be Eva May Stiver (nee Park) as my mother did not know her father's mother.

I am having no luck uploading pictures again so will try again later.

Baby James

I was going through pictures yet again this morning and came across a few pictures of James. I promised I would get back and post some so that you could enjoy how cute he was when he was so little. By the time this picture was taken of course our Dad had passed over a year before. Next month it will be 12 years since mom passed. Every year from the time dad died mom would say she didn't have much longer herself (depression/anxiety/schizophrenia/whatever the cause) and ultimately she lived 30 more years!

I haven't much to add to that today. Just thought I would post this. I have lots and lots to do today and blogging (or just the web) can just suck your time away until before you know it is suppertime and you got nothin done. Not to mention I have to spend some quality Baxter playing time as well. I'll have more to add, don't worry.

Happy Birthday James!

August 6, 2006 -- My baby brother's 43rd birthday! As per usual we celebrated with dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory, which is James' favorite place to celebrate. The evening was a bit of a comedy of errors as first the restaurant was busy. My meal turned out not to be very good and Olive's lasagna was dropped by the waiter face down on her place setting. Ultimately though we only had to pay for my meal (I ate half grudgingly); the restaurant didn't charge for Olive's meal which was replaced (after waiting a looong time) and of course James' meal was free being that it was his birthday. The waiting staff brought James his dessert topped with a sparkler and serenaded him with the happy birthday song. Simple things usually turn out to be the best.

I was going to post a picture of James in his younger, childhood days but was too distracted to hunt down a good picture. I'll post something like that later.

Yesterday being Friday and the end of the work week, George and I drove around our fair city. The evening was perfect for walking or doing really anything outside. It was perfect temperature and the city was bustling with activity. This is the ending of Week 1 of Folklorama and a walk arond The Forks after dark was entertaining. Outdoor watering holes at riverside with live music at one spot and competing taped music at another was enough to keep the night air humming. We walked around the site and stared at the sky which was being lit by light beams straight up into the sky as if to form a teepee. Darting in and out of the rays you could catch glimpses of fireflies flitting in and out along with sudden bursts of feathered creatures just catching the beam edge. It was just simply a most peaceful evening. I wish I had brought my camera with me last night; Winnipeg in the summer at night is quite a site, I have to admit. Next time .....

.....

Planes, trains and.... well just trains

Well I just had to sit down and get back to my blog. I'm sorry for not being so quick to post. My sister (KL's Mum) basically commented that "it was the pot calling the kettle black" in that I was accusing her of not posting very often! So here I am. I received an email regarding some Forman information just today that I found very interesting. There is a very distant cousin in Ontario who contacted me with information about my great great grandfather John Forman who came to Ontario from England back in the 19th century. Nancy is descended from on of John's sons and I am descended from another! Anyway she contacted me and has been providing me with oodles of delicious information. Well today she wrote to tell me about the discovery of a brother of the original John who also came to Ontario (named Joseph Forman) and mentioned that one of the things that he did was to work on the Great Western Railway. Well, didn't I just sell a picture of one of the first locomotives run on the Great West! The writing on the back of the framed photo claimed it was taken in 1862 and had written in pencil the names of some of the men in the photo. From reading what names I could, I figured one of them to be a Forman (and not a foreman if you know what I mean). My sister Irene and I really looked closely at this picture when I first bought it and really felt that the man (4th from the right hand side) looked an awful lot like a Forman member (we both thought he looked an awful lot like my dad). Well I leave this up to you to judge. I have posted the picture (as I have sold the item just recently) as well as a picture of the man mentioned in the picture who I think looks like a Forman (sorry the system could not upload this picture even though it said it did - how frustrating; I'm seriously thinking of changing blog servers). Hopefully you can zoom in and then get a better look. This was the best I could do under the circumstances. Let me know what you think. Have a look at the picture of my dad in a previous post - check out the forehead and eyes - they seem a dead giveaway to me! Write me and let me know what you think or just post a comment.
http://community.webshots.com/album/551561696DTxkBT By the way, this is the link to my sister Irene's photos taken of the Cancer Care Bear she and her friend designed and painted in Gimli, Manitoba in time for the Icelandic Festival this weekend. For those of you who do not know Irene, she is the lady in the hat with the glasses. The comments in the photos were done by her friend. Irene is so talented - man can she draw and paint. If you are near Gimli, don't forget to stop by the Credit Union and look at the ladies art. Fantastic.

Mothers, Grandmothers and Great-Grandmothers

I returned safe and sound from my "little" vacation to Brandon, Manitoba. My visit with Uncle Merv and Aunt Georgina "Cookie" Wilson was lovely. Georgina and I drove out on Thursday afternoon after lunch to Newdale, Manitoba to see the tea house and gift boutique. They had an open house this weekend which would allow visitors to enter the proprietor's private home to tour their multitude of crafts such as quilts, pottery, art etcetera. When we arrived at the tea house at 2 PM we were asked if we had a reservation (of course we did not phone ahead) but we were able to sit down right away before a reserved group would be arriving later. I thoroughly enjoyed a pot of peach tea and an absolutely scrumptious saskatoon crisp with vanilla ice cream served in a tall baby blue colored cup! Georgina enjoyed a pot of mixed berry tea and lime tart. We both agreed our choices were delicious. I neglected to take a photo before we finished our snack (Krista could give me pointers for sure on this!). I did however take a picture of the charming yellow character home which entertains as a tea room. I also did get a few ideas for what to do with my silly old wood windows still sitting around from my renovation. If you are ever out this way you can't miss the tea room!

On Friday we took a planned trip out to Killarney, to visit Linda who is an old friend of Merv and Georgina, and whose sister had passed away the week before. She was spending some alone time out at her trailer which was parked for the season at the camp site in Killarney near the lake. On the way to Killarney the plan was to stop in Elgin and visit the cemetery where my grandmother, Merv's mother was buried 53 years ago. Unfortunately when she died in 1953, Merv could only afford the funeral and so a stone was never placed. He was unaware that she was buried next to her parents and, being that he had never met his grandparents, was unaware of their names. I had come across an old picture of my mother standing next to a newly planted grave site and recognized Elgin cemetery from my first visit about 2 years ago. Following detailed review of the picture we surmised the exact location of my grandmother. Merv was so happy to be able to locate his mother's resting place and will start making plans to have a stone placed where it should have been so many years ago. We contacted the person responsible for the cemetery and he was quite happy to accommodate our request to place a stone. As you can see from the picture of myself that we took that day, the cemetery has not changed too much in 53 years except the trees are a bit taller. Thank goodness for old pictures! This was a fruitful day all around. Okay, I'm having trouble uploading pictures today. I have tried 4 times to upload the 53 year old picture with absolutely no luck. I'm getting the message that it is uploaded but.... no way. There has to be a better way to do this so that I can have the effect I want. Frustratin'. One more time... I give up!

Here is a picture of Uncle Mervyn Wilson and his wife Georgina "Cookie" Wilson. He will be 78 years young come October 9th and she is so much younger than her husband being 70. She had a nasty fall this spring and fractured her wrist and ankle but has done so well in pushing herself to get mobilized. Good on ya Cookie! Will add the missing picture on another post (if it works).

Road Trip

Yesterday turned out to be a somewhat sad day. A member of my secular family passed away yesterday from a tragic car accident that occurred a week ago. So sad. If I had known on July 1st when I saw him last I would have given him a warm goodbye... you just are not allowed to know these things in advance. My dilemma now is whether to continue with my planned short trip out of town today... or wait to see when the funeral will be held. Hopefully the funeral will not be sooner than Saturday. I really do want to attend, but also do not want to postpone my plans. Will wait until the office opens to find out any news about the funeral.

I won't be posting anything further until returning from my trip (unless it is postponed). To all of you, take care and God protect you.

The Cost of Peacemaking

I've just risen from a very good sleep, turned on the news to see what's going on in this crazy world and wouldn't you know it, we've gone and started (or come out of remission) of another damn war. I cannot understand why we can't just get along. Why are we so territorial as humans? In all of creation (or evolution or whatever) are we not purportedly to be the most highly intelligent of creatures?!?

I think cats are smarter! I am a lover of cats, always have been, grew up with dozens of cats (not all at once of course). I had a very lovely dog for 12 years who passed away just this spring; she was a sweet dog... but cats, I don't know; maybe just my perpetual contact in my formative years, but I love cats. I have a mixed Persian pussycat right now named "Baxter". He is a sweetie. He is even tempered, doesn't want to bite me or scratch me (unless I get too involved in the playing thing - then he forgets he has nails). I've read up about Persians; of all the breeds they are known to be the most easy going, non-aggressive, pleasant kitties to have around. They are good with children... just plain easy going. Can get along with other cats, just generally an all around great breed to have around. Isn't it ironic that the Persian cat originates in the very region that is currently THE hotbed of utter inability to get along????!!!! Unbefrickinbelievable!

I found this book on sale in a bookstore some time back titled "What My Cat Has Taught Me About Life". It is a nice little book of meaningful stories to enable meditation designed for cat lovers but I think appropriate for anyone really. The author is someone by the name of Niki Anderson. I found what I think is an appropriate meditation for these days we are in; just something to ponder over as we watch the news and the people dying for what reason? I am not particularly a political person but I am a caring human who likes to get along and especially likes cats. Follow along.....

"Being a peacemaker may cause some fur to fly"
Ginger, my childhood red Shepherd, and our white cat Scooter were true comrades. When Ginger snoozed near the fireplace, Scooter snuggled against Ginger's pudgy tummy. In their mock fights, Scooter let Ginger hold his head in her jaws. If an intruding cat or a hostile dog ventured onto the cat's territory, Ginger made quick pursuit in Scooter's defense. I was twelve years old when I witnessed an amazing rescue, as Scooter saved Ginger from an irascible dog.
It was long before the days of leash laws. I sat on the front porch stroking Ginger's head, when a Rottweiler strutted down the street. He darted from the curb to the porch in a flash. His sudden approach and the aggression in his eyes terrorized me, and Ginger was totally unprepared for the unprovoked attack which followed. "Stop! Get outta here!" I screamed. Helpless, I watched a blur of wrestling movements so rapid I couldn't distinguish one dog from another.
Scooter ambled around the corner of the garage just in time to see Ginger in grave trouble. To my astonishment, in a split second Scooter leaped into the middle of the fray. Now added to the snaps and growls were hisses and yowls and a tumbling white streak. In an instant, the cat's entrance confused the opponent and he withdrew in bewilderment. With dampened fur, Scooter and Ginger watched the rascal flee as quickly as he had come.
Scooter was an ambassador of peace, but it cost him exposure and risk. The common advice to stay out of the middle may not always apply. Mediators must often place themselves at the center of trouble to negotiate peace. Don't always shun involvement. Jumping in the middle may hasten a peace.
Paws for Prayer: Dear God, give me the courage to go to the center of a conflict if you have appointed me as peacemaker. Amen.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God (Matthew 5:9)

The above excerpt taken from Niki Anderson's, What My Cat Has Taught Me About Life - Meditation for Cat Lovers, published by Honor Books, Inc 1997, Tulsa Oklahoma(ISBN 1-56292-366-8).

Happy Birthday Olive!

July 17, 1944. Today in 1944 she was born (making her 62 years). She was given the name Olive May Foreman, named after our father's younger sister Olive who died at the age of 19. She is the third child in a family of eight; one child died in infancy. She's under the sign of Cancer. She certainly was a cutie and grew up to be quite a hottie as you can see.
She's come a long way, taken the tough road but is still here with us. Hopefully, with the help of Yahweh, or Great Spirit or whatever each of us calls Him (or Her) she'll be with us a good deal longer. That goes for any and all of us, if you consider what's going crazy around this world these days.
My plan for today is to celebrate Olive's being and enjoy a dinner out. We may stop by and visit her daughter Jo Anne and the new granddaughter, just born this June past. It's the third grandchild for Olive (that I am aware of; Olive's son Barney has a child from an earlier relationship and is currently married with no children). Jo Anne has a first born child, Kaeden, who is 7 or 8 I believe. A little girl to join this happy family. Sorry, I am not quite certain of the baby's name but will provide that information on a later post. She was born at the hospital where I work and so I had the pleasure of holding the little angel a day after she was born (a very healthy 9 lbs!)! Jo Anne is a very good momma; I give her credit for all the good work she does with her very active Kaeden - she'll have her hands full with the two of them.
Anyway, back to the purpose for today's post. Today is Olive's birthday and congratulations on this milestone. She is not in the very best of health and so hopefully she'll have many more. At least she stopped smoking for almost two years - and that is somethin'!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVE!!!

George and Joyce Foreman, circa 1941

So here I am posting the picture that for some reason would not upload properly (even though the system told me it had!. As you can see I have changed the style of my blog - looks much softer and more like my personality; I have no edges, I'm completely round all over!!! This is also the reason I have not posted any current pictures of myself. My image is in a constant state of flux; there was a time when I did have edges and I hope to acquire those qualities again. Some day soon. KL's mum if you are reading this you know from where I come. I will be posting more pictures up (as it was pointed out to me that I had too few pictures). Here is a start. I hope you enjoy.

The photo is of course my parents - Joyce Irene Foreman (nee Wilson) and George Foreman (no middle name as far as I know). They were married on November 3, 1940 in Brandon, Manitoba and as far as I can surmise this photo was probably taken in the spring or so of 1941. Dad was about to go off to England. I have to run but keep watching the site and I will try to provide more goodies.

Day of Thunder.....

It's raining outside and it's hot! Yesterday 'twas 35C with a humidex warning of 40C. Today it will only be 27C but with a thunderstorm..... those lovely Manitoba thunderstorms that I remember so well from my childhood. I love these storms. For some they may be frightening but for me it reminds of some of those really happy childhood moments running around outside in our bare feet in the grass with a thunderous down pour to cool us off. Our war time north end house was always so hot, particularly in the upper bedrooms where we slept (or didn't) during the summer. The hard rain has always possessed the ability to make me feel rested and ready for sleep. This day, we'll have another of those hard rains with heat; today though I have central air and the upper bedrooms are much cooler here. I'm having a pretty good day today. I've been on holidays and undertaking some much needed cleansing and preparing to follow through on much needed financially draining work in my almost 100 year old home. It is such a shame that there are so many utterly valuable antique properties that could be so much more if people took the time to keep them up to the standards of today. Of course, I knew that this property would be a task and a half (really I have just seen too many This Old House episodes; I would bound to end up with one). In any case, I have decided I will enjoy the process, stop procrastinating and get down to business.
With all that, I had started with decluttering and organizing my office. With that of course I have oodles of old pictures of family left in my tender care by my mother who passed away almost 12 years now (wow how time flies). Occasionally I wonder how she must have felt inside at this same age that I am now; her circumstances of course were completely different from mine but I imagine how much more difficult it must have been for her. I think I'm pretty lucky (my significant other often tells me this). It must be true but there are times when I just don't feel that way; sometimes I'm just overwhelmed. I talked with my sister Linda (Kootenay Linda) the other day and she feels the same way I do at times. Sometimes I just rack it up to hormones (we're both in THAT stage, you know) and other times I think our lives just get us in a funk and we start reminiscing about the tough periods in our childhood that got us to this point.
I've been catching Oprah's repeats this week; how timely this paricularly series is for me. Her week is all about debt and the reasons for it and how to get out. I usually don't get to watch Oprah but it has been very beneficial for me to be able to see it this week (after I've just been to the bank to sort things out this week - actually for the better this time). I'm on the road to recovery - having a really good day/week. I have decided to not proctastinate any longer. My sister Linda would be ecstatic. Linda, I'm on the way to freedom.
Back to one of the primary reasons for this blog, is to share family information. With going through some pictures, I decided to post a picture of my parents at the beginning of their family. Newly married (doesn't my mother look too young - she was) and dad, well right after getting married he left for the war. I've read little notes left behind in my mother's papers that in retrospect she married way too young. As this blog is getting too big, I'll simply come back to it later and in the meantime post what I have including the picture (if the photo is not visible, it may be too large to view, keep fingers crossed). The photo was taken at my grandmother's farm (George's mother Mabel) about 1941 probably in the spring, going by the vegetation in the background. They were married November 3rd, 1940 and she gave birth at age 18 (barely) to my oldest sister Irene in October 1941 so.....

Graduation!

Here I am again. It's been a little while since I sat down to put pen so to speak to paper so to speak. I am on vacation now, putting this down, and talking on the phone to my significant other. I love multi-tasking. Sometimes I'm even good at it. I worked on the Monday STAT holiday because I missed out on the Friday before my vacation. I missed Friday due to graduation of my great-nieces, that is my nephew's twin daughters Nastassja and Shandeana. They are 17, almost 18 and finished high school. It was just yesterday that I watched them as infants while their parents were off doing something somewhere. Yeesh, makes me feel old; and I don't have any children of my own to gauge my own mortality.
Anyway, it was a real pleasure to see the girls graduate. I missed out graduating myself and many in my family generation did not graduate as well. One of the girls, I am not certain which one, has said she wants to pursue an advertising or graphic arts career. Both girls have said they are taking a year off before going back to school. I hope they don't get used to making minimum wage and decide not to go back to school. Well I have to run but before I go, I have posted a picture of the graduating gals. They are twins so I will not even attempt to indicate who is who. I can't tell them apart; I used to but don't see them often enough to say. The dark, long haired man is papa, John, and grandma - Irene - is my sister who will turn 65 this October. Wow time flies. Congratulations to Nastassja and Shandeana!! Good luck in all your endeavors!

Greetings from a Mature Prairie Girl

Well, well. This is my very first post. I started this because, well let me tell you the story. You see, I am interested in ancestry and all that goes with that, have been for some time. I am at the age, well you know that age when we hit the middle part and you start thinking about your mortality, how much time you got left and where you came from and what you want to leave behind. As well, just from reading KL's web log on a regular basis, it kind of made me feel like I could do that too, just not exactly the same kind of stuff. Funny, earlier this month my 40 something nephew's graduating daughter called me about a genealogy question for a project she was working on for school. Anyway, I was able to provide her with the information she needed. Then I started to think that maybe I should be putting this down somewhere that the younger ones might want to have access to this kind of information. Over the years I have looked into some of this and some of that in relation to the Foremans and really wanted to find out information about my grandfather, Charles Wilson. The one characteristic that seems to be so prevalent in both of these families is non-communication.

The other day I happened to get a phone call at work out of the blue from someone named Nancy Kechnie who stated she was a distant cousin on the Forman side from Ontario. She found me through the internet but her starting point had been with a post I had placed some years ago on Ancestry. com. It was quite an old posting and I had changed my E-mail address at least twice since being to that site. Anyway she found me and was so excited to contact me and to pass along some information on the Foremans that I would not have been able to find probably on my own. Well that whole event led me to think that there were others who might want to connect with me or this Nancy. So here I am. This is a continuation of my journey. I welcome comments from anyone who might have any information or would like information about the Foremans or the Wilsons.

My plan is to post up some pictures that were left to me by my mother (and father) who have long passed. My hope is to share and connect with Foreman (Forman) who came to Canada from the United Kingdom in the 1800s. Also I am hoping to discover my Wilson roots. I did find out last year that I am descended from the Stober (Stoiber, Stiver) family who emigrated to Ontario back in the late 1700s.

Well, I must run. I hope to write again in the next day or so. Will keep you posted.