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July 6th is the 111th anniversary of the birth of Roma Clara Josephine Rasa, my maternal grandmother.  She was born in Florence, Missouri to Fred H. and Lena (Tieman) Rasa.  At her birth her family lived on the main street of the Florence community not far from the crossroads were two stores and the town bank would stand.  She would spend her entire life in that community becoming mother, grandmother, neighbor, friend, confidant, Quilting Grannie, local historian and remarkable cook.

2019 was a great year for me.  It seemed fast and furious with sixteen preservation projects including cemeteries, downtown districts, schools, apartments, banks and business houses. I get excited when I see the history of a place come alive and it helps me to imagine what life was like on this street, in this building or even this cemetery in an era often vastly different from my own.