Staycation 2- Utah is a Pretty State, Even Close to Home Pt 2

Kids loved chasing this little guy everywhere.  But he was just to fast.
He's just too quick. 

Great-grandma sees one too.

Cute babies to feed. Brecklyn does not want to sacrifice her "funyuns". That was the only duck type thing we had.

Tyson sits over the potgut hole hoping to catch him as he pops up. Doesn't happen...Time in the dirt.  Brecklyn does not enjoy this
part...too hot, too messy.  So "boyish".

It was hot, so back home we cool off.

Brecklyn gets splashed by the boys doing "boyish" stuff again....

Sun-tan time under the basketball hoop.

Then a little picnic table ping-pong, a new invention, I am sure!

Now for some much-needed "girl-time" and we can call it a good day!

Staycation 2- Utah is a Pretty State, Even Close to Home

We are always Hungry.  Mutual Dell supplied the place and grandma provided the grub.  I don't think anyone was hungry after the picnic.

A little ride to Tibble Fork.  Too bad grandpa didn't supply us with the rods and reels...

The baby liked it too.  Slept through the whole thing.  Got a little bug bite or something.  He be fine.  Notice we are on the 4 generation trip today.  Great-grandma, momma and the kids. And of course, grandma.

Great-grandma at Tibble Fork.

When I Get Impatient...Something To Think About

As you might remember, the head of a company survived
9/11, because his son just started kindergarten.
Another fellow was alive because it was His turn to bring donuts.
One woman was late because her Alarm clock didn't go off in time.
One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike Because of an auto accident.
One of them Missed his bus.
One spilled food on her clothes and had to take
Time to change.
One's Car wouldn't start.
One couldn't Get a taxi.
The one that struck me was the man
Who put on a new pair of shoes that morning,
Took the various means to get to work
But before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot.
He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid.
That is why he is alive today..
Now when I am Stuck in traffic ,
Miss an elevator, Turn back to answer a ringing telephone ....
All the little things that annoy me.
I think to myself, This is exactly where
God wants me to be At this very moment..
Next time your morning seems to be
Going wrong...You can't seem to find the car keys,
You hit every traffic light,
Don't get mad or frustrated;
It May be just that God is at work watching over you.
May God continue to bless you
With all those annoying little things
And may you remember their possible purpose.

More Polish Grallas From Luboschütz and Oppeln

In the Catholic parish in the city of Opole, Poland, a Gralla family first appeared about the year 1791 residents of the village of Luboschütz. This Gralla was Nicolaus Gralla, a soldier, age 30, who married Marianna Hannalonka of Opole, age 27 on the 3rd of Feb. Another early Gralla to this area was Valentin Gralla, who moved into Luboschütz from elsewhere and was also married on the 3rd of Feb. 1791 to Agnes Libor of Kempa. He was 28 and she was 26. As these are the only two Grallas in this parish, it is probable that they were brothers moving in from another town. Records are sketchy for this time period and few Gralla entries were noted. Later we find more Grallas in Opole.

Adalbert Gralla married Marianna Waletzko on 27 June 1824. He was then age 30 and she was 23. Four children were born to this couple, Joseph, on 14 Nov. 1834, who married Maria Klaus, Johann, 12 May 1827, who was married three times; to Agnes Malek, Josepha Hilla, and Agnes Kochanek, and a stillborn son on 24 Jun 1833, and a daughter Rosalia born in 1818, who died on 30 Aug. 1825.

Joseph Gralla and Maria Klaus, daughter of Mathias Klaus of Halbendorf married 14 Feb. 1865. Joseph was a brick mason at the time. Only one son, Joseph, born 26 Nov. 1865 was found in this parish.

Johann Gralla had several children born in Opole. From his first wife, Agnes Malek, whom he married on 8 Feb. 1846 when he was 19, and she was 18, were born five children. Anton was born on the 11th of Jan. 1848, and died on the 30th of the same month. Christina was born on the 2nd of May 1849 and died 28 Dec. 1851. Daughter Marianna was born on 14 Aug. 1851. She, too, must have died early, although no record was found, as the next daughter was also a Marianna born on 14 Aug. 1853 and died shortly after on the 9th of Oct. The last child of this union was Julianna, born 23 May 1855-died 24 May 1855. On this date, the mother of these children, Agnes, also passed away.

From Johann Gralla's 2nd wife, Josepha Hilla, he had two children; Francisca, 27 Sep 1856, and Maria, 8 Mar. 1858 and on the 31st of Mar., his 2nd wife passed away at age 22 with complications from childbirth.

Johann then married Agnes Kochanek, daughter of Joseph Kochanek on 22 Jun 1858, when he was 31, and she was 19.

Their children included: Julianna, born 20 May 1859, who died on 9 Jul. 1859, Peter, born 5 Oct. 1860 and Catharina, born 17 Nov. 1862, Thomas, born 18 Dec. 1864, who died on 1 Feb. 1865, Juliana, born 18 May 1865, Johannes, 13 May 1866, and Julianna, 18 May 1868.

The Grallas from the town of Luboschütz and the parish of Opole, are small in number. There are some indications that they originate from a larger group of Grallas from the town of Lugnian. Gralla immigrants to the United States include Grallas from Lugnian and Opole.

Zucchini Everywhere!

Well, I decided to try a recipe that I got from the Home Food Storage Lady in Highland, Chirine Wadsworth. Her link is the bottom one of my sidebar blog list.  Alpine Food Storage.  The recipe was for Zucchini Relish. Sounded good and my friend, Sylvie, at work, says she uses the same recipe. So, I got out my old Kitchen-Aid grinder attachment and started grinding the veggies. In the upper right starts some of the mess I created. But it only got worse from there, couldn't take a picture of that. My dear husband always says, "Clean as you go". Well, who wants to keep cleaning and cleaning, just do it once and forget it, is my motto. And then when I was done, I put it in the bowl and refrigerated overnight. It looks good. But then I had to go out and buy a new steam canner, since I quit canning over 20 years ago, had to do with starting to work full-time, I guess. I gave my mom all my equipment and jars and so I am starting from scratch. Below is the recipe, just in case your zucchinis are also growing out of your ears.

Amazing Zucchini Relish
8-9 pints of Relish

Soak
10 C. zucchini
3 C. onions
4 red bell peppers
5 T. salt

Mix
3 c. sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1 t. turmeric
1 t. nutmeg (Sylvie's addition to the recipe)
3 C. vinegar
1 t. dry mustard
1 t. black pepper
1 t. celery seed

Grate zucchini in food processor, along with onion and bell peppers. Mix salt in with vegetables in large plastic bowl and let stand overnight. Next day, rinse thoroughly in a large strainer and drain well.
Place shredded vegetables in large heavy pan and add remaining ingredients. Mix well and boil for 30 minutes. Pack in jars, seal and process 10 minutes. 

So back to the farmer girl version of me...Actually, if I had more time, I think I would do a lot of this.  Probably more canning, than eating.  At least that was how it used to be.  Then I would wonder if the stuff in the jars had rotted and I would get salmonella or some other strange manifestation if I ate it. 

Fly Tying

Since Tyson was 3, he has been a fisherman at heart. He started tying flies and fishing at age 3 and at 9, now he poses by his prized flies, all of which he has created. He loves it and loves doing this with his grandpa. They love doing just about anything together. They just want to be together and then it is fun no matter what they do.

Pony Ride

Day 1 Staycation

Here is a little snack break at Wheeler Farm. The kids seemed to enjoy it, especially the souvenir shop. Isn't that about normal?

Those Precious Childhood Memories!

Yes, we all have them, those first things we remember.  My first memory was of moving to our home in Elmore, Minnesota as I was about 4 or 5 years old.  I was outside in the front yard riding my little tricycle--a now non-existent riding toy.  Anyway, my English was quite limited as we hadn't lived in America all that long.  I spotted a girl across the street.  She had dark hair and kept saying things to me, none of which I could understand.  What did she want from me???  As things progressed, she and I somehow got together with our two very different languages and became playmates as we were both the same age.  Through playing together, I managed to pick up English and by the time Kindergarten started, it wasn't even a problem.  I had that language down. 

Well, yesterday as Brecklyn drove with me to my hair appointment, we talked about our soon-to-be little "stayvacation" activities for the upcoming week.  Brecklyn said that Logan was sooo excited to be going on the Heber Creeper Train because he wasn't able to when we went two summers ago when Brecklyn was three.  I asked her what she remembered and if she had liked doing that.  Oh yes, she said, I remember it very well.  I asked what she remembered about it.  Well, she said, we got off the train (at Vivienne Park in Provo Canyon) and I stepped in dog-poo in my flip flops and you had to clean me up.  Boy what a remembrance, not what I expected at all!  Anyway, after she reminded me, I remembered that incident too.  So, let's not forget to take the baby wipes and hand sanitizer this time!

Living in the Desert!

At work today we were talking over the " fence " , actually through the cubicles and Sylvie 's daughter was going to Arizona to visit Sylvie 's son's family. He is going to dental school there. The other day, her little grandson said to his mother, "big bug ". And his mom went to investigate and it was a cockroach, a typical sight in the desert ... I know, I lived in the Palm Springs, Ca. area. So I mentioned to her what my parents did at night. My parents noticed the roaches came up through the drains. At night, when the roaches roam, they would always keep all drains closed and the shower drain covered with cardboard or something that could be weighted down so that they could not come up through there, either. Anyway, a memory from my youth teenage years of living in the desert.  Funny what comes to mind that you haven't thought about in years...

A Stork For Luck

This is so funny when I think about it. When we, Jamie, Ty and I were in Germany last August, we had been there quite a while and we said to each other while driving, "you know, for some strange reason we haven't seen one stork's nest on this trip." And I kid you not, we drove one single block further and look and see what we saw on top of the chimney? And after we returned home, guess what? That stork did his thing. 10- months later little Grayson came to be!

My 3 "Grand" Sons

Ok, so you oldies, like me, might remember an old show called "My Three Sons"? Or maybe not.  But I do.  I never had 3 sons, only 1, but now I have 3 very "grand" sons.  The youngest is here in the picture.  He is sweet and sleeps everytime grandma comes for a visit.  I have heard him cry, but really not much.  Mainly sleep is the order of the day and boy am I jealous of that!  To have time to get good sleep is definitely a treasure that I don't seem to get much of.  Grayson is 8 days old in the picture, doing what he does best.  In about a week, I am taking some vacation time to take my other three grandkids on a "staycation".  I hope that they will enjoy spending time with grandma seeing some fun or interesting Utah places.  With 3 kids, I can't go too far by myself so it will not be overniters, this time.  Jamie has the baby and my mom has been undergoing some knee therapy, so my travel partners are not too available for all I would like to do.  But maybe some of this.  We will see what happens as the week comes.

A Little Bit About Klein Tschanz (Breslau)

When my mom was a child, she resided at the "Kinderheim" on the street address of Kinderheim 46.  While in Breslau in 2007, I was able to go here and a researcher, Adam, below, was kind enough to give me lots of materials, pictures and so forth.  It was really a wonderful experience.  I just wish that I could post everything!

From Adam Czmuchowski (translated from Polish)


The mother monastery in Koln-Nippes of the counts of Stollberg with 1 priest Bruhlen at Lehm Gruber St. 1889 organized a house for children without parents. They built a small church and patronate over it and called it Maria Hilf.

Georg Kopp was the bishop. The manager till 1920 was Eleonore zu Stollberg, countess. When the Dominican nuns took over which were then later removed in 1942. After 1920 the old woman was buried in Klein Tschanz. Till 1928 the little villages were separated but then later all became a part of Breslau.

Eleonora lived on Rybniker Str. After 1860 she donated  land to the Catholic cemetery at Oppelner Str. She gave money for the Church which was built in 1909 and having their 100 year celebration next year. The Church is on Schwentniger Str. (My name was on the plaque as being a contributor, I was really surprised)
Carl was the building advisor and the Priest from 1909-46 was Father Conrad Metzger. In the year 1905  the house was founded with a school on the street of Kinderheim 46 where later was a new house for children by the nuns of the Maria Hilf order .
There were nuns of the Vincenz Order and also the Barmherzigen Sisters at this place.

How Many Relatives Do You Have?

1 YOU
2 parents
4 grandparents
8 g grandparents
16 gg grandparents
32 ggg grandparents
64 gggg grandparents
128 ggggg grandparents
256 gggggg grandparents
512 ggggggg grandparents
1,024 gggggggg grandparents
2,048 ggggggggg grandparents
4,096 gggggggggg grandparents
8,192 ggggggggggg grandparents
16,184 gggggggggggg grandparents
32,768 ggggggggggggg grandparents
65,536 gggggggggggggg grandparents
131,072 ggggggggggggggg grandparents
262,144 gggggggggggggggg grandparents
524,288 ggggggggggggggggg grandparents
1,048,576 gggggggggggggggggg grandparents
2,097,152 ggggggggggggggggggg grandparents

Is it any wonder we spend so much time on genealogy?

Dancing Scooter Gal

As Brecklyn rode her scooter from my house to hers today, I noticed a little of her mother in her.  The leg that pushed the scooter went into a graceful arabesque.  Oh my,  I thought as I remembered...Jamie at the stores in the mall with me doing an arabesque for all to see.  No matter where we went, there was always the perverbial arabesque.  Never anywhere without it...That's how it is when you are a dancer's mother.

A Recipe for Guacamole

GUACAMOLE OLE’


1 ripe avocado in halves
½ c. finely chopped tomatoes
2 T. chopped cilantro
2 cloves minced garlic
2 T fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper

Put all in plastic bag, seal and smush it. Cut bottom corner of the plastic bag and squeeze it all into bowl. Serve with chips. Easy, quick and fairly clean.

Look Grandma! We're Pregnant

No words needed....

GRAYSON CHAD HOFHEINS!

So yesterday Jamie told me she would be having a baby today and so I took the day off. And yes at 7-8 am she called.  Mom, it's time. And so we went and at 11:35 Grayson Chad Hofheins was born. He weighed 7 lbs and 3 oz. and 18 1/2 inches long.  He is the smallest of the 4 grandchildren.  Brecklyn, the daughter was the largest.  He is so blonde.  How could a Nishimoto have such a blondie?  Can't figure it out.  But it is so.  He had his cord around his neck and gave us a little scare, but all is well.  He was born so fast.  The doctor was literally running across the parking lot and the nurses were definitely a little nervous that he wouldn't make it in time.  But just in the nick of time, he did.  I was there as with Logan's birth, but this time I was supposed to help by pulling Jamie's leg.  Never did that before.  It was amazing.  Later as I picked up the older kids and we were riding to the hospital, I heard from Logan and Brecklyn, Is my mom still fat??? Is she skinny again?  Well, not skinny but much better!  I asked Tyson what he thought about his new brother and he said, "It's so amazing."  I think he will be an awesome big brother.

A Little Gralla Family History (Koszecin, Poland)

LOCAL PEOPLE GIVE COLORFUL ACCOUNT OF "ROBIN HOOD" GRALLA.
(I mentioned I would be doing some genealogy stuff on this blog)

In the village of Koszecin, Poland, stand the remains of the Franz Gralla farm of the late 1800's. Although, much has changed on the property, the people who live there now were able to share what they remembered of Franz Gralla, father of twelve children and my great grandfather. The current owners, the Soballas, bought the farm from a Jewish man who had purchased it originally from Franz Gralla in the year 1903. Mr. Soballa tells what caused Franz Gralla to leave the area for Moscow and later St. Petersburg, as he recalls in the year 1903. Franz Gralla, although the owner of a farm and acreage was not the farmer "type" nor did he want to be. He lived life a little on the "wild side" as he chose to defy the local nobility, the Hohenlohes, who owned the forests and most of the surrounding property. Franz Gralla liked to hunt in the forests of the Hohenlohes, which was against the law. But he did this to provide food for his large and growing family and to provide food for all the poor townspeople. For this, the people of the village loved him and the Hohenlohes despised him. He became known as "Robin Hood" Gralla. Often times he would hide with his hunting friends in the forests as the local authorities tried to track him down. He made traps out of bridges which would drop to the water below and help him in fast get-aways. This he did for quite some time until the Hohenlohes eventually caught up to him, and knowing him to be very knowledgeable in forestry, rather than arrest him, as was expected, he was given a forestry job in Belorus on the Hohenlohe property there as an alternative punishment. This same Franz Gralla was also a merchant, a business man who provided the stones for the road which still is there and leads to the next town. According to the Soballas, Franz Gralla was involved in many interesting business "deals", but was a good man whom the people liked and respected for his help in feeding their families.

Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe From a Cookie-holic

Do you all have a favorite sugar cookie recipe?  Well, here is mine.  It's a good one!

Sonja’s favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe


1 c. butter
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla or almond flavoring
1/4 t. soda
4 t. baking powder
4 ½ c. flour

Mix together and roll out. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes.

Buttercreme Frosting for Sugar cookies

½ c. butter or margarine
½ c. shortening
1/4 t. salt
1 ½ t. vanilla
5 ½ c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. of milk
Cream butter, shortening, add salt and vanilla. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time. Then the milk. Beat till light and fluffy. Add food color if desired.

How Does My Garden Grow?

Finally it is beginning to be summer!

I went outside today for the first time in a week due to too many things going on and saw that the garden was finally coming along.  I cut my 3rd cutting of lettuce and picked a green pepper.  Then later I trimmed back the half dead lavender bush and cut some mint to dry.  I felt like the Pioneer Women in me had come out. 

But then I realized how hot it was out there and decided to write about the garden, rather than work in it.  Can't wait to write about tomatoes and black currants, ha ha!

The Anniversary

Having Dinner at Applebee's

Grandma, when do we blow out the candles??

60 years, only a drop in the bucket!

The happy couple Heinz and Eva, alias Omi and Papa!

The great-grands, we are 1 short here, Grayson tried but just didn't make it...

Which is why Jamie and Jake weren't here tonight...

The grandkids help in unwrapping, a difficult task as you age...

A little gift for you!

As you can see no Jay or Jake, they were at the hospital with case 2 of the false labor of love...

What the Grandkids Taught Me

So over the years, I have tried to get some exercise by walking.  The goal is to lower bp, get less fat, get in shape and be generally more healthy.  Lately the grandkids have noticed grandma's walking routine and decided they want to join and everyday the question "Have you gone on your walk yet?" comes out and if I haven't gone, they are gonna go with.  So we round up scooters, big wheels, bikes or whatever the tranportation of the day may be.  Well, I must start by saying when you take your grandkids, or kids with you, the exercise part of the walk really disappears and it is interesting what does appear.  First, one child is 3 miles ahead, while another is equally behind.  The one from behind finally catches up by running over the back of your feet with a big wheel or other instrument of pain.  But being the sweeties they are, they ALWAYS apologize and as you limp along you say "It's OK, honey, it only hurts a little."  The far away child returns and says, "look at this or look at that".  And so we stop and look at this and that and talk and laugh.  What do we look at?  Well, via my blackberry, so excuse the bad quality, here is what we see:

We see millions of ants having their breakfast, lunch or dinner...

We see "Kornblumen Blau" as Omi would say.

We see horses too, and we also smell them a mile away! 

We see the seagulls on their favorite roof top every day, literally hundreds of them.

And we see toadstool "nests"

They are a little gross...

And sometimes we decide to climb a tree or two!

So you see we spend lots of time looking and not so much time exercising, so this grandma will remain fat and happy.  But the key word here is "Happy".

Happy 60th Anniversary To My Wonderful Parents! I Wish You Many More!

ODE TO EVA

It was many yesterdays ago,

When I met you, setting my heart aglow.

Times were tough then, with seemingly nothing to live for,

but undaunted, we opened this new door

of life’s experiences together;

Many storms we would weather.

Now there’s some smoother sailing

With winds from the right direction prevailing.

We share this life in mutual bliss,

And although Mozart and Bach I would never want to miss

(but I know that you like ‘em too)

You’re the greatest - my love and companion so true,

Our love will remain forever as new.

Your Heinz

A Nummy Polish Recipe

I tried to post this on The Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen Site, but it kept rejecting everything I did to put in the recipe.  So I am posting it here so as not to feel like a complete failure...  It really is nummy and the credit goes to Theresa Ulfik, my Polish relative's wife, who is a really good cook.

Teresa Ulfik’s Polish Salad.

Ingredients (every ingredient should be put in the form of a layer)
1 can pineapple cut into pieces ( I used Pineapple tidbits, drained)
1 can drained and rinsed kidney beans
The white part of a leek cut into pieces. (I sliced it)
a layer of mayonnaise
1/3 lb.of deli turkey or ham cut into thin stripes (Omi can leave out)
2-3 carrots (boiled) cut into thin stripes ( I used boiled baby carrots about 10-12 of them)
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cloves of mashed garlic
can of corn (I used frozen because I had no canned corn)
another layer of mayonnaise
4 grated hard-boiled eggs (I just sliced them and put them on top)

Mix it when you serve it, but it is prettier in the layered form in a clear serving bowl till ready to eat.

Blossoming Musician?

Well, Last nite I got to tend my two grandsons.  We took Tyson to scouts and then that left little Logan, the birthday boy, all by himself.  I was in my bedroom when I heard loud noises from my office area and went to investigate. There laying on the rug were the contents of two tin containers of crayons.  Every crayon was laying on the floor, with no Logan or container in site.  My first thought was, why does he dump out two containers of crayons and not even color anything!  Great, now I get to hunt for the containers and then clean up all the crayons, right? Ugh...not my day.  So I proceed to track down the culprit and there on the kitchen floor sits a little drummer practicing his musical skills...

Fish

Fish: "Add a touch of nature to your page with these hungry little fish way down at the bottom of my page. Watch them as they follow your mouse hoping you will feed them by clicking the surface of the water."

I Wish My Daddy Was a Dog!

At Stake Conference today, Elder Sitterud spoke about being a better parent, a better grandparent and just plain being a better person.  He told us this poem and I really thought it hit the hammer on the head!

I Wish My Daddy Was a Dog


One day, when Bruce was just a lad, starting out in school,
He came into my workshop and climbed upon a stool.
I saw him as he entered, but I hadn't time to play
So I merely nodded to him and said, "Don't get in the way."

He sat a while just thinking---as quiet as could be.
Then carefully he got down and came and stood by me.
He said, "Old Shep, he never works and he has lots of fun.
He runs around the meadows and barks up at the sun.

"He chases after rabbits and always scares the cats.
He likes to chew on old shoes, and sometimes Mother's hats.
But when we're tired of running, we sit down on a log;
I sometimes get to thinking--I wish Daddy was a dog.

" 'Cause then, when I come home from school, he'd run and lick my hand
And we would jump and holler and tumble in the sand.
And then I'd be happy, as happy as could be.
'Cause we would play the whole day through, just my dad and me.

"Now I know you work real hard to buy us food and clothes.
And you need to get the girls those fancy ribbons and bows.
But sometimes, when I'm lonesome, I think it would be lots of fun
If my daddy was a dog, and all his work was done."

Now when he'd finished speaking, he looked so lonely there
I reached my hand out to him and ruffled up his hair.
And as I turned my head aside to brush away a tear,
I thought how nice it was to have my son so near.

I know the Lord didn't mean for man to toil his whole life through
"Come on, my son, I'm sure I have some time for you."
You should have seen the joy and sunlight in his eye
As we went outside to play--just my son and I.

Now, as the years have flown and youth has slipped away.
I've tried always to remember to allow some time to play.
When I pause to reminisce and think of joys and strife,
I carefully turn the pages of this wondrous book of life.

I find the richest entry recorded in this daily log
Is the day that small boy whispered. "I wish my Daddy was a dog."

-Author Unknown

Logan's birthday

Baseball Boy

Deutschland Trip 2009

Deutschland 261
Originally uploaded by Grandma Sonja

Jamie and I entered Tyson's German Butterfly picture to The Pioneer Woman's Photo contest. Don't you think it is just cool how his eye shows through the butterfly wing? This butterfly landed on Ty's hand and just stayed with him and had no desire to leave. It was so cool.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Grallas in España

Some years ago I came upon the Grallas in the Catalan area of Spain.  Gralla is my mom's side of the family.  They are my Polish side.  However, while doing research we found out all about the Grallas in Spain and even went to the Casa Gralla in Subirats and spoke to the Gralla descendants that were there.  It was a little difficult as my 6 years of Spanish had turned to "rust" but none-the-less the family shared their pedigree chart and pointed out the Gralla who emigrated to Polonia back several hundreds of years ago.  We were escorted to the Palace and the family church by the author of the book about Luis de Requesen.  He was also the proprietor of the Museum in Martorell.  Here are some quotes I translated from his book which is written in Catalan.

Miguel Juan de Gralla


From Lerida ? XV century - died in 1531. Distinguished royal official. Teacher of royal classroom. Delegate of the Generalilat (1491-1494). Royal accountant teacher of Catalunya. (1501-1520). His linage was through the Burgues de Lerida. He gained his riches by practicing mercantilism. Castellan and Feudal Lord of the castle of Subirat. He was at the service of Ana de Bretana until the capitulation of Reunes in 1491. He returned to Cataluna and intervened in name of the King in the municipal reforms and of the Generalilat and he was designated by the king as a delegate.

Short Lesson on Prussian Military History

A little military lesson from my friend Harald in Germany:

In a lithograph by Richard Knötel, whose former capacity was in regards to questions of European uniforms and equipment, from 1890 to 1905 when he published hundreds of these plates showing the European armies since the 30-year war, edited by Max Babenzien in Rathenow. It can be recognized that there are no significant differences, neither in the uniforms nor in the armament of the musketeers and fusiliers.

Usually women are more interested in the clothing of the ladies than in the solders` uniforms. Nevertheless it is sure, that at least two of my ancestors had to wear "des Königs bunten Rock" and there was also of the Swiez family as executioner and three of the Badura family who had joined the army.

When Friedrich der Große had conquered Silesia he started at once to institute a government, dividing the country in civil counties and military "Kantons". The general duty for serving in the army was also introduced at once. Early as 1742 Friedrich was recruiting Silesians and forced them to his troops. Fighting for the Austrians in 1741 some people found themselves in the Prussian army one year later in 1742. Beuthen, Tost and Tarnowitz had Prussian garrisons at several times.

Fighting in the Napoleonic Wars went back and forth. In the beginning the Prussians fought against the French. After the catastrophe of Jena and Auerstedt in 1806, Prussia was forced to support the French with their own troops at their Russian campaign. Which units had to follow Napoleon to the east was decided by lots. From our area it was: II. Battalion of the 1. Silesian Infantry Regt., II. Bat. and Fuesilier Battalion of the 2. Silesien. Inf. Regt. The disaster of Moscow is well known.

In the meantime Prussia had reorganised its army. A novum, founded by the French, now was used by the Prussians: nationalism. Up to that time farmers and labourers didn`t mind to which king they had to tax. But now they were going for their country. The Prussian king posted his declaration "An mein Volk" in Breslau 1813. With this declaration also the Order of the Iron Cross was founded (in Breslau!) - the first decoration the simple soldiers could receive as well, as the noble officers. (By the way: the first decorations were produced in the iron hut of Gleiwitz) And now one was going to fight against the French again and in the end some of the Silesian troops which had to support Napoleons army, served as a part of the allied occupation army in Paris.

And Knötel is showing us what the people of these times looked like.  And there are some people who told me, genealogy was boring!

One result of the Napoleonic Wars was the "Bauernbefreiung" in Prussia. It started 1810, initiated and developed by Stein und Hardenberg. Before this the Farmers and gardeners were not slaves, but they were not allowed to leave their lent land, had to work up to 4 - 5 days a week for the landlord who also decided which of their sons should inherit the lent cottages and who even had to give his allowance if one of his "erbuntertänigen" Bauern / Gärtner / Häusler wanted to marry. For the landlords needed the cheap workers, they fought against this "Bauernbefreiung" so the dependence lasted in Schlesien partly until 1830, while in the other Prussian provinces the farmers were freed in 1818. So it is always something special if the profession is given as Freibauer or Freigärtner.  If you click on the image, you will see a larger view.

Work Assignment 8

Today's work blog assignment was to check out Google Docs.  I wasn't really aware of this too much, although a friend mentioned it to me but here you can upload documents to work on, save, send or whatever.  I think it is kind of a cool thing.  The idea is that at some point in time, programs such as Microsoft Word, etc will be eventually replaced by this.  I can see the possibilities.  I like how it works and in the case of my computer crash, you would know the important things are there.  However, like in Picasa web albums, after a certain amount of space is used you would need to buy more room to store.  So depending on the costs, that could be a problem.

By the way, my computer wasn't a "true" crash, which is great news for me, but rather my video driver died and so that is why I could see absolutely nothing.I now have it back and happy that no data was lost.

Another part of Assignment 8 was to go to YouTube and find  a Family History video.  I found one of an interview of Thomas McEntee, the so called "Father" of Family History blogging.  He spoke of concerns others had regarding copywrite issues and privacy concerns.

Re-do, Re-habilitate, Re-pair and Re-lax

Well, today I had professional Development at work and started working on my blog again. I found a background that I really liked and it was a family history theme. So I thought that would be perfect for me and used it and also changed my template. So once you do that it seems everything needs to be adjusted. All that and a new computer at work that gave me some headaches all day yesterday. The internet and phone finally started working at home again and that was a big relief. Apparently something had been cut somewhere in the lines and the power company seemed to be the ones that had to fix it. My personal computer is still in the shop and no word how that is all going....

Soon it will be my parent's 60th Anniversary. What a big day for them! They were married in Freiberg, Germany 24 Jun 1950. My parents have experienced things in their lives that I hope most of us never will have to. I will try to write some blogs about that at some future time.

My grandkids survived their little incidents and Jamie is doing better and still hanging in there. So things are improving in those respects. I am still working on my Polish trip in August. I just can't wait. Things seem to be going well and I have gotten lots of the preparation done. But there is always some that still has to wait till the proper time to get done.

When It Rains....

So this week has been one of those stupid stressful ones... First we find out our dishwasher is on the recall list of Maytag and told to not use it and disconnect it from the power source to prevent it from starting a house fire. Then my wonderfully fast, 10 month old computer has the blue screen of death and no longer will function...and then 2 days after that the entire internet at home goes out (so does my mom's at about the same time of day)and this takes out the land phone with it...so I call Quest, everything is "working fine". I call T-mobile regarding our land phone and they say its "working just fine". So they each say it is the "other" party and not them. So I can tell you it is still not "working fine" or at all for that matter. However, for some insane reason, Skype is still working on Spencer's computer even though we have no internet...And how is that possible?? Then Jamie has premature labor and I am at work, rode the bus in and have no way home till the bus comes at 4:00 pm. That you can read about on her blog. Then Brecklyn falls off her scooter on a bad spot on the sidewalk and has a terribly swollen lip and plainly doesn't feel well. Hope she is better today? All this while Spencer has a really bad allergy attack from helping the neighbor clean up his orchard grass. He was so bad his throat closed up and he could barely breathe. That happened at the time of Jamie's problems. Tyson gets something in his eye and it totally swells. Please tell me that it does get better than this...