WITH SUEZ -- If you want to have an ending, make sure you have a beginning.

     To say that I am a nut about genealogy is an understatement.  I remember one event more than others when I think about what drew my attention to the past.
     Many years ago I was at my grandma's house one afternoon while my mom was running errands.  While there, I noticed a big box of pictures on the floor of my grandma's closet.  I asked her if I could look at them and as with most everything else, she let me.  I dragged the box into her living area and next to her favorite rocking chair.  She told me to dump the pictures out onto the rug.  I then sat down on the floor beside her and began asking about the identities of each person.  TALK ABOUT PATIENCE!  I remember thinking that some of the people looked funny to me, the way they were dressed, or what they were doing when the picture was taken.  A young likeness of my grandma's sister-in-law was in one photograph.  (See similar likeness below.) Her silky hair was dark brown with waves cascading all the way down her head from her part to the ends.  Later on I learned that the look was created from a permanent wave machine that made the female getting her hair styled appear as if she was hooked up to a large spider.

Example of permanent wave

     I continued to get those pictures out multiple times when I visited my grandma until I felt like I knew who was in each picture.  Grandma got to where she would quiz me to see if I really did remember.  I enjoyed seeing how Grandma looked like her father and how her son, my uncle, resembled her.   I also learned a lot about where family members worked and where they lived, especially if it was different from my hometown.
     It became kind of funny in my family when (not to be morbid) someone would pass away and there were photographs shared or letters exchanged.  My parents would hand me a lot of the information because I was always asking questions about relatives.  If there were pictures, one or both parents would say, "Give them to Sue." 
     My mom and dad really weren't surprised at my interest.  I had been keen on American history since first introduced to it in school.  That spurred me to enjoy reading biographies and virtually anything that included a historical event or reference.  World history, Latin, art history, and more came later.  As I grew up and my interest continued, I began to write distant cousins, aunts, uncles, etc., to see if I could learn anything more about either side  than what my immediate family had already shared.

     If you want to know more about your family history, you need to ask questions.  Depending on your situation it could mean a LOT of questions.  That will give you a beginning which will be the foundation for all you learn hereafter.  Just like building a house, you have to build from the ground up.  As you learn things, fill in a family tree template like the one shown at right to help keep you focused.
     Even though I have been interested in my past for quite a while, there are things today I wish I had asked about and failed to do.  And those people I would have asked are now gone.  For example, I am still trying to find connections to complete all the lines going back in my family history and have recently "hit a wall" with a maternal line.  And the person I need more information on is my beloved grandmother's own grandmother.  See what I mean about asking questions?  Make sure you do so, sooner than later.

FLOUR -- Still sometimes learning the hard way

     Recently I began reading recipes for sprouted grain bread or bread with grains one has ground.  I really liked the healthy aspects of both of them; more nutrients, fiber and protein.  I even let my excitement get the best of me (go figure!).  I mean the idea of making this really healthy bread was going to be great (right??).  So, I ordered the whole list of bean, pea, and grain assortment to make one Ezekiel bread recipe.  But when it came down to it, I was not prepared to make this bread because I did not have the right equipment (despite hoping I did).  I loved the idea of grinding my own flour (which this particular recipe required), but my multi-functioned blender and my excitement was not enough to get the job done. And my food processor would not have done the job either.  Some articles and recipes I have read recommend a coffee mill or grain mill for grinding, neither of which I have.  I've even read where someone used a meat grinder (????).  So long story short, I attempted to grind the dry peas, beans, and grains called for and went about adding the yeast mixture and remaining ingredients.  Let's just say the finished product did not stay in the house long.  It became food for the neighborhood bird population who were probably mad at me for giving it to them.  LOL!  

hand crank grain mill

     So if you are interested in making sprouted bread or bread from your own ground grains, make sure of your equipment beforehand.  Also read, read, and read again about how to make the various recipes before purchasing and diving right in.  Actually I now see this sprouted bread experience in three phases.
     1.  You can always buy all natural ground flour from your favorite grocery or health food store.  That way you can use the natural whole wheat or alternate flour first in your chosen recipe and see if you will like the outcome before you get in too deep.  Then if you want to grind your own grains, you can consider how to get the job done whether it entails making an equipment purchase or not.  
     2.  Also, I have since read more and like the idea of sprouting wheat berries for a recipe, drying them in a low temperature oven, then grinding them in a blender to go into a bread recipe.  It is also possible to sprout your wheat berries, grind them in your food processor, and add them to your recipe without drying.  

wheat berries

     3.  There are also bread recipes for using sprouted grains and adding no flour.  That method means extra attention to the sprouting process and particular timing in the bread making process.  I will only try this last process after I get confident with the first two.
     So I will try, try again.  Hopefully I will have good fortune in sprouted bread baking in my future.....and you will too!