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I’m sure my dad loved my mom very much.  He just wasn’t the kind to go out and buy her a Valentine every year.  In fact, he wasn’t the kind to go out and buy much of anything unless it was new tires for the car or maybe new golf balls.  I don’t  think he was “cheap” per se, just loving in other ways.

I was looking through some old papers yesterday and found this “Valentine” Dad ‘made’ for Mom in 1988. It’s kind of sweet in an innocent sort of way. Mom must have liked the sentiment since she kept it. Probably because he put the hearts on it and said he loved her.

That’s my parents in about 1953, going by my age and size.  They were “newlyweds” of about nine years when this photo was taken.

They were married today (February 5) in 1944.  Both of my parents are deceased now, but I know they’re somewhere together today celebrating their 66th anniversary.  I plan on doing a follow-up story about their wedding too, so stay tuned! 

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Road Kill

The trick or treaters have come and gone now, but Randy, at Genea-Musings - Saturday Night Genealogy Fun wants us to relate a story of our most memorable Halloween.

My story goes back about 23 years but takes place here in Port Orchard, WA. Our son was off to a Halloween function and we were going to pick him up. Our route took us through some housing development areas, but they weren’t all well lighted with street lights.

As we rounded a curve on one dimly lit street we were especially looking out for kids darting across the road. I wasn’t anticipating anyone laying in the middle of the road though! I couldn’t believe my eyes. Here was this lifeless form in the road though.

My husband quickly pulled over to the side and I think I leaped out before the car was even stopped. So many things go through your mind when you see something like that: Did some kid hit another and just leave him or her and take off? Or was a it a case of hit and run? Maybe a deadly case of peanut allergy poisoning. All I knew was that I had to get to that kid before a car came from the other direction and run over him.

As it turned out, a car did come along  just as I got to the lifeless body. I was trying to determine who was laying there and hoping not to get hit myself. As I bent over the ‘child’ it was readily apparent that it was a dummy and someone had probably just tossed it in the road to be ‘funny’. Not much of a joke, and I was furious that I had a hard time getting that first car to stop!  It turned out to be a non-event, thank goodness.

It told me a lot about myself that night though. Even at my own peril, I would risk my life to save someone if I could.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

If you’d like to participate in this fun, here’s what you can do…

1) Think about your most memorable Hallowe’en – was it when you were a child (candy, games, carnivals), a teenager (tricks and treats), or an adult (perhaps a party)?

2) Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post of mine, or in a comment on Twitter or Facebook in response to this post.

3) Have fun!

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For thirty nine years I’ve been the main shopper when it comes to buying Christmas gifts. I’ve slogged through snow drifts and been drenched in the rain, but I can say with certainty that I would rather do my shopping online with sites such as SHOP.com. It’s kind of like “one stop shopping” isn’t it?

Say I’m looking for a specific item like a Disney princess pix micro digital camera for my granddaughter, I can compare the stores, prices, availability and shipping using SHOP.com and not wear myself out trudging all over town.  Click, compare and send it directly to the grandkids. That’s what I do now and the stress level at Christmas (or any time of year actually) is almost nil.

Since this is a genealogy blog, I did a search in at Shop.com for the term genealogy. There were over 300 books, and one whole page of genealogy software I could see with just a cursory glance. And, if you’re on a budget, you can get a price drop alert. That, I like! Will any of you be giving genealogy related gifts this year?  Do you have any special gadgets you’d like to receive?

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We remember those who have served their country in times of war and peace.

Top Left Clockwise: Gregory E. Wilkerson, US Marine Corps – First Iraq War era; William Gale Yates, US Navy – WWII; David N. Yates, US Army National Guard – Vietnam era; Joyce L. Moline Huntley, US Army Nurse – WWII; James K. P. Yates, CSA – Civil War (Tennessee) Center: John Breedlove – US Army – Civil War (Missouri).

Top Left, Clockwise: Richard R. Bean, US Army – Civil War (Iowa); John Whit(t)more, US Army, Medal of Honor Recipient – Civil War (Illinois); Louis Sechrest, US Army National Guard – Iraq War (currently serving, Iowa); Gregory Wilkerson (see above); James A. Wilkerson, US Air Force – Vietnam era (IA); Loren E. Wilkerson, US Navy – WWII (IA).

We remember those who have been our family and friends and are no longer with us. (Sadly, too many to cite).

We honor them with this day of remembrance.

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