A Transplanted Yankee With Southern pride...Here you will find "slices of life" seasoned with music, wit, and a dry sense of humor. (shaken not stirred)
Those of you that are Tolkien fans know where I got that title. There is a scene in The Two Towers, in the chapter titled-Of herbs, and stewed rabbits, where Frodo, and Sam see men riding elephants. An unheard of thing for a hobbit to see. A creature of tales, and legends, of far away places. And it was much the same in the time before the camera, and convieniant travel. It was normal for a person to be born, live, and die, within a hundred mile radius. A commen man would have to take it on faith that such things as elephants walked the earth, in strange, far away places. It was much the same for me, and the international space station. Oh I knew it was there. I'd seen pictures, and video of it. I've even been to the Johnson Spaceflight Center in Alabama, where several components, and modules were built. The other night though I saw it with my own eyes, and it was beautifull!
I have a tracking gadget on my igoogle page that tracks the station in real time, 24-7. Very cool. I was looking at it the other night, anmd noticed it's orbit was bringing it down from Canada, across Minnasota,Iowa, and into Kentucky..IT WAS GOING TO CROSS TENNESSEE!! The tracking module is attached to google map, so I focused in to see just how close it was going to pass..It was going to be close..I zoomed in closer..#%&#@%!! I grabbed my binoculars, and ran out into the front yard! LESSEE..IT should be coming out of the northweast..And there it was, the biggest, fastest moving "star" I had ever seen. IT PASSED RIGHT OVER MY HOUSE!! I was as excited as a child! Another silent zzzzooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom across the night sky, and it was gone. But I saw it! I had actually seen the space station with my own eyes. It will never be merely a picture, or video clip to me again. It is very real.
This picture was taken in 1965. Thats me with the German army helmet on. My gramma is in the doorway. My father struggled with alcoholism his entire adult life. When things would get "bad" at home gramma Colby would come and get me, and take me to her house. These "visits" got longer, and longer until I finally ended up living with her for several years. The happiest of my young life.
Like lightening after a summer thunderstorm memories of my gramma are flickering across the grid of my mind. No pattern, no ryhme, just random flashes of the past. Some brief semi phores of yesterday. Others whole memories brought sharply back into focus, complete with soundtrack in my head.
It's a bright sunny afternoon at 1452 N. Clark Street.Chigago Ill. Where my Grandma lived across the hall from her Daughter Dorthy. It's the late 50s. I'm watching Gramma open a can of spinnach, and singing the Popeye theme..."I'm strong to the finnish cause i eats my spinnich...I'm popeye the sailor maaaaan." I'm a little bitty thing. maybe 4 yrs old. I'm very happy. Winding around her knees. Hugging her legs. Standing on a kitchen chair. she lets me eat spinnach right out of the can..Like Popeye.
It's Halloween eve, the same year, Gramma is putting the final touches on my homemade costume. I'm happy, but fidgity. Having to stand still while she does things with some of the straight pins sticking out of her mouth Then it's off with the costume, and over to her foot-powered singer sewing machine. ( Grandma Colby used to make wedding gowns & formal gowns etc. From her home in Wisconsin, when my Dad was little. She was widely known, and sought after.) My homemade costume is "sputnick" Kinda tells the times doesnt it? It is red, and blue. it has a hat shaped like a rocket nose cone. Finally it's done, and Gramma takes me, and my sister trick or treating.
I'm in The Three Aces Bar. I'm banging away at the piano, and telling people I'm Liberacie. Guys are leaving me money. I like this.
It's a hot sumer night in Chicago. Gramma, and I are out on the fire escape, three floors up. The street , and sidewalks are alive with people. Across the street is the barbershop gramma takes me to, and the coffee house where the beatnicks hang out , man.(pegleg jeans, and beanies) Down at the corner is the nightclub my gramma said the mob owned. There is a mood, and an air of expectancey in the people. I'm very happy. I remember lots of hugs, and kisses from grandma this night. I remember being in her arms. And I remember the taxi-cabs. Hundreds it seemed. All flashing their lights, and blowing there horns as the went by in an endless line of multi-colored lights, and noise. They were on strike Gramma told me, and wanted chicago to know it.
I'm at the rock house in Praraie du Chien Wisc. We have just moved there from Chicago. It's huge! Two stories tall, with a full basement. And it's all ours. no apt. neighbors..sshh you kids be quiet.... I love it! Cornfields right up to the houses. The bluffs in the distance. And it's quiet, and dark outside...Little Jerry sees the stars for the first time. He doesn't Know yet he's going to be back with mom, dad, and Anna. That Gramma is going to live in another house. Gramma told anna, and I to stay out of the ally. She didn't want Jessie to see us, and know she'd moved into her neighborhood. jessie was her other daughter. My future favorite Aunt. I don't remember why she wanted this kept secret, but ofcourse Anna , and I headed straight for the alley. Creeping up the alley, looking for Jessies.
I am living at the rock house, and spending weekends at Gramma's. I get in trouble, and run crying across the alley, through Sherie Stiener's Yard, across busy Marquette road to Gramma's house...Only to find a very angry mother standing in the yard waiting for me. She led me home by my little hand, striping my bare legs with a switch as we go, and reminding me who she is, and where I live.
I'm standing at my upstairs back bedroom window. It's late friday nite. And even though I tell my mom I see her lights have come on, It's too late now. No friday night at gramma's. I stand crying at the window, looking at the lights in grammas house.
Later the same year I'm living at Gramma's on Marquette road watching saturday morning cartoons. Gramma is still asleep. I'm lying on my stomach, and I noticed that when I kinda wiggle back,and forth..it feels really good "down there" For some reason I feel naughty.
It's wintertime! I'm at Marquette road. I'm in the tiny pantry behind the kitchen, and just off the back room. it's a long narrow little room, lined with shelves of food, and stuff Aunt Jessie had canned. There is a window at the end of the room. I'm six yrs old. I'm sitting on a box, watching it snow, and standing watch on the bridge for the first time...
We're living at the house on Main St. Across from the river. (Where this picture was taken.) We walked over to a bar in the 4th Ward.(my Aunt Alice lived in the 4th Ward...Gramma's sister.) I Had my lever action winchester...Mattel-shootin shell..rifle.It had taken months of big eyed pleases to get it. Gramma let me stop, and throw rocks into the river as we crossed over the slough bridge into the 4th ward. Iremember stopping briefly at the Leigon club, and a cousin's house too. At one of these places I left my Mattel-shootin shell rifle. It was never found. We retraced our steps, and looked. I grieved over the loss of this toy for years. i still think of it.
It was one of those days you live for. i had so much fun! Riding my bicycle all over town with my buddies Earl Streeter, and Ricky Seeley. We played with army men at Earl's house. We stopped at Haymen's dept. store, and got candy. (I got Chuckles. remember them?) We explored a deserted factory building. It was a magical day, and I knew it, as it was happerning. When I got homeGrandma was crying. She held me on her lap, and told me I was moving to Tennessee to live with Mom, Dad, Tommy, and Anna. I never saw my buddies together that way again.
