Jaci Dawn

I mean to keep up this blog and post about my family history, but I haven’t been very good about it since the first of the year. I did manage to scan and save an entire folder of family history as it relates to the paternal side, but I haven’t pursued any of the leads or transcribed many of the stories to this blog. I have a 40-page “General Family History” that someone transcribed, typed, and carbon copied to my father. I suspect my Uncle Mike wrote it from letter he has in his possession, but I have not called him to verify that. Most of it deals with letters written during the Civil War – originals that I do not own.

Personally, I have been dealing with whatever it is that cripples me – that undiagnosed, but very real, autoimmune condition that causes some very obvious (even to the medical field) symptoms. I should go to a doctor, but I am so over that right now. they can’t find what is causing this, so why go? Yeah, yeah, I get that the symptoms are on the “do not ignore these symptoms” list, but doctors can never find the root cause – so why not ignore the symptoms? It’s not like you get a magical remedy just because you checked in to a doctor’s office. you get a bill, insurance shaves a small portion off, and you pay for a shrug of the shoulders. Last visit? $143 for “Gee, I have no idea, but go to the ER if it gets worse.”

I crawled into bed last week and stayed there for three days. Cheaper than a doctor’s visit, and a modicum more of relief. It could be worse: I could have something they could identify that is actually very deadly and rapid in advance, or I could have Fibromyalgia. Whatever it is, it only cripples the body once in awhile and the rest of the time I just have weird (but obvious & measurable, even to doctors) symptoms.

I’ve also been working hard on starting an at-home business (now that I am finished whinging about my body aches and pains). I have a portfolio of mini paintings and several books on building my own Word Press website (not this blog, but my art site). It’s slow going on the web design because I feel intimidated by technology and I think I’m going to just have to bite the bullet and start from scratch with the web site. Now that I have made that decision, it should be easier (see, you didn’t even know I was making a decision, did you? Neither did I).

Meanwhile – I still love my job that is just three miles from home. I’ve had a bit of a bad attitude this week, but if I think about it – this is just where I am supposed to be. it’s just that it is *not* my career. My career is what happens in the evenings, when I have a pencil or paintbrush in my hand. My career doesn’t pay the bills; my job does.

I’m on a major deep cleaning and decluttering binge – my 2016 winter goal is to get through the entire house. My 2016 Spring goal is to bring the rest of my inheritance home and clutter up the space all over again, but this time with meaningful antiques. Oy vey. Let me just get the house in order, first. I’ve made it through the laundry room and most of the kitchen. The problem is the weather… It’s been NICE and the garden is beckoning. I can’t neglect my garden!!

I did manage to get out and prune my grapevine back, but the annual dead-heading and getting ready for blooms hasn’t happened yet, and the air has been so warm… I noted that my forsythia has blooms on it. Haven’t seen anything on the Camellia – yet.

And birds. I haven’t posted about birds, or even taken many winter photos of them. We have a resident Bewick’s wren that has moved to the front yard and has figured out the suet cages. The Brown Creeper has been a steady visitor, too. I can’t keep enough nectar in the Hummer feeders because the Townsend’s Warbler has figured out how to raid them.

So – my promise – to start transcribing the “General Family History” beginning in February. Then, Great Aunt Gert’s letters. And Newton Brown’s letters. Great-great Uncle Newton ought to be interesting. Great Aunt Gert was just funny. And, in between, I’ll post on gardening and decluttering. I’ll strive to post once a week, at least – just to practice my writing skills.

Besides – you all need to know how I got to Oregon from Jarbidge, right? It wasn’t a very direct route… But nothing in my life is.