In 2007, as part of our mother’s 75th birthday celebration, we arranged for her to receive 75 cards from friends and family. To make up the balance, I created 16 cards. I recently came across the cache of cards while organizing papers. Since I haven’t posted much lately, I decided to share my “creations.” It […]
Read MoreA few weeks ago my friend Doreen and I visited one my favorite vintage shops, Adorn Restoration Boutique in Southbury, CT. As we were strolling through the the various booths, objects from the past sparked memories. “Oh! My mom had a bunch of these tole painted trays!” “Geez! I should make collages from all my […]
Read MoreMost people are aware of the events surrounding the Holocaust as well as the horrific situation in which many Jews found themselves during and after. In this post, I’d like to share a few things that are lesser-known, as well as some documents from my family during that period. My grandfather, Paul Lichtenthal was called […]
Read Morehttps://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/kristallnacht On November 9–10, 1938, Nazi leaders unleashed a series of pogroms against the Jewish population in Germany and recently incorporated territories. This event came to be called Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass) because of the shattered glass that littered the streets after the vandalism and destruction of Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues, and homes. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/kristallnacht 84 years […]
Read MoreAlmost every weekday, I take part in a two-hour online writing group. We share ideas, our writing process, and even bits of our lives. This morning, one member mentioned she uses the Myers-Briggs Personality Test to help develop her characters. In my former life, helping students find their career paths, I incorporated the personality test […]
Read MoreIt seems my ancestors really want to help get my book written. I’ve posted before (here and here) about “coincidences” where I’ve stumbled upon material to support the story of my great-grandfather, Sigmund Lichtenthal, and his business—its growth and loss in 1938 and his lifelong quest for reparation. At least, that was the original plan. […]
Read MoreThis post is the first in a series about interesting ways to share to our family history. Last week I took a couple days to work on my other hobby, Dollhouse Miniatures. I posted my progress on my other blog, Dorette Creations. When I finished writing the post, it occurred to me to share the […]
Read MoreI had hoped to post this on the occasion of Bob’s 101st birthday. I’m a few days late, I don’t think he would mind. When your ancestors “tell” you to look for something, you do it! Such was the case with my first cousin, twice removed, Kurt Mendl. I was on the search in the […]
Read MoreTwo years ago today, I left work, thinking we would return in a couple of weeks. I never entered my classroom again. Over the past twenty-four months, I’ve documented some of my experiences during the pandemic. As I write this, I’m feeling a bit like a pincushion, recovering from the effect of TWO MORE vaccines […]
Read MoreToday would have been my mother’s 90th birthday. This year’s post honoring Mom is a little different from previous ones. It’s a video! Now, some of you may think this is a little creepy. But — you have to admit the technology is pretty cool. I have shared some of the cool technologies from MyHeritage […]
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Who We Are and How We Got This Way 