NBC-10-Philadelphia-kimwolterman

Schwein house

Last night I had the pleasure of presenting to one of the German Special Interest genealogy groups at their monthly meeting in Kirkwood. I was asked to discuss how to research the history of your (or an ancestor's) home, writing family history and publishing your book. A tall order, but I actually managed to make that happen in my hour long talk. It was great to have an opportunity to speak to genealogists because I was essentially preaching to the choir. They already are familiar with many of the records I was discussing, so that makes things a lot easier. I just encouraged them to look at the records in a different light. It also meant they had helpful suggestions to share with the group of 25 souls who braved the extreme cold to come to the meeting. An added bonus was that I was able to include the photos of my ancestor's home in Steinweiler, Germany along with the house history that had been prepared for me when I visited there in September. It was fun to have so many of my worlds come together in one place!

Slappy and Skippy

Squirrel Busters! So far three squirrels have been caught, two of them in one trap, which is apparently a bit unusual. Apparently Slappy did not want to stay in the Wolterman condominium without Skippy. (Reference: the squirrels in Animaniacs.) When Squirrel Busters came to remove Slappy and Skippy on Monday, he added a second trap to the back of the house. I check the traps every time I go outside, and they were empty when I left to go work out at 8:50. By the time I returned home a little after 10:00, there was Secret Agent Squirrel in the trap in the back. As I was photographing it, Rocky the Flying Squirrel took a leap off the nearby roof, flying 7 feet before landing on the tree next to me! He may prove to be a little more elusive to capture. Hopefully he will take the bait, and climb in to see what Secret Agent was up to. After all, a squirrel is just a rat with a prettier coat.

Secret Agent Squirrel