An Apple a Day Keeps

I went shopping for apples in Watsonville, California. No, not today, I did it on my trip West when I was passing through the area. i bought 2 bags of mixed varieties for Uncle Dan and his clan and a 1/2 box of Pippins for my use. I guess a box is equal to a bushel which is what we always bought when we passed through and it was too much. This time I thought I was safe with 1/2 of the previous order. Gizdich Ranch has some of the freshest apples around and you can pick them yourself. I didn't have time, so I bought some picked that morning and packed in a box. They stayed pretty fresh considering I was still a little more than a week away from home, but you can count on that with Pippins.

My family snacked on the fresh, crisp Pippins until today. I had noticed that they were beginning to turn a lovely yellow from the standard green and a few were getting soft. It was time to cook all that were left. I made an awesome apple pie with crumb crust which was the preferred dessert this evening. GD#1's birthday cake was a second fiddle. The remainder of the apples went into the pan to make applesauce. I was grateful for SIL C's help to peel the mass of remaining apples. I am not sure if he were having fun or if he just felt sorry for me.

I have one of those apple peeler /slicer / corers but I had accidentally dropped it and one part was bent. C fixed it, then tried it out. He thought it was fun at first, but stayed the course and helped get all the apples peeled and sliced. Cooking them up was a cinch once he had done the hard part, but even that was made easy by the apple contraption. There was plenty of apple sauce to share with everyone.

I bought my apple contraption some time ago at the local grocery store for $10.00. I din't expect much for that price, so I was pleasantly surprised that it actually worked...peeled, cored, and sliced the apples. While in Watsonville, I priced one at the apple place and was told it was $29.95. Wow! Mine was a bargain and it works just fine!

Tracking the Migration of the Seven Daughters of Eve

It has long been said that things happen in 3's.....good things? bad things? interesting things? Maybe we just don't notice the things until the 3rd one pops up. Perhaps that is the case here because, although it did not seem related at first, it could be construed that way.

The first thing was a DNA test. At conception, a baby recieves chromosomes from each parent. The sex of the child is determined by the "X" & "Y" chromosomes. Females receive two "X" chromosomes and a male receives one "X" and one "Y." This particular DNA test follows the male / "Y" chromosome. After years of hitting my head against a brick wall with no leads on the progenitors of the family name, I asked my DH to take a DNA test to see if it could suggest a connection I could then explore. It didn't. His ancestors must have been dropped here by aliens.

The second thing happened when I visited DH's brother in California. He encouraged me to read a book he had just finished called "The Seven Daughters of Eve" by Bryan Sykes.
This book examines the true study of DNA extracted from a man found frozen and undiscovered for centuries. Sykes and his colleagues study the mitochondrial DNA, in the "X" chromosome,which is inherited from the mother and mutates very, very slowly, over thousands of years. Eventually, Sykes and his colleagues trace the DNA to seven females who are the ancestors of all Europeans. He assigns names and historical stories to each female - Ursula, Velda, Tara, Xenia, Katrine, Helena, and Jasmine.
The search continues today as the scientists attempt to track the spread of the mitochondrial DNA in the modern world.

The third thing occurred during my 6 a.m. daily walk with my friends. They are a diverse and interesting group whom you will surely hear more about, in time. In the course of one of our conversations, Friend K mentioned that she was related to Tara I. Tara I is one of the so-called seven daughters of Eve. Thus, we came full circle when I asked how she knew.

I refer you to this site and urge you to have your DNA tested to help map the migration of the seven daughters of Eve. It took my friend over a year to find which daughter she was descended from and, of course, there are no names, only numbers. Be a part of history!


This is taken from the letter I received after I requested a DNA kit:

Thank you for your recent request to become part of the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation global database. Your participation kit was sent 10/5/2007.

We appreciate your contribution to this important and historical study. You are helping us grow the world genetic family tree, one branch at a time! Genealogical and genetic data submitted to our study by you and others will provide valuable information to many people worldwide who are earnestly seeking their family roots, both today and in generations to come. You can help build the database at an expedited pace by collecting additional DNA samples and genealogies from family members,friends, and neighbors. We can ship the collection material directly to
your home, or you can go to our website at www.SMGF.org and request
additional kits in their behalf. Participation in the SMGF global database is free, confidential, and simple. As our database grows larger, it will become a greater asset to those searching for their ancestors using DNA. Your collection of samples will help the Sorenson
Database reach its potential.

If you would like additional material to be shipped to you, please reply to this email and let us know how many participation kits you would like to receive. A representative from our organization will be available to assist you with any questions you might have about collecting the extra samples and genealogies and how to ship them back to our offices at nocost to you.

Again, we are grateful for your participation and we look forward to receiving your participation kit.

Sincerely,

SMGF Team
2480 S. Main Street
Salt Lake City, Utah 84115
800-344-7643
participate@smgf.org

Circle of Bicycles

 

Everyone liked the guitars so much that I just had to share this one.

Wordless Wednesday

 

See more pictures here.

At The Mercy Of A Landlord

DD#1 has been staying at my house for a month. It is not by her choice, but by necessity. The a/c in the house she has rented went out and, although the unit is still under warranty or maybe because it is under warranty, she had to wait for a part to be ordered and to be delivered. They finally called yesterday to tell her the part in question had arrived.
"Oh, did it just come in?" she asked.
"No, it came in last week, but the owner was out of town and we had to wait for his approval," they answered.

DD#1 and her boys moved here from Alaska just over a year ago so they are not very tolerant of Central Texas temperatures which have been hovering near the century mark. Thus, the visit with me where I maintain a household temperature that reminds them of their northernmost home.

Today is "fix the a/c day" and I have volunteered to be on hand to open the house so DD#1 doesn't have to take off another day of work. You know the drill, "Wait for us, we'll show up sometime between 9 and 5." DD #1 managed to negotiate little better time so I have only had to wait an hour.

The sad part of this is that as a renter, she apparently has no rights. She and her sons could not tolerate the 90+ degrees of the house and the owner / rental co. are not obligated to reimburse her for the month she could not spend there. They did, however, continue to charge rent. The owner / rental co. are not even out the cost of the a/c repair since it is under warranty. I wonder how highly principled the owner is. Each of has a price on our integrity, is his price one month's rent? Fortunately, our 3 generation living situation has been rather pleasant.

I was reflecting on my years growing up in Texas' heat and humidity. How did we survive? I think it was because we were not accustomed to a/c everywhere we went. The heat and humidity were debilitating, but we coped by opening all our windows to let the breeze blow through, running fans, closing shades to keep the sun out, and drinking plenty of water. As the sun set, the neighborhoods came alive with families gathering outside on the steps and porches of their houses, waiting for kitchens and bedrooms to cool before bedtime. The racuous sounds of children playing hide and seek in the twilight hours heralded the silence of nights, unbroken by the clatter of air conditioners. It was an interesting time but I wouldn't trade it for my climate controlled living environment now.

Are You Going to the County Fair?

Some interesting photos from the Santa Cruz, California, County Fair, being held in Watsonville, CA. September seems to be the month for County Fairs which were happening in several areas on my most recent trip West. They were all characterized by a wonderful small-town atmosphere. I attended this one in Watsonville on the first day. People began pouring in after work on Friday. Many were checking the awards and pulling out their cell phones to excitedly call friends and family and share the news. In my book, they are all winners for completing their tasks and entering the competition.

Update on Troy Methvin

Troy Methvin's mother has posted an update in the "Comments" section of post on 9/24/07.
Please continue to pray for this family.