Catherine Sevenau

Opener of doors, teller of tales, family scribe.

Early Photography

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Tintypes, Cartes de Visite (CdV), Cabinet Cards TINTYPE The advantages of the tintype were threefold: it created an unbreakable, durable, photographic image supported on an iron plate, which could be carried into hazardous conditions such as battle without breaking like the fragile daguerreotype; … [Read more...]

Levi Chatfield & Lovina Mastick

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FAMILY LINE AND HISTORY Levi Tomlinson Chatfield Descends from Isaac, Joel, Elnathan, Ebenezer, John, George 4th of 11 children of Isaac Chatfield and Lucy Tomlinson Born: Aug 28, 1813, Seymour (at Skokorat), New Haven, Connecticut Died: Nov 11, 1848 (age 35), Middlefield, Geauga Co., … [Read more...]

Isaac Chatfield & Lucy Tomlinson

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FAMILY LINE AND HISTORY Isaac Chatfield Descends from Joel, Elnathan, Ebenezer, John, George Chatfield 1st of 7 children of Joel Chatfield & Ruth Stoddard Born: Jan 15, 1787, Derby, New Haven, Connecticut Died: Aug 1, 1861 (age 74), North Ridgeville, Lorain Co., Ohio Buried: Ridgeville Cemetery … [Read more...]

Chatfield Heritage

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FAMILY LINE AND HISTORY OUR CHATFIELD HERITAGE Chatfield: English Literal translation: Field of the wildcat Emigrated: 1639, from North Mundham, The County of  Sussex, England on the ship St. John Settled: In Guilford, Connecticut in Rev. Henry Whitfield’s Company Religion: Church of … [Read more...]

Josiah Appleton Small

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FAMILY LINE AND HISTORY Josiah Appleton Small 2nd of 5 sons of Henry Capen Small & Emma Appleton Chase Occupation: Bookstore owner, Aspen Postmaster, Wood’s Investment Co., commercial banker Born: Sep 15, 1855, Bangor, Penobscot Co., Maine Died: Aug 31, 1940 (age 84), Superior, Pinal Co., … [Read more...]

I Like Kids, Preferably Fried

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Stories for My Grandchildren To Satchel and Temple, with utmost love, Oma August 2019 Sonoma, California by Catherine (Clemens) Sevenau First Grandchild ~ It was a difficult delivery, going from natural childbirth to emergency Cesarean over the course of a two-day labor, and everyone was … [Read more...]

Heaven at Four

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My son ~ When I picked him up from Moon Valley School, I could see he was upset. “Mom, do you know what happens to us when we die?” “Do tell.” “Charlie sang a song about John Henry, and when he died, they buried him in the ground!” “Well, what did you think happens to people after they die? You … [Read more...]

Letting Go

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Dim Sum and a Monopoly Card ~ It took a while but we finally made it to Yank Sing in San Francisco. I told the waitress it was my grandson's 15th birthday and that this was my favorite restaurant and his first time there. After 12 baskets of Dim Sum, she brought him a dessert with a candle. This is … [Read more...]

High Finance

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Surf's Up ~ "Oma, are these yours?" Temple (age 9) asks, checking out the box of Neofins in my garage. "Yes, as a matter of fact, they are," I answer, trying not to sound defensive. With an askance side-eye she says, "You don't seem like the type." "I wore them swimming when I went with Elaina to … [Read more...]

Spreading Wings

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March Forth ~ Whoo boy... birthday ice cream, a book and a check from me, then off to testing at Taekwondo. He has on his backpack, a new 13-year-old birthday tee, and a slight, very slight, mustache. I say, "Hey, come here! Is that hair on your upper lip?" He answers proudly, "Yeah, and I have it … [Read more...]

Birds and Bees

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The Birds and the Bees ~ "Oma, you have to have a man and a woman to make a baby, right?" I think, “Why me, and why now?” My ten-year-old grandson can’t ask me questions like this when we’re alone? He wants to have a sex conversation with Miss Five-Year-Old Big-Ears sitting next to him in … [Read more...]

Just Plain Mean

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Char Girl ~ I had my four-year-old granddaughter for the weekend. We’re making chocolate chip cookies and she begs to take over mixing the butter and flour. “I do it, I do it! Let me, let me!” After getting the cookies in the oven and cleaning up, as there was now batter everywhere, we put a load of … [Read more...]

Princess Imelda

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Big Sur, California ~ Camping is everything I remember, which is a lot of work, kind of grubby, and not particularly comfortable. Other than my grandson having poison oak from stem to stern from his camping trip the week before and Princess Imelda having a meltdown because she had to wear her tennis … [Read more...]

Talk to the Hand

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Different Strokes ~ The grandkids are here most Friday nights. Now that he's older, Satchel sleeps in the downstairs bedroom while Temple still sleeps with me. She wants a Taser for her birthday. Here's the difference between these two... He was three the first time he spent the night (she was not … [Read more...]

Fashion Police

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Righteous Indignation ~ I picked up my granddaughter from school on her third day of kindergarten. “So, how was it?” “Well,” she says, arms akimbo, “they have a lot of rules here.” “Like what?" “You can’t throw rocks, you can't throw the bark, you can’t tear the leaves off the bushes, you can’t … [Read more...]

Casper and Kale

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Casper ~ We’re on the couch watching Casper cartoons on my iPad, and Temple, who's four, says, "Have you noticed that I haven’t pulled on your old skin today?" Little Miss Blue Eyes has this thing about tweaking the flesh on the back of my hand and watching it remain in a wrinkled peak. I said, … [Read more...]

Stage Right

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The Hedonist and the Refugee ~ Satchel was all fun, fun, fun. “Can we go to the movies and to the toy store and bake cookies and play dominoes and can you read me a book and can we draw dragons together and then can we go to the park, can we huh? huh? I ask, “All in the next three hours? He says, … [Read more...]

Conversations With the Boy

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Time Wounds all Heels ~ Satchel doesn't call him Grandpa, he calls him Bob. My ex has our grandson over for a swim and we are tag-teaming having him for the week-end. Bob lives a few blocks away on Garland and the two of them were playing cowboys and Indians—or maybe it was cops and robbers—while … [Read more...]

Inquiring Minds

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First sleepover (age 3) ~ "Oma, do you wear jammies?  "Not always, but for you, I'll wear jammies." As we get tucked into bed, I give him a goodnight peck on the cheek. He side-eyes the leopard print pajamas my friend Kay Grether gave me and says, "Nice jammies!" "Thank you, Satchel. I love … [Read more...]

Angels and Bees

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An Ancient Being ~ It was the day after his birth that I held my grandson for the first time. I remember having this tiny creature cradled in my arm, peering into his dark eyes, thinking he looked nothing like a baby, but more like a wise and ancient being. A week later I brought my stepmother, … [Read more...]

Important Instructions

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Instructions for Satchel ~ Email correspondence regarding my grandson at age 4; Brooke is my daughter-in-law, his mother: (from me) Hi Brooke, I’m leaving today for Carmel and then Southern California and returning this weekend, so I won't be here to keep my usual date with Satchel on Thursday. … [Read more...]

For the Mothers

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ON THIS MOTHER'S DAY To the women (and men) who've mothered me over the years. To those I've mothered, and to those who've shared that mothering with me. To those caring for their elder or infirm mothers, swapping roles. To those who've lost their mother. To those whose mother has lived a long life … [Read more...]

What’s in a Name?

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First grandchild ~ It was a difficult delivery, going from natural childbirth to emergency Cesarean over the course of a two-day labor, and everyone was tremendously relieved when both mother and infant safely made it through the ordeal. Matt calls from the hospital the day after the baby is born. … [Read more...]

Murderers and Fortune Cookies

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A Day in the City ~ Thinking it would be fun, Satchel and I took a day trip to San Francisco’s Chinatown, Ghirardelli Square, and Pier 39, and made it there and back, though barely. Going, we missed the Larkspur Ferry by ten minutes, so we had to wait for the next one. Finally boarding, we … [Read more...]

Small Fry Reveries

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Television ~ "Oma, you don’t have a television," Satchel says to me in surprise. “You’ve known me for four years, and you’ve just noticed?” “Why don’t you like TV?” “I didn’t say I didn’t like TV, I just don’t have one.” “Did you ever?” “Of course. I had one when your dad and Jon were growing up, … [Read more...]