I have moved ahead

 Moving has become a more concrete subject in my mind now as I have now started looking at possible places to move to and the quest begins. I sort of know what I want and where I want to live. Smaller for sure and although my carriage home is small relatively speaking it is spacious for a family of five with four bedrooms. The main floor can be a little cramped if all are adults but three children would be no problem at all - lots of room. The basement is partially finished and we have used it successfully all these years for playtime and TV watching although our TV is now in the living room. But that also means there is a lot of cleaning to do with three floors in use all the time. I would like to find either a single (does not appear to be in my price range) or a semi-detached. It must have a smaller yard although would like some yard. It needs to be in the Western end of Ottawa to be practical as I reach towards 79 years in the Fall. 

But I have made the first significant step in that regard. Funny that it was the birds that really started to turn my mind towards that. One really misses the birds when they are not coming to the feeders and that is a part of my day I am not willing to truly give up. The sight of the birds feeding at 6 a.m. is truly a delight as they go about their day. Teaching their little ones to feed at the feeder is a joy to behold. Managing their little ones around chipmunks truly an art in success. I did not actually know that a chipmunk will eat a small bird; too much knowledge sometimes can be alarming! But the joy of watching the birds progress along their path to migration back to the south in the late summer is incredible. The loss of that joy for even a couple of weeks while the rats/mice were tracked down and eliminated was just sad. So on to the future and I am organized now to move as it turns out; just have to find a place that works. 

I discovered I can only find one of Ed's talks thus far. There is some other material I can put up and probably will but I know I filmed more than one talk; I just can not find them. But I do have going through his files in my agenda. It was interesting though learning how to create a You-Tube channel and then add a film to it. My there is a lot of material out there; amazing really. We tend to watch a You-Tube presentation most evenings on wildlife - last night we viewed another in the series on Wildlife in the British Isles. Our eight trips to the British Isles over a period of sixteen years permitted glimpses of this wildlife although not to the degree that it is being enjoyed now. There is so much to see and the trip to the Orkney Islands was just a small part of that. Seeing the architectural wonders of the ancient world have been a treat not to be missed. But then all of my ancestry is from the British Isles and primarily five/six areas of England - I have expanded that to Herefordshire because of the Pencombe family although proving that is still in process but does seem to be a logical premise. My Scot connection to the Highlands with the Routledge family does appear to be well grounded and proven now by my cousin Thomas Routledge. The Irish connection is still tenuous and may never truly be proven although the book on the Charley/Churley/Chorley family does indicate an Irish heritage. 

Yesterday I gave thought to the Kipp Newsletter due on the 1st of August. It will likely be on time. My eyes are stronger in the morning now as I sit and type my blog. Gradually I am extending the time on the computer as I would like to be able to get back to doing my eight hours a day in the Fall but will build that gradually; there isn't a rush. Being one's own employer with regard to writing the books is a treat as I can mull away as much as needed during my work time. 

Hungry as always and breakfast will be next and then Latin. I am pleased with my progress in Latin. Concentrating solely on that during these two months of recovery from the cataract surgery was a really good idea as I could just sit and listen whilst my daughter typed away and not look at the screen in the beginning. The bright light is really a challenge at the start of the recovery period especially in the weaker eye surprisingly although the surgeon did mention to me I would notice the brightness. It would have been nice over these two months to have had more council but that is perhaps just an after thought and not of primary importance. A checkup by the surgeon at six weeks after the second surgery should be worked into the protocol I think but I will soon have my optometrist appointment. 

On to the day and may there be peace on earth. War is dreadful; attacking a country such as Hamas representing Gaza did when they attacked Israel was a sin beyond compare and the same for Russia attacking Ukraine also a sin beyond compare. No one has the right to attack free countries; we could all have a better life if that stops for ever and both of these groups Hamas/Hezbollah/the Houthis satanic agents of Iran and Russia would halt their aggression and troublemaking. Hamas/Hezbollah/the Houthis could remove themselves from the countries that they have infiltrated and Russia remove itself from Ukraine and the world could be a peaceful place at least in those two areas. Internal conflicts in countries may be with us a while longer until greed and envy disappear from our world.

Rain, beautiful rain

 We really got a wonderful rainfall yesterday. Everything is beautifully green. Thank you God for the bountiful harvest this year in our garden and for the wonderful rains. 

Still working on downsizing. I have a couple of parcels to make up and send off of items that I am sure Edward would want us to send. He talked a lot about his possessions and how he wanted us to handle everything well except for the things he didn't mention. One thing we did do though was start a YouTube Channel for his talks. One is up and we will work on getting the other nearly a dozen up. Edward had a perfect speaking voice and he shared his research and our travels a number of times to different groups. Edward and I spent many many days returning to the areas where his ancestors had lived in the north eastern United States. Most came from 1800 on to settle in southwestern Ontario where the very fertile land there was available and his lines lived in the Woodstock/Brantford area. He shared that farming heritage with Gordon Riddle along with an interest in the families of that area and my knowledge of that is about nil as I did not sit in on their conversations. Gordon had invited Edward to come with him in the early 1980s to the meeting of the Ontario Genealogical Society/Ontario Ancestors as it is now known, not sure exactly when but perhaps 1981 and Edward loved the group and spent the next fourty years supporting and being very involved in the group. Years later I did start to attend meetings (around 2003 actually) although Edward volunteered me to work on computers and genealogy at the annual Gene-O-Rama (my editing and proofreading of material did give me new skills in scanning and image manipulation that he wanted me to share with people). The pursuit of genealogy was not something that interested me until around 2003 when my cousin George DeKay asked me to write a profile of my Pincombe family for the Westminster Township book he was editing. A bit of arm twisting and I did agree and did produce the Pincombe Profile back in 2005. For me it was always Surname Research and I am still a member of the Guild of One Name Studies for nearly twenty years now. The time has passed quickly. Last year I completed the revision (it was actually a two year project in total) of James Sanders "History of the Siderfin Family of West Somerset" under the title "The Siderfin Family of West Somerset" which is still freely available on my website for download:

http://www.kipp-blake-families.ca/The Siderfin Family of West Somerset - Elizabeth Kipp 4600.pdf

During some of my working career I was involved in the production of material for both books and articles so feel comfortable writing and James (we share several greats grandparents) who produced the book in 1912 would be pleased to have it revised 112 years later I am sure. His intent was to share the information he collected (and it was extensive) on the Siderfin family and we can be forever grateful to him because so much material was lost when the Record Office in Devon was bombed during World War II. 

Another month and I plan to be back at working on the Blake and Pincombe books with suggested completion in early 2026 although that is beginning to sound closer than it did in January 2026 but is a good date to aim for even if I miss it and continue working on the two books for a longer time. Does genealogy actually interest me? I think the story of families is interesting but I tend to see it as surname research and do not follow all the lines so I suppose genealogy is not really what I am doing although perhaps belongs to that overall category. I do not include the descent of female lines (standard in surname research) except in the case of the Siderfin book where my mother's Siderfin ancestor was her 2x great grandmother hence following a Rew-Siderfin marriage to a Pincombe-Rew marriage which then came down in the Pincombe line to my mother. 

The recitation of the generations of family that preceded Jesus in the Bible always fascinated me and the surname line in this case was also through a female line, Mary the mother of Jesus was descendant of the line of David (as was Joseph the earthly father of Jesus). Hence my seeing this type of study as Surname Study rather than genealogy. 

Time for breakfast and then Latin. Yesterday I missed doing Latin as I worked on the Blake Newsletter right after breakfast but did remember by evening fortunately and so have not missed a lesson in Latin for nearly 200 days now. It has been an excellent mainstay whilst I recovered from cataract surgery. 

Thank you God for another beautiful day in your world. May peace come to our world for everyone to live a happy life. 

Another downsizing trip to Salvation Army

 Yesterday saw another storage rack go to the street and amazingly it was picked up whilst we took a load to Salvation Army. I thought if it goes great; if not then contact the Tool Library and see if they needed another metal rack but all done - great day. The basement is finally at a point where I know I can move easily now to another house or perhaps a condo as what is left would easily be eliminated. A lot stays - the washer and dryer are just a couple of years old and they would stay. The freezer might stay as well if wanted as too big for a condo but could go to a new house with a basement. Everything else is just basic family stuff like skis, suitcases, items that I just haven't yet decided to take to Salvation Army as I still use them but could go as they are all in good shape. A big table which I would leave if the person wanted it. A good solid working table but much too large for me to use as a desk. The rest would just go. 

The house seems so empty now and it is pretty basic. I like simple actually - easier to look after but yet the keepsakes are still there - the children's books just in case they want them. It has taken over three years to donate or put to the curb items that are still useful but I just do not need them. Just before COVID began Edward and I visited a retirement apartment building just to have a look as we both knew that the time was coming quickly but Edward was resistant to moving and I wondered what we would do with everything. Edward was downsizing and had actually donated quite a bit of material himself to various groups. I wonder now where it all was placed. Were there any empty walls or all covered by bookcases? It amazes me sometimes but the last fourteen years that I worked (and I went back to work outside of the home in 1994 as I mostly proofread and copyedited at home for over a decade) I really did just that - it was a long way across the city and I tended to be off by 6:30 to 6:45 to catch the bus and then not home much before 6:00 in the evening (off to bed at 9:00 and the day was done!). It was really all that I did as my health will just let me do so much. Now with my cataracts removed my eyesight is clear as I look at birds at the feeder without my glasses - still amazes me along with my shrunk back yard. Strabismus is certainly an interesting condition and now that it is gone my eyes are like most other people's eyes having depth of vision. The world does look different but also the same just has more angles!

Today will be a full exercise day as the cleaning is all accomplished. I will also try to put in a couple of hours on the computer over the day's span. Looking forward to my new glasses as these are just a little too strong (my distance glasses). 

I have a couple of piles that I need to review and place into their appropriate location in the now rearranged areas. I need a collection area for journals that I will send to the OGS/BIFHSGO Library that I receive. I also want to work on my DNA collection of matches. Back at the beginning I had a binder but pretty much all digital now. I need to review that material and shred it. Then no more piles on my desk. I like it to be pretty much clear of material - mostly my computer and whatever I am working on if needed. Primarily my work is all electronic. 

The new You-Tube channel for Ed Kipp's Talks is now prepared and will open it up soon. I think there are perhaps ten or twelve talks that I filmed whilst he delivered them. So it will be the sound on YouTube but also I did image the slides but the slides will be available by hypertext link as they did not reproduce as well as the sound. It is fascinating and quite lovely listening to Edward speak once again. He had a marvelous speaking voice and loved his subjects whether they were science or history. He could easily have done a PhD in history but he thought his greatest love was science in those youthful days. But his love for history was hiding in his search for information on his Kipp family which was just beginning when I first knew him. Once we had a car (about eight months after we married) the history part had a chance to flourish as you need to be able to go to the sites to really appreciate history.

Breakfast beckons and I am hungry as usual. First exercises of the day completed and I am back to touching my toes twenty times as I was not supposed to do that right after the cataract surgery. It is nice to be back to full exercising once again. I will also complete the Blake Newsletter today and post it. Perhaps I will get started on the Kipp Newsletter due on the 1st of August. 

Second cleaning day and I wonder will it eventually be one day

What a wonderful cheerful thought first thing in the morning. Just one cleaning day a week would be wonderful. 

I also was contemplating the results of my blood work. Whilst Edward was still alive he had a very sweet tooth and would want to buy goodies each shopping day. He had this canny trick that he used which was that he wanted to buy pastries or cakes or something like that but I needed to help him eat that. Because I knew he had a sweet tooth I would always say that I would eat a little but buy the smallest one! I didn't bake because he would eat it all so buying just one treat a week worked better. But I always had a total cholesterol reading about 0.6 to 0.8 above normal after menopause. But I was noting that the final result for me this time was the sum of HDL plus LDL plus 40% triglycerides instead of 20% glycerides which means I was actually normal because I do not have a sweet tooth nor do I eat a lot of red meat or prepared foods. I prefer to make most of what I eat. Interesting really in retrospect. Plus I did not fast for the normal time that one would which would likely mean an even lower cholesterol than 5.05! Amazing in my old age but it is really a matter of life style as the doctors say. Occasionally I might eat a piece of cake or a pastry but pretty rare; I just do not have a sweet tooth. I prefer cheese, (not too much) or freshly prepared lemon or lime juice for a refresher or a bowl of yoghurt. 

Cleaning all accomplished yesterday and today the basement. More downsizing and more material brought together into the one room where I can work on it when I am not writing the Blake or Pincombe books. Pretty much everything has now been looked at and placed where it can be downsized to cousins or used to put together the Kipp Newsletter or the new YouTube channel of Ed Kipp's Talks. Still in process as I need to have clickable links for the slides. Hopefully up and running next week. He gave quite a number of talks which I filmed on our old Video Camera. 

Hard to believe we are reaching towards the end of July. This month has passed very quickly. 

Breakfast next and then Latin and the basement cleaning to follow.

 

The circle is complete as it is Cleaning Day once again

Top and main floors of my little house to clean today. I have been downsizing once again and today the closet that has housed so many things will be emptied, washed and reloaded but with considerably less in it. When Edward had filled all the closets in the other three bedrooms he started to fill the last one and I have never been through all of that but today will see that happen and rearrangement occur so that everything is in one room where I can easily work on various items to see that no original documents are lost and gradual downsizing of the remainder that will be kept for a while anyways. 

I am trying to get back into my usual work routine with my research but will not begin the books before September. However, there is lots to do otherwise to get ready for the book writing spree once again. Two big bags of weeds are ready for this week's garbage collection on Friday and that has eliminated a little of the weeds here and there. Still a lot to do but will get done through the Fall as I write - a nice distraction. 

I have enjoyed all of our lovely meals through the summer with the fresh produce from the garden but definitely looking forward to my chicken stew once again which tends to be my staple in the fall and winter. Lovely hot stew is nice on cold days for sure. Gradually we are coming to the dog days of August; just nine days left in July now and it has been an unusual one for us here. The last couple of Julys have been very very hot but this year a lot of rain and not so much heat with the nights below 20 celsius most times. However, it is apparently very humid today but just 12 degrees celsius at 5:30 a.m.  The weeds have definitely flourished!

On to the day, breakfast first and then Latin.