Enjoying Summer and the Relaxed Schedule

A week from Saturday is the actual first day of summer. With the longer daylight hours sometimes we might run out of energy before darkness even comes. As the stress of busy schedules becomes more relaxed we may become distracted from our family history work. Writing blog posts about the work being done seems to be more difficult as well.

There is the allure of spending time outdoors. Time is spent in our front yard watching for the hummingbirds and other wildlife to appear. The flowers are the draw for many of them. Then there are some new yard decorations from my mother's home that add to the ambiance. Tomorrow we hope to put out the hummingbird feeders and some other bird feeders.

In the backyard there is a garden that is tended by my husband, along with raspberries, strawberries, grapes and other delicious produce. On the deck in back are more bird feeders, a bird bath and several pots of plants. This year my health is better and the communing with nature tends to refresh my stamina.

It is especially nice to spend time with our family outdoors. Our grandchildren love to jump on the trampoline, write with chalk on the sidewalk, play in the water, and just soak up the fresh air and sunshine. There are water toys galore, squirting guns and sand building toys. Some of these go with us when we take off for the beach or local water spots. One day this week we even went to our local spray park. There were many happy children enjoying this community feature.

In between all of this enticing exposure to nature there is some family history work being done. One project is working on a possible link to a Mayflower family. Another is a story about a trip to China in pursuit of family records. The last is about a well-known genealogist and the records that he left behind when he passed on.

For this summer my goal is to finish these projects. There are also a few persons from my past research for various clients that need to be checked again for possible records. With all the new records being made available it seems like the bursting of summer and new discoveries. What new discoveries would you like to pursue?

Take time to enjoy summer and all the wonderful possibilities for new discoveries, outside and also in your family history research. Reflecting on how your family spent their summers would also provide material for another blog post.