A Genealogy Surprise

It's amazing what crops up sometimes in this endless quest for family history. I've found out a lot about the genetics that have passed on so many chronic ailments ... high blood pressure and cardiovascular issues in every generation since the 1800s, for instance. What an eye opener that was. Killed my maternal great-great-grandfather at only 35 years of age. Not even sure if he was aware of my great-grandmother's existence, as she was born 7 months later.

The latest finding was definitely a surprise. An email from one of my genealogy sources stating they had a connection to me, giving me an obituary for a man with a name that wasn't on any of my lists of those I was researching.

Many times, they give you possible connections, maybe somebody way back when with a birthdate in the same month, and year, bearing the same name as someone you are researching. I wasn't really that excited as it was in America and my ancestors were all British inasmuch as, as far as I've traced so far, despite my DNA including other countries (most of which had plundered Britain centuries before). I thought this link would just turn out to be a mismatch.

However, it turns out we are connected through my great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, Sarah Summerville who was his great-great-grandmother, and apparently it was his great-grandparents who came to the US and settled in Utah. Sadly, he  died in 1992 and his daughter died in 2008, apparently unmarried and without siblings or children, so it looks as though that line has now died out.

His line was from Sarah's son John, where mine was from another of her sons, Henry.

John's daughter Charlotte Burgum married Frederick Weight in England in 1850 but her child, Martin Burgum Weight, was born in Utah in 1852, which is also the year she died, so I am not sure if she died in childbirth or something else. My curiosity has been piqued though. She may not be in my line but I want to know.

The Music of the Night

I had another sleepless night last night, but nothing was wrong, my mind was just wide awake and I just lay enjoying the silence and my thoughts. 

The distant horn of the train is one of those comforting sounds that I love to hear, in the night, and I wasn't disappointed. More than once, I heard it (I guess as it crossed the roads between Mauldin and Simpsonville, on its journey).

The singing of coyotes used to be worrisome to me, when my goats were alive. With the passing of my last Nubian, Sadie, there is no reason for me to worry when I hear it any more. The chicken sleeps up in the tree, so I know they won't be able to get her. When I heard the wailing singing last night, I just lay there and listened.

That was when I thought about the music of the night.  And not the song from "The Phantom of the Opera" but those sounds that permeate the silence in the darkness. That train horn and the coyotes singing, and in warmer months, night birds chattering and calling. Owls hooting softly from the trees way back beyond the next door neighbour's property, various dogs barking, the sirens of police, ambulances and fire trucks.

Whenever I can't sleep, I just lie and enjoy them all.

A Night In The ER

After a couple of days of issues, last night saw me having to go to the ER.  I could not get my heart rate to stay above 48 bpm, and was getting a weird feeling in my chest, like an "emptiness", reminiscent of when (as a child) you ran around in freezing weather and then tried to catch your breath). I pedalled on my elliptical attempting to raise it but no sooner did I quit, then it dropped again. I was due for my next dose of BP medicine but was afraid to take it as it LOWERS my heart rate and I didn't want it going down any more.  Then my BP hit 190/98 and at  that point, I got scared and told hubby I was going to the ER.

We drove to Greenville Memorial and when we got there the waiting room was packed. The folks working there were awesome though, very efficient, and they worked through the crowd speedily. 

I can honestly say, I did not expect the hospital ER to be so big.  When they sent me back into a room, the corridors seemed to go on forever.

Dr Dupuis came in and introduced herself, we discussed my issues and my meds she ordered an EKG, bloodwork, and had me hooked up for automatic vital signs checks. Later, she had one of the cardiologists in my cardiologist's office (who was on call) check the EKG. and thankfully, despite being low, my heartbeat is regular and my heart is still good!

They've changed my meds, halved the one that lowers the heartrate and upped another that I've had no issues with, so am hoping this will take care of the problem.

We were there a total of 6 hours, they were very thorough and I am very thankful.

We came home and I slept the best I've slept in a couple of weeks!

Mastering a new thing in this new year

I'm feeling pretty chuffed with myself today.

I've always shied away from Excel. It frustrated me that I "couldn't get the hang of it" and I avoided it like the plague.

Yesterday, I took the bull by the horns and (since becoming more organized is one of my goals for this year) decided that I was going to do all my AVON records for this year, on Excel. Another rep already had a spreadsheet set up so all I have to do is enter the info in the fields I'm using ... but I did it and I feel so smart considering this has eluded me for years!  

Gosh, it will make taxes a breeze NEXT year.

This year, I am going through each campaign invoice and creating separate documents for expenses and income categories, it really is laborious. But I have at least made a start; I want to have everything sorted by the end of the month so that when my 1099 comes in, I'm ready to roll.

Brrrrrr I'm too old for Winter LOL

It is bitter cold here right now, and this is the South! I must admit, growing up in England, I loved Winter. Being able to play outside in the snow, cosy in my hat, scarf and gloves/mitts, building a snowman, having snowball fights, it was all great fun. Now, much older, I can't seem to stay warm, snow and ice mean slippery ground for my already unsteady gait, and I truly wonder how I survived those frigid temps as even low 30s and I'm freezing with sweaters and heat on, and blankets over me, whether on the couch or in bed. My bed has 3 quilts and a blanket on, and I snuggle into that warm cocoon enjoying the feel of the heavier blankets. That reminds me of my childhood, just piling on the blankets when it got cold. The only thing outside is my face, and my nose gets cold as a dog's! 

Talking about dogs, other than "she who no longer obeys" (Angel), getting the dogs back in after letting them outside for a potty break, is a cinch. I whistle as I open the front door, and by the time I open the porch one, three are there, ready and waiting.

Today, it took me 3 times of going back for her, before Angel would deign to come in. Years ago, when she had more meat on her bones, it didn't matter to me as much, if she wanted to stay out. Now though, she's 14, has lost a lot of body fat and muscle and the cold affects her arthritis, so her willfulness can no longer be allowed to decide the outcome.

I hate that hubby had to go back to work today and is dealing with being out in this. There is no breeze, thankfully, so no wind chill but the clouds are stopping the sun from warming the day, and even though he has his thermals on and all his winter gear, I just hate knowing he's outside in it.

I started him off good though with a hot breakfast and coffee, I do TRY to take care of him good.

Stay warm, my friends, as I am trying to!  Enjoy your day!