Category: Family

A Surprise Connection Between an Old Slide and My Father’s Name

This is a scan of one of my father’s slide. There was no information with the slide.
This picture was in a slide format found in my father's collection. It was a mystery since it was not labeled.
There were no other slides that seemed related to it. I did not know the location nor the year it was taken. It was mixed in with other old slides. I scanned the slide since the beauty of the location captivated me.

About a month ago I was surprised to see a picture on a co-worker's laptop that looked very similar to this one.
I asked her about it, and she told me that the wallpaper on her laptop changes periodically. I asked her if she knew the location. She said she thought it was Scotland. This information was enough for me to do a search.

As it turns out, there is a Dunnottar Castle located on Scotland's north eastern coast near Stonehaven. The castle is in ruins like the one in my father's picture. I wondered why my father had taken this picture. As it turns out, my father's name, William Keith, is very prominent in this castle's history. The castle is on land that the clan of Keith owned for centuries. Sir William Keith, the 1st Earl Marischal, began constructing this castle at the end of the 14th century.

Keith is the surname of the family that owned this land. Keith is my father's middle name, not his surname, though  Keith is what everyone called my father. My father's surname still has a connection to this castle because of the coat of arms of the Earl Marischal.

Pua Lehua

“The lehua is the first tree that springs up from a recent lava flow. It’s for that reason, when we speak in Hawaiian and we speak of people who are skilled, strong, and beloved, they’re often referred to as pua lehua, or lehua flowers. They like the lehua, have a kind of resilience, a strength and a grace about them.”

written by : Kalena Silva, University of Hawaii Hilo Professor of Hawaiian History

I have been on a part-time web quest of Hawaiian botanical plants this week. It all started when I read in the news that May 1st was Lei Day. This is a Hawaiian cultural event. I had heard of lei before, though I never knew they had their own day.

When I first looked up the word "lei" in my dictionary (to see if it had a plural form) I discovered the word "lehua".
Subsequently, I learned about the Ohi'a lehua tree (scientific name: Metrosideros polymorpha.) What struck me with resonance was the fact that it is a species of flowering evergreen tree in the Myrtle family (Myrtaceae).

This reminded me of the Myrtles in my own family. Since Mother's Day is coming up in the middle of this month, I decided to revisit and honor my mother and her mother, Myrtle, and a surrogate mother of sorts, Great Aunt Bess. In honor of Lei Day, I belatedly show them wearing their lei during their visit to my mother living in Hawaii at the time. (mid- 1950's)

My mother is in the middle, and to her right is her aunt Bess, and to her left is her mother, Myrtle. All of these were strong and resilient women. All three worked hard throughout their lives. They all had grace and gave generously of themselves. Bess taught me to read, using phonics, during the summer before I entered 1st grade. She never married, and was a school teacher her whole adult life until she retired. My mother taught me many things, and thanks to these 3 women I had no college loans to pay off. My grandmother, Myrtle, made many clothes for my sister and I. She made sure we had nice looking clothes to wear when we were children. In my mind, all three of these women should be called ‘pua lehua”.

A Sunday Drive in Rhode Island

A Sunday Drive in Newport, Rhode Island. The year was 1964, give or take a year.
When I look at old pictures of my dad from when I was young, I always think he looks like Satya Nadella,CEO of Microsoft. I guess it is probably just the bald head and glasses. My dad did eventually lose all the hair on top.
He still had hair on the sides up until his death. He never shaved his head. I have a T-shirt with advice from an eagle. One of the things it states is: Bald is Beautiful. Baldness is a male trait that ran through my family, so I have to agree.
One question I never asked and now wish that I did is why did they always cut my sister's hair short, and mine was kept long most of the time. I did get a chin length bob before we moved to the Philippines. It would have been the year after we left Rhode Island. My dad was studying at the Navy War College during our time there.

Since we were all dressed up it must have been a Sunday. We always went to church and then often we went out to dinner since our extended family was all living in the mid-west. We often would take a Sunday drive after we ate. Here we ended up at the beach for a photo session. This tradition went mostly by the way-side after a few years. When we went to church in Virginia we would often go to the Hot Shoppes cafeteria in Tyson's Corner mall. Boy has that mall changed over the years. Today it is much larger than it was when we frequented the cafeteria. 

I know I was going to stop reminiscing about my life growing up, but every time I see Satya Nadella in the news, I am reminded of my dad and his old pictures. I wonder if others might see the resemblance.




An Elephant Foot and Footprint

Scientific name: Beaucarnea recurvata.
Before Easter I was researching palm plants because I was curious about the use and meaning of palms at Easter.
Along the way, I discovered the plant seen above. This came to my attention because one of its common names is Ponytail Palm.
It is not really in the palm family. I prefer to call it by another of its common names which is Elephant Foot.
I ended up purchasing one because it is an attractive addition to a table in our living space.

While doing this research I also learned a little more about a quilt square I found among my mother-in-law's quilt supplies and fabrics. It was in a plastic bag with a note from where she had purchased it. It was made by a Hmong artist who had immigrated to Minnesota.It is pictured below.
Hmong elephant’s foot print on a flower cloth (paj ntaub).
The elephant foot motif can be found in many cultural items of the Hmong. Some have this motif as a tattoo.
This was learned during my casual research for my own edification, and I am definitely not an expert on the subject.



When I think about elephants I think about their strong matriarchs that can make or break the success of their family units.
Elephants keep crossing my path. Recently my husband bought me a bracelet with elephants and amethysts since it is my birthstone. 

I am not going to read too much into the elephant symbols frequency in my life. I do come from a family of strong women, and I will leave it at that.

Walnut and Flax

Catching up on kitchen tasks, consolidating pantry items, and using ingredients that have been waiting to be used,
has given me inspiration.
This inspiration gave me the creative energy to try something new.
An abundance of walnuts needed to be used. I was already planning pancakes.
I found a bag of flax seeds I had forgotten about.
The addition of ground up walnuts and some flax seeds should make the pancakes more nutritious.
I had a jar of new maple syrup that I was anxious to try.
Coffee and apple slices were added to make a simple and delicious breakfast.

Life is moving forward, and I am getting back to old routines, adding a few new twists along the way.
The work will continue. I am not ready for a white glove test.

Seasons Change — Life Moves On

The tulip magnolia trees at my school are looking very pink
with buds already beginning to open.
A white cherry in my garden is already showing blooms.
The vernal equinox is a week away.
My daughter is all grown up. 
This does not stop me from looking back at old pictures.

The icons of yesterday have been replaced.
Spring break will arrive the week before Easter.
Hopefully the weather will allow me to start my garden clean up.
Birthday celebrations will take place.
Life moves forward.
Some things happen in a flash.Some things need a slower pace.
Survival requires flexibility.Perspectives will shift. 
Love and faith must be constant factors.
We work hard and pray for luck.