Family Tree

So I haven't been around the blogosphereterweb much lately on account of some fevered activity on one of my many hobbies.

Let me back this story up to the beginning.

I love my grandparents (these would be my dad's parents). My grandfather is a total pack rat and my grandmother is not, so we all rib my grandpa about his stuff. However, I'm totally on to my grandmother's little secret. She's a pack rat too, but by proxy. They both go to garage sales, yard sales, flea markets, thrift shops, etc. My grandfather keeps what he buys, but my grandmother passes her ill gotten gains on to the rest of us. At every family gathering she has something for somebody. I think it's pretty funny actually.

For example, this Thanksgiving I was informed by two or three people that there was a bag of stuff for me by the door before I had my shoes off. When I got home later that evening I investigated. There were some table clothes, hot pot holders, a spice rack, and a file folder of papers that I assumed was the usual pile of newspaper clippings, inspirational hoohah, coupons, whatnot that my grandmother thinks will be of interest to the receiving party. What I got instead was a folder that said "Family History" and contained pages and pages of information on, what else, my family's history.

Score! I'm very excited. For a long time I've had absolutely no information on my father's family. I realized I know very little about even where his parents were born, grew up etc. Almost all the information is about my grandmother's family, but hey, it's a start. I now know for instance that my great-great-great grandfather, and his brothers, fought in the Civil War. (For the North, since that's the first thing everybody has asked me). A lot of work has already been put into the stuff she gave me. I was totally blown away. It's also given me a lot to work on, sorting and adding facts to my notes. Buys, busy, busy.

Thanks Grandma, You Rock!