This video shared by my friend Nicole Pica is very real and a good tribute to all those who lost there lives on that fateful day 11 years ago. I had dropped my son, Shon Graden off at school and dropped by a friends house as he had some dress clothes for me and as I walked into his home, he said, "look at this" and as I sat down, they second plane flew into the other tower. This was no mistake or a plane off course, this was a planned attack...
I had intended to begin a job hunt that day as on Friday, I tendered my resignation to the company that I was working for at the time. But my plans were changed as I spent the next two weeks, in-grossed in all the news coverage.
My friend from my radio days, Shawn Balint says it well in his post,
"9/11 was awful, even someone like myself who has spent 25 years profiling grim human events, almost has to tune it out because it's just so awful the way people died. It is haunting to think of the woman holding on to hope looking for her fiancee and brother at WTC but you knew almost for certain they wouldn't be found. It's easy to think well the victims suffering ended 11 years ago. That is such a shortsighted way to look at it. Killing the nearly 3000 victims has meant many brides were walked down the aisle by someone else with her wedding day tears far from just tears of joy. I can only imagine a young boy hitting a walkoff homer in little league and it was second nature for him to look at the spot in the bleachers where his dad would always sit and suddenly the smile was gone because he forgot for just a moment that his dad was taken before a worldwide audience, one of the 343. Those who lost someone may not be able to watch a pre 2002 movie, lock up when they see an American or United Airlines commercial and the image of the Pentagon will haunt others.
Imagine the milestone birthdays and anniversaries and the empty feeling and in this era you hear people say awful things about 9/11 widows and act like getting a small seven figure payout (SO they wouldn't sue the airlines, not just a gift) makes them a gold digger. Imagine the child who never got to know their father. Family lines were cut forever. Imagine you don't have a body part to claim, that your loved ones remains are dust in a dump. You wonder how could the country with such advanced technology refused to get proactive about high rise fires and you think how awful was it for someone you love to jump a thousand feet to their death.
The gaping wounds caused by 9/11 will continue to hurt many Americans the rest of our days. Let's remember the victims, the troops and like I say with families of fallen soldiers and troops, the loved ones of the 9/11 who carry on with an empty space in their heart of the 9/11 victims."
His friend, Robert Winkelmann says, "I posted a quote earlier which summed it up in very few words:
Tonight eleven years ago 3000 people said 'Goodnight' to their families for the last time.
It's impossible to ever forget that. It's impossible not to have a tear well up in your eye just thinking about it."
Monday, September 10, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
What living with MS feels like
By: James Carmack
When We Say We Can't do Something Because We don't Feel Well, Put yourself in Our Shoes By Using The Examples of our Symptoms Below...
- Painful Heavy Legs: Apply Tightly 20 LB ankle weights and 15 LB thigh weights then take a 1 mile walk, clean the house, go shopping and then sit down - how ya' feeling now?
- Painful Feet: Put equal or unequal amounts of small pebbles in each shoe then take a walk, if we are mad at you we would prefer needles to pebbles.
- Loss of Feeling in Hands and/or Arms: Put on extra thick gloves and a heavy coat then try and pick up a pencil, if successful stab yourself in the arm.
- Loss of Feeling in Feet and/or Legs: Ask a doc for a shot of novocaine in both of your legs and then try and stand up and walk without looking like the town drunk. Hopefully you won't fall down.
- TN (Trigeminal Neuralgia): Take an ice pick and jam it into your ear or cheek whenever the wind blows on it, or a stray hair touches it. If you want something easier to do, get someone to punch you in the jaw preferably daily.
- Uncontrollable Itching: Glue or sew small steel wool pads to the inside of your shirt, pants and undergarments wear them for an entire day.
- Tingling: Stick your finger in an electrical socket - preferably wet.
- Tight Banded Feeling: Put 12 inch wide belt around you and make is as tight as you can and leave it there for the entire day. How ya' breathing?
- Shots: Fill one of our spare needles with saline solution, saline won't hurt you, we would love something worse but don't want to end up in jail. Give yourself a shot everytime we do our shot.
- Side Effects From the Shot: Bang you head against a wall, wrap yourself in a heating pad, wrap your entire body with an ace bandage tightly then finally treat yourself to some spoiled food or drink.
- Trouble Lifting Arms: Apply 20 LB wrist weights and try and reach for something on the highest shelf in your house.
- Spasticity: Hook bungee cords to your rear belt loops and rear pant leg cuffs then for your arms hook bungee cords to your shirt collar and cuffs on shirt sleeves then go dancing.
- Poor Hearing/Buzzing in Ears: Put a bee in each ear and then put a plug in each one...Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
- Balance and Walking Problems: Drink 100 proof grain alcohol and then sit and spin in an office chair for 30 minutes, now get up and see what happens.
- Urgently Needing to Pee: We put a .5 liter remote controlled water bag and drip tube in your pants, we point out 2 restrooms in a crowded mall, then we tell you that you have 30 seconds before we activate the water bag (by remote control) to get to a restroom. Just for spite we may make that 20 seconds without telling you.
- Bizarre and Inexplicable Sensations: Place tiny spiders on your legs or arms and allow them to periodically crawl around throughout the day, heck all day would be good too.
- Pins and Needles: Stab yourself repeatedly with needles all over your body or better yet....Get a very large tattoo in your most sensative area.
- Dizziness (Vertigo): Get on a gently rocking boat all day and all night and take several walks around the deck with your eyes closed.
- Fatigue: Stay awake for two full days to induce incredible fatigue and then cook dinner, clean the house, walk the dog and see how you feel. Please do not compare MS fatigue to you being tired from only a few hours of sleep - it's not the same at all.
- Cognitive Function (Brain Fog): Take a liberal dose of sleeping pills but stay awake. Try and function properly and think clearly. To make it even more real without killing yourself of course, take the sleeping pills with a small sip of wine.
- Bowel Problems: Take a 4 day dose of an anti-diarrhea medicine followed directly by a 3 day dose of stool softeners for a minimum of 3 weeks, at the end of 3 weeks sit down on a hard uncushioned chair and stay there till tears appeared.
- Burning Feeling: Make a full pot of boiling water and then have someone fill a squirt gun with the boiling water and shoot it at yourself all day long. However, you can give us the pleasure of shooting you instead...optional of course.
- Intention Tremor: Hook your body to some type of vibrating machine try and move your legs and arms.....hmmm are you feeling a little shaky? You are not allowed to use anything fun for this lesson.
- Buzzing Feeling When Bending Our Heads to Our Chest (L'Hermitte's): Place an electrical wire on your back and run it all the way down to your feet, then pour water on it and plug it in.
- Vision Problems (Optic Neuritis): Smear vaseline on glasses and then wear them to read the newspaper.
- Memory Issues: Have someone make a list of items to shop for and when you come back that person adds two things to the list and then they ask why you didn't get them. When you come back from shopping again they take the list and erase three things and ask why you bought those things.
- Foot Drop: Wear one swim fin and take about a 1/2 mile walk, nothing else needs to be said for this one, you'll get it.
- Depression: Take a trip to the animal shelter everyday and see all the lonely animals with no home. You get attached to one or more of the animals and when you come back the next day you come in while they are putting her/him asleep.
- Fear: Dream that you have lost complete feeling in your feet and when you wake up wiggle your feet, just so happens they don't move. Think about this every night wondering whether something on your body won't work the next day when you wake up.
- Swallowing: Try swallowing the hottest chili pepper you can find.
- Heat Intolerance or Feeling Hot When it's Really Not: You are on a nice vacation to Alaska. It's 35° outside and 65° inside. Light a fire for the fireplace and then get into it. Once you have reached about 110° tell me how you feel, even a person without MS would feel bad, now add all of the above symptoms
WELCOME TO OUR WORLD!!!
Then Finally...
After subjecting yourself to the items above, let everyone tell you that you are just under a lot of stress, it's all in your head and that some exercise and counseling is the answer.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Thoughts on life 8/10/12
So last week was when I had my exacerbation and did 3 days of steroids. I had a chat with a group of people about "quality of life" and if going on disability would provide an opportunity for a better quality of life....
The last few days this has been on my mind???
What quality of life would I have if I were to go ahead and bite the bullet? I have said that I did not ever plan to retire and my thoughts have been to work until I get hurt and can not work. When I had my flare my mother said that if I was unable to work that I could move back to my hometown.
(Which is in the middle of nowhere and I never thought that way before but if I were unable to easily drive somewhere, there is nothing there for me. Decent food to purchase for cooking or to dine on is over an hour away. Maybe two!)
My plan has been to work and get my degree in Dietetics, where I could either work in the peripheral of the kitchen or in worse case scenario a clinical setting. Maybe even teach culinary to high school students.
Maybe it is cause this past week was my first real flare since my diagnosis. (Was not near as bad as my first.) But this has me thinking, sorry if I have rambled in my thoughts, hope it made some sense?)
But if I were to step back and work on getting my disability, where would my quality of life be? Speaking with my home nurse this morning about this, I can not see where my quality of life would greatly improve. Yes, I would be more rested but what to do with that rested body? (And no money)
I think that I would just become more of a hermit, never leave my home... I am a social person to some extent but I also enjoy just staying in too. At least in working and attending school, it gets me out of the house...
Thoughts, what are yours?
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Scrapbook pages from Carolyn Dossey
Skip,
Here are 4 scrapbook pages. When I went in to save to PDF I realized I could save in JPEG with my new upgrage of the program. What I am doing in my books for the grandkids is putting in a copy of the family pedigree chart which of course is our direct line. Then I am putting in the stories, a family group sheet and then the scrapbook pages. I have done more on the Dosseys than I have on my side, but now I am slowly working on my side. I really like the scrapbook format as I can add maps and other things. Some I can't pick up on my new computer from another program I used but I can scan them in which should be done anyway to make them digital. Also sometimes you find additional information and it can be added as a scrapbook page attaching one of those.
Several years ago I decided to only do the direct line and their siblings into my family tree maker. Time had become a big issue and I really want to finish the direct ancestors stories . Abby seems to like them and Eli says that even if he doesn't read them now he will save them.
Let me know what you think of the scrapbook pages, or do you just want pictures?
Carolyn
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Alexander and Jane Graydon (genealogy)
Alexander and Jane Graydon
Alexander was probably born in County Fermanagh, Ireland. A DNA match between my brother Don and a distant cousin in Toronto, Canada proves that he comes from or near the parish of Aghavea and the town land of Coolnagrange. This family came from Ireland with some small children as daughter, Jane says she was born in Ireland and son, Thomas was born in Pennsylvania. The first account we have of Alexander in America is the 1790 census of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in Hopewell, Newton, Tyborn and Westpensboro Townships in an area today near the town of Shippensburg. Alexander Greadin is listed as 1 male over 16 and 6 females. The other two Graydons listed in 1790 census for Pennsylvania are the sons of Alexander Graydon and his second wife Rachel Marks.
The 1792-1794 Militia Roll for Cumberland County lists Alex Greaden residing in the bounds of the 6th. Battalion on February 4, 1793. They were living near Shippensburg, which was originally settled by Irish and located on a post road. By 1800 the family is living in Washington County, Pennsylvania. The family lists 1 male 0-10 and one male 45 and up. This would have made Alexander born at least about 1755. Also listed in the household are 1 female 0-10, 1 female 10-16, 3 females 16-26 and 1 female 45 and up.
On the 1800 Tax List for Pike Run Township of Washington County Alexander Greaden is listed as a distiller. This is important, as it gives validation to a family story that the Gradens were involved in the Whiskey Rebellion. The farmers in Western Pennsylvania protested a federal liquor tax because this was a way for them to get their products to market easier across the mountains. It was much easier to pack jugs of corn whiskey than the corn itself. They attacked the tax collectors until President Washington lead troops in as a show of force and the rebellion dissolved with no fighting. Washington County because of its location was involved. Farmers on the western frontier of Pennsylvania also used whiskey as an item for barter, as cash was scarce.
Life on the frontier was hard. Most homes were crude cabins made with round logs and the cracks daubed with clay. Roofs were clapboard and chimney of stone. The furniture made with the logs available and beds covered with blankets or fur. Clothing was hung on pegs. Doors were two sections so that the top half could be left open in fair weather.
Life was busy from dawn to dusk. Women did the cooking, baking, washing, scouring, spinning, mending, sewing, caring for the children (who sometimes appeared about every year or so), cleaning of the cabin and then helping with the crops. The milking was left to the women and children. Men were busy clearing the land, plowing, sowing the crops, hunting, and harvesting the crops. The family was fed with hog, and hominy, johnnycakes, and cornpone, sausage, mush and milk. There were the nuts, fruits and vegetables that were gathered in season. Things that were needed could be grown or made at home. Neighbors shared and helped one another. Weddings and house raisings were important social events.
Clothes were simple. Men wore a hunting shirt, breeches, leggings and jacket and cap usually with moccasins. Women wore plain gown and a handkerchief for head covering. Children were barefoot except for winter and sometimes even in the winter. Pewter dishes were for company and wooden bowls were for everyday. Cabins contained a spinning wheel and a Bible which was their main reading and record-keeping source.
Sometime between 1800 and 1807 the family moved further west across the Ohio River into Jefferson County, Ohio. One daughter, Margaret was left behind. She had married an Irishman named John Sprowls and they remained in Washington County. The Sprowls had traveled with the Gradens from Cumberland County shortly after the marriage of John and Margaret. According to Sprowls family history they came to Washington County in 1796.
The religion of the family at the time is unknown but there were more Presbyterian Churches than others in this region of Pennsylvania. The area was also settled by a lot of Scotch-Irish, which also agrees with a family tradition and now with DNA backup.
According to court records Alexander died in October of 1807 holding 94 acres of land in Section one, Township 11, Range 3 in the Steubenville District of Jefferson County valued at $4.50 per acre. At the time of his death he left 5 children, Mary (Polly), Jane (Jenny), Margaret, Isabella, and Thomas. He also left his widow Jane (Jenny). Jane the widow, and John Henderson, husband of Jane were administrators of the estate. Son, Thomas bought the farm for $359.10. Margaret and John Sprowls sold her share of the estate to Jacob Mushrush and there was a court action to settle the estate. This court action is what gives us the names of Alexander’s survivors. This legal document contains two spellings of the Graden name.
It is unknown when and where Jane, the mother, died although I would assume she lived out her days in Jefferson County. It is also unknown where either of our Irish grandparents is buried.
Family Information of Alexander and Jane
Margaret was born about 1782 and died Oct 3, 1838 in Washington County, Pennsylvania. She married John Sprowls about 1796 possibly in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
Mary (Polly) married Thomas Riley possibly in Washington County, Pennsylvania
Jane was born about 1786 and died in 1872 in Jefferson County, Ohio. She married John Henderson November 28, 1810 in Jefferson County, Ohio.
Isabelle married Thomas Bell August 26, 1823 in Jefferson County, Ohio.
Thomas was born February 13, 1793 in Pennsylvania and died April 1850 in Jefferson County, Ohio. He married Margaret Oswalt January 10, 1816 in Stark County, Ohio. He married Christina Ann Speedy July 7, 1840 in Harrison County, Ohio
Sources:
1790 Census Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
1800 Census Washington County, Pennsylvania
1984 Keyhole, Publication of Genealogical Society of Southwestern Pennsylvania (1800 tax list)
http://education.yahoo.com/search/be?lb=t&p=url%3Aw/whiskey_rebellion
History of Washington County
Sprowls Cemetery Records
Inventory of Estates, Jefferson County Ohio Books I and II
CPR B 423 (Court papers)
Probate records of Jefferson County, Ohio
Early marriage records of Jefferson County, Ohio
Pennsylvania Revolutionary War records
Sprowls Family Web site
DNA results for Don Graden
1850 Mortality Schedule for Jefferson County, Ohio
Carolyn Graden Dossey
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)