February 21, 2017- More Childhood Memories- Part 2

Braces and Dad’s Train Set

Mike was talking about some childhood memories that I had remembered incorrectly. I had thought that Mom paid for our braces but he said that she told him that this expense was covered under Dad’s GM dental plan. Another one was about Dad’s train set- it didn’t have the steam coming out of the locomotive. Dad’s friend Junior had that kind and he was jealous of him because of this. It did make the train noises though.

Braces- 1980

1969

 

           

 Fireworks

I asked Mike the name of the fireworks mail order catalog that he got in the mid-80s. He said that it was Blue Angel. I thought so but I just wanted to know for sure. Mike got in trouble for having fireworks. One of our neighbors- it might’ve been Mrs. K- called the cops when he was setting them off. He bought these during our trip to Virginia in 1986 either in that state or Maryland. 

    

   Fireworks- even the sparklers- scare me. We had little tanks a couple of times. I remember Grandma Next-Door being frightened when one of those got close to her.

Internet photos

    

                        

 Long Walks

In the mid-1980s, Mom and I dropped our 1984 Buick Century off at the Westfield dealership/service center for repairs or an oil change. We walked all the way home, which had to have been about 5 miles. We stopped at Sal’s Deli for soda during this long trek. Sal used to work at the Butcher Block. I was surprised that he actually remembered me as one of its customers.

  

   I remember another long walk that I took around the same time period. My brother and I had missed the bus home from our high school in Scotch Plains. I guess that our parents weren’t home or we just decided to not even bother calling them. That was about a 5 mile journey as well.

June 10, 2016- Dancing

 

 

I’m embarrassed to be dancing around at concerts, maybe partly because mom used to tell people that when I was a little girl I used to dance around to the” I Dream of Jeannie” theme and that song from the Gypsy soundtrack- “You Gotta Have a Gimmick” sometimes. I was always so humiliated when she did that in the 70s- mid 80s.

   It’s just so hard for me let go of past moments like that. I did dance around a lot at the DD Foxwoods concert which I totally regret. Amy has asked me if I was feeling ashamed at the time or not until afterwards; a little during and much more later on.

   In 1979 or 1980, Cindy, Jessica and I were disco dancing in the basement at our house. Mike was mainly waving a flashlight around to make it seem like we were at a club. “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer was one of the songs that I remember from that day.

   We had been having a good time until Cindy fell and slightly injured her head when hitting it on an end table.

   Jim H asked me to dance at our 8^th grade “M*A*S*H” - themed dance but I turned him down and felt so ashamed because he had only done this as part of a dare. I saw 2 boys talking to him and laughing and pointing to me before he came over to me. They were laughing afterwards too.

   I’ve never really danced with a guy; doing so with my cousin Kevin at his wedding does not count. That was in 1988 at a country club in Saratoga Springs, NY.

   I can’t remember my 2 proms that well which is probably for the best. I’m wishing that I had never even gone to them. Friends of the family set me up with dates for both. “One More Night” by Phil Collins was the theme for junior year. 

   My date looked a little like the actor Jon Cryer. He only went because a classmate of his was there; he seemed to be talking to her more than me. They were seniors. I might’ve danced with him but only for like 30 seconds.

 My brother called him Duckie but not to his face. That was the name of Jon’s character in Pretty in Pink. I hadn’t even seen that movie until a year after that- I wasn’t really that into those teenie bopper films like my friend Cindy was. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was okay, I guess. 

   I had an even worse time at my senior prom and was so glad when that night was over.” Never Say Goodbye” was the theme. I never did care for that song because it brought back some bad memories.

   I’ve only seen Bon Jovi perform that once at a concert- Giants Stadium 2001. I’m pretty sure that I’m right about this. A friend of a friend did dance with my date but I don’t think that I did. I’d rather not remember.

 

I Dream of Jeannie-opening sequence

 

1983

 Jon Cryer-on right

 

 

 

 

Note- The Jeannie and Donna Summer photos are from the internet

 

December 15, 2016- More School Days- Part 2

-8^th Grade- The parents did such a great job of decorating the gym for our “M*A*S*H “dance. This took place not long after the final episode of that show in 1983. Mom and Dad were there as chaperones. I should have kept my 2 “M*A*S*H” shirts.

   I accidentally threw out my yearbook. I do still have the t shirt with my classmates’ signatures on it that everyone got. The girls also received a necklace; I don’t remember what the boys got. I have my class president pin too.

   My parents gave me a Brother typewriter as a graduation gift. They got Mike an in-ground basketball set for his.

   I’m pretty sure that Confirmation was after graduation. Mrs. P was my sponsor. I don’t remember much about this only that afterwards we went to a nice restaurant, The Sleepy Hollow Inn then over to Mrs. P’s house.

-Good Deeds- I don’t remember which particular ones that I did, probably help mom with chores. Mike lied, saying that he took out Mr. K’s trash for him. He was going to do so but never got around to it.

-Science Fair- Someone always did a volcano as a project. I did one on the weather in 6^th or 7^th grade. It wasn’t anything that elaborate, just posters about various types of clouds and some other stuff.

-Games and fun- Operation, Candyland, Perfection, hopscotch, line tag, jump rope, flipping trading cards (Mike won some” Happy Days” and Grease cards), Musical chairs; Duck, Duck, Goose; and Red Light, Green Light. I didn’t like when our class would play Seven Up or the Telephone Game.

-Hot Lunch Friday – Ellio’s pizza, Sabrett hot dogs, potato chips, soda, and Carvel Flying Saucers (ice cream sandwiches). I can’t remember if the milk was just then or every day.

-Gertrude Hawk – We first had this brand when it was part of our fund raiser for grade school at Easter and Christmas. Mom would always get us a white chocolate cross and the Smidgens. We liked the peanut butter filled ones a lot.

-Birthdays- Classmates would bring in either cupcakes or Dunkin’ Donuts Munchkins on their birthdays. I am pretty sure that Mike and I brought in cupcakes for ours sometimes too.

-We would have bake sales to raise money for our school. Mom made cupcakes most of the time. My brother said that there were a couple of plant sales too. I do remember buying a few plants that we put in the garden.

-Mom covered our text books with brown paper grocery bags.

-Mom was a member of the PTA for a few years but quit after she and the principal, Sister HF, had a disagreement over the fact that she wouldn’t let mom take us out of class to go to the funeral of one of our classmates’ parent.

  I remember that Mom liked working at the bingo nights; sometimes she would take Mike and me. We would be in the teacher’s lounge with a babysitter and other kids. They served some of the same foods that we had for our hot lunches.

2011

1972

hopscotch

 

Photos 5-18 are from the internet

 

 

December 15- More School Days- Part 1

-1^st Grade- Mrs. M smacked the back of my hand with her ruler, The Magic Teacher, because of my sloppy penmanship which did improve after this. She got in trouble for using that after one girl lied, saying that this was the cause of her bleeding knuckles. She actually had deliberately scraped them against the pavement of the playground.

  

   Mom told me that our school wanted to keep my brother back a year – first grade, I think. She and Mrs. M fought against this and made sure that it didn’t happen.

-2^nd Grade- Miss M was one of my favorite teachers. She gave mom a couple of nice gifts- an angel ornament and a small jar of dried flowers. Our class gave her a watch for her birthday. Mom wrapped it in a small box then put this in several others, like it was one of those Russian nesting dolls.

First Holy Communion- 1977

Grandma next door gave me a 14K gold cross pendant necklace and I got a Timex watch from Grandma at the farm which I still have both of. I also have my dress which had been made out of Mom’s wedding gown by Aunt Ann. She also used that material to make 2 pillows- a star and a heart. Those are next to my stereo speakers now.

   

   I have the little purse with my Rosary beads and a few other religious items in it. One is either a small Bible or Prayer book. I opened this up for the first time in about 25 years like 6 months ago. I found a note from my best friend Kelly that I didn’t even know that I had in there. I put that in my personal scrapbook.

-3^rd Grade- International Day-We had all sorts of foods from the various countries of our families’ ancestors. I’m pretty sure that Mom made stuffed cabbage. She made me a nice outfit, a yellow skirt with flowers, white blouse, sash with Poland written with Tri-Chem paint on it and a sort of crown made with fake yellow flowers.

   

   The sacrament of Penance was this school year too. I doubt that I had that many sins to confess to back then; I was a pretty good girl. Unlike now- too many mean thoughts and lots of cursing.

- 4^th Grade- the Camping Trip- I remember canoeing, hiking to that store, doing charcoal drawings and square dancing (I think – or was that a scout thing?). Mom and Dad were there for a day. A few of the boys peeked into the girl’s cabin one night.

-5^th Grade- Sister FM was a major Red Sox fan and even had a pennant hanging up in her classroom. A girl got me a nice roller skate necklace that I still have as a Secret Santa gift.

-6^th Grade- Miss JM had an “Apple Day” during which we made stuff like shrunken heads out of that fruit. I painted an apple onto one of my handkerchiefs which I still have. I can’t remember if we made

applesauce too, maybe that was just a 4^th grade thing. Miss B. gave each of us an ice skating ornament that she crocheted as a Christmas gift.

-7^th Grade- I cheated on a test. This was the only time that I’ve ever really done so during my school days. I was having such trouble learning the metric system and converting temperatures. I think that someone saw me cheating but luckily they didn’t tattle on me.

First grade-1975

First Holy Communion 1977

International Day-3rd grade

Camp Hoover- 4th grade

6th grade Apple Day

September 15, 2016- School Days

I didn’t feel like sitting in the waiting area of Dr. T’s office when I took Mike there for his appointment so I went across the street to Rahway Park.

   They are messing up this park now with a football field and parking area. Mike and I signed a petition against this but of course this didn’t work to stop it. This is upsetting to both of us.

    I ate my lunch then walked around the big pond. Our parents would bring us there to feed the ducks when we were kids. Did we ever do this walk then?

    Our grade school used to have their Field Days here. I always hated the sporting events like softball and track and field. We did stuff like tug-of war and three legged races too. Or was it sack races? Maybe both. Mike said that there was egg races also. The food was the only good thing about this event.

   Fourth grade was the best because of the camping trip. It might have been 3 days. I do still have the daily schedule of activities and the directions to that place, Camp Hoover. It was also our Girl Scout camp. Our teacher, Miss K, was my troop leader for a couple of years.

   We also made applesauce. We baked chocolate chip cookies for the nuns at the retirement home in Caldwell. We learned our state capitals. My Grandma at the farm helped me study for that test.

   I do have some bad memories of that place. Like a few incidents of humiliation. My 7^th grade teacher used my essay as an example of poor writing, withholding my name, of course. That was upsetting.

   I had trouble doing fractions and percentages in 3^rd grade. My neighbor had to tutor me in this. One day, Sister M. made me go up to the board to work on one such problem but I was unable to do so. She made me feel so ashamed then.

   Somehow, I was elected class president in 8^th grade, not that I really did much in that role. I did have to make an announcement in front of the class once. I got made fun of by one of my crushes which was very embarrassing.

    Sister J said that I had a big, fat head when measuring it for my 8th grade graduation cap.  This was upsetting then but later it was kind of amusing.

   Some of the good memories were our day trips. We went to Sandy Hook in 6^th grade, the World Trade Center in 7^th, and Great Adventure in 8^th. I think that Mom was a chaperone for the latter. I have been to that amusement park 4 times besides that, 3 with various family members.

   Was my visit to the Statue of Liberty with my class or Girl Scout troop? Mike went to Philly 2 times on his class trips. Why didn’t ours ever go there?

   I remember watching the very first launch of a space shuttle, the Columbia, in 6^th grade. We were in Miss M’s classroom.

   Mike doesn’t really have any fond memories of that school and definitely hated our high school as do I. My 30^th reunion is next year and I could care less. I never went to the other 2. I try not to think much about that place.

Rahway Park 1972

 

Camp Hoover

Camping Schedule

 

Sandy Hook