Aunt Ronnie and Uncle Jimmy Gildea

I have such fond memories of my Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Ronnie. Aunt Ronnie is my mother's cousin.

Uncle Jimmy....what a great guy. I remember as a child he would greet us with an "Eskimo kiss." I still wanted to do that as an adult whenever I saw Uncle Jimmy. I also remember a conversation that I had with him telling him that I really like the little crinkles at the corners of his eyes....I am pretty sure that made him feel good. I have no idea how old I was then.

Once when Uncle Jim and Aunt Ronnie were visiting, I called my Mom's house from work...between dialing and the phone being answered I forgot who I was calling. I just stayed on the line thinking I would recognize the voice of the person who answered. Not a glimmer of recognition. I apologized and tried to hang up. The conversation when like this:

Aunt Ronnie: Hello.
Me: Hello...oh, I'm sorry. I must have the wrong number.
Aunt Ronnie: You might not, who are you calling?
Me: No (still not remembering)...I am sure I have the wrong number.
Aunt Ronnie: You might not.....
Me: I am sure I do. Thank you.

A few minutes later, I remember I was calling Mom and Aunt Ronnie was there. So....I called back.

Aunt Ronnie: Hello.
Me: Hi! Can I talk to my Mom?
Aunt Ronnie: (in the background) It's the crazy lady!!!!

What a laugh we had that day.

When I visited Ohio with my Dad and my sister both in 2006 and in March of 2008 for a funeral, we just could not stay away from Aunt Ronnie. She is still so much fun.

In 2006 we ended up having to take notes to get some of her recipes and different household hints - Dad always said my Mom (Ronnie) was the best cook west of the Rockies and my Aunt Ronnie was the best cook east of the Rockies. Also in 2006, my Uncle Jimmy had passed away three weeks before our arrival. As we were planning our trip, we had been looking forward to seeing him. I hadn't seen him since the 80's when they were in Washington for a visit.

Aunt Ronnie is still living in her home and her kids come frequently to visit and help her out. She is determined to stay as independent as possible. In 2006 she said when she couldn't get up and down the stairs to the basement laundry room, she would just sit on the steps and scoot up and down....I and think she started doing that at some point.

Aunt Ronnie....I am not sure what else I can say about this wonderful lady. At age 91 she is spirited and opinionated. While her body is slowly failing her, her mind certainly is not.

Cousins

I got to talk to my dear cousin Sharon tonight....she is a really busy lady so I was glad to catch her. I must say we have some really terrific memories together.

Were we not the beauties? That is me with the really bad hair! Some days it isn't much better now. Sharon always loved to fool with my hair - not on this particular day though.

One of my favorite memories was going into Cleveland to Higbees...7th floor....he'll be waiting for you to turn the key!! Mr. Jingaling at Christmas time. What fun we had. Then, just before we left Ohio for California, Sharon gave me my very first Beatles album. Meet the Beatles. I was in the 7th grade. All those family parties...what a ball we had. All the laughter and fun...food...love.

When Marty was six months old and Jenise was turning three I visited Ohio with my parents. I remember Sharon giving Jenise a baby doll. When she asked Jenise what she was going to name the doll I am sure she was pretty shocked that Jenise was naming her Cleveland and not Sharon.....oh my!

I was just looking for some pictures from 2006 when we met up in Austin Texas - she flew in from Louisana, I from Washington for a wonderful event. But...I didn't have my digital camera yet and don't have the photos downloaded I guess. We hadn't seen each other for 25 years. It is like we are sisters instead of cousins. What a wonderful relationship. Sharon, if you read this I hope that you know how much you mean to me.

Michael

My nephew Michael was in town yesterday....so some of us went out to dinner at Olive Garden. It was a really nice gathering. Also...a welcome relief from the heat for those of us who don't have air conditioning. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera or I would have photos to show you.

I am trying to figure what to call Mike once he finishes his dissertation and has his Ph.D. ...

Dr. Mike
Dr. Mikey
Dr., Honey

Well, I guess I am back to just Mike. But I am so very proud of him for this and all of his accomplishments over the years.

Best of luck him on his endeavors in the Navy....

Mike's Very Proud Aunt Alaine

Golfing with the Ladies League

I have been wanting to golf with the ladies league for quite some time. I don't often have a Tuesday off so....I asked Ruth Fiels if I could join them for yesterday. Of course...we also don't often have weather over 90 degrees....or for that matter over 85 degrees.

I went out with Sandy, Bea, and Sharon (I don't have a picture of Sharon) and had a great time...until it got so HOT I wasn't feeling well. I should have known better, but I REALLY wanted to golf with these wonderful ladies.

Better luck next time I get a Tuesday off....I will make it through all 18 holes!! Thanks for letting me join you.

Aunt Vi and Uncle Larry

I was talking to my Dad about Aunt Vi the other day. I had lots of questions....she had been on my mind for some reason. The last time I saw Aunt Vi was in 1979 and by then she was in a wheel chair.

I remember her being really beautiful, and as you can tell by the photos, she remained beautiful even into her older years.

Aunt Vi was the oldest of the Schumann kids...7 younger brothers. She was about 16 when their mom passed away. Two cousins, Francis and Angela (twins) took turns taking care of the kids until Aunt Vi finished high school. She then took over. Raising all of those boys must have been quite the hand full. (And I hazard a guess that all of my siblings and cousins would not disagree!!!)

Aunt Vi married Uncle Larry later in life and they never had children. Uncle Larry worked in construction. He also booked sports bets. Uncle Larry loved to play poker....called Aunt Vi in the middle of the night and asked: "What kind of bird am I?" Vi grumbled that it was the middle of the night. Turns out he was a "jail bird." The poker game he had been playing ran into a little trouble. She went down to bail him out.

Dad says they used to fight like sparring partners. He thinks they loved it. When Aunt Vi ended up in the wheel chair he would carry her up the steps into their apartment. When she became bed-ridden, he used to sleep sitting up in a chair and help her out with anything she needed.

Uncle Larry remained in that same apartment to the end of his days.

My Dogwood

This corner of the yard was bare naked! The first year we only planted a few rocks. I fell in love with the pink kousa dogwood at our landscape designers nursery. By the time we were ready to plant one, they had no pink ones left, so I decided to wait a year! I think it was well worth the wait.



The kousa dogwood is more resistant to diseases than the native dogwoods we see around here. That sure makes Dan happy, since he is the chief landscape horticulturist in the household. I am simply and underling who gets to dead head the fuscias and pull an occasional weed.


The blooms start out as green as the leaves and the first time it bloomed I didn't think the blooms would turn pink. Then, finally, they got almost white.













By the end of June they were the lovely deep pink that I fell in love with.

Golfing with Dad

I am so grateful that Dan taught me to golf 12 years ago. Not only do I love to golf, but I have been able to spend some great times with my Dad on the golf course. Those are opportunities for time together that we probably wouldn't have had.

The first few years we would golf a time or two a year, but usually on Father's day and maybe one other.




After we moved to Scott Lake Golf Course about seven years ago, we started golfing most Sunday mornings in the good weather. EXCEPT when Dad had other plans. Most of you who know my Dad know that he is a pretty busy guy for somebody who it turning 90 years old this fall. He occasionally has a dance or other event to attend on Sunday afternoons and sometimes a Discovery Tour.

It was only about 3 years ago that we convince Dad to ride instead of walk. He figured out that he had more energy to play golf if he rode. I will always treasure our Sunday morning golf.

Thank you Dad for being willing to spend time with me....and thank you Dan for helping me to have this wonderful opportunity.