Wandering Arizona

I'm back from the wilds of Southeastern Arizona. I was born and raised in this state, but there are so many places I haven't been. Mom and I went to Sun Lakes to visit her cousin Dorris last Monday. We exchanged lots of family history information. Dorris is amazing, she's almost 90, lives alone and even drives the "old people" to doctor's visits, etc. She volunteers with a group that helps each other when ill, etc, by sitting with someone to give their family a break, or runs errands, it's great that she is so active. She has lived and traveled all over the world; her husband was in the air force. He survived WWII and Korea, only to be shot down over Vietnam after 24 years in the service. She's also a retired teacher, it was great to get to know her a little.

Tuesday we drove to Oracle to visit Dorris younger sister, Edna Mae. She has lived in Oracle for about 60 years, 50 in the house she and her husband Harry built. Another fascinating couple- married 62 years, she was a Justice of the Peace there for 16 years, and he was a superintendent at the mine. She had located lots of pictures and family records for me, and after I put everything in my computer, I printed both Dorris and Edna Mae copies of all the Family Group sheets and pedigree charts for their side of the family. I was so happy to get their family birth, death and marriage dates, I had very few on their part of the family.

I'd never been to Oracle before, it's northeast of Tucson, back off the beaten track. It's beautiful desert country- very lush, surprisingly. Their family had a goat farm near Hayden Junction, and remember hauling water in 2 gallon buckets from the creek to the house. The had no electricity, running water, nothing we take for granted. They also had to herd goats, tend them and shear them twice a year, as well as weed the vegetable garden. The nearest town was 10-15 miles away, and they were so excited when their Dad brought home a car, so they didn't have to ride in a wagon to town. We have no idea how hard life was in the 1920's and 30's, especially for those living in the country.

Lastly, we went to Globe. I know it's a tough little mining community, but I love that area. We spent the night in the local casino parking lot, and Mom got to indulge her pasttime- slot machines. She likes to play the nickel slots of poker, but this casino didn't have them. Nevertheless, she passed the time with what they had for a couple hours. I used that time to read and rest. Globe and Miami have been building a tourist trade over the past 10 years, but they are still mining towns at heart. It is the county seat and I spent several hours researching marriage records there. It was great to gather all the information, but it was sure nice to get home. I slept for 2 days when I got home!

 

Universal ponderings

So, I'm sitting out in the hot tub tonight, staring at the stars, contemplating the universe. There's this really flashy star, or planet, I don't know, anyhow it is below Orion's belt, in the east/southeastern sky. It is flashing blue and red, I swear. Nic and I watched it a few weeks ago, when it was lower on the horizon, and wondered if it was an infamous Sedona lights UFO. It didn't move, at least not fast enough to be a plane or a satellite, but it does finally edge slowly up into the sky, closer to Orion's belt. I have no idea what it is, but it's pretty cool.

It got me thinking about how all those stars are suns of another solar system, and there's thousands, millions of them out there. And our beautiful earth is in the perfect place in our solar system to support life, even human life. And the earth itself seems to be alive, with an energetic core, water, a rhythm of it's own. It could be alive, and the Bible lends us to see it as such. If the earth is an organism of God, then we are small specks upon the earth, even as bacteria upon our skin are we upon the earth. Just are there are good and bad bacteria in and upon our bodies, there are good and bad of us upon our mother earth. OOOH, heavy!

Anyhow, I want to be good bacteria. It makes me realize every organic thing is a creation of God, and has a purpose, a meaning and a reason for being, no matter how small or base. Even wasps- I'm not a fan, I can see no purpose for them that couldn't be filled by another bug, but I'm pretty naive and ignorant in many things. I can visualize great beings or organisms out in the vast reaches of space that see us as wasps, wondering what the heck we're good for, besides making messes and fighting with everything that moves. Well, just that quick I've moved humanity from being bacteria to wasps, that was easy! My hope is that we can each live more like the God that created us in His own image- with love, charity and faith. Those simple things can bring peace and joy to this planet like it has rarely experienced since the beginning of mankind. And who knows? Maybe bacteria and wasps are much kinder to each other than we are.

Julz n' Jenny week

I spent Monday afternoon in Phoenix with Julie while waiting for Nic's flight to come in. We found a good bookstore and of course stopped by JoAnn's for the sales. Of all the wonderful places to eat in Phoenix, we opted for some dive buffet. Not on purpose of course, we were both just a little delirious from hunger, and that was the first place we found. That's my story. We noticed we were the youngest women in the place, which at this point in our lives is a bit luxurious. The food was... cafeteria, what can I say. At least they had desert, but no tapioca pudding, what kind of buffet is that??

I made up for that pathetic lunch yesterday, when I was in Prescott with Jenny. I know, I'm feeling well enough to go on two expeditions in the same week, how great is that? Anyhow, after her doctor's appointment, we went for sushi at Fujiyama's, which totally redeemed the week's food intake. I love sushi, even if it gives me royal heartburn. It's worth the burn, Fujiyama's is great, try it out if you're ever in Prescott.

Also in Prescott is the requisite Costco run. Turns out that's a popular place, even during the day. They had samples on every other row, and it was nearly a food fight, people crowding in for the goodies. Have you ever noticed how the crowd mentality kicks in? And then I see something in triplicate, and think it's got to be a great bargain! It's only after you leave the store and have to haul all those huge bags of stuff into the house that it hits you... maybe it's cheaper to get smaller quantities. Naah, I'm sure I didn't buy anything I didn't need in my own little store, er pantry.

The weather is postcard perfect, close to 70 degrees every day this week. It's especially wonderful considering that much of the country is in a deep freeze right now, all the midwest, and it's moving into New England. This is the time of year that the southwest shines, it makes the 110 degree heat in the summer bearable, knowing the winters are so mild. The Cardinals won their football game last weekend, and on Saturday will play another playoff game, an historical moment for them. Regardless of the outcome of the game, thousands of people will enjoy the game and the great weather.

Haines genealogy

Well, I'm moving full tilt into preparing for the Haines reunion this summer. My sister Debbie is hosting it, in St. John's, AZ. I'm in charge of inviting family members, primarily all the descendants of George Jefferson Haines, our grandfather. We are spread all over the country, so it will take some effort to get addresses for everyone and send them invites. Our line hasn't had a reunion in many many years, so I hope lots of cousins can come.

I've decided to create a book for the occasion, including lots of pictures, the story of William T. Haines' death and his family journey to Arizona, hopefully something interesting. Mom and I plan to visit her cousins' Edna Mae and Doris this month, so I can copy documents and pictures from them if they'll let me. Their father is my Grandpa's oldest brother, so I'm hoping they'll have some good stories, pics and maybe even letters. Our family doesn't write letters, so I'm probably dreaming that letters exist, but don't spoil my fantasy!