On Common Ground

Spring is the season for action, it seems.  Here in the desert, I expect to see a whole lot of gardening, planting, watering, mowing, raking, mulching, fertilizing, digging, pulling weeds, and weedwhacking with weed eaters.  Sweeping the sidewalks is an occasional senior activity; (remember push brooms?)  Using a motorized leaf blower is more common and energizing (noisy) in this young neighborhood.

Our community thrives on common ground.  Conforming to front-lawn rules and regulations is customary in this arid frontier.  My wife says keeping the weeds down is the reason – much easier to mow, water, and fertilize than to kill weeds.  I think it’s for curb appeal – a nice view while backing out of the garage in the early morning, and driving in at night.  Same with the tan vinyl fences, which I love as maintenance-free.

You may detect an attitude, but the point of this language lesson is to share some “verbal nouns, also called gerunds, which refer to actions.”  –  examples.yourdictionary.com/noun-examples

Here are more nouns derived from verbs:

I prefer boating, bowling, camping, computing, eating, hiking, playing, reading, relaxing, serving, sleeping, and watching movies with my wife.
“These are a few of my favorite things.”  – lyricsmania.com

A couple of those do not look like action words, but in my book they are. Admonishing (advising or urging) is not my thing, but one can have fun with storytelling and writing personal history.  Everyone has a unique story to share – is that not common ground?

Growing hollyhocks is one of Kay's specialties.

Graceful running is fun in the sun.

Discovering a wind spinner in the backyard is a curious thing.

Rooting out these bad boys is a common-ground challenge.

Elder Afterthoughts

It's happening more, the older I get – both good and bad.  In fact, I just recalled this title I noted six weeks ago:  afterthought, defined by Google as "an item or thing that is thought of or added later."  Afterward, it came to me: we elders, or persons in "a more advanced time of life" (M-W def.) are especially blessed ... or cursed ... with greater frequency of afterthought.

Another just occurred to me: an e-mail I sent yesterday to explain a fun "Tech Solutions" church activity I am planning for elders ("olders" or seniors), was missing a new add-on idea I had: displays of old low-tech compared with current high-tech.  Come to think of it, as a tech collector, 
I have plenty of them!  (P.S.: Old ones, that is.)

There is another thought coming to me ... to be added here later ... if I remember.  Is that good or bad?  Am I on the right track with this?  I got it ... like the next station – some get there faster than others.

Am I coming or going?  Quick!

Looks like I lost my train of thought – sorry, but I love 'em! (Grandkids and afterthoughts)

Two-and-a-half-minute Talks

Three minutes would have been too scary for me – more than a shy boy could handle at age six, I guess.  Whoever created the 2.5-minute talk for junior Sunday School must have been sensitive to that.  Two minutes was manageable; another half minute was a stretch to help us quiet kids grow.

I remember giving my first talk in jSS (a home next to the 20th Ward "amusement hall"), standing in front of a big room full of children.  I don't recall the topic – only how frightened I was.

It must have been a growing experience, as I have accepted a few more scary assignments to talk since then.  My wife Kay and I move around a lot to different wards as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; occasionally, we are asked to speak in sacrament meeting and introduce ourselves. Fortunately for me, Kay is always first and so well prepared, she is able to fill most of our allotted time, leaving me about two and a half minutes to read a scripture, testify of the truth, and say amen to her fine sermon.  Seriously, the gospel is true!

East Ensign Ward Sunday School class  13 December 1942

Live Together in Love / A History of The Ensign Third Ward, ©1981, Salt Lake City, p.59

(Click pic to enlarge, then press Esc to return to post.  Recognize anyone?)

Snipping Tool Simplified

Last January, I e-mailed my good friend these simplified instructions for using the Snipping Tool on PC with Windows 7:

1. Ready
2. Get
3. Set
4. Go

It works!  If you have a handle on using this power tool, you gotta love it!
Not so easy for me on Windows 8.1 – we struggled with it today at a client's office; (help!)  Always more secrets cleverly hidden by programmers to create a progressive, new look-and-feel; (a pet peeve of mine.)

P.S.: Some added detail may help those who haven't used the tool before; (maybe I should send this to my friend, in case the above didn't do it:)
1. Ready with image to capture on screen.  2. Get tool: click Start (lower left) or press Windows button; if S.Tool doesn't appear on frequent programs, type to Search: snip (or: snipping tool); find and click Snipping Tool to launch it.  3. Set by framing the image with mouse cross starting at top left (I prefer), and holding mouse button while moving to opposite corner to complete frame; release button; (if screen is not in faded mode by default (New), click New in little S.Tool box.)  4. Go with snipped image (automatically saved in temporary clipboard memory) to Paste in Word doc or e-mail, and/or Save As (name) PNG or JPEG<(best) file type for future use.  Simple as that!

Here are a few of my sample snips from 2014, for family history and fun:

I saved as (file name): Word2010-menuReview_Comments&TrackChngs

Saved for fine food & one typo; love his ads on KJUL-FM oldies radio (kjul1047.com)

RootsTech 2015 Sample

This morning, I happened to watch an archived presentation which is worthy of sharing.  The following link (URL) may not last long, but some ideas will. 

http://rootstech.org/video/4050134760001
"30 Pieces of Tech I Can't Live Without"  (58-min. video) 
presented Thursday 12 Feb 2015,  by D. Joshua Taylor, and sponsored by FamilySearch.

My rough notes were typed on Notepad as I watched; later copied here:

He takes a tablet everywhere; rarely uses his laptop anymore.
Favorite apps: MoodBoard and FlipBoard.

Dropbox -- cloud storage; no need to synchronize on multiple devices.
Evernote for notes, to-do lists, collaboration; (saved jpeg snip: 
  Roots5-videoSlide-Evernote-JoshTaylor-30techMustHave)
Social media: Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit, ...
Spreadsheets: Excel or Google Docs; organize & prioritize (sort).
FH software -- uses them all; manages relationships; never perfect, but needs to be close.
Online subscriptions -- current research focus; 
  "searching is old-school now in genealogy; it's what you do with it."
Breaks up family tree into projects, and has several smaller trees online.
Portable scanner -- beyond the mobile camera: HoverCam and FlipPal.
Library card -- access to archived-resource collections,
  e.g. American Antiquarian Society
JSTOR: scholarly journals (art, music, religion)
Dedicated Email to separate genealogy from personal, business, spouse's.
Portable external drive -- keep current (model)
WordPress and Blogger: plug-ins help FH; WordPress widgets; put partial family tree(s) up to share for collaboration.
Google maps, drive, books, advanced-search pages/options; 
  to find it, (of course) Google: advanced search.
  Try starting with results on page 10, and work back to page 1.
Webinars: e.g. how to use gen software; ISGS Webinars; Genea Webinars has calendars.
  Google webinars, e.g. "Preserving Your Personal Photographs"
WorldCat connects research libraries world-wide, including SLC; not all is online; e.g. Kingsley genealogy  1630-1961
ArchiveGrid -- the "WorldCat of archives"; "find archives near you".
Find a Society through Federation of Genealogical Societies.
DNA "testing is a necessary tool now for genealogy."  Test many places;
  "2015: Most bang for DNA buck" blog post.
Web clipping software; he often does quick capture;
  Snagit captures website or other scrolling screen completely.
Book cataloging -- personal collection; beyond docs & books; stories of items collected; LibraryThing, Collectorz.com, goodreads (what are others reading); alternative to reading blog after blog to catch up on things; 
  inventory for when it's time to distribute things to others.
Task management tools -- what works for your style;
  Trello -- online collaboration; set up lists for projects and individuals, etc.;
  he has Trello board for "the dream trip"; color codes; list for each FH site.
Image editing software -- restore & repair, recolor, embed source citations on top of docs; e.g. yellow box to enhance microfilm (vs. ylw legal pad.)
Skype for interviewing relatives, reference help, distant cousins; 
  talk to archivists & librarians before going to there to research.
Audio and video -- move beyond docs; produce your own research-experience YouTube video, e.g., like "Who Do You Think You Are?"
Cyndis List -- best resource for lists; odd obscure things; occupations, entertainment, museums, etc.
Portable power essential for travel.
Physical labels -- contents, power cords, color-coding.
Outdated technology -- e.g. he still has floppy disks at home; 
  Danish research notes in PAF 2, e.g.
Distractions: group IMs, social groups, online games; 
  10-min break may help you bounce back, refocus, and find.

Final words: "to each his own"; tech is constantly changing; 
  read in-between reviews (not 1-star or 5-star), and ask around.

Four of fourteen conference sponsors.  Images courtesy rootstech.org

Lincoln's Big Day

Today is a birthday for someone special!  My historian friend reminded me last night, still upset that it was swept under Presidents' Day ("Washington's Birthday" per opm.gov) – always a Monday, of course.  So now we have a grand federal holiday honoring ALL of the U.S. presidents, whether we like them or not. (See timeanddate.com.)

Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809, in Kentucky, "in a log cabin at Sinking Springs Farm."  – nps.gov

One of my treasured acquisitions from a DI thrift store is a large paperback book titled Lincoln – A Photobiography by Russell Freedman ©1987, Scholastic Inc., New York NY.
(Wish I could show some photos published in this fascinating, copyrighted book.)

"It's true that Lincoln had little formal 'eddication,' as he would have pronounced it.  Almost everything he 'larned' he taught himself.  All his life he said 'thar' for there, 'git' for get, 'kin' for can.  Even so, he became an eloquent public speaker who could hold a vast audience spellbound, and a great writer whose finest phrases still ring in our ears.  He was known to sit up late into the night, discussing Shakespeare's plays with White House visitors."  – Freedman, p.4

"... infinite wisdom has seldom sent any man into the world better fitted for his mission than Abraham Lincoln."
– Frederick Douglass, "abolitionist writer and editor", former slave; Freedman, p.5

"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master.  This expresses my idea of democracy."  Abraham Lincoln  – brainyquote.com

I have heard and read both good and bad, but personally I stand in awe of the man Lincoln.  How do you celebrate his birthday?

"with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right"  – Lincoln
Monument we visited at Gettysburg PA 15 June 2010

Positively Dispositive

Words are fun.  With words, we learn something new every day – how exciting is that?  I started talking when I was 3 years old, and reading at 6 – no hurry.  With today's technology, toddlers start having fun with words at 18 months.

Editing a document for an attorney friend yesterday, I was stopped by a word I heard him use the day before: dispositive.  In context, it still left me clueless: "dispositive issue decided by the Supreme Court ..."  
I theldom thumb through my dusty dictionary, now that Google defines: "relating to or bringing about the settlement of an issue or the disposition of property.  
LAW: dealing with the disposition of property by deed or will.
'... signature after making the dispositive provisions'
dealing with the settling of international conflicts by an agreed disposition of disputed territories.  'a peace settlement in the nature of a dispositive treaty' "
Positively aha!  Of course – why didn't I think of that – not what I first thought it meant.

Find a good word today!

Time running out looking for LOST words like WEEDS in Anthem Arizona 2 July 2014 

Sedona Arizona caution sign 30 December 2014