Cooling Off in East Tennessee

It's hot in East Tennessee. Many genealogists will be coming to this area in less than two weeks and might be looking for a way to cool off. I've come up with a solution -- tour a cave. In the Townsend area, you will find Tuckaleechee Caverns. It is open 7 days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The temperature is 58 degrees year-round (even when the heat index exceeds 100 degrees as it has all this week). Another options is Forbidden Caverns. Located east of Sevierville near the community of Chestnut Hill, these caverns are also 58 degrees year-round. They are open daily except Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the months of April through November.

Books Featuring Genealogy

Last night, Bill West from over at West in New England mentioned in his Facebook status that Danielle Steel's new novel "features a heroine tracing her genealogy to solve a family mystery." The book entitled Legacy will be released 28 September 2010 according to Amazon.com. I don't normally read Danielle Steel's novels, but this is one that I'll be sure to check out of our library. The publisher's blurb even mentions that the heroine makes discoveries at Salt Lake City's renowned Family History Library.

I think that seeing this blurb really made me miss the Rett MacPherson cozy mystery series featuring Torie O'Shea. It's been a couple of years since Rett came out with a new novel in the series. I always eagerly awaited the next installment. When I noticed there were no forthcoming installments of the series on either the publisher's site or the author's site, I emailed the author awhile back. Her response indicated that she was spending her time on other things and not writing a novel at the present time. I was very sad. I keep hoping that she'll resume the series, but as the time passes so does the likelihood of that happening.

Over the years, there have been a number of short series featuring genealogists and several stand-alone or individual novels in a series featuring persons on a quest for their family's story. There are a number of sites online which list many of these titles although some are becoming slightly dated. I just wish that we had a current cozy mystery series that provided some escapist reading for those of us who enjoy family history. I hope someone will undertake the challenge of writing such a series. In the meantime, I will just have to enjoy books such as Danielle Steel's upcoming mystery (which I hope is well-done) to get my "fix" on genealogical escapism!

Two Weeks Until FGS

Two weeks from today, APG will be holding its Professional Management Conference in Knoxville, and two weeks from tomorrow, the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference begins with its Focus on Societies Day. Many librarians have already pre-registered for the COMPLETELY FULL Librarians' Day which will be held at the Hilton on that day. All of us here in East Tennessee are looking forward to greeting all of you who are coming! I spent a good part of the afternoon at the Knoxville Convention Center ironing out a few last minute details with their wonderful staff. After that, I ran over to the East Tennessee History Center for a few minutes. I noticed that the museum gift shop is really filled with things that genealogists will enjoy purchasing! I stopped by Coolato Gelato which is just across Gay Street and barely down in the next block from the History Center to enjoy a small hazelnut gelato. On a day with a heat index of 103, the gelato really hit the spot! (Of course, I enjoy their gelato any time I have an opportunity to do so!) There's also a French Market Creperie, Lenny's Sub Shop, and the S & W Grand Cafe in this block. Knoxville's Market Square is actually a block nearer the convention center and offers many dining opportunities. Market Square Kitchen is known for its soups, but offers sandwiches and other foods as well. The Tomato Head is a local favorite. The offer vegetarian entrees as well. You can build your own salad at Trio Cafe. When you walk in, get one of the menu slips and pencils and circle the ingredients you want on your salad. They have other menu items as well. If you are in a Latin mood, try La Costa. It's gaining a great reputation and a strong following. In the hot weather, Rita's on Market Square is a popular place. They serve Italian Ice and Custard. Oodles Uncorked is another restaurant in Market Square. Be sure to check out the Market Square District Association page for more information on restaurants in Market Square and on Gay Street as well as other merchants in these areas.

Is Your Organization at Risk of Losing Its Tax-Exempt Status?

I saw an article on one of the local television station web sites that was encouraging people to check the IRS list of organizations at risk of losing their tax-exempt status to make sure that theirs was not listed. I'm not sure what types of organizations that I expected to see on the list as I clicked one state, but I was alarmed at what I did see. There are many historical societies, Friends of the Library organizations, cemetery associations, fraaternal organizations, and DAR chapters among those in danger. According to the IRS site, "Tax-exempt organizations that do not satisfy annual filing requirements for three consecutive years automatically lose their tax-exempt status. The IRS is providing one-time relief for such organizations that have filing due dates on or after May 17 and before October 15, 2010. The list includes organizations for which the IRS does not have a record of a required annual filing for 2007 and 2008, and whose 2009 return, due on or after May 17 and before October 15, 2010, has not yet been received." PLEASE CHECK to make sure that organizations with which you are affiliated are not included on the list. There is a PDF or Excel file available for each state.

A Hot Summer

This has been one of those "hot" summers where the temperature seems to want to hover in the 95 to 100 degree range. I don't deal well with "hot." I'd much prefer for it to be cooler where I can add layers of clothing or blankets, if necessary. About the only thing "hot" weather accomplishes for me is a sunburn. I can remember short periods of time where we've had hot weather in recent years. For example, about 10 or 11 years ago, our choir took a trip to New Orleans around Labor Day weekend. The temperature was 100 or above for our entire trip and had been for a few days. The last time I really remember these extended periods of very hot temperatures was back in the late 1970s when I was in high school. I remember that the temperature was above 90 for almost the entire month of June. One reason I remember it so well was that I was working at our church camp that entire month as a counselor and canteen manager. The heat was awful. Those of us on staff would go for swims at night after the kids were in bed. Then we'd raid the kitchen before we went to bed. Those were some fun times with a lot of special memories!

Introduction to Genealogy

Have you been looking for a genealogy course that offers college credit? Jackson State Community College in Tennessee is offering a 3-hour "Introduction to Genealogy" course which will be taught by Tennessee State Librarian and Archivist, Charles Sherrill. The course will focus mainly on Tennessee genealogical research, but it will cover many source types. Cost of the course is $395. It runs from August 28 to December 15, 2010. The deadline for registration is the first week of class, but you will not want to wait that long to sign up. The course is being taught online and does not have set meeting times. To speed things up, mark "non-degree seeking" on your form so that you don't have to do pre-admissions testing or send high school transcripts. The admissions form is at http://www.jscc.edu/admissions.

Here's a more comprehensive description of the course:

LIB 1001: Introduction to Genealogy. Students in this in-depth course will become familiar with many online and print sources, will interact with one another and the instructor in discussion forums and email, and will complete lessons to learn interesting genealogical skills.

Students will learn

* why people are given certain names at birth
* what family stories and traditions have been passed down
* how to chart what they already know about their ancestry
* how to use free software to organize and manipulate family data
* how to use the records common to genealogists, like the U.S. Federal Census, vital records, and military records
* how to locate and use court records, immigrations, and land records


Class participants will also have access to Ancestry Library edition through ProQuest.

Those interested in taking LIB 1001 in the fall semester at Jackson State Community College will need to apply for admission to the College online at http://www.jscc.edu/admissions. There, find the online admission form, and enroll as a non-degree-seeking student to avoid needing to send transcripts and taking placement testing. The campus ID you are sent upon admission will allow you to register for the course online.

Another Hotel Option for FGS Knoxville

We have 20 rooms available Tuesday, August 17-Sunday, August 22 only at the Four Points by Sheraton Knoxville Cumberland House. It is near the convention center and is a very nice hotel. The rate is $115/night. The rate is good for bookings through July 17. If the hotel is full, a breakfast buffet for $8,95 will be offered, but there is no guarantee of this. In order to receive this rate, call the hotel at 865-971-4663 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              865-971-4663      end_of_the_skype_highlighting and ask for the FGS rate.

The Hilton and Holiday Inns are full. There is still space at the Crowne Plaza at the FGS rate of $108. See http://www.fgsconferenceblog.org/2010/06/update-additional-hotel-has-been-added.html for more information on the Crowne Plaza option.

3rd FGS Hotel

The two conference hotels (the Hilton and Holiday Inn) are filled. We have been able to secure a block of rooms at the Crowne Plaza Knoxville at the rate of $108/night for persons still needing lodging. In order to receive the rate, you must contact the hotel directly at 865-522-2600 extension 2366 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. EDT. Be sure to mention that you are with "Federation of Genealogical Societies" to receive this special group rate. The hotel is 2.5 blocks from the Convention Center and is on the city of Knoxville's free trolley route. It will take approximately 10 minutes via the trolley to reach the convention center. A trolley arrives approximately every 15 minutes. The full service hotel features Mahogany's Restaurant and a Starbucks. The hotel is only 2 blocks from the East Tennessee History Center.

FGS & PMC Early Registration Deadlines Extended

The early registration deadline for the 2010 FGS Conference in Knoxville and for APG's Professional Management Conference (PMC) have been extended until June 21, 2010 at midnight. Please register today!

Research Revisited

Over the weekend I wanted to locate a letter that had been sent to a relative from the Ohio Historical Society concerning an ancestor's service in the War of 1812. It took me awhile to locate it because I had forgotten which relative researching back in the 1970s had sent the query. When I could not find it in my correspondence with the daughter of the one relative, I finally looked at the correspondence with the son of another and found it.

The main reason I wanted to look at the letter was to determine where Ohio Historical Society had gotten the information in the letter. I remember that it basically stated that the ancestor had gone to fight and never come back and that a small stream was named in his honor. I discovered it also stated that he'd lived where a cemetery was now located, and that they'd suffered a house fire. Those were things I really didn't remember from previous research. However, I was extremely disappointed in the letter. No sources were cited. I have no idea where the correspondent from OHS had obtained the information. (If only they'd written a nice research report that met BCG standards!) I've never been able to locate proof that he served in the War of 1812 even though it is family tradition that he did and that he died in 1814 in a Detroit hospital of illness and never returned from the war. He's not listed on any of the rosters I've found for Ohio soldiers. (Although in revisiting this, I discovered that another ancestor of mine did serve so now I have a little more research to perform on this ancestor. I think what surprised me about this ancestor's service was that he was widowed with a small child. He also travelled back to New Hampshire to wed his second wife--the one from whom I'm descended--during the years of the war. I just had never looked for him in the war records for those reasons.)

I also found some other helpful hints in some transcriptions of other letters that had been sent. One was a letter from a relative written in 1905 which included some interesting family information -- some of which appears to be more hearsay than truth based on previous research. However, I did find a few clues that I wish to examine more closely.

I'm discovering that I really need to revisit some of that early research and see what I missed when I was a less experienced researcher. Apparently I missed quite a bit.

Thanks, My Heritage

I was quite surprised to learn that I had been selected as a "Top 100 Genealogy Site" for 2010 by MyHeritage. I've had so much going on the past few months that I feel that I've neglected the site. However, I'm grateful for the recognition and glad to be back to blogging at least semi-regularly. Congratulations to everyone else who has earned this honor, and welcome to new readers who have found me via this link.

A Teachable Moment

One of our student workers who was working in Interlibrary Loan came to me to ask for assistance locating an "article" she needed to retrieve. As I looked at the request, I noticed that the requesting library wanted to borrow 4 microfilmed rolls of the 1850 slave schedules. I told her that they were really wanting to borrow the microfilm (which we do not loan via ILL). She showed that the library had filled in the article line with "slave schedules." I decided to show her what the slave schedules were. I popped up the 1850 Jefferson County, Tennessee slave schedule and showed her how it listed the slave owners and the demographics for each slave. I told her that it did not name the slaves -- just the owners. It really caught her interest, and she began to ask questions. I told her that she could often find the names of the slaves in deeds and in probate records. She was amazed that these records still existed. I'm glad I took the time to show her what had been requested. I hope it may have sparked an interest in genealogical research.

Ambiguity

As I was browsing through the posts of a certain unnamed online query system for an unnamed county this weekend, I noticed a follow-up to a post that made me go, "And how did you know that, Mr. Responder?" You see, the person responding to a query by someone who was obviously fairly new to slave research cited his own experience in growing up in that county as the basis for his reply. The only problem was that in order for him to have had that personal recollection, the responder would have had to have been born by about 1852. While I really do not doubt that his response had some truth in it, I believe he needed to be more explicit in citing his sources. The responder probably had heard the story from his parents and/or grandparents who had heard it from a generation that had lived during the Civil War era. He needed to cite that source rather than his own personal experience of growing up in the county (since I don't believe that the responder was close to the age of 160). It would have also been nice to have had other sources to back up the statement that was made. I believe that there could have been some newspapers, journals, letters, and even other published items that would corroborate the statement. Even a close study of the 1860 census (combination of population, agricultural, and slave schedules) would have shown the veracity of the claim. My problem was entirely with the manner in which the information was presented because I knew that the source cited was not the actual source.

Most of us realize that the standard is that we should cite the actual source used. If our source is a derivative, we need to indicate this. I do a lot of research in archival materials. Often researchers are requested to use a preservation photocopy or microfilm rather than the original if the pages are brittle. I try to remind myself to make that notation that what I used was the preservation photocopy. (I rarely have difficulty remembering to indicate the microfilm.) Recently I used the preservation photocopy in one repository and was able to use the original because of a "problem" I found on the photocopy and needed to clarify by examining the original. It turned out that there was no difference in the two, but I needed to make sure that something had not been omitted in photocopying. The rounded page edges seen on the photocopy seemed to indicate that nothing was omitted. The sentence structure between the two pages matched, but there was a numbering issue that made me realize that it was likely the clerk had either omitted something or lost track of his numbering. Without examining the original to see if there was something inserted or in a margin, I could not be sure that the entry was complete. It would have been wrong for me to have cited the original if I'd examined only the preservation photocopy. As it was, I could actually cite both the original and the preservation photocopy.

Cite only what you have actually used. When citing personal experience, make sure it is your own and not something that has been passed down through the family. Give credit to those ancestors who shared the story with you!

When Bull Mountain Broke Loose

I will never forget the time that I took my mom to visit the land that had been the childhood home of her grandmother along the banks of Bull Mountain Creek in Itawamba County, Mississippi. Mom's grandmother had lived with her family when Mom was growing up in neighboring Monroe County. She'd heard her grandmother telling stories of the flooding "when Bull Mountain broke loose." When Mom saw the property and the creek, which was muddy and a little choppy and high on the day we visited, she was able to visualize those stories that her grandmother had told her when she was growing up.

As I watch the devastation in the Western and Middle parts of my state and listen to my friends telling their stories of cars submerged and floating in the raging waters of the Cumberland and Harpeth Rivers and all the many creeks and tributaries, I wonder how many of the descendants of the persons who survived this spring's devastating floods will hear stories of "when the Harpeth broke loose" or "when the Cumberland broke loose." The images I've seen on my television and computer screen are devastating. I've seen areas that I used to frequent when I lived in the Nashville area under water. My prayers go out to the people in the flooded areas of Tennessee and Kentucky.

Camera Found in Lamar Co., Ala.

A camera was recently found in Lamar County, Alabama on Matthews Road near Vernon. The camera was smashed, but the card is still readable and contains many photographs taken in cemeteries. If you are the owner, please contact the Lamar County Genealogical & Historical Society.

Who or What Sparked Your Enthusiasm for Genealogy?

Who or what sparked your enthusiasm and passion for genealogy? In my case, it was my Mom. Mom had always wanted to know more about her grandmother's family. She had even made a trip with her mom once to the courthouse in the middle Tennessee county from which she knew her family had come to Mississippi prior to her birth only to be told that all the records would have been lost due to a courthouse fire in 1865.

I'm not really sure what I thought when I first decided to see if I could find additional information for her, but I certainly didn't dream that I'd develop the passion and enthusiasm for genealogical research that I did. I was living in a city that had one of the top ten genealogical library collections in the country at the time. History had always been my favorite subject in school, even though I didn't major in it in college. I think I thought I'd find the answers for her and move on with my life. What happened is that I quickly became so engrossed in the study of my family that I moved from one line to another too quickly, a bad habit of many beginning genealogists.

I also made the mistake of beginning with poor genealogical software. This was back in the days of smaller hard drives and 5 1/4 inch floppy disks. I had a freeware program that allowed the input of basic information and 10 lines for notes. I was an academic and realized that I needed to cite my sources, but how could one do that properly in 10 fixed-width lines? I also had many other things I wished to include in the notes. I developed a short-hand for my sources, but the truth was that I had to go back to paper copies of notes for many of them. Even today I still come across old entries in my genealogical database that I have to fix as I discover them and as time permits.

I'm sure I also made other errors when I first began my genealogical research. I know that I jumped to a few conclusions about who an ancestor's parent might be before I had really performed that "reasonably exhaustive search" that standards require. In fact, there are probably things out on the Internet that I posted long ago (as recently as 9 or 10 years ago) that I would cringe to discover now. I've made the observation to other genealogists that I wish I had time to go back and review the data and conclusions on each of those lines. I never seem to have time to work on my own families any more. That's okay though, because I've discovered a lot of families that are much more interesting than my own in the process. I know one genealogist that sets aside a few hours each weekend to work on her own families. Maybe one of these days I can budget that time for myself but since I still have a regular job, the weekend is my only time to do a lot of things, and I'm very involved with church activities which takes most of Sunday.

I spent last night working with a most interesting church record from the 1820s. It was a case of church discipline. I hope to one day take the research plan I developed and turn this one into a full-fledged article for publication. This person definitely broke several of the ten commandments!

I'm glad that my mother was curious about her family. If she had not been, I may have never discovered the wonderful world of family history and genealogical research.

Who or what sparked your enthusiasm? Feel free to comment here or leave a link to your own blog post sharing the answer to that question.

Just Keeping Busy

I've spent a lot of this month to date trying to get caught up on things. The 2010 FGS Conference is coming up in August, and I've been doing a lot of work in preparation for it. We'd love to have you come visit East Tennessee then!

I also went to North Carolina Genealogical Society's Spring Seminar on April 10 in Wilkesboro. Mark Lowe was the featured speaker. We all had a great time of learning and of visiting with genealogy friends that we don't get to see as often as we'd like.

This past week has been filled with extra rehearsals for our choir's spring musical, "Savior: Jesus Messiah." We presented it last night. I heard a lot of positive comments from people who had attended.

There is lots to do this week as well. I've got a book that I need to finish reading so that I can get the review written by the end of the month. I've got an indexing deadline for Christian Periodical Index that is also looming for May 1. I've got a self-imposed deadline for another project this week. I've got some other deadlines for mid-May. I'm working on five to six presentations that will be made at various conferences this summer. (The 6th one isn't confirmed yet but will probably take place in July.) One of those may be repeated at another venue.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Greater Vision in Knoxville this coming Saturday night. This will be Chris Allman's first weekend back with them. Chris was their original tenor. I can't wait to hear those guys together again!

Odds & Ends

As I was reading the blogs that I have in my feeds, I came across a book that someone had just purchased. It was entitled Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? Like any other genealogist, my reaction was that I would have much preferred the book without the subtitle. It would have been much more interesting if it had been a probate court dispute.

I've been reading on Facebook and on blogs about the UPS man visiting all my friends who pre-ordered the iPad. So far, most seem to be opting for WiFi but not WiFi + 3G. I will admit that I'm a little envious! As I read some of my newspaper feeds and saw photos of folks standing in line awaiting their iPad, I was certain the folks who pre-ordered theirs were smarter!

One of the blogs I read is entitled Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. Yesterday, they had the most marvelous family story and recipe for Easter Pie Palmiers. The story and recipe were shared by Cleo Coyle, author of a series of books set in coffee shops. I thought all my genealogy friends would appreciate the story!

Speaking of food, I love lemon. I love blueberries. I love scones. I may just have to try these.

Rough Month

I had really intended to be better about blogging, but the circumstances of last month interrupted my resolution. Many of you know that my Mom had called me about 2 or 3 weeks before my spring break and said that she and Dad were tired of being cooped up in the house and wanted to go somewhere during my spring break. I began to look for places along the Gulf Coast where I could find a room with furniture comfortable enough for them but which would allow us to bring along my cat (because Mom would have been upset if she hadn't get to see her grandcat). I settled on a place in Fairhope, Alabama on the Mobile Bay but very near to Gulf Shores. We went down on Sunday the 14th after going to their church and to the country club to eat lunch. We ate that evening at a place I'd found on the Internet with great ratings that was not far from Fairhope. We didn't try to do a lot Sunday night because I knew that the drive down was pretty exhausting for the two of them. On Monday, we did quite a bit. After breakfast, the elevator was broken so I had to take the stairs up to the third floor and get everything we needed for the day out. We began our day by heading to the Fairhope Pier. They have a very nice park right on the bay. I walked to the end of the pier, but Mom and Dad stayed close to the car. It was a bit chilly for them. After that, it was still too early to head to the shops downtown so we headed to Burke's Outlet which was open. Mom found several clothes. She'd lost a lot of weight in recent months and was just beginning to rebuild her wardrobe. We found several things that she could use. Then we headed to downtown Fairhope. Fairhope is a unique little town. The Indie-Bound affiliated bookstore was incredible. I purchased a book on the history of Baldwin County, Alabama (which I still haven't had a chance to read). I poked my head in several other stores. Before long, it was time for lunch. We had chosen Panini Pete's which has been featured on the Food Network. It really was worth the hype. Mom and I shared a sandwich. I ended up getting to try a bite of Dad's too. Both were great. As we were heading back to the car, there was a local TV station crew filming along the sidewalk. Mom and Dad walked in front of the cameras and ended up on the evening news that night. I saw the cameras and walked behind them. We headed back to the hotel, hoping the elevator would be repaired so Mom and Dad could get some rest before heading to Gulf Shores for the evening. When we got there, the elevator repair crew was there, but they still did not have it in working order. We decided to just take the scenic route to Gulf Shores. We headed down the scenic route along the bay, stopping at the Punta Clara Candy Kitchen in Point Clear. We knew from previous trips that we would want some of their pralines, but I also fell in love with their margarita pecans and had to get a bag of those as well. Mom and Dad picked up some pecan brittle and white chocolate covered pecans in addition to their pralines. We headed on down to Gulf Shores. We drove around a bit and enjoyed the beach. That evening we ate at Lulu's, a restaurant on the Intercoastal Waterway owned by Jimmy Buffet's relative. I don't remember what Dad had, but Mom & I shared the mahi tacos. I'm glad that it was good because we went early and still had to wait an hour for seating. Fortunately they had benches, a gift shop, etc. to make your wait more comfortable. That was the last meal Mom was able to eat. She began to get sick on the ride home. It really started out as just phlegm that she was spitting up. The next day, we planned to take it easy in the morning since Mom had not been feeling well the night before. We went down to breakfast, but Mom couldn't hold anything down. I had discovered that I'd somehow missed one of the shops that I'd wanted to visit to pick up a gift for a friend. We had planned to go. Around mid-morning, Mom suggested that I go on without her because she had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to go. I stopped and picked up a 7-Up on the way back to see if she could hold it down. That didn't work. My cousin who lived in nearby Daphne was picking us up for lunch to take us to the Grand Hotel in Point Clear. We decided to leave Mom in the hotel and that we'd just bring her nephew up to visit her when we came back. After he left, Mom still was having trouble holding anything down. She and Dad took naps. While they were napping, I went out. At the Dollar Tree, I purchased a bucket that Mom would be able to use to spit up in if we were in the car. At Winn-Dixie, I purchased some pre-made Jello, hoping she could hold that down. When I got back, she tried. I looked at her and said that we needed to get her to a hospital where they could get her rehydrated. I gave her the option of the St. Thomas Hospital in Fairhope which was about 2 blocks from the hotel or of checking out of the hotel and driving back to Mississippi. She didn't want to mess up the vacation and was going to settle for Fairhope, but I reminded her that they would be admitting her. She then decided to go back to Amory. We checked out at 6:30 p.m. (after Dad & I made a quick run to Wendy's for supper) and got the car loaded. We got back to Amory at 11:45 p.m. where I delivered the cat to their house and quickly repacked a suitcase so that we would only have items Mom needed in the suitcase we were taking to the hospital. We got to the hospital a few minutes after midnight. At first, even the doctors at the hospital thought we'd get her rehydrated and she'd go home. Later they thought that perhaps the esophagus had narrowed where it meets the stomach so that she couldn't hold things down. One of the surgeons was going to take a look at that Thursday morning, but after Mom took a turn for the worse in the wee hours of Thursday morning, that was no longer an option. They had to do tests which did not require her to undergo anesthesia. We moved her to ICU. The doctor told me Friday morning that the ultrasound showed that Mom's cancer had returned and spread to the liver. There was nothing that could be done. He didn't think she'd ever leave the hospital. I pretty much stayed at the hospital except to run home for a quick shower from then on. Her state of health continued to deteriorate, and she went home to be with the Lord at 4:33 a.m. Central Time on Monday the 22nd. I was with her the last 10.5 hours. The funeral was on the 24th. I look forward to seeing my Mom again in heaven!

Random Book Musing

I was cataloging some old books that belong in a special collection at our library. To assist with inventory I wanted to make sure that all the books were added to the proper record in the online catalog. These were books that I had been told were duplicates of other books in our collection although lately I've discovered that many are books which required original cataloging or that someone just didn't catalog.

Today I ran across one entitled How to Live 365 Days a Year. I had a couple of thoughts. First of all, I thought that it would be better to live than to not live. The second thought was "What about leap year? Do we only have to live 365 of the 366 days that year?"

I'll let you make the judgment call on my random thoughts.