And Here Comes November

It's 4:30 and I almost headed to the recliner to take an afternoon  nap but then I decided it was too late in the afternoon to be doing that.  I've been keeping busy with one thing or another the last couple of days. Yesterday it was genealogy research.  I've never really been satisfied with how little info I have on my g. grandmother on my dad's side of the family.  Her name was Jane Downs and trying to track down her whereabouts before she married Lewis Marian Blankenship in Illinois has been a struggle.
For years I've had this letter Jane received when she lived in Salem, Oregon in 1896. In it, Henrietta wrote:  "Tell little Charley Aunt Henny says bless his little heart."    Henrietta signs off on the letter by saying: "I am your loving sister, Henrietta Morris to Janey."   

I've been able to track Jane Downs from her marriage date to her death date but the only reference I could find of her as a kid was in the 1850 census when she was living in Delaware with her dad, Ben Downs, and his wife, Henrietta. I always thought Henrietta was either Jane's older sister or step mom. I knew Ben had lost his first wife, the mother of Jane, but I haven't been able to establish what her name was. Irks me no end!  Anyhow, my notes are such a mess on this whole side of the family that I'm going to start from scratch again and try to get things in order so they make sense.  I heard from this woman (in Iowa I think) who sent me a 3 page typed summary of her family and Henrietta (the letter writer) was in this paper work.  By working backwards I found all kinds of info on Henrietta but I still had it in my head that she was Jane's sister. Now.....I'm thinking not.

I can only guess that she called herself Aunt Hetty and Jane's sister out of  a loving friendship relationship.  It could be that Henrietta and Jane were neighbors and/or friends as children in Delaware and kept up a relatonship via letters after Jane moved to Iowa or Illinois when her dad died. I haven't figure out for sure who took her in and moved her west but I'm thinking it was an uncle.

I'll find out sooner or later.  It's what I do now.  

I've got to learn to limit my time at the computer on this hobby as it can consume you.  I had a little insomnia last night because all the names and dates were running through my head.

I baked a cake this afternoon. Thought I would try new things as it was just a plain ole Duncan Hines white cake mix. I added two tablespoons of mayonnaise, melted butter instead of oil, milk instead of water and I added a tsp. of vanilla, a 1/4 cup of sugar and a little flour.  All that experimentation and it still just tastes so-so.  Hmmm...  Oh well, everything is good with chocolate frosting on it.

Wayne is in Arizona now and will drive home with Hunter this weekend.  So proud of that kid. He finished his advanced degree in diesel engineering.

My bio pic for today is Lloyd Price who sang Stagger Lee.

Lloyd Price was born in New Orleans in 1933. He played trumpet in high school and formed a five-piece band to play for school dances. As a sophomore, he got his group a regular job playing music on a local radio station.  He wrote station break jingles and one was so popular, listeners phoned in to request it. Price recorded a full length version and took it to Specialty Records.  Lawdy Miss Clawdy became a number one R&B song in 1952. Price’s idol, Fats Domino, played piano on the session. He had hits like Stagger Lee, Where were you on our wedding day, Personality, I’m gonna get married and Come into my heart. When Price left Specialty Records, they hired his valet—Larry Williams who went on to have hits of Dizzy Miss Lizzy, Bony Maronie, and Short Fat Fannie.  When his career slowed down he toured the country with a 9-piece band and established a fund to provide scholarships for black students to attend college. Price manages Icon Food Brands, which makes a line of Southern-style foods, including Lawdy Miss Clawdy food products, ranging from canned greens to sweet potato cookies, and a line of Lloyd Price foods, such as Lloyd Price's Soulful 'n' Smooth Grits and Lloyd Price's Energy-2-Eat Bar, plus Lawdy Miss Clawdy clothing and collectibles. During the 1970s Price helped the boxing promoter Don King promote fights, including Muhammad Ali's "Rumble in the Jungle". He later became a builder, erecting 42 town houses in the Bronx. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

I found this cute little Xmas ornament on Pinterest using a piece of wood but she wanted $14 for it and another $8 for shipping. Too high for my budget so I opted to order some wood pieces myself to see if I can decorate.  I got a whole sack full for $14 and it included paints, brush, and hemp for hanging.

And I guess that's it for now. Gotta fix some mashed potatoes for supper to go along with the ground chicken patties I cooked yesterday. Loaded with chopped onions. Yum!