Shirley Through The Years







One of the page layouts that may end up in the book is a collection of photos that shows Grandma Shirley through the years. The pictures above span over 75 years back to the childhood home of Shirley and her family.

The second picture from the bottom is Shirley and RoseAnn from 1936.

The third picture from the bottom is Shirley standing in front of Naurine Rose's car. Shirley accompanied Naurine to check out loads of wheat during the summertime and Shirley went along.

The fourth picture from the bottom is Shirley as a teenager modeling a top she made out of handkerchiefs in the late 1940s.

The fifth picture is a picture of Shirley in her early twenties.

The sixth picture from the bottom is a family photo with Phil, Shirley and the kids from 1975.

The top picture is Grandma Shirley and Roger standing in front of their home in Wickenburg, AZ circa 2009.

As you can seen, there is more sotry behind each of these photos than is listed above. The goal is to put these pictures together and then have Grandma provide audio, video or text describing what is happening in these pictures and when they took place. That type of information is really what I think will make this book come to life.
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Does this house look familiar?




The pictures of this house may look familiar to a certain group of people. If you are one of those people, I'd love to hear your comments on seeing these pictures. This is Wiltfong home circa 1950s and 1960s.

For those out there who have memories of this house, share them:

What were your favorite memories here?

What was your favorite part of the house or yard?

What did you not like about the house?



This is an interactive posting today. Feel free to make comments.


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StoryCorps

So, I was listening to NPR a few months back, yep big nerd, and listened to an ongoing series entitled Story Corps. Story Corps is a non-profit organization who have recorded over 50,000 life stories with family and friends. It is an oral history project that was founded in 2003 and has recently released a book with a collection of stories, Listening is an Act of Love. In this book are stories of love, loss, childhood remembrance, war, children, etc.


I thought Story Corps was such a great idea the first time I heard it on the radio. I have since heard numerous stories from the program and enjoyed listening to many. After hearing these wonderful stories from people around the country I was inspired to seek out some stories from my own family. Growing up, I do have some memories of my grandparents and great grandparents. On my father's side, I have great memories of my grandparents, Bill and Dorothy, at their lakehouse around Ashland, Nebraska (I think, anyone feel free to correct this). The lakehouse or cabin was at the end of a short gravel road on the lake. Looking back on it now there wasn't much to the lakehouse: one floor, a couple rooms, one bathroom, and a small kitchen. But, man did I think it was the coolest place in the world as a kid. I still have in my bathroom today a picture that was hanging above the toliet at the cabin. It is a black and white photo of a little boy sitting over a pot with his pants down outside his house. Below the picture it says 'Efforts'. Now that is funny!

That framed picture is something I can hold onto from that time. I now that there are pictures out there from the cabin, but I haven''t seen them in years. And I'm sure there are great stories from days on the lake with family and neighbors, but it is to late to ask Bill and Dorothy to tell them to me. A lot of those stories passed on with them and have been lost forever. The closest I could come would be to ask their children and frends about stories they have from the cabin. But wouldn't it be great to have a video or audio recording of their favorite cabin stories? I do and this is my party and I'll cry if I want to!

This is the opportunity I have with my remaining grandparent, Shirley. Here is a short audio recording of Grandma Shirley talking about the trips her and Phil took her family on many years ago. Now, this is something that lives on and gives a glimpse into what it was like raising five children and going on vacation. Thanks in large part to my sister Anna, there are over 50 recordings of various lengths with Shirley talking about her favorite memories. 50 is a great start. The next step is to start recording some video of Grandma about her memories.




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The Alzheimer's Project - HBO

HBOThe Alzheimer's Project

About a month or so ago I learned of The Alzheimer's Project documentary series on HBO. This series of videos discusses potentially the most debilitating disease known to humankind. "Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and other thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks," according to the website. Currently there are about 5 million Americans affected by Alzheimer's and with the Boomer population rapidly aging, that number could soar to more than 11 million by 2040.

Some quick facts:

  • One out of eight people age 65 or older has Alzheimer's. The number of people with the disease doubles for every 5-year age interval beyond age 65.
  • 54% of the adult U.S. population has been touched by Alzheimer's.
  • The number of people with AD doubles for every 5-year interval beyond age 65.
  • Dementia is a general term that refers to a decline in cognitive function so extensive that it interferes with daily life and activities, Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia

Watch the trailer for the project here. It is a powerful glimpse into what this video series covers about AD. There are 4 films a part of the series: The Memory Loss Tapes, Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?, Momentum in Science, and Caregivers. Each of these is excellent, but I want to focus on the first 2, The Memory Loss Tapes and Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?

In Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?, the documentary follows the stories of five children who has grandparents suffering from Alzheimer's. There are some very heartwarming and at the same time heartbreaking stories of seniors losing their memory.

One of the many things this project brings to light is the importance of finding ways to remember the life and experiences of someone suffering from Alzheimer's. A great way to do that is to take an audio recorder and sit down to visit with them about their life. Start recording those stories the person has so that you have them before they are lost forever. This project has been an additional inspiration in making time with my Grandma Shirley and putting together this life book. These stories will live on long past the recording date and can be passed down to future generations. Taking time to look through old photo books and ask seniors about them is such an enriching experience. As a country music fan, there is a specific song that always comes to mind when I am thinking about memory loss and how hard it can be for the person and the family. Rascal Flatts has a song, "Ellsworth" that makes me think of my grandparents and the experiences they have in their minds, if someone would ask. Here's a link to a YouTube posting of the song.

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