So, first of all I want to apologize to anyone that hangs on my every written word. I know that I have not been posting anything for awhile; I have reasons, but no excuses.
So what are my reasons? Well first off, I have written three novels in the last 2 years and I am working on getting the first one published. I hope that anyone that is reading this blog will be waiting with baited breath (I think that is the way you are supposed to say it). The books are along the lines of action-suspense and will be a series of three books, maybe more when all is said and done. I really enjoyed writing them, and I look forward to writing more, even if no one reads them.
Please read them.
The second reason has to do with my obsessive compulsion to dig deep into my family tree and see what the roots look like. Before I begin, this is not an attempt to take shots at peoples ethnic or religious heritage or beliefs, It is my own take on my own heritage, which is super conflicted.
I remember when I joked with my grandfather many years ago about marrying a Japanese woman. That was a lesson in knowing your audience. My grandpa would have loved whoever I married, but he did serve in Guadalcanal and did not appreciate my timing. I loved my grandpa, and he loved me. And that is where this whole thing starts.
Speaking of conflicts, I found out some very conflicting things in my past, a past that is shared by many people that are living in The United States, and probably, in their own way, around the world. I have Scottish ancestry, English ancestry, French ancestry.
*Quick side note, my family loves American history and have take humorous shots at France many times around the dinner table. All in jest mind you, but now I am faced with the reality that I have, maybe more French blood that any other group of people; except maybe English.
I also have Native American ancestry (of various tribes), Swiss ancestry, Irish ancestry, Danish ancestry, and German ancestry.
No wonder I live life in conflict. Every single one of these groups of people have and in some cases, still conflict with each other today. At many points in my families history, there may have been a grandson that told a joke to a grandfather about marrying someone from the wrong country. My joke could have been a legacy.
I love finding out where I am from, and in all honesty I love finding out which castles I am attached to. I swear, the company that I will not name and others like it, as part of their business model, make sure that everybody is, in some way, attached to royalty. Is it possible that there is a person that has done a deep dive like I have and not come up with royalty, and therefore a castle, somewhere? Well done, unnamed genealogy website, you have attached me, and I would guess, millions of other people to over 15 castles in Scotland. I did some research, and I have to give it to Scotland, they turned this into an industry. There are websites that will do the work for you to find out which Scottish castles you are attached to.
Back to these 15 or so castles that I have been somehow linked to. In many cases I had an ancestor that was merely born in a castle. But, if I am reading my lines correctly, I am related to the first king of Scotland, and my wife is related to Mary, Queen of Scots. Soooo, we’re a pretty big deal. There is one castle in particular, that, if true (and I would say its a somewhat big if), had someone on on my mom’s side and someone on my dad’s side born in the castle that is pictured in this article. Its called Kilchurn Castle and I think that I own it now.
Now, I know that the fact that my ancestors were somehow related to this castle at some point in history does not give me a whole lot of claim to the throne, as it were. But it got me thinking about the phrase “My ancestors looking down on me.” What a bunch of crap. Realize we are talking about a European-American Christian guy here so my religious bent is obviously present. But even still, why would I say such a invalidating thing? Well I did the math. The great killer of all things religious, right?
My ancestors that may or may not have been in that castle, at the point in history that they were, would have to be omnipresent. They were there in the 1500’s, which would be about 15 generations back according to the unnamed website. Let’s say, conservatively, that each of my ancestors had three kids, which is a fair assumption from what I can see. 3 becomes 9, 9 becomes 27, 27 becomes 81, all the way up to 14,348,907. Crap, I did not see that coming, literally, until I was typing this write now. That ancestor would have to “look down” on that many kids?!? Also, that means that conservatively, there are millions of people that are claiming to own some part or MY CASTLE!
Here is what I do know, my great grandma. I met her briefly and I think that she loved me completely. All I remember is her face, her chair, and candy orange slices; weird. I have seen pictures of me on my Grandpa Lesco’s lap and I know that he loved his grandkids. I spent a lot of time with my Grandpa and Grandma Peterson and they loved seeing and being with their grandchildren. And finally, I know my mom and dad loved me with all they had.
I am not sure why I love looking at my ancestry so much considering that I don’t think that they consider me at all beyond a couple of generations. I do know this, there are 15 castles in Scotland that are going to get my money. Additionally, there are probably a few tour guides that will hear an annoying story and some stupid jokes about which part of the castle is mine. I am sure they have not heard those before.
Swimming in Circles 