Thursday, October 30, 2014

Today

I accomplished a lot of cleaning today. I am the onsite counselor this weekend so I had off from work today and instead of relaxing I started cleaning and organizing the closets in bedroom #1, stripped sheets washed comforters scrubbed bathroom #1 then headed to the living and dining rooms where I dusted and vacuumed.  In the end I have three skirt suits and nearly two dozen pairs of shoes to donate. I started the kitchen however I did not finish the kitchen. I did make a delicious roasted pork with sauerkraut. It was very tasty. I do not cook often but when I do I do it well. Hopefully, my over ambitious desire to kick ass today in the wifely domestic duties does not backfire into exhaustion as I will be working the next five days without a another day off. And when I work it is never an eight hour day. Last night, I did not leave work until after 730p as I had a 530p class to teach. Being the onsite weekend counselor = being responsible for up to 67 patients in addition to teaching a Saturday afternoon class to the visiting families. On a good note, I only have to be the onsite weekend counselor every 8th weekend and I really enjoy teaching. Twelve years and four months to retirement. I plan to retire at 67 though I am sure I will work a part time job thereafter until I can no longer work.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Shore House is Officially Closed For the Winter









Monday, October 27, 2014

Mary Boland Cafferty Death Record

Mary Boland Cafferty died of chronic Nephritis and Myocarditis on July 30, 1950. Residence at time of death was 4024 Ridge Ave.

Nephritis is a kidney disorder in which the spaces between the kidney tubules become inflamed. This condition can lead to acute kidney failure.

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the myocardium, the middle layer of the heart.

It appears Aunt Mary went into Kidney failure followed by Heart failure.

Brian McCaffery Death Record

Brain McCaffery was born in April of 1953, son of Coll and Francis Bernerdo McCaffery Jr. who died on December 24, 1954 of Meningococcemia and WaterHouse-Friedricksen Syndrome at Roxborough Memorial Hospital. An Autopsy was performed and the child was not interred until January 26, 1955 at St John the Baptist Churchyard. Address at time of death was 618 Rittenhouse Street.

Meningococcemia is caused by a bacteria called Neisseria meningtidis.

WaterHouse-Friedricksen Syndrome is failure of the adrenal gland to function as a result of bleeding into the gland generally caused by a severe infection.

Adrenal Glands are small glands located on top of each kidney that produces important hormones in which we cannot live without.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

This and That

I am going to miss the mornings here at the shore. We are closing the house this weekend . We do not plan to be back until we return from a wedding in Florida next April.

I am responsible for planning the desserts for the baby shower next month. I have a coworker who makes delicious cupcakes creatively decorated so I asked her if she would be interested in making 48 for the shower. In addition to the cake & cupcakes, I am unsure what else I plan to have. All I know is excitement is in the air as the time approaches. The pregnancy has been going well thus far. Lynee has been visiting the doctor weekly since she discovered she was pregnant. Despite being high risk, she has been doing well. Josh & Lynee decided not to name the baby Isabella. As of the other day, the baby's name was Aubree Clare Marie. Aubree because they like the name. Clare for Lynee's mother and Marie for me. A few years ago, they lost a baby in utero whom was to be named Isabella Marie. We have all been cautiously optimistic since this new baby's announcement and now that Lynee has passed 28 weeks we can plan a shower. The hall has been reserved and each of us is responsible for a part in the shower as Lynee has sisters who are supportive as well as a 19 year old daughter .

As a genealogist I am thrilled ancestry updated Pennsylvania's death certificates up to 1963 which means I now have access to my paternal grandparents certificates in 1945 & 1956 respectively. I now know for sure that Marie Schroeder Weleski died of a stroke. I heard stories referring to that fact however what I did not know was she had  a  left Subarachnoid Hemorrhage which is bleeding in the area between the brain and thin tissues that cover the brain. I knew she died two days after giving birth however I now know she died exactly 36 hours after the birth of my Uncle John. Subarachnoid Hemorrhages are very rare and only comprise between 1% to 7% of all strokes. Subarachnoid Hemorrhages are the result of a head trauma or cerebral aneurysm. The aneurysm could be congenital therefore it could have been present in Marie's brain since birth and perhaps pregnancy combined with possible high blood pressure could have been the catalyst. Marie gave birth and died at Lankenau Hospital. Once I get all the certificates organized I will be posting them to this site.

My paternal grandfather John Joseph Weleski appears to have been one shady fellow as the death certificate lists three possible names; John Wisloski, John Weleski and John Fleming. I had heard stories about him too. Wisloski was the birth name. Weleski is the name he changed it to between the births of my father and uncle. Fleming was his boxing name. (Buck Fleming) Whereas my paternal grandmother Marie was sweet, quiet and very compassionate, my paternal grandfather John was a bully. Marie was well liked in the community. John was loathed  in the community.  John had a severe alcohol problem which probably along with hypertension lead to a Cerebral Hemorrhage shortly before his 52nd birthday in 1956. The certificate provided another piece of information I was not aware of. He was in the Navy from March 1919 to July 1919 and he was just 15 years old. I wonder if his discharge from the Navy was the result of his age being discovered. Lots of young men lied about their ages when joining the service during the earlier wars before we had proper proof of Identification. To be fair, John did not have an easy life. He grew up without his father in a home where his mother never spoke English and died in 1932 followed by the sudden deaths of his brothers in 1938. John died in the home of his daughter Lillian.

I also found my maternal great grandmother's death certificate. Mary Keller Gallagher died at Roxborough Memorial Hospital in 1959 from heart failure as the result of breast cancer. Mary had a breast removed four years prior to her death.

My grandmother's maternal aunt Kate died at Roxborough Memorial in 1958. My paternal great grandfather Charles Schroeder died of Kidney Disease in 1945. More details to follow all several of my ancestors. Folklore travels down the generations so it is amazing to find proof.




Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Stocking Up

This is one of the best parts of being a grandmother. Our newest granddaughter is expected December 17th. 

From the Weekend



















Uncle Gene and Grandmom


Sunday, October 19, 2014

Phase One Complete

Anyway, the house plants have been transported from the shore house to the Plymouth Meeting house and now the living room looks like a jungle. I think I am going to have to put some of these plants in the spare bedroom until next spring. I cleaned out the food from freezer and the cabinets and now it looks as if I went grocery shopping here in Plymouth because we brought that food home. I still have to clean out the refrigerator at the shore house and that will be next weekend's project. Most of the linens were transported so I can wash them up this week after work and return them for storage next weekend. Checks were written out for the winterizing and awning removal for the winter months.

My sister and I went into the town of Cape May for massages then to Aleathea's for a wonderful breakfast. It was our last sisterly shore adventure for the season as she will not be down next weekend because she will be on a cruise in the Caribbean with friends.

I just completed a book "Fortune's Children, The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt". It was an excellent book and I really enjoyed reading it as I was already familiar with the houses and characters since we just went to Newport. I read another book "The Vanderbilt s" prior to "Fortune's Children" which was a basic overview of the family origins. This afternoon I started a new book called "Outlander". Outlander has 45 chapters so I expect it to take a little while longer (read the last two in a week) to read unless I do nothing else (work, clean, ect) except read which is about as realistic as pigs flying.

I really should get back to the jungle (living room) and come up with a plan for the plants. (Maybe, they should board at my parents' house for the winter)

Saturday, October 18, 2014

My Morning View





The Close of the Season is Upon Us

It is a beautiful morning here in Cape May as I was awoken by the songs of the birds and the smell of the crisp salt in the air. The cool breeze that blew in from the windows surrounding my bedroom felt delightful as I automatically crawled down deeper beneath the down comforter in the bed. I heard Bill stirring around in the kitchen where he put on a pot of coffee. A cool breeze and the smell of fresh brewing coffee motivated me from the bed to the sofa in the living room where I curled up in a blanket and began to look out at the view of the wet lands with its tall grasses a variety of green and brown colors and the many varieties of birds that feasted. I spotted a bird I have never seen before. It was small approximately the size of my finger. I watched as it danced across the grasses. There were several robins looking for worms and I wondered why they were looking for worms in land that must be tainted in salt. Do worms live in salted ground? Do robins eat worms from salted ground? Depending on the amount of rain that has fallen in previous days and the tide, the wetlands can be very dry to very wet. Only one day did the water travel all the way up to the back of the house during high tide and a previous heavy rain fall.

It is quiet here. On occasion you may hear distant traffic however most of the time the only sounds one hears are from the wild life or the wind as it taps the windows. Our house is surrounded by windows. We have five windows in the living room and four windows in the kitchen. The living room can be entered by the sliding glass doors that come in from the screen room. Our bedroom has two windows whereas the two lofts on the second floor have two and three windows respectively. When you enter through the front of the house you will enter through another set of sliding doors to the screen room. If you enter through the back of the house from the deck, you enter through a set of sliding doors into the back of the screen room. All in all there are three sets of sliding doors for entrance into and out of both the screen room and main house. The stand alone shed out back holds our bikes, beach chairs, beach umbrella, out door tools, gardening supplies and toys. We have a fire pit in the back that is covered with a tarp but will be stored in the shed for the winter when we close next weekend. This weekend the goal is to clean out the cabinets of food along with most items in the refrigerator and freezer. We will bring all food items home this weekend. The linens have already been stripped from the upstairs beds (kids). I will bring all the linens home to wash then bring back next weekend and store in vacuum pack containers and store in the downstairs closets. Indoor plants will come home this weekend.  The clothes in the bedroom and hall closets will also be brought home. Next weekend I will store all those stuff animals the kids have down here in vacuum pack containers and leave them down here and before we leave next Sunday, the screen room furniture will be stored indoors and the living room sofa will be trashed as to force us to purchase a new living room sofa next spring.

We are going to pay someone to roll up the awning and winterize the pipes. We will call the cable company and have the cable/internet discontinued until next April. We will leave the electric on but shut down the box so the outdoor lights do not automatically come on at night. I never realized how much work there was in closing down a house for a season and I am sure there is just as much work as opening up the house too. Our heating system and stove are supplied by propane tanks. We generally shut those tanks off every-time we leave the house for the week anyway. It has been an amazing first year down here and the neighbors are very friendly. The community is safe as it is a gated community so no one gets in without an automatic pass on your car that automatically opens the gate after passing by a guard. The best part of being here is family. We are surrounded by family as both my parents and sister have homes in the community. We started a tradition of having coffee at my house whereas Bill makes the coffee and my sister comes over and we chat over our morning coffee while planning out the day and enjoying the view of the wetlands.

I feel extremely blessed today.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Another Step Forward

After work today we will drive to the shore house and begin the process of closing down the house for the winter. The goal is to have the house closed by next Sunday. Most weekends in November are already booked with events. There are a few concerts, a baby shower and a weekend getaway to the mountains for Nikolas's 10th birthday already planned. This will be the third year in a row we celebrated Nikolas's birthday at the same resort in the mountains. The boys really enjoy going to the resort especially eating at the Hibachi Grill Restaurant. In addition to the pool and hot tub, we love to hike through the paths in the woods. Nikolas will also be walking in this year's Thanksgiving Parade with the Cub Scouts.

After a difficult week, I made a decision last night to #1 delete numbers from my cell phone #2 close down FB #1  helps me to let go and be less impulsive #2 allows me to read more books and play less games. It is time to cease the battle within my brain and move forward in different aspects of my life.

Having intelligence is a double edge sword. School was never difficult and having the ability to conceptualize has lead to a successful career however the mind never stops. It over thinks. And over thinks. And for God sake over freaking thinks. No wonder there is a saying "ignorance is bliss"!


Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Monday, October 13, 2014

Dreams

She was in my dreams again last night. I was looking for her and I could not find her. I would see her appear then when I went to her, she again disappeared. I cannot remember all the details but I could feel the loss.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Rule #1 for a Positive Life Worth Living

Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they will make room for you. You should not have to fight for a spot. Never ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth and remember, it is not the people that stand by your side when you are at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you are at your worst that are your true friends. (Marc & Angel)

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Letters To Ava

Dear Ava,

Pop Pop Bill and I just spent a wonderful week exploring various historical sites in some of the New England States with a concentration in the states of Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York.  There are two things that I like the most, travelling and history. I have a "bucket list" of places I want to see and cultures I want to experience before I leave this earth. I made a decision a year ago that the months of exploring and travel will be in April and October. I am a planner therefore my mind is always searching out the next place and I spend the six months prior researching places and prices and saving to go see and experience these places. I never go on tours because tours take one to tourist traps especially in other countries so we fly then rent a car so we can explore how people live, what they eat and at a pace in which we choose to travel. Granted we may take a tour of a historical house like some of the houses in Newport Rhode Island, however, we only do that if it is the only way to see a place otherwise we research and read as we go.

Out of all the places we visited this past week, I found myself in love with the beauty of Newport Rhode Island not because there are ostentatious Vanderbilt mansions but because the waves crash up along the cliffs and spray their water high up in the air. I love the sound of the ocean, the smell of salt air and I am in awe of its power and beauty. Pop Pop Bill refers to me as an Island Girl because I seek solace in the ocean.

I really enjoyed touring Hyde Park particularly Franklin D Roosevelt's house. Though the Roosevelts were wealthy they were not ostentatious like the Vanderbilts and they had a home which was "lived in". They were down to earth people and as you take American History classes in school, you will learn about the extraordinary things the Roosevelts did for this country. I never knew that it was Franklin Roosevelt that started the March of Dimes and facilitated the events that resulted in Salk discovering the vaccine for polio therefore eradicating polio from our country and throughout the world. Pretty amazing stuff to say the least. The man was more than World War II or the New Deal.

Anyway, I saw your father yesterday and we had a nice three hour visit. He looks and sounds well. I am glad he is accepting advice and focusing on exercising his mind and body. He reads a lot of books and I know this because I am the one who ships the books and I generally send between seven to ten books a shipment. He realizes he is fortunate to have a supportive family and there are many others who do not have support so he shares his books once he reads them. I am glad he hands them out because it is always important to "give back" no matter what the situation. I try to do my part by shipping the big books of NA and AA and other such daily readers to those incarcerated who want them. It is not much but it is something. Your father always "worked out" on a daily basis and continues to do so. Exercise is good for one's physical and emotional health. He has been attending mass every week as well. I am glad he has reconnected with his childhood Catholic faith and believes in a higher power.

At some point in the near future I will open up a private fund for you to access when you become of age. I sent a backpack on behalf of your father and a small collection of Wizard of Oz dolls. I hope you received them. I did not realize until yesterday how much your absence affected my own father.He misses you. We love you, Ava. I hope you know that.

Love,
Mom Mom