Another Year
Another year gone and the old man with the scythe
Is mowing closer. He hasn’t been subtle, has he.
Too many good people gone, and I could sit and cry
For them except that you look exceptionally snazzy
Despite the miles on your odometer,
As if you have a few more aces up your sleeve,
Maybe you were born under a lucky comet or
Maybe it’s the wine, but I do believe
When I look at you and take your hand you’re
Positively glowing. Maybe we’ve been sorry a
Long enough time and now we get some grandeur
And do our dance and sing our aria.
May this year bring us before it has flown
All we would have wished for had we only known.
by Gary Johnson
Calendar for 2024
An Assemblage of Ancestors,
Living Their Best Lives
Sketch in Pencil by Rosanne Bristow McCartney (1933 - 2021) |
January
98 Years Ago!
Little Buddy Heideman (b 1922) Son of Rovilla's brother Melville Miller Heideman |
February
Ostler by Trade
Gerry's Great - Grandfather Benjamin Bristow (1845 - 1915) |
March
The Bristows of Little Crosby
Benjamin & Sarah Bristow & Daughters: Birdie & Betty |
Gerry's Grandpa Harry in 1910 Henry Emanuel Bristow 25 December 1889 - 14 August 1966 |
April
Wild Wild West
L to R: My Grandfather Paul Jones Lindsey (1895 - 1983) my Great Uncle Samuel Gordon Lindsey ( 1893 - 1918) and their friend Ira Heidleburg (1891 - 1953) |
May
When Grandma Was a Girl
My grandmother Mary Rovilla Heideman Lindsey 1908 ~ age 17 8 October 1891 - 14 June 1966 |
June
Business & Home
Rovilla's grandfather Henry Wise Miller 27 May 1834 - 29 October 1915 |
Emporia, Kansas ~ Homestead of Henry W. & Elizabeth Birkinbine Miller Grandparents of Rovilla Heideman Lindsey |
Osborn, Ohio ~ Homestead of John & Sarah Cox Haddix Great - Grandparents of Paul Jones Lindsey |
July
Barrel of Fun
Rovilla, age 18 in 1910 with her cousins Willie Golder & Ruth Reider |
August
Musicians All
"Jack" Willard Samson Carriker 6 December 1898 - 6 March 1974 |
"Shug" [as in "Sugar"] Melvina Adeline Beavers Carriker 17 May 1901 - 18 November 1981 With her daughter Frances (at the piano) and daughters-in-law Theresa & Elaine |
McNabb Sisters in 1892 Nancy (b 1849) & Delia (b 1860) Shug's great - aunts |
September
Ready for a Show
Clinton, Arkansas ~ Cornet Band Late 19th Century James William Beavers (1872 - 1932) in second row, with hat on knee |
My Uncles: Leon & Glen Moots With their new guitars in 1959 |
My great - uncles Wayne & Sam Lindsey, before World War I L: Wayne Wallace Lindsey (1889 - 1951) R: Samuel Gordon Lindsey (1893 - 1918) |
October
The Sporting Life
Ron McCartney (back row, far right)
Portrane Mills Cup, 1949 |
Ron McCartney (second from left)
T. Byrne Mills Cup, 1950 |
November
Harvest Festivals
Shug & Jack, 1959
Grandma & Grandpa Carriker riding in a wagon just for fun! |
Rovilla's brother Harry (far left)
Harry Louis Heideman (1887 - 1940) with friends and his wife Ethel (top left). Pretending the wagon needs gas! |
Top of Haystack:
Harry & Ethel's daughter Mildred (b 1913) |
December
Happy Holidays
Stylish trees of the time
at Aunt Ethel & Uncle Harry's house in Indendence, Kansas. |
Mildred's First Christmas Tree |
Ethel with Mildred Della (b 1913)
or Ila Maxine (b 1917) |
I began the New Year with an epiphany of sorts, looking through my collection of hundred - year - old family pictures, searching for some that I wanted to use for this calendar. Often, looking at the dear faces in the old photos makes me feel so sad, because I know the sorrow and loss that was to follow for so many of them.
This time, however, a new insight began to crystallize as I saw their mirthful whimsy living on in my world, decades after their departure from this planet. I kept my focus on how much fun they were having, going out of their way to create clever photo ops, living their best lives! And their efforts paid off -- because here I am in the next century witnessing their talent, admiring the nuance of their wit, and feeling proud to be their descendent.
"Let's drink a toast to
those who most believe
in what they've won . . .
Let's drink a toast to
those who best survived
the life they led . . ."
Nice comments from friends:
ReplyDeleteFrom Nikki E-G: "What an absolutely wonderful accomplishment putting the old pix together!!!! I could sense their whimsy and love the window into the times! I am so impressed!!!"
From Karen J: "Great pictures! You’re lucky to have those! Enjoyed their fun poses like in the barrel and then their backsides!"
Nikki: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10228692210757629&set=a.1220677324535
ReplyDeleteKaren: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10228690020142865&set=a.1527879644401