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
                                                                                  

The Sisters Learn the Meaning of Old

                                                               

My sister Lucy retired from her Crossing Guard job and with me in between jobs; we have more time to hang out together. Lucy and I are in fairly good shape; we walk several miles a day; run after grandkids; leap tall buildings in a single bound…well maybe not leap…more like trip.

                                                               

Lucy joined a senior citizen center in South Philly that offers exercise classes every day and has a room with all kinds of weight lifting and muscle building equipment. She wanted me to join with her.

“Why should I exercise with a bunch of old people?” I asked, folding my arms in protest.

                                                      

        Me and Lucy

                                                         

“Because we’re old,” was her counter. Who me? NAH!
                                                                                  
Anyway…I joined the center with her because it was a chance for two sisters, who have been working ever since they were seven years old, to finally do activities together.

We signed up for the exercise classes which included a zumba routine. Most of the women in that class were at least 80 years old, while the others were closer in age to Lucy and me. The instructor teaching our class was about my age. Piece of cake, I thought to myself. Turning towards Lucy, I foolishly said, “This will  be easy.”                Wrong!!!!!!

                                                            

Hells bells and flab on a cracker! The instructor gave us one heck of a workout. Calling out commands like a drill sergeant, she had us moving body parts that I wasn’t aware even existed. Lucy and I were huffing and puffing and falling all over our own feet.

                                                                      

What about those women who were in their 80’s and I think there was one close to 90? They were doing just peachy fine; didn’t even break a sweat. WTF!  
 

                                                         

                                                            

Lucy and I will continue to go to the gym every day, but we might wear a disguise, especially 
 if those old ladies keep laughing at us.

                                                                                      

Sisters Part 4: Grandkids, Cousins and Washing Machines

 

                                                                    

 

Jane hasn’t been to Philadelphia for seven years. Her last time here was when our father died. Jane hates to fly; hates to fly!!! The day her plane took off, she hit every big storm from Chicago to Philadelphia. Instead of arriving on Monday, at 7:20 p.m. She didn’t get in until close to one on Tuesday Morning.

                                                                   

                                                             Lucy and Jane

                         We’ve been visiting people and people have been visiting us.

                                                                      

          

                                                    Cousins Jerry, Carol and Donny with Jane

 

                                                                                   

                     Visiting my daughter's house. Jimmy, me, Jane, Nicole, Nathan and ReRe

                                                                                   

                               Jane, ReRe, me, Nathan, Nicole in the background and Joshua

 

We have a running joke in our family that every time we get a visitor from California, things go wrong in Philadelphia. We call it the California Curse. My sister Jane was only here for two days and our new washer broke; died would be a better term. When the repairman came out, he said there was something wrong with the Circuit Board.

                                                                     

“Do you mean just like the circuit board in a car? I asked my husband.

"More like the space shuttle," he replied.

                                                                   

 

Apparently, our energy saving high efficient washer crashed just like my personal computer did three times last year. We have to wait for the new circuit board to come in. Why am I telling you this? Well, I haven’t been to a Laundromat for close to forty years; things change. I couldn’t get over the sizes of the washers. There was one washer called the Magna Dexter. This baby could wash a year’s worth of clothing in one wash for eight dollars and fifty cents. My sofa would fit inside, with room to spare.

                                                                     

 

Jane and I picked the triple load washer for our needs. The cost was three dollars and fifty cents. I didn’t have the correct change, but the Laundromat has change machines. I stuck in my ten dollar bill, expecting to get all ones back, but…

…After I returned to the washer with ten dollars-worth of quarters, Jane and I tried to figure out where to put the detergent and softener. The washer was taller than us; we’re short; jumping up and down to read the instructions can sometimes frighten people. Luckily, the regular customers who thought we were escapees from the looney bin finally helped us.

The clothes are back home and nice and clean. I’m dying to try the Magna Dexter, maybe next wash day.  

Sisters: Part 3

                                                                               

My sister is visiting us from Napa California. Yep! The wine country; where everyone is happy. It must be the good wine.

                                                                          

            Don't we look happy? We were feeling no pain that day on the Wine Tour


                                                          

                                                             Little sister, Lucy
                

                                                                         

                      Brother Mike and his wife Joann, with Lucy and I on the Wine Train.



        Anyway, Jane wanted to know what we do at a book signing, so I took her to one.



She traveled with Dawn and I to Mullica Hill, N.J. to the Crescent Moon Coffee shop. Great place, great coffee and great food. We were joined by members of the South Jersey Writers Group

                                                                    

              From left to right: Amy, Christine, Dawn, Marie, Patti, Nanci, Barb



Jane fit right in with the group of authors who are featured in Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey.

                                    Jane even helped us sell books. Hooray for Jane!!
                                                                            

This month, I'll be taking her to a Steampunk Event at Dorian's Parlor and later in the month to a ghost hunting investigation.


Stay Tuned for more stories about "The Sisters"

Memories of a Crossing Guard

 

                                                                  

      

 

My little sister, Lucy Moses, is retiring from her crossing guard job with the city of Philadelphia. Lucy started this job in 1990 and after twenty-four years, she’s hanging up her bright green neon vest and raincoat.

You may remember my mentioning Lucy in several of my blogs; she’s the peacekeeper between middle sister Jane and me.

                                                                                

Believe me, it’s no small feat keeping me and Jane from fighting. The fighting in the Middle East looks like a Sunday picnic compared to our battles. In this particular picture, you  see me attempting to block Jane from the camera. Right after the picture was taken, Lucy turned around and kicked me; she had had enough!                                                                     

Lucy always held two jobs: As a Crossing Guard where she had to be at her post three times a day; file clerk for Dr. Malloy’s office on Passyunk Ave when not on the corner; and for a few years as a cashier at Thrift Drugs. She also had a house to care for and three boys; 10 years old twin boys and a 14 year old son.

She had earned the name “St. Lucy of the Elements” because she was on the corner of 17^th and Ritner and later 18^th and Porter Street in all types of weather.

                                                                      

 

Lucy took her job seriously. The safety of the school children, who crossed her corner, was her number one priority. Every year before the first day of school, Lucy would have the same recurring nightmare. She was shielding the children from an oncoming Mack truck that refused to stop.

I could understand her nightmares, because in reality crossing guards must deal with drivers, who should never be in the driver’s seat, ever!!! Remember this when you see the crossing guards standing on street corners using their bodies as shields to protect the innocents who cross back and forth to school.

I asked my sister to tell me the good stuff of being a crossing guard, and this is what she said.

“I loved interacting with the parents and children who crossed at my corner. I watched as children I crossed grew up in front of me, and later, I would be crossing their children. There is a bond between the children, parents and crossing guard that is based on trust. The parents trust us to keep their children from walking into the path of an oncoming car and that the children head straight to school or home. Even the older adults, who cross at my corner, form a bond with me. I’m the friendly face to confide in.”

I enjoyed the comradery between the crossing guards and also between the crossing guards and the police officers of the 1rst district. We looked out for each other and the children entrusted to our care.

                                                                               

Where there any bad parts to being a crossing guard?

“When it rained, for some reason, drivers pretended they could not see me. This would be unremarkable except that I was dressed in a bright neon green raincoat. I’m pretty sure that the Russian space station could see me. It was so bad sometimes that I felt like borrowing the bright blinking lights from a police cruiser and attaching it to my head to grab the attention of the oblivious drivers.

The worst part of the job was the strain on your feet from standing, the heat, the cold and during the winter the constant dressing and undressing from the multitude of layers to keep me from becoming a human Popsicle.

I don’t even want to mention the bugs. Even though some drivers ignored the neon green vest that I wore, the bugs loved it! I don’t know what type of flower they thought I was, but they were definitely attracted to the color.

Are there funny memories that you would like to share?

It wasn’t too funny when it happened, but now that I look back on it; it is. There were many days over my 24 years of service that during torrential rainstorms, I would need to frequently pull off my boots to empty the rain that had accumulated inside.

One year, after Philadelphia was hit with 30 inches of snow, I came back to the corner to find a 15 foot hill of snow blocking me and the children from safely crossing the street. But, like the mail carriers, neither snow nor rain can keep a crossing guard from carrying out her duties; I found a way to cross the children.

I could always tell by the way people drove past the corner if there was a full moon. You see a lot of strange stuff. I’ve seen people brushing their teeth as they drove by; putting on make-up; and even men shaving their face. You name it; I’ve seen it. I was even mooned by a student on a school bus.

What are your plans for retirement, anything special?

My sister Jane is coming out this month. I plan on doing a lot of day trips. Most importantly, I need to keep Marie from killing Jane.


                                                                               

They constantly disagree on politics and religion. My sister Marie is trying to get me to go ghost hunting with her, but I have enough problems with the living.

I’ll have more time to spend with the grandkids and to work on the house. Whatever I decide to do in the future, I’m happy knowing that I kept a lot of children safe and that is a good way to retire from a job.

                                                                       My Grandkids

 

Sister Love

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
                              Me, my sister Lucy playing referee, and Jane
                                          

Even though my parents had four children, my sister Jane and I have always had this love/hate/love relationship that would rival that of the biblical Cain and Abel.
I’m the instigator for most of the arguments as I have been trying to do her in since the first day my parents took her home from the hospital, going as far as trying to give her away to the Fudgie Wudgie Ice Cream man at the Wildwood seashore.

                                                         

                                                                                          

Now don’t get me wrong, I love Jane very much, but we’re only 18 months apart and this closeness in age, apparently became the catalyst for all our squabbles our entire life.  

                                                               

                                                     

Jane and I have a younger brother and sister, but our disagreements with them were far and in between and consisted mostly of whose side they were on when Jane and I fought.

                                                            

                                                                                                                    

I was the firstborn and the little princess for our extended Italian family. My father took me everywhere and my mother made the prettiest dresses for me and my grandmother doted on me. I was, for lack of a kinder description, spoiled rotten.
                                                            

Then Jane arrived. Who was this interloper that dared to take all of my mother’s attention? Where did she come from? And better yet, how could I send her back? Remember I was only 18 months old, but I knew that this was a threat to the throne that had to be dealt with. I remember and have been told by older family members that I would try to give her away to anyone who came to visit. Fortunately for her, there were no takers.

                                                                                                                                              

My sister Lucy was and is today the peacemaker, always stepping in whenever the “War of the Planets” was about to begin. Lucy tends to be, middle of the road, live and let live, you’re both wrong, type of girl. And even now that Jane and I are both in our early sixties; Lucy often has to play the part of the “United Nations and send in the peace keeping troops.”
                                                                                           
My brother wisely keeps out of the battles, thinking we’re all nuts.

                                                                                                                                               

With my sister Jane being hard core Tea Party and I a hard core Democrat.

 our younger sister Lucy has to play referee, but I did give Jane fair warning that the Fudgie Wudgie man still exists and can still be found selling ice cream on the Wildwood beach.