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It took me hours to find all these photos, but I thought some of my new blog buddies might like to see so they know where I came from.
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Paternal Genealogy---------
Great Great Grandparents:

Peter and Anne (Relyea) Walts--German and Dutch--lived near Watertown, NY, Jefferson County, Pamelia Township--homesteaded in Michigan 1855.

 Built this small house first.

My great grandfather, grandfather, and Daddy were born here. 

In 1857, they built the large home 

Also where my Great Grand Parents lived

Charles Edward and Sophia Anne (Ulmer) Walts

They had two sons, Roy and Ray

My grand parents lived here at one time also.  As the elders died, the youngers moved from the small house across the drive into the Big House.

How the house looked in 1976 when my Dad and Step-mother moved in

How it looks now.  Sister Susan and Chuck live here.

162 years Actual

  5th generation, same family

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My Grand Parents:

Roy Ulmer and Helene Mary (Case) Walts--she was French and English.

They had one child.  My Daddy

August 9, 1916

 Built in 1920.  They raised registered Shropshire sheep

and had a Hatchery (building on left) and Poultry business

Grandpa Roy died February 14, 1942--49 years old.  

Had a stroke and contracted pneumonia while hunting, in the cold rainy weather, 

 for a Coyote that was killing his sheep.

Grandma continued the hatchery/poultry business until 1966,

when she died.

We renovated and moved in, June 14, 1967. 

and raised our kids here.

after divorce in 1984, I moved out in 1988

and gave the house to Pam.

She renovated it also and added a deck.

4th generation--same family

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My Parents:

Charles John and Dorathy Della (Hudgins) Walts--she English

He was a dairy farmer

Purchased the farm in March 1938.

I was born and brought up here. 

Susan came along 13 years later

Where my son Mark and Cindy now live

3rd generation--same family

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My Great Great Grandfather Peter owned 80 acres here at one time.  Later sold it to the school district, where my grandmother Helene taught in 1915, boarded with the nearest family--Walts and thus met & married my Grandpa Roy.

What it looks like now and where I wanted to move 2 years ago

As you see, at one time the Walts' owned all the property around the 4 corners of Beard and Vernon Roads.  I am very fortunate that the 3 farms are still in our family, so.....anytime I get homesick, it is only a 30 minutes drive to get "home".

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Maternal  ancestor's at a later date.

As seen on Face Book

Recently ate at a restaurant where a table of girlfriends of a certain age were having a wonderful time, and came home and wrote this. You may recognize somebody, maybe yourself ...

Lunch with girlfriends
By Kathy O’Malley

Elaine’s vertigo has never been worse
Kay can’t recall where she left her purse
Rhonda’s about to replace her knees
Linda’s breathing is tinged with a wheeze

Donna's left boob has a troublesome lump
Diane’s on her third trip to take a dump
Lorraine’s husband can’t remember a thing
Nine years a widow, Marge still wears her ring

Marlene is dealing with another UTI
Sally’s giving a hearing aid another try
Marie has decided she can’t drive at night
Sharon still wears clothes two sizes too tight

They’ve been through divorces and babies and wakes
They do for each other whatever it takes
They’ve already buried Marcia and Kate
And truthfully, Lizzie’s not looking so great

So whenever they can, they get out to eat
Open bottles of wine and forget their sore feet
There’s laughing and crying and letting down guards
And when the bill comes, there’s ten credit cards

So here’s to the waiters who keep orders straight
And to the places that let lunches run three hours late
And here’s to the girlfriends, those near and those far
Here's to the girlfriends, you know who you are

Delightful Day #2

I don't know if I can stand all this delight and happiness.

I was getting real homesick for my "people's land" and needed the quietness and checking out the crops, so I headed north up to The Farm(s).

Just north of Howell, a small town to the west of me, I saw acres and acres of Sunflowers.

IF YOU CLICK ON THE PHOTOS THEY WILL BE LARGER AND LOOK BETTER.

The nearer I got to home, I saw acres and acres of Corn and Soybeans.  Out there we are serious farmers and wouldn't waste even a small patch of field for Sunflowers.  Also fields of golden stubble, left from the wheat harvest and the straw put into bales.  We wouldn't plant anything that wasn't going to be a good cash crop!

Soybeans

I was going to stop at Pam's house after my visit with sister, but decided to pull in on my way and see how it looked with her big barn gone.  It was falling apart, so she had someone removed it--for the barn wood.

She has a great view now, south, clear to the woods.

along with the always open view west to the woods 

Just as I was looking around, I saw her pull into the drive.  "Hey!  Who's walking around my land?"

"My land first!" I replied.

"I was coming up the road and wondered who the heck was pulling in my driveway."

Remember me telling you about the long perennial garden I had along the front of my yard.  Can you see where it starts to slope to the road?  From the spot where I am standing, to that dead tree, I had a 4' wide perennial garden.  It was gorgeous.  People would drive in and ask if they could have a "piece" of the many plants.

Here's what the house and barn looked like when we lived there and raised our kids.

I left there and up 1/2 mile to the corner, turned left and 1/8 mile to the Ancestor's Farm, where sis and hubs live.  Gravel roads still exist out in the country.

You can barely see their pond, across the road, by the barns.

My camera was acting up and everything turned out too light.

The big rock has a metal ring on the right side for tethering up a horse. 

Everyone has loads of gravel brought in and dumped to make a perfect driveway.
Last year, Chuck wanted the drive to look like it would have in the old days with grass going up the middle.  So, being an engineer, he measured and then worked up the center of the drive and planted grass.  I love it!!

This is what the house looked like before they moved in.

They had to tear down the little house, across the drive--the original 1st house, to add their new family room.  They took the ice house that shows behind the house and moved it over for a garden shed.

The view of Susan's rose garden, off the deck that Chuck just built.

The horse barn across the road is about the only decent barn left.  So they put a metal roof on to help save it and are painting it.  They got the white fence all done and now, Susie is painting the bottom of the horse barn, Chuck the top.

The other big barn is starting to gradually collapse, so they will probably get someone to come in and take it down, just like Pam did with hers.

Turn left out of their drive and back up to the corner.  This is the farm where I was born and where my son Mark, now lives.

Turned right and back passed Pam's on my way to the cemetery...1 mile east and 2 miles north.

Turn left and drive in a little and........there is all my family

 Moved the Angel Dog over to the other corner.

I hate that the marker gets discolored underneath

where the cement dog is.

Nothing much under the sod--a small trunk with Fred's ashes, 

his dog Tootz ashes

and this photo of them in a zip lock baggie.

Mother and Daddy--mine to the left

The two smaller markers at the top,

Great Grand Parents

 My beloved Grandma and Grandpa.

The two smaller stones at the top,

Great Great Grand Parents

A short distance away--My BFF

Over her name, it shows the location of their cottage on Houghton Lake, MI

Over Dick's name is a picture of their barn on their farm

On the bottom left, a rock that says "Love" with a butterfly, because she 

said she was "coming back" as a butterfy

On the way out, I noticed this dead tree with several Shelf Fungi attached to its left side. 

All of my Daddy's family and so many of my friends, all resting in the same cemetery.  Waiting for that "Day of Reunion".
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When I got home, at nearly 7:30, I found this photo Pam had sent me of Evan, when he stayed overnight with her,  standing beside my Daddy's little rocker.  That would be Evan's great grandpa.

What a blessed day!  The local weatherman predicts we are going to have the "best weekend of this summer".  YAY!

A Delightful Day

Weather perfect.  That makes 3 days in a row.  

Last night I got an e-mail from Karen and it read: "I have an appointment tomorrow morning.  Can I come out after wards and talk to you."

That last sentence sort of gave me a chill and I wondered, "Good Grief!  What have I said or done wrong now?"

Ever since the "to do" with Jennifer, which was in reality a huge misunderstanding, I get a kind of queasy feeling when one of my kids wants to "talk to me."  It kind of sounds like I am going to get a tongue-lashing.  You know, the old, "We need to talk," scenario.  Nothing good ever comes with those words.  I worried a bit about it and then thought, "I can't do a thing about it, so........."

She arrived at 9:45 and limped up the steps.  I opened the door for her, looked down and her left knee was swollen and black and blue with a scar!

"What happened!"

"I had knee surgery last Tuesday.  I just got the stitches out today."

"Why didn't you tell me?  I would have prayed for you."

She waved her hand at me, "Oh, Mom.  It was so quick and fast and I've been busy.  As they were wheeling me into the operating room I wondered, 'Did I call Mom and let her know'"

"And you didn't."

"It's fine.  No big deal.  I was home an hour after the surgery.  It was just an arthroscopic repair."

Like the time she called me from the hospital parking lot and said, "Mom, I thought I'd better call and let you know.  I'm having a hysterectomy today."

We had a wonderful conversation.  After the first 20 minutes I realized, she was just here for a visit, not a scolding.  She was here 2 hours!!!!!!  She told me about what all the grand kids are doing.  We talked about her and her siblings going up north for a weekend together.

I thanked her for getting me over to her house so I could see Jen and her kids.  Then she said something that made my day---no--my year.

Jennifer's husband Eric, was so angry at me 4 years ago and hasn't spoken to me since.  If I had the opportunity to go pick up one of the kids for their birthday supper--which was the only time I was allowed to see them, when he saw my car drive him, he'd go upstairs or out into the garage.  Eric is one who will hold a grudge forever.

I noticed the day I went to see Jen and the kids, that he was in the kitchen when I walked in and said, "Hi, how are you?"  To me.  When I hugged him, he didn't resist or pull back.

Karen told me that morning, Eric had asked Jen, "Shouldn't we go over and visit your Mom?"  Jennifer was busy getting the kids breakfast and said, "Sure, if we have time."  

Karen said, "I thought, I'm going to make this happen," and she said to Jen, "I'll call her and see if she can come over."
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I know--this sounds weird, but after Karen left today, I just sat and pondered.  I feel like I am no longer the pariah of the family.  I no longer feel rejected, neglected or left out.  I feel content and although,  my four youngest grandkids live far away, and I might not see them for another year or so, that's okay too.  It's been a long 4 years, having this heavy sadness on my heart, and now it's gone.

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After Karen left, I turned on the TV to watch the noon local news.  About 4 minutes into the program, the TV went black. I checked my phone--dead.  I came in here, no Internet connection.  Our Cable service was dead!  

It is a strange feeling to be without Cable service.  I have come to reply on these electronic devices, that the house seemed to quiet.  I couldn't make a phone call and I couldn't finish my FB games.  I was gonna miss my Soap!  YIKES!!

I walked over to Dar and Pearl's and sure enough, they were out too, so I knew it wasn't just me.  Dar called Comcast to report the outage.

I decided to go up to the gas station.  As I was pulling out of the park, I saw the Xfinity repair truck coming in.

When I got home, everything was still dead.  What to do.  Well, the TV still worked, we hadn't had a power outage, so I turned on the DVD player and watched a good movie.  When it was over, the TV, phone and Internet were working.  Come to find out, some construction guys in the back of the park had cut the main Cable line.  Every thing's all better now.
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Supper tonight.  Salmon patties and Sweet Corn.

Yes, and my bottle of water.

<Oh, by the way, just to make you all feel better, I now have to get up in the middle of the night to pee.>

I'm going "home" tomorrow afternoon.  When Susie called to see what time I was coming, I asked her, "How long has it been since you made Broccoli salad?"

"A long time, " she said.

"Man, I've been craving it all week."

She called back 30 minutes ago.  "Now you got me craving it.  I'm going to run into town tomorrow morning and get some grapes and Broccoli, that's all I need.  You can take some home with you."

YAY.  I think tomorrow is going to be another delightful day.

A little of this--a little of that............

This photo is for Debbie.  She prefers white corn, which I kid her is "wimpy".  I prefer this kind.  Nice big kernels of yellow that get stuck in my teeth and I have to floss them out for a half hour after I eat it.  HAH.  What I had for supper last night, along with some mac and tuna salad.

This little doll is nine months old yesterday and "almost" walking.

My Cone flowers have never been this tall, nor the blossoms this wide.  I have a Star Gazer Lily that has 7 blooms on it, usually I have 3.  My Stack 'N Grow is doing well too.  When I sit in this computer room, I can smell the scent from the Star Gazer.  Wonderful!!

I just started this afghan for Pearl's expected grand baby.  I can only do one round a day because it hurts my hand.

 This is coming along--pardon the wrinkles.  I was curious as to how many stitches this will take.
14 count Aida cloth, which means 14 stitches to the inch, I got the dimensions of the design and
ta dah--when completed it will have 334,246.  No wonder my hand hurts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Nice Surprise

Two years ago, my neighbor across the street when i lived in Saginaw, died.  After Fred died, she called me every Tuesday afternoon at 4:00.  I wrote a post about not knowing and then finding out she had died.

If you have a mind to, you can read that post here.

Much to my surprise, I received an e-mail from the couple who moved into her home.  They had wanted to do a bit of research on this quirky lady they had heard about.  For some reason, my blog post came up.  Apparently because I had posted her obituary?  I guess.

It was nice to communicate with them.  I found out the once large and beautiful gardens I had there, were dug up and turned back into grass, but the little Lilac sprig I planted, has turned into a nice tall Lilac bush.

Then, they told me that a play-scape in the park next to our two properties had placed a dedication to Phyllis.  She always worried that the children didn't have a nice place to play.  She would be so pleased.

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I awoke to a cold house--62 degrees.  I had left the bedroom window up last night.  I checked my weather station on the kitchen counter and it was 59 degrees outside and the humidity was 47%.  I opened up all the windows, but it got chilly feeling--that nice breeze was coming from the NorthEast.  I actually had to put on a long sleeved shirt and my socks.  No barefooting today.  It is now about 69, since the sun has finally come out, and a perfect day.  Such a change from the last 10 days of heat and humidity.
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I have no plans for the week, but I'm getting homesick so I think I need to plan for a visit up to The Home Stead. 

Mini Adventures

Thanks to my blog buddies.  I consumed 3-14 oz bottles of water yesterday and nary a dizzy spell.  You are all geniuses!!  But then--too much water can flush out sodium and I don't want to be low in sodium because........that condition causes dizziness.  HAH.  I think 3 a day is my new prescription.

Already had one consumed by noon today.  See--I am catching on and thanks for your advice.

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I had to put some gas in the car today.  It is an Ozone Action day here, but that yellow, "fill-me-up" light on the car's dashboard has been on for the last 3 days.  The conditions were cloudy, so I hoped I wasn't releasing very many fumes to add to the hole in the ozone layer.  I had a laugh when I went inside to pay, I was talking to the young kid who was manning the cash register today, have seen him whenever I go in, he's very nice.  We were chatting about the ozone layer, pollution and global warming and he replied, "Those people are weird.  Global warming is a naturally occurring geological event, every few centuries.!"

I laughed to myself at his classification of weird, as I looked again at those huge circle things he has in his ear lobes, a silver half ring in his nose and a small lightning bolt tattooed just above his right eyebrow.  

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So as not to feel too guilty about a trip into Brighton and adding car exhaust to the atmosphere, I also stopped at Michael's.  I needed 1 skein of embroidery floss.  One! I walked the 100 steps back to the cross stitch section, then noticed baby yarn on sale so grabbed two of those One Pound Balls of baby yarn.  Pearl's grand daughter is having a baby girl in October.  I feel the need to crochet an afghan for her.

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As I came out of the Michael's parking, there was the old "vet" sitting in his wheel chair.  I had stopped last month and given him a twenty.  He has a new sign today, "74 year old Vet.  Homeless and Hungry."  I noticed he was smoking a ciggie--looked like he had rolled it himself.  Today he had a knitted stocking cap on his head, a mustard colored T-shirt and khaki cargo shorts.  I didn't have a twenty, only a ten to give him today, but I got that same missing toot smile as before and a "God Bless you Miss."

As I drove away, I thought to myself, "Probably scammed again.  If he can afford tobacco, he probably can afford food."  My second thought, "Oh who cares.  I'm not here to rehabilitate him, I'm just here to give him money for a beer, or tobacco and make him smile."

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Hey--it's only 3:20 pm and I'm on my second bottle of water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!