Fear the Reaper

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Originally uploaded by Xose.

You may be reminded of Joe's rugged good looks by the hard-core, scythe wielding tough guy in this photo. That's due to family resemblance.

You see, dear reader, this Old Country badass is none other than my great-great-grandfather, José G.

He emigrated from Castrillón, Asturies (in northern Spain) to work as a foreman in a zinc smelter in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He dragged his wife, daughter (my great-grandmother Tomasa G A de V), and other kids along for the ride, and that's where my great-grandparents met. The rest, as they say, is history.

After getting his fill of the U.S.A., he and Dionesia, my great-great grandmother, returned to Spain, bought a farm in Lluanco, Asturies, and lived out the rest of their days. Obviously, my great-grandmother Tomasa stayed in the U.S.

The moral of this story: whenever you think your work sucks, remember that your lazy ass could be melting in a giant metallurgy works instead of surfing this blog. Thank your stars that your ancestors did the dirty work so you don't have to....