Jasdip, Of course you only meant to pass on good wishes. I wouldn't ever think you were belittling or minimizing the day's meaning. chisue has it right, retailers make any opportunity to sell sell sell and so many Americans ignore or really don't know the real meaning of the day. bengardening, My condolences for the losses you have suffered over the past few years. I will pray you can find solace and remember the happier moments of your shared times. It is inevitable Death will eventually take all we love in time if it doesn't come for us first. Our only chance is that we might live full, enriching lives and pass on something special to others. Your father was a hero as are your husband and son. The releasing of the water from the dams is awful for so many people and it is not taken lightly by those who had to make this decision. Fact is it would be devastating and possibly deadly for many more should the dams burst (still a distinct possibility). This way, with warning, at least people are able to get affairs in order and take what they want from the planned flooding area. Nothing like a flash flood, a tsunami, a Cat 5 tornado, an earthquake or a wind whipped wildfire to make you see the better side of this. LIL

This has all been interesting. One thing to note is that when a woman married she was considered a "bride" during the first year of marriage. Sophie could have died during that time and been designated as such on the headstone. The designation would have indicated that yes, they were legally married but they did not share a long life together where they were known in the community as a 'couple' and they were probably childless. This archaic designation is sometimes still used today with introductions, such as "This is my cousin Jake and his new bride Mary" or "My brother has returned from his honeymoon with his new bride". Knowing local history can sometimes yield clues. Often times there was a sweeping pestilence that wiped out huge numbers suddenly and headstone markers where put up fast or further engraved years afterwards when some of the defining information had been lost or was unknown. One of the most interesting bits of history I learned was the time period designated Year Without A Summer. Large numbers of people died in the Northeast. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer Here is a link that might be useful: Year Without A Summer

Well, went to take the cakes out of their pans late last night (yes, fully cooled). The one in the loaf pan, came out just fine. Then I tried to remove the one in the tube pan - total disaster! About 1/4 of it just fell to pieces. I had never before made this recipe - I used to make my mother's old dark fruitcake. My mother had made my cousin's fruitcake for me for several years before she died. I think this recipe needs more batter if one is going to bake it in anything other than loaf pans. It has a TON of fruit and nuts in it. All the "broken" stuff was really delicious, even without having "aged". If I make it again, I'll double the amount of batter. Live and learn. I have no idea how my mother made it work. She was known for "changing" a recipe and never telling anyone that she did so when giving them her recipe. She took much to the grave with her... When I got married for the first time in 1966, my mother and I spent the summer baking fruitcake, putting in the little boxes with our names and the wedding date gold stamped on them, and tying 150 little white satin ribbons around them with a nice bow. I still have one tucked away in a drawer somewhere as a souvenir. We didn't go to that much bother for my 2nd marriage, but it's the one that worked...

Joyful, I agree, you should take the best of what is in those papers and save it as digital files. You are a natural storyteller. The joyful guide to living ( attitude toward life ) book would be fun to read. Extra things always makes cleaning more difficult. I find enclosed glass cases help if you don't like to dust objects. I have a large silver collection which requires attention but we do it every month one one weekend. If I got tired of that, I would sell the majority of the pieces. I don't think anyone wants to care for them so one day I will sell the collection. Fine furniture is the same. It requires regular care. I used to have more antiques but now I have fewer and it allows me to put my energy into the flower garden. For a time, I had too many clothes and the decision to let go of half of them has made a big difference. The dry cleaner babies, as beautiful as they were, went to new homes. Having an orderly closet is much better than clinging on to some fantastic stuff that was rarely ever worn. I clean all my own clothes and linens and care for the antiques. I like ironing and I put on music and use scented water and it doesn't seem like work. I have help for the baths, the floors and the kitchen. I like to air my duvet in the morning outside and clean the rugs in the bedroom, then after breakfast, I make the bed. I don't use a dishwasher. I use fine china and silver because I have several sets and that's what I like using. It gets hand washed. I now have storage where the dishwasher used to be. Also, I got rid of the microwave ( never used it ) and I gained space there. I learned that I'd rather have fewer nicer things. There is always pressure to get more but now I save those impulses for garden flowers. It wasn't always this way. I used to be swimming in objects. What i learned was if i could get the same feeling from looking at a picture of it as the real thing, I would photograph it and let it go. I do like good kitchen tools but my kitchen had limited storage. Trading the dishwasher for storage space made a big difference for me.