February and *o*l*d* memories

It's been an amazing winter this year, and still going strong, very cold and lots of snow.  Several things had to be cancelled and rescheduled (annoying!) but keeping us all safe!  I had a good birthday and am very blessed to receive many texts, Facebook messages, calls and snail mail cards.  I participated as a server in the Chili Cook Off with the Civic League and it was fun. 

8. The Road to Grace by Richard Paul Evans (3rd in a series that I can't put down)
9. The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff (An awesome story, loved it so much!)
10.  The Sky Beneath my Feet by Lisa Samson (disappointed, but finished it anyway.)

As requested by Greg, here are some old memories:

My earliest memories until age 8 years old:

I first remember our apartment in Ivanhoe where I lived until I was 8.  I remember sleeping in a crib that was metal and was painted pink which I scraped off when I couldn't sleep, probably ate some of it, yuck!  Later we got bunk beds and I slept on the top and Pat the bottom.  We would goof around in there until Mom would threaten us with the "stick" to be quiet and go to sleep.  I think it was a yard stick.  I did get spanked when I lived in Ivanhoe.  (I wonder what I did to deserve it?)  We have these bunk beds in our house to this day, separated into twin beds for guests.

My grandmother (Ann Dorfler) lived across the street, with Aunt Nancy, Aunt Ellie, Uncle Jim and Uncle Don too.  I can remember that house clearly and have dreams to this day about it.  The bathroom scared me because it had 2 doors and I always thought someone was going to walk in on me.  We never slept overnight at Gram's.

I loved the swings at the school next door to Gram's and Pat and I would sing and swing for a long time, with no playmates.  The neighbor to the West of Gram (with a dirt floor home) had a family with the last name of Jarret.  We played with Davy Jarret often, he was the youngest of a large family.  I remember roller skating with those old skates that needed a key to tighten them over our shoes.  When mom (Dorothy Kelroy/Dort) whistled we came home immediately from wherever we were.  We were afraid of the people who lived below us, Dan & Gretchen Sife and they had a scary boxer dog.  They had a bar and Dan was a bartender and mom worked and helped there sometimes.

We went to Santa Maria Catholic School in Mundelein which required a big car pool to get us to and from.  I believe I disliked every other driver and child in our car pool.  But I ALWAYS said "thanks for the ride" and I still say that to this day, as mom instructed.  I hated school and was scared ALL of the time.  Too shy to make friends and the nuns were so strict.  I was often sick to my stomach going to school and at school.  But I didn't know better (like that public school may have been easier on me).  My mom was also afraid of the nuns.

"Barb in her school outfit.  Lunchbox."

There were often gatherings at Gram's of all the family, and they played cards and drank in the kitchen and some of the guys would walk to Wick's bar just up the street.  I was scared whenever the family got loud and boisterous.  We were mostly ignored at this time, "to be seen and not heard" was often my mom's quote about behaving.  In those days we only had books, dolls and coloring books to keep us busy.  No kid shows on TV to occupy us or any other electronics of course.  I remember that Pat sucked her thumb there a lot when sitting on the couch and I would rock back and forward to feel better.

Not until we were old enough were we invited to learn to play poker in my Gram's kitchen, For family meals, Pat and I were to sit at a small table next to the big one and Uncle Don sat at the end of the big table, always watching what we ate and telling us to eat this or that, things we didn't like.  He was mean to us until we grew up and he had a son of his own.  I remember loving Gram's corn on the cob and chicken meals.

Gram/Grandma Ann/Ann Delacey Dorfler

I remember our Christmas tree always had long icicles which was the best part, not the newer light weight ones, but heavy (maybe lead/bad for us I guess because they outlawed them eventually) and straight. We had one song stuck in our heads "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and we were on our best behavior to be good...."you better watch out, you better not cry, you better be good, I'm telling you why"...When we had the family Christmas party at Gram's, everyone dressed up, like suits for the men and dresses for the ladies.

At home we learned to set the table for supper.  Dishes, silverware, "salt & pepper, sugar & cream, bread & butter".  We drank lots of milk.  We usually didn't like most meals and liver was the worst.  Mom would put one piece of bacon on top of a piece of liver and we had to eat it.  Could NOT leave the table until we got it down.  We were given a spoonful of cod liver oil every morning also.  She also made boiled potatoes a lot and I don't know why she didn't just mash them to make them better.

I liked to watch boxing on TV with my Dad (Leonard/Spike Kelroy).  He would get paper and write scores, after each round, so I wanted to mimic him and do it also.

Pleasurable times were coloring with my aunts, for hours, being read to by Aunt Ellie, and learning to wrap gifts at Gram's with my aunts.  Also my mom would drive us around on Halloween to houses to trick or treat which was special. We played Chutes and Ladders often too and Go Fish and Crazy 8's.

I remember no vacations or trips to the beach or picnics before I was 8.  I remember watching aunts and uncles and mom play croquet at Gram's, fiercely, and then they taught me to play.  It was tough and no sympathy given as I learned to lose and lose.  I saw my Uncle Jim and Aunt Nancy cheat and kick their ball when no one was looking to get it in better position.  Fights would occur and loud yelling at each other.

During this time of my life, I had no peer pressures, no "play dates", no sleepovers or friends from school that I can remember except kids that mom and dad knew the parents of.  We had no gym class at Santa Maria, no regular Geography, Art or Science class either.  Lots of English, math, handwriting, spelling, religion, reading, and going to Mass often.

 We did have lots of fun playing with cap guns, and caps on the sidewalk, and pretending to be cowgirls when playing "Cowboys and Indians".

Over and out for now (Greg) and next time I'll be older than 8.