Hi-ho readers,
Greetings from day 71 of social distancing. Quick alert: beyond the new Carly Rae and Perfume Genius, we’ve also been blessed with another Lady Gaga single, Rain On Me (with Ariana Grande). Instant classic.
I’ve tried out many different hobbies since I’ve been inside, and have been inspired by finding out what other people do to fill their time. I found a letter from my great-aunt Arline with two pennies attached, touting coin collecting as “a fine hobby,” one she engaged in for over 50 years. Going through all of my correspondence and papers inspired me to dig a little more into my family history. So that is my hobby as of late.
I’ve been working on my family tree on Ancestry, which is very built out thanks to a feature that allows you to merge records from other trees that your relatives have worked on. I’ve found that the French Canadian branch has kept the best records, which is my maternal grandfather’s side, still based mostly in and near Lewiston, Maine. When I was applying to be a German citizen, I had to provide a handwritten tree that my paternal grandfather kept, which gave a lot of interesting information on occupations (alas, in German).
I like to watch the fanning out of ancestors as you go further back in time – four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, 16 great-great-grandparents. And, if if everyone had the sheer amount of children that my mom’s family had, the countless descendants. I’ve been consulting this cousin chart of all the different types of cousins, for when I emailed a relative in County Longford, Ireland, seeking information about my great-grandmother. (This relative is my second cousin once removed. Her mother and my grandmother were first cousins.)
My mom has some old seated portraits of her great-grandparents with their siblings, so I’ve uploaded them like they’re profile pictures, which is strange but I feel like it allows me to relate to them more. All of these people had rich lives that I’ll never know the full extent of, but I’m hoping to interview some of my family members and get some oral history.
Songs in My Heart (with playlist)
- Rain On Me (with Ariana Grande) – Lady Gaga
- On the Floor – Perfume Genius
- This Love Isn’t Crazy – Carly Rae Jepsen
- Baby, Baby – Amy Grant
- Dig A Pony – The Beatles
- Give Me One Reason – Tracy Chapman
- Just Like This Train – Joni Mitchell
- Summer – Chloe Lilac
- Jumper – Third Eye Blind
Media Diet
- Name That Birdsong! from The Brian Lehrer Show, which was a segment that was basically an avian version of the late Car Talk.
- A Year Gardening the Grave of a Stranger (Sydney Schaedel / Atlas Obscura), about a unique volunteer program at Philadelphia’s Woodlands Cemetery.
In other news, the ice cream truck drove by our house twice in the last two weeks. It was so funny to see everyone in their yards, yelling at each other that they could hear the jingle but couldn’t tell how far away it was. And then it rolled past our driveway, and we all got chipwiches.
As the weather improves, my allergies lessen, and I sit outside more. I’m happy to inform you all that I took a nap in the sun and woke up with a watch tan. I wish you the same delight.
See you in two,
Emily