Wait a minute! TKU-100? Yes, the first issue (1) in the year 2000 (00) - so Happy New Year, all!
Happy New Millennium, NOT!

Of course, while I always knew that the 20th Century doesn’t end until the end of the year 2000, someone else put it into very succinct terms:

When DOES the New MMI-llennium Begin?

Dateline: Kal Ian MM (January 1, 2000)

Today?

Nope.

A year from today.

I simply do not see what all the fuss is about. I have read all the theories, and there really do not seem to be any grounds for argument. The counting actually did not begin with the birth of Christ. In fact, the numbering didn't begin until some 500 years AFTER what is now known as "Year One." Thanks to Dennis the Menace. And even then, the counting was retroactive by approximately 525 years. But since we are now in the 2000th year from the "fabricated" start of the count….

IF the numbering HAD begun with the birth of Christ, then there would be true reason to bring Him into it . But it did not. So just for the moment, let's leave Christ out of the scenario.

IF the numbering had begun with the founding of The City, then there would be true reason to bring Rome into the picture. But it did not.

IF the numbering had begun with the fall of the Empire, then…. But it did not.

You see, there was no "Year Zero" during the life of Dionysius Exiguus, who was hired by Pope John I to formulate a "time line." "Zero" was a foreign concept not introduced to Europe from the Arab world until much later. Until Dionysius' attempt at chronology (section 2.10), Europe marked time by a Diocletian calendar, so named for an outrageous persecutor of Christians, the Emperor of Rome (c 243-316).

It actually all started with AD 1 -- an arbitrary date in history. Between AD 1 and AD 2000, only 1999 years have passed. It will be AD 2001 before the 2000th year is completed. So that puts the start of the third millennium at January 1, 2001. I base my reasoning on the "pure" definition of "millennium" - not on the religious definition. If I were to base my logic on the latter, then the party, the drinking, and the fireworks would have been over several years ago.

Plural: millennia Etymology: Latin, from Latin mille=one thousand + Latin annus=year (a) A period of 1000 years (b) a 1000th anniversary or its celebration

Let's look at it another way - in centuries:

A person who was born on January 1, 1901 will not be 100 years old until the first of January, 2001. Likewise, the Giant Redwood that was planted on January 1, 1001, will not be 1000 years old until January 1, 2001. So put away the party hats and change those reservations! Suppose they gave the party and nobody came?

So, Family, that out of the way, lets talk about more cogent things than the Y2K non-event! In this issue of The Keidel Update, we actually have a lot of contributions from readers - as it should be. Let me be the first to sum up the past year. The most important thing of the last year, nay, the last decade, was the acquisition of our OWN home. Of course you are all familiar with my trials and tribulations leading up to that event from the past few issues of TKU.

At this writing, we are still not all unpacked yet. The library looks like a storage room and I am working at my computer on a small desk set up in the living room. A lot of my files are on Willy’s computer in his room, so I have to run back and forth with a diskette a lot, transferring files from one to the other. One of our main obstacles, besides the "boxed in" library, is the fact that the phone jack in the library is inoperable, so I cannot set up my computer there, yet! That’s where my computer desk is and where I plan to do all my serious computing . The other obstacle in our lives is that Ha-Yo and Armin still haven’t made the transfer to New York! They have moved to an inexpensive apartment in Leominster, MA, and hope to be able to afford staying there. Armin is the main catalyst for this action! He is absolutely loath to leave HIS high school and the Varsity wrestling team of which he is a member. This requires residency in Leominster, and since Armin is only 16, he cannot legally stay by himself! Armin and Ha-Yo have not even visited the new house yet! I know that once they do, they will not want to leave! Another snag I’ve hit is that the banks won’t loan me any money to replace my aging, rapidly rusting, 1986 Chevy Celebrity station wagon. It’s ironic that now, when I can actually afford the payments, the banks deem me a credit risk because of our bankruptcy about five years ago. Gee, the VA saw fit to guarantee my mortgage for the house, but the banks won’t loan me the money for a USED car to replace my Celebrity! Well, enough grousing! Some of you have noticed that I don’t have the American Legion link up anymore. No longer the Commander of Nabnassett Post 437 in Westford, MA, there is no reason for me to continue reporting on that Post. I have transferred my A. L. membership to Post 183 in Sidney, NY. I am very content to just be a member for a while!

This came from David and Robin Keidel of the S-Branch in New Jersey; I must assume that this is a picture of their recently built log house.

Dear Family and Friends----

As we enter the year 2000, our reflections of the past year have been nothing short of crazy. Since our last Christmas/Hanukah, we have been involved in new adventures. At the start of the New Year, Dave was elected as Second Rescue Lieutenant for his Volunteer Fire Department. Robin has been active in the Marcella Fire Department Auxiliary.

This past summer, Dave, Jason & Alyssa returned to camp. Dave, again, drove one of the camp busses and taught climbing/rappelling skills to the campers. Another fun filled summer was had by all. Alyssa went to camp for the second year. She seemed to enjoy it better than the first year there. In August, we took a family vacation to Ohio to visit Dave’s family. While there, we tried to catch up with as many friends and family as we could.

Robin was still working very hard as Chef-Manager for an up-scale Corporate Café. She’s always looking for something better though. Dave is in his 15th year of teaching. In addition this year, he is elected Treasurer of the Teacher’s Association.

In September, Jason started 5th Grade. He seems to enjoy school and has done very well in all his studies. He continues to play the saxophone. His music teacher asked him if he’d switch to the Tenor Sax, so he’s trying that out for this year. We spent a lot of time after school started , with soccer practices and games, but all has quieted down for the short while. It will all begin again in the Spring.

Alyssa just celebrated her 5th Birthday. She is more beautiful and fun every day. One thing she enjoys is talking. She’s a "big girl" now, but still very petite. 40½ inches tall and just over 30 pounds. She talks about being ready for Kindergarten next year. We’re glad, because of her October birthday, that she has the additional year to get ready.

Thanksgiving was spent in Ohio. Sorry if we missed you. The weekend was too short. Christmas Holidays will be spent in Florida with Robin’s parents. A lot of people to catch up with since our last visit. If we don’y see or hear from you this season, please have a safe, healthy and very Happy New Year. If you’re ever in the area, don’t hesitate to give us a holler … we’d love to hear from you.

You can e-mail us at loghouse@nac.net or ICQ # 19366641

This came from Levi O. Keidel, R-Branch in Indiana, whose book you see pictured above. He is a relatively prolific author and has penned a good number of books, as has his wife Eudene. His address and phone number are available by request.

Dear friends,

1999 has been a fairly eventful year. We are both a lot older. As you notice by the address, we have changed our place of residence. We have moved from Ft. Wayne 18 miles north to The Cedars, a retirement home. We’re on the edge of the small town of Leo, where we will watch the snow fly, when it comes. No, we have not entered the home. We purchased for ourselves a duplex and moved here by U-Haul truck Nov. 20. We live adjacent to the retirement home, making it handy to take a main meal there when we so choose. It takes about 20 min. to drive to our church from here. We are beginning to enjoy it.

We plan to be with our son Perry in Florida from mid-January to mid-March. We plan to go by Pioneer Bus, a company that plans a couple of trips a week from Middlebury, IN to Sarasota, FL. The passengers are primarily Amish. The bus has two drivers who take it straight through, making it an 18-hour ordeal.

Our son Paul is in France, serving as District Superintendent of the Alliance missionaries there. Priscilla holds down a part-time job. Perry is an encyphylograph (brain wave) technician. Ruth supervises a clinic for the poor, in addition to mothering her four children.

Our grandkids are making their marks for various reasons. Emily, Priscilla’s daughter. Got he highest marks in her high school class of 425. David, her son, is studying at Wooster College in Ohio and decided to take a semester of studies in Scotland. Priscilla and her family will be spending Christmas with us here.

That’s all the news from our house. Have a merry Holiday Season.

Sincerely, Levi Keidel

In the last Update, I mentioned cousin Charles’ scuba-diving enterprise in Venezuela.

Cousin Carlos' Venezuelan Scuba-Diving Enterprise I worried about them a lot when I heard about the disastrous mud slides which killed scores of thousands and buried whole villages. I made a phone call to first cousin Gerd Huber in California. Gerd is Charles’ father and reassured me that his son’s "Las Palmitas" resort was quite safe. The mud slides were many, many miles away and he has no threatening slide-prone hills behind or around his little paradise. Check out his website and plan to travel on a GREAT vacation!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Jerry and Janelle Keidel in Michigan and Wilfried & Irmgard Keidel in Seifertshausen

This is also the month my father Wilhelm Heinrich Keidel was born in Varel, Germany. Here he is at an early age with his little sister Antonie, mother of my cousin Gerd and his siblings.