Margaret "Betty Jean" Agnes Ross Arcala

Margaret Agnes Arcala (Ross), also known as Betty Jean, better known as "Aunt Betty" to my dad's generation and mine was born in Akron, Ohio.  Her mother passed away when she was little, and she was separated from her siblings, living with her aunt Agnes Woyner, while her siblings lived with her other aunt Amelia "Mollie" Blell (Woyner).  

Aunt Berry was like a surrogate grandmother for us California kids, while our real grandma Lenore lived in Michigan.

Here's a wonderful picture of my great-Aunt Betty with Santa Claus.  How precious.

The Foundling: A Novel - by Ann Leary

 

Book Title:  The Foundling: A Novel

Author:  Ann Leary
Genre:  Historic, Fiction
Main Character:  Mary, Lillian, Dr. Vogel
Story Setting:  Pennsylvania, Nettleton State Village for the Feebleminded Women of Childbearing Age 

Story Summary:  
Mary Engle works for Dr. Vogel of the Nettleton State Village for the Feebleminded Women of Childbearing age.  She recognizes one of the residents as Lillian, a person she was raised at an orphanage with.  She knows Lillian is not feebleminded.  She wants to help Lillian escape the asylum.

Review:  I really enjoyed this book.  Though a work of fiction, it was based off true events according to the author whose grandmother worked for a similar asylum during the 1920s.  

The book does NOT take place during Christmas time.  It is NOT a Christmas book, but toward the end of the book, it is Winter and Christmastime.  The book is riveting, a suspense, a thriller, and dramatic.  I recommend it to anyone who likes historic fiction.  Note, the wording for mentally challenged or disabled people is crass and outdated, reminiscient of the time before diagnostic names were used to categorize and identify mental disorders and challenges.  

I suggest this book to anyone who is curious about the way the mentally challenged were treated, or even the normal were treated before certain laws were implemented.  This book showcases racism, misogyny, and how people treated people back then.  

Christmas 2024

Merry Christmas from the Arcala-Dillard-Tirona household. 

No big tree this year due to Alzheimer's Disease and the fact we have a cat we are caring for.  The cat gets into everything and Alzheimer's Disease creates chaos when there are drastic changes to the environment.

The coffee table has a tiny tabletop tree on it and we used the TV screensaver to keep the holiday spirit in the air.  Our Alexa Echo Dot played Christmas music in the background.

To prevent my mom from sun-downing too fast, I have to remove the Christmas decorations very slowly. So maybe one thing every day. Last January, she was so mad after my sister packed up all the Christmas stuff early in the morning while my mom was still asleep. My mom woke up, realized something was missing (Christmas decor) and suddenly assumed a suit, kimono, pajama, jacket...the list goes on and on, was stolen from her. All of those things are nothing she owned. She just didn't know what was different and got very upset for 3 months straight.

Also, I was able to clip my mom's finger and toe nails after she was fresh out of the shower. They were so ridiculously long and she is so dramatic about having her nails cut. But I got it done, though, she flinched a few times. I'm just glad they aren't eagle talons anymore. I put socks on her and she thanked me.

I will be adding socks to my mom's Amazon wishlist. I have no idea where all her socks are going, as she has no matching pairs, but she has to have them because her body doesn't regulate heat that well and her feet get painfully cold. She likes fuzzy socks that aren't too tight around her ankles.

A few photos from Christmas.  None of me.  We invited our friend Gemal to Christmas.  She's from O'ahu, so she doesn't have a lot of Ohana here, and since my brother missed this Christmas, we decided to have Gemal come over for the holidays.  She's a sweet lady.

Bonnie

My mom was too exhausted for any of the festivities

Kalib 

Geoffrey

Christopher

Mike

Trevor

Jeri

Gemal