By Eilene Lyon …are made for working. If you wander through our yard and look carefully, you might spy two pair of boots, in an advanced state of decay. They may seem an odd choice for landscape décor. Let me explain… Back in 2008, I made a major pivot in my “career.” (I use quotation... Continue Reading →
Drafted and Disabled
By Eilene Lyon Last month I shared some background on my Arbogast ancestors who migrated to Ohio from Alsace, France. Of the Arbogast children who traveled with their parents to America, my 3rd great-grandfather was John C. Arbogast Jr. He was 12 when he landed in Tuscarawas County in 1840. He still lived with his... Continue Reading →
A Brief Citizenship
By Eilene Lyon A record group I have not delved into much is naturalization records in the United States. Of course, someone who came to America from Great Britain prior to the Revolution had no need to file for citizenship. My 4th great-grandfather, Thomas Bedford, was born in Old Sampford, Essex, England, in 1765 to... Continue Reading →
The Mini Time Machine
By Eilene Lyon While on vacation in southern Arizona earlier this month, I headed into Tucson to visit a museum. The one I selected was The Mini Time Machine: Museum of Miniatures. Probably what immediately comes to mind are dollhouses. And yes, there are quite a few of those here, but much, much more. In... Continue Reading →
Alsace Emigrants
By Eilene Lyon It’s time I shared a bit about a neglected line on my family tree, the Arbogasts of Alsace. They immigrated from a tiny village or commune in the Bas-Rhin department of France called Rittershoffen. The prefecture (capital) of Bas-Rhin is Strasbourg, a major city on the Upper Rhine River. Rittershoffen is about... Continue Reading →
The Drought Diaries: Sad Sonoran
By Eilene Lyon I’m spending this week on a solo camping trip at the Tucson Mountain Park, the largest county park in the U.S. at 60,000 acres. Here in southern Arizona, I’m on the eastern edge of the Sonoran Desert, which encompasses northwestern Sonora, Mexico, most of Baja, and a small section of southeastern California.... Continue Reading →
State of Fear
By Eilene Lyon Note: This is NOT about U.S. politics. This is also not a book review, though inspired by my recent reading of State of Fear by Michael Crichton. I’m not sure how this wound up on my bookshelf; possibly The Putterer picked it up at an airport years ago. While working through my... Continue Reading →
In Flight
By Eilene Lyon I've lately been reading a slim volume published in 2001 by the Quality Paperback Book Club, of which I was a member for many years. It's called The World's Best Shortest Stories (of all time) and features clever 55-word (or less) stories. Most have surprise twists at the end, some subtle, some... Continue Reading →
From the Vault: Golf
By Eilene Lyon This one really IS from the vault, aka the storage closet under the stairs. It sports some serious dust, cobwebs and maybe a mouse turd or two. It’s been years since I put the clubs to use, but I suspect they may play a part in my future fitness regime. I grew... Continue Reading →