.CREATE YOUR LEGACY

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Backup Gratitude & Fridgescaping

By Hazel Thornton | June 30, 2024 |

What are you always grateful for, if nothing else? My friend Jane and I have been complaining to one another for over 50 years. But we also count our blessings. And sometimes, when things look bleak, and we can’t think of anything current to be grateful for, we have certain reliable backups, like each other…

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Who will take care of us when we’re old?

By Hazel Thornton | June 16, 2024 |

Have you ever asked yourself: Who will take care of me when I’m old? Do you assume it will be your kids? (Which kids?) Do your kids also assume it will be them? Is that really what you all want? Do you even have kids? And what all is included in “taking care of you”,…

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The AI Gold Rush

By Hazel Thornton | May 14, 2024 |

The storm clouds are clearing. (It’s a reference to my previous post, The rainbow after the storm.) I’ve been able to start spending less time doing what I have to do, and more time doing what I want to do. And what I want to do is to continue my genealogy research, write more stories…

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Witches in the Family

By Hazel Thornton | February 16, 2024 |

Yikes! Witches? Really? Well, suspected and accused in court, yes! Convicted and hanged, thankfully not! . The Connecticut Witch Trials You’ve no doubt heard about the Salem Witch Trials in 1692-3 Massachusetts. But what about the Connecticut Witch Trials that predated them by 30 years? Yeah, me neither. The Salem trials were more numerous and…

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Do I Practice What I Preach? (Habits, Maintenance, and Backsliding)

By Hazel Thornton | January 15, 2024 |

Dear Readers: I hope you enjoy this refreshed post from 2016.   I was helping a long-time virtual coaching client with email maintenance, teaching her about Inbox Zero, and I admitted that mine was currently more like Inbox 200. In fact, as I continued to say, I don’t do anything (maintenance-wise)  every day. She was…

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Storytelling

Storytelling Made Easy — Prompts & Challenges

By Hazel Thornton | December 28, 2023 |

I always get excited as the year comes to a close. What will the New Year bring? Sometimes it brings fun challenges like the ones I have gathered here for your consideration. Is this the year you will start telling the stories of your photos, family, and things? If you’ve read my book, What’s a…

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Are your Passwords strong enough?

By Hazel Thornton | March 28, 2023 |

    If you’re still using the LastPass password manager after their system was hacked, you’re not alone. I am too. For now. And if you’ve recently switched, or have never used a password manager, THIS ARTICLE IS FOR YOU, TOO!        

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How NOT to save your photos or donate books

By Hazel Thornton | March 26, 2023 |

Have you ever hidden anything in a book? Maybe used a photo as a bookmark? I don’t recommend it as a way to save your photos! Here’s why: I volunteer weekly for my local Friends of the Library. We price and sort donated books for our monthly used book sales (at which I also run…

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Selecting a Family Tree Template

By Hazel Thornton | February 19, 2023 |

Family tree templates can come in handy even if you’re not a genealogist. For example, many of the professional photo managers I know use them to help with organizing photos by family and by date. They also come in handy for medical, historical, relationship, inheritance, and land ownership purposes. Some saga-writing authors even use them…

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The holidays are for sharing family photos and stories

By Hazel Thornton | November 21, 2022 |

When do “the holidays” begin and end for you? For me, they start with Thanksgiving and end on January 1st. Halloween serves as a heads-up: The holidays are coming! No matter what holidays you celebrate, if you are lucky enough to have a family that enjoys getting together (in person or virtually), it’s the perfect…

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Hazel's Books

Book cover: What's a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy

What’s a Photo Without the Story? How to Create Your Family Legacy

Cover of "Go With the Flow! (The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook)"

Go With the Flow! (The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook)

Cover of "Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror"

Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror

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