A to Z Reflections 2022

1950 Census, A-Z Challenge 2022
My sister Pearl and me with our “mashies” 1950
Click for other reflection posts.

This was my 9th completed A to Z Challenge. I had all of my posts finished before April 1, except for those needing the 1950 Census. Even with those I had chosen the photographs and Little Golden Books and had the post set up so I just needed to add the census. It made for a much less stressful month! All of my A to Z posts are listed here A to Z Challenge 2022.

I also did National Poetry Writing Month, so I wrote a poem a day. They were quick poems, which I posted on my Ruff Draft poetry blog.

This gave me more time to visit and comment on other posts. I found myself reading daily and commenting regularly on the following blogs, listed alphabetically.

Anne’s Family History
Backsies Is What There Is Not
Black & White
The Curry Apple Orchard
The Dreamgirl Writes
Everyone Has a Story
Family history across the seas
Flash Mob
Jayashree Writes
lynnelives
The Multicolored Diary
The Old Shelter
My Take Doses of Wild YAM
The Pensive
Women’s Legacy Project

I’m thinking about next year’s A to Z Challenge. I plan to do it and to have the posts written up before hand. No idea what the topic will be.

In the coming year I’ll write up more family members found in the 1950 Census. So far I have my Aunt Gladys Cleage Evans, my husband James E Williams and my great aunt Annie Graham, all found and waiting.

The big project – I want to get back to work on the Edelweiss women, those that I was going to write about last year for the A to Z but didn’t. They’ve been on the back burner for the last year. So many interesting stories! I’ve got to write them up.



28 thoughts on “A to Z Reflections 2022”

  1. Congratulations on completing your 9th A to Z challenge. I was migrating my blog to a new host, so just couldn’t do it this year. But like you, I have outlined for next year. It was wonderful to see all of the childhood photos of you! And you did poetry besides? Double kudos on a 9th A to Z well done!

    1. I missed your A to Z this year but I’m enjoying your 1950 census posts. I’m still working on some as I find them. Can’t wait until they are all digitized and I can find those relatives that disappeared after 1940.

      I’m glad you enjoyed the photos. I probably sound more organized than I really am.

    1. I did have a pretty good A-Z. I hope by next year to have it all together. Thanks for visiting and commenting!

  3. I really enjoyed your A to Z this year especially all the beautiful photos. I thought it was a great theme and you documented some valuable family history.

    Best wishes from Australia

    1. Thanks Anne. It was certainly easier than my previous A to Zs. And I had it prepared well in advance, except for those that used the actual census and I had to wait for April 1 when the census was released.

  4. Hello Kristin,
    Congrats on completing the challenge. I must go through all of these posts of yours. I absolutely love the old pictures. I have a slew of my grandparents and perhaps next year that will be my theme. NOW is the perfect time to start so they are all ready and I have next year to just visit other’s blogs. Right?
    May the Fourth Be With You.
    Cheers,
    Barbie

    1. Now seems like it would be the perfect time, but if I do any posts this early, I’m pretty sure I’ll go ahead and post them way before next April. But I always think doing one or two extra a month would do it. Ha! More likely starting around February will work.
      I hope you do use the photos of your grandparents. I for one would enjoy it.

  7. I really enjoyed reading your blog every day! Have you considered publishing your posts into a book for your family? I love family history! Congrats on finishing A to Z and for writing ahead! I didn’t do enough of that this year and so it was a tad tougher.

  8. Congrats on completing, Kristin! I’m going to have to come back to check them all out. I especially want to see which Little Golden Books you use because I had those in my childhood too!

  9. Kristin, first I want to wish you a Happy Mother’s Day!

    Second, I ‘ve been acquainted with you virtually for years now and I’m ALWAYS in awe of the photography, informative news articles/clippings, historical events and poignant stories you’ve shared about your family with genealogist for years. Even when I had to press pause with my blog to care for mom until her death in Dec 2019, your blog was one I read as often. I made some new family connections online last year and hope they have some great family photos to share with me because I have come to the conclusion that many of my maternal and paternal ancestors avoided cameras like they were criminals on the run – 🏃‍♂️🤣

    1. Liv! It’s so nice to see you here! I hope your family members have great photos too. It really brings even those elusive ancestors to life if you can see their faces.

    1. I really enjoyed your continuing story. So much nail biting cliff hanging. LOL.
      I’m glad you read, even if you didn’t comment.

  11. Congrats on finishing! Sorry I didn’t visit during April. I had good intentions but God had other plans. Now I’m looking at the reflections blog-hop as a way to make up for my absence in everyone’s comments during AtoZ.
    I can’t imagine the detail it must take for you to do all this research! Good for you!

    1. I’m glad you visited. I spend most of my time researching family and their communities. This was a nice change to mostly research around myself. Lol

  12. Congrats on finishing the challenge. Apologies for not getting around to visiting your blog in April – I was nowhere near as prepared as you so ended up winging it and having very little time for visiting.

  13. I recently discovered you blog and I enjoy it very much. I grew up on Boston and Dexter and then Rochester and Dexter. If you remember, on the Southeast side of Chicago and Dexter there was the Stone st Grill and there may have been a bowling alley connected to it. I knew it because my sisters and I were too young to be there but they had the best “stoney burgers.”
    I grew up in “the Shrine “was in the student movement and my older sister was in “Jael.”
    We attended Shrine#1 for many years.

    Do you remember a club on Rochester and Dexter called the “Soul Expression” or the Monster Burger restaurant near Dexter and Elmhurst?
    Just curious because very few people seem to recall those?

    1. I’m glad you enjoy the blog. I hate to say it but I don’t remember any of those spots you mention. Maybe they were after my time in that area? I moved from Detroit in 1972. What I remember in the Dexter/Elmhurst area is a small soul food restaurant we used to eat at when my oldest daughter was a baby.

  14. Kristin, I have only just discovered that you took the A to Z Challenge again this year. I’ve read all the posts in one go and they are fascinating and delightful. Love the photos, starting with the first one of the little you with outstretched arms, not a care in the world. Lovely smiles with your visiting cousins. Love the combination of the Census, the newspaper articles about family achievements and activism, personal stories about things that your family did that year, and the daily children’s book–so rich! I listened to some of the reading of _Ukelele and Her New Doll_ and loved the pictures at the end of her snuggling with her dear handmade black doll. Also thought the voice of the person reading sounded rather like Langston Hughes. Perhaps that was a manner of speaking back in 1950.
    Congrats!
    Josna

    P.S. I had been thinking of writing a series of posts about beloved children’s books, in my case many of them being Puffins, along with a few earlier ones from before I started reading chapter books. Now you have inspired me to do it. x J

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