From our cousin Mavis who lives in Canada

Hi Irene and all,

Love you too and I admire your clever work on the Family Newsletter and your talent with art work. I think you are SO clever! I am a jack of all trades, master of none!

I did read your lovely newsletter at first but as my internet connection got so slow due to wiring problems and being at the end of the line on a rural connection, I haven't looked lately! I do miss all your photos and interesting news. However, the house telephone wiring is going to be replaced shortly and I hope connection speed will increase and I will meet you all again in cyberspace.

This is my tiny input for the moment but I will try hard to post some photos and news as soon possible. Nothing interesting enough to submit seems to happen anymore! When we travelled all over the world it was interesting but all that is old news now! I guess I could submit some photos of my cats, or us gardening or shopping-that's as interesting as it gets!

My husband went on a 4 day business trip to Morocco 2 weeks ago but the photos of the potash mine aren't too interesting! He's got some lovely photos of nuclear power plants, nickel, copper, potash and gold mines and aluminium and nickel smelters, but they are all top secret! Sorry!

I hope something interesting will happen during the next few weeks and I'll try to post it!

I only know Irene and her family in New York state, including the brilliant, beautiful, kind and generous, genealogist Harriet and her lovely family, but you'll all know this. I also know some of your family in Ohio, so if anyone else does please let me know.

If anyone has any interest in, or questions about, life in Canada or the UK, or us, please get in touch. We have also lived in Dubai, Bahrain, South Africa, Chile, and Australia up to 2004.

I do have many varied interests and I also enjoy cooking and inventing or adapting recipes. (I also enjoy fine dining out!) My husband and I particularly enjoy Middle East, Greek, Italian and Indian cuisine, either cooking it at home or dining out in restaurants creating those foods. I enjoy admiring art, reading and all music-pop and classical-everything except rap! Sorry to those who do appreciate rap music! I also dabble in genealogy when my internet is up to high speed.

Would love to hear from anyone of any age. My email address is with this mail and I'm currently stuck using my BlackBerry until computer speed returns. On my BB I have instant messaging with Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and BlackBerry Instant Messenger. I'm in Irene's age group at 66 years young and in the newsletter I'm BritValMav.

Best wishes to all,
Mavis. 
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone

Paul reminded me today that it is ten years since Dad died.   Such a terrible month that was, September, 2001.  A week later the skies were soundless following the terrorist attack and our family went deeper into shock. 

Today I remember all that has happened since 2001.  Logan, Pila, and Pou (Bo) have been born in California, Noah in New York now Florida, Josh and Eva, also Teddy, Gordon and Simon.  Billy and Monica, Mike and Rose were married, and Mom and Uncle Bill have also passed away.   Aunt Lois has come to Johnstown, and various children are shifting positions and homes.   Danielle, Cassie, Ryan and Kaitlyn are studing for degrees, Logan and Sadie are settled at work and planning to marry.  Monica and Greta are pregnant. 

Our cousin Marion left us, and her wonderful children , Emily, Amanda and Lincoln, help by raising funds for Leukemia and Lymphoma research.  

I know I have missed events and hope you will add your own to this Newsletter, dear family.  

Life goes on and Mother Nature plays her wise, playful, joyful and frightening games.  The "guys" are up in the mountains this weekend fishing and spending some time together before Billy moves sometime soon.   I wish you all a Happy Autumn!

  Love, Irene

Brady girls

Hello Hello Everyone

Hi from us here!!

Thinking of everyone and trying to stay in touch without FACEBOOK! Its crazy but I can get addicted to it, anyway wanted to share the news... (drumroll please...) Our very own Greta and Monica are preggo!! This might be old news to us living in California just wanted to spread the joy!! I wish I had new pictures to share of us but there is nothing new with us. John is still working hard to keep us together both at work and at home. And when he plays he plays hard, his rugby team won their championship game this year. Really great achievement to us all. All his hard work paid off. Our son Pila (pronounced Bee-la) repeats every last sentence we say now, even the bad ones. we noticed he likes being in charge of baby sister... his favorite word is No but I like to teach him,"No, Thank you Mom." Baby Pou (pronounced Bo) had her first birthday in June and is sure taking the spot light away from both Pila and I. She has become Johns favorite... after our dog Coco. She loves the dog. She's a cheeky one but she sure does grow on you. Things still get crazy here and there in our cute little apartment but nothing worth writing about. I hope you all are in good health and taking good care of yourselves!

We Love you all,

xoxo

M

P.S. Mae if you are a follower on this blog my email is Miriam.thomas.10@gmail.com,

Sharon John and I think of you often, hope all is well. wishing you better health. Love you!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I told you as I left the house that if you could make it to age 90, I would be there.   Well, I'm here and glad that you did not have to suffer for two more months.  The hardest thing for me is watching HGTV or seeing some sweet thing, or having a problem and I go to pick up the phone to call and realize that you are gone. 

Here are some worth mentioning.

I got to Spokane to see Sharon and her family, and yes, Mom, they are so happy to be there, although it is still cold in May.   It snowed last Friday!   The kids are so grown up and so polite, and so loving.   Sharon looks just like her daughters, and Dan is handsome as ever.   Danny is nearly as tall as his father.  They have a new little dog, Lillo, who is so cute, and so hard on shoes.

Kathy has found a darling apartment just around the corner at 1012 Oak Street, Alameda, CA 94501.  Her phone is 510-499-5431.  We went over today to see her place and had lunch at Jackson Park as the weather here has been really beautiful.  Here she is showing Pila and Bo something she found in the newly mowed grass.

Our yard is really beautiful right now, better looking than it's ever been. 

Here is your little memorial plot.

Guess what!   Celeste is moving out here to Alameda, too.   She will be living at 1012A Oak St., Alameda, CA 94501, right next to Kathy!!!
  And Katy will be taking your Bella (Dona).   I've told her to give her rides as she so enjoyed being wheeled around by you.  

Darling Rose and Mike have had a miscarriage this month.  I'm thinking of so many in the family who have suffered this way including you.   They'll be heading to Hawaii this month for a wedding and are really looking forward to the trip.   Little Logan will be going too.

Kathy and I have been rewatching Downton Abbey, I know you would have loved that series on PBS.  The next series of episodes is being filmed and we won't see them for a year.  But I guess you already know the end.   
I miss you, Happy Birthday, and Happy Mother's Day, too.

 I love you a million zillion trillion.   Your girl, Irene (and family)

PS.   Click on the photos for a better view

Four Generations

Ok, here is Mom, me, Kathy Bince and Danielle Bince.   Four generations of women all together at our California family reunion in 2006.   What a great time we all had!  

Thank you, Catherine, for the beautiful card!     I'm feeling happy that my sister, Kathy, will soon be back home from New York.    I hate setting the table, and the front yard needs work.    Not really, it's never looked better and I want her to see what the spring rains have wrought.  

Dorothy Rasmussen Brady

Mom died on March 4, 2011.  (Click the title for her obituary).  Almost the entire immediate family was there that day and were able to be with her.  Videos were played from our California branch and cards and letters were read to her from her children and grandchildren.  Just the day before she was sitting up and having a good lunch.  Mom would have been 90 on May 3.  It always amazed me how long she lived for most of her life she suffered from high blood pressure and later other chronic illnesses.  After Dad died in 2001 she went through treatment for breast cancer and never gave it a second thought.  She always said I'm going to go some night in my sleep in my own bed....and that she did.

Dorothy led a busy life.   She raised 7 children and then went to work for the Infirmary doing all the heavy labor involved with caring for older folks.   She taught CCD at the local church, volunteered at the Infirmary after she retired, helping secure a transportation van for them, she was the Civil Defense member of the DAR.  She always kept in touch with her many friends made from her early school days in Chicago at St. Xavier Academy, Colfax Avenue, California Avenue, later Broadalbin, Gloversville and Johnstown, NY.

For the past few years, much of her time was spent on her front porch at Deer Creek and watching her favorite shows on TV.  She  loved every gruesome, lurid, crime drama in her old age...and of course, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune! She and her sisters, Harriet and Lois,  are so SMART! Jotto and word games, name the states, and hours and hours of 500 Rummy! HGTV was always great fun!

She also listened to all of our suggestions, said "Sure will" and then did exactly as she pleased. I love her for that!

She spent lots of time keeping the peace and that worked because our huge family never has any animosity toward each other and she is the reason why. She treated each of her children differently and we all settled into our cozy roles with her and didn't feel jealous of one another.

I can't leave out "worrier" in her younger years. And her fears of flying and the dentist. I also use her as a model of being a wise older family member. She never interfered, but I always knew she was praying for us all. For many years she went to Mass every day!   I now truly understand that finally being "at Peace" for her is no longer having to worry about all of us so much.

Paul, thank you and Aunt Harriet for the beautiful obituary. Boy, there are a lot of us!

Kathy, thank you for your industry, creativity and compassion.
Celeste, thank you for your tender care for your best friend.
Mark, thank you for taking over all the details after Dad died, lottery tickets and Snapple. Gay, for being there on Saturdays.
Laura & Adrian, for your good-natured playfulness and love.
Paul and Dar, thank you for your spiritual care of Mom, yardwork and snowblowing, driving....and cooking!
Ellen, Al and Kaitlyn, thank you for visiting, shopping, washing, cleaning, pharmaceuticals, and your sense of humor.
And Mom, thank you for letting me come to you and be your horizontal kid. You know what I mean....

I guess if I have a role it would be to keep us all together, especially now that Mom has gone. Let's keep our newsletter going and contribute bits and pieces of our lives to it on occasion.

Pansies & Violas

The recent rains have brought out the most of my annuals, planted a few weeks ago.  Orange pansies and yellow and purple violas seems so happy surrounded by free mulch from Ploughshares Nursery on Main St.  Wonderful people and wonderful drought resistant and native plants.  (Bring a big bag).