Hi neighbors. Does everyone have umbrellas? It is the time for our May showers.

It's been a busy week for most people in Nevada, the same as most weeks for many of them. The school year is winding to a close and some people are planning their vacations. Older students are looking for summer jobs and younger ones are looking for summer activities and sports to get involved with.

Everyone wants to do things in the summer that they couldn't do in the winter. Guess that's why they have spring cleaning.

In the older days families could bring out their straw mattresses and let them air out. Hang their rugs out and give them a good beating to remove dirt and whatever else accumulated in them during winter.

People used to have a closer connection to bugs of all types then they do now. Although the bugs probably enjoyed the cohabitation, most people did not.

Having never slept on a strawtick mattress, I've never had the pleasure of fleas, mites or bed bugs sharing my sleeping quarters -- and I do NOT want that experience. It's amazing that people survived at all to reach the 20th century.

Not that we don't have our own pests, parasites and plagues, but they don't intrude into the majority of people's lives on a daily basis.

How many of you have your copy of the Nevada & Vernon County's Heritage 1855-2005 "Pass It On" two volume set? If you haven't purchased one yet they are still available at the Bushwhacker Museum and are certainly worth the money. The books feature articles about both historic and contemporary events, businesses, churches, schools and families in Vernon County.

History books are like maps. Some times you have to have a map to see where you are and how the world expands from your point of view.

Reviewing history helps us get a grip on where we are and how the world opens out around us. History isn't just a straight-line view from the hill of "you are here." It's more like standing at the apex of a very large pyramid that opens up before you as deep as it is wide -- absolutely packed full of people living in places people still live in today.

Historic timelines are useful at times, but they give people the idea history and time are linear events that follow each other along a narrow path.

The true concept of history is realizing it is better represented on a grid than a line because events were happening at all places at all times.

One of the fun things about genealogy is having the overview of our ancestors lives. It fascinates me to realize that while the Randolph family moved from Kentucky to start living their lives in Scott County, Tenn., the Smith family was next door in Morgan County, Tenn. Meanwhile the Campbell family was migrating from Virginia to Roane County, Tenn. The Carrolls were settling in Indiana and meeting up with their Nickels family neighbors. Eventually they all ended up in Missouri at least long enough to meet and marry and then sometimes move on to other states including Kansas, Ohio, Nebraska, Iowa, Florida and others.

Seeing how and when all these strands of ancestors meet and tie their destinies into one large web is an extremely exciting puzzle to me. And of course there I am, in the center of the web holding my flashing "you are here" sign.

The Tri-County Genealogical Society had a great meeting Saturday. We helped prepare very old court documents for microfilming. It made me wonder what will future genealogists do if we ever truly become a paperless society.

I hope all of you know to make printed copies of any valuable information you have on your computers. Computers may be infallible some day in the far future, but for now there is the chance of not only computer failure but human error as well. Between the two a lot of important information could be lost.

All in all I enjoy my computer though and rely on it a great deal for everything from addresses to appointments.

Until the next time friends remember; we all live in the here and now inside our own circle of people, places and activities. Still, it's a good thing to get a larger view of the entire present world and of its history. The world's history is your history -- and the future of both will be determined by your recognition of that connection.