Kitties, Lakes, Houseboating for Mothers' Day !!?

Here are the five new arrivals I was talking about.  They are the sweetest kitties ever.  No problems and now they have all been fixed.  We love them to pieces and no I do not want any more or dogs or any other animal.  We are happy with what we have thank you very much.

Now I'm getting ready for fishing.  We have a houseboat we have fixed up and I am ready to go.  There is nothing like gliding across the lakes.  It's so much fun.  My Jim, does not go fast.  We are there to enjoy and relax.

There is one place we go and that's Collins Lake.  It's heaven let me tell you.  It's a step up from tent camping, I mean you can tent camp but with our house boat we stay on board and sleep.  They have a little store there, so if you forget anything it's very handy.  Plus they are known for there ice cream cones.  How cool is it to go camping and walk up to the store and get an ice cream cone.  It's heaven, that's what it is.  Now especially since all the lakes are full of water.  The other place we go is Oroville Lake.  It's bigger then Collins and closer but no ice cream cones, although they do have a store at the Marina but  like I said no ice cream cones.  Ha!  funny uh?

Hey, here is to a happy spring and summer. Enjoy, and don't forget to smile !!   Tootles

Are We There Yet ?

Spring that is.  I swear just when I get things cleaned up, swept, wiped down it rains again.  I know, I know, I'm pushing it a little.  Hey, it's the end of April.  The rains should be over and May is arriving next week just in time for the Flowers.  You know, April showers bring May Flowers !  Yeah,  now that's what I am talking about.

I will say we do have a lot of wild flowers.  Thanks to our Granddaughter, Shaunna.  She gave us a box several years ago and we love them.  They  come up every year and we have since added more, along with lavender, rosemary, sage, roses, mint, lots of mint.  I do love it.  I go out and pick all of them put them in a vase (no water please).  As they start  to dry I have a big glass jar I put them in.  Looking through the glass it's really pretty.  Tootles

Spiker Family History

Good Afternoon. Must tell you what I have been doing.  I was lucky enough to stumble upon my own family history quite by accident.

I was looking for my Aunt Mary's birthday.  She was my Dad's sister, only sister actually.  You see, I have tried to put all my family, living and passed in my Calendar on my phone.  I have alerts that remind me of birthdays, and passings of family members who are no longer with us in the Human form.  Not to say they are not roaming around among us at different times in their spirit world.  Hey, I welcome them anytime.  Would really love to share a pot of tea with a   number of them.  Especially those who I miss so much.  Well, once I put in Aunt Mary's name.......there it was Spiker, Speicher, and Spieger family.  I clicked and off I went to something quite amazing.  How cool for my family now to be able to follow their family back to first arriving here in America.  I mean come on !  I have to give all the credit for the family members who took the time to do all the searching and the time to gather all the information and then put it together.  All I can say is it's a gift for my family.  Something they can treasure and pass on to their children.

What I now know.....

It started with Ulrich Speicher, his wife Maria who arrived at Philadelphia on October 8, 1737 aboard the ship, "Charming Nancy", (know in Switzerland as Charming Polly).  Yes, that's right Switzerland.  The Spiker/Speicher family seems to have originated in Switzerland during the late 1500's.  In the city  of Bern, there is a "Speicher" Avenue and high in the Alps, east of Zurich, is a small village named "Speicher."  The name is derived from the German verb "speichern" to treasure up: a granary.  In America the name is spelled variously by different branches of the  family.

To the best of their knowledge, he was very poor and possibly became a bound servant to pay for his passage and for the  passage of his family.  But in eighteen years in 1755 he recieved a Grant of land from the Propreitors./  Pretty cool Ulrich !

There is so much more I am finding out.  It's crazy because I was wishing I had a journal or diary from a Great Great Grandmother or something.  Even though this is not that I have gotten a lot of  information and I am so grateful.  What a treasure !!!  Tootles

Saving Flowers

Love it