Meet The Ulbrich Boys

Many additional surnames went into the gene pool of the current three Atkins boys. Male surnames go on and on while female family names get lost after just a few generations – not to mention those male Y-chromosomes that remain a positive DNA identifier for thousands of years.

Our three Atkins Boys are fortunate that they come from a long line of female ancestors who were and are dedicated to preserving their sides of the family story. They are interesting stories, indeed. Today, you will meet the Ulbrich Boys.

Above you see Carl Ferdinand Ulbrich, the senior Atkins boy's grandfather, and his sons. His daughter, Mary Alice, mother to Asa Carl Atkins, is not in this picture. The mother of all those sons isn't in it either. But that's another story.

Carl Ferdinand Ulbrich was a Lance Corporal in the Franco-Prussian War that united all of Germany. During the Second German Empire (1871 to 1918) every male, including Ferdinand, had a military obligation that extended from age 17 to age 47. It included active duty in the standing armed forces at age 20 for three years; reserve duty in the standing army for four years; militia of the first contingent for five years and of the second contingent for seven years; and home guard duty from age 17 to age 45.

Can you imagine being in the Army for 30 years, like it or not? Every German male had a military pass that was his official record of service; it also tracked his travels from place to place. We happen to have Ferdinand's military pass. The last entry includes the words, "(Amerika) big ultimo." We take this to mean "for all time." Check it out above.

After the war, Ferdinand built railroad boxcars in Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland) while he helped save enough money for the family to come to America. The younger picture of him shown above was taken during this stage of his life.

Ferdinand's father, Gottfried Ulbrich, was a farmer, miller, and carpenter in Prussia. He built windmills, coffins, and door and window frames with hand carved details. Although Baron Otto von Bismarck had succeeded in uniting all of Germany, his rule was brutal. Average people were starving but were not allowed to hunt in the vast forests that belonged to the aristocracy.

The Ulbrich family and four other families from their small village came to America to escape their terrible living conditions. They were steerage passengers aboard the ship Holsatia that left from Hamburg with a stop in Le Havre to take on more passengers. They arrived in New York on Ferdinand's birthday in 1873, long before Ellis Island was built.

Most German men belonged to brass bands and the Ulbrich men were no exception. They played their instruments aboard ship in the evenings while wealthier passengers on the upper decks tossed down coins that they carefully saved. Ferdinand played the B-flat cornet.

After arriving in America, they first went Chicago but found it too large and industrialized. They then went to the steel mill area of western Pennsylvania where they hoped to find work. Friends had moved on to West Virginia and reported that living conditions were much better there. So Gottfried and his family moved again. He built and operated a mill while Ferdinand and his brothers worked in the coal mines. Most of the families who came to America together eventually joined them in the hills of West Virginia.

These families lived in fear they might somehow be forced to return to Germany. Unlike today's immigrants, they tried very hard to become Americanized as soon as possible. Ferdinand became Fred. Beate became Betty. Gottfried had six sons by two wives. Ferdinand had nine sons and two daughters by two wives. None of those born in America were taught the German language.

On this Veterans Day, we consider the fight their sons would have fought if they had stayed in Germany. It's something we Americans don't often think about.

All of us would have had very different lives if our ancestors hadn't taken that great leap of faith to leave their homelands. We hadn't thought much about it either until we met a 30-year-old German man named Bernard Schmidt when we were living in Raleigh, NC.

During a pre-dinner conversation, Carl asked Bernard if his father had participated in World War II. The look on his face was an immediate giveaway that this was not a question he was usually asked. His response gave us a perspective we would not have otherwise had. He simply said, "Yes. He was drafted. It was no different from your own army. If you were drafted you were required to serve." And that was the end of the conversation.

With so many World War II movies popular just now, it is easy for us to fall into the trap of thinking that all Germans hated the Jewish people and all of them committed horrible atrocities against them. While knowing those atrocities occurred, Bernard's comments made us stop and think in a whole new light.

We recently read a wonderful book entitled, "Those Who Save Us" by an author named Jenna Blum. It sheds light on the fact that many German citizens did their part to save their Jewish neighbors, often at great risk to themselves. I encourage you to read it.

As for the Ulbrich men, who knows? We know they had Jewish neighbors in their small town of Hammer, Militsch Kreis, Prussia. If they had stayed, they would have lived near one of the worst German labor camps of World War II.

What would their choices have been? We can only speculate that they would have made the choices that most of us living in America today would make. And we can be very thankful that neither they nor their descendants ever had to make those choices.

The Atkins family is thankful that our German ancestors came to America and we are proud that their descendants have served in America's armed forces ever since, including our own Asa Carl Atkins, Jr. We will honor all of them on this Veterans Day.

Trick or Treat?

Last night was Trick or Treat night in our neighborhood. It was filled with shrieks and screams as children ran, frenzied, through the streets in their annual quest to collect as much candy as possible in the two hours allotted them.

Dressing up to scare the children has been practiced by the oldest Atkins Boy for a long time but he hasn't been as inspired since moving South. The time he dressed up as a dragon and rose up from behind the breezeway while children ran screaming down the driveway is just a memory. So is the time one little girl burst into tears and fell off the same breezeway when confronted with a red devil with blue horns and a skull belt buckle. Her mother was not amused. Those were the days!

Inspiration struck again last night. As the magic hour arrived, Mr. Atkins unexpectedly decided to dredge up an old wig he had saved. Who would have known he still had that? Without the weeks of planning that used to go into his costumes, he was forced to make do with the wig and a black tablecloth held together with a cat pin belonging to his wife.

Crouching down to waist level, he opened the door slowly and growled out in a very low voice, "Helloooo," giving a wide smile displaying the gap where the crown he had lost earlier in the day used to be. A trip to the dentist is first on the agenda tomorrow but why waste a good opportunity?

His effort did add to the excitement on our street. No one screamed or fell off our porch but one little girl finally squeaked out, "You SCARED me!" The funniest comment of all was from another little girl who said, "You're wearing a mask…….aren't you?" She was really scared when she found out he wasn't.

Carl has always enjoyed being part of the excitement Halloween brings to small children. It's fun to see their costumes – especially those made by Mom. The one we'll remember from this year was a boy wearing the top half of a banana costume who felt moved to announce, "I'm a banana," while his little sister stood there, smirking, and remarked, "A very sick banana!" We suspect he had to ditch the bottom half in order to keep up with her.

There was no such thing as Trick or Treat night when we were growing up. Favorite activities of teenage boys in West Virginia included soaping windows, egging the homes of people like their least favorite teacher or the mayor, and turning over outhouses. The best part was bragging about it the next day. Our youth group once had a Halloween party that included a scavenger hunt. Visiting the cemetery, looking for a child's gravestone that had a lamb on it, and having to copy the inscription in the dark brought suitable chills.

We've come a long way from the time when most people believed this was the night when the veil between the spirit world and our world was lifted, allowing unhappy spirits to come through and take revenge.

Trick? Or Treat?

Life Gets In The Way Sometimes

The last couple of months have been quite a trial at the Atkins home, leaving no time for luxuries like writing blog updates.

Without going into lots of personal detail, suffice it to say that the senior Atkins Boy has had lots of CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, X-rays, and blood tests along with a short try-out of crutches and a wheelchair. Definitely not fun for any of us.

The good news is that new medications are helping. Carl is on his feet once again although not quite up to assuming his usual duties of shopping for groceries, mowing the back yard, and taking books back to the library.

And within the past week Georgia has had what we're calling our hundred-year rain. After four years of severe drought, it seems that we're now making up for it in less than a week. Fourteen to twenty inches of rain simply cannot be absorbed when it arrives within the space of two or three days. Guess what. When rain has nowhere else to go, it comes into your home.

The middle Atkins Boy has been vacuuming water out of his lower level den for the past four days. After blowing out our old shop vac, Scott discovered that the modern replacements are WAY more efficient at sucking up water. Thank you, Lowe's. The jury is still out concerning whether or not the wall-to-wall carpet can be saved. There's nothing to do but vacuum water right now even though Star and Teddy kind of miss their personal indoor wading pool. The senior Atkins household merely had a leak beside the chimney that allowed water to soak into an upstairs guest room ceiling.

We are fortunate, indeed, as many people have floods where no floods have ever gone before. This part of Georgia isn't used to floods. Many families have lost everything and some have lost their lives. The two pictures above show people kayaking through a neighborhood in Lilburn as well as one of the overturned school buses at Greg's old alma mater – the Parkview school cluster (compliments of the Gwinnett Daily Post).

Considering everything, the Atkins family can invoke our version of the saying: Thank God for BIG favors (but please don't let it rain any more for a week or two).

Catching Up

A big chunk of summer has gone past with very few blogs from Lilburn. Suffice it to say that life gets in the way sometimes.

After experiencing a birthday, a tooth extraction, and a painful back problem this month, the senior Atkins boy is finally beginning to feel a little more human. I've chosen to photograph only one these events. As you can see, he is the only one concentrating on his dessert.

One benefit of not feeling well at the Atkins home is that your loving spouse indulges you. This takes many forms. In our house it means special menus on demand (applies only to the male members of the family). This recently led to one of our summer favorites – Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches.

One of the best Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches we've ever eaten is served at the Tamarack rest stop along the turnpike in West Virginia. This is way more than a rest stop. It features gifts from West Virginia's best artists and craftsmen along with a restaurant run by the same people who produce the meals at the 5-star Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs. If you're ever on the West Virginia turnpike, stop at Tamarack. Order the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich.

Here is the Atkins family chef's attempt to reproduce this stellar summer staple:

FRIED GREEN TOMATO SANDWICHES

Make the sauce:
Melt 2 tbsp. butter. Add about 1 tbsp. flour and stir for about 1 minute. Add about 1 cup milk and a little salt. Cook and stir until thickened. Drop in pieces of American cheese and stir until melted. The amount of cheese depends upon how cheesy you want the sauce to be. Try about four slices, torn in pieces.

Prepare the tomatoes:
Slice green tomatoes at least ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a little sugar. Let sit about 10 minutes. Dip tomato slices in milk; then in flour; then in beaten egg; then in bread crumbs. Fry in either olive oil or butter - about 3 minutes on each side on medium heat. Tomatoes should be slightly soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.

Make the sandwiches:
Split good rolls in half (we like Kaiser rolls) and spread with mayonnaise (we like Hellmans). Add the green tomato slices and as much sauce as you like. If you want to be really decadent, add a few bacon slices (fried crisp of course).

Getting To Know You

Since the Atkins family is a small one, there aren't many cousins with whom to keep in touch. So it was great news when we learned that one of the few – Jeff Burns who lives in Ohio – had worked out a time to bring his wife of one year, Debbie, to Lilburn for a few days this month. It was our first opportunity to get acquainted with Debbie and to visit with Jeff as a mature individual rather than a son in his parents' household.

And what a treat it was.

Considering that we range in age from 83 to 19, counting Greg's friend, Hannah, it's nothing short of amazing that we never ran out of things to do or talk about. We talked from Sunday afternoon through Thursday morning. We talked from first thing in the morning till late at night. Scott and Jeff talked two nights in a row till our automatically timed living room lighting left them unexpectedly in the dark.

The Atkins Boys and Jeff talked about cars and guns and guns and cars and whatever else guys talk about. Jeff helped Carl bottle wine – his first experience with a corker – and learned first hand what it was like to participate in the landing in France during WW II. Debbie and Sallie talked about family history, different religions, and potential baby names. Debbie and Hannah talked about teaching and all of us talked about beautiful Hannah's decision to enter the Miss Georgia contest. And we saw a demonstration of Greg and Hannah's unique dancing style (she stands on his feet and he dances).

In between, we took in some sights that are unique to this part of Georgia. Since Jeff is quite a gourmet cook, we spent a morning at the DeKalb Farmers' Market browsing the aisles for food not often seen in Ohio. Let's just say that most of what we brought home was fresh produce. We did not ask the employees to kill and gut any exotic creatures from the sea or feel the urge to buy cans or bags of things we couldn't pronounce. We did get stuck in the bread and pastry aisle, though.

The next morning brought the exotic experience of attending the mid-day service at Lilburn's amazing Hindu temple, the largest of its kind in the USA where Debbie and I blessed ourselves along with the sari-clad women while Scott and Jeff sat cross-legged on the floor up front, surrounded by prone Indian men. Women definitely take a back seat in this culture and their devotion to marble statues is a bit of a puzzle to those of us whose religious roots are in rural West Virginia.

And, since Debbie has a particular interest in the Civil War, we visited Atlanta's Cyclorama, the largest painting in the world and one of only two such paintings that still exist. The Battle of Atlanta, enhanced by its well lighted diorama and excellent narration, gave all of us an up close and personal view of how the Civil War was fought and how it is still viewed here in the deep South. Just how far we've come as a nation was brought home by the fact that the story is narrated by James Earl Jones and our tour guide was an articulate young black man.

Our time together can best be summed up by words from the song, "Getting to know you, Getting to know all about you. Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me."

We did. We do. We think they do too.

First Degree

A ceremony of great pride took place on June 15, 2009 in Athens, Georgia. Greg obtained his Associate Degree in Automotive Technology.

The milestone he has reached enabled him to find a job this summer – something that many of his peers have not been able to do. He is working at Akins Ford, a large dealership in Athens and enjoying every minute of it.

This fall he will be continuing his studies toward a more advanced degree in Business Administration. Greg will eventually have an education that will prepare him for either a blue collar or a white collar career – something that may prove invaluable in these tough economic times since it is difficult to outsource automotive repair to India or Taiwan.

While talking about all of the activities associated with graduation, we suddenly realized that Greg is the first member of our family to achieve a degree beyond high school. His dad went to OSU for 2 ½ years. His grandfather was drafted into WW II while a senior and came back to finish in Buffalo, WV. His grandmother graduated from Point Pleasant High School and immediately went to work in Columbus, Ohio. None of Greg's great-grandparents were fortunate enough to have had a high school degree - a luxury that many, if not most, could not afford in those days - especially in the hills of West Virginia.

Just writing this made me realize how important it is these days to have a more advanced education. Doors do not open in today's world as easily as they have opened in the past when it was possible to have a successful career built by on-the-job training, hard work, and above average achievement.

Congratulations, Greg, for achieving this milestone. Our entire family is very proud of you!

Say Hello To Teddy

Sometimes it's just impossible to resist big brown eyes and freckles – especially when they're staring at you soulfully, hoping you'll be the one to come to their rescue.

The youngest Atkins boy sprang a big surprise on everyone a week or so ago when he showed up with Teddy.

In spite of all our warnings about choosing a dog that doesn't require monthly grooming and doesn't have long floppy ears prone to yeast infections, he just couldn't resist rescuing Teddy from a cage. His reasoning was that Teddy had been there for a while and Greg didn't know how long they were going to keep him. After all, he's four months old and getting older.

So here is Teddy, learning to live in a human household with lots of help from Greg and Scott, lovingly assisted by Hannah. What does Star think? Stay tuned for her reaction.

What is Memorial Day?

Today is Memorial Day.

To many, it is a long weekend around which to plan picnics and vacations. The president places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, now called the Tomb of the Unknowns. There are still a few parades and ceremonies to be found, usually not so well attended. Many people forget the real purpose of this holiday but the Atkins family never will.

Memorial Day has special meaning in our family because the senior Atkins boy witnessed, first hand, the deaths of many brave men when he took part in the landing in France during World War II. It is something he doesn't talk about a lot but when asked whether the movie, Saving Private Ryan, was an accurate depiction of what took place, the answer was yes. When asked what he remembered most he didn't hesitate. He said it was the smell. The activity did not end as the surviving soldiers advanced inland. And, yes, the Navy went ashore too. One doesn't easily forget an experience like that.

Carl was on a landing craft during those terrible days. Their main job was to deliver soldiers and equipment to the beaches and to take on German prisoners as they were captured. The German officers tried to commit suicide by jumping overboard and were promptly shot. Such are the realities of war. Memories like this do not go away.

We are blessed with a grandson who never forgets to honor his grandfather on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. He is mindful of the sacrifices that were made. Here you see Greg and Carl displaying the Navy flag that Greg presented to him this year.

Memorial Day. A day to remember those who didn't live to come home and have a grandson like Greg.

Another Fuzzy

This blog began with the story of Fuzzy – the stray cat who now lives in Scott's van after showing up and refusing to leave.

Well, here you see another Fuzzy having its second meal at the senior Atkins's home.
That thing sticking up on its back is a giant hairball that is just behind the bald spots where it has, presumably, been successful at dislodging more of the same.

This cat has been in the habit of coming by our house periodically to visit Lily Pearl through the window. It was well fed and well groomed when we first saw it last year but we've noticed that it has been looking more and more unkempt lately. About a month ago we began wondering if its owners might have moved away and left it behind. Now we know they did.

A couple of days ago we looked out the window, saw it lying there, and thought it had died in our back yard. Grabbing a handful of cat food, the female of the family cautiously approached and, after coaxing, got the poor thing to raise its head. Leaving the cat food behind, she watched as it ate like there was no tomorrow. Another handful of cat food plus a bowl of water followed, both instantly consumed.

Carl observed that we now have another cat. And then he began watching for it, looking for permanent water and food bowls, and wondering why it didn't hang around. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was disappointed that it might not come back. The senior Atkins Boy does have a soft spot for cats.

The food disappeared yesterday when we weren't looking. Since there are several cats in our neighborhood, we decided to wait and see if this particular cat came back before putting out more food. It was spotted this morning on the fringes of the yard and came part of the way to the porch when called.

So here it is, having another meal at our house. It stops eating and backs off if we get too close so these pictures were taken over the garden gate. It seems that Carl was right. We probably have acquired a second cat without really wanting one.

There's no way we can introduce another cat into the house with our cantankerous Lily Pearl already in residence. I see another customized cat abode with a heated floor in our future. We have all summer to build it and the downstairs back porch is dry. It's better than starving. Maybe by then it will trust us.

And to its heartless former owners, may you someday experience the same fate you imposed on a pet that, undoubtedly, counted on you to take care of it.

If it's still here next week, we will have to give it a name. Any suggestions?

The Atkins Family Matriarch

Here you see a picture of Mary Alice Ulbrich, wife of Asa Carl Atkins, Sr., with two of her German uncles.

Her father arrived in America from Hammer, Militsch Kreis, Germany, in 1873. Her mother was descended from the McLaughlin family who left Killarney, Ireland, to come to America around 1815 and from the Hicks and Bailey families who arrived in Kanawha Co. WV sometime around 1830.

Although she never traveled far from Putnam County, West Virginia, Mary was articulate, interesting, and well read. Her grammar was perfect and her letters were a joy to receive. She was skilled at embroidery, quilting, crocheting, sewing, and gardening and she loved cats - especially black cats. No place was more dear to her than her country home on a hilltop near Buffalo. Nothing was more important to her than her family, followed closely by her life-long friends. In fact, she kept up a lively correspondence with friends she hadn't seen since girlhood.

Like many other mothers of her time, she made do with whatever she could find during the years of the great depression. Can you imagine cooking "wild carrots" (the roots of Queen Anne's Lace) or foraging for wild greens for your next meal? She did.

That feeling never went away. No garden was ever quite big enough and there were never too many jars of canned fruit and vegetables in her cellar. Mending and patching were a way of life – even when they were no longer required. She simply could not abandon her thrifty habits.

Mary had an abiding interest in family history. It is due to her love of family, her preservation of old documents, and her excellent memory that the Atkins family has such an understanding and appreciation of those who came before us and their journeys along the way.

She loved her husband, her son, and her two daughters. And when it was time, she loved her daughter-in-law equally. She was determined to always be independent and she managed to do just that. Although she did not drive and lived two miles up a mountain on a dirt road, she successfully lived alone for sixteen years after her husband died until she passed away at age 89 after suffering a stroke in the home they had built together.

I can't think of anyone who would make a negative remark about her.

That's quite a legacy.

Things Get Lost Around Our House

Sometimes they're found and sometimes they never surface again.

Pet toys. They're always under something or behind something. This isn't always bad because it gives us humans exercise we would not otherwise get. Have you ever noticed how long animals can sit and stare under a couch when they want those toys?

Appointment reminders. You go to the dentist or eye doctor. They give you a card with the next appointment date. And then where does it go? The family female is always asked to explain this since husbands always swear they put it on the kitchen counter the minute they got home.

Socks. The senior Atkins boy has about 40 pairs of socks – all of them mismatched – and there are extras lying on top of the dryer after every washing. This, too, is something the family female is expected to resolve.

Grocery lists. Start a grocery list. Put it on the kitchen counter. Who takes those?

Earrings. The lone female member of the Atkins family has many earrings that are, alas, no longer part of a pair.

Eyeglasses. One can have five pairs and they're never in the room where they're needed. This is especially annoying to males of the species who can always find their glasses because they are always on their faces. Of course.

A new gold necklace once disappeared from the senior Atkins household for over a year. It was eventually found in the toe of a seldom worn high-heeled shoe where Magnolia had stashed it. Fortunately, a need to wear the shoes brought the missing jewelry to light before the senior Atkins boy asked where it was. Darn cat!

Car keys. This one really annoys the senior Atkins boy and is punishable by having to do without one's own keys for a very long time while humbly having to ask to borrow his. Men never lose their car keys because they always have pockets. Women everywhere should sew their husbands' pockets shut and hand them a purse to carry for just one week.

And the big kahuna of them all – PURSES! This is a situation that will never be forgotten by any male member of any family. Lose your purse just one time and your husband will still be dredging it up fifty years later – and telling all of your friends about it. Right down to the date, time, place, and situation. Refer to the above paragraph for a possible solution.

I don't remember what prompted the searches pictured above but the photographs gave us a chuckle when they surfaced recently, thus prompting these random thoughts.

Do things get lost around your house?

Helping The Economy

Heaven knows our economy needs all the help it can get these days. The trouble is that too many are sitting around complaining about this sad state of affairs while bemoaning the fact there's nothing an ordinary citizen can do about it.

But, last weekend, our household experienced a small unexpected example of one person helping the economy.

The youngest Atkins Boy is a student and all of us know that students don't usually have a lot of extra money lying around. It is also known that frugality runs in the Atkins family. The definition of needs vs. wants has been well learned by every Atkins male for many generations. That doesn't mean that one is prohibited from enjoying luxuries now and then. Every Atkins male understands that luxuries have more value when they are chosen wisely and paid for by funds one already possesses. No luxury is worth lying awake at night, worrying about where the money will come from to pay for it.

We were recently treated to a demonstration of Greg's most recently acquired luxury. He and his dad spent a chilly Saturday installing the fancy air filter you see in the above picture. It's an air filter to end all air filters. It definitely falls into the category of want vs. need. After all, the old air filter was working just fine.

Then we realized that Greg was doing his part to help the economy. He had just purchased an air filter made in the USA, hopefully by legal residents. Its purpose is to make his engine run more efficiently, thus improving the environment, and he installed it in a Ford truck, also made in the USA.

Everyone should be so mindful of our economy while making purchases – it doesn't matter whether they are wants or needs. Choose wisely.

Those Atkins Boys Can Do Anything!

The Atkins Boys label originated with our former neighbor and still good friend, Jeff Duckett.

Jeff is a talented real estate appraiser who is, shall we say somewhat lacking, when it comes to certain skills needed to get things done around the house. At the risk of telling family secrets, a good example is when his wife, Yvonne, purchased a new shelf system that Jeff had volunteered to install in one of their closets. Yvonne worried and worried because she just knew he would do it wrong. He did. The shelves fell down not too long after being fully loaded. I'm not sure Jeff ever realized that he had installed certain components upside down. None of us had the heart to tell him after such a valiant effort on his part.

When faced with seemingly impossible household problems to solve, Jeff learned to look next door at the oldest Atkins Boy. After a particular knotty problem with their clothes dryer was solved by Carl and Scott removing a bird's nest from their dryer vent, Jeff stood back and declared, "Those Atkins boys can do anything!" So began the nickname of their little group.

Last week brought another typical Atkins Boys project – the installation of a new shower door assembly in the master bathroom. After the senior Atkins's purchased it at Home Depot, they were informed that delivery would cost $79.00 and Home Depot doesn't offer installation services. Ta Da! The youngest Atkins boy and his dad took the truck and handled the pick-up and delivery.

The middle Atkins boy arrived on the next rainy day, ready to dismantle and install. While he handled the heavy work, the oldest Atkins boy became the go-fer. Carl later declared that he exceeded his doctor's recommended ten trips up and down our two flights of stairs by at least three times that day.

Now installing a new shower enclosure doesn't sound like such a huge task but consider what an insurmountable task it would seem to those who are mechanically challenged. Consider what a $79.00 delivery charge plus several hours of labor would add to the cost. Not to mention that our old shower door was installed backwards by the builder. Carl has awkwardly climbed around that shower door for fourteen years. It finally took the lone female of the family to say, "Enough is enough!" and set the project in motion. Just look at the result. This picture doesn't show the design in the glass. Trust me, it's very nice.

Those Atkins boys can do anything!

Irish Roots

St. Patrick's Day is a good time to reminisce about Irish roots if one can truly claim them because, as they say in Ireland, "If you're lucky enough to be Irish, you're lucky enough.".

Well, the oldest Atkins boy has a valid claim to Ireland by way of his great grandmother, Judy Emmeline McLaughlin who married Carl Morris Hicks. Judy's father was John McLaughlin who told stories about falling into Lake Killarney at age five and being rescued by an older brother. This would have been sometime in 1811 - not quite 200 years ago. By 1850 he was married and living in Putnam County, WV, with a large family. We've never discovered exactly what route he took to get there.

A trip to Ireland in 1998 was perfect for finding Carl's McLaughlin roots – we thought. Much to our disappointment, we discovered that Irish records for that time are practically nonexistent, there are three lakes in Killarney, and old tombstones have no readable inscriptions. So much for finding Carl's McLaughlins but at least we saw the area from whence John McLaughlin came. The picture above is one of the Killarney lakes near an ancient castle.

After spending a couple of nights at a B&B in Killarney, we proceeded on our way and one day spotted a McLaughlin coat of arms in a little pub near the tiny town of Clifdon. As it turned out, the owner of the pub was a McLaughlin woman who thought it was pretty amusing that she was meeting a McLaughlin "cousin" from the U.S. We had a great time with them since we were the only Americans there and also their only customers. They were especially fascinated by the video taken by our co-traveler, Camilla Perrill, and Ms. McLaughlin consented to a photograph with her long-lost kin.

Take a look at the picture above. Do you not see a family resemblance? Once a McLaughlin always a McLaughlin. Cuimhnigh Ar Do Gheallamhnacha. Remember Your Promises. It's a good motto for today and every day even if you're not a McLaughlin.

The First Family Member To Be Immortalized On The Wall Of A Restaurant

Well, at least the first Atkins boy in this particular family. We can't account for Chet who was born in Union County, Tennessee. His picture undoubtedly graces many restaurants around Nashville but he isn't a close relative.

It isn't every day that someone gets his or her picture posted on the wall of a restaurant – a celebrity who has eaten in that particular establishment. All of us have seen those autographed pictures displayed for patrons to admire while they dine on food that, presumably, the celebrity enjoyed.

Readers of this blog know all about Greg's 1967 Barracuda, lovingly restored by his dad with help from Greg. It is Greg's prize possession. This Viper Red muscle car has won several awards in antique car shows around town but never the coveted First Prize.

Last Saturday Greg took his car to the latest Mopar competition sponsored by the Georgia Mopar Club. And the winner of the very best restored classic Mopar car was the one, the only Gregory Michael Atkins with his 1967 Plymouth Barracuda! It was especially gratifying to win first prize because many of the cars had been professionally restored while the Atkins boys' car is a work of art personally accomplished by just the two of them.

This particular show was the very first car show attended by Miss Hannah Oliver who enthusiastically accompanied Greg. There are some people out there who think that Hannah brought them luck – including the two Atkins boys. After all, it never hurts to have a drop-dead gorgeous twenty-year-old sitting next to one's antique car.

So now Greg is immortalized for all time on the wall of the Galaxy Diner in Tucker, Georgia, hosts of the event. If you ever go there, look for his picture. The two younger Atkins boys report that the food is excellent too.

One Last Word About Chairs

Chairs seem to be high on the list of current activities for the middle Atkins boy these days. It seems that upholstery needs come in cycles for this family and, as the resident upholsterer, he always gets pressed into service by his mother who would always rather keep what she has than buy something new.

Some chairs come in pairs, like the wingback beauty you see above. These chairs were purchased from Ethan Allen in 1982 when the older Atkins family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. They were so beautiful in the eyes of their purchaser that she resisted every impulse to change them until the oldest Atkins male chose one of them as his favorite daytime reading chair and wore out its arms all the way through to the stuffing. Even then, she made arm covers in order to avoid giving up that fabric she loved so much.

After the holidays, though, she could not avoid the fact that shabby truly is shabby at some point so she bit the bullet and went on a quest for fabric she could love as much as the old stuff. She enlisted Scott's help and they finally found an acceptable substitute. Even so, she insisted on salvaging the velvet backs that so perfectly complement the rug in the living room. Above you see one of the pair, now restored to its former beauty.

One project begets another so the antique chair in the bedroom was next on the list. Why? Because the senior Atkins boy who wore out the downstairs chair also wore out the favorite upstairs chair by reading in it every night before going to bed. Fabric can last only so long, you know, and that fabric was approaching 40 years old.

Chair #2 was already an antique in the 1970s when the Atkins family moved to Marengo, Ohio. When first spotted, it was already threadbare with it's stuffing hanging out. It belonged to a lovely little widow lady named Merle Ribov. The lone female of the family sat in it one evening during a meeting at Merle's house and pronounced it the most comfortable chair she had ever occupied. Stuffed with real goose down, it was a chair that reached out and begged you to nestle into it, put your feet up on the ottoman and spend time there.

Then a blizzard struck Ohio, causing death and destruction and leaving thousands of people marooned in their homes for days. When it was all over, Merle decided she needed a space heater more than she needed the chair. The Atkins phone rang: Merle: Do you remember that chair you liked so much? Sallie: I certainly do. Merle: Would you like to have it? Sallie: I certainly would. How much do you want for it? Merle: Oh, my dear, I'm going to give it to you. I don't have room for it any longer. It has been in my family for a long time and I want someone who appreciates it to have it.

Well, the Atkins males promptly took the family van and retrieved it. Scott recovered it and preserved all that lovely goose down and it has provided comfort to the family ever since. Now resplendent in yet another new cover, but still retaining that treasured goose down, it brings back memories of Merle and her generosity and that special time in our lives. What was a Ribov family heirloom is now an Atkins family heirloom.

Since the Atkins family chair projects are now caught up, take a moment to look at the exquisite workmanship that Scott produces. Everything is impeccably done – something that isn't usually found in modern furniture unless one pays exorbitant prices for it. It's the difference between really caring about doing things right and just doing things. It reminds us of the old poem our parents used to quote when we complained about having to do chores. It's a poem the younger generation would benefit from and one the middle Atkins boy lives by.

When a job is once begun;
Do not stop until it's done.
Be the labor; great or small,
Do it right or not at all.

But are there any children out there who are expected to do chores in today's world?

The Atkins Family Boombox

You are looking at a picture of the Atkins Family boombox.

It was unearthed recently and transported to the basement where it provides beautiful music for the artist of the family while she is in her newly carved-out studio space. If she chooses, she can enjoy genuine stereo surround sound by detaching those speakers and placing one to the left and one to the right of where she is standing. She has never done that but she could. Or the entire neighborhood could enjoy stereo surround sound if she chose to position that boombox just outside the garage doors and turn up the volume.

It's hard to imagine that teenagers and young adults walked around with boomboxes just like this on their shoulders from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. They just had to have their own personal stereo with them at all times. You were the coolest cat in the neighborhood if you had the biggest, loudest boombox. They were everywhere.

Why, you may ask, did the oldest Atkins boy purchase the biggest, fanciest, boombox he could find in 1982? One that measures 30 inches from end to end, has dual tape decks, and could blast your ear drums out in a heart beat? Did he like music? Can you even imagine him walking around with it on his shoulder? Or taking it to the beach? Or anywhere else for that matter? Well, you're right. He never did any of the above.

But the oldest Atkins boy loved buying electronic equipment. Christmas was coming. What could be better than surprising his wife with beautiful music? The boombox appeared and out went the 8-track tapes. Although the Atkins family boombox has never graced anyone's shoulder and has never been turned up more than one notch from its lowest capability, it's a gift that keeps on giving. The only problem is that tapes have been replaced by CDs and there is very little beautiful music on the radio these days. It's only a matter of time till………………sigh. We'll miss our boombox.

Chairs Have Histories Too

Among his many talents, the middle Atkins Boy is a skilled upholsterer. He learned this trade while working part-time at Egelhoff Interiors during his high school years. Egelhoff's was the crème de la crème of exclusive furniture/antique stores at the time so quality was paramount. The padding was sumptuous and patterns had to match. Such quality in upholstery is almost non-existent today.

Scott reupholstered a family heirloom for our friends, the Floods, last summer. Their tufted chair began its life as bright orange, had morphed into a staid print, and will now grace the Floods' North Carolina beach home while wearing a beautiful contemporary tropical fabric with its legs proudly showing for the very first time. It belonged to Tom's mother.

The Atkins family has long benefited from Scott's upholstery skills. One of their early sofas has been reupholstered at least five times and is now residing in Greg's student apartment. One set of club chairs has gone from sage green to red to brown to turquoise plaid and they're still going strong awaiting their fifth life.

Some of you may not know that upholstering antique furniture brings many surprises. Among the chairs Scott has refurbished are those that belonged to the author, Irving Wallace, and chairs that belonged to a WW II spy who was deported to Italy for subversive activities. Scott refurbished most of the furniture in a house that was to be used for filming the movie, Driving Miss Daisy. Alas, a tree fell on that house before filming was hardly begun and a different house was used. Scott's carefully done furniture hit the cutting room floor. Wouldn't you like to listen to some of the conversations that took place in the presence of these chairs?

Some chairs provide amusing stories and fodder for speculation. One such chair contained a very old handwritten recipe called Oven Pancake for 2. It carried an inscription that said, "The result will leave you popeyed! At least it did Paul." Scott brought the recipe home and the Atkins family cook tried it. The Atkins Boys liked it. Their eyes did almost pop out. The end product climbed high above the edges of the pan and looked sort of like a hat with a very tall brim. It was spectacular and quite unlike any pancake the Atkins family had experienced before. It is especially good with strawberry jam. The Atkins cook discovered that modern ovens do not require as much time.

So, ladies, just in case you want to make someone's eyes pop out at breakfast on Valentines Day, here is one way to do it:

Oven Pancake for 2

Beat 3 eggs with a fork to blend.
Add ½ cup flour slowly, beating well.
Stir in ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ cup milk and 2 tablespoons melted butter.
Grease a 10-inch skillet with a heat proof handle.
Pour batter into the cold skillet and put it into a 450 degree oven. Bake 18 minutes, turn oven to 350 and bake 10 minutes more.

Doesn't this make you wonder who Paul was? Happy Valentines Day from the Atkins Boys.

They Shoulda' Been Italian

The Atkins boys' ancestry is very straightforward.

English on the paternal side – Atkins, Johnson, and Whittington

German and Irish on the maternal side – Ulbrich and McLaughlin

Let it be said that not even a trip to England and Ireland could convince the oldest Atkins boy that he would ever enjoy kidney pie, lamb stew, blood sausage or bangers and mash although he does like fish and chips as well as corned beef and cabbage. He hasn't been to Germany but he does like bratwurst and sauerkraut although he hates caraway seed no matter what it's in.

The middle Atkins boy will not eat any of the above. Forget the fish, forget the chicken, forget the pork, forget just about everything unless it is beef. He does occasionally eat fried chicken if nothing else is available and barbecued pork ribs are always welcome. His definition of vegetable is potatoes or corn on the cob.

The youngest Atkins boy loved everything until he got old enough to discover that his dad didn't like it. He does deserve credit for remaining more open minded on a few things such as pork, chicken occasionally, and certain kinds of fish. His definition of vegetable is slightly more expanded but he doesn't enjoy any of the ancestral food mentioned above.

The one cuisine all of them love is everything Italian although not one drop of Italian blood flows through their veins…………..as far as we know.

Sphagetti and meatballs? Hooray! Lasagna? Even better! All-time favorite? Pizza! Of course.

The lasagna pictured above graced the Atkins Boys' dinner table last Sunday. They don't get it often because the family cook refuses to spend the time required to build it.The recipe came from a lovely Italian woman who lived in Worthington, Ohio, in the 1950s. Her name is Ginny Piecoro. Her secrets to perfect lasagna were to always include a little piece of pork in the sauce and always let the noodles dry a little while after cooking and before adding the sauce. Her definition of perfect lasagna was that it must hold its shape and not have sauce that runs all over the plate. Although we've lost track of Ginny, I know she'd be pleased that her lasagna is an all-time Atkins family favorite recipe. Her lasagna rules have become our lasagna rules. Just look at that perfect square with no runny sauce. Ginny would be proud.

Remembering An Earlier Atkins Boy

Although this blog is about the three younger Atkins boys, there is one very important Atkins boy who needs to be immortalized. That would be Asa Carl Atkins, Sr.

The younger Atkins boys received many of their traits from him. He was quiet, reserved, and very deliberate. In fact, he sometimes deliberated so long before beginning a task that his nickname was Speedy. Before he could start something new, he had to first go through all of the reasons it could not work – something the current oldest Atkins boy also does. This sometimes drives his wife a little bit nuts.

Once something was worked out, however, he never wavered from his task. He is probably the only person to ever hand dig and finish an entire basement under his existing home after recovering from a heart attack at age 64. After that, he dug and finished a 10-foot-deep cistern to provide the first running water they ever had. He could do wiring, plumbing, and just about every other task associated with building. Nothing that he built ever came apart. It was a family joke that he never used anything smaller than a 16-penny nail.

Asa Atkins, Sr., loved puzzles and riddles. Although he had only an elementary school education, he spent hours solving complicated math equations. He liked nothing better than to be able to stump his friends and relatives with questions they could not answer and problems they could not solve. The younger Atkins boys definitely did NOT inherit his love of math!

What we remember long after someone's life has ended is sometimes unexpected. The writer of this blog feels that she was endowed with the highest praise a father-in-law could have given when, during his last illness, he told her parents they had raised a fine daughter. The feeling was mutual – Asa Carl Atkins, Sr., was a fine man. He raised a fine son who raised a fine grandson and now that grandson has raised a fine great-grandson. Asa Carl Atkins, Sr., would be proud of the kind of men they are today – those three Atkins boys who came after him.

The lone female of the family is allowed to say this.

There's A New Girl In Town

Her name is Hannah Oliver.

After twenty-one years of seeming disinterest in all things female (at least as far as his immediate family was concerned), the youngest Atkins boy appeared with a little beauty by his side during the Christmas holidays.

Now grandparents don't want to seem too inquisitive and pushy during that first encounter so no one asked that famous Southern question: "Who are your kin?" In fact, no one even asked her last name.

Little Miss Hannah is a great conversationalist, though, and volunteered the story of how she and Greg met. It seems that her student apartment is across the hall from Greg's student apartment and she was scrubbing the floor one day when he came in. Greg seized the moment, declared that she shouldn't have to do that, and promptly took over the scrubbing chores. Considering that none of us has ever seen Greg scrub anything except his car, this was an earth shattering revelation! It earned him the nickname of "Scrub Boy" from Hannah's grandfather he hadn't met.

A subsequent dinner has turned up the information that, in addition to scrubbing, Hannah cooks (even vegetables), she sews, she's studying to be a teacher, she has written a children's story, she likes Italian food, she is a nanny to one-year-old triplets, and she has to wear a little bit of sparkle somewhere. Oh, and she has a certain blog listed on her internet Favorites.

The most important advice Greg has received from his Atkins elders when it comes to females is to never, ever, ever choose a Southern princess who expects to be waited on hand and foot while sitting on her throne and always expecting more. It seems he has listened.

The preliminary verdict is in: The middle Atkins boy thinks she is not only drop-dead gorgeous but also really nice. The oldest Atkins boy described her as looking like Katie Holmes except prettier. The youngest Atkins boy obviously agrees with all of the above plus more. The lone female of the family thinks Greg chose the perfect girl to be the only one he has ever brought home to meet the Atkins family. We can't wait to get to know her better.

Rat Patrol Update

Several months have passed since Scott's rat patrol adventure. Thinking he was finished with the exhumations, he completely dismantled the infamous back seat. Being a frugal Atkins boy, he rummaged through his fabric remnants, found the perfect gray corduroy, and, voila, the next thing we knew that back seat was as good as new. In fact, it was probably better than new.

The front seat was in much better condition (he thought). Uh oh! Not so fast! Two more skeletons turned up proving, once again, that one can never depend upon being able to reuse anything when one is restoring an old car. Another total rebuild was in store.

Now the middle Atkins Boy is not only frugal; he is also very persistent. After a lot more stuffing than he anticipated and a lot more cutting and sewing, here is the result. So take a look everyone. Is this not a work of art?