Sheilaclapkin's Blog;

Unknown Ancestors of Someone

02 Jan 2011 Leave a comment

I was strolling in an antique shop in Omaha, Nebraska. The photograph I have provided here caught my eye. What went through my mind was the fact that these are relatives of someone; these are ancestors to some people out there who would love and cherish this photo as I love and cherish photos of my ancestors. I decided to adopt these people. Whoever they are and whoever they were, they are mine now. They had this photo taken for some special occasion, but I do not know what? Neither do you nor does anyone else. So, the facts cannot be known, I can make up any story I wish. I can tell you truths I have seen in others and I can lie to you about the rest but I have decided to do neither. I will tell you my thoughts, truths or lies, you decide.

I know these people are dead. I know that they would love to know, if it is possible to know being dead, that I covet their images. That I bought this photo because I could tell they were good people and that I wanted to honor and remember them as they should be remembered. They were once living beings and perhaps still are in some other cosmic realm, but now this photo immortalizing them has surfaced and is placed on the world wide web; the information highway of the 21^st century.

Oh, that they would be able to know that someone calls them Kathleen and Michael Mc Keenan and tells the story that they were city folks. This photo was taken on their 3^rd wedding anniversary. They were childless; they worked together in a feed store, they had sisters and brothers, they had a home in town and they were honest, hardworking, polite, loving and caring towards neighbors, friends and to each other. The photo was taken on a Sunday, they were dressed in their Sunday church clothes, and they looked their best. They were proud, handsome, and praised God.

Kathleen Mc Keenan made tantalizing soups with vegetables from the garden to be eaten with slices of freshly baked bread. Michael made toys for his nieces, nephews and the neighbor’s children whittled out of wood from the old birch trees he had to cut down two years before he and Kathleen married. Those whittled toys still exist today in an attics and basements not far from where the Mc Keenan’s once lived.

I know they would be glad for someone to see them, talk about them; somehow immortalizing them and telling that they existed. Now, perhaps just a speck of dust, maybe just a dewdrop, or a fragmented fleck of mist, but still remembered by me and now by you. Thank you for reading and thank you for looking.

GRANDMA DORA AND GRANDPA JOE

28 Dec 2010 17 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Family History, Reflections

How can I begin to describe two people who are responsible for a part of my creation and a part of the essence of who they were, which makes me who I am? I will endeavor.

When I look at what I believe is their wedding photo, I am struck by the look of innocence and their sweet youth. I knew them not then, but came into their lives as a descendant, as they came into mine as grandma and grandpa, ultimately my ancestors. All of us entering a timely relationship of granddaughter/grandson and grandparents encounter: Hair not quite gray and bodies beginning their descent. I loved them to pieces and partly because they showed love for me and partly because they are/were part of the architects of my origin. I knew they were to be honored, respected, admired and pursued.

“A son is a son until he takes a wife, a daughter is a daughter all of her life.”(This is not necessarily always true.)

11 Dec 2010 9 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Family History, Life Events, Reflections

Many of you, after reading my post, “Four Daughters” asked me to write about our son. So, I pondered and I have written this for you.

“A son is a son until he takes a wife,
a daughter is a daughter all of her life.”

Well, what if your son does not take a wife, but takes a husband? Then you have something different. You have two sons. Now that’s very special! One son is a lovely, wonderful blessing. But two sons are double the measure. When my two sons work together on my behalf, I have so much love and admiration for them and will always treasure their interest in being there for me.

My two sons look very much alike; they are the same height, approximately the same weight and the same size in clothes. Even though they are not biologically connected, they look and act almost like twins. I can buy a shirt and they’ll both wear it. I ask one for help and they both come. I ask for sympathy and they both give it. I ask for love and I get twice the dose. I ask for an opinion and I get two for the price of one. I ask for a favor and I get it twice as fast. And they always offer to pay for everything. I smile lovingly and proudly, knowing I’ll always receive a positive reception. I ask for one of them to drive and they both say with pleasure. When they visit, one takes the trash out, the other puts a new bag in the can. They work in tandem; they work as a pair.

The two sons are valuable members in our family. They are loving, supportive and kind. They give each other approval to succeed and sustain the efforts of each other. They are priceless. They are double anything that anyone could wish to have in their lives. – Mother

REFER TO PAGE 40 AND STOP WORRYING

04 Dec 2010 2 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Reflections, Trials and Tribulations

This photo is borrowed from the internet.

A friend forwarded an article from an online magazine. He said to “refer to page 40”. After clicking through all of the proceeding pages, I finally came upon a self-help article written by an elite psychologist in Northern California. She said to concentrate on things in the “present”, instead of worrying about things from the past or in the future. It took about a thousand words to say cut out the worrying because it’s just a waste of time anyway. So if I ever go off on a worry wrath, stop me and say, refer to page 40. I promise to do the same for you.

So, today I am scheduled to speak and answer questions in my grandson’s class. Am I worried? Not really, since I spent 42 years doing this very thing. Only when I did it, I was the teacher. Now I am the grandmother. They’re probably expecting a gray haired, hunched-over, and fragile looking old lady wearing orthopedic shoes to walk in the door. But honestly I don’t know how to look like the grandmother they’re probably expecting. I would have to return to the hairdresser and ask for my gray hair back. I would have to relax so much that my back would hunch into a fragile curve. How do you do that? Orthopedics? Get a grip. I do buy my shoes at the travel store, so I’m already halfway to the grandmother status in the shoe department. Is my voice supposed to crackle and am I to grunt like they probably expect? Gosh, I guess I really do not know how to be the grandmother they expect. So I’ll just be the grandmother that I am. I’m nicely dressed, I look great for my age, and they’ll get what they get. I shall quit worrying and refer to page 40. I suggest you do the same.

ANOTHER DEAR GRANDDAUGHTER # 1

01 Dec 2010 2 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Family History, Growing Up, Letters, Reflections

Dear Granddaughter #1

At the birthday party you said, “When I was little everyone loved me and then, I grew up.” Well, for your information, everyone still loves you only you won’t let us show you. Really? Really. Start thinking about the people who love you and count them. Probably, you should just look at your Facebook page. There you will find people who are listening. I hope you are listening and reading. I write to let you know I am thinking of you and I love you. I loved you when you were little and I love you just as much and even more now.

I was and still am a sort of wallflower. Do you know what a wallflower is: well, as I remember it and as it was explained to me when I went to a dance and no one asked me for a dance, I was considered a wallflower. Someone who hugs the wall and hopes someone else will ask them to dance. I was thinking last night that I was a perpetual wallflower and I only remember someone asking me to dance after he had been refused by 6 others. I remember that dance so well. I even got sort of popular over it and people talked about how I was such a good dancer. I guess that time was part of my 15 minutes of fame. I am still sort of a wallflower.

Here is what the urban dictionary says about wallflowers. And I do like these definitions.

-A type of loner. seemingly shy folks who no one really knows. Actually these are some of the most interesting people if one actually talks to them.

“Someone, usually in high school, who sees everything, knows everything, but does not say a word; they are not loners; they are introverted, meaning they are shy and have a social disease; they cannot handle having someone pay attention to them even though they crave it as much as everyone else; wallflowers are just phased in, and faded into the background.”

An Ethical Will To My Children: I Did Not Give You Life to Prolong Mine.

11 Nov 2010 7 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Family Activities, Reflections, Trials and Tribulations

1971

When I was very young, I explored dying. Not the horrid slow, suffering kind of dying I came to view as I grew into my aging years, done by grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and friends. As a youngster, I viewed dying as leaving some very sad people and how they would grieve for me.

I am not afraid to die; I am afraid of the pain and long suffering and I do not want grieving. I want my death to be a celebration. I am afraid of the care that I will need to survive. Please God, please children of mine, do not make me survive past the time I can rise from my bed, take the pills I need to keep my systems going, comb my hair, brush my teeth, pee, poop and feed myself. Do not let me live past giving myself life-giving care.

Four Daughters

03 Nov 2010 8 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Family Activities, Family History, Reflections

Here they are, four daughters in a row. Can you pick out the twins? I can. When the twins were babies I could be blindfolded and tell them apart just by their smell. I was very animalistic then about my babies. I still am. Better be careful. I bite.

No, I have not forgotten our wonderful loving son. He comes into view when we brought the twins into the house and he said, “Mom you had a girl and a boy and then you messed it all up.” Now, he cherishes all of the girls and they, him. But later we will talk son, talk, but for now it is daughter talk.

What is a daughter? Goodness, a daughter is so many things it would fill pages and pages, but let me see if I can condense it for you. A daughter is a challenging and trying human being that you love no matter what. Sometimes you think you have created a monster and other times an angel. Daughters do not take all that you have to give, they tend to leave a little more for next time. They give you only so much of what you need from them and keep you waiting to hear more. You want to know how their day went and how they are feeling. They say the word “fine” and you leave it at that creating a lull in the conversation. Sometimes on the other hand you get way more than you wanted in all ways. Not all daughters are the same; even if they share exact DNA, trust me.

You have heard many quotations about daughters no doubt. For example to quote a few, “A daughter is a gift of love.” “A son is a son until he takes a wife, a daughter is a daughter all of her life.”

Here is one that is priceless: “Watching your daughter being collected by her date feels like handing over a million dollar Stradivarius to a Gorilla.” Jim Bishop. Then, there are ones like:

“ A mother’s treasure is her daughter.” “ To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter. “ Oh this is all hogwash; ok not all, but mostly. Sorry, but I’ll bet each one of you can come up with a saying, a personal quote, closer to home and truer than the words I have quoted above. So I am waiting. Post your personal quote. Here is mine

“If you have a choice of a son or a daughter, order both.” Or, like my mother told me; “ I wish you a daughter just like yourself.”

Chef Scott, and Lovely Eleni At The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

30 Oct 2010 2 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Food and Restaurant Experiences, International Travels

How do you arrive at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and expect to meet the Chef from the kitchen where your next meal will be prepared? You know his mom; that is definitely a beginning.

We met Chef Scott, a gem and a handsome, friendly, gifted fellow and Eleni, an intelligent, gorgeous, sociable young lady on Thanksgiving Day. We had no idea it was Thanksgiving Day and we had no idea that our meeting was going to take us into the inner workings of this hotel’s fine dining. When Scott opened the door to the kitchens we were rendered immediately in awe of a sight that so very few get to see regarding their dining experience. The kitchen and all that it takes to jointly put together the meal we ate in the dining room after our tour will always be a highlighted life experience for us.

Here is Scott showing us some of the delicacies he is sending upstairs to the Gold floor.

We learned that the kitchens have a recycling program along with a composting project and have separate cans for each. Bravo! We also noticed that Scott knew everyone by name and they showed him such respect in return. Scott is as very happy man who loves his job. When Scott was showing us his work environment he was so lit up and showed such admiration for all of the people who keep the behind the scenes of these kitchens in tip-top order.

Here are some photos of Scott’s colleagues at work.

Canada: Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper National Park, plus the train to Vancouver.

26 Oct 2010 13 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in International Travels

This has been the hardest of all travelblogs for me to write. I did not know why until a number of reasons started floating around in my head for examination. One is that almost all of you all have been there. What can I say to you that you have not seen, heard and enjoyed? I will work on it.

What can I say about such beauty and such a pristine environment? First of all, it was not so pristine. We picked up a group of folks traveling and I shall not mention what country. I shan’t. After they all sat down, one of the individuals started coughing. You have never heard or experienced such coughing, unless you were listening to someone die. I thought with each episode, he would be dead within minutes. He had a napkin up to his mouth each time to collect the specimens.

The bus driver was visibly unnerved. The healthy passengers were visibly unnerved. I was sick to my stomach knowing that I was being exposed to something from an exotic country, something that my immune system has never been exposed to or hopefully will be again. Did we get sick? No. Not yet! The next day, as it was a two-day tour from Lake Louise to Jasper, the dying man stayed back in his room at the hotel. What a relief.

You are not reading this blog to find out about a coughing man, but it was part of the trip. You checked in to hear about the majestic landscape and other worldly scenes. You are reading to find out about the power of nature so dramatically displayed. You probably would enjoy the waking up to a dusting of the mountaintops with snow and you most likely would enjoy the thoughts about the antiquity of our world as it displays itself. I know these grandiose scenes were here since the beginning of the planet and I know many, many of you have been here, so I will have to write this blog in pictures. If a picture is worth a thousand words as is said, then, here you go with 10,000 words. Oh, if it were only the click of a shutter for a thousand words, how delightful, how perfectly divine, how non- taxing.

Maybe you will see something you did not see when you were here. If you were not here, maybe you will see something you want to see. Maybe you will make the trip. We loved being in these beautiful places, and we just loved being in Canada with Canadians. I loved seeing the Canadian flag waving in so many places. I thought of my mother, my grandmother, my grandfather and my aunts and uncles seeing this flag and calling her home.

Enjoy:

This is what you encounter at the top of the Gondola Ride in Banff Springs.

Awesome Lake Louise!

We met some goat friends along the way to Jasper National Park.

This is the Maligne Canyon Waterfall. We walked along for awhile in the canyon and how refreshing it was to be there.

On the road again…

Thank you to Curtis and Diane. We enjoyed our time with you in your lovely Heritage Home. Happy Birthday Diane and many, many more. We had a wonderful visit in Vancouver and especially in Richmond, BC. Your hospitality and gracious ways are endearing as well as captivating.

Guess who is coming to dinner? Yes, that is a real bear. Do not worry, I pack a long lens.

The view from the back of our train heading from Jasper National Park overnight to Vancouver, BC.

We had an astral occurrence while viewing Medicine Lake in Jasper National Park. There is a message of return and create in this photo for me. What is here for you?

The Not So Ancient Pot

06 Oct 2010 7 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Life Events, Purchases and Shopping, Recipes

THE NOT SO ANCIENT POT

There are much older pots than this one. There are some from almost before humans began to evolve, but this is the oldest one in my kitchen and it has served me for nearly 50 years. I know fifty years is not a long time, not really, but to me it is a lot of cooking, a lot of eating and a lot of pot washing.

See how the pot still shines? It still shines because I was taught to wash and clean your cooking utensils as if they were golden rather than stainless steel. I was taught that a good cooking utensil is as important as a good cook. More