.CREATE YOUR LEGACY
“Francis Robbins went west to the gold rush and was never heard from again.” This was a story I had never heard until I started researching my family history. And that’s all there was to it, too. Nothing about the man himself or the family he left behind. Because nobody knew anything else. Frank…
As a genealogist, and as a U.S. citizen living in politically stressful times, I think about immigrants kind of a lot. Especially around Thanksgiving time, which is right now, as I write. NOTE: If you do nothing else, scroll down and watch the powerful 5-minute video I have provided for you. Thanks! The first Thanksgiving…
Who (or what) were you named after? I was named for my paternal grandmother, Hazel Islery Clay Thornton, the “bathing beauty” on the cover of my book What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy. My mom was named for her maternal grandmother, and my dad was a Junior. Why are…
Do you say, “Rabbit, rabbit,” for luck on the first day of the month? Have you heard others saying it (or seen them posting it on social media) and didn’t know why? Here’s how I remember it… Girl Scouts At Girl Scout camp, in 1970s Idaho, we had a tradition, on the first day of…
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll be used to me talking about death from time to time. Planning my virtual funeral – who’s with me? Talking about death won’t kill you, LOL! “We Remember” our loved ones Is Swedish Death Cleaning for you? ‘Death Cleaning’ isn’t as scary as it sounds! (4 short…
Theme 1: Prologue This is a story about growing up with my mom and music. It’s easier for me to write about distant ancestors than it is to write about people I actually knew. Sometimes I get overwhelmed, partly because I know so much about them. I think: “I can’t include everything, but how can…
As interested as I am in Artificial Intelligence (AI), and as pervasive as it is becoming in our daily lives, I seem to only manage one blog post per year about it. Suffice it to say that a lot can, and does, happen in a year! So, consider this your annual update. 9/1/25 UPDATE: Since…
It’s ti-i-me! Time for RootsTech, that is (March 6-8, 2025). And time for my favorite feature, Relatives at RootsTech. The largest annual genealogy conference in the world is a hybrid event. If you register for the FREE virtual portion of the conference you will get a different experience, of course, than if you go in…
Please join me in celebrating 20 years of membership in the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals. NAPO has been the foundation of my professional life and business. I’m retired now, but I’m still an emeritus member. For 17 of those years I helped clients to declutter, simplify, organize, and refresh their homes, offices, schedules,…
What are you always grateful for, if nothing else? My friend Jane and I have been complaining to one another for over 50 years. But we also count our blessings. And sometimes, when things look bleak, and we can’t think of anything current to be grateful for, we have certain reliable backups, like each other…
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