Wrocks meet the old Prunepicker at Seatac.

Next Sunday I will be at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival!

This festival is held every year. Jackie and I went every year that we lived in Washington. (17 years) The fields are between Mount Vernon and LaConner, Washington. What a splendid circumstance. I an visiting my grandson for several days in Woodenville. I arrive at their home on Saturday. They are scheduled to go to the festival next Sunday. I get to go the festival with them! Aren't I a lucky guy? It will be a heavy nostalgia trip down memory lane.

Here are a couple of photos that give an idea of the festival scenery. I will post some pictures next week.

What happened to our library table?

I have memories of my family's library table. It looked like this.

As a small child I sat at the table looking at books, drawing, scribbling, etc. It had one big drawer full of pencils and paper and other interesting items. A library table is an odd thing to have fond memories of, but I do. I can remember the last time I saw it.

It was in 1935 when I came home from the sixth grade to the house where I was living with my Dad (just the two of us). The house was on south Garey Avenue in Pomona, California.

All of my our furniture (including our library table) was in a fairly neat pile in the front yard. In the depth of the depression Dad had been unable to pay the rent and we had been evicted.

I can not remember where I spent that night (I am sure with one of my sisters) but I will never forget the sight of that pile of furniture in the front yard. I never saw the library table again.

Richard and I visit Skip's ten GP pups. 7 weeks old.

Thanks to Carolyn and Skip Russell these ten puppies will soon be making ten homes a brighter place.

My temperature tracks perfect with cold going away!

It is startling to me how well my body temperature reflects the  progress of a cold. Kinda handy, however. My latest cold started on April 1 with a temp of 98.4 which is barely over normal. Two days later my cold was terrible and my temp was 99.2. My cold slowly got better until April 13 when my temp was near normal at 97.8. ( See the chart.)

I believe that my temp is a better cold indicator than how I feel. As long as I have any temp I rest more (10 to 12 hours in bed.) and drink more fluids.

Got my carpets cleaned!

The present trailer carpet was installed in the last months of Jackie's life. She loved it. Today another sweet lady cleaned the carpet. Guess who?

Prunepicker found the "Scottish" Highlands of Louisiana.

Why the Highlands are at the Scotland Farms in Minden, Louisiana. About an hour from where I live in Reston. The Scottish Society o' the Louisiana Highlands holds the Tartan Festival every year. This is the 16th Festival. How come I was so long in discovering it? I do not get around enough. I finally got to Festival today. Here are pictures and a couple videos.

Genuine Scottish cattle.

Keg tossing.

Bonniest Knees Contest. Risque!

Port Belly Project.

Grand March of the Clans. And Kirking of the Tartans.

The oldest member and the youngest member of my family.

There we are! The oldest member of the Prune Picker family is me. On the left and I am almost 92. The youngest member is Johnny Linn Miller. On the right and she is almost 7. I am so glad that I have lived long enough to know Johnny Linn. My wife Jackie, bless her soul, did not. Jackie would have loved Johnny Linn as I do. Johnny Linn is a precious girl. She lives in Louisiana so I get to see her often.

I am fortunate to have two more great grand daughters. Two sweeties. They are Winter and Holly Wrock. (Almost 12 and 9) They live in Washington. I have not seen them in two years. I am flying to Washington in three weeks on April 29 to get some hugs.

I have six great grand sons. Three  (Newberrys) live nearby in West Monroe. I see them often. We get to shake hands. My other three (Shafais) live in California. I hope to visit California in the Fall and shake their hands. They are the only Persian/Choctaws that I know.

Two colds this year and the Old Prune Picker has thoughts of Death!

I had a cold in January that lasted four days and had a fever of 97.3. I am just now (April) getting over a second cold that lasted five days and had a fever of 99.7. I usually do not catch colds. I did get the flu last year. In three months I will be 92 years old. From a very early age I have had pneumonia, pleurisy, and lung congestion. It is not unreasonable to consider that I might die from a lung problem.

I think about death a lot. It is the next big adventure in my life. It is also an adventure when you do not die. Life has more snap or zest the closer you come to death.

However, I do not like the physically slowing down, less grace (never had much) of movement, and a seeming loss of memory and intelligence. (dementia)

Ark-La-Tex Genealogical Assoc. hosted a great seminar with Caroline Pointer

Caroline is a Professional Genealogist who really knows her stuff. She gave four great lectures plus an hour of answering questions.

Here are some pictures of the seminar room and a couple of the Association's hard working officers.

Jim Johnson, Program Director.

 Fascinating historical maps. I almost bought one of Indian Oklahoma.

Mob scene.

Chairman Glenda Bernard.

You would have enjoyed the seminar like those that attended did. Except for the trouble maker in the middle of the front row. (Me) The Old Prune Picker has slowly been loosing his hearing. I asked if the volume could be turned up. They did, but it did not help much. I also was feeling bad, catching a cold. Started coughing after lunch. Sat up coughing all night and had a two degree fever this morning. I feel terrible. Wonder if the cold hurt my hearing. I will be ok in a couple of days.

During the night I tuned in to Youtube and heard a couple of hours of Caroline lecturing on the use of the onenote computer software in genealogy. Good lectures. I heard them good.

I am sorry that I disturbed the class.