Counting On - Season 4, part 4 - Where Time Isn't Linear and Everyone Is a Relative

[Sky with diamonds]

On 11/14/2017 at 9:24 AM, MoonFace said:

Well, that will be difficult (keeping things under wraps) because they will still be out in public and people who see them will be posting on their own social media and places like FJ.   

 

But I can see JB having a family gathering and suggesting  mandating , "Y'all need to cover up your baby bumps upcoming blessings.  Mama will buy a couple cases of pregnancy tests so no one sees you picking them up and speculate about who is knocked up  expecting a new blessing.    No unmarried child in this family will be seen in public with a member of the opposite jender who is not a blood relative to avoid speculation about courtships.   "

Mama has pregnancy kits left over since Jim Bob and Michelle were making babies.

[neurogirl]

Chiming in to say my German-in-heritage family has always done find the pickle as well! Didn't know it was unheard of in Germany.

The discussion earlier in this thread of forgotten Josiah reminded me of Home Alone. And then I realized the Duggars probably have never seen Home Alone- I mean...where was Macaulay Culkin's accounta-buddy????? And who was going to shout Nike as he walked through town? That's a dangerous movie there folks. 

[Rachel333]

On 11/14/2017 at 6:59 PM, Lurker said:

Some immigrants seem to romantice and fetishize the things they left behind.

I've noticed that in my family too. My dad's family is Dutch-American and they are really into being Dutch. "If you ain't Dutch you ain't much." The earliest immigrants came to the US in the mid-19th century but they settled in areas with other Dutch people, kept speaking Dutch, and kept marrying other Dutch people. My dad was the first in his line to marry a non-Dutch woman and that actually kind of bothered his parents. I always felt kind of inferior for being only half-Dutch, but it helped that despite my "mixed blood" I'm apparently one of the most Dutch-looking people in my family. (According to my grandmother, the only physical feature I get from my mom is the area between my nose and upper lip. )

I did a DNA test last year and the results came back as 0% Dutch, which was definitely a mistake (it said I was about 90% Western European, but the breakdown of that was incorrect, which isn't a big deal since I wouldn't expect it to be perfectly sensitive to those subtle differences), but my dad really enjoyed telling my grandmother about those results. She was outraged. 

[singsingsing]

1 hour ago, Rachel333 said:

I did a DNA test last year and the results came back as 0% Dutch, which was definitely a mistake (it said I was about 90% Western European, but the breakdown of that was incorrect, which isn't a big deal since I wouldn't expect it to be perfectly sensitive to those subtle differences), but my dad really enjoyed telling my grandmother about those results. She was outraged. 

Was Dutch one of the categories, though? DNA tests aren't really sensitive enough to have a 'Dutch' category. Maybe 'Dutch and German' or something similar, but it would still be really broad and highly prone to error. I know that you know this, you basically said it yourself - just throwing it out there to the universe and anyone contemplating the intricacies of DNA testing.

I have German ancestors who mysteriously became 'Dutch' about a century ago on the Canadian census. Can't imagine why that happened... /s

[WiseGirl]

In other riveting news, In Touch has an article about what the Duggars do all day.  A whole lot of nothing it seems....

I can tell them grifting is a certain son-in-law's "job."

[SassyPants]

11 minutes ago, WiseGirl said:

In other riveting news, In Touch has an article about what the Duggars do all day.  A whole lot of nothing it seems....

I can tell them grifting is a certain son-in-law's "job."

In this case, In Touch is spot on accurate!

[Rachel333]

5 hours ago, singsingsing said:

Was Dutch one of the categories, though? DNA tests aren't really sensitive enough to have a 'Dutch' category. Maybe 'Dutch and German' or something similar, but it would still be really broad and highly prone to error. I know that you know this, you basically said it yourself - just throwing it out there to the universe and anyone contemplating the intricacies of DNA testing.

I have German ancestors who mysteriously became 'Dutch' about a century ago on the Canadian census. Can't imagine why that happened... /s

I'm not sure what "Dutch" would look like ("Dutch and German" would make sense), but the breakdown for Western Europe was:

I know that's incorrect, but yeah, I don't think it's a big deal that it wasn't perfectly sensitive. I've actually talked to some other people about my results and they insisted that the results must be accurate and maybe my dad isn't really my biological father. I'm pretty darn sure that's not the case, given that I look just like him, and while him being adopted could explain it, he looks too much like his parents and siblings to think that's likely. The simplest explanation is that the test just isn't sensitive to the subtle differences in Western European genes, but I've been surprised to find out how seriously people take these tests. 

[singsingsing]

38 minutes ago, Rachel333 said:

I know that's incorrect, but yeah, I don't think it's a big deal that it wasn't perfectly sensitive. I've actually talked to some other people about my results and they insisted that the results must be accurate and maybe my dad isn't really my biological father. I'm pretty darn sure that's not the case, given that I look just like him, and while him being adopted could explain it, he looks too much like his parents and siblings to think that's likely. The simplest explanation is that the test just isn't sensitive to the subtle differences in Western European genes, but I've been surprised to find out how seriously people take these tests. 

OMG, seriously. Do NOT listen to those people.  I'm a big fan of DNA testing, and it can be really useful from a genealogical standpoint, but that's a perfect example of how it can be misused and abused. Questioning your paternity might be something to consider if you got a test result that was like '52% South Asian' and both of your parents were supposed to be Irish - even then I'd retest with a different company or something before jumping to that conclusion. 89% British when you were expecting German is not evidence of mistaken paternity. Arrrrrgh! 

Again. You know this. I'm ranting to the universe!

[nolongerIFBx]

On 11/17/2017 at 2:25 AM, BlessingsVonFundiePants said:

Forging Men. Forging Leaders (...Forging Money?) The tag lines you get when your marketing team was homeschooled. 

forge: to form or make, especially by concentrated effort. They are alluding to Job 23:10/1 Peter 1:7/etc. that refer to God trying (forging) us. But then , I was home schooled so it makes perfect sense to me!

[cascarones]

Since @singsingsing already did the rant and DNA tests keep popping up all around different threads, here's a link about the different ones and holiday deals on them: https://dnabargains.com/dna-test-buy-black-friday/

It seems a few will be on sale, there's better ones for British ancestry and other specific needs if anyone is thinking of giving them as gifts!

 

[SapphireSlytherin]

36 minutes ago, cascarones said:

if anyone is thinking of giving them as gifts!

And think LONG AND HARD before you do purchase them as gifts... because closet skeletons and family secrets are a thing in many groups. 

[victoriasponge]

15 hours ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

And think LONG AND HARD before you do purchase them as gifts... because closet skeletons and family secrets are a thing in many groups. 

Or it could just be really boring. One of my friends was surprised her family got 90% Britain & Ireland... in England. I know mine would be close to 100% British and Irish, I've gone back 7 generations and there's nothing outside Grimsby, London and Limerick, as far as I can tell anyway. Might buy one someday anyway.

They can be worth it, and I guess for Americans it's more likely there's different countries represented since it's more of a mixing pot, but the price can be quite steep if it's not something the individual is definitely interested in. (My housemate is getting one for her mum because she wants one, we'll see if there's any more variety there)

[singsingsing]

A DNA test would be a great gift for someone who has asked for one, or expressed enthusiastic interest in taking one. Not a good surprise gift. And everyone even considering it should do their research and be aware of the limitations, pitfalls, and potential surprises (good and bad) that can result from DNA testing.

[Bad Wolf]

We got a DNA kit for our dog as a Christmas gift one year.

[HurricaneBells]

Well they are part of the family too right! :). What kind of results did you get? Was he claiming to be a Chihuahua when he was really a fox terrier? LOL now i want to do this because i have a rescue and nobody can agree on the mixed breed!

[Bad Wolf]

She is mostly cocker, with some jindu, and then many other breeds. She's a rescue,  was returned to the pound twice. We've had her for 8 years now.

[JMO]

2 hours ago, Bad Wolf said:

She is mostly cocker, with some jindu, and then many other breeds. She's a rescue,  was returned to the pound twice. We've had her for 8 years now.

When I was growing up my dad got a rescue that had been returned twice to the pound.  I still don't know why he picked her.  She was returned for biting.  She was the sweetest, most obedient, gentlest dog.  Unless you were a middle aged woman with short blond or red hair.  Then she'd attack.  We were pretty sure that she must have been beaten by a previous owner and would just bite anyone that looked like her.  Luckily my family is all brunettes. 

[SamiKatz]

1 hour ago, JMO said:

When I was growing up my dad got a rescue that had been returned twice to the pound.  I still don't know why he picked her.  She was returned for biting.  She was the sweetest, most obedient, gentlest dog.  Unless you were a middle aged woman with short blond or red hair.  Then she'd attack.  We were pretty sure that she must have been beaten by a previous owner and would just bite anyone that looked like her.  Luckily my family is all brunettes. 

My sister had a husky/samoyd mix rescue dog (size of a husky but looked like a samoyd), who had been a guard dog in a cannery and hated men (probably for the obvious reason).  Which made it a lot of fun when I moved out west (from Ontario to Alberta) via the train and took her with me.  Three days in the baggage car for her.  The baggage guys were really great and let me go back and hang out with her, take her for walks, feed her and give her water, but they all wanted to help me lift her on and off the train and she just wasn't having it (she probably weight 70 lbs or so).

Having her with me also led to an interesting moment when I got to Banff, AB, and my sister and her husband were about four hours late picking me up, so I sat in the train station at Banff, (which is a beautiful location), looking up at the Banff Springs Hotel, saying to myself "if they are not here in a hour, I will start to panic".  Good times, lol.

 

[sabeek]

I did a DNA test for my dog, too! Picture is in the first spoiler. Results are in the 2nd. He's a rescue that they labeled as a "lab mix". 
 

Spoiler

Spoiler

Parent 1: 100% SIberian Husky
Parent 2: 50% Australian cattle dog and 50% lab

 

 

 

[SassyPants]

1 hour ago, JMO said:

When I was growing up my dad got a rescue that had been returned twice to the pound.  I still don't know why he picked her.  She was returned for biting.  She was the sweetest, most obedient, gentlest dog.  Unless you were a middle aged woman with short blond or red hair.  Then she'd attack.  We were pretty sure that she must have been beaten by a previous owner and would just bite anyone that looked like her.  Luckily my family is all brunettes. 

OMG, we experienced the same, except the target was men, all men. We ended up having to put him to sleep because despite therapy, he kept doing it and became a liability. He was the cutest damn dog too- looked so innocent. 

[SapphireSlytherin]

@sabeek -What a beautiful dog. I have to ask, though - is his energy level through the roof ALL THE TIME?!?! lol

[Shadoewolf]

On firat look at the pic I figured him as a lab/Aussie mix, so I got parent #2 dead on. Never have guessed husky. But oooo all high energy breeds, one high prey drive and one with wicked herding instinct, he's gotta be a handful! A cute one!

[TheMustardCardigan]

I got my mom the dog DNA kit last Christmas for our new rescue dog! Turns out he is Chihuahua, Miniature Pinscher, Jack Russell, and Dachshund.  

[MoonFace]

19 hours ago, Bad Wolf said:

We got a DNA kit for our dog as a Christmas gift one year.

Did the dog enjoy it?   

[eveandadam]

I don't know if we have already begun with Duggar predictions for 2018. But the big questions for 2018 will be:

1. Will Kendra be a teenage mother? (or will she miss it by a few weeks?)

2. will Jessa have her third child? and maybe even twins?

3. Will Joy have twins?

4. Is Josiah/Jeremiah/Jedediah in a courtship?

5. Will Jana open a business?

6. Will Josh and/or Derick be on the show?

7. Will Jinger get pregnant?