Archive for Memories

Who are you?

Sometimes I wonder if my sister and I even came from the same parents, living in the same house, went to the same schools or what. Like today for example I was telling her about the most wonderful Adirondack chairs that I had found online. I have been wanting to add a lot of goodies to my back and side yard. Of course I have all ready got the playground equipment for the kids and have a small plot of land all most ready for a garden next year. But I have a vision in my head of some lovely Park Benches and maybe a couple of Picnic Tables as well in my yard that I plan on entertaining in for many years to come. And this vision will take me some time and some money to put together just the way I want it.

Anyway, back to my sister. Our neighbors that lived next door to us when we all still lived at home, had the most wonderful Adirondack Chairs on the side porch. The same porch that they called their sleeping porch, which I always loved the idea of and lord knows we all spent many nights sleeping on that same porch with their kids when they had sleep overs, and I know darned well that my sister was there on numerous occasions as well, but for some reason she does not remember the furniture what so ever, which is a shame, because apparently they made a big impression on me!

Ordering a milk shake

Yesterday I drove past the local ice cream parlor and there must have been about 200 people in line waiting to order their ice cream!  I had to chuckle – every time I drive past that place I remember the first time I went there with my hubby.

My hubby has a very distinctive New England accent – he pronounces his “r” more like a “w.”  We went to order some milk shakes, and my hubby ordered his as a “lawge” shake.  The guy behind the counter was one of the recent immigrants who barely speak English at all; his native language being Spanish.  He could not, for the life of him, understand what “lawge” was.  My hubby kept repeating “lawge lawge lawge” and the counter boy kept saying “what?”

Finally I leaned into the counter window and interrupted the comical scene by saying “BIG – you know GRANDE!”  Then the kid said “OHHHHHH!”  and my hubby gave me a really dirty look, but he got his large shake!

Midnight Deadline

When I was a single mom and it was “us against the world,” tax day was an event. Kinda like the hurricane parties they throw in the Carolinas.We celebrated the awful de with a special dinner and then we would all pile into the car and drive to the main post office, as close to midnight as we dared to mail my tax return. Now the post office does not even stay open until midnight any more – not even on Tax Day. They closed at 10:00 pm. *sigh*

Guess we’ll have to come up with a new tradition. I know most people use E-file now and don’t even mail the returns. Where is the fun in that? Everyone standing around the computer cheering when you press the send button just doesn’t get it for me.

More Than One Way to Watch TV

When I was a little girl, we had one television set in the house. The TV was in the living room, in a corner, where the family could see it from the couch or the kids could sit on the floor on a little scatter rug. We had never heard of satellite TV and we were happy to get the three networks, NBC, ABC and CBS. There was also a UHF channel that shows public education shows, like ballet, cooking demonstrations and cartoons on Saturday mornings.

But today’s children are spoiled with many more channels, with special channels for sports, other channels for movies and two channels of nothing but cartoons and children’s shows 24 hours a day. And although I am not a fan of some of the cartoons that are shown to children today, I can see the value in having something on for children, even late at night, for the nights when kids might be sick and restless, or for the parent who work second or third shift and only get to see their kids at late hours.

My girlfriend in Reston has Direct TV and she agrees with me about the cartoons. She has watched them with her grandchildren when they come to visit on the weekends. The new ones are questionable about their content being suitable for small children. But we have been able to find some of the cartoons from back in the day, like Tom & Jerry and Woody Wood Pecker shows. Those were the good ones!

 

Happy Birthday Grandmother Hilda

Today would have been my grandmother Hilda’s 100th birthday. We actually thought she might make it to 90, but she passed away at Christmas when she was 89. That was still a good long time.

She was the sweetest woman – always something nice to say and never a mean word about anybody. I miss her kindness and gentle soul – there’s never been anyone like her in my life.