Stories of family, creativity, and diverse distractions.

Author: Michelle Page 29 of 35

Happy anniversary, Bill and Bea!

Bill and Bea are Walt’s aunt and uncle. William Era Hoel was born on February 5, 1904. Lillian Beatrice Burritt was born July 14, 1907.

Bill and Bea were married September 1, 1925. I thought it would be nice to remember them.

Roasting the harvest – Poblanos from garden to dinner table

For the last few years I have been growing poblano peppers in my garden. They are a darker green and when fully ripe are a nice deep red. When a poblano is dried, it is called an ancho. They are a mild to medium pepper in terms of heat.

I usually pick them when they are green, but I don’t worry if they turn before I use them.

A bunch fresh out of the garden.

Back to School in 1934

When we get to this time of year, I always think of back to school. I thought I would share a few pictures from Georgie’s collection from 1934 in West Point, Iowa.

This is the Orchestra at St. Mary’s. The people were not named on this picture.

Approved by taste buds, but not by cardiologists: Buttermilk Biscuits

I have been trying for some time to find a biscuit recipe that comes out flaky and light. I am getting there, but I will always compare my biscuits to the ones we had in a little café when visiting Memphis .

A biscuit split on a white plate with a fork laying next to it.
Nice and Flaky!

This recipe is the result of many attempts to come up with a really good biscuit. Thank goodness Walt is a willing test subject for my cooking experiments!

The same sort of features that make a flaky pie crust, like I covered in this post, apply to flaky biscuits.

Recollections of a great uncle

Noel Edward Manley was my (Michelle’s) great-uncle. He was born August 18, 1924 in Rapid City, South Dakota to Joe and Bessie Manley. He was part Oglala Lakota and supported organizations that gave back to the Native American Community.

Joanne, Noel, and Noel’s son, Richard. Sadly, they are all gone now.

Keeping dry in the woods – a coat (or two) for Jaxon

As you saw in my post last Monday, we like to take Jaxon hiking in the woods with us. Since he is a short hair, we thought is was important to get him a coat to help keep him dry and warm. We found a very nice coat that fit him well. Unfortunately it didn’t stand up to the wear and tear of a dog running through the woods.

This coat was purchased for Jaxon, but it quickly became damaged as we hiked about. The hook and loop closures frayed and had to be repaired numerous times.

What’s in a name? Nicknames, Family Names, and Middle Names

In a few posts, I have been discussing some of the challenges of identifying people when you are doing genealogical research. I covered immigration and census records in this post. I talked about some of the difficulties encountered in translation and working with older documents in this post.

Today, I am going to look at some naming conventions that can make it difficult to determine exactly who you are looking at.

It’s time to go walkies! Hiking with Jaxon.

Our dog Jaxon loves to hike with us. I needed a leash that would work while hiking, sometimes with a large pack on my back. Since I use two trekking poles when I am on the trail, my hands needed to free.

Jaxon with his pack on a backpacking trip.

It’s tomato season!

When the garden does well, early August can be a busy time getting all of the produce stored.

A quantity of fresh tomatoes held in a woman's shirt as a basket
I didn’t grab anything to carry the tomatoes in, as I wasn’t expecting this many to be ready to pick.

I love to eat the fresh tomatoes from the garden! The first BLT sandwiches are always a favorite part of summer.

Isadore and Teresa Kempker Link Family

Isadore Link was born in New Vienna, Iowa, on April 4, 1860, and lived most of his life on a farm northwest of West Point. He was the son of William J Link and Mary Ann Sauter.

Isadore married Teresa Kempker on April 17, 1882. Teresa was born on October 10, 1859, the daughter of John and Catherine Kempker.

A picture of Isadore as a young man (not sure of the date) and Teresa from the 1890s.

They had a large family and most of the family stayed in southeastern Iowa, living in and near West Point and Burlington.

Picture of the Isadore Link family on their farm, taken in 1903. Standing in the back are William and John. Across the front is Isadore, Leo, Ada, Charles, Kathryn, Albert, Teresa holding Robert, and Louise.
Picture of the Isadore Link family on their farm, taken in 1903. Standing in the back are William and John. Across the front is Isadore, Leo, Ada, Charles, Kathryn, Albert, Teresa holding Robert, and Louise.

Isadore died on February 24, 1944. Teresa died on March 21, 1913, when Robert was just 10 years old.

Isadore and Teresa are Walt’s great grandparents.

Page 29 of 35

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén