--A week ago today was Hawaii's 50th anniversary of becoming a state. I can remember hearing about it when I was a kid. Let's see - we were living in southern Missouri, but if I remember right, we were in NY state at this time that year. Won't tell you how old I was, but a half a century ago is "bad" enough. I did read however that celebrations in Hawaii were going to be low key because not everyone was happy with their royalty being bumped and becoming part of the US. They certainly have a culture quite unlike the mainland states.
--The passing of a person of historical significance: Edward Kennedy. Even tho' I cannot agree with his philosophical views, ethics, and politics, I am sorry to hear of his passing. He is now in eternity and his "fate" is sealed and in God's hands. I would be amiss to at least acknowledge that he definetly had an impact on our country, maybe even moreso because he didn't serve as president. He was able to be in office much longer by being senator then being president.
--Got 10 more boxes unpacked this week!!! (Art supplies) Now I'm getting antsy to do some art work once again. But still have a few more things to do to get everything in place. I also still have other craft room boxes that need unpacking. I need to: "organize, organize, organize!"
--It was nice to get some yard work done this week, a couple of rose bushes and 2 other plants planted. Thank you DM. We have so much shade it's hard to know what you can plant and where. We really don't have a spot that gets sun all day - thus my 3 tomatoe plants are not meeting expectations! It's taking them several weeks to even grow and are just now putting on about 10 tomatoes that are the size of a golf ball and smaller. September is in one week. So my hopes of tomatoes are slim.
--I'm still waiting to hear again from my "long lost friend" CCM. She was getting ready to move. So it may be a month or two before she is back online again. I did locate her on Facebook as well as her older brother. (He hasn't responded either.)
--The place where I work has a foundation associated with it. Our mayor apparently disapproves of how they spend their money. But they don't answer to the city and I guess he's having a fit. Because the mayor is the mayor his correspondence is subject to FOIA. (Freedom of Information Act). So the newspaper is going to publish a letter he wrote the foundation. So we'll see what enfolds.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Long Lost Friends
As we go through life we make a lot of friends. If we move and live in different places, we make even more friends. Unfortunately, over the years, the more we collect friends and move on, the harder it is to keep in touch or track of friends from our early years. As we get old-ER we sometimes think back and wonder what happened to some of them.
After we moved to Arkansas, I discovered sort of by accident that one gal I knew had also moved back to Arkansas - even to the same town area when she had lived before. What a surprise. Altho' we still haven't gotten together, we have been in email contact.
I have another friend I knew as a teenager. We didn't go to the same school but we did go to the same church. In our twenties we lost touch and drifted away. It was probably as much my fault as anyones. (I haven't sent Christmas cards for the last 3 years and that doesn't help.) Well for the last 15 maybe 20 years I have tried to track down this one friend. Her husband was in the military and last I knew they lived in Ore. But that yielded no results. I checked information with the phone companies, more than once. Through my genealogy research I even tried finding her, to no avail. I searched for her on the internet. No help. I contacted the college she graduated from. She had asked to have her name and address removed. Her's brother's name (my old boyfriend) was there. I had even found his phone number and address through information. So I wrote. It never got returned, but neither did he answer. No surprise there, really.
After we moved to Arkansas I started working at the local public library. Not long afer that so did a fellow who used to go to school with my friend, CC. He went to grade school, Jr high, one year of high school and even college with her. But he didn't know where she was. We talked about it last week. I came home and tried once again to find something in Oregon with no results. I have a facebook account, so I decided to see if she was on there. I didn't pull anything, but it did give me a link to Classmates.com. So I tho't I would try that.
I clicked on the link and read the info that was public. It matched! I was sure that was her. Who else would have the same maiden and married name and attend the same high school and college!!!??? So, I took a chance and left a "public note" with my email address written out with not "@" symbol.
The next morning I had off from work, as I worked into the evening. I got on the computer to check my mail, just in hopes that maybe I had a response. But, I knew that the chances were unlikely. I have a classmates account, but I "never" look at it, except once in a blue moon, if then.
I opened my account and there at the very top was a response from my posting. Yes, it WAS her!!! I could not believe it. After all these years of hunting, I finally found CC. She was surprised but happy to hear from me. It was short with promise of more to come. She is moving, so I am impatiently waiting to hear from her again, soon. I hope she is able to get to some internet connection even before she gets moved, settled and set up once again. But I look forward to hearing all about her life, her children, her siblings, and yes even the boyfriend. Weird thing of that is, I've had better "luck" knowing where he was then anyone else in the family...:-(
But that didn't do me any good, if he (or his wife) won't write me back!!! Can't blame them there, tho. But now, I'll just have to wait. Afterall what's a few more days after 15 to 20 years!!!
After we moved to Arkansas, I discovered sort of by accident that one gal I knew had also moved back to Arkansas - even to the same town area when she had lived before. What a surprise. Altho' we still haven't gotten together, we have been in email contact.
I have another friend I knew as a teenager. We didn't go to the same school but we did go to the same church. In our twenties we lost touch and drifted away. It was probably as much my fault as anyones. (I haven't sent Christmas cards for the last 3 years and that doesn't help.) Well for the last 15 maybe 20 years I have tried to track down this one friend. Her husband was in the military and last I knew they lived in Ore. But that yielded no results. I checked information with the phone companies, more than once. Through my genealogy research I even tried finding her, to no avail. I searched for her on the internet. No help. I contacted the college she graduated from. She had asked to have her name and address removed. Her's brother's name (my old boyfriend) was there. I had even found his phone number and address through information. So I wrote. It never got returned, but neither did he answer. No surprise there, really.
After we moved to Arkansas I started working at the local public library. Not long afer that so did a fellow who used to go to school with my friend, CC. He went to grade school, Jr high, one year of high school and even college with her. But he didn't know where she was. We talked about it last week. I came home and tried once again to find something in Oregon with no results. I have a facebook account, so I decided to see if she was on there. I didn't pull anything, but it did give me a link to Classmates.com. So I tho't I would try that.
I clicked on the link and read the info that was public. It matched! I was sure that was her. Who else would have the same maiden and married name and attend the same high school and college!!!??? So, I took a chance and left a "public note" with my email address written out with not "@" symbol.
The next morning I had off from work, as I worked into the evening. I got on the computer to check my mail, just in hopes that maybe I had a response. But, I knew that the chances were unlikely. I have a classmates account, but I "never" look at it, except once in a blue moon, if then.
I opened my account and there at the very top was a response from my posting. Yes, it WAS her!!! I could not believe it. After all these years of hunting, I finally found CC. She was surprised but happy to hear from me. It was short with promise of more to come. She is moving, so I am impatiently waiting to hear from her again, soon. I hope she is able to get to some internet connection even before she gets moved, settled and set up once again. But I look forward to hearing all about her life, her children, her siblings, and yes even the boyfriend. Weird thing of that is, I've had better "luck" knowing where he was then anyone else in the family...:-(
But that didn't do me any good, if he (or his wife) won't write me back!!! Can't blame them there, tho. But now, I'll just have to wait. Afterall what's a few more days after 15 to 20 years!!!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Weekend visit
"Michelle and the three J's" were down for the weekend! We had a delayed July family celebration. We all have either birthdays or anniversaries in July. So 'the kids' were able to come to Ark. We had a really nice time together. Now everyone is gone, including my husband who is gone to work. So the house is quiet except for the TV in the background, and the raindrops falling on the skylights in the ceiling. This is my "long weekend" off from work, so it has been very enjoyable and - tonight - quiet and relaxing. I've posted pictures to facebook, searched for an old friend and may have found her on Classmates.com. I left a message. I hope I hear from her. It has been over 30 years since we last were in touch.
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