29

Happy 29th anniversary with love, my Dear!  Isn't it amazing, considering that I had, at certain times in my life, made the statement that I would never get married?  Isn't it funny that when family weddings are discussed at any function, ours is one that is never forgotten?  Folks certainly remember many things about that day:  torrential rain, thunder, lightning, humidity, and hurricane-force winds. Remember the setting for our reception, that newly renovated hall with the roof that began leaking on us? Remember how the staff tried to move the table slightly, and the leak traveled with us? Remember in the church during the ceremony, when I might have been a little nervous, especially when the priest told me to repeat, "Jackie, take this ring," and there was silence? Remember that our best man, Steve, had to mutter so discreetly so that only I would hear, "Jackie, take this ring...."?   I must have finally repeated it cause we're still here. Remember how appropriate the timing of the thunder was? If there is a how-to manual on a marriage lasting 29 years, I've never read it.  I just know that in good times and bad, through richer and poorer, in sickness and in health, I've been blessed with a constant, a rock, a first-class wife who's a loving mother.  If I had to write a manual for a successful marriage, I couldn't.  We make mistakes, we apologize, we forgive, we give, we take, we respect,  we remain faithful, we share, we agree, we disagree, we support, we fight, we get over it, we never leave......... It's not always easy, but it's always right.  May it be the trend for the next 29 years! Happy 29th Anniversary with love, my Dear!  

Adele Saves the Day!

When I was a boy, I remember going to a discount department store called Korvette's. Usually, we went whenever someone needed a reasonably priced article of clothing or household item.  I had two fetishes at that time in my  life: records and model cars.  Mom and Dad turned me loose in that store because they knew that I knew where both the Toy Department and the Music Department were, and that I never wandered far from either location.  I was never bored when they did the shopping because I rushed to my first destination and perused the plastic covered boxes with full color images of the fastest sports car or even the mildest of family cars.  

When I had reached the end of the hobby aisle, I rushed to the Music Department and began my journey by holding a twelve inch album in my hand and admiring the cover and the song list, while dreaming of opening the plastic seal, smelling the clean cardboard, and taking out the vinyl disc and placing it on the turntable of that record player.  I remember wanting so badly for it to be one of the days when Dad would come to get me and offer to buy a model car if it was on sale. I remember vividly that a model car had to be less than a dollar for Dad to make the offer. It didn't happen every week, and sometimes not every month, but when it did happen, enchantment grew into elation.  Usually, my sister Stephanie was the recipient of the records, which more than satisfied my desire to listen to and marvel at the circling disc with a needle following grooves of sound...fascinating! 

One of my Mom's favorite Korvette's tales told  of a time when every teenage girl would swoon over a new group called the Beatles.  I had two teenage sisters at the time, and two albums called A Hard Day's Night and Meet the Beatles were flying off store shelves at an alarming rate.  Mom would boast that many adults dismissed the group as  a fad and that someone was in Korvette's at the right time and bought the two albums, which were on sale for 88 cents each!  Mom was cheap...um...frugal like me, so this was the bargain of the century!   

So much has changed in my lifetime.  Korvette’s has been out of business for decades, falling victim to competition like larger department store chains and shopping malls. 

The automobile, once admired by me as awe inspiring, is now bland and bothersome.  In the ‘60’s, I could tell you the year, make, and model of nearly every automobile I saw, for every set of wheels had its own identity and character.  Today, however, I can’t distinguish one expensive nuisance from another.  A car represents expensive repairs, payments, foul road conditions, and my children out there in harm’s way.  So, my desire to own a replica of any more recent money and gas guzzlers has been abated.  

By the 1970's, records were altered into cassette and 8-track tapes, which were enhanced into compact discs by the ‘80’s.  Compact discs were Godsend for me.  No more would a needle skip on a scratch on the surface of a record.  Sounds of wear were a thing of the past.  All my favorite recordings had been digitally remastered.   Collections could include more tracks as a CD could hold nearly eighty minutes of music on one disc.  The appeal of the record player's magic had been replaced by a digital counter, enabling me to shuffle tracks, remotely change a track, or just listen and enjoy!  Most importantly, I could still go to a music store and hold a CD, examine the cover and titles, and continue to enjoy my hobby.  

Now, in the 21^st century, my favorite pastime of examining every square foot of a music store has been all but destroyed by the introduction of the IPod and digital downloads.  I have to admit, I enjoy having my extensive CD collection on the little device.  I like having the all the music on my person at all times.  What has changed is the music itself.  The desire to buy an entire album by an artist and fall in love with a masterpiece has fallen by the wayside with most of today’s music not catering to my listening desires.  The result is the purchase of songs rather than albums.  My collection of music from the new millennium is like a collection of singles.  With the popularity of American Idol, Glee, hip-hop, rap, and teenybopper music, I believe I am not anywhere in the target market for music moguls.  I can count on one hand the number of albums that were added to my collection in the 2000's.  It seemed that my anticipation of new music was as obscure as British Rock, Motown, Singer-Songwriter, and, of course, Rock and Roll music.  I was lost.  There was no going back........

Then, someone came to my rescue.  It was Adele...she saved the day!  I’ve always been a sucker for a gal who could sing me a story.  When Rolling in the Deep came to the airwaves, I purchased the single right away.  When Someone Like You was featured on a Saturday Night Live skit, I  grew attached to the heartbreak and soon this solemn ballad was mine.  Then, Set Fire to the Rain set fire to my brain. I couldn't get the song out of my head and so I downloaded it.  I was really starting to like this gal...the female singer songwriter without a gimmick is back!  Earlier this week, rumour had it that Rumour Has It was being played on top 40 radio, so I listened.  As soon as I heard the song, I went to I-Tunes.  This time I noticed something I hadn't noticed before.  When I clicked the word 'purchase', a little icon appeared saying 'Complete my album.'  It should have said 'You idiot, this is your fourth song from this album, so why don't you get the rest of the songs and enjoy the whole thing?  It's cheaper and you're cheap!'  So I did!

Right now, I'll remember longingly the little retail chain from my childhood where my love for recorded music was founded.  I'll revere the cars with character, and records, tapes, CD's, album liner notes, and countless other symbols of times gone by...while I scan my entire music collection, including Adele, on my IPod, and marvel that with the touch of a button, I can hear any song I want to hear when I want to hear it.  Life is good!

The Passion and Compassion of an Eight-Year-Old

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This week, in one of my classes, we discussed editorials.  The topic of the editorial we analyzed was the American Flag.  The article stated facts about Old Glory, and its care. The House of  Representatives passed a law making it illegal to mistreat the Flag.  The debate was whether having a law protecting the Flag against destruction and disrespect was necessary, or whether it took away the freedom of expression by the people and trusted them to protest peacefully and instinctively respect the Flag.  The passage was followed by several comprehension questions and one final open ended entry asking how the author felt about the law.  

I have to admit, I've struggled to reel this group of boys in while reading some of the sometimes bland, and sometimes difficult comprehension pieces.  This day, though, they rose to the occasion and demonstrated so much conviction.  They all knew that the author felt that the law took away people's right to express themselves, yet they all angrily wanted that law to protect our Flag.  One young man would not write the author's opinion after that last question because he disagreed so passionately.  I assured him that he did a fabulous job expressing himself, and that I agreed with his opinion, and that answering the question on the paper was just a formality and would just be done to complete the assignment...which was to answer the question that was asked.  He finally agreed, and when all was written, I asked the boys to talk some more about their feelings on the issue. Never have I taught the concept of opinion, and had such a rewarding response from a group of eight-year-olds!

My best days as a reading educator are those that elicit real thoughts and feelings about things other than reading.  Those boys fulfilled my wishes of the day: to facilitate a meaningful discussion, to add a notch to their learning scale, and, whether they realize it or not, to encourage them to becoming better readers.......

........some sessions are good, some are bad, but this one was the best!

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Blog #65: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANET!

Some things never change - A couple of months ago, my beautiful niece Jennifer discovered this poem I wrote in 1969 among her mother's belongings. I don't remember the poem, or writing it for that matter. In 1969, though, and in every other year of my life, there was never a moment when I didn't feel this sentiment. The fact that it was found among Janet's personal treasures, and that it had been saved this long, was astonishing. As a twelve year old, I thought we would both live forever. I idolized her, and knew I would have this sister, guardian, and friend continually and eternally. Physically, that did not happen. Spiritually, however, she is still a guiding force in my life. When she left us in July of 2009, every day was a struggle, and there was no moment that the realization that she was no longer at my beckon call wasn't the dominant thought. Nearly three years later, I would be lying if I said that every moment was that dark, for there are so many distractions. When I'm happy and I think of her, I can feel her smiling with me just as she did when she was here. When I'm having one of those glum moments, the feeling is more serious and intense, more reflective, and thankfully, shorter lived, and I can still feel her guiding me to the next moment.  It's what she wanted. I have survived. 

Today we will be together to celebrate Janet's 63rd birthday as a family at a restaurant that was one of her favorites. It goes without saying that we will always miss her terribly and wish she was still here, but even after all that has happened, she continues to be the motivation for celebration....and so we celebrate!

             HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANET!!  

JANET 1950

JANET 1957 FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

 

    1962 L TO R: LISA, JOE, STEPHANIE, JANET

                          

JANET 1968

JANET AND HER CHILDREN, JENNIFER AND JIM 1991

JANET AND JIM 1973 

THE BONANNO FAMILY WOMEN 1989

THE SAME BONANNO FAMILY WOMEN- NEW YORK  2006