Pandemic
I really should write something about this time.
We are in a pandemic called " The Corona Virus.
Lots of people are recovering ...but lots of people are not  We.are about 3 months in and "BIG PHARMA  
is racing to perfect an inoculation that will wipe this scourge from the face of the earth.

Most business and events are closed or cancelled .

I'm so lucky to have family across the street to make sure I don't starve or go crazy from being alone.
of course I have my books and music ...dance floor, ect.  I do talk to Grace every night on one device or another,

Today I am watching the second attempt to send two Astronauts to the Space station. around 6:30 pm,  weather permitting.These guys have amazing patience....I'm itching all over just watching them in those suits.

January slipped right by.

Here we are in heart month already. I am getting to fitness Y classes as often as I can. Will not drive in the snow or slush. However, if I miss my blood pressure climbs.
The first Sunday in the month was Superbowl Sunday.
The Kansas City Chiefs won ..first time in 50 years. 
That Sunday was also Groundhog day and Candlemas day and also a rare palindrome date, 
02/02/2020. All were to be celebrated.

Mary Jane Rapp Anglin's letter to her Sister

1935
          Written on stationery with dad's job letterhead:
             Thacker Sign and Scenic Studio
               118 1/4 So. Buffalo St.
                 Warsaw,  Indiana

                                               Winona Lake Ind.
                                                Chestnut Ave.
                                                November 20,1935

Dear Ina Mae,
Don  just came home for dinner and gave me your letter. Our stove generator wouldn't function this morn so Don sent for a new one. We had to have a cold dinner; salmon, celery, fruit, and cake. He's making a pattern for the big black cats I'm going to put on the curtains for Kayo and Janney's room.
I have my kitchen and bathroom curtains finished and up. 

Don said (during dinner ) that we would come out Thanksgiving afternoon and you can come back and stay until Sunday.

Aunt Lidia was here Tues. afternoon for about 2 hours and said that you were over to Grandmother's Sun. nite.  I don't suppose we will
have any Christmas over there as we usually have.

I haven't heard from Beryl since I live here but I wrote her last week. I imagine there is a letter down at the post office. Don is just now going down to see.
I heard Elenor Powell sing and tap dance over the radio about 15 minutes ago. 
Kayo and Janis are over their colds and their eyes are o.k. We had Kayo up to Doc Baum's last evening for a physical examination. He said he was all o.k. except that he needs Cod Liver Oil to ward off colds. What a relief!
I'm glad you wrote please write again. We were up to see Mac and Doyle last night and they were out here Tues. night. Now I must close Don wants to go.

                                         Lots of love,
                                           Your sister,
                                                Mary

                 

Back in the saddle

 We celebrated with Sam as he turns 21 tomorrow. I am sure there will be other  celebrations but last night he put up the manger scene and he hung his personal ornament on the tree here.
Sam is Graces third and preseeded the the twins by two and one half years. 
This lake house is more like a cottage so I had Sam paint a little door sign calling it "Glenjanny"...a little like the early cottages in Winona . That is where Glen spent most of his formative years.

We got December early!

I'm sure there have been very cold Novembers but not in my remembrance. 

Long family in the way back machine.

I originally hand wrote this on an old yellow tablet that resembles the "goldenrod" pad with which we all started school. There was a hacking problem trying to get into some programs...so i had to have my beautiful rose gold HP wiped and inspected. Now everything has to be reinstalled. Arrrgh!!!

Back to genealogy:  Both Glen and I have a lot of family behind us. I have the Anglins,Rapps,Kitchs
and Rushers. Glen has the Longs, Hoovers, Garrards
and the historic and legendary Dotys. One must start somewhere so I will begin with Edward Doty on. the Mayflower. You can find the timeline on this post from a few years back.

One reason I want to start there is it it is easier. The Mayflower society has already awarded authenticity
to Glen's family tree through his grandmother Long's family. 

I remember Grandma Long and do not remember ever hearing her talk about her family history.
Glen's aunt Gurthie told us she had heard her mom talk about it when she was young. The researchers were working on it during her lifetime in another branch of the family. 
Grandma Long was not effusive with her speech; she usually kept her thoughts to herself.
The ancestor of our history was not one of the venerated leaders of the pilgrims. He was an indentured apprentice/servant, which makes him even more interesting in my estimation. I'm Grandma* Long now and I'm talking. 

Edward Doty, the "pilgrim" in question was written about in an almost comically pejorative way. He was a young man aboard the Mayflower as one of the "others " ....what we might call support staff. After landing, he got into a few scrapes with"Pilgrim law"

When he matured he owned land and became an upstanding member of the community.
The good things Edward did have been largely
overlooked. He helped build the first sheltering buildings including most of Stephen Hopkins dwelling almost singlehandedly. He helped with the sick and dying  that first horrible winter they lost one half the people. He was one of the signers of the Mayflower compact and many years later his daughter married Miles Standish's son.

      *I prefer to be called Grammy or Gram.

Days gone by in a blur

What a miserable hunk of time...starting with a wind storm which brought down half of a favored tree onto my little red Grand Am causing it to be totaled. The really miserable part was searching for documentation for insurance and licensing.
The up side is my new Buick Encore, red again, and cleaned and sorted office files.
During that futile search for my former car title I found some journaling labeled "writing list", should have said recap.
1997: After a terrible Spring because Glen went through heart surgery w/complications. We got the go ahead to take a trip to Niagara Falls w/Nick.
1998: Spring break..Glen was awarded a stay at a major resort hotel (4 star) in Hilton Head. Nick went along and we had a great ocen vacation. Then we went on down to Atlanta to see Chris.
1999: Kicked off our presidential and family history tours. Plymouth Plantation for family and Quincy Ma. for John Adams homes.
2000: Spring break..8 presidential sites in Ohio were part of a whirlwind trip with great hotel pools for Nick a highlight.
2001: History trip to  Virginia where we visited 8 more presidential sites.
2002 Mary joined us on our history tour to Lincoln (Springfield Il.), Truman (Independence Mo.) and Eisenhour (Ks.) where we visited aunt Cecily and took her along. 

                    My little red Grand Am