family photos n other stuff

We spent most of the week end packing up Mom's house and transporting some things to storage despite the fact that we never got the promised trailer from U Haul. Lot's of work yet to do and hopefully a trailer for next week end.

I unearthed some more family photos in one of the bedroom closets. The first shows myself and my mother on my wedding day way back in the 20th century. The second is my grandfather, William James Sill Miller at age 16. The next photo features his grandmother, the Eliza Miller of my 'Navajo' story The Meadow Between the Rocks, his father Dr. William Colvin Miller, and great grandmother Flora Robeson Colvin. The next photo is Eliza Miller somewhere in young middle age. The last is Dr. William C Miller in World War One in France. Just think, the folks in these photos span the 1820s to me in the present day. Cool, huh?

I also found and enjoyed some letters from my freshman year at Eckherd College in St Petersburg, Fl. While I'd long ago forgotten most of the people and events mentioned in the letters, apparently I had a much better time in my first year away from 'homeplace' than I recalled. I guess I was somewhat fixated on boys even if I can't remember names, faces, and places. Whole lotta parties and pranks went on. I musta been a fun kid.

By the way, I found "Papu" Miller's WWI metal helmet, somewhat rusted now, on a closet shelf at Mom's along with his field glasses. Also brought to my home several of the Navajo blankets and baskets carried back from Arizona by Eliza Miller in 1871 after the murder of Papu's father. I left behind an antique doll that I've always despised. One of those with real hair and a china face with scary glass eyes. I will sell her on eBay( or something like that) to a collector. She terrified me as a child. I half expected her to come alive at midnight and bite my neck. I still do. For now, she can guard Mom's house.

I continue to find such mementos, most seen by me as family treasures, in unexpected places. Last night I read a journal belonging to Papu's wife, Carrie Rose, dated 1881. I think this is why I've always loved History. To me, it is stories of real people.

Tonight, after dinner and walking the poochies, we watched another installment of the John Adams miniseries by HBO. Excellent series! Very raw. Very real. Very absorbing. Great performances by Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney and Tom Wilkerson, too. Watch it! Last night we finally saw No Country For Old Men. Good film. Bad ending.

Ta for now.