"My Dad"
My Dad's Trade
by mary/mi
My Father and Mother arrived in Michigan around 1943. Dad was born in San Antonio, and Mom in Houston TX. My Mother had been living a hard life since she was 5yrs old. She was expected to help with all the cooking and cleaning.She was raped by a family member at the age of 12. My Father met her when she was about 14 or 15. He felt sorry for her and married her to get her away from home. They slowly grew to love each other. Mom lost her first 3 children due to children's diseases that we now have shot's for. They both attended school until the 5th grade.
My Father taught himself the shoe repair trade. He heard that Michigan was in need of that trade, so he packed up and moved to Ithaca. He honed his trade there. He learned to make large clown shoes for the Barnum & Baily circus. He also made shoes for a boy that had a club foot. I still have a wooden mold he made. There were several of these made as he grew out of them. He repaired everything from shoes to farmers combines.
He did well until the cheap Japanese shoe came on the market. It was much cheaper to buy these shoes than to have them repaired,dyed,stretched,shined etc. When Dad wasn't busy he used to play his guitar and harmonica. He was a 'Lay' preacher, which basically means self taught. He had a small 'Spanish Church of God' in Alma. On weekends he would either be preaching in church or the migrants at their camps in the summer, visiting the sick or visiting the jails. He liked to say he was 'heeling' the sick and saving the 'soles'.
He had a great sense of humor. His biggest joy was visiting with his customers. He would call the men/boys 'George' and all the ladies/girls 'Susie or Nancy' no matter what their names were. I suspect it was because he couldn't remember their names. They got a kick out of it!
Somehow they had the time to raise 5 daughters and two sons. Mom died May of '84 and Dad Jan. of '94
It is sad to see so many of our trades die out.
I know some of you must have an interesting family member or friends that have a unique trade or talent.
162 comments:
first
Mary-shared a wonderful book with my class about a shoemaker. I have plans to read it every year! Also, my class was so amazed that he made shoes for clowns.
They still talk about him.
We have his picture hanging by Mary's postcard.
Here is what we have breakfast at my house for you today that I will share with you.
Half-eaten pancakes that are under the table.
Donoughts with the icing licked off.
Fruit-Loops scattered throughout the living room floor.
Half-glass of milk with the rest of it on the kitchen table.
Any takers?
Morning Glories!
Yay Iteach got 1st!!!
Iteach I will take the licked donuts and the half glass of milk! LMAO
Mary Great Blog! You Dad was a wonderful man. He truly lived a life of giving back.
I have to think about jobs in our family they all seem so ordinary you know jobs to put food on the table. Let me have another cup of coffee and think about it.
Good Morning Lynn!
Good Morning Iteach and Lynn. Be back in a few minutes.
Good morning Tink/Pink!
Hmmm trades in my family!
Well I know my Dad has had several jobs and trades through out his life.
When I was a toddler her was a barber. Remember barbers? He worked in Seattle and had all kinds of customers. I do remember that every time a certain song came on the radio by Merilee Rush, some of the lyrics I recall...Just call me Angel in the Morning, Angel, Just call my name before your leave me.... anyway he would comment I cut her husbands hair. He was very proud of the local girl that had a musical hit.
He then went to work in manufacturing. Then my Mom passed away and we moved to Grays Harbor and he bought a Tavern (bad choice as that was when he started drinking heavily). He owned the Tavern for several years. I do remember that in his own way he would adopt the miss fits that would come in there and gave many of them odd jobs to help them. One was old Joe. Joe had a drinking problem and had a hard time keeping jobs. Dad would help him when he was in dire straights. Joe was a huge man and really a gentle giant when he was not drinking. I remember him fondly because he always appreciated what my Dad had done for him. He also adored me and my little brother every year on our birthdays he would send brand new silver dollars home with my Dad for us.
Dad then started his own construction company with my Uncle Hank and they did that for years. In the last 15 years he became a Union carpenter and was and is a master carpenter. I swear he can fix or build anything.
I am going to break this up and do a second post.
congrats on 1st iteach!
mary....what a wonderful story about your father. everytime i think about shoemakers i think about the story of the shoemaker and the elves!
i don't have and stories to tell about my dad. but his brother todl a funny story once about his job. i was spending the day with my aunt and cousins and we were headed over to a public pool in Portland, and on the way we stopped by the place where my uncle works. it was a sewer treatment plant. he was giving us a tour and he said that it was job to take a stick and knock the poop back down into the water when it floated to the top. i have alwasy remembered him saying that. i had to be less then 10 years old at the time! what a silly man.
i have tons and tons to do today. i will stop by later!
enjoy your sunday everyone!
Good Morning Tinka and Iteach!
Uncle Hank was a logger before he and my Dad started the construction business. Logging was one of the most prevelant industries in WA and especially Grays Harbor until about the 1980's. When enviromentalism and the spotted Owl. Shut most of the industry down.
I remember when we first moved to Hoquim and my brother and I would stay at their house. Uncle Hank would come home in his Hickory Shirt, Cut off at the ankle jeans always frayed and he had big black cork boots.
For those of you who don't know what those are, they are boots with metal spikes embedded in the soles kind of like track shoes. My Aunt would always yell at him to take his damn boots off before he came in the house. They had hardwood floors so you can imagine why.
Those boots were an important part of his trade he was a boom man. This is a very dangerous job. When you see pictures of all of the logs lashed together and being pulled on a river behind a boat those are called booms. Really the outside logs were the cradle that held all of the logs in the middle. Those logs are free floating. Uncle Hanks job was to ride the boom. That meant they would walk the boom and make sure none of the logs would escape the cradle. If they started to he had to corral them back in place.
When you see competitions on TV of log rolling where they have to run in place on a log in the water, this was his job only on hundreds of logs at a time. Many loggers were seriously injured or even lost their lives doing this.
As a child I never gave this job a second thought. It was just Uncle Hanks job. Now I think about it and am amazed that he did this job and survived, and was never seriously injured.
Of course this is a trade or job that has pretty much died out for many reasons.
I am sure there are more in my family but I just can't think of them right now.
I hear ya all going yay! Because of my, once again long ass posts! LMAO
Good morning iteach, and lynn and congrats on 1st iteach!
What a timely blog. Yesterday I spent going thru things and packing up my Moms house. I came across a book that was given to my dad in 1950. It is in German and it is titled "Der Junge Konditor" or the young baker. My dad was a master Konditor (Master Pastry Chef)who grew up and trained in Germany. This book was given to him at age 15 he was began learing his craft. I realized that this book had traveled from Germany to the States, back to Germany when we moved in the mid 60's and back again. 58 years later I hold a book that must have meant a great deal to my dad and I didnt' know that existed.
My dad was also an artist. He painted and often did design work for signs. He hand stenciled the fire trucks in the area with gold leaf when they were new.
Sadly, none of his talents where inherite by his eldest daughter. Miss uncrafty. I do bake a mean brownie though :)
Hi Barb!!!!! I hit publish and didn't realize it didnt' the first time. Missed your comment earlier.
I really need to proof my posts.
Ok, he received the book as he began learing his trade (7 years to be a master).
Believe it or not, I really do know how to construct a sentence and spell.....:)
14 my lucky number
OK, did I go to bed last night and miss May and June altogether?
I am a bit confused, but what's new about that????
I have enjoyed reading the first comments of the morning, but please tell me it is still Sunday April 13, 2008, and not July, 2008???
Till later, I am going back to bed and hopefully when I get up again I will have returned to April!
Peace and Love, DonnaJean
Goldie that books sound priceless to me.
Lynn, your father may have been a heavy drinker but he taught you how to be giving. That is special!
Barbara how is your head feeling today? :)
TOP TWENTY - just barely!!!
:-)
TWENTY!!!
BLACK JACK..
off to read..
congrats ITEACH at NUMBER ONE!!!
Good Morning Goldie,BarbWA,DonnaJean, and MEK!
MEK: LOL at Twenty!
Goldie: What a wonderful Family heirloom that book is!
DonnaJean: It is stil April really!
Iteach: Yes that is one thing my Dad did teach me and my brother. Truly we are all compassionate and giving people. Sometimes to our detriment. But I would not have it any other way!
Ok I have to get moving this morning. Mr. Lynn D and I are going with my friend and her husband to the local home and garden show today. I will check back in later taters!
Happy Sunday!!
Good Morning.... to
Iteach - again, congrats on first and I think I'll take one of those licked on donuts!!
Lynn D - have fun at the home and garden show - I talked Mr. MEK OUT of going to that this weekend - (secretly doing the happy dance)
Tinka - good morning -
Barb in WA - how is your head this am, and what did you win?
Goldie - what a wonderful "find" - hold on to that!! and pass the brownies!! LOL
Donna Jean - I thought you were a bit confused and then I went back and looked at the date!! too funny!! :-)
I told Mr. MEK to go play golf this am, so that I could sleep in and NOT feel guilty - BUT the kitties had other plans for me!!
Next post will be about someone's trade!!
Iteach - Congrats on first. Every time I see your name I remember I haven't sent you books yet. They will come eventually I promise.
Mary - What a touching story you wrote about your mom and dad. I know it is going to inspire many interesting posts to read today. I will write this afternoon. I am tired from the party and I think I need more sleep this morning.
Good Morning Barbara, Goldie, Donna Jean and Mek - I enjoyed reading your posts too. I will be back later to comment.
You all know that IBB and my father was a career Air Force man - joined the service to get off the farm!! as many young men do..
But - my mom's family owned a Dairy Farm which her brother ran for many, many years! Every summer, we had to go to my Nana's and it was exciting to get to go to the Dairy Farm to watch the milking - (heck, wasn't much else to do) - amazing what goes into that process... My uncle would tell my sister and I that we could NOT go inside cuz we would scare the cows and all the milk would be sour!!
I hope everyone has an excellent day!! :-)
Gosh - how could I forget
MARY - thank you SO much for such a wonderful blog today!!
MEK- What did your dad do in the airforce?
good morning owlettes!!!
Iteach congrats on # 1 --- I will have some fruit loops...
Mary-- WOW... great story... ANd how cool that Iteach has your story and pictures up...
this is a very busy place this morning...
So waving a wing at all already here ... and those yet to land...
My grand father use to train horses for the calvary...
When I first started working in this town... people would find out WHO I was and say... "Your grand daddy used to bring horses over Remount for the calvary"!! now I live less than a quarter mile away from Remount!!!
I never met my grandfather .. he died before I was born... But older gentlemen in this town would tell me stories!!!
It was nice to hear ... everyone in this town respected my grand father.. that is a nice feeling...
especially when you never had the plaesure of knowing him yourself...
Train horses for the calvery- too freakin cool!
Iteach - how many scrapbook pages did you get done last night??!!LOL I never seem to get anything done when I go to crops or someone's house!! :-(
Good question - what did my father do in the Air Force? Let's just say that he is responsible for many of the freedoms we all have today!!
Good Morning Owls!
Mary: Your blog is a wonderful tribute to your dad's work ethic, family devotion, kind heart, and sense of humor. "Heeling the sick and saving soles." Too cute! :)
My dad was a police officer for 26 years until he was injured in the line of duty and had to retire early. That was a very difficult time in his life, because I think he felt like he had lost part of his identity. He decided to go back to college for an MSW, and he became a counselor for troubled teens. He's officially retired from that job now, but he still teaches alcohol abuse classes twice a week at our community counseling center.
From yesterday's blog...
♥((Lynn, DonnaJean, BonO, JustLin, Iteach, MEK, Tinka, Whabby, Cpgem, Ibebold, EastBayJ))♥
Thank you all for providing a shoulder to cry on yesterday! Your kind words of encouragement meant a lot to me, because I was feeling like the world's worst groomer.
I called Louie's mom this morning, and he's doing well. She scheduled another appointment for him so I haven't lost her trust.
The vet who treated Louie is fairly new to the area so I'm still worried about his opinion of me. I'm going to send a card thanking him for seeing Louie so quickly on a busy Saturday and letting him know this is the first time in 12 years that an accident like this has happened.
I'm praying everything turns out OK. Thanks again for being so supportive!
Good Morning - IBB!!!
Thanks for sharing the story about our grandfather!!
My mother always says that if he had lived - there would have always been a horse at the farm for me - whether I was there one day or all year!!
Amicus - Hugs to you this a.m., you have a HUGE heart!! Things will be okay!!
Amicus--
You are so welcome..Glad you talked to Louie's mom.. and she and he are O.K...
MEK--you are welcome...
Wow... have been reading the stories from eveyone.. and why am I not surprised that we have many amny deifferent trades and really cool ones...
Hope everyone has a good day.. off to make breakfast... we are having pancakes..Thanks for the idea ITEACH!!!
35... hahaha
Shhhh Posting real quick here Mr. Lynn D is in the shower and will be hollering are you ready to go soon!
Ibb and MEK: Just read about your grandfather very cool. I think my relative would have been his worst nightmare! LMAO
I just popped in because I remembered that my Dad took my brother and I to my Mom's Grave when I was about 8 or 9 years old and he stopped at a really old cemetary along the way. Not even sure where it is. I will have to ask him and find out.
Any way he took us to this one grave that was not marked very well and said say hello to your great great etc...Uncle he was hung as a horse thief! Well we were wide eyed over that one.
Obviously he was not very good at his trade! LMAO
Ooops Big (((Hugs))) to Amicus!!!
I really have to go now! See ya later!
iteach Congrats on first today. Oh, and if there are any licked on donuts left, I'll have one, please. LOL
Mary/MI Thank you for today's blog. It sounds like your father was a very good man.
My father was a tooling inspector in the aerospace industry. In other words, he made sure that parts were being made to the exact specifications that were required.
One of my mom's brothers, Carl, was an artist. He used to be an illustrator with Ripley's Believe It Or Not and he also worked for Hanna-Barbera. He was extremely talented and owned shops in New York and later in San Francisco, where he sold statuary that he made that looked like ancient pieces, usually gothic or oriental in style. Unfortunately, he loved to sip wine from morning to night. He lived the last part of his life in a charming, artistic town in Mexico, where he spent his days sipping wine and sketching. He really loved it there, living the life of an "artiste".
Good Sunday morning Owls.
iteach...numero uno...woohoo!!!
Amicus...hugs and sunshine wishes for you today!!!!!
Mary..what a fabulous topic. Your parents' story brought tears to my eyes. It is so interesting to read everyone's stories and the diversity of backgrounds.
My Dad was a doctor and my Mom was a nurse. I remember some fairly graphic discussions at the dinner table about medical procedures. I think I could diagnose an appendicitis by the time i was about six years old. I had no interest in the medical field (I can't stand the the sight of blood...I wonder why?!!) of any sort but those stories at the dinner table always came down to working in a profession where people could be helped in some way and is maybe the reason why myself and two of my siblings are/were teachers.
Amicus The veterinarian was probably very impressed that you accompanied Louie to his exam. He's probably never seen a groomer care that much before.
Mary: Very interesting story! And I love getting to put more texture into what we know about each other's lives and backgrounds!
I don't have any really exotic professions to talk about. My Dad is a metallurgical engineer and ran a mining parts supply company in the 1960's. The company was bought out by Teledyne and became part of Teledyne Canada, which he was president of in the 1970's. He was always a bit of an entrepreneur, and I admire him greatly for his "can-do" spirit.
My grandparents are both products of the Northern Ontario "frontier", which is kind of what it was back in the 1930's. My Mom's father was the manager of the Canadian Imperial bank in Noranda, Quebec, and my Father's Dad was an engineer on the railroad in Capreol, near Sudbury. There wasn't a lot of money in either household, but at least they both had a job during the Depression!
Amicus, hugs again! Now, get back on that bicycle and resume grooming! Judging by the extent of your reaction to the accident, I suspect you have a real passion for it!
Waving to iteach, Lynn D (very interesting about your father, too), tinkatia, Barb in WA, Goldie (Brownie, please... and I'll be you have some interesting family history stories to share), DonnaJean, MEK, IBB, Carol, and J/L.
J/L: Why can't we all be living the life of an artiste in Mexico? Sounds heavenly!
(Well, maybe except for sipping wine in the morning!)
BTW, was your uncle also a "confirmed bachelor", by any chance? LOL!
Good morning!
{{{Amicus}}}
Congrats to iteach! First, yay!
My grandma and her husband owned a bar/tavern in Phoenix. We used to hang out in there as kids, play the juke box, shoot pool, and socialize with the regulars.
I was fascinated with the cash register, so would beg to ring up the bar tabs!
My dad was in the Air Force, then went to the reserves and became an airline pilot.
We used to travel a lot, and would often get to go up into the cockpit (this is way before all the security) to visit him if he was flying the plane.
It is quite AMAZING (MEK, lol)
to see all the electronics involved with flying a plane.
Hope everyone has a nice Sunday! Supposed to be almost 80 here today, and I have some plants that need a new home in my back yard!
Okay, I just fed the kids lunch and tucked them in for their naps.
So I have so more leftovers for you.
Matthew's grean beans that he squished with his finger.
Philip's ham&cheese sandwich minus the cheese.
An assortment of leftover food at the bottom of Carolyn's highchair.
Iteach, thank you for lunch! I have a few things I can add!
Poe the parrots leftover grapes, laying on the bottom of the cage. Also, his piece of croissant that he threw on the floor.
I have half a bagel with low fat cream cheese if anyone would like a bite!
Iteach - I am LOVING the menu today - thanks for sharing - guess I will take a half eaten ham and cheese sandwich without the cheese!!!
EBJ - took me a second to "get it" - but that was an AMAZING story!!! LOL
Iteach-- just finished breakfast myself.. so I can pass on this round..
But thank you so much for sharing...
You are a hoot..
I keep forgetting to stop at the visitors center and get My Town post card in the mail.. soon... promise...
And.. I would be sooo happy if I got any where near 10 pages done...
iteach You need a dog! My dobie used to stare at the floor beneath where the kids were eating. As soon as something hit the floor, she had it! Forget the 3 second rule, she got it before even 1 second went by. LOL
Whabbear Uncle Carl was actually married twice. Both eventually failed. I wonder why? ;)
Just-lin--I was just thinking the same thing... If it hits the floor the dogs have it...
We kept my niece for a weekend when she was about 9 months.. old... we would put her in the high chair and all 4 dogs would sit around her...
They liked this new way of feeding... they were sorry to see her go..
just_lin...Cool Uncle.. I would love to live the ARTISTE life style with my photography.. I could do nothing but that ... but can't make a living on it...not here anyway!!!
IBB LOL Yes, dogs do love it. It's like a great game with rewards!
50
damn.. just lin was 50...
Ha,wrong date, sorry
Its all fixed now...
Thanks for the heads up Donna Jean
My mom's other brother, Hank, retired from bartending at age 80 from the VIP lounge in a well known up-scale hotel in Cincinnati. He loves to play the ponies and always has. He still won't go back to Florida where there was some kind of gambling debt problem from his younger days. I think he owed the wrong person (who is probably long gone by now, anyway).
I stay away from drinking too much or gambling too much. I think I have "addictive" genes in my family. Ya think?
Oh, and Hank has been married 3 times, I think. He's been married to the current one for a long, long time, though.
mary/mi
Thanks for todays blog it will be fun to read all the comments from all describing their family members trade.
My dad was a tailor my trade, and then took over my grandfathers Italian Restaurant. My grandfather taught my dad how to cook, and for 30yrs my dad ran a very successful restaurant. He is retired now, has been for yrs, and has not cooked since. At this point I really think he forgot how to make all those Italian dishes. However my Mom as always cooked and she knows all the recipes, so we still have great cooking in our house.
I am kinda in a rush, I just got my hair colored, I was there for 3hrs, and now I am off to my cousins for dinner, I will check back later.
Good Sunday afternoon.
Oh Mary, I loved your story and I bet you really cherish his molds and book.
Sounds like a very wonderful man...what a legacy.
I'm enjoying everyone telling some of their family history and I can tell you are loving your memories. Life, and earning a living, was sometimes hard 'back when', but the work ethics and character of our forefathers is something that is a little lacking in todays world. IMHO
Sorry for the long upcoming post, but this man was very dear to me.~~~~ besides, Carol said they are okay. lol
The story I want to share is about my grandfather who was one of my most loved people.
For many years he worked in the oilfields as a rough-neck before the days of 'capping-off' gushers. It was hard and dirty work, but he earned a good living for his family. Long hours and only home on weekends, this was my mother's Dad. He became successful and brought in several fields in our state....Conroe and Mexia are two that I remember being told. I have a portrait of him in his later years standing in front of a gusher that is shooting about 50 feet in the air taken in 1919 in Mexia. (yes, he was boss, but was very dirty and had oil dripping clothes on because he was a 'hands-on' man)
Many years went by and my grandmother passed away, leaving my grandfather to finish raising my mother. He had to be in the fields and couldn't stay in the city, so Mother finished her high school years in a private Catholic boarding school here in Houston, St. Agnes Academy. ( It's still here, but I'm not sure if it's still a boarding school) They saw each other on most weekends.
His name was Daniel, from the Bible, and that name has been passed down each generation until it reached two of my grandchildren. BTW, he was the story teller of our family, so I guess this is where my long-windedness comes from. Well, I'll blame it on him, anyway.
A soft spoken man with muddy boots and a loving heart..that was my Grandfather, Daniel.
Oops...
I didn't check MySpace before posting that thank you earlier so I need to include ♥((VIG and Dreama))♥. I'm sorry about that!
My mom left yesterday so my grandpa is staying by himself now, and I need to go check on him. I'll be back later to catch up on today's comments.
I forgot to tell you, there are no such things as 'gushers' anymore because wells are capped-off before oil reaches surface. Those were really dangerous jobs back then.
(Just a little trivia)
Happy Sunday everyone. I slept in today. I have had too many early mornings this week. I saw both of my brothers yesterday.It did my heart good to get and give hugs.
Iteach, I am so humbled by your post. My Dad is surely smiling in the heavens!
I got the biggest giggle from your breakfast menu.
Lynnd~ I love your long posts. Can you please send your Dad to Mich. I need a new kitchen.
Barb,LOL "Dad moved poop"
Goldie~ It gave me chills when you were talking about "the pastry book" and where it had traveled.
MEK~ You could never "sour milk" sweetie LOL!
Tinka~Have a good nap and come on back!
IBB~It's a sweet feeling when some one shares a fond memory.
Amicus~ You must be proud of your Father. I am sorry he was wounded doing such an honorable job.
JL~ I think a lot of us would love to go out into the sunset doing what you Uncle did.I am having a few visuals of myself, BJ or Geo Clooney.or ,or,or ah.....
SWAK! I'm back! LOL
Vig~ Wow both parents in the med. field! Your parents also "healed the sick and saved the souls."
EastBay In the cockpit, how cool!
p.s. the 80* update was not necessary LOL (not really)
Carol~Thanks for giving us this wonderful place to share.
Whabbear~I like knowing more about you too, but I will never know what makes you tick. Prb. best I don't LOL!
My Hubby is a retired Engineer from General Motors. He made the original prototypes of the latest engines.He retired after 36 & 1/2yrs. He hated retiring, but all of Gen. Motors Engineering was moved to Pontiac, over 200 miles from us.
Thanks for all the kind words today. You are all the best!!
My dad, Aubrey, worked in a factory for 30 years and he retired last year! The factory was called Hill Fastner and they made screws&bolts.
It was a small factory with a tight ass owner. They rarely saw raises and their bonus every year was a turkey.
However, he taught my younger sister and I good work ethnics. He worked every day and rarely took a sick day. He disliked his job, but it put food on the table.
His hands are totally calloused and metal flints everywhere. I always asked him why he let his hands get that way and he said so that mine wouldn't.
I cry everytime I think of that message.
My sister and I are hard workers, but we were able to find jobs that we adore.
Thanks for that trivia Ronnie, because I still picture gushers in my head.
I would have loved to hear your grandfather tell a story.
**warning long post**
Howdy Owls!
Fantastic blog MaryMI!! Ty.
Iteach Congrats on 1st.
My Family:
The men in my family were and are engineers.
My grandfather began at Babcock & Wilcox Canada.
He worked there all his life.
He was retired half a year and the company asked him to go to Zimbabwe because he was the only man that knew anything about the equipment they needed.
He was there for a year.
3 months after he returned home he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
He died 4 months later.
My Uncles:
One worked on the Canadarm.
One was the founder of IMAX.
One was a Federal Inspector for Canadian Power/Hydro.
My Aunt was a highschool teacher and she taught math.
She is now a commissioned artist.Oil painting is her passion.
My mother was a gold pin typists spending most of her career in the medical field.
I have no idea what my father's career path was, he wasn't in my life.
My husband is an office design technician.He creates office spaces, work environments and does a lot of work with the Universities,and big corps.
Me, I was a little bit of everything.lol.
I had far to many passions to be committed to one for life.Needless to say, I had adventures in many fields.It's a blog itself.
I retired early and have found my passion in my computers.
Well there ya have it... the most information I have ever shared about me online..LOL.
Lovey Thanks for your post. It didn't hurt at all, did it? :)
JustLin--LOL thanks for reading.I feel like I just got my cherry popped.
Hi Lovey, thanks. You sure come a long line of smarties! Are your Aunt's paintings on the internet where we can see them?
Ronniegrl~I didn't mean to ignore you.I sent a post and it disappeared!
Now I have to remember what I wrote! LOL!
68
69?
oops 69
Lovey er, I didn't mean "you sure come" LOL
You sure come FROM LOL!!
I'm rattling on to myself LOL I will return later.
Great blog Mary and loving everyone's stories. ITEACH and
EBJ: Thanks so much for the food but not to be disrespectful...glad you don't cook for us often...now where is Shirley, Mo, or NowMercy for at least our dinner?
My grandfather was a retired New York policeman and then went into banking for the second career. This job also kept him employed during the depression. My Uncle in Denver was on the SWAT team and a police captain and my exhusband (kids dad) is a retired Denver Robbery Dectective..now I guess you know why my son is a Denver dectective for the last 8 years also.
My parents both worked most of their lives for Texaco and retired from there. At one time my dad was my mom's boss and this was after they were married many years.
I was in the mortgage business the majority of my life and my daughter and brother are also in that business. I am very glad to have taken early retirement and be out of it now!!!
ITEACH: I mailed you postcards on Friday.
Mary ya they are a bunch of smarties, guess that's why I stay in my own lil corner LOL
It's a sad thing that cobblers/shoemakers are far n few between these days with the exception of specialists.
I am very lucky to have a lil shop I adore,he's probably the last cobbler in town.
I figure I pay good money for my shoes,( n purses) I take time breaking them in to the perfect fit, I want them around for a long time, so I am a BIG supporter in that trade. I adore my cobbler and I hope I kick the bucket before he does, cause I can't think of not having him around.
Dianne you are now in a treat for supper. I cooked the folowing:
baked chicken breasts
stuffing
corn
rolls
There is also peanut butter crusts that Matthew threw under the table thinking I wouldn't see.
He is my pickey eater.
ITEACH - i love the crust on bread - but I'll go for a chicken breast!! thanks..
this has been the best menu in ages!! :-)
i have enjoyed reading everyone's stories -
we seem to have a lot of hooters MIA this weekend -
cpgem - here's the Al Michael report for the day... Trevor Immelmann won the Masters today - He is the first South African player to win since Gary Player did it in 1978- so, it is the 30th anniversary of that mark - Tiger Woods (coulda, shoulda, woulda) finished second and he had a BAD day!! LOL..
Mr. MEK and I were very excited for Trevor - (even though I would like for Tiger to win them all) - this makes for more fun trivia for the golf world.. AND, if you all remember - Mr. MEK was Trevor's walking scorer during the Match Play round that went to 25 holes!!
:-)
okay - back to regular programming!! Oh - and for those that would like to know the frickening temp in the dessert today - RIGHT now - it's 91 degrees - have no idea what the high was!! YIKES!!!
Hey hooters,
I received this web site from my mom, I think it is important to share.
You type your street in (or even your city) and it will bring up a map with colored squares on it. If you click on the square, it will bring up info on a sex offender who lives there.
http://www.familywatchdog.us/
VIG what kind of doctor was your dad?
Oh wow did anyone watch the Big Give?
I missed it, I was watching Stuart Little LOL
Mary, no she doesn't promote, she does private work.
Oh now I gotta run, DH is back on!! Yayyyyyyyy
Dianne thank you so much for sending the postcards!
My students are having so much fun with it plus they are learning!
I constantly have students by the map looking at the postcards and the states that they are attached too.
Lovey-I will be looking for that post soon that talks about all your passions! :)
I bet it will be awesome.
Carol,
Do you like to cook like your mom does?
EBJ- I bet you are not afraid of flying, because of your dad.
I close my eyes everytime I take off and say about ten Hail Mary's.
Hello Owls! I hope you all had a great weekend. Tomorrow will be bittersweet with the kids and husband all going back to their routines of school/work. It will feel lonely around here without them, but I will also be able to get a lot done. Spring Break is done.
My father was a radio officer in the Merchant Marine. He would be at sea for up to 6 months at a time, which is why I have seperation issues to this day. When I have to travel away from my kids for work, I am such a mess. Dad would travel all over the world and I would keep pushpins on his locations on the world map on my bedroom wall. (Did you ever think it was strange how some world maps put the US in the center? and sometimes there are 2 Indias!) Anyway, he was the world traveler while my mom stayed home and raised 3 kids. I don't know how she did it.
When Dad was home, he would sit at his HAM radio and chat with people all over the globe. He used morse code (dots and dashes) and I always wish that he would have taught this to me. Once I sat at his radio, turned it on and pretended I knew what I was doing. I didn't get caught until he received a card saying someone had been tampering with his radio. Oops!
My father taught me that the world was a lot bigger than just my small town in MD. He was wise. Always reading, while drinking a cup of coffee and smoking a cig. One of the things I will never forget is when I talked to him about how dangerous the Russians were. It was 1980 and we were getting ready to Boycott the Summer Olympics in Moscow. My father said to me (again, it was 1980!) "You don't have to worry about the Russians my dear... it's the Arab world we need to be watching out for. They will end up stabbing us in the back." I thought he was clueless.
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NO WAY!! 2 Days in a row? MEK where are you? Barb?
Glynis Way to march! Your dad was a wise man.
Happy Sunday Owls. I have been having a hard time getting back into this time zone. Yesterday was a complete wash for me. I couldn't get in gear all day. Today has been a little better. I went to Church and then I ushered for the local theatre company production of Cyrano and just got home.
iteach: Congrats on being the early bird.
Mary, what a wonderful story about your father. I have an uncle who was a cobbler and I used to love to go to his shop with my mother to see all the different shoes he had. Some were really old button-up shoes and boots. He also had many different sizes of shoe forms that he made. I enjoyed seeing the pictures of your Dad you posted on your myspace page.
My parents were both born in Italy and my Mom came to the US with her parents at age 4. My Dad came to the US by himself at age 16 and even though he lived here for 75 years, he never lost his Italian accent.
My father was a plasterer until he was 55 when he and my mother opened the first Pizza Restaurant in Santa Maria, CA. It was a take -out only. Luckily, it was a very successful venture for them and they eventually turned it into a sit-down restaurant.
My mother went to work as a seamstress in a "sweat shop" at the age of 12 and did that until I was in High School when she worked for a designer who made very skimpy costumes for Las Vegas showgirls.
I also have a cousin who made guns and holsters for law enforcement.
I guess none of these are all that unusual, but it did keep life and limb together during my childhood.
iteach
Congrats on first!
And no I do not cook as well as my mom :(
And I love what your father said to you, spoken as only a father would...
mek
Thanks for the Al Michaels report.
I had no clue, however I can't
believe Tiger did not win!
I love when you tell us about your dad. What a great man he was!
I tried to take notes, and now I can't understand my writing....
glynis
Another great march, Congrats.
Seems like your dad was a very wise man indeed.
lovey
So glad you shared!
ronnie
It is def ok! :O)
goldie
That book will always be so special, so very glad you found it.
ebj
I have been in a cockpit of major airline once as well, It is a amazing site for sure.
MaryMI, I can not contain myself any longer..
Yes I sure do come.... when I come.....
I'd like to come more.....
Iteach and Carol thank u...I'm trying to take baby steps :o)
I have loved reading everyone's family posts today.
I'm off to catch z's..Night night Owls xox
Good Evening...
Glynis - great march - I was eating dinner - sorry I couldn't join you!!
OMG - we just tried a crock pot recipe I got while in TX - OMG - it is a chicken/scalloped potato/cheese thingy!! YUMMY!!!
veggies, salad and rolls!! Now, I'm stuffed!!
cpgem - did you get your serving - hope your portion was enough - let me know!!
and you are welcome for the "Al Michael's" - the winner also lead from the first round clear to the end!!!
Need to go finish putting some scrap kits together - just need to ad all the fun embellishments - ribbons, buttons, brads, eyelets -
Hope everyone had an excellent weekend!!
I'll try to stop back in before bed.....
Mary - again - thank you for sharing your dad with us today!!
Good Nite, Lovey - I won't even comment on your comment!! LOL
:-)
Mary..you wrote a great blog today and it was a wonderful way to get to know more about each other. Thanks!
iteach...thanks for the question...my dad was a general practitioner/family doctor.
Myspace experts...HELP!!!! (please!)
I just added a Playlist but I can't get rid of the song that was already on my profile page. There is music playing from all directions...my head is spinning...how do I get rid of the single song! Thanks!
VIG that is so funny!
I have no idea how those playlists work.
I think Tina does.
Myspace experts... my question has been answered: I went to help and figured it out from there! Thanks anyways.
iteach...I have got it figured out now...I can help if you want to set up a Playlist. It is quite fun choosing songs and deciding which should be on there!
VIG, I have always wanted to do one.
Let me think about the songs and I will get back to you.
I'm one of those weird people that have to have a theme with their playlist.
Mary you wrote a great blog!
Iteach congrats on first!
My neighbor (when I lived with my parents) was a cobbler. He took great pride in his work.
My Dad was an auto body repairman. He fixed up and painted cars. He could work on engines some but his specialty was the body of the car. He could take a wrecked car and fix it so you never knew it had been in a wreck.
He never wore a mask when he painted (sometimes a small paper one over his mouth and nose). He ended up with breathing problems later in his life. He had two different puffers he had to take.
I remember when he came home from work he would always drink a glass of milk. He said it lined his stomach so the paint fumes wouldn't bother him. I don't know if that is true or not but that's what he said.
Most of my uncles and a grandfather were and still our fishermen. I had an uncle who was a lighthouse keeper on Briar Island just off the Nova Scotia coast by Digby. We use to go three in the summer. I remember seeing whales from the top of the lighthouse. We would go to the wharf and catch mackeral. I couldn't have been more than7 or 8.
Good night everyone. Have a good week.
Good night, Shirley! Thanks for your stories, I loved hearing about them.
iteach...I think themes are a teacher thing...that is why I didn't want to go to a playlist because the background created a theme to match the song to!!! Zona convinced me to give a Playlist a try and it was fun!!!
shirley..nighty night. sleep well!
shirley
Thanks for sharing. Good nite
I am signing off as well
Hope everyone has a great nite...
:O)
mary
Thanks again for the blog today!
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Good night everyone!!!!!
Amicus, from yesterday - I am so sure that Louie and his parents understand that accidents can happen and only one in 12 years is some record. You are such a caring person, I am also sure they don't hold it against you. Please don't beat yourself up over it. Bless you. xoxo
125 yay for me.
Good Night Carol, Shirley, and iteach. Sweet dreams.
SasBarb~ I have a very small pair of button-up shoes. When I sold Dad's shop I kept a few momentos like that.
Thanks again everyone for your kind words. It is now officially Monday here in the west. I have appointments every day but Wed.
I forgot to tell you. I got a call Sat. from a Community Garden club in our area. I had bought 3 tickets for $10 on a raffle. I won first prize! $500. Man I'm on a roll lol! I donated some of it back and will save the rest for our May Vega$ trip.
Have a great week everyone!
P.S. LOVEY !!!! :+)
Now sacbarb you know I messed up your name! sorry :+)
You are welcome Carol and goodnight & sweet dreams to all. I'm going to bed soon.
test
Mary, Congrats on winning the $500. You are so lucky. You should buy a lottery ticket. Good night and sweet dreams to you.
Hey Just_Lin!
Where are all the night owls?
Turtle?
Tina?
Dianne?
I guess I'm talking to myself. My kids used to accuse me of that and I told them it was the only intelligent conversation I could get, but that was at home. I don't feel that here. Hellloooo......
Hey SacBarb I'm back. Just trying to get a few things done. It's a quiet Sunday night in the nest.
I was beginning to feel abandoned.
You aren't abandoned, although I shoudl be doing some light weight lifting instead of sitting on my butt at the computer.
I am watching Eli Stone, then I think I'll go to bed. I'm still trying to get into this time zone.
I'm watching "Dexter" even though I watched it already on HBO. It's one of my favs.
So Lin, why did you change your avitar? I haven't read all the comments from the days I missed.
No reason, really. I was occasionally and randomly posting just the number of the post just to be tedious, which I also wrote. So for a while, I decided to be "tedious" all the time. That is what the owls were accused of, right? Being "tedious". Well, I decided to celebrate it. :)
This is not a permanent avatar, just for fun for a while.
Mary/MI: Well, we can at least try! LOL!
MEK: Trevor hugging his family brought tears to my eyes!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE The Masters! Favorite tournament by far!
Right, celebrate tediousness if that is even a word!
Hey Bear, How's it goin'?
Hey Bear Prowling the woods?
I guess Bear just did a fly by.
Good night Lin.
Sweet Dreams.
Hey that last one was 150
Good night SacBarb. I hope you rest well and get adjusted to our time zone. :)
Oh my - looks like I will be here alone!!
Finally got these kits done - it's midnight!! Good grief - what is MEK doing up THIS late!!!
SacBarb - it's good to have you back.
Just Lin - we ALL embrace tediousness!! ;-)
Whabby - I had tears also - wasn't that exciting - I was SO afraid he was going to choke!! AND, I love your swope ins!!!
Okay - I'm off to bed!!
Tina - safe flight tomorrow!!
Hope everyone has an excellent Monday!!!
Mary - congrats on winning $500.00 - you are VERY lucky!!
wow - I just got FOAD, so I am really going to bed!!
155!!!
MEK Good night! I'm going now, too. Hope all owls are safe and warm.
I have been a bad owl..I have not read comments yet again, but skimmed! I need to find a way to put more hours in the day!? How do you ladies do it?!
sacbarb: you are my new BFF! OMG I adore Eli Stone!! I watch them online...I loved the latest one about the 2 gay chimps! haha
I was just telling my brother and others tonight that it's the best show on t.v. right now! We must discuss this further! lol
(SO excited that DH is back!)
Mary: Sounds like your dad was an extraordinary guy! I love this line:
"He liked to say he was 'heeling' the sick and saving the 'soles'."
haha too cute! I also loved his names for males/females!
I am up WAYY too late but was catching up on my shows online!
OMG Oprah's Big Give from last week!! Do you guys love this show or what?! I hope it continues for other seasons to come! There is a certain someone that is missing from the show that I DO NOT miss!:)
(Last week's episode if any of you have seen it!)
I can't wait to watch my DH and OBG online tomorrow!!
Okay, sorry to ramble about t.v. but sacbarb got me SO excited about Eli Stone!!
Goodnite MEK and J/L! I love your tedious pic J/L!
LAST! roflmao
I can't sleep...I can be last for the evening haha
ROFLMAO@iteach-the post about your breakfast with the kid's food everywhere was hilarious!
That was so sweet of Mary to share the book/postcard with the class!
Way to go Glynis! 2 days in a row marching to 100! WOOHOO! lol
I loved reading everyone's interesting stories! My Grandfather(papa) on my mother's side, ran an A & P grocery store...I remember when they went out of business when I was 5, we were riding our tricycles through the store and they let us pick out free candy/ice cream! lol
My mom used to tell funny stories about the dented cans/no labels that he'd bring home. My grandmother(meemaw)swore that she served DOG FOOD one night! LMAO
One of the coolest jobs my mom said she ever had was when she worked at the local movie theatre...She also worked in the fields with my Aunt Shirley helping to crop tobacco(in North Carolina)!
My Dad was a mechanic...I can't fix anything on a vehicle but I used to help Mr. Joey when he fixed his truck...I was just the trusty assistant-haha
I would hand him tools and that's about it! lol
160-had to leave on an even number!
(OCD?!?!haha)
Good morning to all of you early risers!
For the sake of all groomers, I need to clarify something. Every groomer has to accept the fact that minor injuries are going to happen, because we're using razor sharp tools on pets who don't understand how important it is to not move suddenly.
There's no one who could do this job for any length of time and not nick an ear or quick a toenail, etc, but knowing that doesn't make it any easier when it happens.
Louie's injury wasn't minor though. The wound had to be closed with a staple. It was the first time in 12 years that I've caused an injury requiring vet care, and that's very upsetting for many reasons.
I just wanted to make sure I didn't give anyone the impression it's possible to groom for 12 years and never so much as nick a dog.
Ronniegirl: I'm sorry I forgot to respond to your Survivor post yesterday. I'm an Ozzy fan so I was hoping Eliza wouldn't play the fake idol. Now, Ozzy has an even bigger target on his back. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he doesn't get duped next week.
Lynn: Thanks! LOL at "not very good at his trade"! :)
MEK: I don't normally watch golf, but I saw Trevor win today. My grandpa loves golf so I was watching it with him. He's 82 years old and still plays golf 2 or 3 times a week when the weather is nice. Thanks again!
Ibebold: Thanks! LOL at "this new way of feeding"! My dog does the same thing when my sister's kids are here visiting.
VIG and EBJ: Thanks for the hugs!
Just Lin: A good relationship with local vets is very important to my business so I'm hoping you're right. Thanks!
Whabby: Thanks! I'll be pedaling again on Tuesday. ;)
Mary: Thank you! He's my hero and my rock!
SacBarb: Glad you're back! Louie's mom has been wonderful. When I talked to her this morning, she said Louie was running around like nothing had happened so that made me feel better. Thanks!
Goodnight Owls!
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