Catchin' Up

So, what have we been doing during the first month since I've been retired? To start, I had a bzillion thank you cards to make and send. I admit, toward the end of the list I used about 3 ready made cards, but here is one I made. Then, with my cousin's 100th birthday celebration coming up, I made a card for her.We have had some time to simply sit out back and read and chat and one evening we had a fire in the fire pit and enjoyed some wine.Since Life is all about Balance, we also had our youngest grand daughter's First Birthday celebration (within one week of the 100th!). Pat cooked for everyone on his new grill.

Using a couple of gifts cards, I bought a new sewing table at JoAnn's and with Lar's assistance, got it together and into my sewing room. Have used it twice already and love it. We are planning an open-house soon to share our new found freedom with those we hold dear. Part of the plans are to get a decent seating area in the back yard. We do have the small cement patio, but it doesn't hold many chairs. Larry and our neighbor have been busy for a couple of days now laying it out...of course, nothing is ever easy...so it remains to be seen if it will be complete by the date of the party.I'm hoping to follow the progress from muddy, pretty unusable space to hopefully nice bluestone patio.

Benji Jane Archer Carpenter and me. Just imagine the history she has seen in 100 years! She was born and lived on a 160 acre farm at Fiddle Lake, PA. She had a twin who died at birth. She was home schooled. At 17 she left home to care for elderly and infirm people. At 18 she secured her first factory job and lived at the YWCA. Her family had been strongly Christian and her father often witnessed to her. She says she never fully accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior until after her father had passed away. Now, she fears that she has "lived so long, father probably thinks I didn't make it!" At 21 she was allowed to work on sewing machines and got a job in a sewing factory. At 22 she married Earl Alger a profession photographer. When she finally retired, she received $5 a month as a retirement check. Jane was dear friends with Emerson Carpenter and his wife. She and Mrs. Carpenter spent a great deal of time together and when Mrs. Carpenter took ill and knew she was dying, her wish was that Jane would step in and live with and raise her children. In 1976 she married Emerson Carpenter and for the first time had children she could consider her own. She still does, and they consider her "mom" and are very thoughtful and loving children. In 1982, Emerson died and eventually, the family brought her back home to PA to live.

Jane with her brother Theo and sister Mildred. Jane's mother Annie was my
Grandmother's sister.

Jane once told me that her Great Grandfather on her father's side had been a homesteader, William Archer. He had been a Scot who had emigrated to Canada, to NY and who had had such fair and decent dealings with the local Indians that the Chief offered his daughter in marriage. Jane says she is 1/6 Indian.

The following is a link to the family history: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sbosmans/pennsylvania/index.html