The news reported that Kari Lake lost her bid to be the governor of Arizona. That makes me so sad!! ~~ I went to bed early but could not go to sleep. Repeat: “Weepy and weary”!!

Ancestry made a major change in the way we document information. In my humble opinion, it makes documentation more complicated. I’ve learned all the features, during the years, and consider myself an expert. If I am struggling… how are other subscribers managing?

I have hundreds of surnames in my Ancestry  database; I have big trees and scrawny trees. I love “climbing the family tree” but find myself having to limit my time because the new documentation format is so stressful.

This blog message—and the previous one—will be deleted when someone comes to my rescue and shows me how to document “the old way.”

When nationwide results of the election were displayed on TV, I saw the name “Mike France.” There was a branch of the “Frantz” tree that changed the spelling of their surname. I searched for a connection… but did not locate the names of Mike’s parents. With that information (parent’s names) I might have determined Mike’s ancestry and determined if he is a cousin.

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Climbing a ladder and climbing a tree (the “family tree”).

The bright lights are bulbs that were an extra purchase. I didn’t realize the “extra” bulbs would outshine those that came with the patio lights.

Last year, on two separate occasions, I purchased patio lights. It was an extravagant purchase because each set cost $40.00. Recently, I saw the same lights as clearance items and they were $3.99 each. I purchased both… Timers were, likewise, clearance items and I purchased all six—at $3.12 each—and will share them with neighbors when we decorate (before Thanksgiving) with Christmas lights throughout the RV Park. Last year, similar timers (dusk to dawn) were $30.00 each.

“Little Chicken” (a play on words) ventured out today. I’ve lived in Waco for almost three years and driven my car less than three hundred miles. In 2020, I got hopelessly lost trying to locate the local polling location. (Eventually, I went to the Elections main office downtown.) This time, I was fortified with a hand–drawn map. It was a total of seven miles, round-trip, and approximately half an hour, total, away from home. Yes, I wore a mask. (The Covid pandemic made me super cautious and that caution still lingers.) I was wearing a T-shirt with the image of the American flag; I was wearing a red sweater.

My mother’s maiden name is SHOWALTER. I have a Showalter cousin as passionate about Showalter documentation as I am about FRANTZ documentation. Recently (as noted in recent blog messages), I have been working to correctly identify two (or three) men named Charles Showalter. Naturally, I consulted “cousin” (with more than 100,000 individuals in his “tree”). He offered valuable information and sent these two newspaper clippings. Searching for information that might help me with “same name” men, he found a previously unknown (to him) Showalter for his tree. “Thank me?” ~~~ “Cousin” and I state emphatically that family history is extremely interesting.

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Below is a collage I prepared so “cousin” and I can compare details about men named Charles Showalter. Many novice subscribers to Ancestry have inaccurate documentation. Ultimately, I’m just a janitor cleaning up messes.

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I’m so tired, I only want to relax in my easy chair. I don’t want to watch TV; I don’t want to look at Ancestry. My battle with the new Ancestry format has drained my brain and my energy! ~~ Relax today and VOTE tomorrow!!

Last night I searched for an Ancestry support group. On one site, I left the following message:

Today is Sunday November 6th and I’d like your narrative regarding the new changes on Ancestry. Yesterday, Ancestry foisted changes on us regarding the way we document individuals. I’ve been an obsessive-compulsive subscriber for ten years. I spend eight, ten, twelve, and fourteen hours a day documenting my large extended family. I have more than 80,000 individuals in my tree. I’m not a novice. In my humble opinion, these changes are terrible. I’m curious about the experience of other subscribers to Ancestry. Are other subscribers experiencing a problem? ~~ Lorraine in Waco, Texas ~~

Number one: My head is spinning due to the documentation changes on Ancestry. Number two: I may “spin” around and walk away from Ancestry. Previously, I considered myself an expert; currently, I see myself as an infant looking at the genealogy program for the first time. Worse than a Rubik’s Cube.