The Middle of May
More! MAY 17 2019
Hi again, here I am starting the next leg of the marathon – so much to say, so many questions to answer and ask!
First, I am glad to hear Reva was her old self when you saw her. I hated to think she’d changed, especially in that way. Somehow it ruined my memories of her, which were good ones. But all is restored. Thanks for that.
To answer one question: we moved to Coolidge (next to Reva) from Serena Hills, between 1st and 2nd grade. We were there a few years I think, then we moved to Roosevelt for a very brief time, before we ended up on Patricia Drive. I’m not sure what all the bouncing around was … maybe we were renting until the ‘perfect’ house became available? I have NO memories of Roosevelt, some from Coolidge, most from the house on Patricia Drive. I do remember our house in Serena Hills (and my 1st grade teacher Miss Kasuba); my father semi-finished the attic for me as a playroom, where I had a kid kitchen complete with an EasyBake Oven.
I have a lot of food memories, I guess mostly from junior high/high school. A fantastic pizza place – Cipriani’s? sausage and peppers omg – and another Italian deli that made the BEST steak sandwiches with roasted green peppers. Do you remember Prince Castle? We used to hang out there after school – they had crinkle cut french fries, and delicious chocolate milkshakes. I remember kissing a Greek boy (name gone forever), in the back of his car in Prince Castle’s parking lot. He rode a motorcycle, and my father was really upset about that! LOL, at the teenage years.
I do remember Mrs. K (and that party, vaguely), but mostly because she was always ‘laying out’ getting a tan. A deep dark tan that looked very strange to me, because she was so wrinkly (from sun exposure no doubt!). Why do that? I thought she was a very odd woman. I am not too surprised her daughters went a little fringe – so many homes hiding so much dysfunction.
I’m curious about your life – did you work outside the home after Phil was born? Are you working now? And do you all have plans for retirement? You said you were happy in Indiana, so I’m guessing you will stay there after retirement? I Googled your town to locate it, and along with the map a few blurbs came up – #48 in the list of best places to live, planned community etc. The few images I saw looked beautiful, very prairie, with nice suburban neighborhoods. I didn’t see many trees though, is that because the subdivisions are new? Or maybe the pictures are old …. or maybe that’s just the prairie, which I only faintly remember.
About our “kids” – Britt (+ hubby Nathaniel) were our neighbors (and then friends) for 5-6 years,(they lived three doors down), when the girls came. Printha first and Adi two years later. Britt always worked – for her own sanity and fulfillment – but mostly from home (as a medical writer). I was at home too, and it was easy to help out when she needed. Which she did! Printha was/is a most intense child – brilliant and active and demanding of attention and time. So Britt definitely needed breaks! But Printha and I had an instant rapport, and it was a joy to spend time with her, for both Bruce and me. I wrote about our relationship for MUSE – look for Love Letter, you will like it, it describes everything. Printha is 11 now, she’ll be 12 this August. Adi (9 years old) is a different person altogether, but she and I have also found our space. She is a VERY good writer (!) and actor, and she loves fashion and jewelry, and theater, and word games, esp Bananagrams (which she plays with me) and Boggle (which she plays with Bruce). They are together the greatest gifts, and I guess they occupy the space in our lives that grandchildren would. They have expanded us, with love and amazement and gratitude and the joy that only children can bring. We are so very lucky to know them. Oh, Printha was Nathaniel’s mom’s name – she died in a car accident before P was born, so terribly sad – but beyond that no one really knows its origin. Britt found a few references in Mormon genealogy. Nathaniel’s parents are British English though so no one can really figure it out. But yes, a beautiful name, and it fits her.
Keith and Emilia, both 30, are a young couple we got to know through work – they are architects and worked at Bruce’s firm for several years. Again, an instant rapport with the two of them – they are SO SMART, and fun and open and caring. So we love them too, like children who have grown up and become your friends. We know all their friends, who are also amazing and genuine. We will keep them close! Hawaii should be a most wonderful experience to share with them.
Ok, I am out of time (but not words or stories or questions, LOL!) The rest will have to wait until next time. It is a 5-star girl day! I am having tea with Britt, to catch up and gossip and start imagining a garden for her new house – still here on Eld Street thank God, but now seven doors down. Which will probably save my sanity during the teenage years!
XOX
Deb
Write soon!
Re: More! MAY 18 2019
Here we go!!!
First off… I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU HAD AN EASY BAKE OVEN TOO!!! It was my favorite thing! You had a FULL kitchen too! (Jealous but happy for you) lol!
I don’t remember Cipriani’s as a pizza place. Not that it didn’t serve pizza but it was more known for Italian food/ nicer dining place? It was on the corner of 10th Street and Halsted? Is that the place you’re talking about? Anyway, THAT place is a funeral home now. Was Marnell’s the steak sandwich place? That is also on halsted. I belong to this site called- You Know You’re From Chicago Heights… they talk about Prince Castle all the time. I don’t remember it at all! I don’t know where I was at the time but everybody else remembers it. AND MISSY…. what’s with you kissing all these guys?! Reva’s boyfriend, a Greek guy on a motorcycle… I’m sure more to be revealed as we go along here. The only guy I kissed was Donna K’s boyfriend, Bob L.! She let him kiss me because I had never been kissed yet. Wasn’t that nice of her? Lol! It was pretty uneventful though. Was your dad/mom strict about dating? Mine didn’t have the chance, I never dated!
MRS. K.!!! YES!!! That woman was addicted to the sun big time! Maybe THAT’S what was wrong with her… her brain was COOKED! I don’t know why I’m laughing so much about you thinking that she looked strange with her dark tan and all those wrinkles and WHY WOULD SHE DO THAT TO HERSELF. Lolololol! You’re right! I think we children had more sense than the adults! In fact, I’m convinced! I know there was a Mr. but I don’t remember ever seeing him. So, so far we have a missing husband, an “air head” mother, a competitive mother, a depressed mother, a bookie dad, a couple of snobby moms, a sun worshipper mother AND… a father with pencil erasers for teeth!!!🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️ OMG! Nope! No reason for ANY of us to have had issues!!! You know, they have those BIG long erasers. If Mr T knew about them he could have had a full set of dentures!!!!!!!!! Lol!!! It’s late, I’m tired and being silly! (in case you couldn’t tell)
You’re curious about my life? Are you sure? Lol! I was working in a salon up until I had Phil. I wanted to be at home to raise him. I decided to work out of my house. It worked perfectly for all of us. He was in his swing, walked around in his walker, slept in his play pen and had plenty of people to give him attention. I did that until he was 11. We moved to Indiana and I went to work in a salon in the heights because I needed to stay where my clientele was. I only work on Thursday and Friday now about 8-10 hrs a day. With my mom and dad needing help and dr appts frequently between the 2 of them and home stuff I had to give up some days. Bob is a diabetic and has to watch his carb intake to stay off meds so we’re very strict about his eating. THAT MEANS I have to plan his meals and cook quite a bit. I also cook for my mom and dad blah blah blah. You both certainly know how that all goes with trying to keep a household going and working and anything else that comes up. And then there’s Arya… I don’t want her cooped up in a house for 10/12 hrs a day. I make it a point to take PHIL’S DOG to the dog park early, almost everyday, to run and get her energy out so I can then do what I need to do. She goes to day care twice a week just to socialize with other dogs and exercise. She’s beat when she comes home from there.
No plans for retirement yet. With me only 2 days a week, I’m good with that. Bob will stay working for a while yet. His company was bought out and he will be taking on a new position. Not sure about the details yet but I’ll know soon. While we are happy in Indiana and I would be content to stay here, Bob would LOVE to move back to PA. He’s a hunter and his family has a couple of small cabins in the mountains. He goes hunting there for bear one week and then deer the next at thanksgiving every year. If he gets a chance he’ll go in the spring/summer. THAT’S where his heart is so it’s a possibility that is where we would retire.
We live in a beautiful area. There are trees all around. Many new sub divisions going in so yes, that might be the reason you don’t see many trees there. The man we bought our house from had about 20 trees put in. Everything placed perfectly. We have, little by little, lost some. One of our HUGE evergreens blew down in our front yard in a snow, sleet, wind storm. Lost 5 of our smaller evergreens in our back yard. We have a lot of water that settles back there. Don’t know if that was the problem. We have a lot of clay instead of dirt? I know nothing about this stuff! There’s a couple of others that need to come out this year. It’s become the yard of the misfit trees!
Yes, Love Letter is where I first learned about Printha. She was named after her grandmother that passed?! What sadness for the loss but such an honor to his mother. I will now go back and read it again. So happy for you two that you have these SPECIAL friends.
So, I MUST sign off ONLY because my words are blurry. I don’t stay up late UNLESS I’m writing to you! It’s become one of my favorite things to do!
Good night to you Deb and to you Bruce…
PAM💞💞
