Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated...

[Divin'Papaw]

So very sorry for your loss Pete.

 

[The Chairman]

A quick update on me... I'm doing well. I mourned for the loss of my sister from the time she went into the hospital about a year ago. I still miss her deeply and I'm reminded of her daily, especially when I see Tinkerbell (her rescue kitty), but I'm doing all right. Her room is being slowly returned to pre-Harriet days, though it will never lose her presence entirely. I've been taking the time to make sure I'm well and have even lost a bit over 15 pounds with somewhere about a billion to go! Thanks to all the locals and not-so-locals who have reached out and kept an eye on me. I've been able to return here to SB, as well as put a lot of time into designing and printing a lot of doodads (I call them trays) to get my desk and shop organized. I've got lots of time now, but still not enough.

One side effect... on cold nights my king-sized bed just doesn't seem big enough. Although there is only one human, all the cats feel they have to cuddle up next to me making it hard to turn... or sometimes even breathe. Also, I have been coaxing Olaf into the house with wet food. The first day he was about a cat length in. Last night he was a bit over two cat lengths in. He ate but was skittish. I might keep his dish there tonight and start moving it deeper as he gets used to it. No rush, but with visits by a bear trying to get food from his already empty dish, I would like to keep the food inside.

Spring is here and was Harriet's favorite time of year. I moved up here for the flowers in spring as well as the caves: it's simply spectacular to see hundreds of acres of phlox. epic blooms of azaleas, and more black eyed Susans than you ever thought possible. She was a horticulturist, and simply loved plants. She was the first person to grow pot legally in Florida back in the 1970s for the Sheriff's departments. Many didn't know what the live plant looked like, and she provided them pics and a chance to see a plant in person. Not much of a beer drinker, the running joke was to look over a field of flowers, pick a few and declare "This bud's for you!". And yes, I'm in tears as I write this. Excuse any typos.

 

[The Chairman]

While cleaning and sorting I found this silver tray adorned in bamboo and cherry blossoms, dated Christmas eve 1940 from the Tientsin Jewish School, with HK in the center. The K is Kloostoboer, my mother's maiden name, but I don't know my grandparents' given names. I have asked my cousin, so hopefully I'll figure that small bit out. My Granddad died in the Bataan death march hoping we were part Jewish. He really did and while he was a lifelong member of the German Club in Tientsin, he opted out when Hitler started blaming Jews for everything. After the war, my mother learned of the death of a blood related aunt in Dachau(?), but I don't recall the name. I don't know if it was on my grandma or grandpa's side, but he would have loved to have known that. In any event, I'll be polishing this up and hanging it on the wall. My mother, her sister, and my Grandma survived WWII in a Japanese run concentration camp just outside of Beijing. Although I wasn't born in China like my sister, it's a heritage we were both proud of being a part of. I'm not sure if I shared this, but when Hospice started a chaplain visited my sister and in getting to know her asked where she was born. I could hear him sigh in disbelief from the living room when she told him China. He was surprised when I chimed in that she wasn't delusional yet, and that yes, she was born in China.

 

[Wookie]

Beautiful, Pete

It would be fun to get a family history together even if only for your daughter. She, like me, are the last of our lines. Did Harriet have any children?

 

[Ukmc]

While cleaning and sorting I found this silver tray adorned in bamboo and cherry blossoms, dated Christmas eve 1940 from the Tientsin Jewish School, with HK in the center. The K is Kloostoboer, my mother's maiden name, but I don't know my grandparents' given names. I have asked my cousin, so hopefully I'll figure that small bit out. My Granddad died in the Bataan death march hoping we were part Jewish. He really did and while he was a lifelong member of the German Club in Tientsin, he opted out when Hitler started blaming Jews for everything. After the war, my mother learned of the death of a blood related aunt in Dachau(?), but I don't recall the name. I don't know if it was on my grandma or grandpa's side, but he would have loved to have known that. In any event, I'll be polishing this up and hanging it on the wall. My mother, her sister, and my Grandma survived WWII in a Japanese run concentration camp just outside of Beijing. Although I wasn't born in China like my sister, it's a heritage we were both proud of being a part of. I'm not sure if I shared this, but when Hospice started a chaplain visited my sister and in getting to know her asked where she was born. I could hear him sigh in disbelief from the living room when she told him China. He was surprised when I chimed in that she wasn't delusional yet, and that yes, she was born in China.

View attachment 770621

View attachment 770622​

It is a fascinating story.
Sorry for your loss.

 

[The Chairman]

Beautiful, Pete

It would be fun to get a family history together even if only for your daughter. She, like me, are the last of our lines. Did Harriet have any children?

She had two sons. One died of the flu a year or so after Harrison passed away, and the other is an electrician in NC. Chelsea has done a search on the Dutch side of the family, which is quite detailed. So, I guess I'll ask her who the "H" is if my cousin fails me. My mom's name was Blanche Hendrika and dad's nickname for her was Hen.

It is a fascinating story.
Sorry for your loss.

I'll read back to see how much I've shared. I've barely scratched the surface and there are a lot of artifacts I'll post pics of in the near future.

 

[The Chairman]

FWIW, Henrietta or Hettie (AKA Grandma K) seems to be the "H" on the plate. She was a lifelong teacher of primary (grade school) and French. She was actually born inHolland, grew up on the Isle of Guernsey, and did not include Dutch as one of her languages. My grandfather was Dutch through and through, but did not count English as one of his, so French was the lingua familia my mother grew up with. We spoke a good bit of French in my family which was corrupted by our time in Louisiana. I do remember that this was of great concern to Grandma K as well as our habit of using our fingers to consume food. She absolutely abhorred KFC as much as she hated the Cajun dialect.

Recently, one of our relatives out of Australia tracked down Grandpa K's gravesite on Java, where he died March 7, 1945...

 

[sheeper]

zikhronah livrakha "may her memory be a blessing".

 

[tridacna]

FWIW, Henrietta or Hettie (AKA Grandma K) seems to be the "H" on the plate. She was a lifelong teacher of primary (grade school) and French. She was actually born inHolland, grew up on the Isle of Guernsey, and did not include Dutch as one of her languages. My grandfather was Dutch through and through, but did not count English as one of his, so French was the lingua familia my mother grew up with. We spoke a good bit of French in my family which was corrupted by our time in Louisiana. I do remember that this was of great concern to Grandma K as well as our habit of using our fingers to consume food. She absolutely abhorred KFC as much as she hated the Cajun dialect.

Recently, one of our relatives out of Australia tracked down Grandpa K's gravesite on Java, where he died March 7, 1945...

View attachment 770721​

You should do a 23andme test. They can be quite enlightening.

 

[Bubblesong]

You should do a 23andme test. They can be quite enlightening.

We did that test and reconnected with my niece that was given up for adoption as a baby.

@The Chairman ; So sorry for your loss! I am praying for you and your sister!