Family History Articles

1906 San Francisco earthquake — the day before

My grandma lived through the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

What I’ve been doing the last 12 months

A year ago, Covid shut the country down. At first, it was a little disconcerting. Even though I have long-respected "germs" and viruses, and thus I had plenty of hand sanitizer, the whole mask thing was new. But, life has been busy for me, which is a good thing. I've...

Gregorian chants and solfeggio, jazz and rock ‘n roll

I'm always curious about methods for finding peace and calming your chaotic mind. I've stumbled across the benefits of sound, music, chants, frequency—even breathing. And listening to a well-narrated book. But today, I'm updating my post about Gregorian Chants. It's...

When your brother-in-law is your OB/GYN

Thanksgiving in the1950s. This is my family -- my mom is pregnant with me, so it must be 1953. She is standing behind my grandma, who is seated at the head of the table. And my Uncle Bill (my mom's brother-in-law) is standing next to my mom -- he was the family doc,...
Poison oak remedies

Poison oak remedies

Poison oak brings back a lot of bad memories for me. When  I was about  12 years old, my girlfriend and I were walking...

read more
The Barbie Barf Club

The Barbie Barf Club

You can only read this if you belong to the Barbie Barf Club. Hyperemesis Gravidarum (Severe Nausea and Vomiting...

read more
No more homework

No more homework

Kids don't need homework every night. Today they go to school and take their school work home.  Are we preparing them...

read more
Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day

I chose to be a mother, even when I discovered that pregnancy made me very sick. Seven times. I was blessed with five...

read more
She died in an Asylum

She died in an Asylum

I can't seem to leave this alone -- Mary, my husband's great-grandmother, died in an asylum --at Riverview Mental...

read more
Bewitched

Bewitched

I’ve always wanted a little mystical, magical power. Bewitched was my favorite TV show. I would get all my homework...

read more