It's November again - and despite my excuses - I'm participating in NaNoWriMo again. What is NaNoWriMo you say?  Well, at the website, they describe it as, "Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time."  I last did this in 2008, and found it was a great motivator for me. My "novel" wasn't very good, but I didn't really take the time to edit it either. Mostly I wrote it for the discipline of writing, and for the privilege of saying, "Yes, I wrote a novel." Of course, no one will ever read it... but that's another story.

This year I need that discipline. I had planned to do genealogy writing this winter. We spent all summer searching out information on ancestors so that we could add it to what we already knew and make a record of it all for the generations to come. Only I can't seem to get myself started. It feels like a gargantuan task, and just when I think I'm ready to write, I make yet another excuse.

So now, I start. With one woman and her story. It will be primarily a work of fiction, since there are details of her life that will never be known. But it is a start. Wish me Luck!

Just thought I'd pass on the link for this paper by Gary T. Wright. It looks like some good information related to preserving digital photos. Enjoy!

The family blog, What Was Their Story, is coming along nicely... after a *long* hiatus.  My unofficial goal is to post daily for at least a month, to get back into the swing of things.  There's so many papers and pictures from the summer to sort through - I'm bound to have enough material just going through that stuff alone.

If you have a moment, navigate that way - and let me know what you think.  I'm particularly curious as to what folks think of the latest "Mystery" grave stone I posted on Tuesday.  That kind of think makes me nuts... it's hard for me to admit that some things are just gone (faded/eroded grave stones), and there may be nothing I can do about it.

Here's a photo of it - in case you don't have time (or would rather not)  wander over to the other website - what's your take on this stone?

From What Was Their Story

Just because I love looking at pictures of my former dogs, Murphy & Charlie, I'm adding another here...


But really... I have a video to recommend.  Definitely worth your time, at least I think so.  So I hope, if you've wandered by, you enjoy it.

 

Ready to feed more dogs?  Here's another application I use in Facebook.

This information is from their website:

Have fun and help dogs in need!

If you are crazy about dogs and want to support animal rescue efforts by helping to keep real dogs out of shelters and in good homes, now you can.

No donation required!

Simply browse our photos of real-life adoptable dogs, and choose one to virtually "foster." Invite your friends to co-foster your dog, or send them a different dog to foster, and you'll draw much-needed attention to thousands of dogs living in shelters and with rescue groups all across the country. The more you spread the word, the greater the chances these dogs will find happy and loving homes.

Plus, by fostering dogs and sending them to friends, you'll score points that go towards cups of food and help real dogs in shelters!

Maybe you already have a household full of animals. Perhaps you live in an apartment that doesn't allow pets. Or maybe you love dogs but can barely keep a cactus alive. Whoever you are, you can make a difference and help thousands of adoptable dogs currently in search of their forever homes. And don't forget to show your support of Save a Dog by becoming a fan on Facebook.

How it works

It's easy! For every 2,500 points our users score, we donate the financial equivalent of a cup of food to RescueGroups.org, a non-profit organization that provides free and low-cost technology services to animal shelters and rescue groups across the country. The more points you earn, the more dogs you help save! If you are affiliated with a rescue group and would like to list your adoptable dogs on Save a Dog, visit RescueGroups.org's Pet Adoption Portal.

About us

At DogTime.com, our mission is to keep pets out of shelters and in good homes by equipping novice and experienced owners alike with the information needed to make them, and their pets, very happy. Our parent company, DogTime Media, is the largest vertical media community focused exclusively on pet owners and the 45.4 billion dollar annual pet market spend. DogTime Media reaches 25.5 million monthly users via its community of pet-focused websites, pet bloggers, and rescue groups. So come find your wag, at DogTime.com.

So go on, let your computer clicks count for something!

Here's something worth doing - to support shelters and dogs around the USA - and it's easy. Answer one question every day and donate 10 pieces of kibble for a dog at Freekibble.com.   I actually can't remember how I found the site - seems like lately I'm online 10 hours a day searching for something or other - but this is one great web site! Granted, it doesn't seem like 10 pieces of kibble will do a lot - but a combination of a lot of people clicking can - and will - make a difference to a lot of dogs. Remember the 'starfish' story?

I want to be like that young man... join me!

I've been working on our family history a lot lately.  This research stuff really is fascinating, but one side effect is that it leaves me feeling overwhelmed.  There is just so much out there to learn about!  Every time I find one fact about some family member, I realize there's a ton of stuff I need to know about to understand the fact I've just found.  I've been managing that feeling by ignoring it somewhat, but every once in a while, it hits me in full, and I feel like I'm drowning in information.  It doesn't help that the web gives us such a plethora of choices. But I don't dare complain, too loudly anyway, since if I didn't have this to do , I probably wouldn't have anything to do.  It's just sometimes I feel like I've been off a lot more than I can chew...

Is it just me?