Google's loss my gain?

I don't check my blog stats too often because I write for myself, not others, but recently I'd noticed a huge increase in the hits on my blog. The last year or two they had dropped from 200-300 a day to 15-20. Oh well, I thought, blogging is just not a thing these days. Now they are back up around 200-250. Do you suppose the lawsuit that went against having Google be the default search engine had anything to do with it?
"In a ruling aimed at restoring competition in the search engine market, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta refrained from ordering Google to sell off Chrome, the world's most popular browser, but ordered the tech company to end exclusive deals that make Google the default search engine on phones and other devices." (Sept. 2, NPR)

Communism has never been successful

Communists like Zohran Mamdani of NY believe the basic Marxist lie: wealth is stolen from the poor and his supporters are victims. The Marxist lie of the last 50 years has moved from worker to race: white man bad. The shift allows for more victims, since the ethnic Europeans are vastly outnumbered. Making the victims intersectional, only adds to the millions they've conned. Although if you've noticed, Mamdani is white and wealthy. He had a huge elaborate wedding (don't know the sex) back in his home country of Uganda from which his parents had to flee so he could grow up a rich kid in the U.S. His lies and those of Bernie, Pelosi, AOC and others, only work on the ignorant and those who've forgotten the 100,000,000 killed in the 20th century by his Marxist lies. For all its faults, free market capitalism has liberated more people from poverty than any other system. The middle class in the U.S. isn't disappearing--they've moved up. "Between 1820 and 2015, extreme poverty plummeted from 90% to 10% globally in that span. This statistic is one of the greatest accomplishments of mankind and should be celebrated as such."

Another tenet of Communism in addition to victimhood, is destruction of the family. This is one they work hard on through social media, entertainment industry, school system. Loyalty must be to the government, not God.

Communists like Mamdani and his colleagues called Democrats, Socialists and Progressives lie, cheat, steal the wealth of others, maim and enslave, as seen with our border crises, for their own gain. Those of you old enough to remember Stalin, it's the same lie with some definition changes. Their attraction is to the uneducated and the over educated at our universities.

More changes--we've been transitioned!

Yesterday, all the residents of The Forum were "all shook up" when we discovered that our "corporate" had transitioned to new management. Five Star is the operating division of AlerisLife which is selling its assets, which includes 17 communities

"Diversified Healthcare Trust (Nasdaq: DHC)  [a real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in healthcare and life sciences properties] today (Sept. 3) announced that it has entered agreements with AlerisLife Inc. (“AlerisLife”) and seven different operators to transition the management of 116 of DHC’s senior living communities managed by Five Star Senior Living (“Five Star”), the operating division of AlerisLife. The transition of these management agreements will occur in tranches beginning in September and is expected to be completed by year end. AlerisLife is also selling all its assets, including its 17 owned communities, and expects to complete a full wind-down of its business and operations in the first half of 2026. In connection with the sale of AlerisLife’s assets and after repayment of debt and payment of estimated wind-down costs, DHC expects to receive estimated net proceeds of between $25 million to $40 million for its 34% interest in AlerisLife. DHC plans to use these net proceeds to reduce leverage and for other general business purposes, including reinvestment in its SHOP segment."

Even our own staff here didn't see this coming, and just a week ago we had a party for our new director! As new residents Bob and I and 2 other newbies were introduced to the community in a special reception at 4 p.m. yesterday, however it was sort of overshadowed by the news of our management arrangements.  I had seen articles going back to 2023 about AlerisLife and Five Star, but didn't see a final conclusion, We are being told there will be no changes, but the rumor mill is churning.

Cemetery monument at French Broad Church of the Brethren Tennessee

In sorting files, I found this in my genealogy file, source unknown, but the handwriting looks like my father's and I know he visited cemeteries in Tennessee while visiting relatives, but there is no signature on it. We also talked a lot about genealogy and family stories which makes sense of the final sentence.

"There is a monument in the cemetery at French Broad Church of the Brethren which reads (near Oak Grove, Tenn.) "French Broad Church of the Brethren

Charter Members              Side 1

Jacob Wine, Minister

Elizabeth Wine

Geo. W. Hepner

Martha Hepner

William Finck

Americus E. Finck

Thomas Finck

Sabrina Hepner

Maggie Satterfield

William Silvis

Betsy Forder

JNO. A. Collins

Mary A. B. Sloat

Mary Steadman

J. McClure

---------

Ministers Elder                    Side 2

Jacob Wine

Sterling W. Noe

JNO. A. Collins

Emanuel Newcomer Elder

JNO. Satterfield

W. R. Williford [our family name] Rev William R. Williford (1873-1938) - Find a Grave Memorial

Revel B. Pritchett Elder

                                                        Side 3

In memory of Alexander Mack 1679-1735 Founder of the Church of the Brethren (Dunkers) in Schwarzenau Province of Wittgenstein in Hesse-Cassel on River Eder, Holy Roman Empire 1708

"Dunkers were pioneers of religious education and Sunday School on this continent. Printed first religious magazine in North America and the first Bible in a European language in the new world, 1743, 1763, 1776.

Emigrated to America in 1719-1724-1729

Tennessee in 1783

Jefferson County in 1870"

Thought this might be of interest to you after our conversation the other evening."

NB: On Facebook I found the current name of the church, "Established in 1875, French Broad Community Church (formerly French Broad Church of the Brethren) is about continuing the work of Jesus. Peacefully. Simply. Together."

 

Group singing with YouTube

Today at The Forum I did something I hadn't done in a long time--2006--I sang with a group. Yes, apparently there are singalongs on YouTube and our activity director gathers a group and we do singalongs. It was quite a variety like Moon River and Yellow Rose of Texas and Take me home, Country Roads. So, I looked it up, because that's what I do, right? I found a 2025 review article on the cognitive benefits of singing.

"Results: Key benefits of singing include improvements in verbal fluency, executive function, and episodic memory. Structural changes such as increased white matter integrity and enhanced auditory–motor integration highlight the potential of singing to stimulate neuroplasticity. Among individuals with dementia, singing fosters episodic memory, mood enhancement, and social connection, while healthy older adults demonstrate improved verbal flexibility and cognitive resilience. However, methodological limitations, such as small sample sizes and cross-sectional designs, preclude definitive conclusions about long-term benefits. Conclusions: Future research should explore the specific neural mechanisms underlying these effects, with an emphasis on longitudinal studies and diverse populations. Tailored, inclusive singing programs could address individual cognitive and physical abilities while fostering sustained engagement and social connection. As a low-cost, scalable intervention, singing holds promise for addressing cognitive and emotional challenges associated with aging, offering an accessible avenue to support healthy aging and enhance quality of life across diverse populations." Brain Sci. 2025 Feb 21;15(3):227.

There is also a choir here as well as three different church services and a Bible study. So, I'll work on that white matter. Another article I looked at suggested that amateur musicians may benefit even more than professional musicians in lowering the brain age (pros have more stress). Well, I sure qualify in the amateur department.

Jon Martin, class of 1957, obituary

Jon Robert Martin, 86, a Marco Island, Florida resident since 1994, formerly of Roselle, Illinois, passed away Saturday, August 23, 2025, in Cape Coral, Florida. He was born July 27, 1939, in Rockford, Illinois to Vivian and Robert Martin, now deceased.

Jon was a member of the Wesley United Methodist Church, Marco Island, Florida. He was the former owner and president of Martin Funeral Home in Roselle, Illinois for over 29 years.

He is survived by his companion of 13 years Nadine Thornton; two beloved children, Kip Martin and his wife Gwen of Fort Myers, Florida and Mitzi Sanders and her husband Todd Biddison of Cape Coral, Florida; one brother, Roger Martin of Mt. Morris, Illinois; eight grandchildren, Brittani and huband Ben, Sydney, Elysia and husband Stephen, Clarissa and husband Austin, Alexis and husband Jaen, Cassandra, Blake and Samantha; three great grandchildren, Kasen, Briella and Braxton; as well as a niece, Shawn and a nephew, Chad.

In addition to his parents, Jon was preceded in death by his wife Dixie Martin in 2012.

Memorial visitation Saturday, September 13, 2025 from 11:00am until time of service 1:00pm at his former funeral home, now Countryside Funeral Home and Crematory 333 S. Roselle Rd. (1/2 mile south of Irving Park Rd.), Roselle, Illinois.

Sad news for Honey Dip Customers

 My husband and his Romeo (retired old men eating out) friends have been meeting here for years. It's sad to see small businesses chased out for what I presume will be yet another ugly, multistory, prison architecture building. Story was on Facebook.

"It is with heavy hearts that we share difficult news. For over 50 years, we’ve proudly served the Columbus community at 4480 Kenny Road. But now, we—along with our small business neighbors—are at risk of losing our home to redevelopment.

Unfortunately, our landlord’s property went into receivership due to internal disputes, and a court-appointed receiver has quietly arranged to sell these buildings as part of a package deal to developers—without giving us notice or a fair chance to purchase the spaces we’ve occupied for decades. 

We are heartbroken, feel blindsided, and have been left without a voice in this process. If this sale and redevelopment move forward, our businesses—and a piece of Columbus history—face permanent displacement. 

We need your support now more than ever.
* Sign and share our petition. https://chng.it/CVR6hdjdfg
* Post your favorite photos and memories at Honey Dip over the years. (We'd love to see them!) 

Together, we can fight to preserve our legacy and support the small businesses on Kenny Road that have been part of this community for generations. 

With gratitude,

Honey Dip & The Kenny Road Tenants

Ask a Librarian redux

 I was looking for something else, but found this article in my blog about a carpet cleaner I'd written about in 2008. Turns out the moving service we used for our move to The Forum this month used him in 2025. Collecting My Thoughts

Memories from 1957--Grandma's fall

 Repacking my genealogy files today, I found a 1957 letter from Leslie, my mother's brother, describing an incident I'd heard about from Mom--my grandmother's fall after I'd left for college.  The envelop has a 3 cent stamp, no zip code, and no street address for Mrs. Elbert Trent. 

Franklin Grove, Ill   Sept. 14, 1957

Dear Cousin:

Your letter was much appreciated informing us of the passing of Martha Klein, which we received on Tuesday before the funeral.  Mother & Father were planning to drive out to the funeral Wednesday morning. In the excitement of making plans, Mother fell down the porch steps on to the cement sidewalk.  She suffered a broken nose, which necessitated a cast, and various other sprains & bruises.  Of course, she spent a few days in the hospital and could not attend the funeral. She has recovered almost entirely now except for a general overall weakness which the doctor describes as "after effects."

Martha Klein's partner Addie was in sick bed when Mother last visited them some months back.  She wishes to send her sympathy to relatives & friends who cared for illness & final arrangements for Martha & Addie.

Martha seemed to be quite well at that time of their last visit, so it was of considerable shock to hear of her death.

She had hoped to see Marian (Marianne Michael?) while she was in this country but it did not seem to work out.  We are glad to hear of your son Norman, and his being set up in practice so near by in Mason City.  We are sorry to hear of your son Dee, having a painful accident.

As for me, I can remember rather faintly of stopping at your place about 1919 or 1920.  I have spent the last 31 years with the Bell Telephone Co--in, and also near Chicago at present.

Sincerely

Leslie . . . 

Written for Mary & Charles . . . 

----------------------------------------

As for me, Norma Bruce, the Trent name didn't come to mind as a relative, but it is addressed to "Dear Cousin." All my other genealogy resources are not unpacked, so I can't check the relationships. I know that Marianne Michael's mother who was widowed later married a Trent, and my mother called Helen Trent a cousin so possibly that will connect somewhere. Marianne, Norman and Dee were siblings.  Marianne was a missionary in Nigeria which would account for being "in this country."  It was from Helen Trent my mother learned a lot of "lost" family stories.