Friends in the 50's-Memory Monday

Come join retired-not-tired and me, with your own memories. Each week will be a different prompt to encourage the writing of your memories. Link your memories here and share them with everyone. 

                             Our prompt is: My First Friend

My first friend was Cheryl B.  We grew up in a post war, new housing neighborhood, in southern California. She had an older sister and brother and until my brother was born, I was an only child for my first 7 years. Cheryl was a year older than I and I think we started playing together when I was about 4 years old.  In those days there was no play dates and we were in and out of each other's houses all day long. We remained friends until I got to high school, then she had other friends. She left home later that year to live with her grandmother and transferred to another school.  I visited her once and then never saw her again.  I learned many years later, later that her father had abused her and her sister and that is why they left home.  She had never said anything about it to me, which I understand, as it was not talked about in those days. People in the neighborhood were not aware of what he had done until many years later, after he was dead. 

Random XV- Sunday Stealing

Random XV
1. How old is the oldest pair of shoes in your closet? I have had to get rid of many shoes that I can't wear anymore so, I guess my Crocs are the oldest shoes in my closet, about 5 years old.

2. Did you buy Girl Scout cookies this year? If so, what variety? 1 box of Thin Mints, but I gave them $20 in donation.  I like the Girl Scouts.

3. Do you know how to ballroom dance? I can probably waltz somewhat.  I remember going to a cotillion class in 7th grade, in the evenings, where we learned manners and dancing. And then there was a dance at the end of it.  The boys had to be dragged to it and the girls loved it.  This was about 1959.

4. Were you a responsible child/teenager? I think so....maybe because of the manners class???  I very seldom did things behind my folks back or lie as I was pretty bad at it.

5. How many of this year's Oscar-nominated movies did you see? None before the show.  Since the Oscars, I have seen Philomena, American Hustle, Gravity, and best Animated....Frozen....just last week.

6. If you're going to have a medical procedure done, such as having blood drawn, is it easier for you to watch someone else having the procedure done or have it done yourself? Just do it yourself and get it over with.

http://kikibatsu.wordpress.com/

7. What is your favorite day of the week and why? Wednesdays, as twice a month it is SS pay day.  When you are retired....one day is like the rest.  We try to get things done on weekdays when it is less crowded.

8. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?? "You don't look old enough to be retired."  I just got it at the hairdressers last week.

9. Do hospitals make you queasy? Not queasy, I am phobic about picking up germs, and use the hand cleaner if I touch anyone or anything.

 
10. At which store would you like to max-out your credit card? I'm not really a shopper....maybe I would max it out for a trip or a new kitchen.

11. Are you true to the brand names of products/items? Yes, to a certain extent.  I will try new things. It depends on what products they are.  Cleaners, toilet paper, cosmetics.....definitely. 

12. Which is more difficult: looking into someone’s eyes when you are telling someone how you feel, or looking into someone’s eyes when he/she is telling you how he/she feels? Nope

13. What’s one thing you’re deeply proud of — but would never put on your résumé? I once got a B in Geometry.....math not my strong suit.

14. What’s the most out-of-character choice you’ve ever made? I brought home a new dog from PetSmart charities, a month ago.  It was very out of character and I surprised everyone.  He is a 7 year old sweet heart. His name is Casper.
We now have 3 dogs.

15. What’s your personal anthem or theme song?
"Sittin' on the dock of the Bay" Otis Redding

http://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/

Battle Hymn of the Republic-Saturday 9.

                                               

Memorial Day was introduced to honor the men and women who died while serving the in the United States Armed Forces. We want to make sure that message is not forgotten this weekend.

1) This recording was made live at St. Patrick's Cathedral, during Sen. Robert Kennedy's funeral. While both of Bobby's older brothers were decorated war heroes, he served too -- enlisting in the Navy in 1943. Are you a veteran? Are there veterans in your family? (We are grateful and want to hear about it.)
Mr BC was in the Navy when we met.  After we married we moved to Key West, FL and I spent his last year of enlistment, as a Navy wife. During his 6 years he spent time on ships firing off the coast of Vietnam and was often in Japan. 

Where is my Flying Car, at the Very Least? Trifextra

The Trifextra prompt for this week is 33 words:

It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” ― Paulo Coelho, Alchemist

 

Perhaps for  My Grandsons

 

She dreamed of dancing to the stars

To  see worlds in galaxies afar.

So much promised

In her youth.

The millennium and proof

Of life nearby.

The dream is gone, but not forever.

My HOMESTEAD'S Front Doors April A to Z

My House-Commonly know as the Homestead

Our house, built in the mid to late 19th century (we have plans to check it out), has 2 front doors. Many of you know, we inherited this house from Mr BC's mom, and since she has owned it, we have noticed a lot of houses here in the mid-west that share this architectural oddity. 

FRIENDS April A to Z and Saturday 9

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

The theme this week fits perfectly with April A to Z. F is for Friends!

1) How did you meet your best friend?
I met Lauretta in my freshman year of high school in Gym and we became friends in our Junior year.  We have kept up with each other over the years. My Best Friend whom I see regularly is Maggie, we have been friends since 1966. Now that we live in the same town we see each other all the time.  I refer to them on my Blog as Maggie and Jigs.

Ancient of Days

I picked #4 from MamaKat's writing prompts and it was particularly fun as I don't feel comfortable writing poetry.
Fill in the blanks of this template and create your own I Am poem. (ps this is a fun activity for bored kids as well. :)

Ancient of Days

I am ancient and yet still young
I wonder why I can't do the things I use to do
I hear a clock ticking in my head, the sand running out of the glass
I want to live forever
I am ancient and yet still young

 I pretend that my bones don't hurt
I feel that I am a girl still
I touch the sands of time
I worry that I will miss grandchildrens future
I cry that moments are lost
I am ancient and yet still young

 I understand that change is inevitable
I say you can't turn back the hands of time
I dream of the young girl at play
I try to remain always optimistic
I hope I live forever
I am ancient and yet still young

Saturday 9-What the heck is a Crown of Creation?

1. Do you understand a belief model based on creationism?

Not really.  Although I can understand why creationists want to promote it.  It allows them to rationalize science to their belief system.  I would not like it taught right along side of evolution.

2. Is your house run more like a dictatorship or a democracy?

Mr BC would say benign dictatorship....but I believe it is a true democracy.

3. Are you likely to forgive a transgression and give someone a second chance?

Yes, and I have done that!

4. Is religion a big part of your life?

No, I am a humanist. I can't be an atheist because I am just not sure if there was someone is up there stirring the pot. I haven't been to church since the kids were small and have a real problem with christian fundamentalism, in which I was raised. There are a couple of hot topics in this Sat9.  Please do not pray for me and my opinions.

5. Do you feel your job (or your spouse's if you work at home) is safe?

When we worked our jobs were intrinsically safe.... banking and auto industry. Wait! Do you mean safe, safety-wise or do you mean safe from lay-offs?  Mr BC was laid off twice but landed on his feet eventually.  I kept wishing they would lay me off with a package the last 2 years, but I was safe to retirement.

6. Do you believe in gay marriage? Why?

Yes.  Marriage is a legal entity not religious though the Church has taken it over as theirs.  The gay folk I know want the same rights as the married. In my opinion, Civil Unions might be an ok compromise in the short term.

7. Do you think the current U.S. war will lead to a more peaceful world?

Nope! war has never led to a peaceful world.

8. Do you like people with swagger?

If the swagger comes from confidence it is ok.  But if it comes from a huge ego....not so much.

9. What kind of budget do you live on, is it tight or carefree?

Right now it is a little on the snug side and will never be carefree....we are retired.  We are about to be mortgage free and that could allow us to be comfortable and still save for some traveling that we would like to do. 

That's Why God Made the Radio-Saturday 9

1. The Beach Boys are back together (everyone alive, Dennis and Carl have passed, including Brian) for the first time in 25 years. It's their 50^th Anniversary tour. Their new single is called, “That's Why God made the Radio”. Did radio play a huge part of your growing up years?

Does this take me back?  Wow, 50th Anniversary tour, am I really that old?  I loved the Beach Boys, probably more than the Beatles if I am honest and I didn't even surf.  I remember Mr BC taking me to a football game at the Coliseum to see them at half time about 25 years ago.  The girls were not that impressed, but I was! The radio was the mainstay of my life, I can even remember when my cousin got a pink transistor portable radio, the size of a shoe box, I was so envious! To be able to take the radio from the house or the car, to the beach or some other spot would be great. KFWB and Bill Balance was my channel of choice, all rock and roll. Radio would come on the instant I woke up and would sing me to sleep at night. 

2. What is something that you are disappointed about right now?

Didn't we just answer this question......?

3. What are you really anticipating right now?

Going back to California to see the grandsons. I don't look forward to the trip, just the destination.

4. When was the last time you watched your favorite movie? What is it?

My absolute favorite is the Big Chill and I watched it on DVD in August when we brought a load of our belongings to the house in MO.  We brought all of our DVDs and watched them since we had no cable or wireless connected in this house.  We listened to radio all day and watched movies in the evening. We got a lot done on that trip.

5. If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?
Now this question is really bizarre. The 2 dead Beach Boys maybe. Zombies would really make for good concert going.

6. Who was the last person you hung up on?

I eventually hang up on everyone I speak to on the phone. Hee hee, probably Mr BC.

7. Does it bother you when meme makers separate questions that could have been combined?

????? are we running out of things to ask on Saturdays? No, only misspelled words bother me. ;0)

8. What is the first animal you would run to see if you went to the zoo?

Koala Bears and Pandas.

9. What is the food you always buy at the grocery store that you can't live without?

Peanut Butter the perfect food. I have one jar open, two on the shelf, and individual snack sizes to take on the trip to CA.

The More I Wish I Knew

Prompt this week was Unfulfilled

A & M Stillwater as Dad may have known it.

I knew what I wanted.  What was my dad’s like as a boy?  I was unfulfilled as he passed away before I could question him completely.  What I knew of him was as a father. I knew that he was accomplished, he went to college at Stillwater, Oklahoma, joined the Marines after college, during WWII. He went to law school on the GI Bill, after he married my mom and raised my little brother and me.

Dad didn’t talk much and when he did he spoke slowly, thinking, on each word, that was a boring to a young kid, so what I have learned about him, his family, my mom, even my husband, who often comes up with information he gleaned from being around him. Now that we have moved to Missouri, I want to hook up more often with my cousins who I have reached out to this Christmas and go to the family reunions, which seem to be less often.  

What I know is he must have been a bit of a rascal.  He didn’t like peas as an adult, because as a kid he ate raw peas until he made himself sick. He was a good looking boy, from the pictures I have seen and he had a girlfriend named Lydia.  He often harassed mom with the song Lydia, the Tattooed Lady. He went to college because he didn’t want to be a farmer. To hear him tell it, to us kids, his youth was not misspent and he was a perfect child. As I grew older I did discover that he would run liquor from Arkansas, back to Stillwater with a frat buddy who had a car. I also learned by asking about a scar on his head, he was kicked out of Marine OCS because of a fight (the guy hit him over the head with a bottle).  Mom always counted it as a blessing as most young men just out of OCs were killed in the Pacific, almost upon arrival. He spent the war in New Found land ferrying Germans to POW camps in Texas. 

So I guess I was not so unfulfilled, but I wish there were more stories told before he died.  Mom is gone since 2002, and she shared what she knew, when I asked.....If only I had asked more.

Dad grew up in Homestead,OK,, stayed in CA after WWII

I had to go to Internet for pictures. Project for 2012 get my family pictures scanned

All I Wanted for Christmas....MamaKat's Writers Workshop.

This week’s prompt is: 10 things I Wanted for Christmas as a Kid but Didn’t Get and Still Want.

Every year I could hardly wait for the Sears Christmas catalogue to come.  Then for 2 lovely  months my brother, my cousins and I would go through the toy section hoping and dreaming Santa would bring us our hearts desire. There were lots of things I wanted as a child for Christmas and didn’t get, and I can probably come up with ten, however I am not sure I would still want them as most of them were circa 1950 and 1960 and toys are a whole lot cooler now.. So here goes the list.

1.  A Pony:  What child did not want a pony?  When asked where he would put it in our back yard, My brother went out and started digging a hole for it!




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Writers Workshop: Bankerchick Almost Partied Instead

This week's Writing Prompts are:

1.) Last week you chose a 6 word memoir to share…this week elaborate. Tell us the story or thought process behind the sentence you wrote.
2.) Write a dramatic synopsis of a memorable day in your life, as if it was a movie or TV series.
3.) Describe what you think your life would be like if you had never had kids.
4.) In honor of the “white” after Memorial Day rule, name a fashion rule that you either break or enforce.
5.) Share a memorable road trip story!

                              A 60's Love Story Synopsis
The Backstory:  On the previous Monday, one of our heroines friend and p Ω sisters tells her that, through her boyfriend, she had met a guy that she thought was perfect for our heroine. He was cute and sweet; however he was in the Navy. The friend had spoken of our heroine  to,  said cute guy on Sunday.  However, because said sailor, had been on a blind date with a friend of a friend, which had not gone well. Our hero was dubious and wanted to meet this perfect girl first. Our heroine is somewhat, unconvinced after all,  he is military, and she had not too long before, gone out with another member of the Armed Forces, emphasis on arms with roving hands attached. Because of that experience our heroine also  wants  to check him out before committing to anything.  After all there is a Frat Mixer Friday night.

Michael Kors mod

Act 1

Scene 1:

The time is April 1966.

The scene is a college dining hall; The Association is playing on the Juke Box.

Our heroine is sitting at 2 tables pushed together; wearing her favorite gold ribbed long sleeved shirt and a mini-skirt. She is surrounded by her usual group of friends and nervously looking around her as if she is ready to flee at any moment. Friends glance at her knowingly. She is drumming her fingers, uncertain why she agreed to this. She is still slightly miffed that she has to be inspected like so much steak. On top of that she has to leave for a class at one o’clock. Her friend arrives at last, with her boyfriend and to her relief our hero-sailor is dressed in appropriate civvies (this is you know, right in the middle of Viet Nam and is a college campus) Introductions are made. He is cute, a little shy; he seems to be admiring her approvingly. There is  conversation around them as they sit across the table stealing glances of one another. Little is said between them, only smiles and polite laughter. It is awkward.

One o’clock fast approaches, as our heroine looks down at her watch. She leans over to whisper to her friend. What is going on, did she meet with approval, because she has to go to class? Her friend says go…I’ll let you know. Our heroine shrugs, picks up her books, says her goodbyes and leaves, thinking….the party will be fun! Exit.

Scene 2: After class, in the dining hall.   

Our heroine arrives at the table after class. The Association is still playing on the Juke Box and the sailor-hero is still there, along with her friend and the boyfriend. Hero rises and pulls out her chair. That is good she thinks. As she sits down the friend says, “We thought we would all go to a movie tonight, if that is all right with you?” Our heroine smiles and indicates affirmation. Then she discovers the rest of the plan. She will have to drive, as sailor-hero drives a 2 seated sports car(humm)  the boyfriend rides a motorcycle, and her friend doesn’t have a car.  She groans inwardly. In 1966 America, girls don’t drive on dates, especially on a blind double date. This of course, will change as women become more liberated and start to burn their bras. However, it is somewhat mortifying to our heroine, who now would now rather go to the party. Too late.

Act 2…..

Scene 1: 1965 Datsun

Our heroine meets everyone at the indicated pick-up spot and the date proceeds to a drive-in movie theater. Our heroine makes sailor-hero drive into the theater as she will not be seen driving. This is a personal humiliation for him as he drives a late model MGB and this was a 1965 Datsun sedan. He smiles and never will let on until the sequel. It ends well with sailor-hero finding his voice and they talk and kiss during the second movie (this is 1966 Double Features). While friend and boyfriend make out noisily in the backseat. At the end of the evening a date is made for Sunday afternoon and the rest as they say, will make a great sequel.

Comfort Food at its Finest: Eggs Goldenrod

Photo and recipe from Allrecipes.com

From earliest memory I can see my mom making this recipe.  When I learned how to make it myself I remember how easy it was to prepare.  This was usually a weekend breakfast with bacon or sausage.  We ALWAYS had it once in the week after Easter to use up the hardboiled eggs.  It comes from a time when folks were not worried about cholesterol. My mom learned to make it in home economics and since I went to the same school with the same teacher,  I learned to make it too.  There is no a foolproof way to adjust it for the fat and the calories either, so while I occasionally made it for my kids,  I simply do not make this anymore. However, it is very tasty and heartwarming and was the first thing that popped into my head when I read the writing prompt.
The next thing that popped in was pineapple upside down cake.  Which mom only made when we were expecting visitors after church on Sunday or Wednesday evenings.  It was a  recipe that she could make ahead, pop in the oven when she got home and serve warm. Also it meant we got to stay up later on a school night! 

Goldenrod Eggs
• 2 hard-cooked eggs

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 2 slices bread, toasted
Directions
1. Cut eggs in half; remove yolks and set aside. Chop egg whites; set aside. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.


2. Stir in egg whites; heat through. Pour over toast. Force egg yolks through a sieve to break into small pieces; sprinkle over sauce.

I am participating in Mama Kat's Writing workshop on a weekly basis and this week the writing prompts are:

1.) Six Word Memoir: Write about a significant time in your life in just six words.

2.) “One need not be a chamber to be haunted, One need not be a house. The brain has corridors surpassing material place”. -Emily Dickinson-What haunts you?

3.) Describe a talent or flaw that seems to be in your genes.

4.) What are you passionate about?

5.) Comfort food at its finest. Share a family favorite recipe you loved as a child.

She has a great prompts generator that I often use for other posts that I am not submitting for the weekly challenge.

Thought for Thursday (not a Paid Post)

It almost made the grade! In fact I will give it a B for Bamboo Pet toys. They say it is combat tested, but they didn't send it into battle with Gwennie. We have at least a Thursday Thirteen listing of toys that Gwennie has chewed, disembowled and left as tiny pieces of scrap. I am greatful that she has not chewed, furniture or shoes, though we can add one O magazine and Daddy's new 2008 pocket calendar to the list. She keeps her chewing to appropriate toys. They have longer shelf life in the store than in her toy box. The above lasted almost a month as it was brought by Santa, and while it is still in one piece with a little stuffing missing, she still got to it. Most stuffed toys last an afternoon. So this toy still has some life in it and is one we can add to our list of approved chew toys.

My Daemond

Click here for more about me and Andreas

Well I have finished reading the book, and to call it a children's book is a misnomer, now that I have read the reviews of the fundamentalist religious right. I found it very intriguing and was very upset when the Vatican banned it the same week I started reading it. I like fantasy and sci-fi. When I read I don't always get the symbolism and sub-text, so I generally read like a child. When the sub-text is pointed out to me like it was, I start reading more into it. I would have enjoyed the book more if I could have enjoyed the suspense and action of the parallel world of Lyra. I hear the movie toned down the religious or athiestic rhetoric to give it more widespread appeal, but not enough for some groups. I plan to see the movie this weekend. The book has a definite philosophical POV and at the end even I was able to see the controversy. Parents and older children reading it could have a wonderful opportunity to express their beliefs in discussion. It is a thinking book no matter where you fall in the pro/anti religious themes category and talking with your children, not at them is a good thing.

Big Chief and Plaid Dresses-Back to School!

Yesterday, Mr Bankerchick and I were out driving around trying to get our shopping done and listening to Prairie Home Companion, they were doing a compilation of school days stories, and he really got the Bankerchicks talking and thinking about how we got ready to go back to school. We are both in agreement that we were anxious to get back to school after the summer. He grew up in southern Missouri and I grew up in Southern California so BTS shopping was a little different for both of us. I was familiar with Big Chief tablets since my Grandparents had one around the house so my cousin, brother, and I could entertain ourselves with drawing and writing, however, I grew up in the Glory Days of California education, when one did not have to shop much for school supplies as they were provided for us. I can remember the early years of school where the class room monitors would pass out the manila paper with the big lines so we could practice our handwriting. I believed the teacher was mispronouncing the word and could not figure out why they called it vanilla paper for years. I always had a new lunch box and thermos, as we played with the old one all summer and they were dirty and broken by September.

Back to shopping We also shopped differently, Both moms had to get new school shoes for us as we always had gone barefoot all summer outgrew our shoes every few months. In California September can somtimes be the hottest month so I usually started the year with some of summers sundresses and short sleeve shirts and skirts that my mother made for me. We always wore dresses or skirts to school in the conservative '50s and changed into play clothes after school. I usually got a new sweater and jacket, sometimes a hand me down from my older cousins Betsy and Sharon, and it was many years before I resented that, because it was good stuff. My new clothes came from my Christmas gifts later in the cooler months and what my mother sewed for me. I can't remember feeling bad about homemade clothes as she sewed beautifully.

Mr B had the Big Chief book, the pencils, Roy Rogers Pencil box or whoever was popular, and new eraser etc. He had new shirts, as his mom worked at a shirt factory and sewed up shirts from her own material on breaks and such. They were not rich, but his mom was proud, so Mr B usually had the basics that he needed because his mom was careful with her money and always used lay-a-way. He always got to wear his new school clothes because Fall always started in September in Missouri. I usually started wearing my new clothes in late October or November.

Fall clothes were in the stores in August and September, in California but it never was cool enough on the first day of school to wear them, except for the new red or green plaid dress my mom would alway have for me to wear on the first day of school. A tradition that went on for years as she always sent or I bought a new plaid dress for my girls to wear for elementary school, day 1.