Razzmatazlady

Category: Memories

  • Snow Birds



    April 26, 2008

    Yes, we have been visited once again by Old Man Winter as you can see by these brand new photos. Yesterday, it snowed all afternoon and well into the night. The snow has stopped but the winds have whipped into a frenzy, blowing snow everywhere. The photo of our kitchen window attests to that! Can hardly see out of it. I like the little “snow birds”.

    I kind of like the picture of the lake – no more ice. Quite a contrast against the snow.

    The leaded glass pane that’s hanging in the window is actually the transom that was above my grandparents’ front door in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The address was 10 Roosevelt Street. Years ago, when my grandmother came to the United States, my mother had the stained glass replaced with something else so she could bring the #10 back with her. That’s what we always called my grandparents house. Number 10. You know, like “I got a letter, today, from #10.” I have very fond memories of #10 although I haven’t been there since I was twelve years old.

    Jack went out to get the newspaper, this morning, just as it was being delivered. The delivery guy asked Jack if he’d please take one to a house about four doors down because he didn’t have four-wheel drive. That’s how much snow there was on the road. So Jack, being the nice guy that he is, delivered it – on foot!

    We’re pretty much housebound, today. I envy the human “snow birds” who are still basking in the sun down south or out west.

  • Trivia and an Earth Hour Report

    First of all, I’d like to report that we had a terrific Earth Hour, last night. We didn’t have anyone over but I know of at least one couple (old friends of more than 30 years) who observed it at their own home. Jack and I lit some candles in the living room – it looked awesome. And we just sat and visited for an hour.

    We reminisced about our kids and our travels, mostly. We talked about all the places that we’ve lived and the friends that we made. It was a good time.

    The most important thing that happened, though, was that we’ve decided that we’ll have our own Earth Hour from time to time. Like sitting on a warm summer’s evening out on our porch with just a couple of candles and all the windows open. I can hardly wait!

    On a completely unrelated topic: Trivia

    Question: Do you know which of the continental US states extends farthest north?

    Answer: Minnesota. A small piece juts about thirty miles north of the rest of the state according to http://www.triviacafe.com/. I just happened to check out their website and it’s the Trivia Question of the Day.

    It’s called the Northwest Angle. We have good friends who own property up there and you have to drive into Canada in order to get over to the “Angle” as it’s called. That’s a picture of it from the air that I copied from a website. http://www.lakeofthewoodsresorts.com/index.html. Pretty cool.
    Here’s another good Trivia question:
    Question: In 1908 the Wright Brothers tried to sell their invention, the airplane, to which organization?
    Answer: The U.S. Military. I think that’s hilarious!
    Well, I’m off with a cup of coffee and my kitchen redesign magazines. Once we get going on this I’ll post some pictures. Could be awhile.

  • A Memory of Ireland

    In 1955 my mother, my sisters and I went back to Belfast, Northern Ireland for a visit with my grandparents and all of our other Irish relatives. I was 11 years old. We were away all summer and had a wonderful time. We faithfully wrote letters to my father and this is an excerpt from one my mother wrote (Pegs was our golden retreiver) :

    June 7th 1955
    Dearest Daddy and Pegs,

    Here I am again and a little bit overdue at that, but as you know we’ve been having a hectic time. It’s about 9 o’clock now and Cheryl is drawing up dress designs. She got tired of knitting. Valerie and Joan are still at theirs.
    It rained all day today and this afternoon they played up in the attic with big hats and high heels and shawls with fringes plus Grandma’s old dresses and handbags….
    One of my favorite memories of that summer were the days we spent at a real thatched cottage in a little seaside town called Donaghadee.
    We swam in the icy water and made sandcastles on the beach and collected little snails called willeks (not certain of the correct spelling). We would collect as many as we could in a little bucket and take them back to the cottage where my auntie would boil them up. We’d pick them out of the shells and eat them with bread and butter! Yum! Sort of poor man’s escargot, I guess.
    We had those rosy cheeks that all little Irish children are famous for and were probably healthier than ever that summer.

    I never went back to Ireland, although my sister Valerie has made several trips. I just remember the

  • Musings of a Lucky Woman

    I’m a lucky woman. Jack has over the past 35 years tolerated (and financed) most of the whims that I’ve had without grumbling (much). And I’ve probably had more than the average share of whims. You could say that I’ve been a jill-of-all-trades.
    I was a real estate agent for a few years. Loved real estate when I first started in the profession UNTIL I began actually getting clients and listings. We had recently moved to Kansas and our youngest daughter was about seven years old. I thought that if I went into real estate that I’d be able to be spend more time with the family. HA! Not so. Poor old Jack cooked Sunday dinner almost every Sunday while I was holding open houses. I had a couple of buyers and sellers who were impossible to satisfy and, after one particularly stressful period with an absolutely idiotic buyer, I finally told Jack that I’d either have to get out of real estate or he’d have to lock me up!!! I’m sure there have been times when he thinks locking me up would have been the right choice…
    I worked for four different federal government agencies over a period of about ten years. Then I owned a secretarial service in one state that evolved into a free-lance business when Jack’s career moved us to another state. After he retired we purchased a small concessions business (franchise) that was lots of fun and quite profitable.

    I’m also a certified graphoanalyst . I spent two years studying graphology or handwriting analysis. I just gobbled up the lessons and passed the course with flying colors. What really interested me was the prospect of learning how to determine personality and behaviour by analyzing handwriting. It’s a useful tool used by many businesses for employment selection. The courts frequently employ graphoanalysts to study ransom notes, altered records, forgeries, and disputed legal documents. I really, really wanted to be a graphoanalyst.

    But it was while I was taking my final exam that I realized how invasive the field is. It can take eight hours or more to analyze a couple of paragraphs of handwriting. I was analyzing a sample of handwriting from somebody I knew and was really startled by some of the traits that I was uncovering. That analysis haunted me for several weeks when I decided that I just couldn’t look into people’s souls like that.
    Let’s see, what else have I done…well, I’ve raised four children (with Jack, of course) – my proudest accomplishment.
    I’ve studied interior design. I’ve been an Accredited Staging Professional, staging homes to prepare them for resale. I’ve bought and sold antiques and collectibles on EBAY and in an antique mall. THAT was great fun but not as lucrative as I would have liked.
    So here I am off on another search for my identity. It’s just that I can’t imagine a life without something creative to do. I guess you could say that I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up!
    Yep, I’m a very lucky woman.
    1/26/2008

  • A Little News Flash…

    A follow-up to my post about visiting the Titantic exhibit. I just found out that my grandfather, William Coburn, WAS one of laborers who worked on the Titantic!

    He was a brass fitter. I’m so excited about that! This is an actual picture of the Belfast dock workers – I can just imagine Grandpa Coburn – he would have probably been just a teenager – going to work on the ships in the Harland and Wolff shipyard.

    The brass fittings included the Titanic’s bells and Gothic patterned windows for the ship’s bars and dining rooms and much more, of course.

    Off to Sedona, today, with my sister and her husband who are here in Phoenix on business. But the “business” doesn’t start until tomorrow so we’re doing touristy stuff, today. Yesterday was a trip to Tucson and lunch at El Charro, the oldest Mexican restaurant in the country! We had a chance to see their son, Tim, who was in Tucson on business, as well. I’ll post more about our adventures

  • A Memory About Pumpkin Pie

    My mother was a WWII war bride. Born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland. My father worked for Lockheed overseas and was sent to Belfast in 1942 or 1943 (I’m not entirely sure – maybe one of my sisters will enlighten me). He was a young man from North Dakota who apparently got a wild hair and decided to go to California. Once there he was employed by Lockheed Corporation – I think he worked on airplanes. Again, I’m not entirely sure.

    Meanwhile, my mother and her sister Bettie decided to enlist in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS – an acronym pronounced “wrens”). They lived with my grandparents in Belfast on Roosevelt Street in what was, in this country, considered a “brownstone”. I was twelve years old the last time I was at No. 10. Very special.

    There were so many war stories that they could tell and I wish I knew more about them. My grandparents had an open-house policy for any of the allied troops or the “yanks” who needed some family time and many of them ate a meal or two at No. 10 Roosevelt Street.

    Long story short, my parents met, fell in love and within a few weeks married. I was born nine months (to the day but I was a preemie – really) later. When I was four months old my mother brought me over to the “States” in a convoy of ships – many of them lost during the trip. Another story for another time.

    Long story shorter: Mother had a lot of adjusting to do and she was a real trooper! Her first Thanksgiving she decided to make a pumpkin pie to surprise my father. So she made a pie crust (and she made the BEST pie crusts), opened a can of pumpkin, dumped it in, smoothed the top and popped it in the oven.

    After dinner (actually in North Dakota it was “supper” because the big meal was at noon and was called dinner) she proudly served the pie to my father. Need I say more? The poor thing did not realize that you need to add sugar, spices, eggs and cream to the canned pumpkin. I understand that my father was as diplomatic as he could be under the circumstances but mom never really got over that first “faux pas”. In any case, she turned out to be a wonderful cook. I learned how to fry chicken from her that was crispy (not in the least greasy) on the outside and tender and juicy inside. Good stuff!!

    After we get back to Minnesota, I’ll post some pictures of dear Lillian

  • The “Akrabats” – A Memory

    Akra was the name of the tiny little town in North Dakota where my family lived when I was a child. We owned the Akra Store which was comprised of a grocery store, post office, gas pump and a creamery.

    My mother was the shopkeeper, the post mistress, the gas station attendant and the person who separated the cream from the milk and whatever else had to be done to the milk that the farmers brought for processing. Akra was about five miles from another small town (but much bigger than Akra) called Cavalier where everyone in the surrounding countryside went for their “big” shopping.

    There were probably a dozen kids in that town including my two sisters and me. We were outside from dawn until dusk all summer long and every day that we could during the rest of the year.

    There was a windcharger in the back yard – it didn’t work as I recall but it was a fun place to play. One day all the kids were playing circus and we were pretending to be acrobats. My sister Joan was probably about three years old or so and we wouldn’t let her play with us. We told her she was too little to be an acrobat. So she announced that if we wouldn’t let her be an “Akra-bat” she was going to be a “Cavalier-bat”. And she stomped off!

    I’ve found a really nice website for anyone with kids whether your searching for baby names or information on colleges. There’s a newsletter plus the site is divided into sections such as Your Child 0-6, Your Child 7-11, Your Child 12-18, etc. Plus dozens of craft projects, quizzes, Food & Recipes. I think you’ll find it well worth checking out!

    http://www.familyeducation.com/home/

  • A Memory

    Just thinking about Christmas when I was a kid. We got one present and it came from Santa on Christmas Eve after we were in bed. We also had Christmas stockings and we’d get some fruit (maybe an apple or an orange), a candy cane and probably some other little thing. I think our grandmother also gave us a present. We also got our new Christmas dress, shoes and socks. It was so exciting.

    One year I got a doll – she was a real beauty and I named her Maribel May after one of my favorite poems. I don’t remember the poem, anymore. I tried to google for a poem called “Maribel May” but no luck. I’ll keep trying and if I ever run across it, I’ll post it!

    That same year my sisters each got a doll, too. Maribel May was the biggest of them, though. Valerie named hers Susan and Joan named hers Foo-Foo because it made a sound like that when you squeezed it.

    I think Foo-Foo also had two faces – a happy face on one side and a crying face on the other. A dolly hat covered up the face you didn’t want to show. I could be wrong about the two faces but I don’t think I am.