Sunday, January 4, 2015

Post Number 1000 !

 

Me and my father in Iowa  1960

 
 It snuck up on me, my 1000th  post and I thought really ? 1000? Did I say anything profound in any way?

I suppose only time will tell. Centuries from now when some alien creature digs up all our old files out of the ground or more likely pulls them out of the nebulous "Cloud" storing so much digital data, will they find anything we bloggers write of any historical value? Perhaps.

I've been conducting my own archeological dig of late in the form of old photos. Over the years I have been blessed with the title of family historian which is just a nice way of saying, "Here, YOU hold onto all this stuff and then when there is a big fire and its all lost we'll know who to blame."

My father on floor 1929,
his sister Teresa in crib

Not true. No one said that to me; its just that nasty voice in my head spewing garbage. Instead of ignoring it as I can do (like I've never dealt with voices in my cranium before) I am tackling them head on. The photos have been pulled from all their hiding places: boxes, closets, cupboards, envelopes shoved between books, between the pages of books etc... I have collected them, sorted them and given all the duplicates away. I have cried over a few of them, laughed over most of them and felt so blessed to have so many memories literally at my fingertips.


My parents at their wedding, 1956 with
my grandparents and my Aunt Teresa

Which you are not supposed to do you know, finger your photos. I learned that in 6th grade health class I think. Something about body oils hurting the image. Let me tell you these images were damaged by a whole lots more than minute body oil secretions over the years. When I think of the smoke, the alcohol, the paints (my father the artist) the basement humidity, the attic deserts, the travel from state to state and house to house over decades and decades, it is a miracle that any of them survived at all.

My two aunts and my grandmother
Teresa, Bernadette and Josephine O'Shaughnessy

Now, due to the constant pestering of our oldest son, I am finally scanning them all into my computer, labeling them and resorting them for inclusion into an archival, acid free, PVC free, photo album. After years of horrific abuse these photos will likely go into some sort of irreversible shock when their faces touch such holiness. But, it is time. Life is rushing by me and organization beckons. This next generation is entitled to a (somewhat) intact past.


21 comments:

  1. These photos are fabulous! What a treasure you have there for your family. Scanning has to be the best, easiest and cheapest way right now to save and share the images. My husband had a goal to scan all the old photos he had in his possession but it was such a massive task he barely got started. When we moved to Guatemala, he gave the scanner to one of our kids and divided up the boxes of photos. One day if electronics all disappear, then we can go back to thumbing through old pictures saved in shoeboxes. But I LOVE to see the historical photos people post online of their families. I hope you'll share yours as you make it through your collection!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Karen. My 33 yr old son told me today that there is now the real concern that if our digital world collapses in 20 years or so we'll all wish we had printed more of our photos and put them into albums. So after I scan the old photos and put them in the computer I'll take all the newer photos, print them and put them into albums. I think it was indeed easier when Our folks took a roll or two of photos each year and called it "good enough" I for one am looking forward to a heaven without digital or paper photos!

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. well hey there John from Trelawynd (I spelled that from memory, I wonder if it is right? John is not that easy of a name you know) Anyway...I do too but that item my father is holding looks suspicious. Aerosol can? Did they have them then? Or is it a big hammer head?

      Delete
  3. Loved all the photos but that last one is picture perfect. How did you get all those people doing what the camera wanted them to do at just the right time?

    ReplyDelete
  4. 1 X 1000, 10 X 100, 2 x 500, 4 x 250 (you can tell i'm an accountant) .... how ever way you say it, its quite an achievement. Congratulations. I am sure that nearly all those posts held some measure of your unique self depecating humor that has kept us all so amused. That, in itself, is a worthy achievement.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Al right Lynda, you're hired. As my accountant and agent. Is Pro Bono ok with you?

      Delete
  5. Congratulations on your 1000th Donna. Thanks to you I now know a bit more about Red Wattles, soap making, and raw milk (amongst many other things). Cro xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, we did get started over a bar of soap didn't we? Glad I could help you clean up your act Cro. And YOU have taught me about wine,cheese and mushrooms. THANKS.

      Delete
  6. Congrats and thanks for sharing your pics!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome Mary. I'm all about sharing the closeted skeletons.

      Delete
  7. Great photos! Have you noticed you look a lot like your grandmother? - which I think is a good thing - she has such a sweet smile :) Congratulations on 1000 posts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lately with my mass of very grey hair, I do see the resemblance, that and my round face. The sweet smile though? I'm not there yet, maybe when I'm 80!

      Delete
  8. Now all of your fans will understand why you and I are only 5 feet tall! LOL
    ~ Maggie

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lovely memories indeed Donna. I'd love to be able to read one of my grandparent's diaries or a report of one of her days. I hope that someday my grandkids enjoy reading some of my blog posts :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too Lorna, my four grown kids don't read my blog much but I didn't read my dad's diaries until after he died. Might be because he would leave them on the kitchen table with "DO NOT READ" written in black letters on front. :)

      Delete
  10. Hello friends! My Name is Wendy from Canada i have had a lot about Dr AKHERE on his good work, for bringing back lost relationship but i never believe because so many spell caster scam me because of my husband who left me and three kids over a year and two months. so a good friend of mine introduce me to Dr AKHERE just because my condition was so bad and the responsibility in my matrimonia home was more than me. my husband left me to another woman just because i don't have male child for him. so i email Dr AKHERE and told him everything, he told me not to worry that my husband will come back and i will have a male child for him. he only told me to believe on him that after casting the spell my husband will come back immediately and beg for forgiveness. he real did it for me and my husband come back to me in the nest two days. i was very happy and thanks dr AKHERE. so, i was in this situation (April 18 2014) i told Dr AKHERE that i will start shearing his testimony to every one in the word if he make me to have a male child to my husband. and he also did it as am shearing this testimony to every one out dear, that am with my new bouncy baby boy. now i believe that i am the happiest woman on earth because Dr AKHERE restore my life in my matrimonial home you can thank him for me or email him for urgent help in any bad situation i promise you he will also help you; his email address is Email him: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com or
    call/whatsapp:+2349057261346




    Hello friends! My Name is Wendy from Canada i have had a lot about Dr AKHERE on his good work, for bringing back lost relationship but i never believe because so many spell caster scam me because of my husband who left me and three kids over a year and two months. so a good friend of mine introduce me to Dr AKHERE just because my condition was so bad and the responsibility in my matrimonia home was more than me. my husband left me to another woman just because i don't have male child for him. so i email Dr AKHERE and told him everything, he told me not to worry that my husband will come back and i will have a male child for him. he only told me to believe on him that after casting the spell my husband will come back immediately and beg for forgiveness. he real did it for me and my husband come back to me in the nest two days. i was very happy and thanks dr AKHERE. so, i was in this situation (April 18 2014) i told Dr AKHERE that i will start shearing his testimony to every one in the word if he make me to have a male child to my husband. and he also did it as am shearing this testimony to every one out dear, that am with my new bouncy baby boy. now i believe that i am the happiest woman on earth because Dr AKHERE restore my life in my matrimonial home you can thank him for me or email him for urgent help in any bad situation i promise you he will also help you; his email address is Email him: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com or
    call/whatsapp:+2349057261346

    ReplyDelete
  11. I really want to appreciate Dr Ekpen of Ekpen Temple for restoring my broken relationship within 48 hours. It all started when I find out that my husband is cheating on me, when I try to confront him about it, the whole thing just got worst, because I love him so much I did not want to lose him to someone else so I went looking for solution that's how I came across Dr Ekpen who restore love back to my marriage. Contact him at (ekpentemple@gmail.com) if you are having challenges in your relationship.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Omg I Finally Got Helped  !! I'm so excited right now, I just have to share my testimony on this Forum.. The feeling of being loved takes away so much burden from our shoulders. I had all this but I made a big mistake when I cheated on my wife with another woman  and my wife left me for over 4 months after she found out..  I was lonely, sad and devastated. Luckily I was directed to a very powerful spell caster Dr Emu who helped me cast a spell of reconciliation on our Relationship and he brought back my wife and now she loves me far more than ever.. I'm so happy with life now. Thank you so much Dr Emu, kindly Contact  Dr Emu Today and get any kind of help you want.. Via Email emutemple@gmail.com or Call/WhatsApp +2347012841542

    ReplyDelete