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Discovering this unusual family relationship—and creating the images—is my diversion from thoughts of the family at this time of year.  Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is the worst time of the year for me. It seems everything shouts “family” and I’m an “orphan Granny.”

This greeted me this morning—before my first sip of homemade gourmet coffee. I’m delighted when friends think of me and send greetings and cartoons.

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Stop the merry-go-round, I want to get off. Today I turned off the TV (weary of all the negative news), and walked away from Ancestry  (because I never have a “stopping point”).  I love my enormous extended family; I love to document the families. Truth be told, I’m depressed because everyone in my tree has connections. It’s Christmas time and I don’t have a connection to immediate family.`

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Today, I simmered ham hocks and made a big kettle of soup (potatoes, onion, carrots, cabbage, etc). For lunch, I finished the remnant of homemade potato soup (prepared recently with scrap slab bacon, potatoes, and onions). I seldom “cook” but it is timely because “winter cold” outdoors so something simmering on the stove helps warm my trailer home.

Recently, I subscribed to FOX Nation. Specifically, so I could watch the program about Yellowstone National Park. I do enough sitting at the computer and wanted to watch spectacular programming on the TV set. I had to do a lot of maneuvering to figure out how to create the connection between my laptop computer and the television set.  Trial and error!! Pat myself on the back?

Watching the program about Yellowstone, narrated by Kevin Costner, follows activity yesterday. My TV was turned off “as usual” on Wednesday night. Thursday morning no TV. At about noon, I phoned Spectrum  to report my problem. The recorded voice with automated system did not restore service. Next step: Talk with a technician—without success. Third: A repairman came to correct the problem. (Not my problem; Spectrum [reportedly] serviced the system during the night.)

The very nice young repairman gave me “a couple of tips” regarding the connection between the TV and the laptop computer. (One thing leads to another.) Even with “a couple of tips”  it took about two hours to get from start to viewing. I’m uncertain how I accomplished what I accomplished… and will write down the steps (next time) so I’ll know how for future viewing.

I am blessed with an enormous “family tree.” There’s an old saying “The family that prays together stays together.”  In my extended family, they stayed together (in the same communities) and prayed together (in the same churches). The families are intricately interwoven.

A cousin brought an error to my attention. One thing leads to another. I spent hours researching these families because of their similar names and living in the same locality.

It’s midnight and I’m still documenting extended family members. I’ve worked on three obituaries today and moments ago completed this image (below) and inserted it with the couple (in Ancestry). I’m so grateful for cousins who supply valuable information!! I’m grateful to God, my Heavenly Father, for the knowledge I have acquired to research families—and computer skills to document families.