My Gramma

Today I found myself thinking about how Tommy would come up when I was holding one of the kids, put his arms around me and start an argument. "My Gramma," he would say, knowing that it would prompt a rebuttal. "MY Gramma," they would argue. Back and forth they'd go until Tommy finally gave in and said, "Okay, your Gramma but my Mommy."

The Lord Helps

I've always said, the Lord helps those who help themselves - so get your hands out of your pockets!

Forgiving

Practice daily forgiveness.

Favorite Son

Today would have been Tommy's 33rd birthday. I'm thinking about how he would call the office, ask for me and when asked who was calling would say, "Her favorite son."

Dreaming of Tommy

I woke up early this morning, about 3:50 a.m. I had dreamed that I was in a large furniture superstore with the family and although I can only remember specifically seeing David and Travis, I sense that Warren, Steve, Connie and possibly Gavin & Gabriel were there too. It was very crowded, similar to a warehouse and had multiple floors of items accessible by elevators that more resembled cages and really wide moving escalators that looked more like conveyor belts. We looked at a desk and chair then a saleswoman took Travis by the hand and started to lead us to another area. She and Travis went towards one conveyor belt that was going downstairs and everyone else, I vaguely remember seeing Steven's head over the crowd, went the opposite way towards another downward belt. I stood and looked both ways and then hurried towards Travis and the saleswoman, telling her that Travis needed to be where his parents were at all times. When we got downstairs there were a lot of people and it was noisy. I looked around to find everyone and David walked by me. I called his name, but he didn't see or hear me and kept walking. I turned when I heard what I think was Steven's voice say, "Look who's here!" and I saw Tommy walking towards me. He was tall and slender and I could see his face above the crowd as he worked his way towards me. His hair was cut like it was at Todd and Casey's wedding, his eyes clear and bright and he had a broad, open smile on his face. I moved towards him and we "melted" together and sat down. The right side of my face was against his right chest and shoulder and I closed my eyes. I heard his voice say, "I know I moved," as I rested against him. I felt comforted and, for a moment, at peace.

Stop Counting Sheep

When at night you cannot sleep, talk to the shepherd and stop counting sheep.

He Lives

One of my favorite hymms ~

I serve a risen Saviour,
He's in the world today;
I know that He is living,
Whatever men may say;
I see His hand of mercy,
I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him
He's always near.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart.

Poppy Campbell

My grandfather's name was Dougald Alexander Campbell and he was born March 19, 1908 in Detroit, Michigan to Alexander D. Campbell and Therressa May Flora. Raised in Detroit and the youngest of seven children, he married my grandmother, Florence Pascarella, on November 9, 1929. He served as a Detroit Police Officer from January 1931 until March 1956, moved to California and then worked as a Security Officer for McDonnell-Douglas in Huntington Beach from December 1956 until 1970. I can remember running through their house, trying to find a place to hide if I was there and Poppy was due home from work. My favorite spot was the bottom shelf of the linen closet, towels piled in front of me, holding my breath and trying not to laugh or squeal as he walked around the house calling out, "Where's Susie? I thought she was here", always knowing exactly where I was. I was five years old when Gramma and Poppy gave me my first Bible in 1963 and Poppy always made sure I had a quarter for the offering plate on Sunday when I went to church with them. After church we would go home and play checkers out in the den, under the window on the bench seat. He passed away February 18, 1970 at the age of sixty-one and is buried at Westminster Memorial Park.

Waste Not, Want Not

Sometimes I wonder how we became such a "throw away" society. I remember my Gramma Paris saving leftover thread from sewing machine bobbins that were almost empty. She figured that she could use the shorter lenghts for sewing buttons on shirts or dresses. We had "button boxes" for saving buttons that had popped off, we repaired and patched clothing, hand-me-down's were common, leftover food never got thrown away. Everything was saved and re-used. Gramma was raised during the depression when things weren't so "aplenty" and harder to come by. I still have my button box, I repair ripped seams, I still save spare change and still roll pennies.

Eating the Elephant

Remember this when tackling a big project or you feel overwhelmed -

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Florence Pascarella

My grandmother was born March 31, 1911 in Rome, Oneida County, New York. She was the oldest of nine children born to Michael Pascarella and Lena Mecone. She died August 8, 2004 in Huntington Beach, California and is buried at Westminster Memorial Park in Westminster, not far from the Huntington Beach home she lived in. She descends from Italian immigrants who came to the United States in the mid 1880's and her actual birth record shows the spelling of her name as Filomena Pasquarello. She married Dougald Alexander Campbell when she was eighteen years old and had two sons; Charles Alex and my father, Thomas Dougald Campbell. I remember visiting gramma at her house and the accordian that she kept in her closet. Gramma would sing and play songs on it then, as kids, we would strap the heavy instrument to us and work to pull and push it back and forth hoping to get just a sound or two from it. She told stories of how well her father, Michael, played the accordian and how his gypsy blood led him to believe in fortune tellers and séances, something that her mother, Lena, scoffed at. Gramma remembers attending séances with her father when she was young and how much she enjoyed them because there was always music and she could dance. She loved to dance.

Crescent-Wrapped Brie

Wheel of brie cheese (8 oz)
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll dough, but do not separate into individual rolls. Divide the dough into two equal sections and firmly press perforations to seal, forming 2 squares. Place one square on ungreased cookie sheet and place the cheese in the center of the dough. Place remaining square on top of cheese round. Press dough evenly around cheese; fold bottom edges over top edges, encasing the brie in dough and pinch at seams. Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes and serve warm. Cut and devour!

Don't Worry

Worry is like a rocking chair. It will give you something to do but it isn't going to get you anywhere.

The Early Years

My mom tells me that when I was 10 months old she entered me in a baby contest that was held in the Bell or Huntington Park area of Los Angeles. She remembers the pink dress and patent leather shoes that I wore and says that when it was my turn I walked across the stage all by myself to where the judges were and started talking to them. I won second place.

At three, I had my own little ironing board and loved to wash and iron doll clothes. Apparently I loved to wash the dolls too, hanging the clothes out to dry by the hemline and the dolls by their hair.

For Tommy

Thinking about Cody and the CD that he spent so much time putting together in memory of Tommy. Jackie said that she told him what a nice gesture it was and he said, "Mom...it's Tommy." I'm touched beyond words.

Heal Me Lord

My son, my friend, my firstborn, and my angel

Thomas Jeffrey Clements

October 23, 1976 - August 21, 2009

Invitacion Fountain

Let all who are weak

All who are weary

Come to the Rock

Come to the Fountain

All who have sailed

On the rivers of heartache

Come to the sea

Come on, be set free!

If You lead me Lord,

I will follow

Where You lead me Lord,

I will Go

Come and heal me Lord,

I will follow

Where You lead me Lord,

I will go

I will go

Let all who are weak

All who are weary

Come to the Rock

Come to the Fountain

Let all who have climbed,

The mountains of heartbreak

Reach to the sky

Come on, and give your life

If You lead me Lord,

I will follow

Where You lead me Lord,

I will Go

Come and heal me Lord,

I will follow

Where You lead me Lord,

I will go

I will go

Heal me.

Heal me.

All who are weak

All who are weary

All who are tired

All who are thirsty

All who have failed

All who are broken

Peanut Butter Cookies with a Kiss

Everybody's favorite Christmas cookie ~

2/3 cup of margarine, softened
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/2 cups of unsifted flour
1 teaspoon of soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
About 40 unwrapped Hershey kisses

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream* margarine, peanut butter and brown sugar. Using a large spoon, beat in egg, milk and vanilla. Carefully blend in remaining ingredients until well mixed. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll balls of dough in sugar. Place on baking sheet but do not flatten. Bake 8 minutes, top each cookie with a Hershey kiss, pressing down firmly until cookie cracks at edge. Return to oven and bake 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 36 cookies.

* After I showed five-year old Gabe what I wanted him to do when I said "cream" the margarine, he said, "oh, you mean demolish".

New York

I remember going to New York City while on one of our trips back east. We saw the Empire State Building and took the ferry out to the Statue of Liberty where we went inside and climbed a narrow spiral staircase. I had my first kraut dog while sitting on an outside bench of the Staten Island Ferry because dad said that's what people eat while in New York. A New York Dog he called it - a beef hot dog in a bun with mustard and sauerkraut piled on top. I was especially impressed with an Automat that we walked past while downtown. I think the Automat was an east coast thing because I don't ever remember seeing one again. It was a place where food, already prepared and ready to eat, and drinks were served completely by vending machines. I remember looking through the big storefront window at a large wall full of machines. People were coming in for lunch, depositing coins and then sliding glass doors open to get sandwiches, meals and pieces of pie. Funny . . . I specifically remember the pie.

Sammy Lee's

Our family belonged to Sammy Lee's Swim Club in Orange during the 1960's and we spent as many summer days there as we could. The pool was located at the corner of Tustin and Collins and had a standard diving board, a high dive and a slide at the deep end but we weren't allowed to play until we swam our laps. Since girls had to wear bathing caps in the pool, we shoved our hair up under tight rubber caps before getting in the water. The ultimate goal was to swim 52 laps of the pool, which was a mile, and we all worked hard to achieve it although sometimes the bathing caps caused headaches if they were on for too long. We also practiced swimming the length of the pool underwater and I remember taking a deep breath, shoving off the wall and looking for dad's legs as I swam towards the shallow end. If I could see his legs then I knew I was almost there.

My Life

I can honestly say that my sons are my greatest accomplishment.

Summer Vacation

Every two or three years our family would take a two-week vacation and drive across country to visit relatives. My parents took turns driving and, for the most part, we always drove straight through to wherever we were going. If they got tired, they pulled over to the side of the road and slept for a bit. The backseat of the station wagon folded forward creating an area where we slept, packed together like a can of sardines. At night if I couldn't sleep I got to climb into the front seat and sit between them while they drove. I remember them stopping for coffee and getting me a cup of hot chocolate that I was very careful not to spill in the dark. Grandma & Grampa Graham lived in a cottage-style home on Long Island in New York. When we visited, we slept in a room at the top of the stairs that had a sloping ceiling. The kitchen was downstairs in the back of the house and you could usually find Grandma there, in her apron, talking to her parakeet. "Pretty bird", she would say. "Pretty bird." At Uncle Warren & Aunt Charlotte Graham's house there was a bowl of wrapped strawberry candies in the living room. Charlotte let us fill our pockets with them when it was time to leave. I also remember visiting Uncle Bob & Aunt Mary Gene Rife at their farm outside Muncie, Indiana where they raised Greyhounds for racing. Thinking about it brings back delightful memories of the puppy pen, the smell of cinnamon rolls in the kitchen and the corn field.

Be Kind

Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.

Henry James

I Love You So Much

One day after loading his kids into the backseat of my car and distributing kisses, David hugged me and said, "Mama, you know how you always say, 'I love you so much'? I really didn't know how much so much was until I had kids."

Words To Live By

Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God.

Resolutions of Respect

My great-great-grandfather, George B. Carr, belonged to Tomahawk Tribe No. 333 of the Improved Order of Red Men of Muncie, Indiana. Popular in the 1800's and early 1900's, this fraternal society was founded on the manners, customs and traditions of the American Indian. It was one of the largest and oldest fraternal societies of American origin and its founders were the Patriots of 1776. Upon his death, a Resolutions of Respect was issued to the family.

In Memory of

Brother George Carr who died February 3, 1916

Once again the "Great Spirit" hath summoned through death, a brother Red Man, to take the long trail to the "Happy Hunting Grounds, to the Kingdom of Ponenah, to a life in the Land of the Hereafter." He has been a diligent and faithful worker in our Tribe's labors of Freedom, Friendship and Clarity, and has contributed freely of aid in relieving the necessities of the widow and orphan. As a recompense of his service he has received the plaudit, "well done" from the Great Spirit.

And whereas, the all-wise and merciful Father has called our beloved and respected Brother home and he having been a true and faithful member of our Mystic Order, therefore be it Resolved that Tomahawk Tribe, No. 333 Order of Red Men of Muncie Indiana in testimony of our loss, tenders to the family of our deceased Brother our sincere condolence in the deep affliction, and that a copy of these resolutions be sent to the family.

[signed by the Committee]

Jesse Pooch

Elmer Kennedy

Chas. A. Langdon

Rosemary Hillier has the Carr Family Bible that this document was found in.

July 18, 1967

Tuesday
July 18th

Dear Susie:
I missed sending a note yesterday. You'll have to forgive me. I was off from work, too! I went to the garage for an oil change on the car & new signal lights & ended up being there for 2 hours! It was time for other stuff to be checked too. I had my hair done, went to post office & bank & store. I called Mommy. Celia had a new screen door put up. Poppy cut all the grass & washed all our windows. I'm glad I wont have to do this on my vacation! [smiley face] Too I had to go to the laundramat since they are working on the washer! I had to iron Poppy work clothes too, so you can see I hardly took time to eat. It sure was a running around day. I have to go to work to get my rest today. [smiley face] I received your letter & I'm sorry to hear it has rained so much. Sounds like Indiana weather! It makes the trees, grass, & flowers grow, but enough is enough! huh? I hope it's beautiful for you these last 3 days. Time is getting short & then back to the dusting! [smiley face] Mommy said you could call me Friday evening. Well, I have to close and get ready for work. Enjoy yourself these next few days & learn all you can about the mountains. With all my love. See you soon.
Gramma, Poppy & this spoiled (baby) Tiki [smiley face]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 18, 1967

Dear Susan,
I sent Betsy 10¢ so she could get something when the bus stops on the way home. And I thought you might like to get something, too. So here is 10¢ for you to spend any way you want to. When camp is over I hope you will come over someday to play with Betsy.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Jensvold

July 17, 1967

Monday pm
July 17th -

Dear Susan,
Another day has gone by. Would you believe I mopped [smiley face], My inspiration was auntie. She is coming over tomorrow to spend the day. Cathy is not home yet. Kind of look for her this evening tho! Gramma P. called & we compared notes from you. You didn't tell me the water pipe broke. As I said before - you won't forget this experience! [smiley face] Believe me - this kind of things don't happen everytime at camp [smiley face]. Are you using your canteen for water on your long HOT & dry hikes? ha ha. Still haven't found Pete. The whole neighborhood is looking also. Wonder if it will ever show up. [smiley face] Finished Jackies pants dress. Have enough material to make little matching scarves also. Will miracles ever cease!! [smiley face] The lawn mower is broke & can't be fixed. So-o-o-o- guess when you get home you will have a new mower to mow the lawn [smiley face] -- Bet you're anxious to work & argue & scream & fight - huh? Hal's team won Olive again 12 - 3. He struck out last Fri at practice & didn't want to go today - but he went & hit 2 balls & made 2 runs. Pretty good, huh? Are you getting any mail? You haven't said if you have received anything or not?! The suspense is killing me. [smiley face] Junior got loose again. Whatever am I going to do with him. Luck was with me again & the dog pound wasn't around. (Hey! - a poem - pound & around!) [smiley face] The kids got the gum. They were pleased & surprised. They are waiting for you also. Charlie don't know whats up but he is lonely too! I'm like you - nothing much to write about. Truthfully - surely you have more things to say. How - when - where - why - who - what - how many, etc. should give you a start on any subject. How did your clash day work out? Or was it too wet to have one! Hows about a wet blouse & dry shorts! That kind of clashes! (joke joke) Will mail this on Tues & you should get it on Wed. -- I'll write & tell you when I'm quitting writing so you won't look for any on Fri. Thinking of you honey -
Love, Mommy

P. S. - Drop a note to Gramma Paris - Address - Mrs. Mary F. Paris, Ball Hospital (Patient), Muncie, Indiana. Have you written to Auntie - A. Wilma - Gramma Effie & all? If not you should jot a short note off to them also. Perhaps to Gary & Brenda too. They probably don't get much mail.

P.S. - Remember not to pack wet things with the dry. Saavy?

Jesse William Stansberry

My maternal grandfather's name was Jesse William Stansberry and he married my grandmother, Mary Alice Daugherty on May 15, 1937 in Muncie, Indiana. They divorced eight years later in September of 1945 when my mother (Janet) was six and a half years old. Jesse was born in Newcastle, Indiana on September 5, 1913, the youngest child of Jacob Stansberry and Myrtle Daisy Strong. He had three older siblings; Theodore, Hazel Marie and Montreau Leota. The last documented information I have for him is found in the 1953 Muncie Indiana Directory where he is shown living with his second wife, Ira L, at 1114 S. Franklin where he had lived since 1948. His occupation is listed as a factory worker for Warner Gear. He and Ira divorced in November of 1953 and he, as the story goes, left Muncie and headed for California in 1954 to see my mother and her sister, Jo Ann. He was never heard from again and everyone assumed that he died on the way although nothing has ever been found to confirm that.

Wise Words

Mom always said, "Two wrongs don't make a right" and "Rise above it"

Hurry Home!

Dearest Susan,
It sure was nice getting your letter this morning. Was just getting ready to scratch your name out of my little black book!! Cathy just finished her music lesson, I should be practicing mine [sad face] Poppy is asleep, he is getting up early today, we have to take him to the cancer center today for one more check, he missed when he got sick. Glad your having fun dear, we all miss you a lot.
Loads of love,
Gramma & Poppy (Campbell) & Cathy

P.S. Hurry home!

Neighborhood Delivery

My mother didn't work outside of the home when I was in elementary school. She was a housewife like many of my friends mothers and spent her day at home caring for the house, the kids and the dog. The families in our neighborhood socially interacted with each other and our daily lives entwined. Neighbors dropped in on each other to visit, my school Emergency Card listed Mrs. Rosenbery as a contact if my mother couldn't be reached and mom took oil painting classes across the street at Mrs. Sliffe's house with Mrs. Steckley. I remember the milkman making morning deliveries and the yellow Helm's Bakery truck that came to our neighborhood. He came down the street, tooted his horn, parked at the end of the cul-de-sac or at the corner by the Gallagher's house and opened the back doors to sell bread and donuts. Adohr Dairy Products made it easy for our family to get a personalized calendar by bringing the photographer and his studio to our street in Orange. He pulled right up to the curb in front of our house in a delivery-style type of truck and we went out to the portable studio for our photo shoot. You can't see it, but mom is kneeling next to Charlie and her hand is holding him steady so that he wouldn't fall off the bench he was sitting on.

July 16, 1967

Sunday
7/16

Dear Susie
Just a line today to say hello. I have to work today, but think of you everyday. There is a little girl at the hospital that looks something like you & just your age. Her name is Cathy. When I see her, I think of you. [smiley face] Well, you don't have much more time at camp. Did you think two weeks would go so fast? Mommy said that you were having "clash" day. One sock of one color & one shoe of different colors. Pajama top with G.S. shorts? You can surely mess up someway. [smiley face] After Wednesday, no more letters as by leaving there on Fri. about 9 30/am, you won't get them & if you send any, you'll be home before we get the letter. [smiley face] Mommy plans on going to meet the bus early & letting the kids play in a little park. They all want to meet it! So she'll be ahead of time in case the driver makes good time comming down the mountain. She probably told you about the stop they make (for bath room) & you could buy a coke or something there, so have your money in your hand, sock, or pocket. [smiley face] Also a wash & dry for hands, face, in case it's hot on the bus. Well, I have to close & get to work! Lots of love always
Gramma, Poppy & Tiki

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sun. - 1:45 pm

Dear Susan,
Well we lost Pete again. I mean to tell you it's a job to keep track of him! Just wait until you have to hunt for a turtle 2 times a day. [smiley face] Remember the Rosenberys turtle that wouldn't move? Well at the race yesterday it didn't win & on the way home from the picnic it layed an egg! Honest!! No wonder it wasn't speedy. [smiley face] Then Greg threw it & busted it. That's all we needed. Lots & lots of little turtles in the neighborhood. [ smiley face]

Mon. - 7 am
Another note!! Daddy wrote you last night so will make this short & stick it in. Hal, Jackie & Patty are all waiting for another letter so shoot one off real fast before you come home. We still haven't found Pete. Hope he shows up before too long. Maybe we should have painted our address on him also! [smiley face] Made Patty a Pants Dress & should have Jackies finished by the time you get here so I can start on yours. It only takes 4-5 hrs to make one if I can stay with it. Its 5 after 7 & daddy is still in bed so have to go get him. All the kids have been sleeping in late. Please write.
Love, Mommy

Much Love, Daddy

Sunday
July 16, 1967

Dear Susie:
Just a note to let you know we are thinking about you and rooting for you. Guess by now you've had a lot of new experiences and I hope a lot of fun. Your mother says you are coming home Friday - so by the time you receive this you'll only have a few more days to go. You sure are a lucky so and so - I'd give most anything to be able to go off into those mountains for a couple of weeks and get away from the normal routine of things. Not much to report from here except that Patty pulled a sneaky one on us and out of the clear blue sky decided she was going to swim that pool 52 times and darned if she didn't do it - it was her idea too. Needless to say we were very pleased with her and made Saturday "Be Nice to Patty Day." She got everything she wanted. Haven't heard a word from Cathy - I'm beginning to think she's decided to leave us. That's about it - be good - be sure to obey instructions - do as your told - and I'm sure all will go well for you. Think of me when your jumping in that lake because I'll be envying you.
Much love,
Daddy.

P.S. We miss you.

Cathi's 21st Birthday

Cathi turned twenty-one in March 1979 so Gramma Paris, Mom, and I took her to Las Vegas for a weekend in April. We stayed at the Desert Inn and Country Club, where we had show tickets to see Anthony Newley and Juliet Prowse. Afterwards, Gramma and mom went to their room while Cathi and I decided we were going out to play the slot machines on the Strip. I forget where we were, but we had split up in the casino and Cathi was playing a machine a few aisles away from me. After a while I hear bells, whistles, and the unmistakable clanking that coins make when a slot machine is spitting them out. I look around and hear her excited voice above the noise, "Somebody get my sister! Somebody get my sister!" She had hit a $200 jackpot on a quarter machine and was absolutely elated.

July 15, 1967

Sat pm. 7:30
7-15-67

Dear Susan
It's after dinner & Flipper is on. Jackie, Hal & Charlie is sitting here with me watching T.V. & Patty has walked up to TGY with Daddy to spend her 2 dollars. He gave her $2 today when she swam the pool 52 times. Guess you & Cathy has your work cut out for you, huh? Patty & Jackie went to dance class & really enjoyed it. They go on Wed. for a make-up class. They are doing real good. Would you believe we lost "Pete" again this evening? Found him within 10 min. He should be named "Happy Wanderer" [smiley face] As we were swimming - I looked to see if there are clouds in the mountains. I am concerned if you are staying dry or not. [smiley face]

Sun. a.m.
As I said before - my letters are mostly a lot of short notes. I read the weather report every day & wonder if your feet is dry! You be sure & not pack any wet things along with dry ones. Carry your coat if you can't tie it on. I will write on Wed so you will hear from me on Thurs - but then I won't write again because you'll be leaving early Fri. a.m. - o.k.? I bet your camp book is really filled in on the rainy day page - huh? You won't be able to forget this camp experience, huh? [smiley face] Before long I will have to go pick up the kids at Sun. School. Look for Cathy home tomorrow since she didn't come home yesterday. We are really short on clothes here with 2 of you gone. I looked at my kitchen floor & thank God someone will be home to entertain Charlie so I can MOP!! [smiley face] Well sweetheart - here is the comics. Batman had Mr. Freeze on last week. I forget what's on this week. It will be Mon. when you get this about noon. Then Tues & then Wed & then Thurs. I'm counting the days with you - you see! You're homesick but all of us are Susan-sick [smiley face] We're anxious to see you. I hope you understand why I didn't respond to your letter to come & get you. I bet you forgot you wrote it & had a ball Fri -Sat & Sun. I hope so. I had to take the chance. Daddy had me send the stamps up - any that you have extra please bring home. Hope you are taking lots of pictures. Of the other girls & the councelors & of the camp. Thinking of you & waiting for Fri. - Guess I go & wait all morning [ smiley face]. Please write!
I love you -
Mommy
xxxooxxooxxooxxooxxxxooxxoo mushy huh? [ smiley face]

Botox or Bangs

I look in the mirror and notice the signs of aging on my face. There are lines on my forehead and little wrinkles under my eyes. Do I need to hide them? Can I age gracefully and still have them? God knows I've earned those worry lines and, although I want to look good, I'm not sure I want to hide the slight crinkles that appear around my eyes when I smile. They are a part of me. I can remember my Gramma's face, her clear blue eyes and the soft wrinkles that appeared when she smiled. Her face held a certain, almost indescribable, softness that unveiled years of gentle wisdom, understanding, and the ever-present unconditional love that she had for me. I want my grandchildren to have the same memory of me so, for now, I'll opt for the bangs and remember Gabriel softly touching the tiny wrinkles under my eyes and saying, "Gramma, you're just a little old."

Orthopaedic Hospital

My grandmother, Mary Alice Paris, cared for children as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) at Orthopaedic Hospital, 2400 South Flower Street in Los Angeles, California for nineteen years, from 1958 until she retired in 1977. I can visualize her white uniform, the white stockings and shoes, and the crisp white nurse's cap held to her head with white bobby-pins. She developed lasting friendships with her co-workers; Mason, Shryer, and Sutherland. These ladies always called each other by their last names. It never dawned on me that they even had first names until we were putting the guest list together for my wedding in 1975 and they were included. It was here, at Orthopaedic Hospital, that I had my tonsils removed when I was two years old.

Paper Drives

When I was little I remember stacking and saving our newspapers in the garage, then going door-to-door with a wagon to collect even more, so that we could haul them to the neighborhood school [Taft Elementary] every few months for a paper drive. I wonder why we don't see paper drives as much anymore.

Boating

My stepfather loved sailing and maintained a membership at a Sailing Club in Newport Beach where he would charter a Cal 24 sailboat and take us all out on the water. I have fond memories of sailing on Sundays in Newport Bay, each of us getting a chance at the helm. Sometimes our neighbor, Jerry Sliffe, would come with us and bring beef jerky wrapped in white butcher paper. Mom would tether the younger kids by their life jackets to the mast, just in case they fell over, and we would tack our way down the bay towards the mouth of the harbor watching for other watercraft and swimmers. Gliding past the Balboa Pavilion, the Fun Zone and its Ferris Wheel, and maneuvering around the Balboa Island Ferry, we learned that "coming about" meant to duck and move to the other side of the boat. The boom would swing, the sail would fill and we moved back and forth from one cushioned bench to the other. Once we got past the jetty we would sit on deck, straddling the guard rails, dangling our bare feet and legs overboard. The wind would whip our hair and the boat would rise and fall with the swell of the waves, dipping our feet in and out of the water while the ocean spray left the taste of salt on our lips. I remember sailing to Catalina Island for the Fourth of July, standing on deck waving sparklers and watching fireworks while anchored at Avalon.

Almost As Old As Disneyland

It's October 2008 and I am outside Gavin's second grade classroom listening to Mrs. McQuilliams give her students five hints. "Her favorite color is red." "Her favorite holiday is Christmas." "She likes to bake cupcakes and brownies." "She has three sons." "She has a grandson in this class." I am today's Mystery Reader and I'm going to read Pumpkin Town! by Katie McKy. I come through the door and Gavin says, "I knew it!" A little girl says, "She doesn't look like a Gramma", and Gavin reassures everyone, "Well, she is." Everyone finds their spot on the rug and I sit down with my book. "How old are you?" asks a boy, and before I can open my mouth Gavin quips, "She's fifty-two." I asked him later how he knew my age and he said, "I remember you're almost as old as Disneyland."

Chicken Dinner in Foil

This is a quick and easy all-in-one meal that we made for dinner on Girl Scout camping trips.

2 1/2 - 3 pounds of frying chicken, quartered or cut up
Salt & Pepper
1 package of Pillsbury dry gravy mix
1 1/2 cups (a 10 oz package) of frozen peas or mixed vegetables
1 to 1 1/2 cups of frozen tater tots
Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On each of 4 large heavy duty foil squares place 1/4 chicken. Sprinkle chicken on all sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle each with about 2 teaspoons of dry chicken gravy mix. Place about 1/3 cup frozen vegetables and 7 or 8 tator tots with the chicken. Pull the sides of the foil up and seal packets using double folds. You want to make sure that nothing will leak out while it is cooking. Place the sealed packets on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour until the chicken is tender.

Campbell Bible

My paternal grandfather's name was Dougald Alexander Campbell. I am assuming these fragile pages were extracted from a Bible that may have belonged to his parents, since their marriage is one of the first entries documented. It is my grandfather's handwriting that reads Dad Died June 5, 1943 and Mom (ditto) July 23, 1948. "Dad" would have been Alexander D. Campbell who was born October 11, 1858 in Glencoe, Ontario, Canada and actually died on June 3 in Detroit, Michigan but was buried June 5, 1943. "Mom" was Theresa May (Flora) Campbell, born September 12, 1871 in Amber, Mason County, Michigan and died July 23, 1948 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. They were married August 29, 1886.

Sue's Meat Loaf

1 1/2 pounds of Ground Beef
1/3 cup Catsup
1/3 cup Progresso Brand Bread Crumbs (plain or flavored)
1 small Onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Egg


Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well (your hands work best while doing this)
Place in a greased 13x9 inch baking dish and shape into a loaf
Bake 40-50 minutes or until no longer pink in the center
Let stand a few minutes to set

Slip 'N Slide

We didn't have a pool so when the weather got hot we brought out the Slip 'N Slide. A long strip of sturdy yellow plastic, unrolled on the lawn and hooked up to the garden hose provided hours of neighborhood fun, as well as some painful memories when the slide wasn't quite wet enough. The idea was simple, yet fabulous. Once the plastic got wet, water would continue to run along it transforming it into a waterslide. We would run and throw our bodies onto the plastic, riding it from one end to the other. We really had a good time when the Slip 'N Slide's hose had been on for a while and all that water made the lawn a soggy mess, allowing us to slide further across the drenched grass. It seems as though we usually ended up bruised, and always ended up coated in dirt and grass but that was part of the fun.

BB King

I once saw blues legend BB King perform at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach. The nightclub was located on Ocean near Pacific Coast Highway and the pier. I remember lining up around the brick building and, once inside, long tables for dining with seating so casual and intimate that we could almost touch him. The club closed in 1986 and even though it's been more than 20 years since the Golden Bear brought live music to the area, I don't think it will ever be forgotten.

Eisenhower Park

Summer was a glorious time for a kid growing up in the 60's and 70's. When school was out it meant playing outside, drinking from the garden hose, riding bikes, running through yard sprinklers and then laying on the hot sidewalk, shaking and shivering until we dried. There was the ice cream truck that would come down the street with it's chime melody playing, announcing it's arrival to everyone in the neighborhood. "The ice cream man is coming!", we'd yell as we ran inside for nickels and dimes to buy red, white & blue Bomb Pops, Drumsticks, and my favorite, the "push-up" which was a frozen cardboard tube filled with sherbet. Sometimes mom would load everyone into the car and take us to Eisenhower Park to play. The park had picnic and play areas, gentle running streams, a large lake where we would take bread to feed the ducks and lots of trees. I remember taking our shoes off, wading through the streams and then finding quiet pools where we would sit in the water and catch tadpoles with our hands. Those days were the best.

Gondola Getaway

I remember the night that Warren proposed. It was September 26, 1997 and we had enjoyed dinner at our favorite Japanese restaurant. Afterwards he took me to The Gondola Getaway in Long Beach and pulled a beautifully decorated basket out of the back of the 4Runner that held a bottle of champagne and crystal glasses. He had secretly hidden it there and I knew at that point that something was up. We were listening to soft music and sipping champagne as our gondola circled Naples Island when he pulled his grandmother's wedding ring from his pocket and asked me to be his wife. I said yes, he laughed and dropped it in my champagne. After fishing it out and putting it on, we were serenaded by our gondolier who stopped under moonlit bridges to sing Italian love songs.

Christmas

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday and I love the traditions that come with it. Baking cookies, sending cards, the Christmas postage stamps we lined up at the post office to buy and decorating the tree. Our Christmas tree was always the biggest one we could find for the space we had and decorated with lots of icicles, which was this silvery stuff you would gather up in your hand like spaghetti strands and drape (or, if you were an impatient child, fling) over the branches of the Christmas tree, where it would catch the light, dazzle the eye and wreak havoc on your vacuum cleaner come January. Aunt Wilma was my grandmother's sister and I remember the candy advent calendars she made for us each year. A long red ribbon, about two inches wide, laden with 24 Hershey kisses, topped with a handwritten poem on card stock, a hanging cord and a jingle bell. Starting on December 1st, we would eat one kiss each night until Christmas. I wish I could remember the poem...it was something along the line of, "Here's a candy calendar to fill you with much cheer; Eat a kiss from it each day and soon Christmas will be here." Sweet memories.

Warren

I've heard it said that love happens when you least expect it but when I left my job at Harland in March 1996 for a position at RCS in Santa Fe Springs, I hardly imagined that it would bring romance into my life. With a new route to work, I began stopping at Coffee Depot in Yorba Linda to grab a quick cup in the morning and then again on my way home to chat with the local crowd that gathered each evening. I met Warren in June and thought it kind of funny that he was always outside the coffee shop when I stopped on my way home. He would be sitting there with his sunglasses on, smile at me as I went in, and then get up and come in after a few minutes for more coffee. He says he was hooked the moment he laid eyes on me, confessed it was my red dress that caught his attention and that he asked the owner who I was. That's how he knew what time I came in each day. I always wondered about that. Our first date was October 5, 1996 and we've been together ever since.

#444

Life's Little Instruction Book, by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

444 - Never underestimate the power of a kind word or deed.

Spetcial Boy

After a long day at Disneyland in September 2006, Warren says, "Gabriel, get down and walk. You're too heavy for your Gramma to carry," to which Gabe sticks his 3-year old face nose-to-nose with mine and says, "Uh-uh, no I'm not. I'm your spetcial boy, huh Gwamma."

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

G-A-B-E

We're at a Fourth of July celebration at Dave & Kenya's place; Gavin is fielding balls, Dave is catching and Kenya is pitching to six-year old Gabriel who has his bat ready to swing. "Come on, baby, you can do it", I yell. "Gramma, don't call me baby anymore", says Gabe, "just Gabe...G-A-B-E."

The Vitch

While visiting with Mom she shared her memory of reading Hansel and Gretel to me when I was about two years old. She thought it was cute when she finished the book and I said, "Mommy, vhere's the ol' vitch?"

Growing Up

I remember the orange groves behind our house, when Tustin Avenue was just two lanes, the eucalyptus trees and the field at the end of our street, when they built the Orange Mall, AMC Orange Mall 6 theaters, Brownie Troop 52, Girl Scout Troop 722, walking the 57 freeway before they opened it, TG&Y, Alpha Beta, Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor, Chili Cheese Fries at Tastee Freez, Sammy Lee's Swim Club, Thrifty Drug Store ice cream cones, Taft Tigers, Peralta Junior High, Top 40, the ditch, May Festival and Parade, Gol-Mac Liquor, Caravelle candy bars, TaB soda, neighborhood block parties, trick-or-treating for hours with pillowcases, Parasol Restaurant, Anaheim Angels, Anaheim Rams, Los Angeles Raiders, Dodger Dogs, performing at Anaheim Stadium for the California Suns halftime show, the beach and 15th Street, Villa Park High School, Marching Spartans, Banner Bunnies, the Orange Circle, Fred Kelly Stadium, early morning band practice, KRAP ALLIV, marching down Taft to Tustin and turning around when we hit the crosswalk, Movieland Wax Museum, Knotts Berry Farm, Disneyland, Melodyland Theater, Buffums and Broadway, Eisenhower Park, ...

I Love My Baby (My Baby Loves Me)

I sing this version of the 1925 song I Love My Baby (My Baby Loves Me) to my grandchildren and sang it to my boys when they were little. We substitute names for the word baby ♫

I love my baby, and my baby loves me,
There ain't nobody as happy as we;
When we're together, we're great company,
I love my baby, and my baby loves me.

Love This Town

It was October 2005 and we had booked rooms at the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel so that everyone had a place to get ready for Steve & Connie's wedding. There was a knock at the door and Gavin, who was four years old and in the room directly across the hall with Dave & Kenya, came in to see if our room was the same as his. It was his first time in a hotel, we were on the eleventh floor and he went over to the window to look out. He placed both hands on the glass and seeing buses, taxi cabs, cars and airplanes exclaimed, "I just love this town!"

Poppy

He was my grandfather, was know as Gib, but I called him Poppy. Gilbert Edwin Paris was born April 14, 1908 in Greencastle, Indiana to Fred and Mary Frances Paris. He served in World War II as a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant from 1942-1945 and married my grandmother, Mary Alice (Daugherty) Stansberry in 1947. Although he wasn't my grandfather "by blood" he was, without a doubt, one of the most important men in my life. I remember when he took me shopping, and we went to Gemco, to buy a record album for my thirteenth birthday. We came back with Jingle Jangle by The Archies, and he let me play it on the record player in his stereo cabinet. I was eighteen years old when I got married in 1975 and can still see him standing on the chair in the reception hall at the church so that he could see me cut the cake. I also remember how he quietly slipped me a $100 bill during the dollar dance. He died September 1, 1980 in Cudahy, Los Angeles County, California and I miss him. I'm glad that he was alive when my sons were born and pleased that we chose to honor him by giving Steven Gilbert his name. He was so proud.

#347

Life's Little Instruction Book, by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

347 - Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.

Hollywood Park

I was thumbing through my old scrapbooks yesterday when I saw the Official Program. It was July 8, 1972 and Gramma Paris and Aunt Wilma had taken Cathi and I to the horse races at Hollywood Park. I remember sitting there with them, taking in the sounds of the track and studying the Racing Form. We carefully chose our ponies and then Gramma would place two dollar bets on each race for us. Exacta's, Daily Doubles, Go Baby! Go!, I was fifteen years old and came home $21.30 richer that day.

Dillinger Gang

Our family does have a small claim to Dillinger Gang fame as my Great-Gramma Effie's first cousin, Myrtle Gladys Hubbard, married Harry E. Copeland in 1920. Copeland was a key player in Dillinger's three holdups in East Central Indiana in the summer of 1933. He also took part in breaking Dillinger out of the Allen County, Ohio jail that October. I feel inclined to mention this tie with the recent release of Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, even though Copeland is apparently not a character in the movie. Rumor has it that Gramma Effie actually met John Dillinger. It wouldn't surprise me.

Prayer

Seven days without prayer makes one weak.

The Photo Booth

As a child I referred to my Gramma Paris as Gramma in Bell because that's where she lived - in Bell, California. She only became Gramma Paris after the city of Bell became Cudahy and Gramma in Cudahy just didn't sound right. When I would visit her she would take me to the downtown shopping district of Huntington Park and we would go to Woolworth's, a five-and-dime store, where she might pick up some pillowcases to embroider or some new embroidery thread. Sometimes she needed crochet thread to finish the ruffle edge of a pillowcase or to make doilies. Once we bought a bag of clothespins that we used to hang freshly washed sheets outdoors on the clothesline. The store had a lunch counter with bar stools where shoppers could sit and eat and we would have a soda. There was also a photo booth there, and we would have my picture taken in it. She would sit me on a swivel stool in the big steel box, pull the curtain closed, drop in a coin and then, sudden solitude, four flashes, and we waited. After a few minutes it would spit out a narrow strip of paper still wet with the smell of processing chemicals. This is you, it said, in four frames, at this very moment of time.

Today

Here's what you need to keep in mind. You no longer have yesterday. You do not yet have tomorrow. You have only today. This is the day the Lord has made. Live in it.

-Max Lucado

Summertime

Warm summer evenings always bring back memories of growing up in the 1960's and 70's and playing hide-and-seek until dark with the neighborhood kids. There were a lot of kids that lived on Shattuck, especially in the six houses at the end of the cul-de-sac where we lived, and there was simply no worse punishment given at our house than having to go to bed after dinner and not being able to go out and play. There was, of course, six of us and the Malone's lived next door. After they moved the Buscaglio family lived there. I remember sitting with Claudia Malone in her den and watching Dark Shadows, a daytime show that featured a vampire named Barnabus Collins. The Rosenbery's lived two doors down, on the other side of the Malone's, had nine children and a mean little black dachshund named Tina. First the Merrill's, then later the Perlick's and their five children lived across the street from the Rosenbery's and the Canaday's lived next door to the Perlick's. They had a pool in their backyard and we would sometimes go swimming there. Carol Canaday was our babysitter when our parents would go out for an occasional dinner or party. Next door to the Canaday's and directly across from our house lived the Sliffe's, who also had nine children. We would run, hide, laugh and play until the street lights came on. That was our curfew and time for everyone to go home.

Mamaw

I was just thinking about how Gabriel used to call me Mamaw when he was little. That was before he could say "Grrrr"amma.

Auntie's Grape Salad

We made the trip back to Arkansas a couple of weeks ago to celebrate Auntie & Jerry's 50th Wedding Anniversary on June 19th and came back with this fabulously yummy recipe.

2-3 cups of seedless grapes (I use a combination of green, red & purple), clean well and dry. In a large bowl mix with a mixer until fluffy: 1 egg, 8oz cream cheese and 8oz sour cream. Add 1/2 cup sugar and mix; add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and mix; add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and mix. Sprinkle in a handful of chopped pecans (optional) then gently fold in the grapes. Top with another handful of the chopped pecans (optional), gently stir again and chill for 6-8 hours to set.

Half Way Mark

July 14th (1967)
Fri. p.m.

Dear Susan,
Another note so you will get it Monday. I didn't get a letter today but figure it's because you're busy which is o.k. with me. I'm glad you're being kept busy. Today was a pleasure. Watched Hal play baseball. Came home & showed Dawn & Mrs. Melander all of the pictures I have and then took them over to Lisa & her mom. Then discovered our turtle had climbed out of the cardboard box & got lost again! Found it in the Malone's yard. Took Lizzie to the pool & stayed for 4 hrs. Charlie has fallen asleep - & it's so quiet. You should see Charlie at the pool. Last Wed. & Thurs. he is overjoyed with his life belt. Today he was in the water every minute. Yesterday he was jumping off of the side. He'll be swimming before long. Auntie is coming over one day next week & I look for Cathy to be home anyday - considering we haven't found time to ride her dress & sweater over yet!! Jackie & Patty start dance tomorrow. Daddy said so & Jackie is so happy. She's been practicing all day & you know how graceful she is. [smiling face] We named our turtle "Pete". So it has "Pete Graham" in yellow paint across his rear side. I may have to wash it off & let the Rosenberys borrow it. They bought a turtle for the picnic that Mr. Rosenberys boss has every year for the turtle race. And theres (theirs) just sits there - while ours has been moving & getting lost at least twice a day [smiley face]. It really moves! Maybe it's because its stubborn & determined to move! Mikey is going to watch Hal play baseball on Monday at Olive. Maybe he would like to start playing also. Hal & him has been playing so good together. Had best start dinner now. It's 6:30 & you know how late it is. Will add more on later.
Love - Mommy

Sat. - 10 am.
Dear Susie -
Has it poured everyday or has it scattered showers? Please try to keep busy and think of other things so you won't be homesick. I hope you are collecting pine cones, etc for me so we can mess with crafts at home. Read - write & think of the good side of things. Have you taken any pictures yet? Remember you do have the flash bulbs. Let them cool before you pull them out. You have the same counselors that Dawn had but she was in tent # 3. She can hardly wait to compare notes with you. Please answer all of my questions (in previous letters). Are you getting enough mail? I have to grin because I am thinking they probably hired a truck to carry your mail alone. [smiley face] Well it's the half way mark. 6 days down & 6 to go. Suggest you start packing your things on Wed. & checking them off of your list. Are you saving the letters you have received? Have you learned the new songs? So the river is swollen. How much? How's this for a exciting adventure (can't spell it!) You're bound to get lonely when you think of home. Try not to & try to have fun despite rain. Hows about making a mud sculpture & letting it dry. Bring it home & we'll paint it. Birds is easy to make. Take a fist of mud & work it like clay - if it's too running squeeze excess water out of it. Then it will work. Are you taking baths in the rain or in the showers? [smiley face] I talked to "Cappy" before I left & told her you were there & she said she'd call me if you got ill. Chin-up & we'll see you Fri. a.m. I'll send the comics up tomorrow.
Love to you -
Mommy

Married in Tijuana

My mom, Janet Wray Stansberry, was barely seventeen years old when she met my father, Thomas Dougald Campbell, at a roller skating rink in Huntington Park, California. The Skating Rink was located on Pacific Boulevard right next door to a diner called Chili Junction where she and her friends hung out. It was the middle of December 1955 and he was almost twenty years old. She left high school and married him four weeks later on January 17, 1956 in Tijuana, Mexico.

July 14, 1967

Fri. Eve.
7/14/67

Dear Susie,
I'm writing this evening & will mail this note in the morning. Mommy called me, she received your letters. She was real glad to hear from you, the kids were too. We are all rooting for you on shooting your arrows. I never tried that, but Mommy's always landed at her feet. [smiley face] I suppose by now you've received your box of goop! [smiley face] Aunt Wilma & Gramma sent their cards today. I hope you have a steady stream of mail. You are so lucky to have so many to write to you. So put out your hand of friendship & put an arm around those who don't get so many letters or a box. Think of all the piano practice & dusting you're getting out of. [smiley face] I'm saving mine for you! That's a joke, huh? I hope you're getting all my letters. If you find you can't answer all letters, I understand. Write to Mommy first. She'll let me know how you're doing. How's the food? Getting used to the sleeping bag? The bugs biting? You're so sweet, they might try to eat you up! [smiley face] or they might all get poisoned & die. [smiley face] I hope you're getting pictures. Are your councellors holding up or are you kids driving them nuts? Maybe I should send skipper a boat so she could sail off, or birdseed a cage to hide in. They are probably pooped! [smiley face] Well, I should close as I'm running out of room.
Lots & lots of love,
Gramma, Poppy & Tiki

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 14, 1967

Dear Susan,
When I got a Three Stooges comic book for Betsy, I asked for one for you. We have been having some hot weather. I guess it is hot where you are too, but maybe not as hot. Everything around our house is the same as usual without Betsy, and I expect your family is doing the same things they would do if you were home.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Jensvold

Disneyland Dance Party

February 2006: Gavin was five-years old when he & I went to Disneyland with my friend, Julia, and her granddaughter, McKenzie. We had so much fun on Dumbo, It's a Small World and driving the Autopia cars! We stopped at Tomorrowland Terrace for some ice cream where music was playing and a couple of teenage Disneyland "hosts" were dancing to entertain the crowd. Everyone was waiting for Buzz Lightyear to make an appearance. Gavin says to me, "Gramma, I want to dance with her" and points to the young girl. I catch her eye and tell her that he wants to dance. By then he has "struck a pose" and is looking at her over his sunglasses. She smiles at him and says into her microphone, "Are you calling me out?" He nods and her smile broadens. She tells him, "Well, let's see what you've got." They dance until it's time for Buzz to appear, she tells the crowd, "Let's give it up for Gavin!" and everyone applauds. Buzz comes in and while some kids are gathered around him, others are running over to dance with Gavin & McKenzie.

July 13, 1967

July 13, 1967

Dear Susan -
For your clash day wear your green shorts & a blue top - or your new capris and a plaid blouse. That should clash for anyone! It costs too much to mail honey - so mix what you have. Your new blue shorts & green striped blouse should clash good! Stripes & flowers & plaids clash also. Saavy? Just got your letters & tore up the envelopes. Don't mail individual letters again. Stuff them all in one - o.k? Stamps cost too. Kids enjoyed them all. So it was worth it once but not again. Jackie is now writing to you. Are you getting my letters everyday? Did I tell you we lost the turtle - or the turtle lost us. It got out 3 times yesterday & we found it only 2 times. Will write later. With these stamps how are you set now?
Love, Mommy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Susan,
Thought I'd take a few minutes and write another letter to you today. After 1 1/2 hrs looking for the turtle Mr. Malone just found him. Luck of the Irish [smiley face]!!!! Talked to Gramma in Bell - she's waiting to hear from you. Also Gramma Campbell. How come Cathy rates a letter?!? [smiley face] I expect a longer one! Cleaned house today. Would you believe the whole house is spotless?? - would you believe one room? [smiley face] Can't wait for you to come home & entertain Charlie so I can clean!! Altho your room has never stayed so clean, with you two gone. [smiley face] Charlie still won't admit you are gone. When I ask if Susie has gone bye - he says no you're asleep in bed. (I have the door to your room closed). He won't go look to see if you are or not. The other kids have fought over who sits in your place at the table. How's the food up there? Food here is same old stuff. Hamburgers tonight. Are you doing your laundry or is that a joke? Is it raining up there? Tie baggies around your shoes with rubber bands for boots if so. Stay well & take care of yourself. I know they have flush toilets so be sure & keep going every so often. Otherwise me and the kids & Ex-Lax will greet you at the bus. [smiley face] Is "Cheese" still the nurse? I have to stop & write to gramma Paris - she is still in the hospital & want to cheer her up some. We are all o.k. (sinse the car won't start.) Drove 15 mi to get your 25¢ camp book. Figure 35¢ for gas, & it cost 15¢ to mail it - so treasure that book!! Its expensive [smiley face]
Love
Mommy

Gramma & Gabe's Road Trip

May 19, 2007: Four-year old Gabriel and I drove to Arizona to visit Tommy and even though it was just an overnight trip, Gabe was very excited. I bought him a disposable camera so that he could record memories of his trip, then developed the film and made him his own little memory book of photos. He took pictures of the wind energy windmills as we went through the Palm Springs area, snapped a shot of the McDonald's that we stopped at for lunch, and was fascinated by the long freight trains. He even noticed the desert hills and commented that Grampa could fly his planes there.

July 12, 1967

Wed July 12, 1967
8:30 am

Dear Susan,
Today I am running again. In 15 min. we leave for dance class then to Fullerton for your camp book & then to aunties. (Gramma left Charlies life belt there on Monday). I should be home about noon for lunch & speech starts at 1:30. Got the camp pictures of Peters Canyon & fly up ceremony & cookout at Whirleybird. Pretty good ones too! Do you want me to send them to you?It's going to be another scorcher. Thought with you & Cathy gone I'd have things REAL easy. Well - there is not any fighting but NOTHING is getting done. Guess I'll spend all day Sat. scrubbing it down. [smiley face] Don't want you to come home to a dirty house [smiley face] ha ha

12:30 pm
Well - got your camp book. It's like a diary. You must write short stories, etc. Your imagination will come in handy now. Got your card this morning. How did your arrows go? Mine never went forward. They always fell straight down. Please keep on writing. Thought those cards was a good idea, huh. Who are your councelors? Junior got loose this morning. Broke the rope. Lucky - no dog pound. [smiley face] Save your gum & chew it on the way home. Do you want anything else?
Love - Mommy

Old Gramma

I love how Gianna calls me Gramma and my mom, Old Gramma.

The Goodie Box

7/11/67
Tues.

Dear Susie,
Thinking of you today. I know you have been very busy, getting your things in place, so you can find everything. Just remember, every time you can't find something, some one else is having a worse time finding their stuff! ha ha. I didn't get your box off today. I'll seal it tonight & mail it on the way home from work tomorrow. All the kids will want some, but there's not enough for everyone, probably, so be sure & save some for yourself! It's nice to share, but you know what I mean. I love you and will be waiting for you to come home. My vacation starts then & I'll come & get 1, 2, 3, or 4 of you to stay at least a couple of days. Well, I'll close with a kiss & a big hug.
Lots of Love,
Gramma, Poppy & Tiki

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday [crossed out]
Thursday
7/13

Hi Susie,
Just a line today to say hello. I know it was really Thursday because I'm off today. If it was Wednesday, I worked yesterday. I must not be awake yet. I'm washing. I have to get my drivers license, or take the test for it. Also, I have to bathe Tiki. It's been hot here. How is it in the mountains? I hope it is very nice for you. I called mommy & she received your letter. Said she sent you some stuff you needed. I sent the box yesterday (The stuff you don't really need.) Gramma's are something else! I guess by now, you've made lots of new friends. Isn't it nice? I'll close now & write again tomorrow.
Lots of Love,
Gramma, Poppy & Tiki (I put Tiki so you'll know which Gramma [smiley face])

July 11, 1967

Tuesday a.m.

7-11-67

Dear Susan,

Mrs. Ray [fourth grade teacher] called me last night. She just got back from So. Carolina where she saw The Campbells. Mr. Ray was guest speaker of the same church the Campbells belong to. So guess they had a nice chat and everyone is o.k. Wish I had Mrs. Ray's telephone or address as I cut her conversation short. She called me at 7 p.m. and you know what time that is! So we will have to make it up to her to take the time and trouble to do this. How many counselors do you have - 2 or 3? Expect a letter little girl or else! Will think of a good punishment if not. Like 3 hrs of practice on the piano each day. Do you need any music for your "instrument" I stuck in? HA-HA-HA-HA. Should be a pro at the Gazoo - huh? Bet no one else has one. Am sending up some reading material - insect repellant - wash & dri's (to carry home on the bus in case your face feels dry) & a large baggie to put your craft things in. Heaven only knows what gramma is sending up! Suggest you carry your reading material and craft supplies home with you to save room in the duffle bag. Do you need anything else? Make a wish on the brightest star - so will I and it will have to come true. My only wish for now is you have a swinging time at camp and remember everything so you can tell me all about it. With you at camp - Boy do I feel old! Hardly seems you're old enough. And I'm almost 30! Wow!! Guess I close and go to bed. I'm tired thinking of it all [smiley face]. What is poop-out-hill? Also some kind of meadows. Let me know.

Love,

Mommy

July 6, 1967

Thurs. p.m.
July 6th

Dear Susan,
You haven't left yet as I sit here and write this. You have just gone to bed. Thought I'd write and sneak in a Magoo's Gazoo for your song fests. This can be your musical instrument. [smiley face] Takes a little courage to play or bring out but bet you a quarter it will be the hit of your unit. [smiley face] - Add it to your list of supplies to bring back. It's expensive! [smiley face]
Love,
Mommy

POW/MIA

1LT Robert J. DiTomasso

USAF 07-29-66 LAOS

That's what the inscription reads on his POW/MIA bracelet. Bobby was born August 7, 1941 in Buffalo, New York to Alvin & Mafalda DiTomasso and was officially declared dead on March 21, 1979 by the U.S. military, even though his remains have never been returned home. The date on the bracelet was the day his plane went down over Laos during the Vietnam conflict. I wore Bobby's MIA bracelet in the mid-70's and corresponded with his mother. I was just a teenager then and still in high school, but still have her notes and cards that always ended with the same phrase, "Pray for Peace". My bracelet eventually broke in half from wear and I have bought a replacement bracelet that catches my eye every once in a while when I open my jewelry box. When it does, I find myself thinking of Bobby. His mother, Mafalda, spent the last 25 years of her life searching for her son. In a 1988 interview for the Buffalo News she stated, "You gotta keep on the go all the time and it costs a lot of money." She had recently made the trip to Hawaii from her home in New York to finally welcome Bobby home only to find that he wasn't there, nor were his remains or any new information. Malfada DiTommaso died in 1991, never knowing what happened to her beloved son. As a mother with three sons of my own, I cannot begin to understand the pain and heartache that haunted her, although my heart aches for her loss. I imagine there was no escaping it, day or night. Perhaps her focused efforts and determination to find Bobby was the only way she could deal with the reality of the nightmare. Bobby is still MIA - Don't ever forget.

Teach Your Children

You need to learn how to take calculated risks in life. When an opportunity presents itself that has any degree of risk attached to it you need to ask yourself, "What's the best thing that can happen if I do this?" and then you need to ask, "What's the worst thing that can happen?" Weigh these thoughts carefully and thoroughly. If you answer honestly and can live with the worst, then the risk is probably worth taking. Most decisions in life can be changed. You can enter into a relationship and later decide that it is not a good place for you and leave it. You can quit school and then change your mind and go back later. It may not be easy - but you can do it. You can start down a specific career path and decide that it isn't what you want to do and change direction. There are only two things that you can NEVER change, and you must be very mindful of this: Having a child and a criminal record. Know this and be cautious, both are forever.

Driving

Ah, the 70's. An anxious teen could get a driver's permit at fifteen and their license at sixteen years old. Driver's Education was taught in high school, using driving simulators and actual behind-the-wheel training with an instructor, who in my case was Coach Russ Murphy or "Murph". The simulators weren't nearly as realistic as even the video games of today but they provided a basic introduction to the overall driving experience. I learned to drive in my mom's big all-forest-green Volkswagen Bus but my first car was a used gold 1971 Ford Pinto. It was a three-door hatchback "Runabout" with an automatic transmission. Gas was cheap and at about 39 cents a gallon was definitely a lot less than the $3.00+ a gallon we find ourselves paying right now. I loved that car and can remember pulling into a service station to buy gas and turning around to collect quarters from my friends to get us to the beach and back. We could put a dollar's worth of gas in the Pinto and drive for days.

Be Happy

One of my favorite books is Loving Each Other, The Challenge of Human Relationships by Leo F. Buscaglia, Ph.D.

pg 14:
There is a wonderful fable that tells of a young girl who is walking through a meadow when she sees a butterfly impaled upon a thorn. Very carefully she releases it and the butterfly starts to fly away. Then it comes back and changes into a beautiful good fairy. "For your kindness," she tells the girl, "I will grant you your fondest wish." The little girl thinks for a moment and replies, "I want to be happy." The fairy leans toward her and whispers in her ear and then suddenly vanishes. As the girl grew, no one in the land was more happy than she. Whenever anyone asked her for the secret of her happiness, she would only smile and say, "I listened to a good fairy." As she grew quite old, the neighbors were afraid the fabulous secret might die with her. "Tell us, please," they begged, "tell us what the fairy said." The now lovely old lady simply smiled and said, "She told me that everyone, no matter how secure they seemed, had need of me!"
We all need each other.

1875 Shattuck Place

Our family moved from Downey to the city of Orange in 1964 when I was seven years old and in first grade. My mother was having another baby and we needed a larger house. A two-story home with five-bedrooms and three-baths, this house provided enough room for a family with six children and it was my home until I married in 1975. Tugboat is one of my most vivid memories of the Shattuck house. He was the cookie jar that sat on top of the refrigerator in the kitchen and held matchbooks safely out of reach. I think my brother, Hal, has our original Tugboat but Warren and I found one quite by accident at an antique store on Glassell down by the Orange Circle in 2001 and he surprised me by going back to purchase it without my knowledge. He paid $63 for it but the childhood memories it evokes each time I look at it are priceless. By the way, it holds our matchbooks.

To My Middle Child

For my David. I came across this poem years ago in a Dear Abby column and gave it to him - my own sweet brown-haired child.

My darling, I had presupposed in dreams
your hair would be a brightly polished crown.
Like sunlight spun to gold on mountain streams,
yet soft, beneath my hands, as ciderdown.

Sometimes I fancied you with raven hair,
but when you came, above the nursing gown
there were no tresses black or flaxen-fair
your pixie face was fringed with tufts of brown.

You are my middle love, my brown-haired child.
Not first or last, encircled in my arms.
But child of many moods, like a bracelet styled
enchantingly of most delightful charms.

And so my darling, never, never think
you are less loved; you are our magic link.

-author unknown

Effie Jane Carr

My great-grandmother was born December 20, 1896 in the Estillville District of Gate City, Scott County, Virginia. She was the fourth child of George B. Carr and Alice Lee Moore. She died November 6, 1970 in Maywood, Los Angeles County, California and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills. Her birth record actually shows her name as "Effa" which I imagine was due to the, most likely, thick Kentucky accent of her father and it was spelled exactly as he probably pronounced it but we just called her Big Fat Gramma. She was married three times, her first being to Sidney Jackson Hammond, with whom she had two daughters; Bernice and Jewel. Her second marriage was to Jesse Sylvester Daugherty and she had four more children; Leslie Harold, Mary Alice (my grandmother), Wilma Lucille and Anna Ruth. Her third husband was Arthur Eppard. My Gramma, Mary Alice (Daugherty) Paris told me in 1973 when I was working on my high school family history report, that the family left Virginia in the middle of the night because George Carr, who was in the lumber business, got into a fight with his business partner, Col. Ayers, and knocked him unconscious. Fearing him dead, the family fled to Indiana. My mom, Janet, remembers how her grandmother Effie always wore loosely wrapped gauze bandages on her legs and her feet to cover ulcerated sores that would not heal. She says that even the smallest child knew to stay away from her feet and legs. Effie's sisters, Mary Elizabeth (Carr) Sweatt and Sudie Carr remember Jesse Daugherty and Effie, as well as Effie & Art Eppard, bootlegging. They tell how Effie, to entertain the family, would put on a sun bonnet to look like a mountain woman, throw a gallon jug of whiskey over her shoulder and pour a shot without spilling a drop. True stories? Maybe.

Summer Concert

In 1975 I saw Chicago and the Beach Boys perform at Angel Stadium where we waited in line for what seemed like forever because the tickets offered open seating and everyone wanted the best seats. It was amazing and the stadium was absolutely packed! We were in the front row of the upper stands and everyone up there started jumping up and down as they moved to the music. My soda, which was sitting on the ledge in front of me, actually fell over because the stands were bouncing so much and I wondered if there was a chance they would collapse! Almost 50,000 people attended that concert event.

9512 Horley Avenue

The first house I remember living in as a child was in Downey, California and we had a dog named Rags. I don't remember the house as being large, maybe 2 or 3 bedrooms, and all five of us kids slept in one room that held two bunkbed sets and a crib. That front window, to the left in the picture, was our bedroom and it seems like there were purple and blue hydrangeas planted around the corner on the side of the house. The garage was set in the backyard at the end of a long driveway and there was a tree in the back corner that we would climb and play in. The boy next door, Greg, was always Tarzan, I was Jane and Cathi was Cheetah. I wonder if she remembers that.