Category Archives: Memories

Indian Summer

Memories, , ,

It’s Indian Summer here in the DC area. How do I know? I know because we had a frost and now the weather’s turned warm again. That’s my definition of Indian Summer. Other people have different definitions, but I’m sticking to mine.

When I lived in Illinois, the sure sign that winter was coming was the Chicago Tribune‘s annual “Injun Summer” cartoon by John T. McCutcheon on the front of their Sunday magazine (if I recall properly). I’m pretty sure that now it is considered a politically incorrect view of this weather phenomenon and I don’t know if the Trib still runs this in the fall, but you can purchase a copy for $5.95 from their store.

I always looked forward to that cartoon. It meant Halloween was on the way and Thanksgiving not too far behind. It was a tradition in a time that traditions were becoming rarer. My first taste of nostalgia perhaps — a reminder of what the summer was like, and would be again after the cold winter of the Midwest.

Not one of my successes

Memories, People,

About a year and a half ago I wrote the following about a former student of mine:

Tom Cruise look-alike, smooth-talking, thirteen-year-old Diran even had the older nuns under his spell. He was nearly expelled from Catholic school for smoking in the boys’ room, but given a warning instead. He finally was kicked out when he brought a knife to the school. Not one of my successes.

Today I learned that middle school was only the beginning. A little over two months ago he was involved in a high-speed two-state police chase.  Four years before that he was snatching purses from middle aged women.

He really wasn’t a bad kid. I expected him to grow out of his “bad-boy” phase and go on to college and end up successful. He certainly had the personality for it.  I expected, someday, to read about him in the paper — but not like this.

I wonder what happened. Why he risked his life and the lives of others by racing through the countryside high on medications.

Golden Birthdays

Memories, ,

I was thinking yesterday about golden birthdays and wondering if my family was the only one to celebrate them. (an Internet search returned several results including definitions, a marketing site, some blog posts, a photograph, bulletin board messages, a newspaper article, and a band — so I guess other folks celebrate them too)

If you don’t know what a golden birthday is, it’s when you turn the same age as the date of your birth. Mine was August 23, 1979 when I turned 23 years old. I don’t remember how we celebrated as a family — I was still living at home (I know, I know…) and two things I remember about it was wanting to have a pie thrown in my face* (chocolate please) and getting a beautiful flower arrangement from The Man Who Would Eventually Become My Husband. We’d only been on two dates and he was off on a wild west camping adventure with his buddies, but he’d arranged to send me flowers. See, he used to be romantic.

Anyway — we continued the tradition in our family — my son had his a few years ago and we made it a special birthday by talking it up and giving him $111.04 in cash (he was 11 on 1/11/04 at exactly 11:11, but that’s another post).

Clare’s won’t be until she is 26. If she’s expecting $726.15, she’ll be disappointed.

Do you celebrate golden birthdays? If so, how did you celebrate yours?

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*in case you’re wondering — I didn’t get a pie in my face and have since quit wanting one thrown in my face — just so you know.