GERTRUDE AND BERTHA, GREAT AUNTS, WHOSE UNIQUE LIVES WERE DISCOVERED THROUGH GENEALOGY!
Posted: July 20, 2019 Filed under: geezerQuests, Genealogy, STORIES, Uncategorized | Tags: China, genealogy, Iowa, Tyler 1 Comment »
Gertrude Winifred Tyler
2-4-1882 to 9-29=1980 – age 98
When I was between 5 and 10 years old, in the late 1940’s, I used to visit my grandparents in Villisca, Iowa. I would spend time with my grandfather’s two sisters, who were in their 60’s, and who were unlike any other women (housewives) that I knew. My recent interest in genealogy has proven how unique they were.
Gertrude Winifred Tyler was born in 1882 in Villisca, Iowa. She graduated from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa in 1909 followed by a Master’s Degree in Education from Columbia University in New York.
In 1913 she opened Stevens Memorial Suining Girls Boarding School in Suining, Sichuan, China, for the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She ran the school for around 30 years.
During this time she made numerous trips back to the US and I found her name listed as one of 19 US Citizens on the passenger manifest of the Nippon Maru, which arrived in San Francisco from Yokohama, Japan on July 16, 1919.
Gertrude had a large collection of Chinese wall hangings and artifacts. I have some of the hangings, but most of her collection is now in the Villisca Public Library.
Bertha Marie Tyler
9-6-1879 to 12-7-1971 age 92
Aunt Bertha, taught school in Orient, Iowa, graduated from Simpson College in 1912 and received her Master’s in Education and Psychology from the State University of Iowa in Ames, Iowa. She was then a school principal in Orient, Iowa and the Superintendent of Schools in Orient, Iowa for 16 years.
From 1934-1938 Aunt Bertha lived in Little Rock, Arkansas where she was the Dean of Women and Professor of Education for Philander Smith College, a college established in 1877 for freed African-American Slaves and still in existence and thriving today. The school was supported by the Methodist Church.
I wrote to Philander Smith College and they sent me an electronic copy of the 1935-36 College Catalog, which lists Bertha as the Dean of Women and Professor of Education. It also shows that tuition was $27 per semester, room and board was $15 per month and laundry was $4 per year. Tuition is now $12,564 and board and room is $8,250.
In 1938, Frank P. Tyler, Gertrude and Bertha’s father was in ill health. Gertrude and Bertha, abandoned their fascinating careers and came back to Villisca to run The Tyler Ice And Coal Company and the family slaughter house, which fascinated a 9-year-old boy on summer vacation.
The ice plant consisted of a huge room with a saline solution where they froze water into 100 pound blocks of ice, which were then split into smaller blocks and delivered throughout Villisca, as everyone still had ice boxes after WW II. Another part of the ice plant consisted of lockers where people stored their frozen food until they were ready to use it. The predecessor to the ice plant was a pond where they cut ice in the winter, stored it in warehouses insulated with saw dust and sold the ice in the summer.
The slaughter-house was a few blocks a way and only a small building where a couple of cows and pigs were slaughtered each week. The animals were shot with a .22 rifle and hoisted up on a winch to bleed out before being cut up. Gertrude and Bertha made blood pudding out of the blood and used every part of the animals.
My genealogy research so far has been on the internet; but, the next step is to track Gertrude and Bertha on the ground; visiting actual sites in Villisca, Iowa, Indianola, Iowa, Orient, Iowa, Columbia University, Ames, Iowa and maybe even Sichuan, China. It will be my own Genealogy Road Show, but will be on-site.
Last summer, my wife and I tracked her paternal and maternal ancestors through upstate New York and had great luck with local libraries, historical societies and genealogical societies, not to mention court houses and cemeteries.
This was originally published in the Albuquerque Genealogical Society Quarterly (July 2018)
THINK OLD!
BUILD YOUR OWN COFFIN?
Posted: July 19, 2019 Filed under: geezerAdapts, geezerHealth, Uncategorized | Tags: coffin Leave a comment »
The New York Times article by a doctor with a terminal illness caught my eye. He built his own coffin. It may seem morbid to some, but if you have a terminal illness or are old, death is one of the things you think about.
Building your own coffin adds a human touch to death that seems to be missing today. Death has become mechanical and hidden; just a process that you hire done and which is kept out of sight. I remember when my grandfather died in a small town in Nebraska. An open coffin, supported by two chairs in the dining room, was there overnight. Someone was always sitting next to it, including me at age 8. There were constant visitors, food and much talking.
Terminal illness and old age seem to drain one’s life of purpose; coffin building may add meaning and comfort. It will surely get people talking.
The problem is that people facing death, whether through old age or disease, look at death differently. They come to accept that everyone dies; a concept unfamiliar to younger people. A purpose is important.
Coffin plans if you are interested.
Since writing this in November of 2017, I have discovered that there are “coffin clubs,” which began in New Zealand and have spread to the United States. You can read about them in the August 2019 issue of The Atlantic.
If you are still interested, Google “coffin clubs” +name of your state.
THINK OLD!
HUMMINGBIRD ENJOYS FAST FOOD! What about you?
Posted: June 20, 2019 Filed under: Aging-in-place, geezerEats, My Backyard, Uncategorized | Tags: fat, Hummingbirds, processed food 1 Comment »I feed hummingbirds a mixture of one cup of sugar to four cups of water. The sugar is pure white, cane sugar. It is cheap; and must provide a sugar high.
Hummingbirds are at the trough all day and empty two feeders every day. They also eat at natural plants around the yard, but not so much.
I wonder if eating all that pure sugar is good for them. Can they make the annual migration to South America? Do they get fat? Do they have health problems? Are there obese hummingbirds?
They are like people. They eat what is easy; not, what they have to work for. People are obese. Will we see fat hummingbirds.
Something to think about.
Does fast food affect hummingbirds adversely?
I won’t stop feeding them. Like the fast food industry, I profit from the hummingbirds outside my window. I like to watch them; and, of course I count them. I am contributing to what I believe are hummingbird health problems; just like the fast food industry, with its highly processed, sugar-filled food have contributed to our health and obesity problems.
Next time you feed a hummingbird, take a look in the mirror. Where is your feeder with its high sugar concentration? Are you preparing to fly to Tierra del Fuego for the winter?
Take a look at the Wikipedia article on hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are also carnivores eating insects for the protein in addition to various forms of sugar.
THINK OLD!
TAX PLANNING FOR SENIORS – the key is a bucket!
Posted: June 15, 2019 Filed under: geezerFinance, SIMPLICITY, Uncategorized | Tags: tax bucket, tax planning, taxes Leave a comment »Most people who itemize their taxes have trouble keeping track of everything. Old people have a real problem, keeping envelopes and other unnecessary papers; and, strewing documents everywhere in their house or car.
This is to help you organize and is not tax advice. Hopefully, it is common sense – something old people should strive for.
The KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principal applies to old people in spades. Especially in financial matters.
All you need is a bucket labeled for taxes. During the year, you throw everything in the bucket; except envelopes. (Why old people keep envelopes is beyond me; and they are a source of clutter, confusion and contribute to important documents that go missing.)
You throw in notes where you paid cash or by credit card and copies of all credit card statements. Copy the front and back of needed checks and drop the copy in the bucket. Note that things in the bucket are in chronological order, so if you need something before tax season, you can find it easily.
Throw in charitable donations receipts. You can value of the stuff you have donated at the goodwill.org or the Salvatlon Army (satruck.org) web sites.
Copy last years tax return; or your accountant’s tax form.
At tax time, take the papers out of the bucket, sort them by tax form categories, and attach them to a copy of last year’s tax return. Change the numbers, insert new numbers and add in any new items.
You now have everything you need for your taxes, or for your estate.
KISS!
THINK OLD!
AARP Defensive driving course – a benefit for old people!
Posted: June 12, 2019 Filed under: geezerTrips, Uncategorized | Tags: Driver safety, driving Leave a comment »People my age received their driver’s license 65 years ago; which was the last time they reviewed the laws and driver “best practices.” For the last 65 years, we have just coasted – have not taken a driver’s license exam and have not reviewed the laws. Our biggest worry is the eye exam.
The AARP offers a Smart Driver course; either on-line or at a 4 hour class.
We recently took the course in a four hour class at the local senior center. While we expected to be bored, it was informative and at least made us think. It costs $15 for AARP members and $20 for non-members.
The best ideas we could relate to.
- Having a blind side mirror.
- Only making right turns if possible, which delivery services such as Federal Express practice; not because their drivers are old, but because of the savings in time and gas costs.
- Learning about roundabouts.
- The safety devices on new cars, including back-up cameras, blind side beeps, and several more. Beware, that these can also be confusing and distracting if you are old. They take getting used to.
- Timing lights at intersections.
- Stopping distances and following distances.
- Fog lines.
- Left and right mirror settings.
- Not pulling into the intersection while making a left turn.
- Seat adjustment for airbag protection.
- Steering wheel hand position adjustment; not 10 and 2, but 9 and 3. This protects your hands from the airbag in case of a crash.
- Anti-lock brake system.
- Lane markings.
- Space cushion around your car.
- Distractions.
Then of course, if you take the course, your insurance company will give you a break; anywhere from 7.5% to 15%; which more than pays for the course. I think it also useful for you to have a record that you took the course. You never know when that may come in handy.
You might also want to check out safecar.gov. Or, safernm.com; or, whatever source your state has.
REMEMBER, you are OLD, and you will be described as “elderly” or worse in any police report or newspaper article.
THINK OLD! DRIVE OLD!
HOW BUSINESSES LOSE OLD PEOPLE – they don’t know what seniors want/need!
Posted: May 30, 2019 Filed under: AGING, geezerTrips, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized Leave a comment »Last week I read The Longevity Economy, by Joseph F. Couglin, who is the founder and director of MIT’s AgeLab even though he is only 56. His basic thesis is that businesses do not really understand old people and what they want or need. I was intrigued enough, at 78, to 1) sign up as an AgeLab volunteer and 2) over the last week, while on a trip to Tucson, come up with personal examples of how businesses do not understand old people.
Here are just a few of my thoughts:
1. Side mirrors on cars do not let you see a car next to you on either side and it is hard to turn your head. I bought a blind spot mirror from Amazon and stuck it on my mirrors before I left.
2. The bath tub in our first hotel was too high, with a step and inadequate grab bars.
3. The bed is high. I couldn’t sit on the edge and put my shoes on. I was unstable getting out of it in the middle of the night; and, I get up often – another problem of aging
4. The TV clicker is difficult to use, though this one was simpler than most.
5. The restaurant is great. It is quiet and you can share a plate, unlike a lot of restaurants.
6. In case we don’t want to drive the distance, we have options. We can fly, we can use Uber/Lyft and rent a car. A little more costly than the drive and stop but not much, and not the stress. We miss the non-stop SW flights from ABQ to TuS.
7. When we leave, ABQ, we notify our neighbors, set up on/off lights and hide the computer. When you think about it, we really don’t have much that the average thief would want.
8. The car is a Prius and after 6 years and 75,000 miles, we still average 55 miles to the gallon,which appeals to our geriatric cheapness. And it is easy to drive and park, although I would like a back up camera that is standard on new cars.
9. Freeways are ok outside of cities as we stick to the right lane. And use speed control.
10. We also plug the I-phone into the cigarette lighter so it is always charged. And of course, google maps gives us directions as to where we need to go.
11. We don’t drive at night on the freeway
12. Food and other items packed in plastic that old fingers can’t open. Knives are hard to use on plastic packages with arthritic fingers. Scissors are also difficult, but who travels with them.
13. The paper TV channel guide has letters too small to read. The TV clicker was confusing, no grab bars in the bath tub, , bath tub too high, so without a grab bar, difficult to step into. – For the blog I have enhanced the TV channel guide.
14. On the way back, we stayed at a famous old hotel, but again no grab-bars on the high tub and the bottles of shampoo and conditioner were over a foot tall and heavy.
15. Lights in hotel rooms are not designed for old people; nor is the placement and switches on lamps.
This is just a sample.
More to come.
THINK OLD!
HOBBIES FOR OLD PEOPLE! Getting Started? – Try Wood Carving!
Posted: May 9, 2019 Filed under: COPING, geezerLearns, Uncategorized | Tags: Boy Scout Merit Badge Pamphlet, Hobby, wood carving 1 Comment »Old People need something to do. Hobbies and crafts are the lifeblood of old people. Think of all the crafts classes at the senior centers and on cruise ships. Some of us even take up blogging. Look at the classes listed in magazines for seniors.
Try a test drive. I have picked out wood carving, but any hobby that interests you will do.
I went with my son to a store selling hardwoods in North Carolina, and while there he purchased a small $6 block of wood and a starter set of carving knives. He announced that he was going to start carving at the young age of 50. It got me to thinking about how one would start a hobby.
The first thing is to decide which hobby. Blogging required several on-line courses, a couple of community college courses, a meet-up group, and a lot of time. Wood carving seems much simpler; but, I am not about to try it. Will just use it as an example.
Wood carving starts with the block of wood and the knives. Then you need to know what to do! At my age, if I was going to be a wood carver, I would go back 65 years to a time when I could learn anything. I would then read the Boy Scout Merit Badge Pamphlet on Wood Carving; or, buy it on Amazon.
Having mastered wood carving with the Boy Scouts, I would then look around for more help and would of course resort to Google.
Google the following if you are interested in learning wood carving in Albuquerque at a senior center: Albuquerque + Senior center + wood carving
Try the following in your area for wood carving lessons and/or information:
Local community college.
Senior Center
Lumber center.
The bottom line is that there are unlimited hobby resources available; you just have to look for them and try them out.
And, of course, if you want to spend a week learning to carve, try Arrowmont, a first class art school in Tennessee. “Birds, Bugs and Beasts: Carving the Natural” will teach you the basics of carving for $595 and $415 for a shared double room with three meals a day.
You should consider carving old people!
THINK OLD!
DUMMIES BOOKS, SOURCES FOR SENIORS!
Posted: May 7, 2019 Filed under: COPING, geezerAdapts, geezerLearns, Out of my comfort zone!, SIMPLICITY, Uncategorized | Tags: Dummies, learning Leave a comment »Old people need to learn new things. And, at your age, all your mentors are dead. The problem is finding someone to teach you and having the guts to go and learn something. It is an uphill battle to admit at 78 that you are ignorant and don’t know everything. Old people are afraid of being wrong, stupid or foolish.
I suggest that if you want to learn something new that you start with a “Dummies” book. There are hundred of them and they cover everything from Dating after Age 50 to Beekeeping. Some of them are 20 years old, but most basic knowledge is also old and you can use a Dummies book as a starting point.
At least you won’t feel quite as foolish after you have looked through a “Dummies” book.
Note that there are a number of Dummies Books directed at Seniors, or of topics of interest to seniors; even topics that you might not want anyone to know you are interested in, such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia for Dummies, which you can order on Amazon.com. Get the Kindle edition, as you don’t want to leave it laying around, and it is cheaper.
When you are ready to buy, go to Amazon, which sells hundreds of “Dummies” books. Just search “Dummies + topic” and see what you get; or do the same thing at your local library.
Amazon should be your starting point. It is better than a card catalog, or the electronic equivalent. Then check your library; or if on vacation, the library in the town you are visiting. They usually have a good supply and it is free. Besides, going to the library is interesting anyway as they have numerous magazines, programs, cafes, etc. They also are frequently the location for the local genealogy society, and other interest groups.
For example, we go to Indian Rocks Beach, Florida each year. Except for White Sands, New Mexico has a shortage of beaches. We like the Largo Public Library in Largo, Florida which provides us with a book store, a cafe, genealogy courses, genealogy library and dozens of magazines in addition to a huge number of books for “Dummies.”
Some of the Dummies Books I found at the Largo Public Library of interest to old people, deal with laptops, tablets and smart phones, Facebook, fit over 40, social security, estate planning, genealogy, personal finance, dating after 50, and dementia.
Of special interest to those of you who are downsizing, maybe in anticipation of a move to “The Home” is: e-Bay for Dummies. Or, you might just want to buy a copy for your kids. Time to sell off all that junk, which no one in your family really wants.
You might be interested in:
And, of course, if you are an old blogger, there is always:
At my age, nothing could be more interesting than the 4th Edition of Beekeeping for Dummies.
THINK OLD!
GATHERING OF NATIONS – 3000 Indian Dancers
Posted: May 4, 2019 Filed under: geezerTrips, New Mexico, Uncategorized | Tags: Frybread, Indians. Gathering of Nations 1 Comment »The 36th annual Gathering of Nations.
This event, bringing together thousands of Indians from 750 American and Canadian tribes was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 25, 26 and 27, 2019.
The annual event was held in Tingley Colosseum on the NM State Fair Grounds. All 11,571 seats were filled on the day I went. It included the Miss. Indian America Contest as well as several days of competitive dancing.
The costumes, made by the 3000 singers and dancers, are the highlight of the event. Dancing is a traditional part of the Indian Culture and not to be missed.
The Albuquerque Journal in its “Coming Together” story describes the event in detail with pictures.
The cost in 2019 was $19 per person and $10 to park. At noon, when the dancing starts, there are long lines and they only accept cash. You are better off getting you tickets on-line. Just go to gatheringof nations.com.
REMEMBER, if you are old, take care as there are dirt paths, and once inside Tingley Colesseum, huge crowds, subdued lighting and the possibility of a fall is always present.
It is worth it just to see the costumes and the Indian Families. The 2020 dates are April 23, 24 & 25.
You can buy Indian jewelry and crafts from hundreds of native craftsmen and women.
You can also buy food, some traditional, and some from the usual assortment of State Fair type vendors.
If you do eat, try the fry bread and the Indian Tacos.
While the fry bread was good, it doesn’t compare to the fry bread that you buy on the side of the road in NorthWestern New Mexico.
THINK OLD!
BLIND SPOT MIRROR – SAFETY DEVICE FOR OLD DRIVERS!
Posted: April 29, 2019 Filed under: geezerTrips, Uncategorized | Tags: Blind spot mirror, driving Leave a comment »
I still drive and around the city it is not too bad. I use a a few tricks, such as turning right as much as possible, but when I get on freeways, which is about the only way to get from city to city any more, I am faced with drivers coming up on my left and getting in my blind spot.
For $10, I fixed that thanks to a few rental cars and
Amazon.com. You affix a blind spot mirror to the driver and passenger side mirrors and you can see the cars right next to you.
It is hard to turn an old neck to look without the mirror and it is also a distraction.
THINK OLD!