Category Archives: Memories

Found Items: Happy Birthday Dad

Family, Memories, Things, ,

My mom must have kept all these letters and notes — typical. Here’s a note written sometime after we moved to Alexandria.

Dad --

I am really sorry for being so late in sending you a card. Believe me -- I had quite a case of the guilts -- especially after talking to you. I have no excuse except procrastination.

Dean and I went to Annapolis, MD and got you this shot glass (they didn't have any martini pitchers). Hope it got there in one piece.

Well, the stove is hooked up, the dishwasher and garbage disposal are ready for an electrician to get electricity to them. and I've used the washer already. We will probably wallpaper ("ooh ick" you say?) over the weekend, then paint. The kitchen will be done soon! We will send pictures.

How was your birthday dinner? And the "golden ball" afterward at the Moose? Hope it was fun.

We ordered cable tonight. Our antenna was trashed in the most recent snowfall.

I've also enclosed my most recent school photograph. I don't have a use for it. Feel free to lose it! I'm looking my age -- wrinkles and all!

Even though I am a grown up and married, I get so lonesome for you guys sometimes it hurts.

Love,
Dona

I don’t remember writing or sending this, but I remember the shot glass — it had a Naval theme. I remember working on the kitchen in our first house. We put in very late nights wallpapering, I remember that.

Mom — Please read

Emotions, Memories, Things, ,

Another item not in a box from the attic knee walls — an apology note to my mom apparently after having a teenage temper tantrum.

It happened again, didn't it? 

I thought that that would never happen again. I know now that I caused it. I was a spectator watching my body move about the familiar pattern. I would be looking forward to something, or not expecting something -- in this case looking forward to a long lazy afternoon. Then the having to work, then not finding you. Then -- the final blow not getting my way. I had fully expected you to come get me -- to drop what you were doing and pick me up.

Why do I expect something as foolish as that?? Because I usually get my way -- and not getting it results in this scene.

Bob will have a story to tell you if you care to pry -- I'd rather you wouldn't -- it's just the usual screaming and swearing and throwing things around.

I really thought I had grown up -- I guess I haven't.

Again, I'm sorry for not being able to handle my emotions properly.

Dona

I’m thinking that this was written when I worked at Zayre discount store. I remember that the manager of the jewelry department where I worked called in sick most of the time and I covered for her. it turns out that she was stealing money and was fired, but not before I was called into work much more than I wanted.

I relied on my mom to pick me up and drop me off, otherwise I guess I might have taken the bus or maybe walked. It seems that my mom was not able to pick me up this time.

Bob is my cousin who was living with us at the time. We didn’t get along very well.

I still have the occasional screaming, swearing and throwing things tantrum, but mostly when no one is around.

Found Items: Playing Now…

Memories, Series, Things,

We’ve cleaned out the knee walls so the debris from the roof replacement won’t be so hard to clean up. Everything that was in the knee walls is now in the two attic rooms. I’d post a photo but it’s too depressing.

Between now and some near point in the future it is my job to go through dozens of boxes to see if I still want to keep the items in them.

This brochure/flyer/playbill? from one of my flights to or from England in the 1970s was not in a box, so it has priority in my not-so-defined rules.

Back in the olden days we were given head phones that plugged into the arm of the airplane seat and we had a choice of things to listen to. We also had films to watch, but if I remember correctly they were on high screens located throughout the airplane, not on the back of the seat in front of us. I don’t think I listened to much of this music, but maybe I did.

Since I have unlimited time today (that’s a joke) I sat down and made a playlist of everything I could find on Spotify for each section. Note you will need to have a Spotify account to access the playlists.

  1. Pop Rock
  2. Humour
  3. Just Jazz
  4. Children’s Hour
  5. Classical Concert
  6. Familiar Favorites
  7. Sentimental Journey

This will go in the recycling. There, one down and 999,999 to go.