Mary Etta (Mae) Jones-Alton 1898-1951

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=111759398

Hard to believe that the grandchildren of this Lady had no idea what she looked like because she had passed away when they were just less than 5 years old. Photo`s were not taken too often because of the cost of them and few people had camera`s.

How this photo came to our possession, it was in a shoebox of Family photo`s that belonged to her husband and this man was their Grandfather.When the Gandfather passed away all of his personal belongings went to their Father and when he passed it came to his daughter.The shoebox of photo`s and Family bible where in a filing cabinet for a number of years,until I started looking at them.

The search for whom this women has taken several years of research and questions to as many people that were related.Most of it was found through Ancestry network and Latter Day network. It was casting a stone into a pond and the ripple effect was how this unfolded.

Summer time at the Lake Cottage

Hi Joe:

Well, its raining here, so no outside work. I want to continue about the cottage and what it was like with all the people there that made this place special in its glory days. This is my supposition of the Families.

The main purpose of the cottage was for Family time and to relax from the city or town and enjoy a simpler time as the Families were growing up and struggling with the day to day life. This was a place where the rules could be relaxed and everyone could explore who they were.

Parents of course were still watchful over the kids but it was the aunts and uncles that didn’t hassle them over certain rules. They in fact would encourage the youngsters to do their own thing within reason and still have fun.

This would make your Uncle or Aunt a person to admire more so than Mom and Dad. These people were laid back already because of there nature and the quiet calm and wisdom they had rubbed off on their nieces and nephews. Having said that, they also had a lighthearted side and that’s what was the most fun when they all played games of tag, hide n seek or duck, duck, goose, within limits.

These relatives would instruct the kids on the proper pronouncement of certain words read to them from the paper or magazine as they explored new ways to improve their minds and outlooks on life. These words will stick with them as they brag about “listen to what I can say” and do you know what it means?.

And now the ipads and iphones are the replacements tools the adults use to teach the kids and the kids also can teach the adults as they are more in tune with the technology used in schools. Reading in the bathroom is going to take a new dimension., not the same??, Or different.?. these models even have a piano and guitar programs on them and the kids can play them very well.

Before the advent of hand held electronic games I could imagine that reading out loud, coloring books and looking thru magazines or Sears catalogues was the way to pass time in the evening. They would have their snacks and washed up and now some quiet time before bed to settle them down.

This was a time where the family would bond on a personal level as each child would rotate around the relatives and say their good nights and review that special moment that was fresh in their minds. Hugs and kisses and then off to bed.

Once the kids were in bed the parents would play cards or read or just talk about the events of the day and their own world. The quiet chatter and laughter would drift to the bedrooms of the kids and give them a sense of comfort as the sandman came to put them to sleep. Sometimes the critters of the night might interrupt the sleep but only a short time.

Morning was another adventure waiting to happen as everyone slowly awoke from the sleep and began to go about getting food for the Family. Mom would start the kettle and Dad started the coffee in his usual manner and soon the smells of the breakfast was drifting around and waking the rest of the Family up.

The feeding was in stages as the kids were fed first and then the adults would filter in the empty spots or wait in the rec room for a turn. The kids would get dressed and the younger ones would dawdle in pjs for a while until someone would help them. And soon its time for them to go outside and play.

The day was spent swimming, playing in the fields and forests and getting back in time for a quick snack or lunch and then going away again to continue. The smaller of the kids would have a afternoon nap and the afternoon would laze away into evening. Suppers were the same, kids first and then the adults.

After the dishes were done it was a walk down to the shore and watch the big old sun set into the water ending another perfect day of bliss. The kids were given a quick bath and into their pjs again and the evening would slowly dwindle to bed time for the kids.

This was a wonderful time for all and it was sad to see the aunts and uncles pack up and leave, but the next day more relatives would show up and it all begin again. Summer time at the Lake just never ceases to amaze and revitalize people with a short visit. Time, well spent.


Cheese,........its coool!!

 So, Joe, want to be a kid again??.

The story is about this cottage and its magic

Hi Joe;

How did you enjoy the long weekend?. We were invited out to visit the in-laws at the cottage and this was an experience worth telling you about. The visit went well, but it’s the aura of the cottage that intrigued me the most. Other people just wouldn’t notice things that I was attracted to.?

The story is about this cottage and its magic on me as I first viewed it in its cornered shaded and heavily treed lot. It had a certain timeless grace to it and its little nooks and carnies held little stories of their own. As I wandered around in the cottage I saw lots of well worn furniture and special blankets, pillows and afghans in each piece as well as the beloved wooden chairs. And the pictures on the wall old and faded and significant.

And then there is the smell of the cottage. Many different smells and complex aromas have been generated with the people going about there daily lives and enjoying the simple pleasures this offers. Its like opening a can of coffee and you breath deeply and the calming effect this has on your self, the cottage has the same effect as well.

The bathroom was small, about the size of a closet on the boat. You think this area would have been the largest for the amount of people that depend on it. Maybe there was an outdoor can that was available for the men only. No, more discussion on that, but I can sure write a story if required.

There was no air conditioners, a ceiling fan in the kitchen, it was the cross breezes from windows and screened doors., Certain doors gave a squeak in protest of been opened and closed. The appliances all had their certain uniqueness and you could see notes to help the next cook figure out the stove. Charming and homely would describe this place and I could imagine all the special memories this place held to the Family. It was like putting on a comfortable sweater against the cool of the evening.

There no electronics, no TV’s, no phones, just a radio with rabbit ears, that captured some faraway signal, once in its life. A few jig saw puzzles and game boards were stacked neatly in the cupboards. Kids will bring their hand held games but there is a time limit on them, enjoy the out of doors, play with them later.

And the outdoor family Fire pit is always ready to warm and cook snacks like s-mores. It had a character of its own and it was easy to see why it was close to the house as many meals were served off its hearth. Gas Bar-b-ques are more efficient, and will in time replace this timeless treasure.

As I looked around, no dusty bunnies or cobwebs were to be seen, either very good house keeping or the breeze sure is stiff in here. There was a bit of carpet but mostly good old vinyl flooring and it was in good shape. The bedrooms were all arranged for adults and kids, so theoretically you could have slept anywhere. It was well cared for and neat as a pin when empty of guests.

The front deck was ample, with tables and chairs, perfect. There was a lot of room and with a rail on top to hold your plate of food ,all you need is a chair and that’s how you eat your meals. You could see every one and talk without our spraying them with your food. Ain’t, life grand.??. Life experience, priceless.

But, because of the age of the principal owners this was surely the last year this cottage would have its original Families here as the place was going to go up for sale and no one was willing to buy it and carry on the traditions. I think that, All the special memento’s would go in the trash and then it was a done deal. The usual kids treasures of stones, drawings and feathers and pieces of drift wood.

That is a sad thing, as the grandkids and their ilk will never know how unique this place was to their great-grandparents, thee grandparents and the parents where they sent all summer long here, learning to swim, growing up and bonding with the land they called the Summer Place by the Lake. Telling a kid about it is one thing, but let them live it, the experience, is another. Lessons about life.

I don’t know what the reasons are that the younger age group of kids are turned off about. If it’s the price of the cottage or the hassle of getting there that makes less attractive. Perhaps the lack of luxurious accommodations and surroundings. They are perhaps the ones that find going to the “the Blue Mountain Chalets” as perfect source of activity. Not, the same.!!

Best time of all is when everybody is making supper and dinners and as the burnt offerings are been prepared on the Holstein grill and its smoke and aromas whetting everyone’s appetite. Hot dogs for the kids and burgers for the adults with corn on the side and a famous homemade salad and crusty buns.. I can imagine the noise as everyone was digging in and trying to talk with a mouth full.! Towels and napkins, please.

Its like ritual happening 3 to 4 times per day that a makes this all special, all I know is when you are near water you are always hungry and the kids are twice as hungry. Cooking outside is better than a hot kitchen, everybody gets a break and only one is a fryer aka a cook.

That warm and fuzzy feeling you get when its over, plates are loaded, people fed and your dinner is cold. Yes, been the camp cook, is a privilege all onto its own.!! No dishes to do.!! And you are expected to do this again.??? Anybody else, want a turn??. Many a fine times are spent at this location and the chats that were held, beyond priceless.

This nostalgic moment is brought, by Many Beers and Ales, and mighty fine wines, brought here ever since the cottage was built, a lot of malted beverages was consumed here, processed here and left here to mingle with the earth from whence it came. I am sure if you scouted around you could find some empties of glory days waiting to see the light again. Cycle of life, you bet.!!

Hey, Joe, want to buy a cottage, I hear we can get a real deal.??. ,those nooks and carnies sound interesting .!!.

Did our Aunt Flo leave a recipe book or box?.

Dear Joe:

Do you remember the last letter I wrote to you about the essences of food making me move my mind and I am sure the body did follow, to a different time and place? Well, as I was returning from this place I had another thought pop into my head.

Well, again it’s to do with food and more seriously it is to do with the people that have passed on and what did they leave behind for us as memories? What, I mean is did our Aunt Flo leave a recipe book or box and did by some chance it got willed to one of us?

I know you are laughing about this right now and wondering what a nut bar I must be, but I am very serious about this! If you get a chance phone up and find out will you please?

In my last letter I was writing about the very nice memories our Aunts food that I was getting reoccurring flash backs and how are we going to keep her memory alive if not thru her food recipes. That was my intent, even though I didn’t say it in that many words.

You know at every family gathering and picnic we always looked forward to Aunts Flo’s secret (how come they taste so good, oh it’s a secret and I should have asked more questions) and delicious sandwiches which all just could not get enough of this the stuff I am talking about, and by now your lights have come on and you are saying what a genies ass I am.

So, to finish my thoughts on this, just so you know that this important for all of us to carry on, we have to treasure and preserve these foods for our own grand kids. Yes, I know they may not give a dam, but once they taste them sweet little sandwiches, they are going to be hooked.

So, it is our duty or our replacements, which will no doubt be easy to find, to carry on this work and make sure that those foods are presented to all of us that show up at the Family reunions. So, you have noticed that the attendance is down this year or we are having too many reunions; I believe that these foods from Aunt Flos recipes will draw them back.

So, Joe is you up for the challenge or what? I will help and test drive those sandwiches to make sure they are made just right, because we have a lot riding on this recipe. As I have said it is up to us to inform and teach those young ums all about the past of their heritage and especially the food recipes, which made them the people they are to-day.

Yep, I can see it all now, one bite and we will be mobbed and soon we will have to sell those recipes to them as long as they are kin of course, no interlopers, that’s for sure. Joe, its time for us to act, the talking is over with are you with me or not?

Aunts Flo’s secret sandwiches.

Write to you all real soon,

Love youse all

Bruce

Should veils be banned during oaths of citizenship? - Your Community

Should veils be banned during oaths of citizenship? - Your Community

Devils Lullaby - Best biker song ever written

A friend sent this to me. Life Lesson.

The older I get

Stop,and smell the roses!

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either, way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning is most enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time? Let me tell you about it:



I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my, ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles."



I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you’re busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and you’re Family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your Daughter’s "dance recital" he continued. "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities."



And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles." "You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.



"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire Lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part. It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays."



"I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear."



"Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."



"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time." "It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your Family and I hope to meet you again here on the band.



This is a 75 year old man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!" You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.



Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast" "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles.



A friend sent this to me, so I to you, my friend. And so, as one smart bear once said..."If you live to be a hundred, I Want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live Without you." - Winnie the Pooh.