We are coming up on another New Year, Two-thousand and eleven! What is in store for us this year? We always hope for peace on Earth but for the most part we pretty much continue doing what we've been doing. Yes, I know we make resolutions but the resolutions are mostly self serving and frequently are abandoned after the first week or so. Predictable things like dieting, stopping smoking, not drinking to excess,spending less on frivolous things, saving money and the list goes on.
We should be resolving to be kinder to each other, to be tolerant of the people around us that are not like us, to LISTEN to the people we come in contact with each day. We need to try to understand other people. What makes them think the way they do. We can always learn something from everyone we meet, even if it's just that we don't want to be like them.
We should make an effort to discourage this trend of "name calling" that goes on around us every day. Why does everone have to have a 'tag'? If you read the letters to the editor each day you will see that almost every letter writer engages in name calling. ie: "your Liberal, Communist, Socialist, news paper..." "the Conservative, mean spirited, party of No.." " the Liberal, anything goes party ..." Aren't they all talking about their fellow Americans? If you are a patriotic American citizen you will benefit most by trying to get things done that benefit all of us whether we are Democrat, Republican,or Independent.
Make a New Years's resolution that we will try to tone down our criticism of each other and spend more time trying to understand one another. Spend more time trying to assist the poor, the lonely, ease the pain of the suffering. See if you can spend one day without making a negative statement about someone or something. (You might want to wait till the UofL/Kentucky game is over to start your resolution.) Happy New Year!Ciao
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
End of an Era
My first memories are of our family home on Tibbets Ave. Mart and I shared a bedroom and across the hall Joe and Paul shared a room. Our room had a brass bed, we shared that and also shared the big oak dresser that I still have, we shared a closet, a cedar chest (that was really our mother's hope chest given to her by my dad before they were married), and we shared a dressing table that we had purchased with baby sitting money. It was unfinished and under the critical eye of our dad we finished it. He was a perfectionist and insisted that we keep sanding until it was flawless.It finally passed muster, barely, and ours to share in our room.
Mart was three and a half years older than I so she was the alpha sister! She enjoyed playing with paper dolls and since we couldn't afford store bought dolls she cut the pictures of her "people" out of Sear's and Montegomery-Ward catalogues. She named all of her "people" and placed them around the room, usually on the window sills and provided a life for them. They did things like, going to work, to school,to dances, etc. while we were occupied with our parellel lives.
I was never too big on these 'fake' families but they were my room mates and I adjusted to them. We did move to other houses but I was still Mart's room mate and never even considered any other way of life. We had our differences now and then but being the Alpha sister, she usually won out. When we had words, so to speak, I never got to use mine.
We couldn't very well share clothes because she was about seven inches taller than I and I had to wait to grow into her clothes. I never did get as tall as she so her things had to be altered to fit me. Our shoe sizes were not even close so we couldn't share shoes either.
We moved a few times but still shared our room. I am an auditory learner and Mart probably was too. She studied aloud every night in our room. I could not help but listen, I had no intention of learning all that she did but apparently I absorbed it while doing other things on my own. I would find that when it came time for me to study these same subjects I already know them or could scan the chapters and have it fixed in my brain.
When I started dating Doc, we doubled with Mart and Bill and some of their other friends. I met Doc through Mart. They went through school together.
England had already gone to war with Germany in 1939 and the United States thought it would be prudent to start encreasing the size of our Army so they had a Conscription program. Men were drafted into the Army supposedly for one year for training so that we could be ready if it came to pass that we would go to war. Bill was drafted. The pop song of the day was ,"Goodbye Dear, I'll be back in a year" Pearl Harbor happened shortly after Bill was drafted and that cancelled the 'back in a year' bit. He was stationed in Austrailia and so was immediately in the thick of the war in the Pacific. He did not get back until 1945.
I married Doc in 1942 and a year or two later he was drafted and went to fight in the European Theater of War. I lived in an appartment with my two kids and Mart moved in with me. So once again we were room mates.
Bill and Doc both came home in December of 1942. Mart and Bill started planning their wedding immediately and set the date for October 25. I was pregnant by this time and due on Oct. 1. We figured that would give me time to have the baby and be ready for the wedding festivities. Linda was delayed and did not arrive until Oct. 24 so Mart had the limo driver take her from the church to the hospital to visit me and let me see her in her bridal attire. One of the guests brought me a piece of the wedding cake.
A number of years later, in 1951, we were both pregnant and due on or around the same date.(Before the New Year). Both of our babies took their time about coming and mine arrived on Jan.13 and on Jan.17 th they wheeled Mart into my room to let her say hello to me on her way to the delivery room. I already had a room mate so we did not share a room!
Finally, in 1956 we had to move to Louisville and so ended our closeness. We still did visit once in awhile on the phone and we traveled back to Spfld to visit a few times a year.
We traveled to the beach together one summer. Her family members and some of mine. A good time to remember.We had lots of fun talking over old times,both bad and good.
Mart passed away on December 5, 2010. I spoke with her quite a few times in her waning days. I think of her often and miss her. Sisters forever. R.I.P.Mart. Ciao
Mart was three and a half years older than I so she was the alpha sister! She enjoyed playing with paper dolls and since we couldn't afford store bought dolls she cut the pictures of her "people" out of Sear's and Montegomery-Ward catalogues. She named all of her "people" and placed them around the room, usually on the window sills and provided a life for them. They did things like, going to work, to school,to dances, etc. while we were occupied with our parellel lives.
I was never too big on these 'fake' families but they were my room mates and I adjusted to them. We did move to other houses but I was still Mart's room mate and never even considered any other way of life. We had our differences now and then but being the Alpha sister, she usually won out. When we had words, so to speak, I never got to use mine.
We couldn't very well share clothes because she was about seven inches taller than I and I had to wait to grow into her clothes. I never did get as tall as she so her things had to be altered to fit me. Our shoe sizes were not even close so we couldn't share shoes either.
We moved a few times but still shared our room. I am an auditory learner and Mart probably was too. She studied aloud every night in our room. I could not help but listen, I had no intention of learning all that she did but apparently I absorbed it while doing other things on my own. I would find that when it came time for me to study these same subjects I already know them or could scan the chapters and have it fixed in my brain.
When I started dating Doc, we doubled with Mart and Bill and some of their other friends. I met Doc through Mart. They went through school together.
England had already gone to war with Germany in 1939 and the United States thought it would be prudent to start encreasing the size of our Army so they had a Conscription program. Men were drafted into the Army supposedly for one year for training so that we could be ready if it came to pass that we would go to war. Bill was drafted. The pop song of the day was ,"Goodbye Dear, I'll be back in a year" Pearl Harbor happened shortly after Bill was drafted and that cancelled the 'back in a year' bit. He was stationed in Austrailia and so was immediately in the thick of the war in the Pacific. He did not get back until 1945.
I married Doc in 1942 and a year or two later he was drafted and went to fight in the European Theater of War. I lived in an appartment with my two kids and Mart moved in with me. So once again we were room mates.
Bill and Doc both came home in December of 1942. Mart and Bill started planning their wedding immediately and set the date for October 25. I was pregnant by this time and due on Oct. 1. We figured that would give me time to have the baby and be ready for the wedding festivities. Linda was delayed and did not arrive until Oct. 24 so Mart had the limo driver take her from the church to the hospital to visit me and let me see her in her bridal attire. One of the guests brought me a piece of the wedding cake.
A number of years later, in 1951, we were both pregnant and due on or around the same date.(Before the New Year). Both of our babies took their time about coming and mine arrived on Jan.13 and on Jan.17 th they wheeled Mart into my room to let her say hello to me on her way to the delivery room. I already had a room mate so we did not share a room!
Finally, in 1956 we had to move to Louisville and so ended our closeness. We still did visit once in awhile on the phone and we traveled back to Spfld to visit a few times a year.
We traveled to the beach together one summer. Her family members and some of mine. A good time to remember.We had lots of fun talking over old times,both bad and good.
Mart passed away on December 5, 2010. I spoke with her quite a few times in her waning days. I think of her often and miss her. Sisters forever. R.I.P.Mart. Ciao
Monday, December 13, 2010
Catch Up
I have had a lot going on in the last few weeks but I am not yet ready to put my thoughts on a blog. The day will come when I will be ready to write about it.
First, I want to welcome Kathy back to the blogging world. It was great reading her new entries. Maybe she can get back in the swing of it and continue to blog. Georgia's picture was cool. OK, Kathy, now we have to get Dolberry back in the loop. I know he wants to rest on his laurels, he is sure that he cannot possibly get any better than the masterpiece he ended with on May 17, 2010. He posed a question about DaVinci. Did he go on and do any thing else after his masterpiece? Well, maybe not but his neck hurt and his back ached and his landlord booted him out because he had not taken a bath until the Chapel gig was completed. We all wished that he had gone on to even greater things, but alas he deprived us of his talent. Hardly a one hit wonder! We're counting on you, Dolberry!
It looks like we are in for another ice station Zebra type winter, or maybe fall, the snow has already closed the schools down and it is only December. It is bitter cold but undaunted we stood up to the elements and had a fantastic time last Saturday night celebrating Kristin's birthday. We, the Boards, Karen & Paul, the Lally's and I, ate dinner at the Spaghetti Factory and then took a horse drawn carriage ride around downtown Louisville. It was raining slightly and cold but we were dressed for the occasion and were all comfy on the ride. The carriage has a top so we were not actually rained on. We drove all around the downtown area, saw The Yum Center, the Light Up Louisville area with the official Christmas Tree, and all of the lighted trees, wreaths, and decorations in store windows and doors. We sang Jingle Bells as a warm up tune and then went on to sing every Christmas song we could think of. All joined in. What a jolly time! We ended the evening at Tim and Kris's for cake and ice cream. (Also a bit of Bailey's, Just enough to warm our bones.)
When Linda and I were in Ireland a few years back, we took a similar ride on what they called a Jaunty Cart. It was cold and rainy that day also and it was in June! We went around the Ross Castle grounds. That was the last stronghold under Irish control to be taken by Cromwellian forces in 1653.Our Jaunty Cart driver said he'd had a 'jar' or so before he left home to "ward off the chill,don't ya know?"
We also celebrated Scott's 40th birthday which is tomorrow. Forty used to be considered 'middle age' but that concept faded away. I guess 50 must be middle age in today's world. Good Golly Miss Molly, I've gone past both milestones! I did celebrate my birthday on November 19th. Once again I was in the hospital for my big day. Other than the fact that I was in a fair amount of pain and discomfort, I had a wonderful day. Lots of visitors, flowers and cards and best of all I lived through it! If I was middle aged at 50, I should have 14 years to go! We'll see how that goes. Ciao
First, I want to welcome Kathy back to the blogging world. It was great reading her new entries. Maybe she can get back in the swing of it and continue to blog. Georgia's picture was cool. OK, Kathy, now we have to get Dolberry back in the loop. I know he wants to rest on his laurels, he is sure that he cannot possibly get any better than the masterpiece he ended with on May 17, 2010. He posed a question about DaVinci. Did he go on and do any thing else after his masterpiece? Well, maybe not but his neck hurt and his back ached and his landlord booted him out because he had not taken a bath until the Chapel gig was completed. We all wished that he had gone on to even greater things, but alas he deprived us of his talent. Hardly a one hit wonder! We're counting on you, Dolberry!
It looks like we are in for another ice station Zebra type winter, or maybe fall, the snow has already closed the schools down and it is only December. It is bitter cold but undaunted we stood up to the elements and had a fantastic time last Saturday night celebrating Kristin's birthday. We, the Boards, Karen & Paul, the Lally's and I, ate dinner at the Spaghetti Factory and then took a horse drawn carriage ride around downtown Louisville. It was raining slightly and cold but we were dressed for the occasion and were all comfy on the ride. The carriage has a top so we were not actually rained on. We drove all around the downtown area, saw The Yum Center, the Light Up Louisville area with the official Christmas Tree, and all of the lighted trees, wreaths, and decorations in store windows and doors. We sang Jingle Bells as a warm up tune and then went on to sing every Christmas song we could think of. All joined in. What a jolly time! We ended the evening at Tim and Kris's for cake and ice cream. (Also a bit of Bailey's, Just enough to warm our bones.)
When Linda and I were in Ireland a few years back, we took a similar ride on what they called a Jaunty Cart. It was cold and rainy that day also and it was in June! We went around the Ross Castle grounds. That was the last stronghold under Irish control to be taken by Cromwellian forces in 1653.Our Jaunty Cart driver said he'd had a 'jar' or so before he left home to "ward off the chill,don't ya know?"
We also celebrated Scott's 40th birthday which is tomorrow. Forty used to be considered 'middle age' but that concept faded away. I guess 50 must be middle age in today's world. Good Golly Miss Molly, I've gone past both milestones! I did celebrate my birthday on November 19th. Once again I was in the hospital for my big day. Other than the fact that I was in a fair amount of pain and discomfort, I had a wonderful day. Lots of visitors, flowers and cards and best of all I lived through it! If I was middle aged at 50, I should have 14 years to go! We'll see how that goes. Ciao
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)