Hello world!

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have the faintest idea as to what I’m doing as far as writing a blog. I have no delusions of finding fame and fortune in writing so, what the hell, lets just give it a go! My name is Linda and I am The Dust Bowl Woman. No, I’m not a historian nor did I actually live through the Dust Bowl (I admit to being a little old lady but I’m not quite that ancient!) but I do come from a long line of women who survived not only the infamous drought but dozens of unique challenges and hardships throughout their lives as well. You will not find great wealth or fame or lives of luxury in my family tree. You will instead find poor immigrants who crossed the Atlantic, first in sailing ships and later in ships powered by steam, leaving their homes and families and native countries to take a risk of building a better life in American west. Their strength and courage and tenacity have always fascinated me and as I’ve grown older, I find myself turning to their wisdom and example. In researching their lives, I’ve developed a deep emotional connection to a few of my grandmothers and great-grandmothers and wish that I could have known them personally.

This blog is my tribute to their collective memories and DNA, keeping their names and histories alive. It is also a way for me to share and preserve my own experiences as I find myself starting a new chapter in my life. I met the love of my life 30 years ago. We married, we combined families, we raised kids and became grandparents and our hearts were full…until recently…when I became a widow. It wasn’t a surprise by any means. My husband, a combat veteran, had been declining in health for years as a result of exposure to Agent Orange. He fought and he tried but the diseases that plagued for years finally him took him this past June. Prepared as I thought I was, losing him has left me stunned, wondering what do I do and where do I go from here? This is my journey as I try to find my new “normal” and figure out who I really am. Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair and join me as I try to muddle through this new life. I can’t promise it will always be pretty and I may go way off the rails every now and then but I can assure you that I’ll do my best to be my best always. And, who knows, maybe someday in the distant future one of my descendants will be intrigued by stories they’ll hear about me and through this little, insignificant page of the World Wide Web, get to truly know me as well.