·        Trees do not walk. They lumber. (Sign in Port Angeles, WA)

·        Mistakes are good because we can learn from them; I must be a slow learner because I repeat most of mine.

·        I’m wrecked on the lee shore of age.

·        Definition of a volunteer: Someone who didn’t understand the question.

·        The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence; it’s greener where you water it.

 * What has more letters than the alphabet? The Post Office.

* You can lead a horse to water but a pencil must be lead.

* Definition of a lobster:  An ugly, overgrown, insect-like-puny-brained crustaceon for which we pay $25 to eat.

* Junk is the stuff we throw away; stuff is the junk we save.

* Sign for a bra store: “Where no cup runneth over.” 

* When life gives you LIMES, change them to a SMILE.

* News flash! Did you know that chocolate makes our clothes shrink??

* Maybe that’s why our ancestors aren’t smiling in those old photos….. they had no chocolate in their lives. 

Time for a test. Give yourself a pat on the back for each one you know (answers at the bottom):

1. Washington is the _____ largest state in the nation.

2. The highest point in Washington is ________ with elevation of _______.

3. Where is the geographical center of Washington?

4. Washington ranks _____ in the nation for population.

5. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Washington was ______ on _______ at ___________.

6. The hottest temperature was ________  on ______ at _________.

7.  Washington became a U.S. Territory in _______.

8. Washington became the ______st state on _______.

9. Washington’s state motto is ______ which means ____.

10. Washington contains _______ counties.

11. Washington’s official state name is the ________.

12. Washington’s state flower is the _______ and state tree is ______. 

1. 12th largest / 2. Mt. Rainier, 14,411′ / 3. Ten miles SW of Wenatchee / 4. 18th / 5. -48, 30 Dec 1968, Winthrop / 6. 118 on 5 Aug 1961, Ice Harbor Dam / 7. 1853 / 8. 11 Nov 1889 / 9. 39 counties / 10. Alki, meaning “by and by” / 11. Evergreen State / 12. Pacific Rhododendron/ Western Hemlock

Betting you have ancestral ties back into the above show “heartland” states. Am I right? Would you like to know more……. and learn up-to-date research “more” about these states?

 The Eastern Washington Genealogical Society is giving you the chance to learn more about researching in the heartland of America in a series of programs beginning in October and ending in June, 2023.

Kickoff for the EWGS series, Heritage from the Heartland, will be the focus of the October 1^st meeting. It will be a hybrid meeting (both in person and ZOOM) but PLEASE, EWGS is limited to only so many via ZOOM so you in-towners COME and let the out-of-towners ZOOM, okay?) Besides, come and have lunch with your genealogy friends.

Click to www.EWGSI.org to learn more details and to register (yes, right from the website!).

Picking a name for baby has always been a delightful challenge. Surely it has always been so. I have a family of four siblings born in the early 1700s in Connecticut named John, Mary, Elizabeth…………… and Bazeleel.  Bazeleel? Yep, a Bible name for sure.

We might think that names for baby popping up today are kinda crazy but it was the same decades or centuries ago (as proved by the above example, no?).

Doing some “pay-it-forward” work for the St. Clair County Genealogical Society in Illinois (where some of my ancestors hail from), and helping index and proofread early birth records, I’ve come upon these names…. and they are first names:

Orben, Noal, Truthadoris, Honey, Ermil, Calliem, Argana, Bornodna, Yarlotts, Falenda, Mortha and Ceeylia.

How long ago were these names, you ask? 1916! 

I’m quite sure that a list compiled in 2122 of some of today’s names might sound just as “interesting.” Agree? 

I‘ve posted before about Coats of Arms and do we believe them….. or deserve them….today?  Here’s a story that I just HAD to share:

“At the town of Stirling began the great wood of Caledon where roamed a number of white bulls, with crisp and curly manes, like fierce lions….and more wild than any other beasts. As soon as any man appeared before them, the bulls would rush forward without fear of hounds, sharp lances or other weapons.

“It is said that King Robert Bruce went hunting in this wood and, having only a small party with him, narrowly escaped with his life. One of the bulls, after being sorely wounded by the hunters, rushed fiercely on the King who had then no weapon in his hand to defend himself from the impact. 

“Then a man of great spirit, who was nearby, leapt before the King and, grappling with the bull, cast it to the earth with great force and held it there while the remaining hunters slew it with their weapons. The man who rescued the King was called thereafter TURN-E-BULL and awarded with rich lands by the King.”

This story is retold in a 20-page booklet titled, I Save the King: The Story of the Turnbulls, by R.E. Scott, 1977. Author Scott cites The History of Scotland, published in Latin in Paris about 1626.

Working on a history of Cyrus Turnbull, for whom Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (south of Cheney near Spokane) was named (although he never owned land there and only “squatted” for six years), I found a reference to this story. Tracking it down, I found that a copy was held by a library in Michigan. Inquiring of them, a most kind librarian found a copy online for me!

Note the lesson there, dear readers. About helpful librarians, I mean. But back to the question: Do you “believe” in a family today having/boasting of a coat of arms from yore???

Did you light a candle or shed a tear today, August 16th, ……. the 45th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death?

We “all” loved or hated Elvis. In 1958 I recall hurrying home from Sunday evening youth group to see Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show! Only from the waist up, of course. 

What did you really know about Elvis the man??

1. He had a twin brother, Jesse, who died at birth.

2. His full name was Elvis Aaron (his father was Vernon Elvis).

3. His favorite sandwich was peanut butter, bacon and banana.

4. His home/mansion, Graceland, was originally a church when he bought it.

5. His first hit? Heartbreak Hotel in 1956.

6. He earned a Black Belt in karate in 1960.

7. He married Priscilla in 1967 in Las Vegas; Lisa Marie was their only child.

8. His first movie was “Love Me Tender.”

9. He made 24 albums.

10. He was reading The Scientific Search for the Face of Jesus at the time of his death.

One last Elvis story:  My father was in Sacred Heart hospital in about the year 2000 and when I went to pay for parking, the attendant said it would be free if I could tell him the date of Elvis’s death. “Easy! I said. Everybody knows he’s NOT dead!”  The fellow laughed and let me pass. 

One of my favorite TV stars was Mr. Spock of Star Trek. On a whim, I decided to learn more about Leonard Nimoy the man. Perhaps you’ve wondered too?

Leonard Simon Nimoy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 26 March 1931, to Dora (Spinner) and Max Nimoy, who owned a barbershop. His parents were Ukrainian Jewish immigrants. (“My folks came to the US as immigrants, aliens, and became citizens. I was born in Boston, a citizen, went to Hollywood and became an alien.”) He had one brother, Melvin. Raised in a tenement and acting in community theaters since age eight, Nimoy did not make his Hollywood debut until he was 20. After two years in the U.S. Army, he was still getting small, often uncredited, parts.

In February 1965, he made his first appearance as Spock in the Star Trek TV pilots “The Cage” and “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” and went on to play the character until the end of the production run in early 1969…… soon followed by eight feature films and guest appearances in later spin-offs in the franchise.

Got his famous role of Spock on Star Trek (1966) in part because discussions among writers and producers of the series about the character of Spock led them to put out the word that they were looking for a tall, thin guy to play the role of an alien crew member. Gene Roddenberry and casting director Joseph D’Agosta remembered Nimoy from his work in Roddenberry’s first TV series, the WWII drama The Lieutenant (1963). After being invited to come look at the sets and props, Nimoy was offered the role…and so was born his most famous role and start as a popular culture icon.

Leonard Nimoy first saw what would become the famous Vulcan salute, “Live Long and Prosper,” as a child. The placement of the hands comes from a childhood memory, or an Orthodox Jewish synagogue service in Boston. “This is the shape of the letter shin,” Nimoy said in the 2013 interview, making the famous “V” gesture. The Hebrew letter shin, he noted, is the first letter in several Hebrew words, including Shaddai (a name for God), Shalom (the word for hello, goodbye and peace).

The “Vulcan nerve pinch” concept on Star Trek (1966) was invented by Nimoy when he and the series’ writers were trying to figure out how an unarmed Spock could overpower an adversary without resorting to violence.

Leonard Nimoy was twice married and left a son and daughter. He was 6’1” tall, was an avid writer of poetry and wrote many books and he was best friends with William Shatner (only a few days older). He spoke Hebrew and Yiddish and was an advocate for keeping that language alive.

Mr. Spock passed away on 27 February 2015, one month away from what would have been his 84^th birthday. Cause of death was COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). His final Tweet, posted four days before his death, was “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP”  (Live Long and Prosper)  He rests in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.

A search with Google will give way more information than I included here.

Donna