52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Richard & Me

Richard and I meet on Saturday July 20th of 1991 at a church dance. I knew right off the bat he was younger than myself. We danced and talked and he even laughed at a story I told. I thought well at least he has a sense of humor and I will have someone to speak with at the dances. He walked me out to my car and said good night and that was that. Most of the guys I meet told me I wasn’t there type, I was too strong, too intelligent, too independent, too intimidating and too everything else. So it was nice to have a down to earth guy to speak with.

A month later, August 17th, I went back to the same dance. I saw him standing by himself so I went over to say hi. He said, “I have looked for you at every Friday & Saturday night dance and every Sunday night Fireside.” Well I wasn’t accustomed to guys looking for me most of them went the other way when I came by. So I stood there in shock and thought to myself OK, just let it in Mary. So we danced some more and talked.

He invited me out to eat after the dance; and we planned to meet at Denny’s on Southern and Country Club. I arrived first and I was waiting, about 15 minutes went by and no Richard yet. I thought if he isn’t he in 5 more minutes I will leave. He made it before his time was up. He ran out of gas across the street from a gas station. He had to push his car to fill up the tank. I had met my share of strange guys and I decided I was going to lay it all out. I told him over breakfast that, “There wasn’t a man who walks on the face of the earth worth taking crap from.” I can’t remember if I said it or just thought, “And I define crap.” That did not scare him off. He made sure he had my last name and phone number this time. He was upset with himself for not asking for it when we meet in July.
He called on Wednesday evening while on break from his classes. After the first couple of weeks we were dating every Friday & Saturday night after that. He was working, managing apartments and going to school to be an airplane mechanic. So we didn’t see each other every day, which I think was a good thing and allowed us some down time.

I didn’t meet the kids until October though he wanted me to meet them sooner. They were cute and liked me right off the bat. Of course that changed a little after we had been married for awhile and they came to live with us.

Our Engagement Picture

He proposed in January after we had attended a relationship workshop, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus. We both learned a lot about relationships and the differences between men and women.  After the workshop he had taken me home and said he had to go run an errand and he would be right back.  He came back with fresh flowers and red I love you balloon.  He got all serious, nervous and asked me to marry him. 

Since we knew it was the right thing to do we set the date for March 13th a Friday. He wanted the 17th so he could remember the date of our first date but that was a Tuesday and I didn’t want to get married on a Tuesday.

He tells people the Lord put me right in his lap. I had sat down by someone I knew and Richard was on the other side of me, so when I finished speaking to my friend, I turned to Richard and said, "Hi, what's your name?"  It was his first singles dance and I was only going once a month because there were boring and painful. I tell him I had to moved to Arizona for him to find me. 

It was twenty years ago in January that he proposed and I am glad he did and I am glad I said yes!   

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Books

Books. What was your favorite book, or who was your favorite author from your childhood? What do you like to read now? Books or other formats?

Books seem like they have always been in my life.  As much as I struggled with school work I did enjoy reading.  The first book that I remember being my very own book was a book given to me my Aunt Bea.  I felt like it was a big girl book.  I was only ten or eleven when she gave it to me.

This is the cover on my first big girl book

She was working as a Librarian.  On the cover was a gold seal for the Newbery Medal it had received.  The book was TheWitch of Blackbird Pond.  If I remember right it also had a plastic cover on it like library books have to protect the jacket. It is probably why I enjoy historical novels now. 

I became more involved in reading after I moved to Florida.  It was too hot and humid to play outside in the summer and I would stay inside and read.  My Mom would get upset with me for spending so much time reading she would yell at me, “Go outside and get the cob webs dusted off”.  I read a lot of classic novels like Jane Eyre and books by Charles Dickens.

I still enjoy reading but I seldom send hours reading like when I was a pre-teen and teen.  I have too many other fun things to do like quilting, genealogy and blogging. Now I read things like Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice, The Millennial Glory Series by Wendie L Edwards and Genealogy books.  I also like audio books and listen to them when I am driving or sewing.  I usually listen to Science Fiction, or mysteries as well as the classical books.  

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History Water

Water Week 29: Water. Do you have any memories of the sea or another body of water? Did you live there or just visit? What did you do there? You can also describe a body of water by which you live or visit in the present day.

Mary & Mom 1949

Do I have memories of water! Until I moved to Arizona I called myself a water baby! I still am but somehow living in the middle of the desert makes me forget. I keep waiting for California to fall in the ocean so it would be closer to me. (Just Kidding)

My earliest memories of the beach were going to Jones Beach in Long Island. I loved going to the beach it was really a special occasion for us as a family. I like playing in the waves on the ocean side but I like swimming in the bay side which was has calmer water. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jones_Beach_State_Park
http://nysparks.com/parks/10/details.aspx

Here is a quote from their web site. “Jones Beach State Park is a world-class swimming destination. The park offers surf bathing along its 6.5 miles of ocean beach, one-half mile of bay beach for still water bathing, and two swimming pools.” It seemed to take us forever to get there but any travel in a car takes a long time for a kid. I just Google the map and direction and the drive time is 40 minutes for a 29 mile drive. Not really that long.

Mary in Nantucket 1958

Another fond memory of the beach was in Nantucket Island when we went to visit our Grandparents. Here is a picture of my friend Miriam Hull when I was ten. We were pen pals for a lot of years; I think she also went to nursing school. I thought it was wonderful to live only two blocks from the beach.

Mom and my brothers Don & George 1959 Fort Lauderdale

The best time of all was when we moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and my Dad for awhile was off work at 3 PM so every afternoon we all piled into the car and drove to the beach. I think the second summer we were in Fort Lauderdale my Dad signed us up for a membership at the Beach Club. It was a hotel on the beach with a pool and cabanas. We had that membership until I was junior in high school. I am sure it was a way for the hotel to do some business during the summer months when all the snow birds were gone. I am sure they don’t need to do it anymore. I am not even sure it is still there.

Anyway I learned to dive off the high dive at the Beach Club. I remember the first year I wasn’t a very strong swimmer yet. I had decided to swim to the shallow end to the deep end but not the diving end. I ran out of strength when I got to the six foot end. My Dad noticed I was in trouble and he ran all the way from the cabana to the pool to help me get out. Makes me wonder were the life guard was and why he didn’t notice. I am pretty sure they had them.

My love affair with the beach continued into my teens and young adult years.  During spring break one of my friends and I would drive down 1A or Atlantic Blvd and look at all the crazy college kids.  I think lucky for us we couldn't find a parking spot. 

When I worked in Miami as a visiting nurse I loved it when I had patients in South Beach as I could drive down Ocean Drive, park and take a short break to look at the ocean.  On weekends I would ride my bike to Key Biscayne Park and go to the beach there.  Fond memories. 

Of course my love of the ocean lead me to learn how to scuba dived.  I did most of mu diving off the Florida Keys and you can read about that in these posts listed below. http://meandmyancestors.blogspot.com/search/label/Scuba%20Diving
http://meandmyancestors.blogspot.com/2011/06/52-weeks-of-personal-genealogy-history_7128.html

I have seen the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and Sea of Cortez also known as the Gulf of California. I love them all.  I miss the water and my husband is not a beach fan so I don't see it a lot any more.

52 Weeks of Personal History Fame

Week #20 – Fame: Tell us about any local brushes with fame. Were you ever in the newspaper? Why? You may also describe any press mentions of your family members.

I have been in the newspaper 4 times for myself and mentioned in an article about my Dad. I will do a separate post about my Dad's article. 

East Valley Tribune

You can see the previous post I wrote about three other times I have been in the paper. The fourth time was in 2000 when I received an excellence in Oncology Nursing Award. This was a national award and I was chosen from many other worthy candidates. It was an honor to be nominated my the local chapter in Phoenix of the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS).  I still have a copy of the questionnaire I filled out to receive the award.  I was very surprised when I was notified that I would be the recipient.  It is truly an honor as there are many wonderful oncology nurses out there.  Even some of the other nurses I worked with would be worth of this award.

Arizona Republic

On a personal level it was a very healing time for me.  As I wrote my acceptance speech and reviewed my feelings about being an Oncology nurse I was able to thank the Heavenly Father for the experience of loosing two mothers to cancer before the age of 17.  Not a pleasant experience at all but definitely a character defining experiences. Just remembering that time brings tears to my eyes it was so meaningful to me. 

Program cover

I have a picture of me speaking at the award lunch in front of 600 or so Oncology nurses someplace and of course because I want it I cannot find it.  I will post it when I find it.

The Advocate

This article was in the Advocate a quarterly newsletter from US Oncology, which is networks of community-based oncology physicians.  The practice I worked with was a member of this organization.

In case you are wondering I purchased a new bedroom set of furniture with the award money.

52 Weeks Personal Genealogy & History Dinner Time



Picture from pjvanoverschot.wordpress.com

We usually ate together as a family every night.  Some nights my Dad would be missing because he was a New York City Fireman or a Bar Harbor Florida and worked 24 hours on and 48 hours off.  We had a very set routine to our dinners, we always ate by 5:30 for some days of the week we had a set menu.  We had liver on Thursdays, with either bacon or grilled onions.  Friday’s we had spaghetti with butter and garlic or fish sticks or salmon with rice & peas.  My Dad was an excellent cook, so our meals were always tasty.  My Dad had some strange favorite food items that he would eat every once in awhile.  Like a Cannibal sandwich and bone marrow (cooked) on rye bread.  I had made myself bone marrow once when I was in my 30’s and I was surprised how grease it was.  I still liked the favor but it wasn’t something I was going to cook for myself.  I sure loved it as a kid.  The Cannibal sandwich was raw chopped steak, on rye bread with slices of onion.  I didn’t mind a bite or two or the raw meat but I am not a big fan of large amounts of raw onion.  I won’t recommend eating a Cannibal sandwich now. 

One of the things we did at dinner was word games.  Since I am not the best speller in the world you can imagine how much I loved doing these games, NOT!  Mom or Dad would give us a word family like the “at” family and we had to take turns naming all the words that ended in at, bat, cat, etc. 

Our dinner time was so set that when I became a teenager I learned real fast to be home in time for dinner or my teenage brothers would eat all the food and I would have to eat a sandwich or something else.   Nothing was saved for me. 

Unfortunately after my Mom died dinner time was not a happy experience.  My Dad did the best he could but when you bury two wives in 16 short years you aren’t the same person you use to be.  Alcohol became his companion and these were hard years.  It is also the reason why I got a job as a senior in high school, I worked 3 to 11:30 pm and left home at 18 as soon as I was an LPN and could work and support myself. 

52 Weeks of Personal Genalogy & History High School

High School: Describe your middle and/or high school. Was it a large or small student body? Is the school still in existence today? How has it changed since you went there?

I had the unique experience of going to a brand new school.  The school was so new the day it opened the roofs were still not on the two buildings present on campus.  I just noticed on the website that it is celebrating 50 years.  1961 – 2011.  Quote from the website: “CGHS opened its doors to 176 freshmen and sophomores on a sand-strewn campus with two partially completed buildings.”  I was a freshman, and the first graduating class to attend all four years at Cardinal Gibbons but the second class to graduate.  The area was so underdeveloped that there was a rattlesnake on campus one day.  Luckily no one was bitten and I think animal control was called.  Such are the adventures of attending a new school.  New buildings were added while I attended.   

The school was co-institutional when I attended.  The boys were in one building and the girls in another building.  The girls were taught by the nuns and the boys by priest except some of the priest taught chemistry and physic to both the girls & boys.  We could mingle during lunch and we called the area were me mingled, “Check Point Charlie”. 

My path was college prep but the principle was very concerned that I would never graduate from high school.  She called my parents in for a conference. She is the one who told me I was too stupid to be a nurse.  So at my 10 year reunion I mentioned to her I was a semester away from having my BSN and had been a licensed RN for many years.  She stood there in front of me and said, “I knew you could do it you just had to do it your way.”  Well I who have never hit a person in my life felt my right arm and fist curl back for a swing. I was so furious, not an encouraging word the whole time I was in high school, but now that I had fought and slaved to make it, it was like yeah I knew it all long.   Lucky for both of us I just walked away.   Now I think of it this experience has made me who I am today and so it was worthwhile. 

 

Mary on campus 1965 a Senior

I didn’t like high school; I didn’t like the girl - boys stuff, the competition, and the clicks.  The only years I felt like I was successful were the years they split the class by grades.  So the excelling students were in one group and they who had to study very hard students were in the other group.   I became the top of class in my group, the ones who had to study hard and that felt good not to have to compete with the brainiacs. 

It was also a difficult time at home as during those four years of high school my Mom was fighting cancer and finally lost the battle when I was a senior.   I wanted to go to the public high school but my Mom was a firm believer that a Parochial school education was better. I did get a very good education. 

My high school is still there and now boasts 10 buildings on campus.  I attended Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

http://www.cghsfl.org/ 

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History Elementry School

Describe your grammar/elementary school (or schools). Were they big or small? Are any of these schools still in existence today? If so, how have they changed since you went there? 

I went to three different elementary schools.  I went to PS 79 in Whitestone, Queens New York for Kindergarten and first grade.  I walked to school I don’t remember how long my Mom or Dad walked with me until I learned the way but I do know I did walk myself to school for first grade. 

St. Luke’s was also the church we went to while I was growing up.  This was a little further from home and I was allowed to ride the school bus and I did for a short time but I liked walking better.  I think even back then I like the time to myself.  I usually walked by myself until I was about half way there and then I would pick up my best friend Laura Valle.  When I was in the fifth and sixth grade I had a boyfriend John.  He was a cute boy with freckles.  He would walk me home and carry my book bag.  He even climbed a fence to pick me an apple off of someone’s tree.  

When I went to check out the school website, it is celebrating it’s 100^th Anniversary.

When I was a student there they had the old fashion desks with the ink wells.  I don’t remember a lot about elementary school other than I hated doing homework and I would drag it out.  How silly we are as kids, if I had done it quickly it would have been less painful.  I also remember each year when the report cards came out at the end of the year I would be promoted on probation, meaning if I did well the first part of the new school year I could stay in the new grade. I always managed to do well the first part of the year. 

The girl's uniform was a navy blue jumper, with a white blouse with a peter pan collar, and a blue clip on bow tie with tales.

Maps to schools from my home in Whitestone, NY

The third school I went to was St. Clements in Fort Lauderdale Florida.  I did much better here and was promoted each year.  If I remember right the reason why was that to be promoted you had to have 70 instead of 75 to be promoted. 

All three schools are still in existence.  PS 79 was the largest school I went to, since it is a Public School that makes sense.  As a matter of fact PS = Public School.  It currently has 773 students. St Luke’s was the second largest and now has 387 students and St. Clements is the smallest and currently enrolls 112 students.   I am sure that hasn’t changed much over the years. 

8th Grade Graduation June 4, 1961

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History Nicknames

What was your childhood nickname, and what was the meaning behind it? You can also discuss the nicknames of other family members, both past and present.

My Dad called me Mary Puss, I am not sure how this came to be my nickname and he usually was the only person who called me by that nickname.  And when I was in a bad mood, it was Sour Puss.  Now that I understand how I earned that nick name because I would just get the longest sourest face a kid could contort their face into if I was not in a good mood or not getting my way. 

I did a dictionary search of the word puss, just because it is a fun thing to do.  One of the definitions is: Informal . a girl or woman: often used as a form of affectionate address. It's origins are Dutch and Low German.  My Dad was raised in a German community.  So this now makes more sense to me. Fun the things you learn as you get older.

My brothers called me Mar, and frequently sang the song the old gray mare just ain’t what she used to be.  Not my favorite song.

When I was a young adult some of my friends called me Duck, because they said I walked like a duck.  Rather embarrassing. 

When the very popular satire on soap operas, Mary Hartman Mary Hartman was on TV everyone called me by my full name twice.  It eventually was shortened to Mary Mary.

I once worked in an Oncologist office and there were three Mary's, Mary A, Mary O and myself.  I didn't want to be Mary H, and I was the only nurse so I suggested I should be called Chemo Mary because I gave the patients their chemotherapy and so another nickname was created.  And boy did it stick.  To help break the ice with the patients I would introduce myself as Mary Mary quite contrary but I only had one lousy petunia in my garden.

My brother George was Georgie Porgie, not very original.  Donald & Edward were just Don & Eddie. 
My sons call each other “Ace” and I call my husband Ace sometimes, I think it started with the movie Ace Ventura.  Doesn't everyone want to be an "Ace"?

There is one Nick Name I am glad I never had and that is Typhoid Mary, but I am sure some people want to call me that when I have my bronchitis with that terrible cough.   

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History Favorite School Subject

Favorite School Subject: What was your favorite subject in school and why? Was it also your best subject?

I did not find my favorite subject until I was a sophomore in high school, and that subject was biology. I loved learning about the structure, function, and growth of living things.  It was the first subject I ever “aced” in school. I felt smart for the first time in my school career.  I also enjoyed Anatomy and Physiology when I made it to college.  I guess it is a good thing I liked these subject since I wanted to be a nurse.  I was not disturbed by the dissenting like some of the girls in my class.  I don’t remember being a whiz at it; I think did better at the drawings of a dissection and labeling the parts in a frog.  I think the real thing just looked too much like mush.  I will admit my memory is a little fuzzy on that. 

Picture from azuna.deviantart.com

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History                                  Hosted by Geneabloggers: http://www.geneabloggers.com/Created by Amy Coffin http://wetree.blogspot.com/

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History Worst School Subject

Worst School Subject: What was your worst or least favorite subject in school and why?

My worst subject was spelling and it still is.  I thank Heaven everyday for spell check.  I am not a good speller, I have to stop and think many times how a word is spelled.  I use my dictionary a lot because I can make up such wonderful spelling of words than spell check can’t even figure out how it should be spelled.  I would write with a higher vocabulary if I could remember how the words are spelled.  It really is annoying some times. 

To make matters worse I have been scarred for life by a couple of my teachers.  The first one was in second grade.  I did the unthinkable, well I guess it isn’t unthinkable as I did it so I must have thought it.  I cheated on a spelling test, first and last time.  I didn’t cheat off of someone else I just had the spelling words under my paper.  Like that is any less wrong.  I mixed up the words horse and house, so my teacher drags me from the back of the room to the front by my ear and made an example of me.  She guessed I cheated because no one who could really know how to spell those words would mix up horse and house.  Of course as soon as I was asked, “Did you cheat?” I confessed. 

The second incident was in 8^th grade.   Another spelling test this time I did spell every word correctly but I received a zero for the grade, because, are you ready for this??  Because I made my i’s incorrectly, yes each word started with the letter i.  I made the small letter i without the initial curve into the letter, so each word was marked wrong.  It still upsets me to this day; I mean what difference does it make in the world or to life if I have the initial curve or not in a letter.  Absolutely none!!  But according that that teacher it was improper penmanship. Granted I did leave 11 years of Catholic school with good penmanship but wasn’t the importance lesson there to know if I could spell those words or not. I can still see those red circles on each word in my mind.

Improper penmanship

I am still a bit of a rebel with my penmanship and make many letters different than the Palmer method I learned.  

My Dad also was very upset with me one day for making the ends of my y’s on Mary different, I wasn’t making the full loop, I was doing a half curl like end.  He equated that with being allowed to eat only whip cream, that is how wrong it was to not make a full loop on your y.  Seriously, that is wrong.

No silly "y" allowed

So now you won't be surprised if you see some creative spelling.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History First Job

Describe your first job. What did you do? Were you saving for something in particular, or just trying to make a living? Did that first job provide skills and make an impact on your life today?

My first job was as a "soda jerk" on a food counter in a Rexall Drug Store. I worked after school and I closed.  The evening wasn't as busy as lunch time but I had my regular customers.  A lot of the dinner customers where ambulance drivers since the store was real close to Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 

Picture from best-norman-rockwell-art.com

I made hamburgers, French fries, milkshakes, and of course the ice cream soda.  This was in the age of the real vanilla, cherry and chocolate coke, plus those milkshakes were made from milk, ice cream and favoring, no pre made stuff. I also had to balance my cash register every night, so I do know how to count out change.  The other nightly chore was to clean the grill, what a nasty job that is.  Duties also include washing, drying or the dishes used during my shift, stocking and cleaning up.  I wore a white uniform and a black apron.

My hourly wage was 0.27¢ and tips.  I took home about $2 a night in tips.  I saved my tips and used my earnings as spending money. I was saving my money so I would have spending money when I went to nursing school. 

I started the job in December of 1964 when I was a senior in high school.  I wanted a job because it was too hard to go home and be with my Mom who was failing.  She died in early February.  The job did provide me with skills that helped me during my nursing career.  I learned to how to talk with people and to be comfortable with people from all walks of life. 

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History
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52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History Grandma's House

I have three sets of grandparents but only one set was still alive when I was born. These were my Mom's (my Second Mom) parents, Alfred & Mildred Corkish.  They lived on Nantucket Island.  We went there about 3 or 4 times until we moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  I really only remember the trip I made when I was 10.  I have pictures from earlier trips but no memories.What do remember from when I was 10.  
There was a piano in the front pallor but I was the only child that could play on the piano because I didn't pound on it like my brothers did I played softly.  I didn't know how to play I just liked to pretend I could play.

On top of the piano was a ship in a bottle, that I really admired and wanted.  Not that I was ever going to get it but a kid can dream. I don't remember the story about the ship in a bottle, if Grandpa built it himself or one of his sons. 

My grandma still had an ice box in the kitchen and the ice man came twice a week with a big block of ice.  Here is a picture of an old ice box I don't know how old Grandma's was but it looked a lot like this one.

Picture from macombhistory.us

There was only one bathroom on the first floor and after we had gone to bed we were not allowed back down stairs. So we used a chamber pot upstairs.  Here is a picture of a chamber pot. 

Picture from collectiblesbypj.com

There was a short dirt road to the house.  It was close to the beach about 2 blocks or so I think.  It was a wood frame house and the wood was that grey weather beaten look that is typical of New England. 

It was originally a two family house with one family downstairs and one family upstairs.  When my Mom was a kid they lived upstairs and later the purchased the whole house.  I remember it seemed long and narrow. 

Grandparents Corkish & my family 1958

I enjoyed my time I spent there and would love to go back and see the house. 

Here is an earlier post with a picture of me and Grandma, I was about 6.
Here is an earlier post about Grandma's house.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History Songs

Since I have a little extra time I want to catch up on some of the Personal History posts.  They are fun topics.
Today's topic is Songs. What was the #1 song during the week of your birth? Enter your birth date at This Day in Music (http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/birthdayno1) and find out. If you were born before 1946, you can enter the year of your marriage, the birth dates of your children or some other significant event.

When I read the title of the song I thought I don't know that song, and I really expect to but when I went to You Tube I found the song and I do remember it. 

So here it is for your listening pleasure.  The title is Ballerina.  Just for a little more personal info I did take some dance lessons in elementary school, we mostly did tap but we did learn the basic moves of ballet.  In junior college I took modern dance as on of my PE classes.  My instructor told me I had really improved since the beginning of class and I would have been a good dancer.  I think she was dreaming and I wasn't interested. 

You may have to go to You Tube to watch.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History: Hobbies

Week 38: Hobbies. Did you have any hobbies as a child? Which ones?

When I first went read this week's topic about childhood hobbies, I thought I didn't have any hobbies as the kid; all I like to do was read. Matter of fact my mother thought I read too much and she would yell at me to," go outside and dust the off cobwebs".


My Stamp Album

A little later I remember I did have a hobby, I had a stamp collection. I believe I started collecting stamps after we moved to Florida when I was 11. If I remember correctly the stamp album was a Christmas gift. I had an interest in stamp collecting well until my late 20s.

The scary thing was this morning when I remembered about my stamp collection I knew exactly where to look for my stamp album as well as my shoebox full of stamps.

My Collection Today

In reality I still have an interest in stamps as I still tear off every new or interesting stamp that comes to my house in the mail. Once I tear them off of the envelopes they go into my desk drawer. I have envelopes full of stamps that need to be soaked off of the paper and sorted.


Index Dividers

I must have been pretty organized at one time because I have stamps that are in little envelopes by country and they are in alphabetical order and divided by dividers in my stamp collection shoebox. You will notice in the picture that Poland has jumped the fence.I must have shared this interest with other people as I have the envelope with a note on it; to Ms. Hartmann 30 stamps no duplicates. Then each country and the numbers stamps for that country are listed on the front of the envelope.
It is sad to realize how much I have forgotten about my own life.  And shows me how import it is to journal to remember these things. 


Refill pages $1.25

Check out the cost of those refill pages only a dollar 25. In the second picture you will notice that the mounting sleeves were only $.49 per package.










Here is a picture of one of my USA stamp pages.

Thanks to Amy for these weekly prompts they have really helped me to write the stories of my life.




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Sports

In June I wrote a post about sports and in it I mentioned that I scuba dived. 
http://meandmyancestors.blogspot.com/2011/06/52-weeks-of-personal-genealogy-history_7128.html

Today while looking for pictures of my childhood bedrooms, I found these pictures of me getting ready to do a dive.  I thought you would enjoy seeing them.



1976 off the Florida Keys

  

The gal beside me is Linda one of my co-workers and my dive buddy.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History: Bedrooms

Describe your childhood bedroom. What furniture did it contain? Were there curtains, wallpaper or paint? Was it messy or clean? Did you share a room with your sip siblings?



I had a total of three childhood bedrooms the first one I remember was in our home and Whitestone, New York. The first bedroom was in the back of the house on the second floor. It was also the room that my mother hung laundry out on the clothesline. There were two twin beds in this room and I shared this room with my brother George. Sometimes I had the that was on the left and sometimes I had the bed that was on the right I don't remember exactly how we decided who slept in what bed.


Some of the memories of this bedroom include having the chickenpox, mumps and a very vile stomach flu, it took me a long time to drink apricot nectar after that stomach flu. Of course the other memory of this room was watching my mother hang the laundry out on a clothesline. The clothesline when a cross our whole double decker backyard and attached to a wall behind our house. She would wheel the laundry out to let it dry and then wheeled it back in when it was dry. There was a pulley at each end of the clothesline. This was a second-story window so she had to carry the laundry up from the basement through the main floor and up to the second floor.




Our House 1949 Whitestone, New York



When I was older like nine or ten, I was given my own bedroom in the front of the house. In this room there was just a double bed. I also have a little desk, dresser and a chair. There was wallpaper on the wall there were there were curtains and on the windows. One time when we had company my mom came to sleep with me in my room. I wasn't accustomed to anybody sleeping in with me and so I kicked her out of bed. She was not very happy with me. I remember her very clearly telling me to stop it.

In the picture above, the window over the front door was my bedroom window.




Mary in 1968 in my Florida bedroom



When we moved to Florida I had my own bedroom again, well of course, I was the only girl! This bedroom is also in the front of the house it was painted pink and had rose curtains in the windows the interesting thing is I don't think I really like pink it's an okay color but it's definitely not my favorite, this is the room I that I slept in until I left home. This room has memories of my own portable radio. Before then the radio was only in your room if you were sick. My own radio was pink with grey nobs. I spent many hours laying on my bed and listening to rock and roll. I had a twin bed in this room. 

I also spent a lot of time reading in my bedroom.  I spent so much time reading my Mom would yell at me, "Go outside and dust those cobwebs off."   She wanted me to be active and balanced. 

This is a later picture of me when I was 20, me in all my glory in orange baby doll pajamas.



My brother Eddie in my room 1968



One of the sad memories of this room was when my Mom was very sick with cancer and she was in a hospital bed in my parent’s room, her twin bed was in my room. I had a nightmare one night and I remember I ran around that extra bed to get to her room. There was a night nurse since my Dad was working and she just told me to go back to bed.



Mary 1968 packing to go to New York



One of the happier memories was backing for a trip to New York when I was 20.  I had left home for a while and at this time I was back at home.  I was to meet a pen pal Ken in New York, he lived in Ohio.  He gave me the American Airline poster I have over my bed, in the other picture.  Unfortunately he forgot my Aunt's phone number and we never meet up with each other. 

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History

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