Steampunk Granny Reminisces About the Ole Days

                                                                             

I’ve been reminded many times by my grandsons who are better known as the Desperadoes in most of my family blog stories that I’m old. In fact, the youngest once told me that I was probably as old as the dinosaurs. Little smart ass, but maybe they came to that conclusion when I was telling them how different my childhood was from theirs. They could not get over the fact that we did not have cell phones or computers.

“How did you keep in touch with your friends?” Nathan asked.  

“We called them on the phone, or walked over to their house, but if they lived too far away; we wrote letters,” I replied.

“No cell phones?”

 

                                                                    

“You know that heavy old black phone in Grandpop Fred’s house?” I asked and waited for his nod. “Well, it was connected to the wall and that’s where you made your calls.”

                                                                 

My friend Rita sent some photos to me that demonstrates perfectly the immense progress we’ve made since I was a kid, but these pictures also feature a few objects that will be sadly missed.

Nathan, this is for you.

This is what my Grandmother would wash her clothes in and then hang the clothing outside on clotheslines that stretched from one side of the yard to the other. We would play hide and seek between the sheets and if it began to rain, the whole family ran outside to help get the clothing inside before they got wet.

                                                                             

My generation didn't have video games or expensive toys. We played outside for hours and the games we had were passed down to our little brothers and sisters. We were not allowed to break our toys.

                                                                     

 

 

 

We didn't have MP3 Players or I-Pods or Smart phones to listen to music. When the transistor radio came out, my friends and I thought we were super cool to be able to bring our music with us. We only got radio stations. There was no downloading of music. You listened to what you got.

 

                                                           

                                                                  

When we were sick, our parents had their own version of a first aid kit, but if that didn't work then the doctor would make a house call. Yep, our family doctor not only came to the house to take care of us, but he would often stay for dinner

 

                                                                    

 

We girls didn't have the money to get pedicures or manicures or even go to a hairdresser, but we did one hell of a job teasing or hair and then spraying with enough hairspray to repel atomic weapons

 

                                                           

 

Uncle Mike, Aunt Jane and Me.

 

Oh, one more thing. As far as discipline, our parents believed in spanking and so did the Nuns at our Catholic School. When we went home and told our parents that the Nuns had smacked us with a ruler, they would give us another smack for upsetting the teacher.

 

                                                                

 

We didn't have it as easy as the kids today, but we sure as hell knew how to have a good time.

 

                                                             

 

Yes, Nathan, your granny is old, but not as old as the dinosaurs and I will always love you...from here to the moon and back. I hope I live long enough to hear you explain to your grandchildren that things were better when you were a kid.





Sisters, All for One and One for All

                                                                

                                                                   

             Jane                                      Lucy                                    Marie

WARNING; THE THOUGHTS LISTED BELOW ARE MY OWN  PERSONAL BELIEFS AND I'M NOT ATTACKING ANYONE'S RELIGION...EXCEPT FOR THE RELIGIONS THAT DO NOT CONSIDER WOMEN AS EQUALS.

 

I have lots of sisters! Sure, I have my wonderful and lovely biological sisters Jane and Lucy, whom most of you have met either in person or in my “Life with Fred and Lucy” stories, but I also have close friends that I call sister.
                                                                           

We are all the daughters of Eve in a genetic and evolutionary way. If Eve did exist in the biblical sense, then she was framed big time and we have suffered the repercussions ever since that fateful day. Yeah, I’m talking about the crime to beat all crimes; taking a bite of the forbidden apple. Where was Eve’s lawyer? The woman was innocent.

My take on the Garden of Eden is this. GOD made Adam and then told him, “Get to know your world. I’ll check on you in a day or two.” When GOD returned to check on his prized creation, he realized that Adam would not last until the big creation celebration at the end of the week/ evolutionary chain of events.  Adam had a bad attitude and he assumed that he could do whatever he wanted to do, after all, he was a man and above all of nature.

                                                                 

GOD called all his trusted winged messengers in for a, emergency conference. A heated argument broke out with Lucifer who thought that the Dinosaurs should have never been exterminated, but in the end, the resulting decision was to make a helpmate for the arrogant man. Eve was created as Adam’s equal and GOD’s new and improved version of the human race. GOD gave Eve the order, “Keep that knucklehead out of trouble.”

Eve had her hands full. Adam had already acquired an attitude about taking a woman's advice. Adam wanted the forbidden apples. Lucifer came up with a plan to prove GOD wrong. First he approached Eve with a deal. “Eat the apple from that tree. It will give you knowledge, and as a added benefit, you can eat all the chocolate in the world and never gain an ounce.”

“I already have knowledge, and what the hell is chocolate?" Knowing the devil for the trickster that he was, Eva  sent him packing, saying, "Hit the road, Jack.”

Later in the week, Adam was approached by Lucifer, but this time the devil offered a sweeter deal. "You get to do what you want and I'll throw in a recliner, beer and junk food to watch all your football games." 

Adam not only ate all the damn apples, but he blamed Eve. The rest is history.
                                                                        

Sisters, we are many and we have to look out for each other: Stop calling other women nasty names; stop gossiping about each other; stop breaking up marriages; stop being nasty to your daughters.

We need to stand up for each other. We need to speak out when we see other women being attacked or abused by men. No religion, country or state or man can tell us what to do with our bodies. We cannot be forced to bear children against our will, and no religion can claim that a man is master over a woman; it is a lie!




The crimes against women around the globe must stop now. We are every woman’s sister. We are equal to men. Women should never be denied education. The men who try to stop them are evil. We are the children of GOD. Stand up and speak out for all your sisters around the Globe
                                                                                  

Steampunk Granny's Big Hug and Thank You

                                                                 

                   

On Sunday, June 29, 2014 I did a book launch for my apocalyptic tale with a twist, Roof Oasis, at the Treehouse Coffee Shop in Audubon. There is my banner outside of the Treehouse. Joining me that day at the tables was Dawn Byrnes, better known as Super D to all our friends in the South Jersey Writers’ Group. Dawn and I are responsible for selling our group’s anthologies.

                                                                        

                                                      ReRe and me setting up.                              

My daughter, ReRe, her husband Jim of Reid’s Auto Repairs in South Philly, and my two grandsons, Joshua and Nathan were there to sell her jewelry and to handle the children’s craft corner. Marybeth, a friend of Josh, was kidnapped into playing photographer and what a great job she did. Thank you Marybeth!

                   

                                       

My editor Pattie O’Brien was there to celebrate in my big day and to introduce me when it was time for my reading from the book. She was also selling her ‘Bottles of Inspirations’ which proved to be very popular.
                                                                    

                                                    

My granddaughter, Allie, the fashion designer in the family was selling her Steampunk and Cosplay jewelry and she made the pin that I word on my dress. It represented my writing. Thank you, Allie.

                                                                         

                                                   Me with my husband, Dan.

My husband Dan was put to work collecting money and giving out tickets for our guests to win a door prize. I drove the poor man crazy.

                                                            

                                                              

 

The Treehouse was packed with family and friends from all paths of my life starting with our writers’ group, friends from the Academy of Natural Sciences, St. Agnes Hospital, friends from my Zumba class, friends from my old neighborhood in South Philly, and even my ghost hunting friends were there.

 

                                                                   

              
                                                            

                             

                                                                     

Life With Fred & Lucy Episode 32: Don't Kill Patty

                                                              

My sister Lucy, who was the youngest of Fred and Lucy’s spawn and, had somehow survived past her infancy in spite of her older siblings as told on this episode, had received a Patti PlayPal Doll for Christmas. Lucy was so happy to have a doll that was just her size. Lucy really loved that doll. Unfortunately, she lived in a dysfunctional home and Patti’s survival looked dim

Patty Play Pal

This doll was the big hit in 1961 and the best way for you to understand how big a deal it was to own a Patti PlayPal, is to see the commercial.

 

That year, my brother, Michael, had also received a Christmas gift that he’d been hoping good, ole, Santa would bring him. His gift was a Remco Science kit which held all kinds of scientific experiments. Michael was ready to play Dr. Frankenstein. A few days later, while Michael was setting up his diabolical laboratory, my mother was in the kitchen washing dishes.
                                                                  
                                                                     

                 Michael, Jane, Mom, unknown doll, Patty Play Pal and Little Lucy

Mom was at the sink and she wanted someone to dry the dishes. There was a mirror over the kitchen sink. To this day, I don’t know why my father would have hung a mirror over the kitchen sink, but I suspect it was to see what we were doing behind his back.
                                                                                    
                                                                      

                                              you can see the mirror over the sink

Unknown to Mom, Lucy left her Patti doll sitting at the kitchen table while she ran to the bathroom. Mom thinks it’s my sister sitting at the table and when Lucy ignored her request for help, my mother gave a "Gibbs smack to the back of the doll's head and it went flying off the chair. My mother let out a scream thinking she had seriously hurt little Lucy.

Little Lucy had just returned to the kitchen to see Patti lying on the floor. “You killed Patti!” Lucy cried out, but luckily Patti wasn't damaged. That would soon change with my brother planning his first experiment.                                                                      

My sister Lucy came home from school one day to find a badly scarred Patti sitting on her bed. There were stiches drawn in permanent ink across her face, arms and legs and one of her eyes was a bit crooked. “Mikeeeeey,” she screamed in horror.

                                                                          

My brother came running into the bedroom wearing a white lab coat and holding a pen knife. When Lucy, who was in tears, asked why he broke her doll, his reply was, “I saved the patient.”

My father gave the good doctor a spanking and tried to undo the damage to Patti, but she was destined to remain a character from a horror movie.  Lucy refused to play with her doll in public. It was too painful explaining to her little friends that our family was more like the Addams Family. Later that year, Patti lost a limb during another one of Michael’s experiment. Patti was finally put to rest in doll heaven, better known as the basement.
                                                               

 I'm writing an apocalyptic series and in the first book, Roof Oasis, one of my characters is a robot. I named her Patty in honor of Lucy’s doll, but unlike my sister's doll, no one can hurt this Patty. She’s armed.

Life with Fred and Lucy, Episode 31: Street Smarts

                                                                               

How does one acquire street smarts? If you have parents with a bad case of OCD and paranoia, the answer is easy; trust no one. My father was a survivor of “The Great Depression” and my mother moved here from Naples, Italy right as Mussolini was in power and becoming chummy with Hitler, so they saw things that probably stayed with them for a long time.

My father could tell by a person’s body language if they were up to no good. Every once in a while, when a customer entered our store, Fred would say to us four kids, “Keep an eye on him or her. They’re going to steal something.”

                                                                   

 

Since I usually played the role of ‘Devil’s Advocate’ I would quickly counter with, “But…dad, they go to school with us. I don’t think they’re like that.”

“Just watch,” my father would snap back his reply, folding his arms in confirmation. Damn! He was right. I would watch from a hidden section of the story and see friends and neighbors that I knew or thought I knew, pocket candy or cakes, rolls, etc. into coat pockets or purses.

My father was a fountain of behavior profiling before it was ever a science or used by law enforcement agencies. These are just a few of his theories: Always check their eyes; If they won’t look you in the eye, they’re hiding something; If they keep glancing around as if nervous, they’re getting ready to do something bad; If they keep clearing their throats when speaking to you, they are in the act of lying.

                    The sisters practicing self-defense on each other                                          

 

Why were Fred and Lucy always on target? It was a gift. With my mom, I think it had to do with her psychic abilities and with Fred maybe it was the horror of growing up during very hard times. My father said he could usually tell if a person was ‘missing a few days of the week’ (the code for knuckleheads) by looking at their eyes. There were so many times that my father and I would argue because he didn’t like one of my friends. “Keep away from that kid! There’s something wrong with them.” Fred was usually right about the friends that he didn’t like, but at the time I was too angry to appreciate his attempts to protect me.

The behavior profiling didn’t stop in the store. My parents were always telling us kids how to be aware of your surroundings while away from home. Here is a list of Fred and Lucy’s truisms: Always keep looking behind you when walking on the street; if you’re suspicious about someone who is approaching you; cross the street and then walk quickly away; lock your car door as soon as you get into the car; hold your purse close to your body; if there is a group heading your way, and you’re afraid, then walk into the street.

I wondered if walking into oncoming traffic was wise, but Fred had an answer for that too. “If you have to get hit by a car to keep from getting dragged into the bushes; do it.” Since we did not have bushes in South Philly, I kind of ignored that bit of advice, but it did come in handy years later.                                                                     

We kids became street wise and there were dangerous situations that we were able to avoid or get away from because of the lessons learned from Fred and Lucy. I passed these lessons on to my daughter, and she to her children.
                                                                   

Recently, my youngest grandson was being followed by a white pick-up truck. It could have been innocent, but… he was nervous. It didn’t seem right that the truck would drive real slow as it followed him home for almost two weeks. ReRe notified the police who took down the information. Was that enough for my daughter and I? Hell no!
                                                                        

My daughter and I began our stake-out. We had coffee, cameras, and dark sunglasses. We were ready for the white pick-up.  We would watch as Nathan left the school to walk home; wait a few minutes to see if anyone followed and then we tailed Nathan until he reached home.

                          We were trying to be like Cagney and Lacey                                          

 We did this for several weeks and collected a few suspicious license plate numbers for the police. We may have scared the shit out of the men in that white pick-up, because Nathan hasn’t seen the truck since we began our stake-out.  The investigation is still on going, but to make sure Nathan was 'street smart ready', I re-stated my parent’s warnings.

Be Street Smart and pass it down.

Fred & Lucy Episode 28: Mother's Day

                                                                  

                                                      

       Aunt Ann on (L) Uncle Mario (Center) and Mommy on (R) Naples, Italy

I’ve been writing about the adventures of Fred and Lucy as a memorial to my parents and to share some of the crazy stuff that happened while I and my siblings grew up in South Philadelphia. The stories are also a way for me to remember the good times and not just the sad.

                                                                       

                                                        Aunt Ann, Grandmom, Mom

My mother was born way before her time and her independent and self-absorbed ways often shocked friends and family alike, but it was her children who saw all of Lucy's different identities. My mother would have been happy working for a major movie company as she was very talented and had a great voice. Mom loved to be the center of attention.  In fact, my mom and her sister, Ann, both sang at the Italian Opera House located near the Italian Market when they had first moved here from Naples in the late 30's.

                                                                                           

I don’t think my mother was prepared for marriage and children, and although she did try her best to make things work out, we kids knew that there was something missing, something wrong, and when my mom decided to take off to California; we weren’t surprised.

                                                          

My mother was not able to commit to the struggles of working long hours in a grocery store and raising four very active children. Lucy loved to party and travel and we would have hindered her adventures. Mom had a personality disorder, but this was only diagnosed much later in her life. Did it ease the pain of her leaving us or not being there for the important events in our lives?

No, but at least we had a diagnosis for why we were left behind. She was a product of her genetic history. I’ve always wondered if she got this trait from her father, because Grandmom Chiusolo was a saint and our guardian angel while she lived.
                                                                     

                    Mom and brother Michael                                                

Mother’s Day is coming up and I’ll be spending this holiday with my daughter. My siblings and I often discuss my mother and try to figure out why she could only love us on her conditions and by her rules. My brother has forgiven her, but there are scars that reveal themselves when he speaks about her or Fred. My sisters and I love her, but we are each trying to find ways to forgive her. My Fred and Lucy stories are helping me to forgive and forget, and to love my mom for who she was.
                                                           

None of us are perfect and we should not force perfection on others. And, if my daughter can forgive all the stupid mistakes I’ve made raising her, then I should do the same for Lucy. My mother and my father’s spirits hang out at my house and I’m hoping that Lucy and Fred are enjoying the weekly episodes about them as much as my followers. The picture below is Mom with second husband, Tom.                             

                                              

                                                 Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy
          And a Happy Mother's Day wish for all the mommies out there

Life with Fred & Lucy, Part 26: Grandmom's Exploding Chicken

                                                                        

     Aunt Anna,                                Grandmom Marie                                              Lucy

I loved my maternal grandmother. She was a loving, funny, generous woman who made each of her grandchildren feel special. My mother was not allowed to hit us if Grandmom was around, and when we were very young, Grandmom was at our house a lot.

                                                              

My mom was not your Betty Crocker type of housewife and had no interest in cooking, so while my dad worked at as a conductor on the old Trolleys, Grandmom would come over and help my mother prepare the meals. Sometimes she would bring her dog, Blackie and sometimes she would bring her pet chickens. She traveled by taxi. She was afraid that Grandpop Chiusolo would kill the chickens and eat them while she was away. The chickens had Italian names, but I don’t remember what they were.                                                                            
                                                                   

I’ve always thought it strange how nice the taxi driver was with Grandmom, helping her out of the cab as she clutched both birds in her arms. She paid him from her black change purse. Do you remember those change purses? Every Italian grandmother had one.                                                

Once inside our house, Grandmom put the chickens in our yard and began helping mom with dinner while Jane and I played with the chickens. The chickens were not at all happy with Jane and me dressing them in doll’s clothes. 
                                                                                                                                     
These chicken visits went on for a while, until one of the chickens got hurt in Grandmom’s yard. It became Sunday dinner….well it would have been dinner if it wasn’t for the explosion. Grandmom had an old kitchen. Her stove looked just like the one on the Honeymooners.

                                                                           
 She had to light a match and ignite the oven, which she did after she put the roasting pan and chicken in the oven. Grandmom’s kitchen was small. All the houses on Ellsworth Street in South Philly were small. Grandmom had two windows in her kitchen. The one directly across from the oven faced her neighbor’s kitchen window. The distance between houses maybe six feet, so by now I think you know where this story is going, right?

Somehow, the flame went out in the oven while the chicken was cooking and Grandmom, for some strange reason, took too long striking the match to re-ignite the oven. There was a loud blast and the door of the oven flew open, knocking grandmother to the floor.  The roasting pan with chicken flew through the closed window and continued through the neighbor’s window to land on their table.

 

My mother got the call and packed Jane and I into the car and rushed over to help Grandmom. The Fire Department was there because of the gas explosion, as were all the neighbors. My poor Grandmom was a bit shaken and covered in soot, but otherwise, okay. The neighbors returned the roasting pot with a chicken that was burnt and covered in glass. Later that year, they build a concrete block wall. I wonder why?
                                                                                                                                    
After we helped Grandmom clean up the mess, my mom ordered cheese steaks from the famous Pat’s Steaks on 9^th street and we ate in the yard because the kitchen still smelled like smoke. They had to get a new range.

                                                                 

Grandmom continued to visit with her dog or chicken even after we moved into the grocery store. I still remember the expressions on our customers’ faces whenever Grandmom walked into our store, clutching the chicken tightly in her arm.

Love you, Grandmom.

Jimmy's Farewell Party

                                                                                   

I was there in the delivery room with my daughter when Jimmy was born. I knew from that first moment that my first grandson was going to be a warrior. How? Well for starters, he punched the doctor who delivered him in the nose within seconds after being born. No! I’m not exaggerating. My grandson reached up and popped the doctor in the nose. We all laughed about this even the doctor.

                                                                  

 

Growing up, Jimmy was always fascinated by Ninjas, swords, knights and soldiers. He and his brothers fought many battles in my back yard as they pretended to be pirates or Samurai warriors. I was often encouraged to join in the battle, but most of the time was assigned the job of corpse or prisoner. After Jimmy graduated from High School, he joined the United States Marines. Oorah! But, what my daughter, her husband and his grandparents didn’t know was that Jimmy had been planning this for some time.

                                                                   

 

My daughter and her husband had a big send-off party this past Saturday for Jimmy who will be heading to Camp Lejeune for infantry training.

                                                                                       

Friends and family all gathered around to celebrate and it was the best time ever. Plenty of good food and conversations made the whole day perfect. 

                                                                                

I even got to visit with my daughter’s childhood friend, Rita Palange-Screnci, who was there with her husband and son. Rere and Rita were always together, through thick and thin, and I’ve come to think of Rita as my second daughter.

                                                                     

                                                                   11 year old Rere and Rita

Jimmy’s younger brothers, Joshua and Nathan are sure going to miss their big brother. Who will they fight with? Oh yeah, each other!

                                                                  

 

The perfect party included a surprise visit from the bike club, Warriors Watch Riders of NJ, who stopped by to say goodbye. Joshua and his friend Tyler get the credit for arranging this. Tyler’s dad is a member of the Warriors Watch Riders. Thank you, Mr. Tucci. Jimmy's childhood friend, Sean is also leaving for military tour, overseas. Stay safe, soldier. 

                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

I was thinking as I watched Jimmy joke with his friends and family at the party, that it has been a blessing watching him grow from that infant, who came out fighting, to the man he is now.

                                                                                            

 When he leaves on Tuesday, he’ll take his family’s love and support with him, but….also a nice chunk of his parent’s and grandparent’s souls. That’s how we live forever…giving chunks of ourselves (our souls) away to our children, grandchildren, and future generations. Oorah!