Thanks For the Memories............

A thoughtful guess says that this photo was taken in early 1961, and tucked away well, for treasures are still being found, and this is definitely an obscure sight.  The handle that the future curmudgeon in this picture is holding onto is on the stroller that belongs to his little sister Lisa.  Look at him gazing out the window of his family room, or 'recreation room', as Mom would call it. Was he longing for Spring as he does now, or was he content to watch the snow fall and anticipate his big sisters, Janet and Stephanie, taking him out to sled?  Could he ever predict that he would ever hold and raise children of his own, or was he just a regular kid who waited for a friend to be awake so he could go outside and play?  Would he think that he would ever be a husband and father in an ongoing timeline, as Facebook calls it, of events bringing struggles and great joy, or was he just watching and feeling the compassion and kindness of his own Dad as he tended his family?  He's in a room filled with fond memories that would shape his personality; after all, the little sister in the stroller would command protection and compassion from the big brother when Mom and Dad couldn't be at hand, and this is the room that housed the television that historical events like the moon landing, the assassinations of President Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and Martin Luther King were watched, as well as the Bob Hope specials, Lucy, Sally Starr, and countless other classics.  It had the phonograph that played Stephanie's first Beatles, Monkees and Four Seasons albums.  It had the aquarium that held the fish that would eat their young, and the newts that would escape and crawl on the carpet, much to Mom's shagrin, as well as the tiny turtles, Perky and Pokey, who would get big laughs with their playful antics.  Most of all, it had the chairs that would hold a family as it grew together, and  friends as they bonded.  It would be the center of activity in the home that guy lived in until his wedding more than twenty years later.  It's hard to believe that more than a half century has gone by, and that a more mature version of that little guy still gazes out the window in his own home contemplating the weather, while still tending to his own family, and watching a rerun of an old classic series or listening to the Beatles.   Like Bob Hope used to say, Thanks for the memories.........

I'm 55 and Still Alive!!!!!

I'm 55

And still alive! 

SO

I'll see the Doc

At 9 o'clock  

 AND

He'll poke and prod
This age-old bod    

 SO

My nerves go bad

Got that from Dad

   AND

Leave lots of time to make the arrival,

The traffic speed's my only rival.

Gotta get there straightaway

Before they give my slot away.

But wait, I'm there at ten before

And don't see Doc come through the door

Thought this time reserved was mine

But things don't roll till half past nine.

Last year cholesterol was huge

Doc was not too thrilled

Could be meds if trends went on

No, I'll not be pilled!

Found lots of fiber foods to eat

And ate and ate and ate,

The doc looked at the brand new stats,

and said this wasn't great.

Did you compare the years, old Doc

No, let me take a look,

Oh yeah they're comin' down a bit

But you're not off the hook.

You've gained a little weight, he said

You need to lose some pounds,

I say, then get me there in June

When cookies can't be found.

For Christmas and my birthday passed

Just weeks and days have gone

If I can't have my cake and sweets

There's no need to go on.

And now the glove goes on his hand

And I am all aghast

He knows this is the fiercest part

So why's it always last?

Come back in six, I want to see.....

I see his friendly smile

Guess I'll do just what he says

I want to stay awhile!

I'M 55 AND STILL ALIVE!!!

Home Improvement's Become a Real TRIP!

Gotta love home improvement!

The desire to paint the living room, dining room, foyer, and upstairs hall came in late 2008, as we were about to celebrate 20 years in our house.  I'll return to this thought in a moment.

Back in the late '80's, the builder's white on the walls was looking bad.  I was so young.....35!  I organized all the necessary equipment and I whipped through those four rooms, including the stairway in a matter of a couple of weeks, even with three small children around.  When the work was done, I was ready for more!  Family room or kitchen, anyone?  Cleanup was a breeze and the pale mauve paint speckles in my hair and on my clothes made me look like a hard workin' guy!

Okay, back to 2008.  Jackie and I went to our local Home Depot and she was able to decide after a while on a color for the living room, with a slightly contrasting, but matching color for the dining room, stairway and hall...orange!    I knew after the first few strokes with the paintbrush that this wasn't the late '80's anymore.  Nonetheless, I worked my way through the dining room in just a couple of days, and by Christmas, the living room was also completed.  I marveled at my endurance, and at the refreshed look of our lower level.  Despite our beautiful downstairs walls, the project took a snooze until.......

CANTALOUPE

It was August of 2010 before I resumed the project.  Commitments, you know!  I began working my way up the steps with that paintbrush and those rollers.  Somehow, I was not very enthusiastic about the continuation of this project.  The mauve speckles of the late '80's were a distant memory and now I was covered with orange speckles.  I looked like the inside of a cantaloupe as I  stood looking in the mirror...then I stood corrected as I looked at the label on top of the paint can.....I looked like the inside of a MANGO!  A couple weeks later, the staircase was painted, along with the trim.  I remember Jackie inspecting the work and saying, "I wonder what white on white would have looked like?"  to which I quickly replied, "That'll be one for the next owners of the house to see."  I was so happy to have that part of the project finished, that I decided to take another year and a half off!

 

MANGO

Now, in early 2012, I am back on task, albeit without the organizational skills once posessed in my younger years.  I'm working on the upstairs hall, and it's a trip.....  

      ......a trip downstairs to the garage to get the vacuum cleaner to clean the walls.

      ......a trip down two flights of stairs to the basement to get the paint, brushes, and rollers.
      ......a trip to back to the garage to get the ladder.
      ......a trip back to the basement to get the drop cloths.
      ......a trip over the drop cloths, and thankfully not down the steps
      ......a trip back to the basement to get the screw driver to open the paint can.
      ......a trip to the bedroom to get my painting clothes on.
      ......a trip down memory lane as my collection of Beatles music plays.
      ......a trip to the kitchen to get paper towels.
      ......a trip to the basement for the extension pole.
      ......a trip to la la land from the paint fumes.
      ......a trip to the sink to wash the brushes, and the roller is trashed 'cause I'm not cleanin' that thing!
      ......a trip (a.k.a. happy dance) in that nearly finished hallway 
      ......a trip to the medicine cabinet for some Advil to relieve all of the above.
      ......a trip to the chair to anticipate the last leg of that project.

It'll be in 2012 if there's nothing to trip me up!

MANGO OR
CANTALOUPE......
YOU DECIDE!!