My Portfolio

Being brought up in a home with eleven other voices, I sometimes felt like mine didn't matter.  I'm sure we've probably all felt like that at times.  Some of us may have reacted in anger, some in bitterness and others still with little or no reaction at all.  Unfortunately, I was...

I've often wondered why such strange things happen to me.  Sure, I know sometimes I can bring them on myself, but there are those things that happen "just because."  Here's a little story about one of those times.   When my daughter, Heather, was in her first year of high school,...

My son Justin has been battling Alopecia Areota; which is a hair loss,  since he was four years old. He is now 17.  We first realized this problem after Justin attempted to cut his own hair.  Due to the "creative hairstyle" he chose for himself, expert help was needed.  At the barber shop,...

The older I get, the more I enjoy warm weather.  It's amazing how the sun has such a therapeutic effect on what lies deep beneath the skin.  Oh, I can perspire along with the best of them when I'm cleaning a bath tub or just climbing two flights of stairs, but that's different.  I'm...

Okay, so you've been introduced to my son at 3-years old.  At least you think you've been introduced.  Actually, you have only seen him from a distance.  It's time you come inside our home and meet him up close and personal.  </div> For most of us 5:30 a.m. is a time...

Patti’s Hot Pepper Salsa Recipe   5 lbs Peppers; hot and sweet r 2 lbs small tomatoes r 1 lb onions r 6 bulbs garlic r 2 shallots r ½ tsp all colors of Peppercorns, ground r 1 cup Vinegar r Pinch Sea salt r   7 1-pint canning jars with...

When C. Stephen Guyer's three children were growing up, he told themstories about how his grandfather, a banker, lost all in the 1930s, butdidn't lose sight of what he valued most. In one of the darkest times,Mr. Guyer says, when his grandfather was nearly broke, he loaded hisfamily into the car...

How to Grow Old Gracefully March 9, 2009 It's a fact that we all grow old.  It's also a fact that we have little, if any, control regarding the overall aging process.  Yet, what is positive is the fact that we can control how we live while we age.  We control...

How many of you have ever encountered a child that seems to find himself in trouble without any trouble at all?  Lucky for her, my daughter was 2-years old when my son was born.  If he had been born first, I'm not sure I would have had any more.  "That sounds...

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The Jock River flows very lazily through Richmond, Ontario, my home town.  It did a poor job of living up to the nickname everyone gave it - "the mighty Jock".  Nevertheless, parents warned children not to stray too close for fear of them falling in. My mother told me never to...

"In the Living Years" Mike and the Mechanics Every generation Blames the one before And all of their frustrations Come beating on your door I know that Im a prisoner To all my father held so dear I know that Im a hostage To all his hopes and fears I just...

Home where Charlie Hyatt was born. Charlie Hyatt at left edge, in front of family home where he was born in Hyatt's Mills, taken in 1903.  Back row: Eva Saunders, Mary Saunders (John Saunder's sisters). Aunt Maud, Uncle Harry (Charlie's sister and brother).  Front row: Charlie, Aunt Annie (wife of John...

Charlie Hyatt was one of seven children born to Stephen Allan Hyatt and Amelia Caroline Sanders Hyatt who married on August 9th, 1865 in Huntingville Universalist and built their home in Hyatt'’s Mills.  Steven and Amelia's seven children were John W., born January 11, 1868; Allan S., born January 16, 1873;...

Mother's parents were Maria Brunton & John William Johnson Jr.  Maria’'s story begins in            northern England, in the tiny village of Staveley, county of Yorkshire.  She was the firstborn of seven children to parents Jane Farmery and John Brunton, a farmer, on Mary 21st, 1860 in Staveley, Yorkshire and named...

When someone you love becomes a memory That memory becomes a treasure!

It is indeed a desirable thing to be well descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors.

Mother worked from age 15 in other people’s homes; most memorable were the Smith Estate and the Cochrane Estate where each meal she helped prepare was usually seven courses and after the meal, she'd serve coffee in the parlor.  She was also the seamstress for the families and would sew party...

A mother holds her child's hand for a short while, but their hearts forever.