My Dad Was a Water Witch

 My Dad was a dowser, a water witch. People would be waiting for us to come to visit the family so he could find them a new well. Dad was born in Alabama. He and his family moved North when he was a teenager. Most of his family are still in Alabama. So anyway, he would go off and find water. I remember running along behind him sometimes, watching. I was fascinated. My Mother, on the other hand, tried to hide it from everyone 'back home'.

Dad would just find a forked branch and cut it when he got to the place. Then he would walk the place. Well, I won't go on as it could get quite long. It took a long time, as he would continue to walk in a north/south and east/west directions.  He liked being right, and he liked going up against technology to prove it!  The last time I know of him going witching was in the mid 1980's.  He was finding his own new well. They had pretty good tech then and he bragged that he was less than an inch from the what the tech said! 

 

The 'fixed' photo!

The first part of January I posted on Bluesky that I wanted to know if anyone knew someone that could fix a photo for me. I got a nice response!

The photo had lain in the bottom of a box. I didn't know there was one in existence. It is not a great photo and it was scratched bad. My post on Bluesky was answered by a Dr. Christophe (@offrez-une-genealogie.fr).  I am so happy that he was able to make the photo clearer. Well worth the money!

Rufus Lee Brock, Jr.
1931 - 2006

 

I Don't Know If I Am Ready

 December 31, 2024, my step-father died. He was 87, and missing my Mother so much. She died just 14 months before him. The Coroner said he had a massive heart attack, which makes sense as his heart was broken. He was gone before he hit the floor.Thankfully he did not suffer.

It snowed and got bitterly cold after that. I love snow normally. This time was different. At one point there was somewhere between 10 - 15 inches of snow out my window. Today it is raining, but cold, and I think the snow that is still hanging around is icier than it was. We're waiting for another bitter wave of temps coming at us.

So, what might be the most disturbing and scary year of my life, and I am almost 71, has begun. I've always thought of the new year started on my birthday. I mean, technically that seems reasonable since it really will be a new year for me. So I have a few weeks before I count it. January is just a trial run. A window into my future.

How has this January new year started? A funeral, drones and aliens, bitter weather, fire, and now fear. Many of my ancestors fought and some died to make and keep this country free. Most of my family are all in and happy about what is coming. To me it makes for a lonely time as I have been on the other side of the situation. I have lost my faith in the people of this country. I am resolved to believe that in the end, truth, decency, freedom and justice will win. I hope I live to see justice done!

What have I done so far?  I grieve. I deleted my Instagram (Threads), and Facebook. I haven't had Twitter for a long time. There is no longer any news channels in my house. I look online for reputable news sources.  I do have Bluesky and Mastodon.  I BLOCK TROUBLE and it brings such peace.

I've also gotten all of my bag patterns made into books, making it so much less messy to create one project, than having pattern pages everywhere.

 In family history: I use Family Historian and have a different way of working. Better organized, thanks to Drew Smith ("Organize Your Genealogy"). I have a folder full of sources to do, a folder of sources to scan, a folder to transcribe, and WikiTree to work on. Want to make a dent this year. Let's see how it goes.