IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 46

This is a family picture taken 1931. I believe this might have been my first picture taken in N.J. in house we lived in for a short while until dad got established with the bank. Remember we were the only Greeks in the town of all Italians. This was a rental house.

Later Dad bought a house on Pleasant Street. I have no idea how dad was able move us a few streets over and buy the big grey house we lived in growing up.

It had three floors and three bedrooms and a bath on the second floor. There was a small dormer over the entrance hall that we always referred to as the “icebox”. We all took our turns claiming it as a bedroom just to have our own room. It was big enough for a single bed and a very small chest of drawers. The only heat upstairs was one large register in the hallway from a coal furnace in the basement. In the downstairs there were registers in every room and that kept it nice and warm. I can remember standing on the register to get warm before jumping off to get dressed.
My dad and my uncle George made two rooms up in the attic using cardboard boxes that bicycles came in for sidewalls. Then they wallpapered over it. One thing good about it the rooms stayed warm and none of us minded the additional steps to go to bed. That old house holds many stories of our family and at times I will reveal some of the more humorous ones.

My sisters’ recent trip came to an end last week, and I am having, to make the adjustment of being alone again. I now realize what an adjustment she had to make just to come visit. I feel like I must tell you something about changes in life that happen that we have no control over. Age does take its toil.

I remember when as a child I was wishing to be older before time and after I was it turned out not to be at all like I imagined it would be. When we are younger we think we are invincible and can do anything. I am going to tell you my thoughts about coming to this age.

I better understand what a feat my sister accomplished coming out for a visit. I know it won’t sound so profound to you but to me it was. Getting older has its’ stages that have many milestones we have to pass through that we don’t even think about until we actually do. Having just reached and starting to pass through the eighties I can only use me, and my sisters about what I am talking about.

We do not have any control over our physical bodies. Oh we think we do and to a point I will agree but we alone control our own actions and choices to what goes into our mouth and what we say. But just stop and look back at, your own family and you will see what I am trying to say. At this age I find myself looking back to when I was able to do more than what I can do now.

We were a family of six growing up and each one of our personalities that are so different that it makes you wonder how could this be. Each one has a mind that develops differently under the same set of rules. One child is smart and eager to learn and another not as smart and could care less, and still another wondering why do I have to learn all of this. We realize sometimes too late that it was for our own good.

When we were younger we all wished we were older at different ages. At eight I can remember wishing I were 12. Little did I know that at 12, I would have to finish growing up without my mothers’ love. When I became, as they say, sweet sixteen, I found out there is nothing sweet about growing older. It meant you had to live up to more responsibility. The one thing about being the youngest you had many bosses ahead of you and you found out that the only thing you could boss around were the pets. I know that my personality today is one you would classify as being a very bossy person. It is not intentional it is just that if I see an easier way to do the job I will speak up. In doing so I have been put down many times but that’s okay I chalk it up to a learning experience. God is always teaching me and sometimes I try to get ahead and have to be held back.

My sister and I had many conversations about my childhood. All I can tell you I must have given my sisters fits. It is no wonder I was an outdoorsy person I was always shooed out to go play. On the outside then I had my two brothers boss me and but I always like to follow them and got in trouble many times for doing what they did because I always got caught. Isn’t it fun to remember family happenings of years back? My sister and I laughed so much remembering people and incidents that we hadn’t thought of in years.

Here is a picture when I was 18 and she was 25 years old.
We talked about our working in the restaurant together and how we dressed alike and confused people because they couldn’t tell us apart. Some of the customers that didn’t know us to well use to remark boy you sure put in long hours, thinking my dad was an old ogre. After a while dad sort of joined it because we had morning, noon and night covered while the restaurant was open and he was there all the time.

We both agreed that the years we were married were the best and most memorable for us. Even with the repeating and repeating of stories it didn’t deaden our memories.

When we played pinochle my sister had so much trouble keeping her cards in order and many times in the midst of the same hand she would change trump on me depending what high cards she had in her hand. I made her laugh by kidding her. Short-term memory was a problem for her.

One of the problems of living along is not having any one to talk or discuss things with. I encouraged her to listen to the radio more because if she puts the TV on she will sit down to watch. I put Rush Limbaugh on the radio to learn what is going on in the world. He talks fast and she had problems understanding what he said. I tried to tell her not to keep herself so sheltered from what is going on around her. I believe she is doing quite well for 87. Stickhorse Cowgirl in a blog back called “Pampered to Death” did a great job to mentioning somewhat of how we get in this stage that my sister is in.

Here we are recently celebrating our birthdays!
I guess by now you can imagine getting old is a stage we must go through like it or not. But there again we have a choice to either, count our blessings and thank God or just become a grumpy old lady never to enjoy the sunshine He brings in my life. Until next time I am, Immigrant Daughter

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 45

My visit with my sister is winding down to just 3 days left. We had a lot of catching up to do. Our lives are so different but the same if that makes any sense and I will try to tell you why.

First there is seven years difference in our age. I have always been an energetic out door individual. She on the other hand is an inside person who likes to sit and do crossword puzzles out of the newspaper and definitely does not like to do the New York Times puzzle. She married late in life and did not have the opportunity to have any children. I married at 19 and had three children right away. You would say I grew up with my children so I shared my children with her and her husband who was ten years older than she was. They enjoyed doing things for and with my kids. My kids loved the attention being with them because they did and show them many places they would not have seen.

One year they took the two girls to New York shopping. The style of long skirts with loose knit sweaters and boots were in and the girls came back looking like they stepped out of a Vogue Magazine. One had a complete gaucho outfit with boots and one had a long down to the ankles wool skirt with a long sleeve blouse with a long black sweater vest and wore funky shoes. The girls loved it because they knew mom and dad could not spend that kind of money for clothes that we didn’t think practical . I’m afraid we had to be a bit more frugal on our military pay.

My two sisters that are living are 7 & 8 years older but when we were younger it didn’t make a difference. At that age the sevenyears between us didn’t make much difference and it was easy to do thing together but at this stage in later life I find she runs out of steam quickly and sleeps a lot even when sitting up. Living on EST she stays up late watching movies and goes to bed late. Come ten o’clock and I am ready for bed because I still get up early because of having to keep a rigid schedule of having to eat three meals and maybe a snack daily. Taking insulin daily two times a day keeps me living without complications. I am so blessed.

sister reminded me of some family stories growing up in the restaurant. We learned to handle knives and keep them sharp and when my sister married her husband was a stay home worker when he retired from the T-Men and opened an office as an accountant. He was always keeping people out of trouble with the IRS knowing the ins and outs of how the IRS worked and what they were looking for from cheaters. So being home he took over all the household chores. My sister only had weekends when she did the planning and cooking.

One day when we were invited over for a meal and when I saw that her husband would not let her handle any knives because she might cut herself. I laughed myself silly because here is a gal that grew up handling knives in the restaurant all her life and he worried she might cut herself. He spoiled her rotten to the point that now that she is older and being by herself it is a bit difficult for her to do anything because he is not there help her and she has difficulty remembering. I have to remind her of things to do to help around the house because I can’t do it all being a bit handicapped and kidded her that she is not company. We laugh at all our shortcomings at this age. We still can get along without hurt feelings and that’s good. I love my sister.

When she was born she had weak ankles and didn’t walk until she was four years old.
I use to have picture that shows how they had to prop her up to stand. She couldn’t run out to play like the other two sisters. With being under foot all the time after hearing some of the stories I guess dad was harder on her and when she did something wrong and had to do penance by getting on her knees and bowing (which is called “Metanyas,”) to my dad as the Arabs do to Mecca and saying under her breath, “I am not an Arab.”

One day a regular customer came in the restaurant and saw her doing this he asked her, “What she was doing down on her knees scrubbing the floor?” Before she could answer my father answered the man and told him to leave her alone, “She is doing penance.” And this customer made such an issue over this that he kidded my father and didn’t give him any rest. Dad never made her do this ever again. Like I said, my father was very strict and proud and we never questioned him, others could but not us kids.

sister got to know dad very well because she and her husband looked after him and took him many places he had never been to or knew existed. For instance they took him to see the stage play “Around The World In 80 Days” and he just couldn’t believe it. They took him to many different restaurants and the one he like the best was the Hawaiian Cottage. On the way out one evening he met one well-to-do man from town who knew him and as the man said, “Hello, Tom how did you like it.” Dad said “I can recommend it to you”. Now here is a man that probably eaten there, so many time before but was kind enough to my dad by never to implying that and that he had and just said thanks Tom.

The people knew my dad never had time for such enjoyment raising six kids without the help of his wife and to enjoy the luxury of pleasurable things in life. I can see how my sister got a glimpse of the father none of us had ever seen because by this time the rest of us were married and gone. She and her husband did many things for him. I tell you all this because I want my family to know just how much she affected my growing up which was good for me.
We are playing a lot of cards, two-hand pinochle that we both enjoy. She messes up a lot by not remembering what is trump but we are having fun and I will miss her when she leaves on Wednesday. It has been a good seven weeks and I am nearing the end so until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 44

I can remember when cameras were a luxury. Pictures were something you were proud to show your friends and anyone who would sit through your long drawn out stories about them. As a child I can remember dads’ camera that was long and flat that had the flat side drop down so the you could slide the pleated bellows out to be able to look down in the lens to see what you wanted to take a picture of.

This picture is my older brother and I taking a picture with the bellows camera while someone took a picture of us.

Cameras kept improving and taking pictures was a way of keeping memories. The Kodak Company kept improving their cameras and producing color film. We were even given a choice of pictures or slides. Slides were the rage especially for scenery. You can take a multitude of slides and producing a story to show on a
screen. They took up less room than albums but I have to tell you I like picture albums best. There is nothing better than looking at old pictures of family by taking an album off the shelf and not having to put up a projector to show pictures on the wall or screen.

Here is a picture of my family as I was growing up as the youngest in the family. My father loved taking pictures. As you can see we made a graduating line from the smallest to the oldest being able to tell years later who was who.

and I carried on the tradition of taking pictures of our kids at different ages and putting pictures in albums. One year for Carl’s birthday I gave him an Argus C3 that took 35millimeter film. He became quite adept at taking pictures. I mentioned as he traveled all Arkansas he took pictures of barns old and new. I was never very good about advancing the film and I took many double exposures and I have one that I just didn’t have the heart to throw away because it is the only picture I have of that little couch that opened up to be our bed in the little 28 foot trailer we called home in Rhode Island. I tried years later to buy one of these that were armless couches so small that openedto make a bed and was told they just don’t make them that small any more.

While living in this little trailer we had purchased a set of Guardian Service that was waterless aluminum cookware. Our trailer was so small we could only sit four to eat. So we invited one couple as guests for the people selling the pots. They did all the cooking and cleaning up stressing how easy it was to use even in close quarters. This set of pots and pans with glass lids were heavy. I barely could fit them in the cupboard. We had this set a long, long time. When I finally sold them because stainless steel pots became available that was easier to clean and were as not heavy. I had the complete set intact with all the glass lids. This cookware even cooked a pineapple upside down cake on top of the stove that looked delicious.

We had such fun taking pictures that the older child had a Brownie Box camera. When we came to Arkansas the first time we made a day of going to dig for diamonds. There is a diamond mine in Murfreesboro called the Crater of Diamonds. It’s the only Diamond Mine in the U. S. and they allowed you to dig for diamonds. You had to pay to get in and you walked anywhere in the field to dig. It is a great place for family fun. The kids got dirty and had fun digging. It was the blackest dirt I had ever seen. It wasn’t too long go that some one found a good size diamond.

Getting back to my story about cameras, my son left his camera in the car when we went to the Diamond Mine and after all day in the field we went back to the car and he went to get his camera to take a picture and started to cry. We couldn’t imagine what happened until we saw the camera. The sun was so hot it melted the camera to a grotesque shape that we all started to laugh and the harder we laughed the louder he cried. I don’t think I will ever forget that day. We bought him a new camera and all was forgotten that he even laughed when he saw his camera again. One thing for sure he never put his camera or anything plastic up on the back seat ledge again. Here is a picture of his sister with her camera.
I do not have many of our pictures anymore because of the warehouse fire where we stored our furniture to go to Germany for the birth of our second grandchild. I think one of the saddest things about that ordeal was being paid five cent on the dollar for our household goods of antiques we collected. The only clothes we had left were the clothes we traveled with. That brought home what the Lord said, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven when neither moth or rust destroy…” Mt 6:20.

What that did for me was realize what we collect are, just things the Lord gives us to use to enjoy in this life and things can always be replaced but what’s in our heart is secure in the Lord. And things can’t replace Him. Until next time I am Immigrant Daughter

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 43

Well I am a year older and wiser and still learning that I have much to learn. But also learned I have much to give. I am so blessed to be in a church family that wants me there. I know it is hard to fit in when there is not much you can help with because of not being able to move about easily and running out of steam quickly. They accept me in spite of all my shortcomings.

My sister and I played pinochle one evening and I lost all three games but enjoyed it immensely. My DIL has been very busy with her nie
ces this weekend. She took them to the River Market and walked herself tired. She picked up some sugarless wheat bread with flax seed for me and of course I had to taste it before supper. It was delicious.

I will get back to my story about my life with Carl. The first 25 years we moved about to so many places that home was, where we were at the present time. We lived in so many homes that the mortgage companies owned. We never stayed long enough to end up owning it because we always had to sell it to use as our down payment on the next house in a different place. At one point my oldest sister told me she wished could able to travel about living in different places. And I told her to be satisfied you and your husband own your home and no matter what inflation does you have your own place and no one can end your lease on short notice and you actually own it lock stock and barrel. Why is it the other side of the fence always looks greener. I just wanted her to know what she had was a blessing a lot of people wished they had in their later years. She and her husband are 88.

Carl did quite a bit of traveling in our military life and he always had extra jobs to supply funds for what our kids needed. The governments’ pay scale was always lower than civilian pay especially way back he received $99 dollars a month and room and board
But looking back I can say that kept us closer together. We never were bored with each other. He told me one day one of the things he thoroughly enjoyed was that when he came home the kids were bathed and clean up running up to him and screaming daddy. He also knew supper was ready and on the table. After we ate he always helped clean up the mess in which I was thankful for.

Our children always had their jobs to do around the house. As they got older it went from picking up their toys to keeping their rooms clean to really helping with other chores of cleaning. They got an allowance according to job and their age. It is interesting to me how the personality of children, are different in the same family. We had one thrifty and neat and willing to please; one happy go lucky and not wanting to work and always looking for ways to get out of it leaving work undone most of the time and at times having a balance of the two different personalities before becoming capable to handle anything that comes their way. I continue to pray for my children as they face some of the hard choices in life that has yet to come that they respond according to the Lords teaching.

When we celebrated our 25th anniversary in 1974 our kids were not at home and Carl was working for Glidden paint doing all sorts of jobs. This is a picture of how we looked then.Shortly after that he took a job working as a representative for Strasenburg that required him to wear a suit and tie because he had to call on doctors to sell his wares. Eventually this company was bought by Pennwalt and then merged with a French company and all through these changes Carl climbed up the ladder of responsibility of having others working for him. This required him to travel out of the state managing his men calling on doctors and making out repor
ts to turn in to the home office. He had the responsibility of hiring and firing in his territory. Eventually he became National Sales Manager of the Eastern half of the U.S.



Remember I mentioned this was the orphan boy that was thrown out with the dishwater because money ruled the roost, in the male household where the money belonged to the grandmother who told everyone what they can or can’t do.

Any job Carl had he excelled to the highest limit in spite of the odds against him. I was, extremely blessed having been married to him.

As my sister and I sit and reminisce about both our husbands having passed on and wonder at this age what is left beside sitting around not really doing any thing.

So, what we do is count our blessings. I am Immigrant Daughter.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 42

When we lived in Muncie Carl and I did quite a bit if volunteer work with collecting food from the various churches to give away at the Food Center. This created a job offer to set up and run a Food Pantry that would screen families in immediate need. The city had an item in their budget with a paid employee trying to combine how to spend the money allotted to new comers that needed immediate help.

We were asked to open and organize the collection of food and stock a pantry for immediate distribution as needed, and we call it the “Food Pantry”. We had to buy fresh items like meat, bread and eggs that required the center to have its’ own building with refrigerators and freezer so that we could lock the center when we were closed. Carl and I had full control of the food pantry and answered to Sally who was paid by the county. She one girl working for her that screened the families in need. It is amazing just how many free loaders show up to get food they don’t have to work for. That is why the screening was necessary because they had to realize they couldn’t be on the constant take. After so many days the source would dry up and theycouldn’t get any more free food until a month had passed. Sally trusted us and gave us lots of leeway. Once we were set up it was easier to arrange donations of food and monies from individuals and organizations. The Council of Churches in the area was a big help.

This was something Carl and I could work at together because we really were not ready to retire. The churches did a great job of collecting food in their congregations on a monthly schedule. This was rewarding in many ways while it was also work.
Every year a Crop Walk was scheduled. This was a 5K walk thru the city from 9am to 4pm and anyone can sign up to walk by paying an entry fee to compete for the prizes donated by business in the area. How this worked was walking the required route in the best time after you signed in. Of course there was an entry fee. This was fun and good exercise. I have several pictures of Carl and I in our German outfits, knickers and knee socks that were wool. Muncie weather was definitely cold enough to wear these. We did this pantry work for five years always giving back the small fee they gave us.

This article and picture was in the local newspaper and it was the last time we were involved in this project.
There is always a time to step down and let someone else come in with new ideas. We always said no one is irreplaceable and it best you learn that in any endeavor. It is always the better when you choose the time to step down and leave on good terms. No hard feelings that way.

At church this past Sunday for coffee time they surprised me by helping me celebrate my birthday, which was the 15th. For refreshments they had 80 cupcakes stacked up in a tier. The kids loved it because it was easier to take one and eat it on the spot.


Holland America sent me this wonderful card. I thought it was pretty enough to share.

The last two days have been outstanding. Since my sister Electra arrived we haven’t stopped talking except to sleep. She has filled in many of the different times of my childhood. It is something special about being the baby of the family. There are many stories I was involved in and have no knowledge of that my sister kept hearing that I looked like my mother more than any of the children. We both had dark hair like moms, my oldest sister had light two-tone hair, with one eye dark and one light. The way girls color their hair today with a mixture of shades Sophia’ would have been be in style. My next sister Marie had auburn hair with brown eyes. My two brothers had dark curly hair and my sister Electra and I had dark brown straight hair that looked black. But when I was younger as a little girl I had light brown hair. It’s amazing how our growth changes in intervals. Once we pass puberty we really change constantly.

In our immediate family the children are all with different color hair and complexions . After my family I am not surprised. In the summer I just get dark and Carl had to cover up because he burned easily. When he was aboard ship he told me that he was a constantly burned sailor even with a shirt on all the time. And as he grew older that didn’t change so he just suffered with sunburn and being red all the time.

I see I am near the signing off point, so until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 41

There was a time when it didn’t matter to me what day it was or the hour. But I have to mention I want time to pass quickly these first two weeks in June. My sister Electra is coming to stay a month and I am excited because June is our month and this will be the first time in a long time that we will be together with no schedule to rush us anywhere. I am so looking forward to her visit. She will arrive on the 14th of June any stay until July 21st. Someone asked won’t you get tired of having company that long. I said you don’t tire of family. Because if something is not quite right you can say so and correct it before feelings are hurt. There is nothing like a bond between sisters. I am truly blessed having a sister like Electra.

I want to add here that it still doesn’t matter what day or time it is I just know that I am older and really don’t have any one to worry about but me and sometimes that scares me a little. My DIL calls me every morning to make sure I am awake and more often than not I am. Sometimes I wish I could sleep later but my body just doesn’t let me. My daughters call often one of them at least every other day in the evening.

I have a picture of my two sisters that are living and they are seven and eight years older than I am. Out of six of us three of us are left. My oldest sister and her husband live close by my sister who is coming to visit this month and she called me the other day sounding down in the dumps. She told me she calls me because she knows I won’t let her stay that way because I won’t listen to her complaining. I keep telling her she has lots to be thankful for she and her husband are alive these many years together. They have two boys one living in the same town and the other a couple hours away. The one takes such good care of them and is always putting them first even though his mother gives him a hard time. I call him often to get the scoop on my sister. Her personality is hyper all the time and sometimes it causes problems because she can’t remember what she has said.

I miss not being able to cut my grass I will be happy when I can move about more freely. My hip is healed but balance is still beyond my reach. I can drive well enough and have the sense to stay off the streets at the busiest times. I hope the car wash will be open today when I am in town because my car is so dirty on the outside. That’s another thing my honey use to keep up by taking it through the car wash regularly. You know the more I talk about life in general the more I realize how many things we did together. I then realize I need to wake up and take charge of my day because if I don’t life will just pass me by and I will get nothing done.

I am trying to arrange some projects my sister and I can do together. I love to do puzzles and can pick one for us. It has to fit on a card table 30 x 30 otherwise I won’t be able to leave it up. Usually 1000 piece will fit. My granddaughter bought me one that I couldn’t keep because it was bigger than any place I had. Does anyone else like to do puzzles? I did take a picture or two of the ones I finished. Carl and I took a trip to Lake Powell and I purchased a puzzle and after I patiently struggled putting it together 2 pieces were missing. That can be frustrating when I wrote the makers of the puzzle they just sent me a new one. It’s been long enough in time so I can now attempt to start that one. It will bring back many fond memories of the trip and places we went.

It is 92 degrees today and there is a nice breeze. When I got back from going to the doctor to pick up a script for this cough and whatever is making noises in my chest the dogs were waiting under the porch just to come in where it is cool on my floor. They are both stretched out right by my feet in the passageway where I couldn’t make a move without them knowing about. I am always amazed at the size of the small dog’s bladder. When I move to get up or the next room I have to make a bathroom stop. I use to imagine the dogs had to go too. I put them outside and they sit near the door never getting off the porch just looking at the door and just waiting to come back in. Animals are amazing.

We always tried to have the family together for Thanksgiving whenever we lived close enough to the kids. Carl and I never insisted they spend Christmas with us because they have another side to consider. So it may it easier if they could spend Thanksgiving with us. The last one they spent with us was while we stilled lived in Indiana. I had them all together and we made a trip to the mall and had a picture taken. The photographer said He never took a group picture of 15 and said we willbe scrunched together and I said that is okay just as long as we are all in it. The only goof was I wanted a blue background and trying to get us all to fit the backdrop turned the dark falling down over the blue curtain.
But I can see all the faces and that is what was important. I enjoy looking at that picture often and remember what a good time we had. I never had another opportunity to have them all together again.

Later I will tell you of our 25th and 50th anniversaries but there was always someone missing. Until then I am Immigrant Daughter.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 40

Here is another new day and with each one I am thankful. I left you in the last publication talking about my second daughter and family. I will try to pick up more stories about their growth into a busy family. I didn’t get a chance to continue and here it is after Memorial Day and I will try to get this part of my story down so that I can post.

Oh my, it’s starting to rain and I have a metal roof on my porch that is attached to my Mobile home and I love to hear the sound of the rain. We have had our share of rain. I watched the Indy 500 race off and on until the end. I always am amazed when I see a race car crash and disintegrate before my eyes and then the driver gets out alive. I am still in awe. They are all good drivers that’s for sure.

Kim ‘s family, were debaters in the home school circuit and were good quite. There is only one left at home now and he just completed finals. I haven’t heard the results of the past weekend. The next few pictures show the their kids at different ages.

The twins graduated from high school last June and I had an opportunity to attend the Home School graduation. It’s interesting how the graduation was held and there were about 16 seniors in their group.

I must tell you my life really has changed since Carl died. I get remorseful at times and have to work hard at shrugging it off. We did so many things together that it’s very hard sometimes to be alone. I can’t imagine all the cases that Cindy has that have so much turmoil going on between spouses. There just isn’t enough respect and consideration for couples to make the marriage last. My son is an example of not honoring his marriage vows, as he should. We all have to make the choice between right and wrong for ourselves and I am sad to say his choice was not the right one.

Television and access to the Internet has really hurt the family togetherness. There aren’t any family rules and the parents fail in their responsibility in raising their children according to the ten commandants but I guess I just lived too long because my family was raised by Godly rules and still my son made the wrong choice and he turned 60 Memorial Day, I cried for him. As an adult he is a juvenile delinquent.

His son my first grandson is a joy to be around, just listening to him talk about nature and tracking the wild life. I am fascinated of all the things that the earth reveals that I never noticed before. This is a picture of him and my sister. He is building a wigwam in the woods that he could stay in to be protected from the elements. He is trying to learn all he can about living off the land. It’s not something his mother or I would rough it to sleep in unless we absolute had to. Our idea of camping out is a Holiday Inn that serves breakfast.

I am enjoying the warmer weather. They predict it will be in the 90s this next few days. The thing that bothers me the most is spiders and just now as I am typing at spider ran across the table behind the computer but I try to keep things that I need close so I just reached for my fly swatter hanging close by and got him before he got away. Is there anyone else who does not like spiders? I guess I will have to go buy that Ortho Defense spray that you put along the outside windows and base board inside to keep bugs out. There again is another thing I never had to worry about because my better half used to take care of that for me. I can see I was spoiled being loved and cared for.


I am trying to get back to oil painting again. I started to do another lighthouse on the waterline to nowhere in particular. I seems as though I forgot quite a bit about painting with oils. I gave all my paintings to my girls when I moved here to asmaller space and they took pictures of them for me and here is one I did many years ago.

I will keep you posted as to how I am doing, so until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter.