When I was in second grade or so, my class sang the old song, “My Grandfather’s Clock,” by Henry Clay Work. The lyrics to the first verse are My grandfather’s clock was too large for the shelf, So it stood ninety years on the floor; It was taller by half […]
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A Fireplace and a Chair Across Two Generations
Please forgive me for posting another Christmas snapshot, even though we are now in a new year. This is a photograph of my mother and her older brother from 1937. It’s a happier picture than another one I posted of these two siblings, and it brought back many memories for […]
Continue readingUntold Stories From Pictures: A Brother-Sister Relationship
One of my tasks before my mother’s recent funeral was to put together a slide show of her life. I’ve mentioned in an earlier post that my father and maternal grandfather both took many photographs over the years, so the problem was not finding pictures of my mother. She lived […]
Continue readingMy Grandfather’s Quest for Sulfa
I didn’t know my grandfathers as well as my grandmothers. Maybe it’s natural for a girl to spend more time with her grandmothers. Maybe it’s because both my grandmothers had more forceful personalities than their husbands, my grandfathers. My maternal grandfather died when I was not quite ten, but I […]
Continue readingPercy Murray’s Peppermint Ice Cream
One of the things I love about winter is peppermint ice cream. I’m not a big fan of ice cream generally, but I do have a few favorite flavors—peach in the summer, peppermint in the winter, and rich chocolate any time. These days, I typically buy the low-fat versions, but […]
Continue readingTo Grandmother’s House We Go
In all the years we’ve been married, my husband and I have never spent Christmas at home. We’ve been responsible for a few Thanksgivings, but never a Christmas. This is primarily my daughter’s fault. She does not believe that I am capable of “doing” Christmas. Oh, my husband and I […]
Continue readingRocking Through the Ages
I mentioned my pint-sized rocking chair in a recent post. I received the rocker for Christmas when I was a toddler. During my preschool years, the chair sat in the living room of our home. In those years, my father and grandfather often posed me in it for pictures. The […]
Continue readingMy Dawning Awareness of Tragedy: President Kennedy’s Death
The first President I could name was John F. Kennedy. President Eisenhower was in office when I was born, but he was gone before I knew what a President was. Kennedy held the Presidency when I became aware of the importance of that office. I recall sitting in my pint-sized […]
Continue readingConquering Fear Through Grandpa’s Glasses
When my daughter was in preschool, she was afraid of many things. Santa Claus, Disney movies, and fireworks were just a few of the things she dreaded. She ran screaming down the hall when Santa Claus showed up one Christmas Eve. She would not take his candy cane, nor pull […]
Continue readingYou Can Go Home Again, Sometimes
My father recently made a huge road trip through the Western United States. One of his stops was Pratt, Kansas, where he was born. He had last been in Pratt about fifteen years ago. On that visit, he tried to find the house where he was born and lived until […]
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