Welcome

15 October 2007 - Good morning. It's good to see you, my friend. I hope everything is going well with you. I just made a fresh pot of coffee, so come on in and have a cup with me. Hmm. Doesn't that aroma smell good!! We sure have gotten some rain the last few days, with some lightning and thunder, and wind. I love a morning like this, however -- cool, dark and cloudy. I would have liked to stay in bed a lot longer today, but there are always things to be done. But do come on in, have a seat, and let me show you some of the things that I am interested in. We can continue visiting as we sip our coffee. I am going to postdate some of my blogs so they will appear closer to the top of the page, or to wherever I would prefer them to be seen. When I do this, I will indicate the date they were actually written somewhere in the text, as I am doing here. In all likelihood this post will remain located as the top post until whenever I decide to change it again.

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Genealogy

At the top is a family picture taken in 1943. Dad, Mom, and Clifford are in front, with Evelyn, Alton, Ella, Lois, and Glenn standing. This was taken when Alton was home on furlough from the Marine Corps and was preparing to go overseas. The second picture is that of my grandparents Alexander and Kristina Johansson in Sweden, taken in 1933. My father's brother-in-law Emil Johansson and brother Edvard Alexandersson (arms folded) are standing. I had the privilege and opportunity to visit in Sweden and Norway on several occasions, the first time in summer 1969. At that time I was in the U.S. Navy and stationed on the submarine tender USS Simon Lake at Holy Loch, Scotland. I visited at the birthplace of my father, and later at the birthplace of my mother's grandparents in Norway. During this trip I met my Aunt Sabina Johansson, my uncle Edvard Alexandersson, my first cousins and many more relatives that I never knew before. That got me very interested in my heritage and genealogy, and I since have spent countless hours of my life devoted to this hobby. My grandparents and Aunt Sabina's husband Emil were not living at the time that I visited.

Genealogy - Legacy

My main family trees are recorded in Legacy.com.  Entries in Legacy are a collection of ALL family trees, jointly compiled in order to ascertain family relationships between my Tree and members from another Tree.

Many of these Trees were obtained from Geni.com unless otherwise indicated.  Some of the trees I have recorded are the following:

Descendants/Ancestors of:

Isaac Adolph Johnson (1890)/Ida Christene Jensen (1895) - from Glenn Carroll Johnson

Hemming Paulson (b. 1646, Meraker, Norway) - from Larry Duane Person

Per Bengtsson/Anna - from Lorraine Hanson

Amund Peter Amundson (b. 1874)/Eveline Hamre - from Loren Hugh Amundson
Joseph Locustae (b. 1812)/Adelaide St. Michael (b. ca 1816) - from Loren Hugh Amundson

Johannes Knutson Elvik (b. 1874)/Anna Radina Eidsness (b. 1887) - from Grant Leroy Elvik
Knut Jonsen (b. 1602)/Marita - from Grant Leroy Elvik
Ivar Johannesson Simenes (b. 1614) - from Grant Leroy Elvik

Lars Berven/Julia - from Connie Berven
Johannes Wangberg/Austrid - from Connie Berven

King Descent - from Eileen Larson, for husband James Elvin Henrickson

Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator, Queen of Egypt (69BC - 30BC) (62nd great grandmother) - from Geni.com

Vortigerm, High King of Britain (ca 370 - ca 459) - (46th great grandfather) -line includes William the Conqueror, King of England (1024-1087) (25th great-grandfather) and (Olof II "the black" Gudrodsson, King of Man and the Isles (1173-1237) (20th great-grandfather) - from Geni.com

Ancestors of:


Elvis Aron Presley (1935 - 1977) (22C, 1R)
Henrik Johan Ibsen (1828 - 1906) (17C, 3R)
Hjalmer Bottengård (1902-1986) (1C, 1R's wife's brother)
Johan Petter Falkberget (1879 - 1967) (4GGF's wife's 1C5R)
Kåre Torres (1951 -    ) (2C, 1R)
Karin Helene Strømme-Olsen (Nordvik) (1941 -    ) (4C)
Lisa Bottengård Hansen (1970 -    ) (1C, 1R's wife's great niece)
Marit Estensdatter Feragen (1890 - 1932) (1C, 1R)
Tove Hildegard Rivelsrud (   -    ) (5C, 1R)
William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) (16C, 9R)

Genealogy - Geni (Cousins)

Since my last posting regarding my success with Geni, I have made connections with the following "family".  These are various cousins and others, which are in addition to the great grandparents listed previously.

Famous and/or well known persons:


Clyde Chestnut Barrow (of Bonnie and Clyde fame) - 21C, 4R
Elvis Aron Presley - 22C, 1R
Henrik Johan Ibsen - 17th cousin, 3 times removed
Johan Petter Falkberget - 4GGF's wife, 1C, 5R
Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jean Baker) - 22C
William Shakespeare - 16C, 9R

Other family relationships:

Hjalmer Bottengård - 1C, 1R's wife's brother
Kåre Tørres - 2C, 1R
Karin Helene Strøm-Olsen (Nordvik) - 4C
Lise Bottengård Hansen (Husby) - 1C, 1R's wife's great niece
Marit Estensdatter Feragen - 1C, 1R
Tove Hildegard Rivelsrud - 5C, 1R

Genealogy - Geni (Grandparents)

Using the Geni.com website, I have been able to trace my lineage all the way back to Adam and Eve, with many stops in between.  I am not so naive as to believe that everything I have found is true and accurate, but nevertheless I find it interesting and have been trying to record this information in some form.  Thus, I have prepared a database that lists, generation by generation, the chain of pedigree which led to such findings.

To date, I have recorded the following lines of genealogy. They may be found in My Documents, Box - Genealogy, Ancestors of Glenn by Order #.  Below I am listing only the most distant generation, but every generation between that generation and myself is recorded.  I must emphasize that there are occasionally some inconsistencies in the pedigree chain which may require further verification

GRANDPARENTS

33rd Great Grandfather:  Gorr, the Sea King of Uplands, Thorrasson, Alfheim, Norway

32nd Great Grandfather:  Charlemaagne/Carolina Magnus/Karl de Groi

26th Great Grandfather:  Harold I "Bluetooth" Gormisson, King of Denmark

23rd Great Grandfather:  Harold IV Magnusson Gille, King of Norway (#52232258))
23rd Great Grandfather:  Harald I Halvdansson (Fairhair Hårfanger)

21st Great Grandfather:  Jacob Andriesson (#13098410)

13th Great Grandmother:  Cecilia (Sissela) Bengtsdotter Dufva (#51165)

The Blog Spot

January 17, 2008 - This is a fine spot to blog; and you are invited to add your two cents worth in this area (or, if you wish, you may also comment in any of the other subjects on this site). Just click on "Comment" and blog away.

God's Amazing Grace

27 May 2009 - "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 1.3

1. Grace is divine love given to me in any and all circumstances, now and forever.
2. Grace assures me that I am always in God's presence.

Merry Christmas, Everybody!!! and Happy New Year, Too!!!

December 2007

This is my Christmas letter for this year 2007. I hope it finds you and your family in good health.

As the year comes to an end, I guess I can't complain about too much. I look pretty good (a personal opinion) and don't feel too bad, if I get my rest and keep finding things to keep my mind active.

Otherwise, my year wasn't all that great. I had periods of time where I ached all over and made frequent trips to the chiropractor, and also to the doctor who continued to maintain watch on my diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, and general well-being; and to my dentist who provided me with a plate which included five new teeth. So right now you might say I am like an old car with a brand new set of tires.

I don't try to travel great distances anymore, though. I can still drive without any problem, but I just think it's better if I'm not on the road since I do get tired and somewhat dizzy quite often. I keep busy at home, always finding something to do, some of which is probably very much unnecessary, but it keeps me thinking. I've been working on blogspots in recent months. I don't do much blogging, but it's fun being creative, and I do believe it serves a very good purpose.

I enjoy playing on the organ, but I realize that, too, has limits. I'll never improve that much before my time here on earth is done. I have recorded many of my songs on disk so that I can now sit back and listen to them and then say, "Hey, that isn't too bad. I did that!!" It's a relaxing pastime and fits into the category of a wellness activity.

Crafts--well, I don't do much of that anymore. I've been piecing together another Flower Garden quilt. It's going to be about 100" x 100" when done. I enjoy working on it when nothing else fills my time. Maybe I'll finish it this winter -- or next winter. I don't work on stitchery at all because my eyesight is not as good as it used to be--the eyes become sore. I wear trifocles.

As for the rest of the family. I know they all have their problems, too, with aging and health, but they all live in their own homes and take it a day at a time, as we all must do.

Weather--can't complain too much about that either, at least here in our part of South Dakota. The farmers had good crops this year. Right now we're getting some snow, which we don't like, but then we also like snow at this time of year. So we're never satisfied.

Wishing you a blessed Christmas season, and may 2008 be your best, bringing peace and happiness to all!

Love, from Glenn

Favorites Of Mine

Favorites? Wow, that is not easy to say. Some are lasting; others may change at the blink of an eye or until another favorite comes along. I will list a few, but I don't think there is a clear-cut winner. Here are my initial choices. Some of my answers perhaps were more applicable during my younger years before there were restrictions on my health.

1. Bible verse - John 3:16 "For God so loved the world...."; Ecclesiastes 3:1-15, 22 "A time for everything..."
2. Colors - Red/white/blue; Navy blue; black; burgundy
3. Crafts - Quilting; Hardanger stitchery; cross-stitching
4. Desserts - Ice cream; homemade pies; puddings as rice, chocolate, and tapioca
5. Hobbies - My crafts; playing on the Grand Royale organ; genealogy; computer preparing blogspots, websites, statistical data;
6. Meal - Turkey, candied yams, mashed potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin pie; pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots; chicken; but also casseroles such as goulash
7. Singer, female -
8. Singer, male - Jim Reeves; Willie Nelson; Neil Diamond; John Denver
9. Smells - Fresh baked bread; freshly mown grass or alfalfa; air after a light rain settles the dust;
10. Song, Christmas sacred - O Holy Night; Silent Night
11. Song, Christmas other - Pretty Paper; Silver Bells
12. Song, country/western - For The Good Times; If Tomorrow Never Comes
13. Song, other - O Danny Boy; The Rose
14. Song, patriotic - God Bless America; America the Beautiful
15. Song, sacred - How Great Thou Art; O Jesus, I Have Promised; Children of the Heavenly Father; Day by Day; I Look Not Back;
16. Sounds - Singing of birds; running water in a pool or rain falling on a tin roof; a faraway train whistle at nighttime
17. Vacation spot - Nashville; Branson; my own backyard.

Health and Medicine

16 October 2007: Here we are in the kitchen. In this drawer I keep my medications. I take most of them with my breakfast in the morning, but I take one Metformin pill at supper time, and some others about 9:00 in the evening. I've been on most of these pills for a long time, and I think they help me out. But I do have things that trouble me -- dizziness, tired, and more. I am growing older, so maybe some of those things should be expected. But since I do get dizzy and tired, I don't like to do as much driving or travelling as I once did. I have to (should) watch what I eat, as that too can send my blood sugar levels soaring and cause unwanted symptoms.


4 June 2012:  Wow, how time does fly.  I wrote my last post about 5 years ago.  I am now 80+ years old and am still having many of the same symptoms.  What I have been diagnosed with, and am taking medications for, are the following:  Diabetes Type II, Pulmonary Fibrosis, and irritable bowel syndrome (and maybe more).


The prescription pills I am taking are:


Metformin (2 in the morning; 1 in the evening)
Lipitor
Sertraline (generic for Zoloft)
Plavix (1 per day)
Atorvastatin 20mg tablet (1 per day)


Non-prescription pills include:


Multi-vitamin
Glucosomine
Garlic
Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc


13 June 2012:  I was having trouble with my breathing, so I called 911 and was taken to the ER at the VA Hospital. They did all types of testing and prescribed some medications which I hope will help me out.

Gardening

Pending. For use as Gardening

Music

Can you believe, here we are, already in the month of October. September has always been my favorite month. It has one of my favorite songs -- "Happy Birthday"!!! I'm kidding, of course, because that is not my favorite, and I certainly don't enjoy growing older, but this past month I reached the ripe old age of 76. Just a kid, some say, but I've got a lot of things I want to do before I leave this earth for that "Mansion Over The Hilltop." But I like to claim the whole month of September as "my very own" and celebrate every day. In this area of my blog site we'll be talking about music. I love music -- have always loved music -- but some days I just don't feel like singing or playing the organ anymore. I need music in my life, each and every day, so I hope to recover this joy again soon. (10/4/2007)