In The Beginning

 I am a baby boomer. After World War ll, there was a huge increase in new babies. The servicemen coming home from the war married and started their families. 

My father was in the navy. His younger brother was dating a nice girl who had a sister who was not attached. A blind date was arranged and my parents met. Soon after, they married and a whole 10 months later, they had a beautiful baby girl.

My daddy had always wanted a daughter. When he came home from overseas, he had a kimono for his wife-to-be and one for his little girl. He wasted no time getting both of us. I have always felt very special because I was the little girl my daddy wanted. I wore that kimono until I could no longer fit into it. 

I have 4 brothers and two sisters. It was great being part of a large family. We never had much money but there was a lot of love.

My mom was the most intelligent person I have ever known. She was a quiet, nurturing woman. Daddy could make or fix anything. He loved being a family man and we all adored him.

Daddy was always looking for something better so we moved a lot as I grew up. I went to 9 different schools before I graduated from high school. 

He still kept moving until they moved to Detroit. I think he finally found his home. He loved it there.

Mom just packed and moved to where-ever. She never liked Detroit and as soon as she could after Daddy was gone, she moved to warmer weather. She was living in Kentucky with my sister when she died.

Now you know how I came to be here.

By the way my aunt and uncle broke up and eventually married other people

Stroke

 I always thought a stroke would be extremely painful. Not necessarily.

As you know I had a stroke about three years ago. It was minor and only affected my left side. Can I tell you about the beginnings of it?

In the morning I usually sit on the edge of my bed and watch TV for a while. I live with my son and we do not like the same programs. We watch different televisions to avoid conflict. I can also take my time getting dressed.

One morning I felt a spot of my tongue go to sleep. It was the size of a pin head. It was an interesting experience. I wondered then forgot about it.

When I finally decided to go to the living room I felt fine. Suddenly my left side did not want to cooperate with my movements. No pain. It just would not allow me to move normally.

I looked at my son and said, "I think I just had a small stroke."

He immediately wanted to take me to the doctor. I felt fine so I said no. He tried every so often to convince me to go. I always declined. 

Finally it was time for bed. I was on my way to my room. There was something on the floor. I went to pick it up and fell flat on my face.

I could not get myself up. My son tried to help. After trying for about 45 minutes I finally agreed to call the ambulance.

At the hospital they ran tests. I had indeed had a stroke and they admitted me.

The doctor told me that if I had gone to them when it happened they could have helped more. Apparently the earlier it is treated the more the doctors can do.

Now I need no sympathy. It was a small stroke. I still deal with some effects but am able to care for myself. I am fortunate,

I just want to remind you to take care of your blood pressure. If you have a problem see your doctor. It is better to be safe than sorry.

She Is In Charge

My son's dog has made a strict schedule that she tries her best to make us stick to. The humans in the house do not always cooperate with her but she tries.

She takes naps in the afternoon with son. When the time comes for a quick sleep she starts trying to get her bunkmate to get on the ball and go to his room. If he keeps ignoring her she tries to go to bed on her own. She knows to close the door when in there. The problem is that she cannot open the door and needs to be rescued.

In the morning she waits for me to come out of my room. I give her doggie treats then.

Meal times are supposed to be on her schedule. If my son does not feed her at the right time she bothers him until her meal is set in front of her.

.At 8 o'clock every evening we have an ice cream treat. We buy doggie ice cream for her. At precisely 8 o'clock she leads my son to the kitchen. Then she stands patiently in front of the freezer. When he gives her the little cup of ice cream she takes the edge of the cardboard cup and trots into the living room. There she eats her treat while we have an ice cream bar. It is a family treat time.

Then she asks to be let out for the last time of the day. She goes out and does what dogs normally do. And she barks and barks and barks. It is her special time.

Does your pet rule the house too?

Nicknames

My grandma hated nicknames.

She reasoned that you should name a child the way you want them called. She gave each of her children a name that could not be made into a nickname. 

My uncle Clarence only lived 2 days so there was no time for someone to find a nickname.

Aunt Franncis became Fran or Frannie.

Aunt Florence was Flo which somehow turned into Flossie. 

Evelyn was my mother. She actually chose Lynn as hers.

Louella became Lou.

Raymond was Ray.

We called Donald Donnie.

Somehow Keith became Deke.

Carol was Keith's twin. She never had a nickname.

Michael was known as Mickey when we were little. Now they call him Mike.

Then I came along. My uncles loved giving me nicknames. There must be at least 30 of them. I love them all.

Number Three

My three boys were on a little league baseball team. It was a small league with only three teams. 

The coach had a son on the team too. The little boy had a severe case of asthma. His father hoped playing baseball would be good for him.

The team did not win a game. Not one. The boys felt bad.

In the middle of the season the coach had to quit. He got a new job and was moving away.

Since we could not find a new man to coach and I could not be considered because I was a girl my father took over the team. 

The team won their first game ever. The boys were elated. 

As we drove them to the small store we always took them to after a game there were boys hanging out windows of all the cars. They were yelling, "We are number three!"

They felt like they had finally earned a place in the league. You have never seen happier little boys.

The team was in third place at the end of the season. But they were proud to be a part of something larger.

In The Light

I was a strict mother. Not overbearingly so. I just expected my children to mind me.

My children fought each other and were loud and at times they were mischievous. That is normal and does not bother me.

What often bothered me was hearing a mother tell her child to "wait until your father gets home!" I feel like that puts the mother on the same level as the children. She will not discipline but she will tattle.

Mom should take care of business when needed. Dad does not have to always have to be the bad guy.

I also feel that children require structure in their lives. It can be really scary if you do not know where boundaries are. Then you have to keep searching for them in order to feel secure.

Another rule of mine is that I do not repeat myself. If I say to clean your room do it. If I say do not spit on the floor save your saliva until you can dispose of it hygienically.

My children did not run the streets. I always knew where they were and who they were with. I liked having loud boisterous children playing in my yard.

When the streetlights came on in the evening it was time to be in the house for the night. There is nothing to do outside at night in the city but get into trouble.

Long after my children were grown my sons were in front of the house working on a car. My daughter-in-law and I were sitting on the front steps watching and talking.

Suddenly the boys gathered their tools and walked past us and into the house. We just looked. It was very confusing.

Then I realized... the streetlights were on. I laughed but was pleased. Some habits never go away.

Run!

 Most people know how much I love baseball. I have since I was a child.

My grandparents did not yet have electricity. Grandpa and my uncles would listen to games on the radio. 

I do not know where the power to operate the radio came from. I only remember a wire being fastened to the wire of the screen door as an antenna. 

The only two teams available to us were the New York Yankees and the St Louis Cardinals. For some reason I have always preferred the American League over the National League. So I rooted for the Yankees.

Now the games are on every day and I watch. It is better to see them rather than just listen.

When I was a child I of course played baseball. I had uncles and brothers and their friends who also played.

My problem was that I was not a fast runner. I had to learn to hit the ball far in order to be safe at first base.

I was grown and the mother of four. I joined a softball team. 

Most of the players on my team were women I worked with. One of the team was going to college to become a physical education teacher. She was an exceptional player.

I usually was the third batter because I could usually make it to first base. I still could not run.

The college student batted fourth because she was a good player. base. 

One day I was on first base. The student hit the ball... hard.

I took off running to second base. The other team still did not have the ball so I started running to third base.

Suddenly I felt someone behind me. The student was hot on my heels. 

I ran faster than I could with the student right behind me. She kept telling me to go faster.

I did not want her to run over me so I kept moving. I scored a run with the student right behind me. She had an in-the -park home run with the slowest runner on the team in front of her.