Two of the four books I read this month are often quoted, even in modern times. From William Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde, their centuries-old writings are still read and quoted frequently. Week 1: The Confidential Agent by Graham Greene This is the third in my Folio Society set of Graham Greene books, and it’s my favorite so far. Our hero is … well, a nerd. He’s not in this thriller situation for anything other than good. Identified only as “D,”…
“I don’t know why you want to vote. You vote them in, the shit-asses do whatever they want anyway.” – Mike Mehling, circa 1940s Tuesday was the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote, so I started asking family members if they had any stories about our female ancestors voting for the first time, presumably in 1920. Gary’s immediate response was the above quote from his maternal grandfather, Mike Mehling (1888-1964). He certainly made no bones about his opinions, usually…
An estimated 10 percent of the population favors their left hand over their right. They are what’s known as left handed. As today is International Left Handers Day, online “facts” abound. Yes, I’m one of the ten-percenters. The weird thing is – so are two of my three brothers. That would make you think it’s genetic, right? Not in this case: Both of our parents are right-handed yet only one of their four children favors his right hand. And, if…
Today is James’s 21st birthday. His first card honoring this auspicious occasion was slid under his bedroom door yesterday afternoon. It was time for nephew Cameron to head back to his daddy’s house and he suddenly remembered he had wanted to make a card for James. Cam’s medium is pencil. “That way, I can erase mistakes.” Sensible lad. When James arrived home from work yesterday evening, he found this: Uncle James complied and did not flip the card until today….
Digging through family photos is never dull. … especially when you uncover a photo like this: Dad! You look like a mobster! Dad was 12 or 13 years old in this photo. His family still lived in Lowell, Massachusetts, but would soon relocate to New Haven, Connecticut. Alas, Dad doesn’t have a story to go along with this photo. But while digging around in Fold3.com (the military arm of Ancestry.com), an FBI Report caught my attention … FBI Report? Before…
“You’ve got to pay more attention to current events – today is HUGE!” It was August 8, 1974, and my friend Jenny was beside herself with glee. Although just 16, she followed politics closely and was overjoyed that President Richard Nixon was about to resign in disgrace, following the Watergate Scandal. Despite Jenny’s urging, I simply wasn’t into politics – or current events for that matter. The “news bug” would bite me in college as I took journalism classes, but…
“Boy am I glad to have this cell phone!” Well, I nearly cried. I’d talked Dad into buying a mobile phone well over a decade ago. It took until the other day – and the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias – to hear him praise the handiness of this new-fangled option to his trusty land-line phone. Gary and I sometimes ponder this question: What gadgets will our sons want us to use in the future? My husband is incredibly technology-adverse (although…
No doubt about it, our sons love video games. I stopped keeping track of all the favorites years ago. I do, however, remember growling upon the discovery while Christmas shopping that the Nintendo games didn’t work on the Nintendo 64 unit. I’m pretty sure I learned to play at least one game with each son. I don’t recall the names, though. With Tom, it was some little guy who dressed like Peter Pan … and played a flute. Does that…
Well, that was a failure. In trying to get my mind off the state of the States, each chosen volume this month instead served to remind me there’s no true escape from greed, violence, illness, and cruelty. Sigh. Week 1: A Gun for Sale by Graham Greene Our magnificent collection of Folio Books from Mom and Dad includes more than a dozen Graham Greene books, so I’m pleased to read one a month for the next year. A British author,…
When you’re a child of the Depression, you have a different outlook on personal finance. Mom used to tell the story of Dad, as a young child, going door to door trying to sell his toys. He wanted to help feed his family. When I asked him about it recently, Dad recalled that he sold his alphabet blocks for five cents a piece. He raised about 25 cents, and presented the pennies and nickels to his parents. As he hit…