Down the Rabbit Hoel

Stories of family, creativity, and diverse distractions.

Look Out! Danger Noodles Ahead! A Hike With Baby Snakes

We recently hiked with a friend at Strawtown Koteewi Park. It’s a nice, nearby place to get a quick nature fix. We saw a bunch of lovely sights which I utterly failed to capture for posterity. But I did whip out the phone when we saw the baby snakes!

What do degrees have to do with family research?

While I was working on the post about cousins, Walt and I were discussing other means of expressing relationships between related individuals. We were looking at some charts and they had a notation for Civil Degree and Canon Degree. What does that actually mean?

Are your rulers measuring up?

Walt’s recent posts on levels and squares had me thinking about other tools that might need a closer look. I took a look around the house and found a massive number of measuring tapes, rulers and so forth. So I thought a look at the various types might be handy.

Happy Birthday Great Uncle Robert Link

Robert was the youngest child of Isadore and Teresa Kempker Link. He was born on August 25, 1902. Robert is Walt’s great (or grand) uncle. His brother William (WJ) is Walt’s grandfather.

We Reached a Big Milestone – Achievement Unlocked! Or Something…

I was at work when my phone pinged with an incoming message. Usually it’s Michelle, asking a question. So I checked it as soon as I was decently able. It wasn’t Michelle. The analytics package we use on this site was congratulating us – we’ve reached a big milestone!

Which cousin is that? First, once removed?

When you are doing family research, it can be tricky to track all of the relationships. I thought it might be helpful to explain what some of the relationship descriptors actually mean. My software helps me sort it all out, but it’s not too complicated if you know where to start.

Let’s Test How Square My Square Really Is

I may be getting old, but I still don’t believe it’s hip to be square. Nevertheless, I expect my carpenter’s square to be at least as square as Pat Boone. But how do you test a square to find out?

Happy birthday Wyberta Johnson Walney

Wyberta Johnson was born on August 11, 1920 to Walter and Ellen McCabe Johnson. She was born in New London, Iowa. Wyberta is the sister of Walt’s aunt, Eleanor Johnson Hoel. You can read more about Eleanor here.

Is Your Level Really Level?

Let me level with you: a lot of levels at the stores aren’t actually level. If you use such a tool to hang a picture or mount a shelf to the wall, you’re not going to like the result. Today I’m going to show you how to test a level before you buy it.

Happy birthday cousin Kenneth Shively!

Kenneth Andrew Shively was born on August 4, 1913, to George and Dana Hoel Shively. Dana Hoel was the daughter of John and Lydia Hoel. He was born in Lansing, Michigan. Kenneth is Walt’s first cousin once removed.

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