Our starter-up home but we stayed over 30 years!

Our starter-up home but we stayed over 30 years!

This is where our young-married life began...and I loved our little home. I remember carrying Jeff who was 18 months old to his own room...and telling him that this is his very own.

Well, it appears Jeff had a different idea. He wanted his crib in our room, just like it was in our little apartment.

He screamed and screamed ...and then wanted to join us in bed.

Every day I carried him and said this is Jeffy's room...all yours. Your toys are here. We have our room--you have yours.

He still cried for a month. Then Dr. Spock said you just have to let him cry...and don't give in...and finally after 4 days we had peace in the house and the bed to ourselves.

That is, until he learned to crawl out of his crib and he would go to Allen's side to get in and he was never refused.There were many times that I ended up sleeping in the crib because I couldn't sleep 3 in a double bed. Triple beds were rare in those days and it never even entered our minds.

Anyway we had big retaining walls in our driveway and in the back to hold back the 2nd terrace. The street above us was being excavated...and every night after dinner, the 3 of us would go to gather big rocks. To this day the wall is still standing.....a labor of love

.Retirement came and everyone said maybe I could buy Allen an extra couple years down in florida. No more urging...I wanted my husband to live....so we moved....and here I am.

I'm truly glad we made the move...life is so much simpler here..

Written a while back about my library

We had to be very quiet...not speak a single word...or we would have been kicked out!

There were no paperbacks back then...only bound books and they were very precious.

My first document that I personally owned and was responsible for, was my library card. It was sacred. Nothing should happen to it! And if a book was overdue, I felt mortified...like I'd created a crime...all for 2 cents. The librarian took her job very seriously and, if asked, would refer you to a special section.

Besides getting a book for myself, my Mother wanted me to bring her back a novel. I recall asking for Edna Ferber....she's the lady who wrote the book that the musical Showboat was all about.

My Mother was an avid reader and during dinner she would present a book review to us letting us know what it was all about. How interested our little family of 4 was in her presentation. So, not only did we digest the best cooking in the world...and we had entertainment with it.

That was my Mother....and I adored her so much!

Now I go to a big library on Hagen Ranch Road...and what a myriad of books from which to choose....more authors than ever before in history. And most of them are very good...but we can't read everything so we must be select.

Ruth, my friend and next door neighbor, usually brings me back something that is just to my liking...no violence....no C.I.A. stuff...just lots of emotions.

Having a good book to read is such a great feeling.

This was written in 07.

 

Could This Be Just A Coincidence?

In our Jewish religion we light a Yartseit Candle on the anniversary of a loved one's death.  Today was my sister Elayne's day.   She died so young...just 36 and Paul was 10.  Very shocking!

However, earlier in the day I called Elayne's son and daughter-in-law to see how they're faring during this hurricane time.   Barbara told me some important news about her grandson waiting  to be born.

Eric is my sister's grandson...and today his wife who is pregnant felt life for the first time.

It just made me wonder...is this how the Soul moves on.  Is my Sister going on through her son and his son....and now their baby waiting to be born.

Life has so many mysteries and this makes so much sense to me.  Can it be so !    Only God knows the answer!

May My Sister's Soul Rest In Peace!

Too Many Beeps spoil the Broth!

We've been having all kinds of tornado warnings flashing across the television screens...but the media needs to alert us ... so everytime they flash another warning....they beep us.    Not just one beep...but many many!

I now wear hearing aids and when the battery starts to fail...it beeps..one on the right ear and one on the left....beep...beep.

Using the dishwasher is another way to make me crazy...it beeps.  And I surely must not forget my answering maching...leave your message after the beep.

When the microwave is done cooking...it beeps...and if you don't take your food out immediately, it will beep...beep...beep.  Sometimes the cradle is not put on the phone properly...more beeping.

Not to leave out my washer and dryer...yep...clothes are done....beep...beep...beep.

When I'm sitting in my recliner and I hear a beep...I don't know where it's coming from.   Sometimes it's something outside...like the garbage truck backing up.

Not to mention that my computer also beeps....and I can't handle all this.

I think I would prefer a bell or a whistle...just another kind of sound, please!

Because I don't know where all the beeps are coming from.  

Sometimes I think I'm just a beep away from going crazy!  When I hear the beeps I run from room to room to figure out where it's coming from.

This was written by me in 2008

Sunday, December 7, 2008Our President
For 2 years we have been gathering information about who should run our country.

Now that's a mighty big order to expect of anyone...other than GOD!

Well, Obama has stepped up to the plate and is going to do his very
best to get us out of the jams we're in.

Guess it all started with the war that nobody wanted!

Then the Great American Dream...owning an overpriced big home with
little or no money.

That's where I stepped in and got hurt. I lost all my Fannie Mae
savings. Poof! Just like that!

I really truly don't understand the mentality of most CEO'S. They
think they can walk away with all the money....and they do.

They accomplish. They're all super rich...and the rest of us are shumcks.

I feel frustrated like most other Americans....but what to do...what to do!

Me....I'm banking on Obama!
Posted by Hilda Gordon at 4:42 PM 2 comments:
virginia said...
shmucks we certainly are....

no matter who would have won, the pile of doo doo they stepped in to
would not be any inheritance that I
would find appealing

let's not forget our dear governor who spends our money like we have
it //////pay is what we all do best...

we must keep our chins up....not for optimism..but to keep from
drowning in the aforementioned doo doo!

keep up the good words, Miss Hilda

December 9, 2008 1:02 PM

Have to 'red up' ...Home of the Steelers!

I come from a little town in Southwestern Pennsylvania...called New Kensington.   It's not new anymore....fact is...,,,   it's old.   It's 20 miles as the crow flies from  Pgh.

There's no industry anymore and most of the downtown is all boarded up, which is very sad because once it was very busy.   On a Saturday night when I was young, all the coalminers would come to 'town'...and it was very exciting.  At that time we had 4 movie theaters to choose from...now there is none.  Even the hospital moved.  Might be what would be referred to as a 'ghost town'...and that's scary, no pun intended.  Alcoa was the big industry then...and it pulled out!

Our toy store, Gordon Toys was located there and we stayed until the town literally died.  It's now considered a 'bedroom community'..people live there but don't work there.

Anyway we spoke a different kind of English  and folks would poke fun at us.   And even today, if I hear someone use one of the phrases...it does my heart good...someone from my neighborhood....my hometown.

Many of the sounds and words found in the speech of Pittsburghers are popularly thought to be unique to the city. This is reflected in the term "Pittsburghese," the putative sum of these features in the form of a dialect. However, few of these features are restricted solely to Pittsburgh or the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Instead, many of them are found throughout southwestern Pennsylvania, .
. .

Speakers of Pittsburgh English are sometimes called "Yinzers", in reference to their use of the 2nd-person plural pronoun "Yinz" The word "yinzer" is sometimes heard as pejorative, indicating a lack of sophistication, although the term is now used in a variety of ways.^[ 

Southern people say...y'all.    So, wherever you come from...odd sentences surface.  New Yorkers say you'll come by me...instead of saying visit.

So...my point is...whenever I know that company is coming, and I'm not the neatest person on this planet, I say I have to 'red up'....and hope whoever hears me will understand..I'm just putting clutter out of sight.

Yep...I'm from Pittsburgh.

If I was on the debate team, I would simplify things a lot.   I would say...folks, none of us really knows how much a trillions dollars is...not even a billion....but maybe, just maybe if we brought it down to millions, we could kind of relate to it.

We could really understand what the two candidates are talking about...because right now, it's going over most of our heads.

We think in dollars..and not even cents anymore.   And why do we need to borrow from China...can't we just add  more gold mints in Fort Knox, Kentucky.    Everybody I know owns something that is gold...so why such a big attraction to it.

What we all do know...and we were all taught in the most basic way that you can't spend more money than you have.

And that is what our country is doing.   So Countrymen...stop it!!!!!!!   Stay within your budget, that is if we can ever get back on track.

I guess that's why nobody has asked me to debate!

This is a P.S. on information I received from Paul my nephew about gold and the Wizard of Oz.

Editor's Note: Here is the extraordinary story behind the extraordinary story of'TheWonderfulWizard of Oz'.  Most of us have seen the movie version of this allegorical tale, but few of us are aware of what the various characters, places and things represented in the mind of Frank Baum, the tale's author. Professor Quentin Taylor of Rogers State University invitingly titles the piece presented below 'Money and Politics in the Land of Oz'.  Though 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' was written over 100 years ago, the themes will be recongizable to those with an interest in golden matters. While many today consider gold an instrument of financial and personal freedom, in Baum's tale, it is painted as a villain -- the tool of oppression. So, as you are about to see, we have come full circle, and gold has travelled a yellow brick road of its own

My little house

When my husband Allen and I looked at this B unit in a villa, we kind of fell in love with it.    There was a loft....for escape time.

Two bathrooms which seemed an enormous luxury...one bath and two showers.   The drawers all pulled out on rollers....a dishwasher and a garbage disposal.

And in the bathroom a special fan to eliminate any unpleasant aromas.

Now we had a nice hallway that let us to our master bedroom...but along those walls,  Allen nailed pictures of our family and our lives.    When we were young...and as we grew older.

When we bought new furniture, we felt like we were on our second honeymoon, even to buying a wastebasket.    Everything was a thrill.

Allen hired a shelf maker for  our bedroom closet to put up to put up more rods.   Now I have to call someback to lower those rods...cause I simply can't reach them.

I loved our backyard look, a stable with horses...and I can hear them whinny and naaay...and it makes me feel good...like I'm not in a large city but near the farms.

Back to my hallway, there are pictures of my Mother and my Father not together, my Father was already married to Aunt Helen, my mom's sister  My Mother died at 41 and my father waited 10 years to remarry, till both my sister and I got married.   They had a good long marriage.The people who I see when I stroll up and down my hallways are My cousin Henrietta and her husband Eddy...and my dear Aunt Rose and my sister in law, and my mother and father in law.  Paul and Barbara's wedding pictures...also Jeff and Donna.   Lots of Allen at all ages.   And, of course, pictures of my grandnephews Eric and Ryan when they were little.   Now they're both married and I must hang up pictures of their brides.

My family....

I've made some good friends here..and my biggiest pleasure  is our swimming pool, which is also my social life.  We all have one thing in common...we're all transports from another place and another time....so we've kind of become each other's extended family.

Everyone there is happy and splashing and splishing and making their arthritis feel better.

Lots of noodles are used too....very colorful.   This is our country club.

If anyone wants to visit me, I have a loft, if you can climb the stairs.   There's a queen bed, a dresser and a chair...and a radio.

To me...this is paradise and I'm very grateful that Allen brought me here.

When Jeff took a Bride!

The top shelf of my closet on the left hand side holds a big basket.   This container holds special memories for me.

Filled, it contained, everything I would need for an overnight stay at this great hotel on Tyson's Corner in Virginia.

Yep, my daughter-in-law was spreading joy to all the guests who came to see them united in marriage.

Donna is not Jewish, but she studied books pertaining to Jewish beliefs and Yiddish words.   She was very familiar with all our customs.    So much so that when it came to the  breaking of a  glass at the conclusion of the service, Donna broke one too, along with Jeff....and everyone joined in Mazel Tov! 

The wedding was almost 19 years ago in Donna's mom's home in McLean Virginia.   Looking out the window during the wedding, I could see Kenneth Starr's home right next door, the attorney who made all the trouble for Clinton during his last term in office.

But I don't want to dwell on that.   I want to focus on all the goodies in that basket, crackers, cookies, candy, beverages and a notebook with pen.   Donna left out nothing.   Jeff and Donna made us feel like we were all very special people who attended their wedding.

The wonderful memories of this momentous event keeps flooding back to me when I look at the empty basket....that containes all these beautiful memories.   I'd like to mention that the day after they finally met, Jeff asked Donna if she'd like to go to the Smithsonian Museum...and she readily agreed.

So not only do you learn history there, that's where romances are created!

Getting my money's worth!

Living in a middle unit in a villa tends to  be a little dark because I'm sandwiched in on both side by my neighbors..    For this reason, I decorated my guest bathroom with a little lamp that I leave lit all the time.

At the Dollar Store, I purchased a snall packet of 4 night light bulbs, one of which I screwed  into my stainglass lamp.    That was six months ago...but it's still lit.   Hard for me to believe!   I would really have to say I got my money's worth.  Probably cost very little to operate.

Re-thinking, about 35 years ago we bought a hair blower to use after a shampoo.   It still  works as good as the day it was  purchased.

In 1970 we purchased a Radio Shack calculator..and held under light, it still turns on and gives wonderful calculations...I don't have to think any longer!

The cars we've owned over the years...we drove them until we could barely reach the car dealer, which made them old by their standards.

Today, cars are made to take it and you're able to drive 200,000 miles or more if you've babied your auto.

Many things I would be able to use a lot longer, but they have an expiration date....even a bottle of water.   Wonder who figured that out.  We used to drive to a spring and get our containers filled...and it was good.

I'm delighted that trees don't have an expiration date...cause I really enjoy looking and harnessing the shade, especially living here in Sunny Florida.

I'm glad God  has not  let us know the expiration date on us....and that's why we're celebrating Yom Kippor.  It's God who decides!

Wait Jeff...not ready yet !

     All thru Jeff's babyhood and growing up years, I wanted to halt time...to pause it....to freeze it...because I knew that these would be the best years of my life.

I lived in the present...never occurred  that I would grow old....or that my Jeff would be approaching a 60th birthday.   I don't know when or how it happened...but time moves so timidly you can hardly notice any changes.   I think the only things I really thought about was that at the beginning of a school year, I had to buy another size clothing for my boy.

I wanted to be a wife always...be young always....and have our little boy always.   But Time Does March On...it gallops.   Jeff always had first day jitters !

When he started first grade,  Labor Day had mixed meanings for me....back to school.   When I shopped for his little needs for going back, it consisted of a pencil box, with a little drawer....a couple of pencils, a ruler,scissors, eraser  and a  retractor..  Oh yes, a pretty notebook with the U. S. A. states printed on the back...and a school bag.   Kids wern't wearing backpacks then.   Now our boy was ready!  Sometimes those notebooks had the multiplication tables on them.

Today parents don't get away so cheaply... the kids need a cell phone and a computer at home to do their homework...and designer clothes to keep up with their peers.

Life was so much easier when Jeff was growing up...and I re-visit those times in the memory of my life.

Happy Birthday, Jeffy !

Chanukah in August!

Here I am on my second computer at this time in my life.  When I asked Jeff and Donna to order it for me...because I know they're good shoppers and they were most eager.

.   So I asked how much was my computer...and they both Skyped me a look with a quirky smile on their faces and said .... early Happy Chanukah.

Wow I was taken aback.   I did not want or expect this...but they giggled and insisted.   I know how to give but I don't know how to accept graciously.

Jeff spent about a week on Teamviewer which enables him to take over my computer and save all my files and then restore them.   I know he worked very hard and long because I was able to watch his cursor....and it seemed like a great artist at work on a brilliant canvas....better than Rembrandt!

Why did I need a new computer when my old one was working fine.    We were not able to Skype any longer because mine wasn't strong enough.   Well, Skyping  for me is just the most important thing in my life...to me it's a miracle.    And I get to visit with my grownup kids every Sunday morning.   I get dressed and make my bed because my computer's in the bedroom and they can see everything on my webcam.    I even put on earrings!

If I were on a time machine and I could go back and tell my Mother and Sister what this instrument is....I would't even be able to describe it.    My World Encyclopedias that we bought for Jeff when he was a boy is obsolete today.   Now we have a search engine that never ever turns me down.   It gives all answers.   I am aware that a human being has to feed this information..but I have no idea how it's done.   Should I believe everything this 'thing' tells me.   Is it so????

I dunno!   But I thank God everyday for this miracle

Can This Be !

No one needs to dine alone any longer.   I was in a restaurant recently and I kept hearing the man across from me talking.

I glanced over and he was alone..but carrying on a steady conversation.  Then I noticed that he was using one fork to eat....and the other hand was holding a cell phone.  During his entire dinner...he either talked or listened...and that's conversation.

Actually not a bad idea.   If you're sitting across from someone and you're not enjoying the conversation, there's nothing you can do about it.

This way...you can always make an excuse and just 'hang up'.

He talked all the way through his dessert....and I was amused by the entire incident.

The world has changed so much in the last two decades.   If you own an i pod you can just talk into it and your voice will be translated into text.   This boggles my mind.

I wonder if someday, someone can think a thought and it will be transmitted by another person.  I hope that day doesn't arrive....because I believe no one would be speaking to anyone else.

This technology is as far as I go...and when I Skype  with my grownup children on Sundays, that is a miracle.

I see them...I hear them...I can feel the love that flows through our computers.

That is the greatest gift in my life today....near and yet far apart !

I peed in the Ritz Carlton!

I've never had high tea there or anything else for that matter.  But my friends wanted me to take a peak at the grand lobby and I didn't know that was one of our destinations, so I really wasn't dressed appropriately.   If one could feel like a pauper, it was me.

I would have dressed for the occasion!  Then the good friends of mine insisted I should examine the 'ladies room'.    It was beautiful.   No paper towels there...beautiful washclothes so that friends helped themselves to.

I didn't and I didn't partake of the mints they had in a beautiful container.

However, I entered their stall..and I was really impressed....it was just lovely.   Made me feel that this natural function of all living things, was a special 'happening'.   I think that was the first toilet that flushed itself and scared the heck out of me.

Then I went to rinse off my hands....and I never turned on the faucets...the water splashed on to my hands.   Then the lotion...don't know what it was but it smelled delicious.

There was a woman sitting on a stool watching everything and I dropped a dollar into her container.

It sure was worth it.   It was an experience...an adventure.

Now I can actually say...I've been to the Ritz and the service was great.    I was explaining this to my friend Virginia...and she insisted I write this blog...so if it doesn't meet with your propriety...you must blame her!

I can't handle birthdays!

My friends don't understand this...because they're all getting older too.  I think it's because I would like to freeze 'time'!

I'm happy now...I have some very good friends...and my family is super great!   I can't rave enough about them!

Now I know that a birthday is just another 365 days around the sun ....but then, that makes me a year older.

Anyway I'm so fortunate I live in this time zone of tv's, computers and more authors than any other time in history.   I can still drive a car even if I don't have a sense of direction...I can always ask.   My old Honda still takes me, just like a Mercedes would, anyplace I want to go.  If I want to eat a chicken, I don't need to go out to the shed to slaughter one...and I don't have to milk a cow for fresh pasturized milk.

Everything is here...now...at my fingertips!

What more can anyone ask. I can still digest all foods...and the scale can prove that.  My air conditioning works...and I live in the best spot in the country...Florida.

Oh boy...I've got it all..and I know and appreciate it.

Out of the loop!

Sitting in a waiting room at the Cleveland Clinic in Fl. were about 35 people waiting to be helped, along with a lot of their spouses.

If you wanted to, you could watch television with sub titles...or do what everyone else but me was doing.
They all had their heads lowered and .. no they were not
praying...they were working with their hand-held
gadgets...smart phones...dumb phones..I pads..I pods..Androids,
E Readers..GP S's...cameras and who knows what else.

 Maybe they were just playing games...and not one of them was working on crossword puzzles.   No sirree!

Husbands  and wives were unmindful of each other...they were just too busy while  their fingers were moving in  frantic motion..as they were concentrating with frowns lining their foreheads..
There were no knitters or craft people here....in this office, along with all the other offices  in the world, people have entered the age of technology.

Ah...they were 'with it'.

I was not!   Actually, I felt embarrassed...so much so, that I almost took out my cell phone to appear to be one of them....and push some buttons.  I had no one to call!

I wondered to myself whatever happened to the art of conversation...or reading a book with real pages...

I believe I belong in a different time zone...where just 'thinking' is a passtime.

Frustrated...or is it me???

About ten years ago, hotels and motels came out with a new form of key.   Plastic like a charge card and you insert it in the room you're renting.

Well..sounds good...but does it work...at least some of the time.   I swipe it in the hotel slot in the door...and nothing happens...except for a red light.  Now I know that red lights mean trouble...so I instantly remove.

Now I try again turning the card in a different direction...same story.   I insert the card again and get a green light, but if you don't remove the card fast enough, it shuts off.  And this ritual goes on and on!

Five minutes have passed by now and I feel stupid, plus ..   I have to use the bathroom. 

 Finally another guest comes along and smiles at me.   I return the smile but I guess she can see utter disappointment in my face because she asks, can she help me.

I admit that I'm stuck outside my door.  I can't get in.   She takes my card...does exactly what I did...and the door flies open.

She feels very accomplished and I feel like a real dud.   She probably told someone she helped an elderly lady get into her room and why is she traveling at all if she can't even us a cardkey.

Does this happen to other people too....or is it just me????

Please .. please.. give me my old key back...even a skeleton one will do.

Good day for kites!

I'm inspired...just looking out my window!   There's choreography going on with all the leaves in my sight.   I have some mighty trees and they all have healthy, sturdy branches and boughs, festive  with the greenest leaves...and when the wind blows, it's a sight to behold...they're all doing a dance...graceful as can be...and I never get tired just watching.

It makes me know that God is in charge and the performance outside my window proves it.

It's spring and even the newest green leaves have joined in, firmly attached, and it's like a big chorus where they all move.   No wall flowers on my tree!    They move in unison!  And when the sun shines between the branches, that's an added bonus...it's in 'living color

They dance and if a bug is on a leaf, they get a real ride...just like going to Disney.   There are thousands of leaves just moving around right in front of my vision and I'm delighting in every one.

  If I desire to open my window, I get sound!   The melody of the rustling of the leaves...so tranquil and sweet.     It makes me feel happy from within.

And when fall comes...we have mulch.

Shredded Leaves are natures favorite mulch. Shredded leaves can be used as mulch anywhere and have the added bonus of being free

Much better than dancing with the stars!   This is no competition...more like dancing with the sky!  

These are living things and I treasure each leaf for the happiness and the natural air conditioning it brings.  The birds also take pleasure in my tree...a resting place from their flight.   Even the squirrels scamper up and down the trunk....so much fun! 

In Genesis in the Bible, the tree is one of the very first things that God created..and all through the ages our ancestors have seen what I'm writing about.

Dear Reader, you, too, can have a thrilling day...just look out your window!
 
So much excitement...and all for free!  Take it all in!

Sloppy Broadcasting!

I've noticed lately that TV commercial breaks have become less than professional...and I don't know whether this is due to satellites, which is a miracle in itself.   We can watch as it's happening!   Who would have thought!

.  The anchor person used to keep tabs of  the time  and know just how many seconds remaining  till it was time for a commercial break...or they'd kill a little time so that the break would be smooth.   The anchor person is not alone...there's someone who does a little windup with their hands.

I've noticed not so today!!   No..they cut off whoever's speaking in the middle of a sentence and then you see a big commercial,which makes you wonder all you missed.   But it probably wasn't all that much because it's all reality TV anyway.   Perhaps that's a more inexpensive way to produce shows.

Did the audience in real time see and hear what is going on and we were just 'cut off'.....and did we really miss something!

I think it's sloppy broadcasting that you don't need to be cognizant of the time....that the commercials will get in no matter what.  What if there was a real emergency...but time to break.  I know the answer.   Everything is routinely scheduled and automatic.

It appears to me that this has just happened since we now have digital TV...analog is gone!    Is our technology too technical for us, that it can control regular programming?

I think I want to go back to the old days when they announced we'll return after a brief message from our sponsor.

Grandma Harriet and Hilda go to Puerto Rico

There are decades in my life when I haven't attended a wedding...but this year was my 'year of watching young people exchange their loving vows in eager anticipation of a happy life ahead.   It makes so much sense...man was not meant to live alone, and by that I mean woman too.   God created us in such a way that we are meant to be in 2's.   And it's strange about love...it just grows and grows.   Some couples begin to think as one mind...some even get to resemble one another.  So this was my third big wedding this year and each one was magnificent.

I think by most religious and secular standards we are meant to be fruitful and multiply....and that is such an adventure...building your nest together..all the household things that make a home...and then after a while, planning a family....and babies are so lovable and so much work and patience.  That's why God created young parents..so they could get down on the floor and play with the little ones.

For this we have no real training.   It should be instinctive that we know 'how to grow a baby, from tot hood to young adults.

Now this is where Natalia and Luke enter....I watched them...two beautiful, exquisite people...about to embark on this gigantic journey through life.  You could actually feel the love that generated between these two souls.

I watched Natalia's parents and they looked so happy.   I also watched Andrew and Barbara, and they looked like they were going to explode with pride and love.

I came to this wedding with the grandma Harriet...and we witnessed this most joyous occasion...the blending of two families.  Natalia's cousin Aurora really extended herself to us...she took 'us in hand' and made sure we were comfortable no matter where we where.   She just kept an eye out for us.

As we were leaving to go to the airport, this sweet, kind lady saw that Harriet was not able to lift her legs to get into a cab, and she physically pulled us into her car, and our luggage, and off she drove us to the airport.

We were so grateful to her...not just for what she did...but the manner in which she handled everything....made us feel like it was just something that wasn't any problem.  The wedding was a lovely affair that will long remain a memory that will remain because it was done with such thought and beauty.

I know that Natalia and Luke will have a happy life.  How do I know this?

THEY'RE IN LOVE!

Virginia's 'language of flowers'

Outstanding moments in my life are surprises in my memory that I was sure would always remain with me.   For instance, when there was a big puddle in the street when I was very young, my father would take one of my arms...my mother the other, and I would be lifted happily to safe ground again.  

Another great moment in my life, when my uncle Lou,  the same uncle that was killed in world war 2,  gave me my first puppy and we instantly fell in love...I'll always remember Prince.

The day my father came home with a 2 wheel bike for my sister and me..my enthusiasm, was unparelled.  I had this bike long after I was married!

When I delivered Jeff and held him in my arms for the first time, I knew that God was watching.  A wondrous moment!

When Allen said he was in love with me and would I marry him!

An eventful moment, when Paul brought Barbara home to meet us and we knew that Paul had grownup.

The phone call from Jeff that he met someone online...and they wanted to come to visit...breathtaking!
Now I have another great event...I went out my door and lo and behold, instead of my dried up woody branches that I expected to come back to life, I witnessed 3 of the most beautiful large pots of flowers, on a bed of peat moss.

Virginia, my friend who happens to live next door, knew that my kids were coming to visit, and she did this for me.   Bunny, who lives across the way, helped her with the peat moss.   I stared and gazed, and couldn't get over this grandiose gesture, and I still can't.  What message this communicated!

It makes me believe all over again of the goodness in people ... and how they try to please.   Virginia certainly blew my mind with her loving generosity.

I will never ever forget this gesture...and I don't know how I can ever re-pay her...because to me, this was a step above anything I could ever do.

Charming Virginia created this for me...and she did it with such grace.  She never knocked on my door to say look outside...no...no...she waited!.

Slots for the hopeful!

Tomorrow I'm going a'gambling!   Yep, High Point is sponsoring a casino trip and they've filled 2 full buses.   Cost of this trip is $3.00 and that includes lunch.

My problems are that I don't like to get up early in the morning.   Secondly, I don't understand the machines.

I think I'm too old!   Little critters running all over the screen and all kinds of crazy sounds with bells and whistles.....and I really don't know if I won anything.

Now I'm not a big sport...I play the 2 cent machine...but it sounds cheaper than it is because I play the maximum....so you use your money up fast.

Some people who live here aren't permitted to go ... cause they don't gamble and it costs the casino for the buses and the food.

At the beginning of the morning, I enjoy it...and then I get very very bored...and they don't furnish you a place to rest or sit because they wouldn't be making any money.

So...how much do I want to contribute to this day off the farm here?

It's funny...everyone tells you how much they won...never do I hear how much they lost.

But...I'm going to be a good sport....cause that's entertainment...Florida style!

Barnum once said there's one born every minute...count me in Mr. Barnum!

Time Was!

With all the talk about the economy and jobs, it suddenly  occurred to me that I actually never went looking for a job.  Work came to me.

I'm not a very gutsy person so I guess I have to consider myself pretty lucky. 

My sweet Mother whom I adored died when I was going on 16...and when I graduated from high school at 17, my father sent me to commercial college.

I was still reeling from my Mother's death. 

This school received a phone call from our local radio station that they needed a continuity writer...so I was sent.  WKPA was our 'Voice of the Valley'...and we signed off with the local sunset.

I was hired on the spot...and spots are what I had to write.

I was sooo green...didn't even know what a radio spot was.   But I loved...adored this job.

I ended up being a girl Friday also...doing everything...selecting music...picking out classical music that I couldn't even pronounce....and selecting electrical transcriptions ...that we played on two large turntables.

A short while after that...tape players were used.

I loved my boss and all the announcers who worked there.   They would gather everyday in my office to 'gossip'...and some days in order to get a commercial on the air, I needed to go to another office to write it.

I stayed on 9 years until I was 7 months pregnant.

My only other job after that was in our own toy store where Allen and I worked side by side...enjoying the children enjoying their toys.

And we knew that once they pass that child-spot in their lives, they could ne're return again.

I think about all this frequently because....this was my life!  And good it was!

Searching Within!

Politics is forefront right now in my life.   Even though I'm a liberal, I'm very into what's happening with the Repubicans...because ...and now there were 4 !

The vitality is sapped  from each of the candidates, and  while on this trail, they have to take it in good humor when insults are thrust at them...both from the media and the constituents.

Before one enters into a run for the presidency...you must be very smart and surround yourself with even smarter people.

You must be lily white (not in racial color) but the way you've lived your life.  Imagine everytime you open your mouth, you have to wonder...would this affect me if I ran for office.   What a way to go thru life!   Who among us has lived a pure life...I don't know anybody.

That brings me to the point of writing this blog...how pure am I.   If I were to run for something big, would my opponents be able to dredge something in my private life, for which I would really be shamed.

I must be a very boring person, because I can't think of any...and that's not to say that I'm proud of everything I've ever done.   But, nothing major, that I can think of.

Did I sell a box of crayons that had 6 in the box instead of 8...did I sell something that would frustrate a child that would spoil his life.   Nope...nothing like that.  Did I munch  a nut while shopping in the bulk and bin store.

I better think hard on this because there must be something that can be attacked....but seriously, I need to be reminded.

I am not Saint Hilda !

Poop

As I was discussing my walk down my cul de sac with Jeff and Donna on Skype, I happened to mention that I saw a dog answering nature's call.  I explained that I stood there waiting to see if the owner would do anything about it.   And sure enough, she grabbed it with a plastic bag and that was the first time I'd ever seen that done.

I had witnessed pooper scoopers but I had no seen this before.

So...I asked my kids about it.   Do you use regular plastic bags...is it awkward to grasp it...and all kinds of delicate facts like this.

So...Jeff gets a specially-store-bought bag for just this occassion and showed me how this is handled!    While he was doing this, I snapped their pictures....because who else owns a picture...or wants to own a picture like this.

1. 1
   Poop scooping services are popping up all over the place.^[11] While this is a costlier option, it is worth the cost for some people, especially if the dog waste accumulates in a fixed place like your yard. And if there is no service in your area and you're an enterprising sort, why not start such a service?^[12] It could be very rewarding!
2. 2
   Ask dog owners you know if they know of any good "waste handling" services.
3. 3
   Ask a local landscaper or pet-sitter if they'd consider providing this service.
4. 4
   Look up a service in the Find-a-Scooper International Directory at http://www.apaws.org/search/adv/default.aspx.

Dealing with dog poop rebels

1. 1
   
   

   If you come across someone who won't pick up their dog's poop right in front of you, assert yourself.
   If you come across someone who won't pick up their dog's poop right in front of you, assert yourself. Explain to them how unhygienic their action is and how it is disrespectful to the neighborhood. As well, explain that it lets down all dog owners who get smeared with the thoughtlessness of the few who don't pick up the poop and ends up with more bans on where dogs can go. There's no need to make a song and dance but do insist, and if it's a violation in your area, contact your community association or other suitable contact and report the incident.
   • You might say something like: "Sir/Madam, I realize that it's not the most pleasant task but as dog owners we have to show everyone else we are responsible and care about both our dogs and our neighborhood. Dog poop harbors disease and people don't want to tread in it. So, I'd really appreciate it if you'd pick up after your dog, just as I do."
2. 2
   Offer the person one of your bags. The gesture is difficult to turn down because it's polite and it's showing the other person that you expect them to behave responsibly.
3. 3
   Set an example to others by being proud to pick up your dog's poop.^[13] This shows other dog owners an example of good dog ownership and lets people know that any mess around isn't from your dog.

I'm proud that my kids are good citizens!

.

      

Unregistered Comment on December 17, 2008 at 6:32 PM9

9

I used to have a neighbor with a sweet massive great dane. I adored the dog, and I think the feeling was mutual. In fact, I like most dogs more than I like most people.

His dog was constantly leaving coffee table sized lumps on my lawn. I politely asked him to simply clean up after the dog. His reply: "How do you know it was my dog?"

Never mind the fact that the neighborhood was zoned against horses, the only other domesticated animal large enough to leave such a prize. I had seen him do it repeatedly.

So. The next time I saw one, I used a plastic bag, scooped it up and left it on the hood of his car in the North Carolina summer sun. When he asked me about it, I replied: "How do you know it was me?"

Of course, the dog and I were no longer able to be friends. The really irritating thing is that he stopped his dog from using my yard after that. So it was something he could have done all along, but by choosing not to was just being an asshole.

I love dogs. I have a dog. I clean up after him every single time he goes to the bathroom. The people who don't clean up after their dogs are the first ones to complain when they aren't allowed on the beach or in parks, etc. I love their dogs, but I HATE those people.

Dreams and our toy store!

Virginia looks so thoughtful!

I decided to have a neighborhood party months ago ...but didn't want to work too hard cause I'm not so young anymore.  

A good way to host a party in your home is to order salads from Wendy's.  They're delicious....reasonable...and easy to serve...right in their own containers.and so easy to clean up after.

Ordered them from Wendy's the day before...and they had them all ready.  However, I didn't use their plastic utensils.  I used my stainless forks and knives.   It looks like we're all boozing it up...but not true.   I got bottles of green tea for everyone...I want my friends to be healthy.

The reason my friend's picture is here...she helped me with everything...and I couldn't enjoy the lifestyle that I do without  Virginia.

She is my source...I call her when I'm in trouble...and I don't wish her any mishap...but I sure wish she would reciprocate when she feels the need.

Recently she invited me to go to the beach with her...and lo and behold, I fell on the way down...and embarrassingly, I wasn't able to get up.   Virginia reached out her small sweet hand to help me, but I wouldn't grab it...to bring her down with me.

Finally two gentlemen came along and each told a hand and I was upright ... like an old piano...but I wasn't feeling good about myself.   Where the heck did my balance go???

She also accompanied me when we went to Ryan and Daniela's wedding...and we had to share a big bed.  Never went to a Hyatt where they didn't have twin beds..but that's the way it was.

Anyway...I'm sure glad that she moved next door...fate has a way!

Joe captured my northern yearnings!

I never really considered photography as an art form until I met Joe Pizzarello.  He's an artist with a camera...or I should say about him...Have camera....will travel!  I miss the fall very much...but Joe has captured in all in this one snapshot...which I'm sure he worked very diligently before sending it to me.

Joe and Annmarie are very talented people.   I've seen a lot of Annmarie's water colors and they absolutely come to life.   Their two daughters are very talented also.....one is an artist in New York...and Jo Jo lives in Florida and is an attorney. 

  I'm very proud of this family because they're what life is all about.....and Joe shows his artistry in his culinary skills.   Whatever he cooks just doesn't taste delicious...his presentation is perfection. 

At Christmas their home is a wonderland.......running trains...villages with old fashioned people ...lights and sounds everywhere.  I didn't know where to look first...and they enjoy watching your face as you watch the goings-on!

Before he left to go up north in the spring, Joe knocks on my door and he has a framed picture of one of his best...and he found a place on my wall that needed something...he also brought a nail to hang it.

Now...everyday, I think of Joe, because I can't enter or leave my house without admiring it.

Thanks nice people!

Kennedy Center in D.C.

Virginia and I picked outselves up and decided to visit Jeff and Donna in Manassas, Va. When my friend V got on the plane, she bowed her head and I could see she was praying for a safe flight. She also took wipes out of her purse and cleaned the dropdown shelf where we get served.

I'm not that clean...and to be honest, it never even occurred to me. We kissed and hugged and headed for their home. It's a beautiful residential street, although V thought the neighbors flowers were plastic.

All I know is that they looked pretty to me. Jeff carried our luggage to the 2nd floor and Donna proceed to get our dinner on the table. We were a tad hungry since our plane was 2 hours late. Jeff and Donna never phoned the airport to ask the time...so they had a long waiting program.

Soon as we got in the house, Jeff took us to the exercise room, and there in a big crate were two exquisite excited dogs to see us...both beagles but enough different so you'd be able to tell one from the other. They couldn't wait for us to see their endless pool in the basement...and we couldn't wait to get in. It was beautiful...and I'm hundred percent sure that it's going to improve the quality of their lives... The water was warm and inviting and they had a full bathroom off the pool in the basement.

This way they can swim summer or winter.

The next day V examined the grounds and knew every planting and tree.

Me, I can't make that statement. My joy was with the dogs. They rested their big heads on my lap and that made me feel sensational.

Next day they took us on a tour to Skyline Drive in the Appalacians...and thru our car window we saw a big black bear. The scenery was beyond magnificent...even tho the leaves hadn't turned yet.

We went out that particular time for Jeff's birthday and he was thrilled.

Virginia sent Omaha steaks and things and she also bought a beautiful birthday care which we all devoured.

We ate out a few time to restaurnts that we dont't have here. Donna also took us to Wegman's which was a real experience to behold.

Jeff and Donna took off work to enjoy our vacation with them. I came home and Virginia went to Tampa to visit a sick friend...although she wasn't feeling all that great herself...allergy or something.

Anyway, it was a fun time and I enjoyed it. Paul, my nephew came over one night and Donna grilled our dinner.

We walked all around and in Kennedy Center. Nothing spectacular was playing but we saw a cute comedy.

So...all's well that ends well....

Virginia visits my kids with me!

When Virginia and I boarded a plane to Washington D.C., Dulles Airport, my kids and V insisted I use a wheel chair...so it was waiting for me when we passed over our boarding passes...and from then on, I was being ushered while my poor friend had to practically run to keep up...and I felt so embarrassed.   I could not get used to this at all.  I felt like I was in Atlantic City being wheeled by an elderly man in a rickshaw.

Then it's time for our security check...V wore socks so she wouldn't get germs from their floor...stupid me, I never thought of that...and besides I couldn't get through right away because I was buzzing.  Yes, I had a metal lipstick tube in my pocket.  I felt like an idiot

We arrived our usual 2 hours early and both of us started reading..but I think  our attentions were on the people who were coming and going.  No recession in this airport.  The younger folks waiting all had computers and they were busily working.   Others were texting or having breakfast.

We finally went over to Checker's and Virginia said she just had to have their french fries.  It was a different kind of meal than I would have eaten at that hour, but I ordered the same thing.   Oh were those ever delicious.  I nibbled at every crumb...I was right to follow her lead.  She said they're famous for that.   What do I know???

Bob and Arlene had taken us to the airport and schlepped our baggage out of their trunk of which I was very grateful.

Anyway, finally we boarded first because I had reserved a wheel chair and I feel like I'm cheating because I'm not really handicapped.

Right before we take off I glance over at Virginia and I notice that she's praying...and again I feel guilty, like I'm riding her shirttails...using her prayer to deliver me safely.

Her prayers were definitely answered because not only did we have a safe journey...but a very pleasant one with Jeff and Donna who met us in the airport with great big smiles and lots of hugs.

What better service...I ask you!

And it's a new day!

I rarely get to watch the miraculous wee hours of the night unfold into daylight, when the sun comes  peeking through, very softly, and it's the  beginning of another day that our Creator has granted us.

I know this is a poor analogy, but this is how I feel when I first start my computer....very very gradually it lights up. ...into spectacularness!

First I see all the special icons like stars in the sky that my kids have picked for me.. and as I eye each one, it seems to say....pick me, pick me.   I'm here to serve you...whatever you desire!

Then I tap Email......and the top of the complete page forms all the information that has been stored there by the magical computer wizard.
With complete wonderment, I watch all this unfold...and oh yes,  I mustn't forget, it gives a complete yawn when it's ready...or maybe when it's bored with my choices.

Now it's my turn to see all that has transpired.      I'm ready to face a new day.    I have my morning cup of java (not the script)...and I'm ready to read my Washington Post......everything that occurred while I was sleeping.

Although in the wee hours of the morning I somtimes hear Jeff take over my puter......checking everything out......and I look at the clock and my heart breaks because I know he's having another sleepless night.

With my computer, I feel connected to the whole world....and that' why it's called www.

Im so grateful  that I'm living in this time slot......because I'm never lonely.  I recall being so thrilled to go to Office Depot to buy a small wooden desk with a slideout shelf for the keyboard....and then I pounced upon a chair that was adjustable...which is just what I need.   Next a mouse pad....and I was in business.

  Now it was up to Jeff and Donna to give me 300% patience on how to use the mouse..and the keyboard and the icons....never thought I'd get the hang of it.  They explained everything to me...even took it apart so I could see its workings.   A really outstanding service is Skype.   Bought a little camera and every single week I get to visit with my kids for about 2 hours...they sit in two chairs and we see each other and we talk.  Sometimes Bandit, one of their dogs, sits on their laps...and this is a treat too.

You Tube also plays a very important role in my everyday life.   Any song that I desire to hear...it's here.  I feel so lucky!

Everything they showed me was important...but what stands out most is my blog that they set up for me..and that's been such an outlet of my rememberings...kind of makes my life come together.

 And my Hallmark cards that they taught me to make..and I've never bought any since... the receivers of my cards all compliment me.

I musn't forget my little digital camera that I can plug into Picassa photo gallery  and store all the pictures of the people I love and the events like weddings...permanent records of their lives.

Didn't realize that   I would be this enthusiastic about an inanimate object. 

I often wonder if it wasn't for Jeff and Donna...would I still be so interested....and that's a big question....and I don't know the answer!

I'm supposed to be in good shape now!

......I've entered a new phase of my life....yep, water therapy for my old acky, and not so agile bones, plus lacking good balance.   So, now I'm learning how to climb steps again..and it's not that I didn't have the opportuity...I have a loft.    I'm blaming myself because I could have prevented some of this instead of spending so much time on my computer.
I'm old...and I don't know exactly when that came to pass.  I used to run instead of walking...I did stairs 2 at a time...and I was never tired.

There are decades in my life that I can't quite account for...there are also some that I wish were frozen in time...so enjoyable they were.   Life is good...and we're guests on this planet to enjoy ourselves.

The ones I can't account for...I've blocked from a part of my brain...too terrible to remember...but I've had tons of good years.

And today as I sit at my computer, I cannot get over the fact that every person is accounted for.   For instance, I also got fitted for hearing aids a week ago...and the audiologist said I see that you're keeping them in your ears about 17 hours a day...but that you don't go out much.

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING!    Her computer is like a GPS for the hearing impaired.

I explained to her that I watched The Music Man on TV and Shirley Jones didn't sound like the woman I remember.   She had a tinny quality to her voice.   Is this my new life...hearing voices differently that I recall.

When the wind blows it sounds like a hurricane...sounds are very exaggerated.

Anyway, we've come a long way from the bull horn that folks would put up to their ear and shout....what'd you say?  Of course, I'm going way back, even before my time...when you would put a seashell to your ear and hear the ocean roar.

I'll have to go to the beach one of these days and see if I can find such a shell.

But, heck, I don't have to do that.  I'm just 4 miles from the Atlantic Ocean...I can just go down there and hear it for myself with my new hearing aids.  

And while there, I'll appreciate just observing this enormous body of water and maybe see a sailboat or two..or maybe a gambling ship...just 3 nautical miles from land...and I don't have to lose any money....our government's doing a good job of doing that for me.

My Cousin Harvey...once removed!

We Can Gather Together

www.huffingtonpost.com

We really never got to know each other well, except in our writings.   I can't compare this college professor to my 'thoughts' but that is how we keep in touch.

If we were to meet on the street...would we pass each other without recognition.   Possibly!   I'm ten years older and he has traveled the world over and seems to know someone wherever he goes.

He has done an interesting family tree on my father's side...and he has traveled many oceans to meet his cousins and other family members.   

Harvey is very honest and political in his writings and I think he might have been a wonderful ghost writer for anyone of our presidents.    He and his wife Carmen came to visit me two years ago and had wonderful conversation about his traveling.

I'm the opposite...my comfort zone is right in my own home...and I'm delighted to visit all over the world on National Geographic or the Travel Channel.

Harvey wrote 'We Can Gather Together'...and I felt loaded with pride when I absorbed his wise words.

I'm delighted that Harvey is in my family tree.   His mother, my first cousin, would have been so proud of him....so I'm speaking for her.  If Harvey lived closer than California, I'm sure he could give me great pointers to improve my writing skills...but it is what is is!

Carry Me Back to Ole Virginnie

It's been 7 years since I last visited my kids in Virginia. Sure, I see them often...but I wanted to go to their house. Virginia, my friend, and I went to visit Jeff, Donna, their cats and two dogs.

Recently they installed an endless pool in their basement...and they created a beautiful atmosphere in blue for this magic piece of equipment, that you control with a remote, of how much current you need to swim in place.

I went in and it was just wonderful. I saw their new wood floors, and outside the landscaping was just magnificent.

Unfortunately, their two beagle dogs, found grubs in the ground and kept digging to get them ....that's part of their doggie nature...but either Jeff or Donna must be constantly watching and scolding for their mischievous behavior.

The dogs, Lucy and Bandit, are very loveable...weigh about 40 pounds and think they're lap dogs.

They took us to unique restaurants and we were impressed. Also took a motor trip to Skyline Drive, which is God's artistry..and I kept having to swallow, because we kept climbing up and up.

Paul, my nephew, came over one night for dinner and Donna had grilled chicken breasts, corn on the cob and baked potatoes...and we topped off our meal with Apple pie and whipped cream or ice cream.

I did what I thought I would never do...went on a wheel chair in the airports and it was a blessing.

I'm old...I had a lot of trouble climbing their stairs to the 2nd floor. Somebody was always ready to carry my purse and jacket down the stairs for me.

They were perfects hosts....and now I'm back home.....but Jeff and Donna...and Virginia too, insist I climb to my loft at least once a day....and I will do that.

My Disappointment!

In our toy store,  as soon as you'd walk thru the doors, we had about 20% of our space letting Western Publishing occupy the shelves...mainly Golden Books.  We also had a revoving rack containing many volumes of literature for the eyes of young children.

One of the volumes that pleased me was A Child's Garden of Verses...and nobody touched it.  Everyone would walk right by...and I took this personally since I had ordered heavy believing this would be a hit.

Why did I feel this way?     When I was a very young child of about 4, my Mother  encouraged me to recite this poem....and it's touched my heart since.

I don't believe many children today even heard of it.....and here it is!

CONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

Stevenson, Robert Louis (1850–1894). A Child’s Garden of Verses and Underwoods. 1913.

19. My Shadow

I HAVE a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an India-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there’s none of him at all.
He hasn’t got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he’s a coward you can see;
I’d think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

Memories of New Kensington, Pa...and I found Fred!

Hilda Gordon posted to Fred Lukac

Fred, I'm so happy that our toy store in downtown New Kensington, had an impact on your life. Those days are just memories now. Thanks.

Fred Lukac Hilda.....I can remember it as if it were yesterday. That was probably 35 years ago. Downtown was a great place. They say its better to love and lost than to never had loved at all. Well, at least we have the memories of the good old days.

Hilda Gordon I'm curious to know if you came into our store looking for football shoulder pads...or did you just stumple on this them. Were they sturdy enough to protect you? We really didn't carry too much sports equipment being we were right next door to Jacobs Sporting.

 

Fred Lukac The pads were for backyard football only. I'm not sure how much they protected me or not. All I know is that i was one excited little boy.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I was so excited when I found this young man who actually recalls going into our toy store.  I often wonder if anyone has memories of  visiting our store when they were downtown.

My husband and I operated this magical kingdom groomed for little boys and girls.   We tried very hard to have an inventory related for the well-being of our young customers....and to make them happy and good memories.

Our town has died as did a lot of the downtowns across America.   Malls took over and then bigger stores like Children's Palace and Costco.

We were the mom and pop stores that unfortunately no longer exist today.

How sad for my friend...depression time!

I was at a movie with my girlfriend Jean...and she was reading a telegram delivered to Loretta  Young...her lover was killed in the war.
And I couldn't make out the writing
I couldn't read it.   Yes, the doctor confirmed, I was near-sighted and would need glasses. 

When I got my glasses, I was so thrilled I could see the individual leaves on a tree...and not just a big green mass.

We sat in double seats in 7th Grade and I was sitting with Rosie Iozzi.   I noticed when I would copy the work from the blackboard, that she would squint and couldn't see...and had failing grades.

I didn't realize at the time that all glasses had a different prescription..so as soon as I copied the work on the board, I would hand over my glasses to her so that she could copy it into her notebook.    Well, amazingly enough, we had a pretty close fit because it worked.

So for the rest of the year, I copied my work and passed my glasses on to her.

We never complained.   After all these years, I'm not sure anything would have been done to alleviate the situation................these were dark depression years when deprived children got free milk.

My Father always worked...we were the lucky ones.   We also had help in our house.    A coalminer's  daughter would live  at our house and become one of the family.  If we went to a movie...she went.     These girls would stay with us until they married and we went to the weddings in a hall....their families were happy to have us because it was one less mouth for them to feed.  I think we paid $3.00 a week...that was the going  rate.   My mother taught these girls to be good housekeepers.    My sister and I still had to help with the dishes and make our own beds.   We had the 'good life'.

Now that I look back at  those bleak years, why oh why didn't I go to  the principal or  teacher and complain.  It never even entered my mind.   I  think I have matured since then.

Today...I'm old and smart...and  would certainly fight for the social issues of glasses.  I look back at those times and I believe that's when I learned about sharing.

I wonder  if Rose Iozzzi remembers those days...or if she's even still alive.   I'm a member of United Order of True Sisters and one of the agendas of our budget is to buy eyeglasses for needy children.