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| Bill celebrating Christmas 2010 with our late neighbor Christmas 2010 |
Only three shopping days to Christmas!
Have you got all your shopping done?
Is it me or does Christmas seem to roll around really fast each year?
This weekend here at Casa Tipton-Kelly will be a quiet weekend. Just the way I want it.
This is the first Christmas that I will be without the love of my life, Bill Kelly. Sad times here folks.
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| Bill opening his Christmas gift from his neighbor Barbara Christmas 2010 |
Bill and I never did whoop it up on Christmas but we did enjoy the quiet times spent together during the Christmas celebrations all around us.
Pat is visiting his good friends Paul and Deb right now. He spends his Christmas with them and later, he will visit his brother and his wife and perhaps one of his nephews. In fact he is with Paul and Deb as I write this blog posting.
I didn't do anything today. In fact I didn't even get in my car and take a drive. I thought about going to Food Lion or the Restore Thrift Store but I opted to take a nap instead. It's just too cold outside and I have no desire to mingle and mix with the Christmas crowds. Yes, here in sales tax free Delaware there still are a lot of last minute Christmas shoppers.
Correction, I did do a little bit of updating on my Find a Grave account and my Ancestry.com account. I just found out recently the husband of one of my cousins died earlier this year about the same time Bill died. I'm on the outs with my cousin, she angry with me because I posted on my Ancestry.com account that our grandmother had a child out of wedlock in 1911 when she was only fifteen years old. Our grandmother died when my Mother was just a little over two years old at age twenty-nine.
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| My maternal grandmother, Ethel Darlington Hickman Hadfield. A grandmother I never met. She died at age 29 from complications of childbirth. She had a total of seven children. I will see her in Heaven. I look forward to that day. |
My Mother, before she died asked me to "find out about Uncle Albert." Turns out "Uncle Albert", who was raised as my grandmother's younger brother was actually her son out of wedlock. He died at age eleven years old from diphtheria. I did a lot of research including obtaining death records and birth records. The death record stated that my great grandmother and great grandfather were Albert's parents but the birth record indicated that Albert's actual mother was my grandmother and another man. They were both teenagers at the time. And back in 1911 having a child out of wedlock was a major scandal. Not so much now. Still, my cousin said "Grandmother wouldn't like it if I put that information in my Ancestry.com account." Oh give me a break~! Grandmother is dead. Let the truth come out. So, cousin and I have been estranged ever since. Her choice. This is something I've found out when researching my family history, every now and then one turns up a skeleton in the closet that other family members would prefer to keep in the closet. Wow, did I ever veer of the subject of my quiet Christmas weekend. Anyway, my cousin's husband died this past January. I always liked him and his name was also "Ron."
I made a nice Find a Grave Memorial for him, out of my respect for him.
You know how you just connect with some people? I connected with him. He was a nice guy and even though I didn't know him that long or well, I felt sad when I read his obituary. He was 91 years old though, he had a good run. Like Bill had a good run at 95 and I'm having a good fun at 83 years old.
For years I've joked about not having that long to go but I'm not joking now. The numbers don't like. eighty-three years old is OLD.
I'm tired now. One more trip to Palm Springs but after that trip I'm just going to coast out here at home in Delaware. Maybe a few trips to visit Philadelphia where my eighty-eight year old good friend still lives. I have an eighty-two year old brother who lives in the family homestead in Pennsylvania but we're also estranged. He's a Trumper and blinded by his hatred of "fucking Democrats." I'm done with him. And I don't feel bad about it. He's been difficult his whole life. He's the only brother I've ever had physical fights with. My other younger brother, we never fought. He died a couple of years ago.
With so many of my friends and relatives dying I'm starting to feel like I'm on an island. But you know folks, it doesn't feel bad. It's just another adjustment in my life. This "journey" that has been quite a trip.
I've been meaning to write a blog post about all these scenarios from my life that have been replaying in my mind since Bill died. I've had a very interesting life but I do feel things are wrapping up now. I'm getting for forgetful and I am always tired.
Have a nice weekend everyone.
9 comments:
It's best to spend the holidays peaceful and cozy at home. You have a lot of golden memories and many blessings.
Your maternal grandmother was beautiful. My paternal great-grandmother had a child out of wedlock. She commited suicide in her later years.
Have a wonderful holiday, Ron. Hugs.
I find your ancestry work fascinating. One of my aunts did it; went through all of the family "tree" and who had come when/where from Ireland to Philly. Loved it. I remember looking up my paternal grandparents' grave markers (is that Find a Grave? I can't remember the site name now). Found it; they died when they were 59 and 60 years old! I couldn't believe it. I had such visions of them, when I was young, that they were so old. Hope you are peaceful this holiday; I find it all a bit much anymore...Lots of Christmas lights everywhere in the house makes me happy.
Good to hear from you Jon. I suspect there were more out of wedlock births back around the turn of the century that we don't know about. I know this one had always puzzled my Mother and I'm glad I was able to find an answer as to who "Unlcle Ablert" was. He wasn't her uncle but her half brother.
I hope you have a peaceful Christmas Jon.
Ron
Elle,
I too thought my paternal grandparents were so old when they died but they were only in their fifties. The one grandparent I did know was my maternal grandfather, he was 87 when he died. My Mother was 86 when she died. I'm 83 now, I wonder how old I will be when I die? I never thought I would live to be this old and still be able to take care of myself. Life is indeed interesting.
I hope you have a peaceful holiday with all those colorful lights.
Ron
Happy Sunday Ron---
Just finished baking some chocolate cookies---Yesterday I baked a Cranberry Orange Nut Bread---I follow a blog-Joe My God-And in the overnight thread a guy shared a recipe for Eggnog Loves with Cranberry and Orange---I might make that sometime next week---I used to be an avid baker but not so much now---The reason I got back to baking is that I visit a terminally ill lady that I visit once a week---She is alert and doing well but we know what the end will be---She is in an assisted living home---She is not a cook nor a baker but loves homemade baked goods---Just hold anything with nuts---She is not allergic, just hates them---It all started with me bringing in Americano coffee about once a month and the gay boy in me says we need something to go with it---So in the kitchen I go---Over Thanksgiving, I made Pumpkin Bread---Her choice---I asked he what her favorite Christmas cookie was and she said Chocolate Chip---I never termed them a Christmas cookie but so be it----I will visit her on Tuesday and bring in our coffee drinks-
Your family tree is interesting, to say the least---When I was in 9th grade---Early 70s ---There was a fellow student on our military school bus who was pregnant ---She was going to give birth and the family was going to raise the child as her sibling---I never negatively thought anything of it but thought the option forward was different---I would love to know about my family tree---My father was very secretive of his past---When you asked him about his family it was always why do you want to know---It took a lot of teeth pulling for my father to fill out school forms---He just didn't want to give up any information---I do know he was adopted and his last name was supposed to be Walker but he used Cooper---When he divorced my mother and we went to live with his stepmother and father for a short period ----I remember him coming back and saying his new wife was our mother----We said no---Who is this strange woman who barely spoke English---I found out my father had a brother when I was probably in my late 40's---The only reason is that he retired in Sacramento and his brother who lived there reached out---So I was never raised with Uncles, Nieces, Aunts, Grandmothers, Grandfathers and other extended families ---Those terms are foreign to me---My mother and father are now deceased and trust me there are secrets taken to the grave---As I go older I felt that my stepmother was coloring my and her history---
Well, you are probably getting up from your nap---Have a great evening and week---
Victor
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Ron.
Jan uit Perth,
Right back at you! Have a wonderful Christmas!
Ron
Vic,
I always appreciate your comments. Thanks for sharing this with me and my other blog followers.
Ron
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