When Family Moves Far From Home

Yesterday was an emotional day for me. My son and his family left to move almost 1400 miles away. They won't be back for at least 3 years. The journey is too difficult for me physically, and with 4 young children it would be costly for them to come home, so it will be a long time before I see them again. 

My own sadness paled when I started to think about our ancestors who made such journeys - some even further away - in the days before we had the Internet, Skype, Facetime, Facebook and all manner of instant communication.

Suddenly I understood the anguish that my great-grandmother must have felt when 5 of her 6 grown children left England in the first decade of the 20th century to settle in Canada and Australia. I put myself in her place and shuddered to think of how she felt, knowing she would quite likely not see for many years, if at all. She did make two trips to Canada to visit over the space of 30 years but how dreadful it would have been to not see her grandchildren grow up or hear her own children's voices over those years.

And in earlier years, such as when my ancestors left Ireland in 1846 to escape the Famine Years, it must have been heart-breaking to see their children and grandchildren sail off to N. America, knowing they would never see them again. 

As we said our goodbyes yesterday, we were all dry-eyed until my 10 year old grandson hugged me, would not let go, and began to sob. I felt my heart breaking and I started crying too. My daughter-in-law wiped away tears and we all had one last hug. My grandchildren's little hands waved out the car window as they drove down our driveway. 

I take comfort in knowing that they are only a moment away by phone or the internet. I am also happy for them as they begin a new adventure. But my heart goes out to my long-dead ancestors who must have grieved for years for their children so far from home.

Lucky 13? 13 Things You Never Knew About Me

There's been a fun "meme" going on over on Facebook. You are given a number and using that number you must reveal things that others probably don't know about you.

I was given the number 13 (!!) so here are 13 things you probably never knew about me. (If you want to join in on the comment section of this post, use the number 3)

1. I learned to belly dance when I was in my 30s

2. I detest chocolate - the smell, the taste -- hate it all

3. I love Math! I could do algebraic equations for hours

4. I was once on a game show with host Alex Trebeck (before he was famous) which aired on CBC in 1969. I think I was on in 1970. I won a washer and dryer but Alex kept mispronouncing my name so I corrected him. Yes. While we were on the air....

5. I can play the French Horn

6. I sprained my wrists when I fell off the roof of our porch while handcuffed to the boy next-door. Okay okay we were playing Cops and Robbers and we climbed on the roof (we were the bad guys) and he said "Jump!" and I didn't but he did..... so down I went.

7. As a kid I was terrified of horses so when I was 13 I signed up for horse riding lessons to try to overcome my fear. It didn't work. I'm still scared of horses

8. I was so shy and introverted as a kid that I kept my hair long so it would fall over my face when I read and no one could see me

9. I am geographically & directionally challenged. I can get lost coming out of a store in the mall.

10. I won the medal for highest marks at Wilfred Laurier University when I was getting my B.A.

11. I paint and I used to sculpt. I had a few watercolours in a show several years ago.

12. I am scared of turkeys. They make creepy noises (veet, veet!) and they peck and they are very tall

13. I used to sail competitively and during one race I met Gordon Lightfoot. Well, okay truth is he yelled at me cuz he was peeved.....

A Day Late & A Dollar Short? Freaky (oops FUN) Friday and I'm It!

Kathryn Lake Hogan tagged me to participate in a Freaky (I mean FUN) Friday post of getting to know all about me... Okay I know it's not Friday but I figured better late than never!

Apparently I am supposed to list 25 things you may or may not know about me - arranging them in 5 topic groups of 5 each. 5 jobs I've held, 5 places I've lived, 5 snacks I enjoy, 5 things I doing 10 years ago, and 5 items on today's to-do list.

After jotting down a few items, I realized how dry and uneventful my life has been! I've never had an exciting job like working for the circus.

I've never lived anywhere exotic like Tibet. And I mean, really - who cares about where I lived? Do you honestly want to read about 5 towns or villages or cities I've lived in? I assure you, it's a boring dull list!

And 5 snacks I enjoy? Unless you plan on sending me some of them, why would you care? By the way, I do have a birthday coming up in November in case any reader does care to send me something that is on the list....

By the time I got to 5 things on today's To-Do list, it was snoozeville. So at the risk of losing the few readers I have for this blog, here goes!

Ten years ago I:

* Was a lot younger than I am today
* Had fewer aches and pains
* Was marrying my third husband (aka sweetie)
* Was teaching High School boys who couldn't be in regular school
* Was wishing I was lived in or near Salt Lake City so I could research my family tree every day

Five places I have lived:

* a Haunted House with resident spirit
* a non-winterized cottage on the shores of Georgian Bay - with a one year old child and no heat, no running water and no insulation
* a scummy apartment in a very bad area of Toronto
* the upper floor of a house in the Italian district of Toronto
* a home we designed and built ourselves in the country near Georgian Bay

Five jobs I have had:

You've got to be kidding! How can I choose which 5 of the many I've held? I can't. Apparently I have been less than focused on one specific career. So prepare to be asleep by the time you get to the end of this list

* Library Assistant in Ajax and Toronto Public Libraries
* Waitress - immediately apparent this was not a good careeer choice as on the first night I spilled a full plate of food (turkey, potatoes, gravy and vegeys) on a buxom woman's chest
* Keypunch Operator - anyone care to date themselves by admitting they know what a Keypunch is?
* Coin counter for a Vending Co.
* Bookkeeper in Mortgage Co. in the Big City aka Toronto (I was 19, it was my first full-time job, and I got fired. Not an auspicious start...)
* Teacher of Special Needs Students
* Child Care Worker for Kinark Social Services
* Nursery School Aide
* Tutor for High School Math
* Receptionist for a Dental Office
* Bookkeeper in Opthamalogist office
* Questionaire Writer for Market Research Co.
* Genealogist
* Maid, nurse, secretary, washerwoman, cleaning lady... oh wait, that's called wife and mother!

Five snacks I enjoy:

* Hagen Daz Coffee Ice Cream
* Lays Potato Chips with Kak's Chip Dip
* Hagen Daz Coffee Ice Cream
* did I mention Hagen Daz Coffee Ice Cream? But I don't think you can mail this successfully
* Tim Horton Dutchies

Five things on today's To-Do List

* Continue working on Missing Friends Newspaper Extracts
* Convince sweetie he should make dinner
* Respond to several dozen e-mails
* Go into town for groceries and try to resist the Hagen-Daz Coffee Ice Cream
* Mail presents to grandchildren whose birthdays I missed when I was sick

Here are five genea-blogger buddies I am passing this on to.

* my friend Illya of Genealogy Today News Centre
* Brian aka sweetie of Ancestors At Rest Blog
* my friend Kathi of Ancestor Search Blog
* Rick Crume, who tagged me in January 2007's Tag You're It!
* my new-found cousin Thomas of Destination Austin Family

Tag, I'm It - Continued

As promised, here are the rest of the 5 things you probably didn't know about me (or as I think of it, things no one wants to know and I probably should never have told). The first 2 things I should probably never have told anyone are found here.

3. One of my hobbies is going to antique auctions, stores, flea markets and garage sales. I’m an avid collector. My collections include Snuff Boxes, Coffee Mills, Scales (General Store Candy scales, Hanging scales, Apothecary Scales, Postal Scales, etc), Civil War Era Photo Albums and photos, and much more! I had trouble deciding which of my collections is my favourite but I think it might be this double wheel coffee mill I found at an auction last year. My grandson is sitting beside it, so that gives you some idea of its size.

4. I am not a daredevil but I have several daredevil ancestors. My second cousin, 3 times removed (Stephen Peer) has the dubious distinction of being the only tightrope walker at Niagara Falls to fall to his death. In June 1887 Stephen outdid Blondin by walking across the Niagara River between the cantilever and suspension bridges on the smallest wire rope ever used - only 5/8ths of an inch in diameter. Three days later he fell to his death from the wire. Here’s a photo of my daredevil ancestor walking his tightrope over Niagara Falls.

5. Something else you might not know about me is that I paint – mostly watercolours – and have done some pottery and sculpting. I played French Horn in High School and our band made an LP record (remember them?) which I still have. I also learned to play classical guitar and recorders, and my husband and I used to play duets on Alto and Soprano Recorders – sitting high up on rocks on deserted islands on Georgian Bay.

My only small claim to fame is taking an art class with Canadian artist Sharon MacKinnon (when she was just starting out as an artist) and being taught watercolours by John Hartman

I have tagged three other genealogy bloggers – Illya D’Addezio, Steve Johnson and Brian Massey Let's see if they accept the challenge.

For a list of other’s who’ve been tagged, see Randy Seaver’s blog

Tag! I'm it - here's 5 things you may or may not want to know about me

There’s a new game taking place among Internet bloggers. It’s a take on the game of tag that most of us played in childhood. If you are tagged, you're supposed to blog about "Five Things You Didn't Know About Me." Then you tag other bloggers.

I got tagged by Rick Crume, "The Internet Guy" whose blog can be found here

It took awhile to think about what might be interesting or different enough to talk about, but here goes – 5 things you probably didn’t know about the Olive Tree Lady (and perhaps never wanted to know!!):

1. I have 8 grandchildren and step-grandchildren ranging in age from 1½ years to 17 years – and trying to get them all interested in genealogy has been a challenge. My 8 year old grandson Alasdair loves the Cemetery Challenge game I made up. Each summer when he and his younger sister Lilith come to visit, I give them each a large piece of paper with the name of one ancestor printed out. Then we drive to the cemetery where that ancestor is buried and we see who can find the grave first. A picnic in the cemetery follows. Of course we talk about the ancestor over our picnic lunch. Here we are at last summer’s hunt


2. I have a pet donkey (a Mammoth Jack) called Burr. His brother Ito died last year. I rescued them after they’d been taken from their owner because of neglect. Yes, put the two names together and see what you get…. Here is a picture of
Burr and Ito taken 2 years ago when we first brought them home – they are skin and bones in this photo but soon gained weight.

If you aren't totally bored yet, be sure and check back tomorrow to read more of the "5 Things You Don't Know About Me" plus the names of the bloggers I'm going to tag when I'm done. (Part 2 is finished! Click on the link "read more" to read #s 3, 4,5)

For a list of other’s who’ve been tagged, see Randy Seaver’s blog