The Ones That Didn't Get Away

Every summer during my childhood we would make at least one visit to Tennessee. We went to Tiptonville and Ridgley where Mama and Daddy had grown up. Actually Nancy and Joe had lived there until 1949 or 1950. We had relatives still living there then and my parents knew a lot of people - some of them may still be there. (I know when Nancy and I go to the family reunion it's not unusual to run into someone who will mention they knew our parents or other relatives.) We always stayed at the same place out on the lake (Reelfoot Lake). It only had three or four cabins and then one large place where we always stayed that was like a small house. I remember our cabin had a couple of bedrooms and a kitchen. The "office" where the owner lived was probably some kind of tavern/dance hall and when I would get underfoot in the mornings daddy would take me outside so mama could get things done. We would first go and skip stones on the lake but we often ended up at the owner's place so he and daddy could discuss old friends and fishing. Daddy always let me have a chocolate soda as long as I promised not to tell mama. Only once - Daddy took me in a boat out on the lake to fish. I probably could have gone more often but I refused to bait my own hook or to remove the fish once I caught them. These pictures show the great catch I had that one time - Daddy didn't catch any fish because he spent all his time baiting my hook and unhooking the fish I kept catching. How do you like that one huge fish?? Actually if you look at the top left corner of the picture you'll see part of an arm - Joe was up to his tricks even way back then and I thought it was a pretty clever idea he had! You can see the cabin we stayed in - can't imagine any of my children agreeing to such a 'vacation' spot - but I always had a great time!

The One That Got Away

1982 - Jenny was 6 years old and never been fishing. Anyone who knows her father already knows why - camping, fishing, & hunting are not his thing. So while on a trip to Minnesota to see Uncle Joe, who happened to have fishing gear and a large pond behind his house, Jenny got her first (and probably last) taste of fishing. When I look at these pictures - I have to chuckle. I'm sure you see nothing funny here but you have to know Uncle Joe to see the humor. My big brother Joe has always been a tease and has a wonderful witty humor that can keep the family in stitches on those rare occassions when he and Sandi come for a visit - and this picture depicts one of his more subtle and unintentional jokes. He was quick to agree that Jenny should get to fish and I was a little nervous about her with a fish hook. Then when she started whipping the line around in the air (I assume she had seen that somewhere?) I was more than nervous that one of us was going to get 'hooked'. Joe kinda laughed and quietly said to me - "Don't worry, I took the hook off the line." That calmed me greatly and at one point when Jenny was sure she had a fish on her line, I smiled at Joe and said, " I guess I don't have to worry about what she would do if she actually caught a fish." Joe said nothing for a few minutes, and then with his quiet little chuckle he said very 'matter of factly', "No, you wouldn't have to worry about that anyway - there's no fish in this pond."

The Granada

Steve and I went to the movie theater a couple of weeks ago and before the movie started they did their little pre-show ads and such. Part of the pre-show was a series of pictures of old theaters in the St. Louis area and it made me think of my old neighborhood theater – The Granada. It was torn down a number of years ago but you know they can’t take away your memories. If you saw the lot where it was you would think it must have been really tiny – but my memories make it almost as grand as The Fox.
Going to the movies was a lot different for me when I was a kid. We didn’t really pick out a picture to go see – we just found out what was showing that week at one of our ‘walking distance’ theaters. For me, that usually meant the Granada and once in awhile the Avalon.
I’m not even sure if my siblings had the same ‘movie experiences’ I had, but I first remember going with my parents and probably Jimmy on Monday nights. I’m guessing Tuesday was my dad’s day off so he didn’t have to worry about getting up at 4AM to get down to Soulard to pick up the produce for Flotkens. It seems that most of the movies were either cowboy or war movies – I can remember mama saying that if there weren’t any females in the movie then she didn’t want to go. I really don’t recall any of those movies - just a vague memory of us walking to and from the theater and Jimmy and I wanting to sit by ourselves – so we could feel so grown-up. A big difference back then (besides the price) was that you actually saw two movies and cartoons in between. If I remember correctly we didn’t always stay for the second feature.
Then, in the summertime, when I was old enough to go down there with some neighborhood kids (it was only 3-4 blocks away) we use to go to Thursday matinees. I remember more of these movies – “The Blob”, “House on Haunted Hill” (the original), and “The Alligator People” to name a few. I remember mostly horror flicks and I think they only showed one feature for the summer matinees and the cartoons came before the movie.
Then around 6th, 7th or 8th grade I could go with my school friends on Friday nights. It was more of a social get together than anything. The movies were all those Annette Funciello beach movies or Elvis movies but we were so busy visiting and walking around the theater to check out the guys that we only saw bits and pieces of the movie. The Granada even had a balcony but we usually only went up there if we were really wanted to see the movie. That was where the ‘old people’ sat to get away from us kids. They still showed a double feature with cartoons in between and I think the admission was only 25 or 35 cents. – ah, the good old days!
Of course, you have seen some of those old movies so you know they don’t compare to the expense or quality of what you can see now. But we only had 3 TV channels to choose from - so the movies at the theater were pretty exciting for us!

A REALLY quiet corner

I guess you've noticed how quiet the Quiet Corner has been. One of my favorite quotes is from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
"To talk well and eloquently is a very great art but an equally good one is to know the right moment to stop."
I'm thinking probably I should give this blog thing up but maybe I'll keep going a little while longer - can you stand the boredom? ha ha
I think I need my "meditation rock" to help me with this blog. In the picture above is me (at least I think it's me but I don't remember that dog - Nancy or Joe - can you help me out there?) In the foreground is a well - I'll have to tell you about the well sometime - but the square rock was a favorite place of mine to 'sit and ponder' for many of my young years. At some point mom and dad planted Rose of Sharon bushes on either side of the rock and it was a nice little quiet and shady spot to just sit and reflect. I don't remember - siblings, was the rock still there when we sold the house? - I don't suppose the new owners would let me come and sit in their backyard from time to time anyway. Maybe when it warms up I can sit on my backporch, listen to my windchimes and ponder away.

Roger & Me

Jennifer's blog about Spencer's little friends reminded me of my first real friend. Not counting Roy, who was invisible, Roger was the first friend I remember. He lived down the block from me and we were always together in those early years. He played 'house' with me and I would watch him run his huge train set or sit in his garage while he tinkered with his bike.
We both were big Super Hero fans. He was usually Superman or Flash and I was Supergirl or Wonder Woman - we play acted a lot. And we both collected all the comics we could get our hands on. My collection disappeared but I bet he still has his.
Roger was always kind and rather quiet and that suited me fine - we got along great. On Saturdays he would come down and yell "Oh Ann" out in front of the house- why did we do that instead of just ringing the doorbell?? Anyway, we would watch Sky King, Lone Ranger and Roy Rogers - as you can tell from the pictures he was a cowboy fan too.
We always knew that when the streetlights came on we had to go home and sometimes we would walk each other home back and forth until one of our parents would come looking for us. Roger was the only one I ever ran away with too. We packed up some Easter candy and ran as far as the end of the block (which was as far as we were allowed) and then we got hungry and went home. Needless to say - we were never even missed!
As we got older I guess we made new friends and moved on. Roger was a year or two ahead of me and I can remember seeing him in high school and we would say Hi or smile at each other but we never really talked anymore. I don't know what happened to him - I bet he became a rocket scientist or something - but I hope he ended up happy - he was a good friend to remember. Do you remember your first friend?

YOU are my favorite!!

In spite of what happened to Joseph because he was Jacob’s favorite – we all seem to want to be THE FAVORITE. I even saw a bumper sticker a few weeks ago that said “God loves you, but I’m His favorite”. And although I’m not a real Roseanne fan I did catch one episode where she is telling her girls goodnight. The beds are about three feet apart and Roseanne goes to each bed and says something like, “Goodnight ____, you know YOU are my favorite.” I love it. In our family there has been the running joke (as I’m sure there are in many families) as to who is my favorite child. Every time I hear one of them say it or I get a note or card signed “from your favorite” I smile inside and out. I’m sure all three of my children are sure they are my favorite – and each one of them is absolutely right!! There is no way I could ever choose one over the other. They are so different in so many ways and each difference is such a delight to my life. The doctors said Steve & I would never have our own natural children but God heard our prayers and had different plans – and He blessed us three times and each one is my favorite. So kids – keep signing “from your favorite” because you’ll always be right. However, in my own family – we all know who was the favorite – don’t we little brother!

What's In A Name?

Lilabet - no, it has nothing to do with a gambling problem. It is the nickname my mama used for me when I was growing up. My sister called me Elizabeth Ann and my daddy and brothers all called my Annie. Annie is still what most of the family and close friends call me.
My own children often ask me about the nicknames I laid on them - some of them stuck and some are just reminders of their childhood- and usually I have no idea why I call them what I do.
My oldest was sweet pea and shortcake for years but as she got older I was afraid of embarrassing her with those names so I switched to Elizabeth, Liza Jane and J. Today it's usually J, Jen, Jenny, or Jennifer.
Skipping down to my youngest - always has been and still is Stevie most of the time with Cutie thrown in now and then. Of course, Michael when he's misbehaving - which is rare.
And then there's Lucy - I mean Becky- the middle child. This poor child has been given so many nicknames that she sometimes worries if I really remember what her name is. Lucy has been my usual standby but she's been Lucinda, Georginia, Linda, becka lynn, becka boo - I don't even remember all the names I've given her and I'm not really sure why she has so many.
Just lucky I guess.
Of course these are just my nicknames for the kids - their dad has his own list and they even have a few for each other. I'm trying to be careful what I call Spencer when I'm babbling away with him - I'm sure some nickname is bound to pop up some day.
But I believe nicknames are just terms of endearment - no matter how they may have begun - so no matter what I call you - aren't you just glad I called you??

To Blog or Not to Blog

To Blog or Not to Blog - this has been my question for the last several weeks. Many friends and several family members have started their own blogs and I enjoy reading them - but I guess I'm afraid of blogblock and making the mistake of giving out too much personal information. My posts will not be of much interest to most people - I'm thinking of a more 'family interest' blog - whether it's recalling some old memories I'd like to share or suggesting a good movie or book - maybe now and then throwing in some wise words of wisdom - yeah right. Anyway - I'm not really sure what you'll find here - probably an occassional picture of my kids and grandchild - and maybe just the ramblings of an old woman who feels like expressing herself. Well - here goes nothing!!