For some unaccountable reason, Haloscam (yes, I meant "m") has decided that I cannot comment on a few blogs.

I sit here and clickclickclick and click again on the "comments" window, but nothing happens. It really p*sses me off. This woman is funny. Really funny. How about you go read the last several posts and then tell her I sent you. I'm really upset that I can't tell her how funny she is, but maybe you can tell her for me. Okay? Her name is Tiff.

http://noaccentyet.blogspot.com/



EDIT: for some odd reason, I got the icky comment of the century down below and since I cannot delete it (what's up with that???), I am hiding the comments for this post.

Come Onna My House ~ c. 1950

This is the house we lived in from the time I was 8 1/2 until I was almost 13. See that old Victorian lamp in the window? I still have it. Maybe I'll take a photo of it tomorrow and show you what it looks like up close.

Many was the time I rode my bike into that garage and sprinted up the stone steps, taking two at a time. Once I was headed up those steps at my usual warp speed, and on a step I skipped (thankfully) was a bevy of tiny baby copperheads. There had to be at least 8-9 of them. Knowing that wherever the babies are, the mother is not far behind, I completed the rest of the trip up to the house at even faster speed than before. About a week later, my mom and I were coming in from the grocery store, and I was walking up the steps with 2 full brown paper bags of food hiding my view.

All of a sudden, mom hollered, "Judy, STOP! Don't move! Set your bags down! Then I saw on the sidewalk at the top of the steps, a full-grown, 3 foot long copperhead. She was lying in the groove of the walkway, enjoying a sun bath. Lucky for me, she was either too lazy from the heat of the sun to move, or maybe she just hadn't seen me yet. I ran back down the steps, and mom asked me to go around the side yard to our tool house, and get a hoe. I got it, and mom chopped off the head of the snake. Have you ever seen the severed head of a copperhead? The mouth opens and closes repeatedly. I was told that will go on until sundown on that day. I didn't stick around to prove that, and mom gathered up the head and the body and disposed of them in a trash can.

We had only a tiny front porch, but that was the scene for many a "show", put on by a group of my girlfriends. Mom had a trunk full of old clothes, hats, shoes, even curtains in the basement, and we made good use of them, playing dress-up to our heart's content in the lazy summer days. We would pretend to be Broadway chorus girls or movie stars. Carmen Miranda was a fun person for us to mimic back then.

I remember getting a new puppy, after my favorite dog, a black cocker spaniel named Pud, was killed by a car. The new puppy was so tiny and sweet and she helped me to forget the grief I had for Pud. One morning when she was about 9 weeks old, I opened the basement door and called for her, and she didn't appear at the foot of the stairs. When I went to investigate, I found her lying on her side, foaming at the mouth. The vet said she had been poisoned, and we never found out how - or who did it.

The year before we moved from that house, my strongest memory is of the 12" snowfall we had one night; school was cancelled and we spent the day making snow angels. Snow icecream was eaten by the bowlful, as quickly as mom could make it.

Addendum: There are two older posts written about the times I spent in this home. You can find them in the archives for 6-15-05 and 6-9-05.

Leg Cramps

Have you ever had leg cramps at night? Leg cramps so bad that you have to get out of bed and walk around to relieve them?

The People's Pharmacy (Joe Graedon, Ph. D.)

www.peoplespharmacy.com

has an old wives cure for you. Several people have written him in support of placing a bar of soap under your bottom bedsheet, at the area where your calves lie when you are in bed. No reason has been given as to why this will work, but it does for some people.

The first time I tried it, I kept feeling the bar of soap and waking up. Several days ago I placed a smaller, thinner bar of soap (hotel soap) under the bedsheet, but also under my feather-bed topper. I have not had any foot or leg cramps since then, and because the bar of soap is thinner, it doesn't wake me when I turn over. I take potassium pills daily, but I am still prone to foot and leg cramping.

Since the FDA recently pulled all quinine over-the-counter preparations, I thought some of you might want to try this, if you are plagued with cramps.

Addendum: I did this 6 nights ago and I have only had a small cramp, and only that one, since.

Punch and Judy

Mr. kenju, circa 1944. I didn't know him then, but I was told by family members that he was a perfect little devil. Still is. Loves to tease (particularly females!)

Judy, circa 1942. Ever the ham. I appear to have been conducting the orchestra in the right pic. On the left, I was getting "ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille"
I hadn't seen this one for a while, and I was surprised to see it was not a real horse. In my memory of this photo, the horse was real - and he was on it - not in a carriage. Funny how the mind plays tricks like that.

If you are not familiar with the terms "Punch and Judy", read about them here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_and_Judy

P.S. I had to go on a detour through hell to get here tonight. Google/Blogger still refuses to recognize me most of the time, even though I get into gmail with no problem - and the username and password are the same. Could you get your act together guys? If you let me into gmail I should have NO problem getting into the Blogger dashboard and Picasa, should I?

My, Me, Meme ~ I've been tagged

by Ronni Bennett at http://www.timegoesby.net/ to do this short and simple meme. I have a sort of love/hate relationship with memes, and whether or not I enjoy doing one is dependant on my attitude at the time. Since this one is short - only three questions - here goes:


My: What would I give my right arm for?


Being rather used to having it (I am right-handed), I cannot imagine anything I'd willingly give up that arm for. If it would result in world peace forever, then maybe I could be convinced.


Me. What's one word that describes how you want people to see you?


There are many I could choose, but I think caring is a good one.


Meme: If you could be any blogger, which blogger would you be and why?


While there are many people whom I have come to know, admire and care for through blogging, I cannot think of anyone I'd rather be. There are many people who are worthwhile enough to emulate, but I fear leaving someone off the list, so I won't name them. How's that for chickening out?



Now, I’m supposed to pass this on to others. If you feel like doing it - be my guest!

Post # 1,000 (yeah, really, it is)

As you slide down the banister of life, remember.....

Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggert have written an impressive new book. It's called "Ministers Do More Than Lay People."


My mind works like lightning. One brilliant flash and it is gone.

The only time the world beats a path to your door is if you're in the bathroom.

I hate sex in the movies. Tried it once. The seat folded up, the drink spilled and that ice, well, it really chilled the mood.

It used to be only death and taxes were inevitable. Now, of course, there's shipping and handling, too.

A husband is someone who, after taking the trash out, gives the impression that he just cleaned the whole house. (a personal favorite!)


A blonde said, "I was worried that my mechanic might try to rip me off. I was relieved when he told me all I needed was turn signal fluid."

I'm so depressed. My doctor refused to write me a prescription for Viagra. He said it would be like putting a new flagpole on a condemned building.

My neighbor was bit by a stray rabid dog. I went to see how he was And found him writing frantically on a piece of paper. I told him rabies Could be treated, and he didn't have to worry about a will. He said,"Will? What Will? I'm making a list of the people I want to bite."


As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way.

Well, Glory Be!

And glorious she is. Her name is Angie, and she writes at:

http://www.bigredcouch.com/journal

and she is a GENIUS! I sent her the saved template and she got it all back for me and I still cannot believe it!!

There were two good things about the other template: 1. I did like that color; sort of a pea soup green and 2. They had a drop-down menu for the blog archives, which I think improves the look of the page, immensely.

Maybe someday I can have that and still maintain my old links and badges. I am just so indebted to Angie, not only for her expertise, but also her willingness to help.

Other people who bent over backward in giving me advice were Claude, of : http://covonline.net/ and also Carmi, of: http://writteninc.blogspot.com/

The niceness of all you guys on the web and on blogs will never cease to amaze me. You have restored my faith in the milk of humankindness!

HELP!

This is the worst day of my life.....or.....blogger/google better listen up!

Yesterday, I joined the ranks of "new bloggers", as I mentioned in the "old switcheroo". I said I wasn't going to change the template, but I very foolishly did. If you are computer illiterate, you had better not change your template without expert help standing by.

I saved the old template, as I had been told I could always go back to it if I wanted. I WANT, damnit, I WANT - and they will not accept my saved version of the old template, no matter how nicely I beg. Not only have I lost my statcounter, my newish blogroll and all the little gimmicks I had in the sidebar, but they refuse to reinstate them.

Today, blogger/google has decided (yet again) not to recognize me, except on special occasions - and I can't lock down when those are. It seems they have decided that they will recognize me by my gmail address and new password only once in a while. I had to try it 7-8 times before I got here this time, and now I can't remember how I did it, so I suspect that the next time I try to get into the dashboard, I will have the same trouble again. POOH!

I have read and clicked on every "fix" they mention in their help menus; nothing works. There is no email address (that I can find) to allow you to communicate directly with someone at Blogger/Google. Incidentally, don't you think they should change the name to Bloogle? I do.

I have tried to log on with the old blogger name and password, and I have tried it with the new google name and password (which has been changed) and they still will only allow access to the dashboard occasionally. I know I have the correct address and password, because they DO work part of the time.

One of the supposed perks of the "new blogger" was the quick edit button on the top bar. Well, my buttons don't work - no matter how many times I click them.

Here's what I hope will happen: 1. That Blogger will decide to use its own search feature and look for instances of the use of the name blogger or google, and discover my plea - or 2. One of you will know how to email them directly and will share the address with me.

Word Play

A Resume


1. My first job was working in an Orange Juice factory, but I got canned. I couldn't concentrate.

2. Then I worked in the woods as a Lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe.

3. After that, I tried to be a Tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it--mainly because it was a sew-sew job.

4. Next, I tried working in a Muffler Factory, but that was too exhausting.

5. Then, I tried to be a Chef - figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn't have the thyme.

6. I attempted to be a Deli Worker, but any way I sliced it I couldn't cut the mustard.

7. My best job was a Musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy.

8. I studied a long time to become a Doctor, but I didn't have any patience.

9. Next was a job in a Shoe Factory, I tried but I just didn't fit in.

10. I became a Professional Fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income.

11. I managed to get a good job working for a Pool Maintenance Company, but the work was just too draining.

12. So then I got a job in a health club, but they said I wasn't fit for the job.

13. After many years of trying to find steady work! , I finally got a job as a Historian - until I realized there was no future in it.

14. My last job was working in Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was always the same old grind.

15. SO, I TRIED RETIREMENT AND FOUND THAT I'M PERFECT FOR THE JOB!

(No, I didn't write it...LOL)

An Important Rx for the Pharmacy

I had a prescription that needed a refill this week, so I called the pharmacy and ordered it through voice-mail.

I picked it up Wednesday afternoon, along with a few other items. When I got home and opened the bag, I saw immediately that the pills I had been given were not the ones I ordered; at least, they didn't look like what I had been taking for a while. I read the medical information inserts, and the medication was definitely not something I needed.

I called the pharmacy and was first told that I might have been given a generic substitute, but she would let me speak to a pharmacist. The pharmacist admitted that their computer had messed up at least two voice-mail prescriptions that day. They requested that I return the pills and if I did so, they would give me a $20 gift card for my trouble.

Not being one to turn down a serendipitous offer (and needing my pills) - I returned those, got mine in return and they did indeed give me a gift card. Also, they didn't charge me the extra cost difference between the mistake Rx and my Rx. I think they were running scared, don't you?

Imagine if I had not noticed that the pills were different, and instead of medication for arthritis, I took pills for seizures. What if I had taken them - and they were contraindicated with my other medications. The pharmacy would have been in BIG trouble. However, I realize mistakes can happen and no harm came to me because of their mistake.

Here's the important part:

Whenever you pick up a prescription from a pharmacy, LOOK at it before you leave the premises. If it is a new prescription, speak to the parmacist about it, ask questions. If it is a refill, check to make certain it is the one you are supposed to have. If it looks different, ask about it. You will be safe, plus, you will save yourself some trouble in advance.

The Old Switcheroo

I finally did it! I changed to the new Blogger.

I am not going to change my template yet, but maybe soon I will play around with the idea. I have to confess that I am a bit leery of clicking that "change" button, not knowing what the options are until I do.

For any of you who have changed your templates? Was it horrifying? Or am I just being a ninny?

A Blast from the Past

Top: Two of MY babies, circa 1974. I loved it when little girls wore dresses, didn't you? The purple one with the white collar was always one of my favorites, and in time, it was passed down to her little sister, of course. She looked just as cute in it as her big sister did.







Daddy and me on the front steps, with naked baby and omnipresent teddy bear. Circa 1946. Note the beautiful sock and sandal look. That look has not come back for women, but now and again I see some grandpas sporting it!



My dog Kippy used to "stand guard" over the car bed, when my son was a newborn. I got Kippy when I was a junior in high school. When I moved away from home after college, Kippy remained with mom and dad, since she couldn't live with me at the time. She loved coming to visit me, but whenever she saw mom and dad getting their luggage ready for the return trip, Kippy was the first one into the car and she couldn't be coaxed out, even to say goodbye. Kippy never had babies, but she showed her maternal instincts when she was near a baby. I would put the baby in his car bed, which was placed in our living room, so I could keep an eye out on him. Kippy would stand or sit beside the bed, her chin on the edge, and remain there for hours. She'd get a weary look on her face, but she took it as her duty to be on guard.



Yours truly, all decked out for a dance. This was about the same time I got Kippy....11th grade. I was standing in front of a mural in a friend's home. Shopping for that emerald green satin cocktail dress was exhausting, as I recall. I never made any shopping trip easy; I had to try on everything in the store - and then like as not - I'd buy the first one I had tried on hours before. Then, I'd start the process all over looking for shoes. Luckily, I have outgrown those bad habits.

Top: My grandmother. The rear of the photo says, "C___hoeing in the garden, 1912. She would have been 24 years old at the time, but I'd swear she looks about 50, wouldn't you? This pic must be the oldest one I have. It is so faded that I had to darken it a little. It needs restoration, I know, and I ought to do that soon. It sure would be a shame to lose that image.

Mom and Dad. I think this might have been their wedding day, October 1, 1935. They eloped, after dating for six weeks and mom was buried on their 50th anniversary.













That's my dad in the middle. I think this trio looks like a gang from a movie; sort of like Bonnie and Clyde or Al Capone. The man on the left appears to be wearing one of those trick glasses-big-nose-moustache things, but if he was, he wore it 24/7, because he appears in other photos with my dad too, looking just the same.....LOL










Yours truly at three months. I remember thinking....."What the heck is going on here?" Well, not really, of course, but don't I look like I might be a little concerned about what the photographer was going to do next?

 

Are You Complaining?

Are you complaining about snow and ice in your vicinity this winter? Maybe after you see these photos, you won't!

Antiques Roadshow ~

For some, it is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.


I watched last night as a man showed a painting his mother had been given sometime in the 30's by the painter, and I am sorry to say I don't remember his name. Both this man and the artist were from Pennsylvania.

The man related how his wife didn't like the painting and would not let him hang it in his living room, so it had been relegated to the basement for the last 30 years or so that the man had owned it. The art expert told a little bit about the history of the artist and the genre of the painting, and then said, "Maybe your wife will let you bring it out of the basement when I tell you that this painting, at auction, would bring between $80 and $120K!!

The man looked as though he might fall over dead from surprise and said "You're not kidding, are you?" "No", she answered. After a few more seconds of disbelief, he again said, "You're NOT kidding, are you?" Finally, it appeared to sink in.

Wouldn't you love to have been a fly on the wall when that guy went home and told his wife?

Top: My great-grandparents, on the day of their 71st Anniversary. That's me in the middle, squinting against the light, as usual. I was such a ham, and I ran to join them when I saw the photographer setting up his camera. My mom yelled at me to get out of there, but my sweet great-grandma Augusta (Gus), told mom it was fine for me to be in the picture. Of course, they took another one later, sans Judy. I have written about them before and I will put up the link, if I can find the post. Can you imagine being married for 71 years?!

(here you can read a little more about them:

http://justaskjudy.blogspot.com/2005/08/golden-oldies.html




2nd: My Aunt and her husband Joe. Joe was from Ohio, of Italian ancestry, and he was always laughing and up for a good time. I loved going to visit them, which we did every summer. She was an excellent cook and the aroma of mouth-watering pizza or spaghetti would always greet us as we arrived. Joe was very debonair, and when he went out for a nice evening, he was always dressed to the nines, as they used to say. Anyone know where that saying came from?



3rd: Yours truly. Can anyone tell me why I posed (on garbage day, no less) in mom's old felt hat and what looks like dusting mittens?










Scroll down for another post, and open comments.

Top: In high school, I had a pen-pal from Germany, named Christa Dietz. That's Christa on the left. I have not heard from her since about 1959. Wouldn't it be wild if someone who reads this blog knows her? If you do, or if you know someone who might, let me know, please.

Edit: that is NOT me in the picture with Christa. That is another German girlfriend of hers. I never met Christa; we just exchanged letters for a few years. Her intent was to perfect her use of English, and mine was to get to know someone from another country. I really wish I had the foresight to have kept her letters. That's about all I have ever thrown out....LOL




2nd: My grandmother, middle front, and her husband back row, left. Buckey, as we called him, was a judge and at one time, he was the mayor of Charleston, WV. He used to read the comics to me when I was 3-4-5, and he called them the "funny papers". Anytime I was in their home and he came in from work, he would stomp through the house saying "Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he live or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread." That was my clue to come screaming out of whatever hiding place I had secreted myself. I think his choice of poems was a little rough for a small girl, but it never harmed me on a lasting basis that I'm aware of.....LOL. The only other person I know in that photo is the woman on the right in the front row. Her name was Thelma, and I called her Aunt Tillie, though she was not related. Tillie was about 4'11" tall and wore size 4 women's shoes. Her shoes fit me perfectly at the time I was 8-9, and I loved going to her place and "dressing up" in her clothes and shoes.


Mom, dad and me, circa 1944-5, with my usual "Judy squint, head askew".








Daddy in the 1930's. Do you see how much he looked like Randolph Scott? If you are too young to know who Randolph Scott was - google it!

Maya Angelou's Best Poem Ever

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....Enough money within her control to move out And rent a place of her own even if she never wants to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....Something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams wants to See Her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...A youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....A past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her Old Age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....One friend who always makes her laugh...And one Who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her Family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....Eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, And a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel Honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....A feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...How to fall in love without losing herself..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...HOW TO QUIT A JOB, BREAK UP WITH A LOVER, AND CONFRONT A FRIEND WITHOUT RUINING THE FRIENDSHIP...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...When to try harder...And WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... That she can't change the length of her calves, The width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...That her childhood may not have been perfect...But it's over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...What she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...How to live alone...Even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...Whom she can trust, Whom she can't, And why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...Where to go...Be it to her best friend's kitchen table...Or a charming inn in the woods...When her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...What she can and can't accomplish in a day...A month...And a year...

And now it's your turn: what would you add to this?

Top: Four generations: the man standing on the left is my mother's father. His father is seated. The man on the right is mom's brother and the baby is his first-born son. That son is someone I have only seen about twice in my life. He is about 10 years older than I am, so this photo was taken around 1931-2, I think.

My mother's father was a farmer, with cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens and a full complement of crops. He also taught school in a one-room schoolhouse; most of his children were his pupils at some point.

The 2nd time I saw that baby, I was about 26 or 27, back home visiting my family with my first child. This guy was visiting from California, and the main thing I remember was his description of the last earthquake he experienced. He said he and his wife were in bed early one morning, and he heard one of his children screaming in fright. When he jumped out of bed to run down the hall, the floor of the hallway began to heave and he said it looked like waves rolling on shore from the ocean. He compared it to the fun house at the state fair, or walking on an old swinging bridge that someone is violently shaking. (Note to self: ask Californians how they can risk going through that?)


Second pic: The policeman is another of my mother's brothers, with his family. That young boy was killed in a motorcycle accident when I was 5 (1946) and some of you may remember reading the post where I talked about him. His daughter was sort of on the fringes of the family for years, and she was another person I hardly knew. He was already divorced from this wife by the time I was born, so I barely knew her either.




3rd: this cute little guy is the son of the man standing on the right in the top pic, and younger brother to the baby. I found his obit in my hometown paper 2 weeks ago. He was 63. I had not seen him or his brothers since my father's funeral.












This is Hawk's Nest State Park Overlook, in southern West Virginia. This pic was taken sometime in the 1930's. This park was little more than an hour away from my hometown, and my parents used to drive there on Sunday afternoons at least twice a year. Somewhere I have some more recent photos of this view, and it might be nice to see what changes have occurred.

Here is a more recent photo of Hawk's Nest:

http://cs101.wvu.edu/media/1/10/11/Hawks%20Nest%20State%20Park.jpg

A Wedding in Greenwich

In the early days of our marriage, mr. kenju and I were invited to the wedding of a college classmate of his, which was being held in Greenwich, Connecticut. It promised to be a terrific party, and there was no way we would miss it. We would go to NYC, stay with his parents and then drive to the wedding on Sat. morning.

We couldn't leave Norfolk until Friday after work, so we set out late that afternoon in our 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, pearl white with apple red interior. As we approached New Jersey, it began to snow; small flurries at first and then ever larger and larger flakes. New York is really beautiful in the throes of a snowstorm, especially at night. We arrived at his parent's home about 11 pm and soon went to sleep, being very tired from the trip but nonetheless excited about the party coming up.

Awaking the next morning early, we were greeted by the sight of snow at least 12" deep. Undaunted (as the young often are), we never considered not going northward to the wedding, so Mr. kenju put the wedding gift in the trunk of the car (which, as you'll remember, is in the front), and we set out a little early, to allow extra time in the snow.

We had to cross the Throg's Neck Bridge, which was icy, since the cars travelling over it earlier in the day had packed the snow down hard. It was also very windy up on the bridge; it is very high, which allows boats to travel under it easily. You may read about this bridge here:

>http://www.mta.info/bandt/html/throgs.htm

As we began our ascent up the bridge, the wind blew open the trunk hood of the Volks, flattening it back against the windshield, which, by some miracle, was not broken. Mr. kenju stopped the car, and attempted to get out so he could secure the hood. The bridge was icy and the wind was so fierce, that he could hardly get out of the car to begin with, and almost fell on the ice several times before he made it to the front of the car. Adding to the aggravation, his hat blew off. Retrieving it was a real pain. Pulling the hood down against the wind was a feat fit for Superman, but he eventually got it down. Since the hood had been bent, he had to tie it down to the grill. Eventually, we got on our way again.

We arrived in Greenwich late, of course. The wedding had already started, and so we decided to go on to the reception site and wait for the party to begin.

I know this is a very long post - but there is more to the story. If you'd care to read on, go here:

http://justaskjudy.blogspot.com/2006/04/overindulgence.html

More of the Distant Past

Top: Miss kenju in a stroller, 1941. I wish that stroller was among the many things my mom kept. It would be worth a small fortune nowadays.











2nd: unknown child, with what looks like a very large eyeball. Creepy.














3rd: my cousin "P" . Wasn't she a cutie? She married young and made her mom a grandmother at the age of 38!








An unknown boy, I wish I could read the playbills behind him).







Scroll down for more photos and open comments.

Betcha didn't know I knew Charlie chaplin and Clark Gable!

These pics were taken in LA back in the late 80's or early 90's. I was there for The Special Event convention, staying at the Hotel Westin Bonaventure.

We were taken on a tour of Universal Studios, and that is where I "met" Charlie. He was uncannily like the real thing.


"Clark" came to one of our gala events, and made the rounds, taking photos with all the women (and few of the men) . When we boarded a chartered bus at the hotel, on our way to one of the
off-premise events, Marilyn Monroe was on our bus, and she entertained us during the trip by singing songs from "Some Like it Hot".

There were many celebrity look-alikes hired for this convention, but these are all I can remember now. I think that is a very good job to have, if you look like someone famous.

Bloggers Who Leave Us Hanging

Periodically I check my "closed blogs" file. In that file are those people who have gone on hiatus and stopped posting for a while. Recently I checked it and clicked a few names and found to my dismay that one of the people I used to really enjoy reading has left us for good. She was Arethusa of "No Stalkers Allowed". Edit: I am sorry to have confused anyone. I don't mean she is dead; she has decided to quit blogging!

I was very sad to see that she was leaving us for good; the only explanation given was that a family member had hi-jacked her blog. Since her writing was not intensely personal, I wondered why that was a problem - but I suppose I shouldn't second-guess a person's decision not to write anymore.

Arethusa, you will be missed. Definitely missed. Your posts on art and literature belied your tender years, and I learned from you and was led to see things from your viewpoint that I would never have noticed on my own.

Since you didn't allow comments on your last post, I am writing this here, and I sincerely hope you'll come back to see this. Wherever your life takes you (and I've no doubt it will be far) I wish you luck and much love.

And now - a note to the rest of you:

If you decide to quit writing your blog, please put up a last post. I won't insist that you explain why you are quitting, unless you really want to. But for those of us who might have some parting words, please allow comments on that last post - even if you have no desire or intent to ever go back and read them. I hate being left hanging, with something to say and no one to say it to.

The Distant Past

I am on the right in the top photo, probably about 3 at the time. I have no idea who the other child is, but I think she lived in my aunt's neighborhood. My curly hair persisted until I was about 9.

In the ocean on a rock - I wonder how they got back to shore without getting drenched? I think this is my mother's sister. Isn't that an interesting place to be when you are all dressed up, with hats even?









In this one, my mom and my aunt are with two men I don't know. That must have been pre-Daddy. I don't recognize the location either.
This is my dad's brother and his father. I posted the father as a young newlywed several days ago. This was probably in the late 30's.