My mom and her sister with their father, in the 1940's. I barely knew this man, as he died when I was young. He lived about 100 miles from my parents, and we only visited there once or twice a year. He and my grandmother were divorced, long before it was an acceptable practice and something which my mom was ashamed of all her life. He lived on a large working farm and he was also the principal and only teacher in a one-room school. His six children all went to school there. I think I've mentioned before that he was responsible for mom having a bump on her nose. He could flick a piece of chalk with deadly aim, and every time mom or someone else misbehaved in school, he would flick the chalk to hit them on the nose. She said he never failed to hit his target. I'm sure nowadays he'd be called on the carpet for that, but in the 1910's and '20's, that was never thought about. Don't carp about the furs, please. This was way before anyone ever thought about it being a sin to shoot or trap animals solely for their pelts. I can remember stroking those furs lovingly when I was a youngster, and dreaming of the days when I would be allowed to borrow them. Of course, by the time I was old enough, they were out of style. I did have a "walking suit"  (remember those?) with a fox-dyed lynx collar. It was spectacular! I loved wearing it, even though its marigold yellow color elicited a snarky comment from a woman I knew...."Isn't that the color they make hunters wear so they can be seen in the woods?"

This is a cartoon for a calling card that my mom designed for herself in 1934. She and my dad didn't get married until 1935. 

 

 

 

*****

My brain is much this weekend. I worked over 15 hours in two days and that's a bit much for the old bones (and brain) as I'm finding out. I loved every minute of it, but I just don't bounce back as easily as I used to.

It's Not Only the Girls in My Family......

who have art talent!  These two were drawn/painted by my oldest grandson, age 17, and I am surprised at how good he is! My daughter took the photos with her cell phone, so they are not the greatest quality - but I think they are terrific anyway!

I can tell you that he is much handsomer than his self portrait would appear. He did such  a good job on the hands - hands are the hardest thing to draw well. I started college as an art major, so I'd like to think that they got their talent from me. Their mother was always good at art too, as was their uncle. But they didn't keep up with their art - and I am really hoping that the grandchildren will!

Posts without photos are pathetic (well, not really, but I love alliteration.) Since neither of our computers will let me post anything but old, old photos from a disc - I give you another from my mother's family. This is one of her three brothers,  with his first wife and children. They are all gone now. This photo dates from the early 40's, when I was a baby. I never knew these children well, since  they were much older than I.  He eventually divorced this woman and left the police force, becoming a master electrician. He was always said to be the black sheep of the family. He gave me my first taste of beer, when I was about three - and I remember my mother saying that when she found out about it, she went ballistic. (I have loved the taste of beer since that day!)

Golden Oldies

These children are my mother's siblings, before she was born. Since Mom was born in 1908, I would date this photo at about 1907. I know the boy on the right was born in 1900. I think I have posted this photo before, but since I have nothing else at the moment, I'm posting it again. Have a good weekend.

This handsome young boy, seen here with his grandfather (Mr. kenju) turns 17 today!  Happy Birthday, Grandson!  And by the way:  this boy is still as handsome as ever!

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

As a youngster, I grew up in a family with people of Irish and English descent. I identified with the Irish side of the family, and when St. Patrick's Day rolled around, we always wore green and usually a badge that said "Kiss me, I'm Irish".

Whenever I saw a movie that had been filmed in Ireland, I marveled at the beauty of it and wanted to visit the land of my ancestors' birth. Due to my dark hair and fair skin, people would ask if I were Irish.

Imagine my surprise to find out that my birth parents were not Irish at all, but English and Scots. All of a sudden I felt cut-off from what had always been a point of reference. I could no longer truthfully and proudly say, when asked about my origins, that I was Irish.

But then I decided that being Irish could be as much a state of mind as anything else, and so I still celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a deep feeling of kinship with all things Irish.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to One and All!
and Happy Birthday to my friends Nancy V. and Steve D.

Note: this is a repost from a few years back. 

Budding Artists, Part Two

Thanks for all the nice comments about the art in yesterday's post. Today's three paintings were done by my 11-year-old granddaughter. I was amazed at the details, and very proud of this one as well.

I love this one, and I'm sorry that they have been folded (they should have been rolled). The colors are wonderful, aren't they?

Such a wistful-looking sheep. I love the color selection here too - most unexpected! Perhaps in 25 years, people will be lauding the two sisters from North Carolina who paint so well, and going to museums to see their work!

Budding Artists, Part One

I went to visit my daughter and her family yesterday and I was blown away when my 14 year old granddaughter showed me some of her work from art class. If you look closely, you'll see "John, Paul, George and Ringo - and the yellow submarine!

This is her self portrait (she's much prettier). She is a swimmer and soccer player, and I'd add artist to those descriptions!! Please join me in urging her to keep up with her art. Her mom didn't, and she was almost as talented.

Tomorrow, I will show you what her 11 year old sister can do. They both make me say  WOW!

Through the Years

My sweet "sonny boy" turns 45 tomorrow morning at 4:50. Here he is at 7 months (my favorite photo of his babyhood. It was his "What are you going to do next?" look.

Here he is at 7 or 8, in Virginia Beach, showing off his muscles. He is still built like that, by the way. He plays basketball several times a week and outruns the younger guys.

With his beloved Cayce, who grew to be 95 pounds and had the worst breath of any animal I've ever known. She was a sweetie, though, and his children could climb all over her and she never complained.

With his wife and girls, who are now approaching 13 and 16, so this was taken a while back. Isn't he handsome? He is almost the spitting image of my birth father.  Happy Birthday, Son, we love you!

A Repost from March 12, 2007

Something I read in a blog the other day made me remember the day that my daughter was sworn into the NC Bar. She had missed the special day that was set aside for the nearly 400 people who had recently passed the bar exam to be sworn in, and had to make a special trip to the courthouse for that purpose. She tried to downplay it, and didn't really want her parents there (especially one toting a camera), but we insisted that we accompany her on this momentous (to us) occasion.

The swearing in was supposed to happen before the court convened for the day, and we expected the room to be mostly empty. Imagine our surprise when we opened the door to see every row filled to capacity, with standing room only! A great number of the people present had on the familiar orange jumpsuits which are given to the residents of our jail, and some even sported ankle chains. They were surrounded by their various supporters and family members; attorneys, paralegals, bailiffs, etc.

We were told to go into the judges' chambers, and he met us there while he was donning his robe. He asked our daughter some questions, mostly small talk, and told us to come into the court room, where he would administer the oath.

Following them out into the courtroom, we took up position along the side wall, since there was no place to sit. It turned out to be the best place in the room to view what was happening. After the judge announced the new attorney, he asked the audience to welcome her. He began to clap while beckoning them to do likewise. It was the funniest sight to me - a courtroom full of criminals, with big, toothy smiles; clapping loudly and waving - all for the new attorney. I guess they didn't realize that she could be the next one to haul them into court.

Note: she is not that kind of attorney, though, so they needn't have worried anyway.....LOL

Bunny and the Elves

While we were decorating in the private home last week (the one I've been sharing photos of), the owner's daughter came in with her children. The darling granddaughter is three and looked like an illustration in a Kate Greenaway book for children; dressed as she was in a green smocked cotton dress with polka-dots and a bow perched precariously atop her head.

As they entered, the grandmother said "Look, (child's name), I have elves here, decorating my tree!"

The granddaughter watched a few minutes and then said to her grandmother (whom she calls 'Bunny') in all seriousness....  "Bunny, are you Santa Claus?"

And the grandmother answered  "No sweetie, why would you ask that?"

The child replied...."Well, you have elves working here."

I thought it was very funny, in view of the fact that two of the elves (Pam and I) are nearly six foot tall! 

The Very Best Christmas Dinner Ever

Many years ago, when we had lived in this neighborhood for less than two years, we were preparing for a very cold Christmas when all the children would be home and the families were going to gather for the holidays. Late on Christmas Eve, our power went out, so on Christmas morning, we were invited to the next-door neighbors home to shower and cook our family dinner. Just as my son got into the shower and soaped his head with shampoo, their water lines burst and their power went out also. None of us had any cooked food and back then there was never a restaurant open on Christmas within 200 miles.

We had no idea what to do and luckily, one of our other neighbors, who had not lost power because they were on another grid, invited all of us to join them at their home. There were 9 of us (in two families) and 4 of them - so 12 in all. I had a ham and the other family had a turkey - with all the trimmings, of course. We put the meats in the oven and set about to cook the side dishes as best  we could - bumping into one another in the kitchen - but having a lot of fun doing it. 

After dinner, we sat around talking and laughing while the children played with their toys, and I reflected on how it was the very best Holiday dinner we'd ever had; cooked under a bit of a hardship, but with good spirit of cooperation and lots of fun and laughter. I still think about that day and that meal - when this Methodist, who is married to a Catholic, had dinner with a Baptist, who was married to a Lutheran, at the home of Jews (one of whom was Canadian and who -  luckily for us - both ate ham)  though they didn't usually celebrate Christmas. Talk about an eclectic celebration !!

Birthday Brunch at Brio

Eggs Oscar has asparagus under poached eggs with Hollandaise sauce, and this one has spinach and artichokes as well as bacon and red peppers.  I heartily recommend it!  Brio also has the best Italian 'French' toast I've ever eaten, with mascarpone cheese and three kids of berries. You should try it!

***

Thanks to everyone for the many nice messages yesterday concerning my birthday. Between the blog and Facebook, to say I was overwhelmed is an understatement! So many lovely people saying such nice things about me! I'm trying to be humble about it.....lol. As you see above, I was taken to Brio by my younger daughter. It is currently my favorite place to have lunch. Afterward we went back to her home to watch her giant TV, but it wasn't long before her dad and I fell asleep. All it takes is a full stomach and a recliner - and some times the full stomach isn't necessary!

Our city doesn't specify which night to trick-or-treat; consequently we could have children coming two nights in a row. I really wish they would pick a night and stick with it. As a child in my hometown, trick-or-treat was always on the 30th.  I lucked out since it was my birthday, and of course I told everyone I came in contact with - and usually got an extra handful of candy for my efforts.  For the past two years, we've been invited to a Halloween party, and have not given out treats at home. This year I opted not to participate; not because I'm stingy, but because a certain mr. kenju cannot control himself when candy is in the house. I was sure to be left with extras and I didn't want to have to fight the urge to eat it myself or to fight with him about his urges. So, we are sitting in the dark, with the porch light out, hoping that no one rings the bell. Bah humbug!

All in all, it was a nice, calm, quiet birthday - just the kind I like. We ordered Chinese food for dinner and it was very good this time. The only place we can order to have food delivered is not always consistent with quality or taste, so we were pleasantly surprised. It was a good ending to a pleasant day, and that's all you can ask for, right?

            Happy Halloween!

A Very Good Day

Mr. kenju left on Saturday morning with three friends for a pipe and tobacco show in Richmond. I spent the remainder of the morning packing the van with another load of stuff to donate (I think 3 more loads to donate and 2 going to the local landfill will just about clean out my garage.....YAY!!)

My daughters and two of my granddaughters showed up shortly after lunch and spent the rest of the day with me. They helped clean out a bit more from the garage; my older daughter took some stuff and her girls found a number of things they wanted, which made me happy. I still can't find any takers for the five bridesmaid's dresses. Wouldn't you think someone would want them for Halloween?

We ended our day together by going out to dinner. It was fun to be with most of my girls today. Too bad my daughter-in-law and her two girls couldn't have come too. I really enjoy being with all of them, and the girls are growing up so quickly that every time I see them, they appear to be 3 inches taller than  they were on the last visit.

In my quest to get the garage cleaned out by winter so that I can park in it for the first time in 27 years, I was just about ready to hire someone to haul off an old refrigerator I don't use any longer. Lo and behold, yesterday we got a letter from the power company saying they will pay $50 for old refrigerators and they will come and haul it away!! Now, I ask you, how great is that?  Here I was about to pay someone to take it.....LOL.  Another silver lining....

Edit:  In response to some of the questions raised in the comments:  There are many thousands of men (and women) who smoke pipes and have great interest in trading, buying, selling, talking about and smoking pipes and various types of tobaccos. There are expos and conventions of them all over the US.

An empty garage party? sounds like a good idea (after I paint the walls and clean the floors...)

The power company will take old refrigerators and recycle many of the parts from them and dispose in a safe way the parts that cannot be recycled.That is why they are offering to pay to take them away - so that many of the toxic parts will not end up in the landfill.

Back in the '20s near the beach; two of mr. kenju's uncles and cousins.

The man on the right is mr. kenju's father, and that's mr. k on the grass.

Mr. Kenju's cousin, in WW2.

Mr. kenju (on left) with some of his cousins and an aunt, in 1948.

Mr. Kenju's aunt and mother (on right), in 1927.

Another photo in mr. kenju's family collection, taken somewhere in NYC in the 40's or 50's.

Nothing like being invited over to view the laundry! At least it's clean......lol

Don't Smell the Flowers...

This field of Texas Bluebonnets, beautiful though it may be, harbors something you'd rather not meet face to face....

Diamondback Rattlers like flowers too!

Here's hoping that all of you are having a good Memorial Day weekend. We had company all day; our son and his family, our baby daughter and my brother-in-law (Mr. kenju's baby brother). Older daughter and her family couldn't come - which was a shame. My third granddaughter swam in the pool - even though it was no more than 71*. I swear that girl is part dolphin!

We ate hotdogs and brats with all the fixin's, baked beans, potato salad, corn on the cob and watermelon. And since we are having company Monday also, I have to go to the store and buy more food for dinner (we decimated most of what I had today.) Unfortunately, my BIL has to return home tomorrow morning, which is a shame. I was hoping to tell our friends that they got 'two brothers for the price of one' (which probably isn't all that funny!) They won't know what they missed; mr. kenju's brother is much, much funnier than mr. k is!

A Proud Moment

Friday and Saturday were spent watching our older daughter get "pinned" and graduate from nursing school. We could not be more proud of her - she accomplished this while caring for six children, a husband, a home, two dogs and two cats. Her original class consisted of over 70 people, but only thirty-some of them made it to graduation. It wasn't easy; so we are doubly proud of her for studying hard and hanging onto her goals!

Here she is with Mr. kenju, the proud father.

The weather cooperated, although it was hotter than Hades - topping out in the high eighties both days. The pinning ceremony took place in a lovely interdenominational church in Pinehurst, NC, The Village Chapel. Many proud parents, children and grandparents were on hand to witness this special moment in a nurse's life.

Graduation Day started out balmy. Our son-in-law had gone to the college early to secure chairs under a large, sheltering tree and we were the envy of those who had to sit in the sun. The sky was a bit cloudy at first, but soon cleared to a brilliant Carolina blue, while light breezes caressed and cooled us. I had not been to a college graduation since the early 90's, when my youngest child got her degree. There was much pomp and circumstance here as well, as professors and various trustees marched in to the strains of the typical music reserved for important ceremonies. Before these began, the college jazz group played selections that made me want to dance and the college choir sang the National Anthem and "Lean on Me", with a few soloists who seemed ready for Broadway. After a few requisite speeches, parents watched their sons and daughters march up to receive their diplomas, all smiling broadly, snapping photos when they could.

We went back to our hotel to check out and then meet the rest of the family for lunch at Chili's, after which we drove back home. It was a perfect day, until...until.....

Mr. kenju asked if I had left his sport coat in the car, and we discovered that it had been forgotten in the closet at the hotel (90 miles away). My name is MUD, since it was my fault. When we went to the hotel on Friday night, he intended to leave his coat in the car, but I didn't know that, and I brought it into the room and hung it in the closet. When we checked out today (in a big hurry) I didn't check the closet, believing that he had it with him. Our son-in-law called the hotel, and was told that housekeeping had gone and would not be back until Monday, so we have to wait until then to see if his sportcoat has been saved/turned in. I'll ask you to keep good thoughts about it. Mr. kenju is really mad at me right now.

Update: the jacket has been found, thank Heaven!!

Does he really think that sign will help sell his house?

Driving down a main road yesterday, I saw three consecutive houses for sale. Must be a whole row of assh*les, right? Would you wonder what was going on there?

Our neighborhood can go for several years with no houses available, and then POW - all of a sudden several go on the market. Four of the largest homes are for sale now and one smaller. Out of an area with only 65 or so homes, that is a lot at one time. I wonder if the recent troubles with the Home Owner's Board had anything to do with the decisions to sell. I know it didn't with one home; it is owned by a widow who needs to downsize, but the other families/duos seem ideally suited to the size of their homes - so it isn't clear why they are leaving. Do you ever get curious about things like that?

)(-)(-)(-)(-)(

Today is my adoptive mother's birthday; she'd be 104. She died when I was about 45, and for the next 14 years, I was "a motherless child". Then I met my birth mother and started the "getting to know you" process all over again. Now she is gone as well, and I am back to being motherless. You never get over losing your mother, do you? My adoptive mom and I didn't have the best of relationships near the end of her life, so what I miss is what it was like many decades ago. I suppose I've been thinking about her since Mother's Day came and went. I miss what could have been...and grieve for that.

One is happy as a result of one's own efforts once one knows the necessary ingredients of happiness:

simple tastes, a certain degree of courage, self denial to a point, love of work, and above all, a clear conscience.

George Sand [pen name of Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin], novelist (1804-1876)

I'm not sure I can say that I have a completely clear conscience, any self-denial or more than an ounce of courage, but I definitely DO have simple tastes and love of (my) work. Maybe two out of five ain't bad?!

***

The Flower Shuttle meets every Tuesday - you've read about it here before. I cannot sing its praises highly enough, nor can I tell you how much I enjoy being there - surrounded by flowers and by people who enjoy working with them and sharing them with others.

***

Laziness or maybe spring fever has reared its ugly head here in my home. I have no inclination to do anything about cleaning my house, or deck, or gardening - I haven't even cleaned the pollen off the deck yet. On Saturday, my younger daughter said that there was almost as much dust in the bedroom as there was pollen outside and I couldn't disagree. Today I forced myself to clean the master bedroom and bathroom. Thanks to whomever discovered the formula for End*st - I couldn't clean without it.

If it rains tonight (as predicted) the pollen will be gone - or merely displaced - through no efforts of my own. If only it would rain hard enough to clear the deck of the potting soil the squirrels dug out of my flower pots this winter!

***

In less than three weeks, my older daughter will graduate from nursing school. The decision to become a nurse came a bit later in life for her. She already has a degree in business, with a heavy concentration in accounting, but returning to that field didn't interest her. In spite of the fact that she has four children of her own, three step-kids (two of whom live with them), a husband, two dogs, two cats and a home to care for - she returned to school several years ago and will graduate mid-May with a B.S. in Nursing. Can you imagine how very proud we are of her? My heart will fairly burst with pride when I see her receive her pin and her diploma. I know how hard it was for her to find the time to study, and I know the dedication it took on her part - plus that of her husband - to make this happen. Way to go, Shannon - and Michael, thank you.