I got a letter from my first cousin Tom today. He has been researching the family triggered by a story his late mom (my mother’s sister) told him. My great great great grandmother, Eleni, was sister to Theodoros Kolokatronis and he is my great great great grand uncle. He is known as the George Washington of Greece.

Here is what Wikipedia says about him. Theodoros Kolokotronis (Greek: Θεόδωρος Κολοκοτρώνης; 3 April 1770 – 16 February 1843) was a Greek general and the pre-eminent leader of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829) against the Ottoman Empire.[1][2][3] Kolokotronis's greatest success was the defeat of the Ottoman army under Mahmud Dramali Pasha at the Battle of Dervenakia in 1822.[4] In 1825, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Greek forces in Peloponnese. Today, Kolokotronis ranks among the most prominent figures in Greece's War of Independence.
There’s a lot more and I leave it to you to look at the Wiki page if you are so inclined.

Today, July 27th, is my daughter Laura’s birthday. I sent her a pair of iridescent blue earrings – she tells me she wears a pair of earrings that I gave her every day. I included a glass figurine, a flamingo. And I used United Parcel because I don’t trust the mails anymore. We spoke on the phone this morning as well. Life is good.

Ed is recovering from the triple bypass and is doing well, but he has chronic pain in his leg stemming from the femur repair he had 18 months go. So he isn’t walkng too steadily.

xx, Teal