Loss

I lost another friend from my long ago childhood, Mary Ruth  Clapp Dean, third from the left on the couch, 
We attended a one room school house growing up. Our parents attended the country church in the area. She played piano by ear and played for the church at times, and my daddy did the preaching most of the time. Look at her beautiful family, I know she will be missed by them and her many friends.
We called her Mary Ruth and she was always Mary Ruth to me. We talked about her name a few years ago and she said most people just call her Mary now, but she still likes Mary Ruth. 
Her husband Passed away not long ago. I think they had five daughters.
I keep thinking of her and wish we could have had one more meeting before she left. I'll just have to wait for my departure, but I know we'll meet again.

The Dying Blog Era

Blogs are a thing of the past. I use mine to post family pictures and to gripe about my latest illness or experience I've had with the medical world. Speaking of them brings a flood of peeves. You just walk through their door, and they'll drag you to their scale. I've lost a big bunch of weight lately and when I went to my doctor this week the Nurse walked me right past the scale/weighing room. Can you imagine that! My doctor doesn't know how much I weigh this week. What kind of a doctor is that?
I guess they do pretty well with what they have to work with. Look at us! we are always whining about everything that is wrong with us. Unless you're like my friend, Alice. She and I were neighbors to start with, but when I moved from the neighborhood we remained friends. I always took her to her  doctor appointments. When she came out of his office, she knew how many kids he has, what his wife's name is, where he lives and any other thing you never really wanted to know. I miss Alice.
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Fourth Birthday Party

Chloe 4th Birthday Party

Chloe with her Mommie and Daddy

Aunt Emily and Shelby(Chloe's cousin)

Molly, Shelby and Emily  (Molly is Shelby's mother)

Shelby and Aunt Emily

Yvonne(Chloe's Grandma H), Molly, Cora and other guest

Leah and Chloe

Chloe, friend, cousins, and great grandma (me)

 

Molly, Leah and Shelby taken a few months ago.

 

Shelby

The party was at the park and it was a beautiful day except for the wind. It was so bad we couldn't have the candle blowing part. We had fun. The food was delicious, and the cake was lip-smacking scrumptious.

Life in the Forties

 

This was my second home away from home back in the 40's.

In the bottom apartment lived an old grouch and her husband.
We called her Mrs. McGlothern, and  he was MAC. Only the roles were reversed. They did not make noise.  I called her Mrs. McGrouch when she wasn't within earshot. Mac always carried a bottle of wine around in his pocket. They were very quiet, and since they were the owners and proprietors, they set the rules. Mary and Andy lived on the second floor, and they loved music, the louder the better. The Angels, known as Yours truly and husband lived on the top floor. Angels always rise to the top.  Nine PM was bedtime for everyone in the building, bar none. We could also take two baths a week. That's right, two of um!
When nine o'clock came the music didn't die down, and the broom on the first floor came out and the ceiling took a beating. Mac was assigned the broom job, and he enjoyed it. It was the only noise he was allowed to make. The next morning Mrs McGrouch would go stomping up the stairs and bang on Mary and Andy's door, and threaten an eviction notice, but it never became an actuality. Two or three nights later the scene would play over again. Another couple, Herb and Lorraine, lived there. We became life long friends with both couples, and had many fun times together. We all shared the same bathroom, and the same community sink in the hall way, and the same icebox, and I do mean ice box. It was also in the hallway. The iceman came two or three times a week to put a new block of ice in it. We each had a turn of emptying the water pan that caught the water from the ice. We also had a milkman that delivered milk. It was left on the front porch, and each neighbor would pick out what he had ordered. I believe I am the only survivor of that group.

Just Do It

When you have that inclination that you should call an old friend or relative, just do it.
I have been thinking of an old friend for a couple weeks and telling myself I should call and see how she is, but I always thought of it when I was in front of the sink or crawling into bed, and I just kept forgetting when it was convenient. Today I went shopping at Fred Meyers and there was my friends, Marion and Abe. We had both just checked out. No wonder I had been thinking of her, she has had a lot of bad things happening. Her brother just passed away yesterday with cancer, her husband, Abe had just spent a week in the hospital taking chemo treatments and radiation. Her 28 year old granddaughter has cancer, and it is not in remission. I think she could have used a shoulder to cry on. We have known each other for years. We worked in an office elbow to elbow and then the desk were moved and it was back to back and finally the desks were moved again and it was face to face. We got along perfectly, never any disagreements. She was a jewel to work with. Abe is still funny and can always make me laugh.
I really believe there is something to it, when you keep thinking of someone like that, you should get in touch. We plan to get together for coffee soon.

Abe and Marion