Immigrant daughter 64

Back to a glimpse of another memory of my past. Carl and I had so many good years and I remember that one day a voice from his past came calling. We were living in Muncie at the time and the phone rang and I said hello this is the Moody residence and there was a hesitant voice asking “Is this where Conrad  lives?”. And after a few questions back and forth I put Carl on the phone to talk. When Carl finished talking he had such a glow on his face when he sat down and told me this.

When growing up in one of the foster homes he was befriended by another foster child who was adopted. This boy lost touch with the others because his new parents moved out of the mid west to another region. He, like Carl, never forgot his past and he was  trying to find some of the other kids he remembered growing up with. When checking back with the Children’s  Aid Society and other agencies he found out about Carl who was also inquiring about his past. I am not sure about all the particulars but he found out that Carl lived in Muncie. He made a phone call to find out if the Carl who lived here was the Conrad who lived at a particular place many years ago. And from there this voice of the past came alive and brought a flood of tears and remembrance of part of his life he had long forgotten.

Carl told me he had forgotten this, because this boy was adopted and he had not because Carl was unruly and wild and did not take correction well. Carl told me all this was true because he was told nobody cared whether he lived or died. This man who called was a  boy who befriended when Carl  when they growing up and he remembered him after all these many years wondering what happened to him. Isn’t it strange how the Lord brings to light things long forgotten?

Carl invited him to come out to the house for a visit after finding out he was passing through on his way to California. This young man grew up and became successful in engineering with a large firm. He stopped  by for a minute on his way to California which turned out to be quite an enlightening visit. The visit lasted several hours filling in some of Carl’s past.

It was great for me because I heard things that are not written in any of Carl’s record.

When we lived in Little Rock while our kids were growing up we lived there right before the eruption of the school system between blacks and whites. We lived on the outskirts of town and sort of missed all the problems of the inner schools. There were blacks in the school but not that many and all kids were treated the same at least where we lived.

Some of the things they are showing  in the news we lived through them without any mishaps. My DIL and her mother and I went to see The Kings Speech and it was excellent. There again her mother and I remembered very well living at the time of  this crisis  England was having with the King giving up the throne to marry  a divorced woman.

If you have not seen it you a missing some history  very well done, because the movie casting was excellent and the story true.

I haven’t been to see many movies because there are very few worth seeing. They just don’t make the westerns as they used to be and when they remake any movies too much garbage is added. I realize this is kind of short and sweet But its raining and it is getting dark outside even though it is in the afternoon.

This new month was Carl's’  birthday month and one birthday I gave him a surprise party even though he is gone he is not forgotten at least by me.

Well this weekend is super bowl time and I will enjoy watching and eating popcorn having as good a time by myself as best as I can. So until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter.

Immigrant Daughter 52

This is a day I remember clearly because three years ago I lost the best thing I ever had,  my husband. I am thankful the Lord gave me good memories of our 58 years together. Here is a picture of his funeral and the presentation of the flag:

I am aware that we had times that we both had to struggle through that’s the way marriage is it takes equal effort because n0 one is perfect.  I can offer one word of advice do not say any thing in anger because that causes you to say words you really don’t mean. When you speak them you meant them and you can’t take them back. I was so glad I learned that growing up. That is one reason my one sister got along so well, we could get mad at each other and leave each other alone and after about fifteen minutes it would be over and could pick up right where we left off.

Oh I thought I could just pick up and go on but a  mental block caused me to not write. I didn’t think this would happen because I know he is in a better place and it’s where I want to be. I have to say I am existing and when I read Stick horse Cowgirls today it jolted me back to reality. Yes I am still here and I better get on with the task that the Lord’ given me, I have daughters and DIL that love me and have never seen me this  despondent so I had better take hold and walk with God and not on my own. 

There is a Broadway play made into a movie call “The Student Prince” where his life is drastically changing because his father dies and now he will be king and he sings a song “I’ll Walk With  God From This Day On”, because he knows he could never do it alone. I guess I have been trying to do it myself. I know this must seem to you as rambling but I want you to know where I am coming from. I have to tell you that it is not easy but I am sure of the results.

Some years back Carl wrote this word he received when he was alone with God:

Our youngest daughter had a friend that put it in this form and had it framed for him. I want to thank Vee for her comment to my DIL it was a help to me.

I will get back to the part of my life that was a busy time in our lives. With kids going to school brought back memories of Toms River,  N. J. when the schools were so crowded the schools had to stagger starting time. We had three children and they each started school at a different time. They had to ride the bus making the schedules start earlier because of the bus ride which took longer to get to school, because of the territory they had to cover picking up kids. Much like it is today.

I make sure I am not on the road during the going to school time and the coming home  hour. The dogs always let me know when the kids are walking by from the school bus drop.

I remember when our kids liked to come home and play outside until supper. We lived in a small development,  Carl car pooled so I was able to have the car so go to work when the kids were in school. I worked for a dentist who let me work short hours.  The base at Lakehurst was not too far away. We purchased our first home for $16,500. It was a new 3 bedroom ranch with carport attached resting on a full basement placed on a corner lot. The egg farm owners sold part of the land for the development and they were next door to us one small block away. We were able to purchase fresh eggs all the time. That was a plus side to living there.

Our children grew up here until the oldest was about to enter the 9th grade. Those were good years for us with just the normal problems of a growing family that all parents go through. I will say this in comparison to today I am so glad we are not raising kids in today's’ world. Between the television and the internet I am not sure which robs our kids more of the innocence of youth.

Thank you for caring. Immigrant Daughter

Immigrant Daughter 49

My girls asked me when I was going to mention some of the funny incidences that happened with some of the pets we had that weren’t so funny at the time.

One story when the kids were in school the girls had to start supper for me when we were having Carl’s boss over for supper. Carl was a salesman and had a territory that covered so many doctors and his boss came at least once a month to check up on his progress.

The girls would see what we were having and start it for me. This particular time I left chicken in the sink  to thaw so they could begin to roast it. They came home all set to start their chore and couldn’t find the chicken. They ran to our friends across the street to tell her and ask her to take them to buy more chicken. She did this and then they started to look for the chicken that I had put out to thaw.

We had a roll away dishwasher that was positioned next to the sink and when they checked back there they found the remains of the chicken. It seems the cat as fat as she was jumped up to the counter without the help of a chair and tore into the chicken wrap. I can just picture the cat trying to tear into the outer wrap dragging it all over with the dog helping. They had a feast. The kids said they were not as playful as they usually were. I guess not. Like I said not wasn’t funny then, but we have laughed about it  many times since  then.

I worked for the Church in the Diocesan Office as a secretary and believe me I wasn’t a secretary, but as I mentioned before I learn quickly. I have to admit with  all the new jobs I had to learn in my lifetime I still like cooking in the luncheonette the best and most rewarding. Being around people whose life crosses mine I some time can see why the Lord let them cross my path.

My husband was a smoker and he worked around others that smoked also. From early childhood he started by picking up butts that men threw in the streets. I never smoked and we sold cigarettes in Dad’s restaurant and our Luncheonette . Oh I tried it and couldn’t understand why people spent their hard earned money only to burn it.

Getting back to Carl and his boss who also was a chain smoker and when he came for supper he filled  many ashtrays that I always waited until the next day to empty. I never complained about the mess and then  one day while he was helping me clean up he was emptying the ashtrays he made up his mind to quit “cold turkey”. He bought a new carton of Mallboro and put them in the house where he usually kept them. When he finished the pack he had opened he never smoked another cigarette again. We ended up giving them to his boss one pack at a time.

Carl moved up the corporate ladder and was so glad he had quit smoking because when their day was over they ending up relaxing with smoking and spirits. It was easy for Carl to say goodnight because they would honor his wishes by saying goodnight. His boss died a very young man.

One day our dog that was in his pen in our fenced yard. We had this dog as a puppy that was part Doberman and part who knows. Our neighbor claims we let this happen when we were dog sitting their dog that was a pedigree Doberman  so we had to take one of the litter and we kept her in the outside pen and called her Sukie.

This pen lined the fence on the side of a couple with no children. The other side had five kids that were mean to animals. They couldn’t reach Sukie  and that was good. As time passed I noticed Sukie was growing tall but fat and I couldn’t imagine why because we only fed our dogs once a day. Then one day I saw the sweet neighbor lady throwing white bread over the fence for the dog. She was doing this with regularity, no wonder poor Suki was getting fat. We didn’t have any trouble of the kids trying to get in the yard because Sukie could clear the fence in nothing flat.

M any times we left her fence opened into the yard but she just stayed in her pen. One night our son was sneaking in after he was told he go out. We had a wood  box that filled up from the outside and we could get wood for the fireplace without going out. He painstakingly emptied the wood box so he could come in without waking us up only to find Sukie came up behind him and stuck her nose in his back and growled not letting him finish getting in. We heard Dad, Mom, help! He never did that again. Aren’t pets wonderful. I know ours were and I see I wrote a long time so Until Next Time, I am IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER. 

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 37

It has been over a week since you’ve heard from me. I am still under the weather and have gone to the doctor to see if they can tell me why my ankles stay double in size and why I can’t get rid of the cough I have. I do not have a fever I am just uncomfortable and sort of ache and just wish I felt better. The sun is shining today but not too warm as yet. I want to thank all my blogging friends for wanting me well.

Well this has been too long even with going to the doctor. My DIL drove me because I did not trust driving myself with my blood sugar being so erratic going on swings I couldn’t handle. I know having lived with this disease 56 years not to put myself in a car driving. When I get out of wack it takes a long time coming back.

The doctor gave me an antibiotic that lasts five days. Boy whatever it is doing I am getting rid of quite a bit of phlegm that is relieving the vise grip from around my chest.

They took blood for other tests that I will have to wait until next week to hear. Later a call came through that I did not recognize the number so I didn’t answer it and when it wouldn’t quit I finally picked up the phone but they hung up before I could say hello. After what seemed like a couple of minutes the same number called and I answered to find out it was the doctor's nurse wanting to tell me my blood sugar was 47 while I was there. Now you have to realize that I went to the doctor because my blood sugars were erratic, I had a cough with tightness in my chest, no fever, but felt lousy and she calls to tell me my blood sugar was low at 1:30 in the afternoon when they did the test. I really felt like hanging up on her but I listened as controlled as I could by telling her yes I knew because I had my machine with me and knew it was low. We went looking for a fast food after leaving their office this was about 3 in the afternoon.

I have to tell you I never get colds or headaches and hardly ever welcomed a day in bed so to speak, so when I tell you I felt lousy you can just look at me and tell. I get my flu shot every year and I am fairly healthy, except for being an insulin dependent diabetic for 56 years. So when a nurse calls to tell me my sugar was low six hours earlier it was hard not to be sarcastic to say oh REALLY. You can tell by my writing I am feeling much better and I know for sure I am on the mend because I can think and type. Now you know more about me than you probably care to.

I will pick up telling you more about Carl and my life together that lasted 58 years.

It doesn’t look like at this point I will be going back to N.J. for my birthday in June because my third sister wants to come here to see me. My DIL is too busy to take time off at that time anyway and E (my sister) and I have birthdays five days apart in June. We had to work together in the restaurant and are on the same wavelength and it will be good to have her here. I have to tellyou I attribute her long life (87) to having herself a Manhattan every day at four p.m. She and her husband never missed a day and many times we shared our birthdays together, husbands included, in New York City seeing some stage show and eating out in a nice restaurant.

One such restaurant was a small place run by all retired, out of work, opera singers. And as they worked they would be singing and when it came to their time to sing they would stop serving and sing it was wonderful. The place was called Asti’ in N.Y.C. Carl and I had many such surprises given to us by my sister and her husband. I am so thankful the Lord has given me many such memories of his love for me.

Getting back to my sisters’ visit it will be good for me in other ways when she comes we can play pinochle and talk at the same time. Two-hand is not as much fun as three or four hand playing but it is better than none. I like to play cards.

Carl taught me how to play cribbage a game they played aboard ship with a deck of straight deck cards and a long board with holes in it that goes all around the board twice that is called a pegging board that is used to keep score. It is a lot of funbecause it makes you having to count the cards from your hand that count up to fifteen and laying them down for two points for score. Its complicated but fun. Carl was easy on me so that I could learn. I never won in the beginning but after I learned I was able to challenge him and won my share of games and then he wouldn’t want to play any more.

I really never read novels much but when they started to made movies out of some of the stories by James Michener. Carl peaked my interest with a part not mentioned in the movie and wouldn’t tell me the rest of the story, but directed me to read it for myself. I then got hooked in reading. I only read what I had to in school because I had sports to keep me busy. Carl learned early in life to read everything in sight and was knowledgeable about many things. He taught me many things about reading to form my own opinion and not just rely on what others say about something. I can tell you for sure our children received their smarts from their father. He knew how to spell words without looking them up. I use to tell him he was my walking dictionary and so thankful the Lord gave him to me.

Carl was a shy introvert and I was just the opposite. When he worked for pharmaceuticals companies and had to attend conferences that had parties we had to attend he use to say he hated to go because he never had anything to say. I alwaysencouraged him to start the conversations by asking people what hobby interested them or something about themselves then he could just sit back and listen because people love to talk about themselves. Sure enough he told me that really worked because he didn’t need that crutch anymore. In his later years boy did he like to talk and it was hard to drag him away.

I see I carried on a bit much about CM but for me that is easy, so I had better end it here until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter.