Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[Ohiopirate02]

I have attempted to trace my family tree, but can only go do far.  Between Hitler, Stalin,  and family members fudging the truth, I can only go so far.  Its impossible for my to find any information before my ancestors boarded their respective ships to come to America.   I have seen some pictures of my paternal grandfather's old family homestead in the Ukraine.   My dads cousin has pictures that my great grandmother must have saved.  

On my mother's side, my one great grandfather and his brother liked to spin tales about their childhood and how they got here.  I believe it was because they were considered the illegitimate offspring of the village whore back home.  There is a story there that they never told, and they both chose to take the name of their village as their surname.   Their mother had a different last name than them that she kept even after immigrating to America,  marrying a man here, and divorcing him.  My aunt has done some research and found her divorce decree in Ohio.  My great great grandmother was a character.   

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Count me in the no column for giving up my DNA. My reasons are all over the place, including some that might seem paranoid to some. Genealogy does fascinate me though. 

I received a FB message about a year after my dad died. The woman thought my dad might be her father. Her DNA test was pointing in that direction and she asked if I would call her.  So I gave her a call. She asked if I, or any of my siblings, would take a DNA test. I told her no. Anyway after talking for over an hour, exchanging a couple of pictures, we both agreed it was highly unlikely my dad was her dad. I told her to save my number and call me back if things still pointed toward my dad and I would call her if any of my siblings would agree to get tested. That was 5 or 6 years ago. She's never called back.

None of my relatives have done DNA tests and that was the only thing that led this woman to me. How does that work when there's no other DNA? Because I'm unsure of how this all works, it made wonder about the phone call even more.

 

One way would be if someone who joined Ancestry completed an online family tree using all their known relatives and the woman who found you used Ancestry to find genetic matches and then was able to access a family tree which somehow linked into your father.  Since people are doing this themselves and most have no training or experience, there are a lot of glitches in the family trees.  Many people don't seem to realize how many common names there are, and, if someone of that name is found in the general geographic area, they add them to their tree without verification.

I put up a tree on ancestry a while back and found multiple people 'linking' to my tree on the basis of having ancestors with the same or similar names as one of my ancestors.  My maternal grandfather, who had a very German surname that I didn't think would be all that common; got linked into multiple families by such errors.  Each time there is a match, Ancestry notifies the owner of the tree and, each time, I went in to the site and, within 5 minutes, was able to figure out that the person linked was not related to my grandfather based on census records, dates of birth, military records, etc.  I all cases, it was somebody researching who was far out on a distant limb of their tree who was essentially guessing that my grandfather was their second cousin twice removed or whatever and I was able to point them to the documentation proving he wasn't the guy they were looking for.

I haven't done a lot of research, but my mom's family tree is fairly straightforward, at least in the US.  Her ancestors from both parents, came to the US prior to the Revolutionary War and mostly lived in the same part of western PA where most people are buried in church yards and a lot of the tiny rural churches kept records and put a lot online.  One of my cousins did a lot of legwork out there a few years back and found a bunch of graves and laid out the map.  My sisters and I went one weekend, and along with another cousin, drove from church to church to look at the stones.  Very moving; especially finding the grave of my great great grandfather, who had been in the Union Army during the Civil War.

My dad's family came from Germany and Poland in the late 19th-early 20th century and tracing things back to the old country is really tough, both because of the loss of people and records in WWII, but also because the information we have is filtered through my aunt, who gave us a bunch of names and places that she remembered her grandparents talking about when she was a child.  She only remembered how the names and places sounded; she didn't know the spellings and she was just a little girl when she heard them; so it can be tough to link her memory to an actual person or place.

Edited January 23, 2021 by doodlebug

[ouinason]

I'm lucky that my maternal grandfather's family tree is researched pretty far back, I'm clueless about the rest.  My paternal grandfather is tricky since his name was changed by accident in the Army in the 50's and he never bothered to fix it.

[emma675]

I did 23andMe, more for the personal and health data than anything else. No interesting relatives have fallen out of the woodwork so far but I did discover I'm part Native American (just a tiny bit). When my brother and I were talking about this, my dad was all "oh yeah, on my side your great grandmother's first husband was part Choctaw, but it wasn't talked about during that time." So he knew all along! Those genes are definitely not showing up anywhere obvious in my super pale, blue eyed self.

My mom's side is boringly straightforward. She has a relative that has traced the family tree all the way back to England in the 1700s. She did try to get creative and link a king to our family but we all know it's not true, lol.

Edited January 23, 2021 by emma675d

[rue721]

There was a lot of back and forth across countries on my maternal side, and between all the travel and residency and citizenship and name change documents, all that immigration leaves surprisingly good records! Plus, they tended to marry and divorce a lot. On the other hand, the paternal side of the family had very common names and less legal immigration/marriage/divorce, so they’re much harder to trace.
 

I stumbled onto Ancestry.com a few months ago, and even though I’m not interested in genealogy per se, it’s so interesting to look into the details of these individual lives, it makes history come alive in an interesting way. If I had been making up the story of my great grandmother’s life, it would have been so much more boring and stereotypical than the truth, because I would never have thought to put in as much upheaval and drama (and straight up effort/grit) as actually happened. And she was just an ordinary person, so I assume that’s true of everyone! Sometimes it’s wild to think about how little actual human beings have changed, even if society has. I mean, you see the personalities shining through in these life choices and descriptions and it’s honestly pretty interesting.

[QuinnInND]

This. 

I've wanted to find my bio dad just for my information. I'm just not sure about sending off my DNA to someone. 

[Ohiopirate02]

3 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I haven't done a lot of research, but my mom's family tree is fairly straightforward, at least in the US.  Her ancestors from both parents, came to the US prior to the Revolutionary War and mostly lived in the same part of western PA where most people are buried in church yards and a lot of the tiny rural churches kept records and put a lot online.  One of my cousins did a lot of legwork out there a few years back and found a bunch of graves and laid out the map.  My sisters and I went one weekend, and along with another cousin, drove from church to church to look at the stones.  Very moving; especially finding the grave of my great great grandfather, who had been in the Union Army during the Civil War.

My dad's family came from Germany and Poland in the late 19th-early 20th century and tracing things back to the old country is really tough, both because of the loss of people and records in WWII, but also because the information we have is filtered through my aunt, who gave us a bunch of names and places that she remembered her grandparents talking about when she was a child.  She only remembered how the names and places sounded; she didn't know the spellings and she was just a little girl when she heard them; so it can be tough to link her memory to an actual person or place.

I also have one side of my family who date back to before the Revolutionary War and who lived in Western Pennsylvania.  My family had land in a couple of counties--Greene and Fayette.  My dad's siblings knew of the old farmstead and I have heard about it in passing conversations.  I have done some research and some of their graves pop up on Find-a-Grave.  The people living in Central and Western Pennsylvania take their cemeteries seriously and their records are impeccable.  I have not made any trips out to see the graves in person yet.  It's a bit of a hike.  I have not found any Civil War records on that side, but I do know that I qualify to be a Daughter of the Revolution.  I have not taken the steps for this because for years you needed the primary sources dating back to the 1770s.  I fell on the side of the family who did not get those, and the ones who did refused to share.  Now all I have to do is prove I am related to whichever cousin who was already admitted.  So all I need are my birth certificate, my parent's marriage license, my dads birth certificate, my grandparents marriage license, my grandmother birth certificate, and her parents marriage license.  Doable, but costly.

[DangerousMinds]

14 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

I should clarify that I wasn't looking to find my bio parents. I really just wanted to know if my ethnic heritage was what my bio mother told the adoption agency. Turns out that she knew enough about my bio dad to know where he came from.

I was adopted as a baby, with no knowledge of either birth parent. I joined 23 & Me a couple years ago wanting to find out my ethnic heritage, and wound up finding a half sister. She has reached out to me but I’m still not sure if I want to pursue a relationship. 

[doodlebug]

52 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I also have one side of my family who date back to before the Revolutionary War and who lived in Western Pennsylvania.  My family had land in a couple of counties--Greene and Fayette.  My dad's siblings knew of the old farmstead and I have heard about it in passing conversations.  I have done some research and some of their graves pop up on Find-a-Grave.  The people living in Central and Western Pennsylvania take their cemeteries seriously and their records are impeccable.  I have not made any trips out to see the graves in person yet.  It's a bit of a hike.  I have not found any Civil War records on that side, but I do know that I qualify to be a Daughter of the Revolution.  I have not taken the steps for this because for years you needed the primary sources dating back to the 1770s.  I fell on the side of the family who did not get those, and the ones who did refused to share.  Now all I have to do is prove I am related to whichever cousin who was already admitted.  So all I need are my birth certificate, my parent's marriage license, my dads birth certificate, my grandparents marriage license, my grandmother birth certificate, and her parents marriage license.  Doable, but costly.

I'm also qualified to join the DAR.  Apparently, some of my maternal grandfather's female relatives were members and, supposedly, when I was born, my grandfather submitted my name as a descendant.  That was over 60 years ago, though, and I've never bothered to find out if whatever he did back then would get me into the club.  

My grandfather's family was from White County area in western PA.  My grandmother's family was from Cambria County.

Edited January 23, 2021 by doodlebug

[Jenniferbug]

7 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I'm also qualified to join the DAR.  Apparently, some of my maternal grandfather's female relatives were members and, supposedly, when I was born, my grandfather submitted my name as a descendant.  That was over 60 years ago, though, and I've never bothered to find out if whatever he did back then would get me into the club.  

I'm qualified as well (paternal side) but never bothered to look into membership or what documentation was required. I mostly think of it as the club from Gilmore Girls lol

[doodlebug]

32 minutes ago, Jenniferbug said:

I'm qualified as well (paternal side) but never bothered to look into membership or what documentation was required. I mostly think of it as the club from Gilmore Girls lol

They seemed like they were stuffy and uptight to me, at least, when I was growing up.  I can't remember the last time I heard anything about the DAR in the media, though.

When I did Ancestry DNA, there were no surprises. my sister and a couple of first cousins popped up as close relatives.  There were a bunch of matches with distant relations who shared 3% of my DNA or less, I didn't know any of them and wasn't curious enough to reach out.  Both of my parents came from large families and I've got a lot of distant cousins I've never met.

Edited January 23, 2021 by doodlebug

[Zella]

I'm eligible for DAR through several ancestors, but I've never pursued the application. Our local DAR chapter occasionally pops up to sponsor a local essay contest for schoolchildren, but I've gotten the old lady version of a "good ol' boys club" vibe from the stuff I've seen. 

[emma675]

37 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I'm also qualified to join the DAR.  Apparently, some of my maternal grandfather's female relatives were members and, supposedly, when I was born, my grandfather submitted my name as a descendant.  That was over 60 years ago, though, and I've never bothered to find out if whatever he did back then would get me into the club. 

Qualified here, too, on my mother's side. I think my maternal grandmother may have actually been a member but later generations haven't pursued it. It seems like a lot of work and money for not a great amount of payoff. Plus, the few ladies I've met who are DAR members were real bitches about it, like it was this exclusive club and I should be graced by their presence, Yeah, no thanks. 

[Ohiopirate02]

42 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I'm also qualified to join the DAR.  Apparently, some of my maternal grandfather's female relatives were members and, supposedly, when I was born, my grandfather submitted my name as a descendant.  That was over 60 years ago, though, and I've never bothered to find out if whatever he did back then would get me into the club.  

My grandfather's family was from White County area in western PA.  My grandmother's family was from Cambria County.

My mom's parents grew up in Cambria County.  Both of my great-grandfathers were coalminers and lived in Lilly.  My great-grandfather on my dad's side bounced around Cambria and adjoining counties trying to be a coalminer before deciding to move the family to NYC.  They lived in a few places Nanty Glo and Scot Glen are two I know of.  My great-grandfather was pro-union and didn't last very long at any of the mines.  

The DAR relaxed their rules a few years ago because they were losing members.  They became too exclusive and bitchy and no new people wanted to join.  

[ginger90]

My daughter  was scheduled to get the vaccine on Monday. It was postponed, and she got it on Wednesday. She said her arm  wasn’t sore, but she had a bad headache/sinus ache, and  felt really “weird”,  wobbly and drunk. That lasted through her shift on Thursday, but now all is well. Another nurse she works with felt the same, and they got the vaccine the same day, and worked the same shift the next day.

[iwantcookies]

44 minutes ago, Jenniferbug said:

I mostly think of it as the club from Gilmore Girls lol

Same!

[emma675]

16 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

My daughter  was scheduled to get the vaccine on Monday. It was postponed, and she got it on Wednesday. She said her arm  wasn’t sore, but she had a bad headache/sinus ache, and  felt really “weird”,  wobbly and drunk. That lasted through her shift on Thursday, but now all is well. Another nurse she works with felt the same, and they got the vaccine the same day, and worked the same shift the next day.

Was it the first or second dose? Everyone I know who's gotten the first dose said they had a sore arm for a day or two, but no other real side effects. My mom and cousin got the second dose and felt like they had the flu for 36-48 hours and my dad didn't have any side effects from either dose. It seems to vary wildly from person to person. I'm on every waiting list available in my county, so I hope to get notice soon (I'm in the 1B group since I've got autoimmune stuff).

[ginger90]

1 minute ago, emma675 said:

Was it the first or second dose?

It was her first.

[Suzn]

I've been doing genealogical research for over 25 years.  I was interested before but until internet research became possible, it was too much to take on.  My start was from notes my mother had made for me - unfortunately, my mother was already gone as were all the people who could have answered questions.  I didn't know enough to ask questions until it was too late to do so.  

I've connected with some very well researched family lines so I've got information back to those arriving in 1634 and about a dozen ancestors would qualify me for the DAR, though I've never bothered to do so.

I've done the Ancestry DNA test and it was consistent with my research with few surprises.  It clearly eliminated the idea that I had Native American blood, which was a family story that I had never found any confirmation of.  The interesting thing was a small amount  of Scandinavian ancestry, which I believe had to be some mingling of Vikings with people in Scotland and Ireland.  I didn't come up with any close relatives that I didn't already know of.  I understand why some people are leery of getting a DNA test, but it doesn't worry me in the least.

There is a huge amount of crap information out there and anyone who want to build a family tree needs to document wherever possible and always, always use some common sense in using the information found.  I have well over three thousand people in my database and though I have been very careful, I'm sure there are errors.

Before this turns into a book - my most recently arrived ancestor to this country was my great-grandfather with his small son, my grandfather.  He came from Prussia in 1882 and was naturalized.  I have information about him from census records and a few other things, but prior to arriving, stands a high brick wall and I don't know how to pierce it.  If I could find naturalization information, I might be able to get somewhere but I can't find it.  The hunt goes on.

[GeeGolly]

I know about 50+ folks who have their first dose of the vaccine and about a dozen or so who've had both doses. With both Pfizer and Moderna. Every single one complained of arm soreness, from mild to severe. Only one had severe symptoms from the first dose. She described as having weird body sensations, migraine headache, nausea and a fever in the 100s. It lasted about 2 days. Of the one's who got the second dose, the symptoms they had were mostly mild and included headaches and extreme exhaustion and one with what he said felt like he was getting the flu, but still relatively mild.

That small real life sample makes me feel a little more reassured for when my turn comes.

[louannems]

26 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

I know about 50+ folks who have their first dose of the vaccine and about a dozen or so who've had both doses. With both Pfizer and Moderna. Every single one complained of arm soreness, from mild to severe. Only one had severe symptoms from the first dose. She described as having weird body sensations, migraine headache, nausea and a fever in the 100s. It lasted about 2 days. Of the one's who got the second dose, the symptoms they had were mostly mild and included headaches and extreme exhaustion and one with what he said felt like he was getting the flu, but still relatively mild.

That small real life sample makes me feel a little more reassured for when my turn comes.

My husband, age 70, got his first dose of Moderna  last Tuesday.  He had no side effects at all, other than very mild arm soreness for a couple hours. He did have to stand in line outdoors for an hour in 37 degrees.  

[ozziemom]

Ozziedad and I got first vaccine yesterday, we got the Moderna. Here in Florida vaccine registration has been quite the cluster f**k. Sarasota County finally set up online process and we had appointments the next day. It was held at a park with huge parking lot, so we never left our car. Whole thing took 5 minutes than additional 15 minutes to make sure no serious problems. We both have a sore arm today but not bad at all.

[Love2dance]

Mr. Dance and I got our first vaccine Tuesday (Moderna) in our cars with about an hour wind around the parking lot  like an amusement park queue. Very organized and smooth. My arm was sore that night and next morning, just like the flu shot. My hubby’s arm never hurt at all. We are feeling very grateful. And old.

[QuinnInND]

Went ice skating today with the kids. I was taking video of the kids skating for my MIL, and wiped out. My phone went flying across the ice. My son retrieved it for me while my husband helped me get up. Nothing broken, but my dignity was bruised. My hip probably will be as well tomorrow. 😂🤦‍♀️

Edited January 23, 2021 by QuinnInND

[Jeeves]

@GeeGolly, what you report about the second dose of the vaccine is consistent with what I've heard. I had very minor arm soreness on the day of the first shot (Moderna), but based on all that I have heard I wouldn't be surprised if I have more of a reaction to the second dose. I just now went into my work calendar and blocked off the day of my second dose appointment and the following day as "out of office." It's a situation where I can set boundaries and plan days off. I'd rather forgo the money I'd make working those days, than have to slog through a workday or two feeling bad. I'm too old to deal with that kind of stress. So, I'm just not. This is a temp gig that's a welcome thing because it keeps me busy when I'd otherwise be bouncing off my walls during the pandemic, and the extra money is deeply appreciated. But. For once in my life I'm enjoying drawing some healthy boundaries. Like, I'm looking at myself doing that and thinking, wow, who ARE you? 🤣

@QuinnInND, I hope your ego is all that was bruised and you get over any aches and pains quickly. Ice skating does sound like fun! I grew up in areas that barely got winter, but I learned to ice skate (took lessons) in my 30's after moving to Colorado. I never was great at it but enjoyed the occasional skate session. I'm afraid to take my age 70+ bones out onto the ice these days, so keep enjoying it on my behalf. 🙂

Edited January 23, 2021 by Jeeves

[Love2dance]

Ouch! Glad nothing is broken. Take care @QuinnInND.

 

 

[Quof]

41 minutes ago, QuinnInND said:

was taking video of the kids skating for my MIL, and wiped out. My phone went flying across the ice.

Did it keep recording as you fell?

[Scarlett45]

54 minutes ago, QuinnInND said:

Went ice skating today with the kids. I was taking video of the kids skating for my MIL, and wiped out. My phone went flying across the ice. My son retrieved it for me while my husband helped me get up. Nothing broken, but my dignity was bruised. My hip probably will be as well tomorrow. 😂🤦‍♀️

That sounds so painful! Feel better. 

[QuinnInND]

6 hours ago, Quof said:

Did it keep recording as you fell?

It did.  😂😂 Flipping and tumbling and landing face down. Next thing you see is my son picking it up and looking at it and saying it's still working. 😂

Edited January 24, 2021 by QuinnInND

[Bewitched]

My colleagues and I have completed our vaccination process and I can also say that the second shot (Pfizer) gave me "flu-like" symptoms.  To the point that my employer is now asking all front line workers not to schedule themselves to work the day after the second shot.  SO many call outs across the hospital due to vaccine side effects.  

I'm so glad to hear that more areas are moving to Phase 1b.  My employer has taken on the responsibilities of vaccinating the teachers here but my sister-in-law elsewhere in VA has no idea when she will get her shot.

[zoomama]

1. as you know by now, genealogy is a passion of mine. it has been so very interesting to learn about my heritage. also, i have helped several friends and family members in their searches. i feel like my  questions for me are answered but i keep digging away at my search to clarify details and documents. its a challenge for me. 

2. i have no idea when i will get the vaccine. i am 1C on the list. its tough here where i live to even figure out how to get ON a list. i didnt want to take it for the whole time of the pandemic. but in the last few weeks i have been thinking that its better for me to take it and be a test dummy for reactions than for my grandchildren to have to do it. not that i wouldn't want  to protect them, but i figure out that after all us oldies-but-goodies get ours and have whatever reactions to it we get, they will fine-tune it by the time the children get it, i hope. 

3. went for a short drive today and lo and behold, it began to snow!  (this is huge for us cali folks that have warmth all the time). the temperature dropped about 10 degrees in about a quarter mile. next thing i know ...snowflakes. then lots of huge snow flakes. seriously considering getting up at 6a.m. and driving back there to see all the unblemished fields of snow and  beautiful snow-capped trees....before everyone finds out it snowed there. 

[Quof]

3 hours ago, QuinnInND said:

It did.  😂😂 Flipping and tumbling and and landing face down.

Then you must share it with your mother in law.  Did it pick up any bad words? 

[Absolom]

1 hour ago, zoomama said:

2. i have no idea when i will get the vaccine. i am 1C on the list. its tough here where i live to even figure out how to get ON a list. i

I'm in SoCal and just went on the waiting list this afternoon.  When your category opens up in your county there is a website (statewide) where you complete your entry and get an appointment or go on the wait list.  If you go to the local health department webpage, you should be able to find their vaccination page and get more details.

[emmawoodhouse]

@Absolom, do you have a link to the State site? I don't even know where to begin to find it. TIA! 🙂

[Absolom]

It's county by county.  I'm in San Diego and this is the county webpage:

https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/programs/phs/community_epidemiology/dc/2019-nCoV/vaccines/COVID-19-VaxEvents.html

The sign up is by site and is tied to the county so you need to find your county's vaccination page.

Example: https://cw.calvax.org/client/registration?clinic_id=10377

That was for the super clinics in our county.

This seems to be set up for health department offices:

https://myturn.ca.gov/screening

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2021 by Absolom

[QuinnInND]

38 minutes ago, Quof said:

Then you must share it with your mother in law.  Did it pick up any bad words?

A couple.  😂 I shared it with her. She laughed. I even posted it on my Facebook page. 😂

[emmawoodhouse]

15 minutes ago, Absolom said:

It's county by county.  I'm in San Diego and this is the county webpage:

https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/programs/phs/community_epidemiology/dc/2019-nCoV/vaccines/COVID-19-VaxEvents.html

The sign up is by site and is tied to the county so you need to find your county's vaccination page.

Example: https://cw.calvax.org/client/registration?clinic_id=10377

That was for the super clinics in our county.

This seems to be set up for health department offices:

https://myturn.ca.gov/screening

 

 

 

THANK YOU!!!! 

[ChiCricket]

On 1/22/2021 at 7:28 PM, Scarlett45 said:

On 1/22/2021 at 6:45 PM, ChiCricket said:

 

I can imagine that’s a shock! What does your sister think of this revelation? Where does your sister fall in the birth order?

I'm am the 5th child out of 7..she is the 6th (and we are only 10 months apart!)

Plus, my sister Alison's chart updated itself more today, and my sister Alison has a ½ sister!!!! Not one of us knew of her...at ALL.😭

(guessing this sister was from my (beloved) dad messing  around 😭...because I was born in May of 1952 , my (now ½) sister Alison was born February 22 1953, and Alison's ½ sister was born in November of 1952..so she couldnt be a baby my mom gave up for adoption, right?! I mean as in physically impossible?

(I'm probably am not making sense...) Tell me if you think I have this wrong, please.

Ps now my brother's chart is updating (the brother I just found out last year was my ½ brother)...And keeps timing out..

It now tells us to check back again tomorrow (everyone in the know in our family is sharing all sign in info for everyone who got tested.)

Either too many of us on the sites gawking all at once, or their computers have shorted out from all of our family mayhem, and they can't compute! 😂

Edited January 25, 2021 by ChiCricket

[emma675]

I'm on the waiting list for the vaccine in 3 counties in my area now and trying to get on a 4th. I'm in group 1B since I have autoimmune stuff, but it looks like it's going to be a while. Our main county has a waiting list of over 200,000 people and growing. I'm happy so many want to get vaccinated but our county needs to get much better at fine-tuning the process. They aren't providing any regular updates and the whole thing almost got shut down by the CDC this week because it was discovered that they weren't being fair in the distribution process (wealthy zip codes were getting the majority of the vaccines). It's a cluster.

Edited January 24, 2021 by emma675d

[awaken]

@emma675totally agree. I added myself to another waiting list today. And I’m only discovering them by random posts by friends of links that worked for them. On my state and county website there’s lots of info but apparently no way to sign up. They’ve already moved on to the next group and I still can’t figure out how to get mine!  

[Scarlett45]

10 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

guessing this sister was from my (beloved) dad messing  around 😭...because I was born in May of 1952 , my (now ½) sister Alison was born February 22 1953, and Alison's ½ sister was born in November of 1952..so she couldnt be a baby my mom gave up for adoption, right?! I mean as in physically impossible?

(I'm probably am not making sense...) Tell me if you think I have this wrong, please.

Not exactly- that means Allison’s 1/2 sister born November 1952 is her paternal half sister. 

No way your Mom had a baby May 1952, then again in November (that survived), and then had Allison in Feb 1953..... so the November 1952 child is ALLISON’s father’s child.

Also if this November 1952 baby was Allison’s half sister on her maternal side (let’s defy human gestation and premature birth for a moment)- the Nov 1952 baby would be YOUR sister too, and she’s not.

You and Allison share a mother.

Allison and November 1952 share a father.

So far your bio father isn’t involved- if you find someone with whom you are siblings but Allison is not THEN you’ll know that’s your father’s child.

Make sense?

 

[Scarlett45]

Updates in my world- my god mother’s husband received pain meds for his back so he’s able to make it up the stairs. My god mother may be going to the oncology triage today. I hope she’s feeling up to celebrating her bday in mid February. 
 

Cosmo, Blake and I are adjusting well. Last night I took him out last at 10pm, and this morning at 7am instead of 6am. I’m still trying to figure out this feeding situation- I think I will feed Blake at night (since cats are nocturnal). I went to home goods and got some things for Cosmo (I got a great deal on the elevated bowls because the bowls were dented) the chewy order also came with a seatbelt harness for him, poop bags, 35lbs of pet friendly de-icer, 33lb bag of his food. 
 

My weekends will look like this for the rest of winter- take Cosmo out, chill in bed, be forced out due to hunger- make breakfast, reading/tv/FaceTime with friends, get dressed, Cosmo’s afternoon walk, getting my sister up, bathed/dressed/laundry/her meals, tv with Mom(if she’s not at work), order delivery for dinner, Cosmo’s 5pm walk, dinner, tv, Cosmo’s nighttime break in our yard. 

[Jeeves]

@Scarlett45, you are wonderful and caring, and Cosmo is one blessed pooch to have you caring for him. 

[QuinnInND]

Update from yesterday's ice skating wipe out. My hip is a little bruised, and is not happy about the stairs right now, but a couple Tylenol and it's not bad.  I've been hurt way worse. Glad nothing is broken. 

@Scarlett45 you're a wonderful person and Cosmo is going to be a happy pampered pooch.

 

[Scarlett45]

28 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

@Scarlett45, you are wonderful and caring, and Cosmo is one blessed pooch to have you caring for him. 

You’re so sweet to me. Cosmo is a very sweet boy, I’m happy to help out. But I admit I have so many conflicting feelings. My Mom was lamenting to my godmother last night via speaker (what’s up with them always talking on speaker phone??) that she needs to have someone come in at least 3 days a week for light chores & meal prep. This is the bare minimum she needs. It’s bad enough to be sick as she is, why won’t she let us help her?
 

My god mother finally agrees but her husband is “eccentric” and didn’t want anyone in the house before Covid (he fired her cleaning lady of 20yrs before he moved in!) and for some reason he thinks having a caregiver come in means he can’t take care of his wife and her friends are conspiring against him. 

For the record I like her husband- of the three she’s had he’s my fav, but he’s “ a lot” and truthfully he married her expecting her to care for HIM in his last years not the other way around and it’s working a toll on his nerves. 
 

My Mom is mad because she doesn’t think her BFF is getting the care she needs and she feels powerless, and old, and vulnerable. 

3 minutes ago, QuinnInND said:

Update from yesterday's ice skating wipe out. My hip is a little bruised, and is not happy about the stairs right now, but a couple Tylenol and it's not bad.  I've been hurt way worse. Glad nothing is broken. 

@Scarlett45 you're a wonderful person and Cosmo is going to be a happy pampered pooch.

 

I’m glad you’re okay! You could’ve been seriously hurt. Ice is no joke. 

[DangerousMinds]

8 hours ago, awaken said:

@emma675totally agree. I added myself to another waiting list today. And I’m only discovering them by random posts by friends of links that worked for them. On my state and county website there’s lots of info but apparently no way to sign up. They’ve already moved on to the next group and I still can’t figure out how to get mine!  

Same here in Ohio. I kept randomly checking out our state’s public health site in the middle of the night and finally found some openings. My 85-year old mom got her first dose yesterday. She wouldn’t have been able to figure it all out on her own. It’s a mess.

Edited January 24, 2021 by DangerousMinds

[Jeanne222]

Re the Pfizer vaccine.  The needle is long and is injected into the muscle of your arm.  Relaxing the arm might keep arm soreness to a minimum.   The needle looks intimidating but I kept waiting for the pain and felt nothing!   I had absolutely no symptoms.  Felt only grateful.

With the first shot you have 50 plus percentage immunity.  After the second 90 plus.  Still need to be cautious and mask up and carry hand sanitizer.

Those are not definite statistics. Just what I remember reading.  Hope this helps.

Edited January 24, 2021 by Jeanne222

[QuinnInND]

All this talk about genealogy and finding relatives you never knew you had, has gotten me thinking about finding my bio dad. Just for info mostly. I don't even know if he knows I exist. My mother is still alive, but I'm loathe to contact her. I haven't had any contact with her since I left home in 1997. Not sure what she would say or whatnot.  Not sure what other way to find out his name though. 

Edited January 24, 2021 by QuinnInND
Because punctuation is a good thing.

[Jeanne222]

3 minutes ago, QuinnInND said:

All this talk about genealogy and finding relatives you never knew you had, has gotten me thinking about finding my bio dad. Just for info mostly. I don't even know if he knows I exist. My mother is still alive, but I'm loathe to contact her. I haven't had any contact with her since I left home in 1997. Not sure what she would say or whatnot.  Not sure what other way to find out his name though. 

Just a thought. Have you checked census records where your mother and father might have lived.   High school yearbooks. Mom's friends might know.  Good luck. 

[QuinnInND]

11 minutes ago, Jeanne222 said:

Just a thought. Have you checked census records where your mother and father might have lived.   High school yearbooks. Mom's friends might know.  Good luck. 

I don't even know his name.  All I know is that my mom and stepfather were married, and my mom left him for some period of time, which I think was over a year. During that time, she got pregnant with me by some unknown man. Shortly after my birth, they got back together. There is no fathers name on my birth certificate.  It says "unknown". 

Edited January 24, 2021 by QuinnInND