Family Day

 Here is everyone! Back row left to right- Charlie and JoJo, me. Front row- Sport, Cece and Elliott who is holding Cullen. Elliott is Charlie and JoJo's son, and Cullen is their son. Emma is on the right. She is Charlie and JoJo's daughter.

We had dinner together today, although there was a moment when Elliott wasn't sure he could make it. If you perhaps saw on the news about an explosion in a hotel in Fort Worth today, Elliott manages the restaurant chain that had a restaurant in the basement. Two of their employees were injured. The total injuries was 20, but so far no fatalities. It appears to be caused by a gas leak (not official word yet), but the hotel and restaurant will be out of business for an extensive time. The two lower floors were destroyed. Elliott was not on site, but it will be his responsibility to figure out a lot of what happens next.

On Mondays, Charlie and JoJo babysit Cullen. It's been an awful long time since I spent a whole day with a two-year-old. Wow! But we all survived.

We took a stroller walk in the morning and went past the neighborhood eagle nest. This is literally a Dallas neighborhood, but the eagle doesn't seem to be bothered by all the people living on the ground floor. The nest is actually visible from JoJo's house although this picture is taken closer to the nest.

Many different ornamental plants in the south. I believe this is an artichoke. I saw several as lawn plantings.

This is the sunset from their backyard. They have a corner lot where the ground slopes off to the west, so there is an open view without obstructing houses.

This picture is just for fun. Sport has this pet duck. He thinks this is the best toy.

It rained, so except for a short morning walk, and a fast stroller walk where Charlie took Cullen to watch the trash truck, we were playing inside all day. You know it was mostly about the toddler, which is fine, but we think tomorrow will include some other adult activities.

JoJo put together a meal of lasagne, salad, garlic bread, and cappucino ice cream cake. We did not go hungry!

See Stop Five- JoJo

Stop Five- Niece JoJo

  I'm now seven days, seven states (MI, IN, IL, IA, MO, OK, TX) and five friends/relatives into this adventure. Amazing. Most of the day was spent in the car, but tonight I arrived at the home of Jo-Anne (Jo-Jo), who is my half niece.

My father is her grandfather. This is the last time we saw each other. We think it was 1963, but there are some things about that date that don't work with this picture. Anyway, from left to right around the table are Jo-Anne, Ricky, my half-brother John, Marie (standing- and who knows how she got permission to visit me on a holiday), my mom and dad (who is grandfather to John's children), Ethel, and part of Susanne.

Ricky has passed, but as a result of finding his obituary I found the girls. All the parents are gone too. Jo-Anne and I barely knew each other, but it was like instant bonding when we saw each other today. We have talked and talked and shared some pictures with more to come. I'll be here a few days. These people are no longer frozen in time.



There will be lots more to share as the week goes on, so I am going to spend the rest of today's blog showing you one more thing that is important to cousin Jean. She gave me a tour this morning. She is trained in end-of-life care, and was in at the beginning of creating this facility named Solace House of the Ozarks.

It's in Joplin, Missouri, but is available to anyone who is referred through hospice. The service is available free of charge because of grants and donations. It is for people who are at the end of life, whose families for whatever reason can not keep them at home but who don't need full hospital care. They have only two rooms. Each room has a guest (patient) bed and a regular bed for a family member or whoever is staying with them. Night staff is paid, but daytime care is all done by volunteers, Jean included. They've had an average of about 50 guests a year since they began in June of 2020, but Jean said the word is getting around and use is increasing.

The entire environment is meant to be friendly and more residential than institutional. The building is actually a house. It is modeled on Clare House in Tulsa, OK.

Jean has been knitting prayer shawls for a number of years, and now some of hers go to Solace House. These are shawls that the knitter prays over as they are being made, so that they are, in a sense, pre-blessed when they go to their owner.

Meanwhile, back in Texas, I suddenly have a grand nephew and neice, and a great-grand nephew. You'll meet them all yet this week. And are JoJo and I happy? You'll have to decide.

We have so many family gaps to fill in. The only word I can think of is "amazing."

See Fun with Jean

Loss and Gain

 
After I posted the pictures from the summer of 1949, a friend got back to me that same night with an obituary for my nephew, Frederic S. Leary, Ricky. Well, that was fairly astonishing since I'd been trying to locate him on line for several years, with no luck. I don't think I'm an ineffective researcher... anyway. It was real, and Ricky is gone too soon, from cancer.

However, as a result of that obit, I was able to find my nieces, his two sisters, Jo-Anne and Susanne. We've re-connected, and although we hardly know each other, it's pretty exciting.

So, I went hunting for any pictures I might have of them. How about the summer of 1956? It could be 1957, but I'm wearing glasses, so the choice of years is limited. This is me on the left, Ricky center, and Jo-Anne on the right. It's taken at their house in Massachusetts.



Here's their family. This one's fuzzier, but it's what I have. Jo-Anne left, Ethel next, Brother John (that's what I always called him), and Ricky on the right.



I have one more picture of us, but poor Susanne gets left out again (she wasn't born yet in the first set). Well, most of her is left out, anyway. Their family came to spend Thanksgiving with us, and I think it was in 1963, although it might have been 1964. Interestingly enough, there's my buddy Marie in the back as well. (It's a real mystery how she got permission to visit me on a holiday!) This picture is in the house I grew up in, the one my dad's father built.

From left to right: Jo-Anne, Ricky, John, Marie (standing), my mom and dad (who is grandfather to John's children), Ethel, and part of Susanne. Oh, how I wish I had taken more pictures. We were so conscious of how much the film and developing cost.



And that's the last time I saw any of their family except John. I'm looking forward to getting to know the girls. I really can't say, "again," since I barely knew them back then. Ricky and I were closer in age, and were better friends, just because age makes such a big difference when you are children. Now the few years between us hardly matters.

Maybe some day there will be a current picture of those of us who remain.

In other news: I wrote in the morning, and worked on a web site all afternoon. I'm ready to get my face out of the computer.

	See Summer Fashion 1949
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