Musically (or Otherwise) Inclined

Often families share traits or talents that may include creativity, logical thinking, type of humor, mannerisms, and even musical inclination. 

Four of my dad’s uncles had a small band, my uncle played the organ, my dad played the steel guitar, my niece and daughter played the flute, my son played the trombone, and my uncle (Glen Johnson Jr.) played the Sousaphone (first person in the Ohio State Band to dot the “i” in the Ohio Script!).  I’ve tried to play the keyboard (I’m not coordinated enough to play with both hands!) and the guitar (guess I need to play through the pain, calluses and hand stretching!).

My children have beautiful voices, my dad always was singing, two of my first cousins sang – one professionally in Las Vegas.  I can not for the life of me carry a tune!  That didn’t stop me from being in my 9th grade choir.  I was just a tiny little voice of 200!  Or my church’s choir while I was growing up.  The director didn’t care much as long as there was a warm body there!  My children have politely and not so politely asked me to NOT sing anymore!

My dad is a prolific writer of poetry and so am I.  Two of my daughter’s have also enjoyed writing poetry. 

My mom was in Toastmasters years ago and I love to give speeches.  None of my children have issues with getting up in front of people to talk.  I think we all like an audience.

What traits or similarities have you discovered within your family tree?

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Inherited Traits

I’m a little late for the latest Carnival of Genealogy (CoG) at Creative Gene (see link at the right), but I wanted to add my 2 cents.  The theme was Inherited Traits or Genes.  Most everyone on my paternal side has brown hair – which is probably where I got it.  My maternal side has either brown or black hair.  Now the brown hair has differing degrees.  Some are light-headed brunettes, some of us have some red in their hair and my dad’s mother was auburn haired – as is my niece.  The blue eyes came from just about everyone on both sides except my mom – she has hazel eyes and her father had dark eyes.  Her mom had blue eyes and so does my dad’s side of the family.  When I was very young, everyone asked me where I got my blue eyes from.  They were that dark, sapphire color of blue.  As I’ve grown older, they are more of a sky blue.  My son and oldest daughter have bright blue eyes.  All four of my children were born with beautiful dark blue eyes.  The other two now have hazel eyes (switches from green to amber to brown) and green eyes. 

My creative genes I get from both parents.  My dad is a poet and amateur musician and my mother is very creative at needlework and sewing.  I can’t sew a straight line (although I’ve tried) but I can do cross stitch and needlepoint.  I have tons of poetry that I’ve written.  I think instead of doing lots of needlework I’ve been able to transfer that to graphic arts in laying out scrapbook pages, and working for a printer and a marketing department in paste-up.  I never figured out where my “theater” gene came from until a few years ago when I came across a picture of a play my mother was in when she was in high school.  I asked her why she never told me she liked to act in plays.  It was “oh, I don’t know”.  My mother was an avid sports player – she played basketball in high school and liked to golf.  She watches all sports on television – golf, baseball, basketball and college football.  I can never see a golf game and be very happy.  Many years ago my husband picked up the sport as a way to stay connected to people he was working with so I became a little familiar with it.  I like to watch a game of baseball if I am actually in the stands.  Saw a lot of Cincy Reds game growing up and had a great time.  I’ll watch pro-football every Sunday during the season (or Thursday, Friday or Saturday).  Not so much college unless Ohio and Michigan are playing!  The only basketball game I enjoyed watching was the very last game of my senior year in high school when I actually went to the game – hoping our team would qualify for the finals (they didn’t win).  As far as playing sports myself, I loved to play volleyball; was on a swim team in elementary school; and I like to bowl.  Flirted with the idea of trying out for the soccer team when I was in high school – that was before “selective” sports and the idea that if you hadn’t been playing it since you were able to walk, then you couldn’t play at all.  My dad really isn’t a sports junkie.  Both my parents cooked – in fact my dad used to bake eons ago – he still might, I don’t know.  It took me awhile to get the hang of cooking without a recipe.  First I had to get past the “too picky to eat anything that is mixed together” people.  For a long time as a young adult and when my children were very small, I couldn’t even think about making a casserole that might have a vegetable in it – hence, I was a pretty lousy cook because I decided I could care less!  Once I met someone who actually enjoyed my cooking and told me what a good cook I was, then meal time didn’t seem like a chore anymore. 

I’m sure there are a lot of other “traits” that I’ve inherited through the generations and I’m quite pleased with the ones I do have.  Go to http://creativegene.blogspot.com to read about other folks’ perception on their inherited traits.

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