Time means nothing to me but soon a human lady came to get me out of the cage and took me in a car ride. That is how I arrived where I am now. It isn’t too bad here, I get lots of food and water just for me. I get treats from time to time and there are cozy chairs and beds to sleep in.

I have encountered some challenges here that I am working on. The human who calls herself my mommy is very resistant to being trained, I am sure with some patience she will eventually understand what she needs to do. Meanwhile, we are becoming good friends. The challenges I am encountering here have to do with food and bathroom privileges. My human really seems proud of the food she puts in my dish. In the morning I get crunchies and in the evening I get wet food, meats and such. The food isn’t bad and I eat most of it but I really want the people food she is eating and so far she refuses to give it to me. The bathroom issue is a bit more complicated. Whenever I pee in the house she yells, I guess that means she doesn’t want me to do that. There are special pads all over the house and if I poop on them she seems pleased. She also gets very excited if I do my business while we are taking a walk, she even gives me a treat if I poop outside the house. I would just as soon take care of all of this inside the house but I can’t convince her that is the best thing to do.

She really seems to love taking walks every day. I would prefer to stay indoors and sleep but I have decided to try to please her. Now I am enjoying the walks because we meet new people and they seem to love me and pet me and treat me so nice. So the walks will continue.

The final thing that puzzles me is she keeps saying the word Lucky. I think it means something to her so I run over and act happy when she says it. That appears to be the right response so I will keep it up. I really don’t know what lucky means but if it means I have a nice, happy place to eat and sleep then I guess I am Lucky!

For entertainment, I had two small visitors who came up on the back porch daily. At first, they seemed to come out of curiosity, they peeked in the sliding glass window, and we just watched each other. I had never made friends with a squirrel, so I tried now to befriend them. At first, I just left a few nuts and breadcrumbs, which they ate happily, looked in the window, and hopped away. I began leaving the window slightly open to see if they would come closer. One did show more curiosity by wandering closely towards the window and even sticking his nose in. The other one stayed far away and chattered loudly at his partner. Each day the one squirrel became more and more friendly and even once or twice took some food from my hand. Then one day my little friend with a burst of bravado took several steps inside, looked up at me as he took my offering, and quickly ran away. Meanwhile, his partner was not pleased and chattered loudly then attacked his friend as they both ran off the porch.

I didn’t see them for a couple of days and when they returned I saw to my dismay that my friend’s tail was no longer bushy, the hair had been removed to the bone. Obviously, this was the result of a fight with his partner. He no longer came up to the window, he didn’t look at me just took some food from the porch and they both ran away. I never saw him again. I felt guilty as it was clear his partner was angry because he made friends with me.

Soon it was time for me to return home, relaxed, refreshed, and with a fun memory.

It all began the week before Mother’s Day. My daughter Joy and I went to visit her son, Greg, and his wife, Sara at their lovely home in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas. They had been planning this weekend for quite some time and there were several surprises in store for me.

Enjoyable food was one of the pleasant surprises. On the first evening, we had Korean BBQ, an unusual meal that was new to me. After dinner, we went to play Bingo. I always enjoy that, and it had been a few years since I had an opportunity to do it. I rarely win and this time was no exception, but Sara won $300, and we all cheered for her.

The next surprise that was not so enjoyable for me was that the guest room and bathroom were upstairs. Stairs and I are not great friends anymore, but I was determined to attack those stairs with no help and absolutely no complaints. I managed to navigate the stairs only once each day throughout the weekend.

Joy, Greg, and Sara did a lot of whispering on Friday evening, but I didn’t pay much attention; it was all revealed on Saturday. I knew we were going to dinner and a show but was aware of no other concrete plans for the day.

 Greg told me that he and Sara wanted to go to a golf driving range and Joy, and I could sit, have a drink and watch. It was ok by me; I hadn’t known he liked to golf. We stopped at a place called Top Golf. This is a high-tech driving range, with electronically tracked balls and automatically scored drives. We went up to the second floor in the elevator. There were people sitting all around at tables eating and drinking.  Greg acted as if he were looking for a place for us when he grabbed my arm and said, “I think I know those people, do you?” That seemed strange to me as I thought how in the world would I know any of his friends? I had only a split second for that thought as suddenly, three guys who had their backs to us jumped from their seats and surrounded me. “Happy Mother’s Day Mom and Grandma.” My two sons and another grandson had come from California to surprise me. This was a totally unforeseen event, and I could have fallen over from the shock. Fortunately, they were all hugging me, so I managed to remain upright. We joined them at the table, a glass of wine appeared before me, and I learned they had reserved a spot for us all to hit golf balls. Until our cubicle was ready, we sat and caught up on family news and they had a few drinks. Since it was close to noon and my stomach is used to having lunch at about that time, I said I really needed to eat before having a second drink. Some French fries then appeared, and I readily gobbled them down. When our reservation was ready, we were taken to a bay with a table, where we ordered food and more drinks, of course.

My sons play golf from time to time but the rest of us in the group were not golfers. In the beginning, they all thought this old granny would just sit and watch but I surprised them by joining in the fun. We ate, drank, hit golf balls, and became a noisy crowd. Everyone was cheering me on and tried to convince me I was almost the best player there. Players nearby were watching and cheering us on too.

When our time was up, we returned to Greg’s house while the boys returned to their hotel with plans to meet later at Lawry’s restaurant for dinner.  We had a 5 o’clock reservation and tickets for Cirque du Soleil at 7 0’clock. I was still full from all the food we had earlier, I am certain the others were also, still, we enjoyed a delicious meal. Joy and I shared a plate, but I also ate appetizers, bread, and dessert on top of it all.

Time to head for the show, which was close by. I had often heard about Cirque du Soleil but wasn’t excited about seeing it. I thought it was sort of like a circus with acrobatics and trapeze antics. Soon enough I learned how mistaken I was. First being told that there were six different Cirque shows currently being presented all over Vegas. Each was on a different subject, ours was “Beatle Mania.” To say the very least it was spectacular! Words can barely do it justice. Yes, there was a lot of trapeze activity, also dancing, singing, and several antics all around. The dancers, acrobats, and trapeze performers were extremely skilled at their art. The music was enjoyable, and I remembered all the Beatles’ songs. The lighting was vivid and the set designs outstanding. I even noted that the behind-the-scenes work was extremely skilled as the timing was handled to perfection. I was grateful I hadn’t turned down the opportunity to attend this marvelous show.

When it was over the guys wanted to spend some time gambling but agreed first to take Joy and me back to Greg’s as I was exhausted. I learned the next morning that no one had returned to gamble after all.

I had expected to sit and relax on Sunday as we were flying home on Monday. Once again, I was mistaken. Greg had made brunch reservations at Sadelle’s restaurant located in the Bellagio Hotel. This was without a doubt the tastiest meal of the entire trip. I had the best omelet I have ever had and with it came a dish of fruit, a bagel with cream cheese, and a delicious Danish, also an enjoyable mimosa. The service was exceptional. The waitress took each of our orders without writing anything down, and there were seven of us. She then walked around the table and repeated to each of us our order to ensure she had it correct. She did not make a single mistake and if one or another added or subtracted anything during the meal she handled it with ease.

All the magnificent meals I had over the weekend spoiled me when I returned to everyday food here at Plymouth Village.

The brunch was quite enjoyable as we were in no hurry, so we sat and chatted and caught up on all kinds of information. When we finished we took a walk through the Bellagio’s glorious Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. A lot of picture taking took place and we even were able to have a friendly passer-by take one of the seven of us together.

Next, we began walking through the Casino and Greg rented a power scooter for me to drive as my leg was bothering me by this time. This turned out to be another adventure for me as driving through crowds of people was a challenge. I kept stopping being certain I would run into and injure someone. My eldest son said, “If they don’t move out of your way go ahead and hit them.” That, of course, is not me, so the going was very slow. Subsequently, we stopped to do some gambling. Everyone had a different choice. I prefer the poker slot machines as I am not a big-time gambler. Everyone spread out to different games and from time to time someone would check on me. I am not sure if we had any big winners or losers but for myself, I stopped when I was $10 ahead. Other than the short gambling stint I had not spent a dime all weekend.  I am certain, however, that this entire weekend cost my children a bundle. I hope they realize how much I enjoyed it, and how much I appreciate them doing this for me.

Have you any idea what these words can mean to a young mother who has struggled through a long, cold, snowy winter with three small children? Well, they sound like a heavenly offer and that is what happened to me when I lived in Virginia and my mom and dad lived in Hawaii. Dad was assigned to Schofield Barracks, Oahu, Hawaii. They lived in Waianae right across the street from the beach. My husband and I were struggling with our marriage, and mom thought a short separation might be good for us both. She sent me tickets to visit, and I jumped at the chance. I imagine the flight was a challenge with three young ones, but that does not stick out in my memory; what does is the beautiful relaxing days we spent on the beach. The kids enjoyed the visit in their own ways. George, 5 years, hated water but loved digging in the sand. He would sit for hours digging sand and putting it in a bucket. He sat with his back to the ocean; and when a wave crashed, he would look over his shoulder to ensure it wasn’t anywhere near him. As I recall he didn’t really sit, but sort of crouched in a way he could continue his work but was prepared to run if it should become necessary. It was actually funny as he developed a lovely tan on his back, but his front was pure white having been shaded from the sun every day. Gordon, 4 years, was the opposite, he loved the water. My younger brother was a surfer, and Gordon would run to follow him out into the ocean. He had no fear, whatsoever. My mom and I spent most days keeping him from going right out to the middle of the ocean. Joy, 2 years, looked so precious, in her little Hawaiian bikini given to her by grandma, that she attracted photographers from all over the beach. There were soldiers on leave and tourists visiting and everyone ‘ooohed and aahhed’ over the little bathing beauty. She really didn’t know what to make of it. She didn’t care for the water or the sand and would just run around or stand around looking perplexed. I put a bonnet on her to protect her face from the sun, but she continuously pulled it off. I, of course, put suntan lotion on all of them so they wouldn’t burn. Sunblock was not known back then. Fortunately, no one got burned. Mom took us to Oahu, and we did some touristy things but most of our days were spent at the beach and I soaked up all the sunshine I could. Of course, by the time we returned to Virginia, it was midsummer and unpleasantly hot and humid as it gets back there. Our visit to Hawaii, however, was a pleasant, relaxing diversion for me; and I was able to return to my life refreshed and ready to cope with life’s challenges. Who would have thought those four words “come to the beach” could have such an impact?

Or so we thought! After making all the arrangements we discovered we would be sailing from Singapore so we would be flying out of Los Angeles on December 24^th, staying in Hong Kong for two days, then flying to Singapore to board the ship. No problem except we would not be home for Christmas, in fact, we lost Christmas altogether. We left Los Angeles at 11:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve and after flying for 15 hours we arrived in Hong Kong at 6:30 a.m. the day after Christmas. The International Date Line stole Christmas from us. When we returned, we got our day back it was just a different day. So, we can truthfully say we missed the last Christmas of the millennium. Oh well, we all must make sacrifices from time to time.

My sons were worried about us taking this trip at this time because as you might remember there was the big Y2K hoopla. They didn’t buy into the hysteria that was going around, they were just concerned about the behavior of other people. I just poohpoohed it and Mom hadn’t really paid much attention to it anyway.

The 15-hour plane ride on Cathay Pacific Airlines wasn’t too bad, we slept a lot and they fed us a couple of times. We didn’t bother to watch the movie because it was hard to see the screen from our seats. Arriving in Hong Kong early in the morning was good because it gave us all day to rest and explore. We learned some things we didn’t know about Hong Kong. Of course, it no longer belongs to Great Britain, it is back in the hands of China, but the English influence still exists because it was there for so long. We were in a lovely hotel, with great service.

The city was all decorated for the holidays. They decorate differently than our cities do. All the buildings, tall and short, had lights all over them. Many were outlined in colored lights, and many had designs such as Santa or dragons, and many outlined Christmas and New Year greetings in lights. The decorations on all the commercial buildings were like the decorations we do on homes. The effect was glorious. I took photos, unfortunately, the photos of the lights on the buildings at night did not come out. Hong Kong seemed to be a clean city and not as crazy as I expected it to be. Crowded of course and lots of traffic even though we were there during their holidays. Prices were extremely high. Food in the Hotel was exorbitant!

We took tours and explored some on our own. We took a ferry to Kowloon, which is a part of Hong Kong Island. We ate lunch one day in a Chinese restaurant where no one spoke English, fortunately, menus had pictures of each offering, so we just pointed at pictures to order our food. The tour group went to dinner one evening at a very nice Chinese restaurant where we had an 8-course meal that included Peking Duck. We also watched an unbelievable demonstration of noodle-making while we ate. I was so impressed I stopped eating to stare at the fantastic demonstration of pulling, twisting, and throwing the thick dough in the air only to have it come down in thin noodle strings. Noodle making is truly an art. When it was completed, the noodles were passed around to be examined. I would never eat another pasta dish without the memory of the noodle-making demonstration popping into my head.

We flew from Hong Kong to Singapore and boarded the ship there. The Renaissance VII was the name of our ship which was different than any other cruise ship we had taken. It was smaller, only 114 passengers, just a bit smaller than the ship we had cruised the Mediterranean in. The stateroom was a suite and was very roomy. We even had a TV. We bought the least expensive room but when we looked at some of the expensive ones, we felt we got the very best deal. The service on the ship was fantastic. We met almost all of the crew including the Captain. I have never seen the Captain on any other Cruise more than once, we saw our Captain almost daily.

Since it was a smaller ship there was only one dining room and a tiny swimming pool and no fitness center. But there was plenty of food. One could eat almost all day if one desired because when the dining room and the deck buffet were closed you could just call room service. When we were sailing, we had a library at our disposal and I read about 7 books, we could also borrow videos, so Mom and I watched a couple of movies. These are things we could do at home but never seemed to find the time. There was also music and dancing in the Lounge and the Club every night. We tried to go on every optional tour at every port of call; we didn’t quite accomplish this goal but came pretty close.

The original itinerary was Singapore to Kuantan, Malaysia to Ko Samui, Thailand to Bangkok, Thailand to Ko Chang, Thailand, and cruising in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, but this was changed before we set sail because of monsoons in the South China Sea. This is on the east side of the Malaysian Peninsula. The Captain decided it would be safer and more pleasant to cruise on the west side of the peninsula in the Straits of Malacca and the Indian Ocean, so we did. Thus our itinerary became Port Klang, Malaysia (where we toured inland to Kuala Lumpur); Penang, Malaysia, Phuket, Thailand (where we stayed 2 days); Langkawi, Malaysia; Malacca, Malaysia, and back to Singapore. We went to more ports and spent less time just cruising on this itinerary. Some people were disappointed because they were looking forward to Bangkok, but Mom and I didn’t mind because we had never been to any of these places anyway, so it was all new to us.

Everywhere we went we took tours that would show us some of the local color, culture, and people. We tasted local foods, went to Chinese Temples, Buddhist Temples (both Chinese and Indian) and Muslim Mosques, and museums. We rode on Trishaws (if you know what a rickshaw is, this is the modern version where the ‘driver’ rides a bicycle) and junks and bumboats. Something that has stuck with me for years is the fishing village we visited. There were poverty conditions such as we had never experienced up close. It is difficult to describe the way these people were living. People who live on Chinese junks appear to be quite poor but seemed to have it better than this fishing village did. They lived in run-down huts one could see through, they cooked over small fires in front and washed and bathed from bowls or pots of water as they had no running water. It is very difficult to describe the living conditions and I am certain such conditions exist in other parts of the world but it is so painful to actually see it up close like this. I think perhaps the village received some remuneration from the cruise line for allowing the tours, but I don’t know this for a fact.

We went to a couple of cultural centers saw local dances, some local instruments. and learned how Batik is made. We went to a rubber plantation where there were demonstrations on how rubber is harvested and made. We also saw some marvelous scenery in each of the places, including jungles and rainforests. At one location they had elephants dancing and doing tricks. I took Mom’s photo while she sat on a kneeling elephant’s leg. It seemed innocent enough as the trainer appeared to be in control. However, much later when I was at home, I saw news coverage about that particular location and how an elephant had gone rogue injuring tourists. There was mention that this was an elephant used for photoshoots. Looking back, I believe the animals were most likely treated badly, but sadly people like us wanted to see them performing so never gave it a thought.

Every place we went there was a lot of traffic and I saw parking meters in even the smallest town, I never saw anyone writing tickets though. The flu bug hit our ship and lots of people came down with it. I came down with a cold and it lasted a couple of days, it could have been a lighter version of the flu as I rarely ever get sick. Most people kept on going anyhow, some went to the ship’s doctor, and some stayed in their rooms for a day, but it didn’t keep anyone down for long. When you pay this much and go halfway around the world on vacation you don’t want to miss it. This was a Millennium Cruise and we did have a New Year’s Eve party on the ship. No fireworks, but champagne, music, dancing, hats, and noisemakers. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

When we returned to Singapore, we stayed there for two days where we did a lot of sightseeing. Singapore is lovely, green, and small. It is an island and a city and an independent state. The cost of living is higher there than in Malaysia so many people commute from Malaysia to work in Singapore. It is an exceptionally clean city, it’s very crowded with lots of traffic. They claim to have the drug problem under control, as the Tour Guide said, “If you are caught with even a small amount of any drug it is a hanging offense.” Someone else told us it is a “fine city” meaning if you do anything wrong, like jaywalking, spitting on the sidewalk, etc., and get caught there is a large fine. We behaved ourselves, we didn’t want to tempt fate. It was raining most of the time that we were in Singapore. The entire trip the weather was warm/hot and humid. It was cool in Hong Kong though. Several times on some of our tours we got caught in the rain, but it didn’t last long.

The two most memorable things we did in Singapore were to attend a Tea Appreciation Ceremony and visit the Singapore Zoo. At the Tea Appreciation Ceremony, we learned a lot about tea that we didn’t know but thought we did, as well as how to conduct a tea ceremony. The Singapore Zoo is definitely one of the best zoos we have ever been to. It was exceptionally clean, the animals roam free, no cages just fences. It reminded me of the San Diego Wild Animal Park. We had breakfast at the zoo, it was advertised as eating breakfast with an orangutan. Anyone who wished could sit by the animal for a photo op. Mom had her photo taken with an Orangutan. Of course, being Mom who loved all animals, she sat and spoke with the orangutan. Mom felt certain they were communicating. The primate on the other hand just sat and picked up her food and ate it, looking around in a disinterested fashion. Orangutans are smart creatures, and I am sure this one was bored and thinking, “I wish this was over so I could go take a nap.” Or something very much like it.

From Singapore, we flew home. This time we were on Northwest Airlines. We arrived in Tokyo (6 ½ hours) where we had a short layover then changed planes and flew to LA (9 ½ hours). It was a bit easier because we had a break in the 15 hours. We also had a couple of meals on each flight, so we got more food. This was also where we got the day back we had lost at the beginning of our trip. It wasn’t, however, Christmas day. That was lost forever. We arrived in LA early in the morning but after Immigration, Customs, shuttle, etc. we got home at almost noon. The next phase was to struggle with jet lag for the next couple of days. Good news, I only gained five pounds after all that eating. Mom only gained two.

Even though we expected it to be a while before we would take another trip, we began looking at brochures right away. As it turned out this was our last trip. Not long after that Mom had a stroke and I spent six years as her caregiver before she passed away. It is wonderful having these special memories.

Many people were rushing to the Dakotas not only to mine for gold but also to homestead land. The government wanted to open up the state and offered 160 acres to each applicant for homesteading. Research has shown me that women were among those who were willing to endure the hardships in order to earn a place to call home. In 1907 Ivy submitted her application to homestead and paid her fee. She then began to settle in, working to make a home for herself. I often wonder what went through her mind as she made the decision to leave home and family and strike out on her own for a strange land knowing the challenge it would be. I wonder if she planned to homestead or if she just wanted a change from teaching school. In any case, it was quite a leap of faith. Her brother Edwin lived with her on the homestead, but it is unknown if he came with her on the trip or joined her later in order to help her.

A Homesteader was required to build a cabin and live on the land consistently for at least six months and to begin immediately to “prove up” the land by tilling the soil and planting crops. I am certain Edwin built the little 12 ft. by 16 ft. cabin for them to live in. Ivy had a plan to build a larger house on ten acres and plant crops to make the land profitable. She was going to plant one-third of this land in corn and so she engaged someone to break up the land in preparation for tilling. Perhaps she had saved her money before striking out on her own, but she needed tools and seeds and household utensils, and it is certain whatever money she had did not last long. Documents I have seen state the cabin was valued at $150, this included lumber, labor, and furniture. Her brother Edwin soon decided to work in the mines to earn some additional money for them to use for living expenses and for working the land and planting crops. Unfortunately, after his first week in the mines, there was a cave-in and he was crushed in a slide of ore and was seriously injured. The record states he had two broken legs and was maimed. He lived but was unable to continue to help his sister for a long time. In 1910 he was living with his widowed Mother in Pennington, South Dakota, both were listed in the Census as farmers, and I wonder how factual that is.

Meanwhile, Ivy had contracted a disease called tubercular glands of the neck and needed to be hospitalized for surgery. I have read several documents that show her application for permission to be absent from the Homestead for surgery and recovery. I am not certain if her brother’s accident happened before or after she developed this disease, but I do know it contributed to her having a slower recovery. There was mention of a nervous distress, which might mean she had a nervous breakdown. In any case, she had several neighbors who wrote glowing statements about her, and I believe one neighbor came to watch over her homestead in her absence. When I think of neighbors, I realize that they did not live as close as our neighbors do today, after all, she was on 160 acres and the neighbors were too. Permission for the leave was granted in April of 1908. She slowly recovered and returned to her homestead. The Patent for ownership was granted in March of 1909. I believe she sold the land soon after as she was living in Deadwood and working as a stenographer by April of 1910.

Ivy’s father had passed away in 1909 and it appears her mother then came to South Dakota, possibly to care for Edwin. By January of 1911, her mother had passed away in Iowa, of bronchitis. Apparently, Ivy returned home to bury her mother. She had male siblings still living in Iowa but she signed the death certificate and I believe was instrumental in burying her mother alongside her father in a small cemetery in Smithland, Iowa.

In June of 1911, Ivy married Ernest Graham, in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, and by November their only son, Kennedy was born, in Mitchell, South Dakota. The marriage only lasted about two to three years. Ivy moved several times after that until she finally settled in Tacoma, Washington. She never remarried, she raised her son alone, and later she raised one of her granddaughters alone.

She never spoke of her years as a homesteader, and I wonder if she wished she had kept the land or if she was satisfied with the decision to move on. I certainly wish I could have asked her some questions but only learned of her early years long after she was gone. Ivy was my grandmother and obviously a strong woman. I am proud of her and pleased to have learned about her homesteading adventure.

From then until now I have lived in more than 32 towns, cities, or army bases and several homes in some of those places. Over the years there have been times when I had occasion to return to some of my earlier homes. What I discovered was always a bit surprising and often unexpected

To begin with, there is Salinas, where I lived in several different homes at various times over the years. The very first time was during WWII and nearby Fort Ord was humming with activity. I really was not aware of that, however. My memories are of the size of the house, the lettuce fields at the end of the block, as Salinas was a farm community and the nearby Central Park where I often took my younger brothers to play. I have two distinct memories of the house itself, the first is of a large spreading front porch where we played the second is of a very high fence enclosure in the back yard. My two younger brothers, ages one and two, were mischief-making wanderers. While Mom worked the babysitter was unable to keep track of them, so Mom had a ten-foot-high fence built in the back yard with locks up and down the gate so they couldn’t get out. I called it the stockade. The oldest of the two boys, however, was quite clever and this “fortress” could not keep him in, but that is a story for another time.

When I returned to Salinas many years later, I decided to try to find that house, I did search and it was still there. I did not expect to see the stockade and of course I didn’t, but the surprise came when I saw the front of the house. It was a very small house with a front door and a set of stairs going up to it,  No front porch of any size. When I mentioned this to my mother she told me there had never been a front porch and the house was exactly as it had been in 1942. I puzzled over that for quite some time but came to accept that my mother was an adult when we lived there and I was not, so my memories must have been a bit skewed.

Another place where we lived was Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island in New York. I have very fond memories of living there. We moved there in 1947 when I was ten, and it was the first of many moves we made with my newly adopted Dad, who was in the Army. Fort Wadsworth has a marvelous history having been there since the Revolutionary War when it was held by the British and guarded the Narrows waterway, which was the only entrance into New York Harbor. I wasn’t much into history back then, but my brothers and I did have fun playing in the old moat and old cement buildings that had long been abandoned. I had occasion to return for a visit in about 2004, I had my daughter with me. I was excited about taking her there. The first thing I learned was that a bridge, connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn, the Verrazanno Bridge, had been built several years after we moved away.  We had always traveled from the island by ferry which we considered quite an adventure. Next, I learned that Fort Wadsworth is no longer an active military base; it is now a National Park. The old part of the fort that looks over the Narrows waterway coming into New York Harbor was still there as was the old moat and other places where we used to play. Naturally, the converted barracks that we lived in were no longer there but many of the officer’s homes were.  All in all, it was a pleasant visit and I felt a sense of history, both New York’s and mine.

The next home I remember was in Alexandria, Virginia. When I was a young wife and had been married only about four years my husband decided he wanted to move back to Virginia to be near his family. We bundled up our three very young ones and took a train east. I now began to experience a busy, challenging chapter in my life. We stayed with his family for a short time. After we both found work we then looked for a place to live. All we could afford was an apartment on King Street which then was in the seedy part of town. It was the end unit of a row house. I had never seen a row house before, today one might call it a townhouse. Anyway, we got reduced rent because we agreed to fix it up, paint it, etc. (that is also a story for another time). My memory tells me we lived there for about two years until we finally had saved enough to buy our own home.  In 2012 my daughter and I went on a genealogy research trip to Washington DC and since Alexandria is just a few miles outside of DC we stayed there in a nice hotel. Much to my surprise, it was located just two blocks from King Street where we had lived so very many years ago. I learned that this area of Alexandria had been revitalized; it was near the train station and was no longer considered a “slum” but rather a historic district of Alexandria. It was a pleasant surprise. It was fun to walk around and try to identify any of the sights from long ago. We found the address where we had lived (50 years prior); my daughter had been just a baby and we had celebrated her first birthday there. This place was now a beauty salon, We went inside and began talking with the owner and people who worked there. When they heard my story they were so excited that they let us take a tour of the building. The rooms, of course, were totally different but I remembered the stairway to the second floor and even the stairway to the basement. I remembered several adventures that took place on those stairways. There was no longer a small yard in the back as it was now a parking area for customers. Although everything looked different, I could close my eyes and feel the essence of the home it had once been.

It all began when my mother and I decided to take a trip to Colorado. I had expected to go by plane as that was the quickest, easiest, and my favorite mode of travel. My mother had a different idea. She had traveled by train in the past and in her memory, it was a pleasant, relaxing and less expensive way to travel. We talked this over for quite some time and I finally gave in to her wishes. Since she was a thrifty person she convinced me that the trip to Colorado being only two days by train would be quite comfortable in coach class seating. The other options being first-class seating or a roomette for sleeping overnight. Once again I acquiesced to her wishes, which I would later come to regret.

My Mother purchased the tickets so I did not discover until the day of departure that coach class was open seating. Mom convinced me that there would be no problem in getting seats together as that had been her prior experience. When we boarded the train in San Bernardino, much to my dismay, it was very crowded and there were no two seats together. We asked the attendant if she could find any or ask someone to move so we could sit together. I am going on record now saying the customer service on that trip was seriously inadequate. She told us to sit anywhere we could find a seat and perhaps there would be seats for us together when we got to Salt Lake City, as several people would be leaving the train at that stop.

Salt Lake City was the next major stop and we would arrive there about two in the morning, meanwhile, we searched around and found seats far apart. I sat on the left side and Mom was a few rows behind me on the right side of the aisle. They were both aisle seats so we could talk to each other if we wanted to yell but that was not really the best way to communicate. One gentleman did change seats with Mom which moved her a few rows closer. Her new seat was both an improvement and acceptable. 

My seat was definitely not acceptable. My seatmate was a guy, and I am being polite here, he sat to my left by the window. It was obvious that he was allergic to bathing and also that he had probably partied for several days before boarding this train. I could foresee holding my breath for long periods of time but I was not completely successful in blocking out the unpleasant aromas. He slept through the entire ride, his snore was as loud as a bulldozer and I was seriously looking for some rope to tie his arms down. He never moved except to flail his arms and they managed to hit every part of my body within his reach.

It was still daytime so Mom and I went to the lounge car where we could sit in peace, talk and watch the beautiful scenery. When night fell and Mom became tired we returned to our seats. She to sleep and me to hang as far over my armrest as humanly possible to avoid my seatmate’s wandering arms and ‘delightful scent’. Since there were several small stops along the way I wasn’t certain when we reached Salt Lake City, and I heard no announcements at the various stops. 

I figured we were there when a crowd of people got up to leave. It was dark and I could not see any two seats together and my partner remained, so did Moms. When the attendant rushed past me in the aisle it was clear that she was not planning to help us, so in desperation, I reached out and grabbed her and growled: “find us two seats together, now!”  I must have been delirious as this was very out of character for me. Anyway, she found us two seats and I woke Mom and we settled in. 

The remainder of the trip was shorter than the first part had been. It was definitely more comfortable but I was unable to get to sleep, probably due to my shattered nerves. When we finally arrived in Grand Junction, Colorado, our destination, I was exhausted, frustrated and bedraggled. And, I was never so happy to arrive anywhere in my entire life. Time does funny things with our memories and I have absolutely no recollection of our return trip when the vacation was over. 

Something tells me it was not quite so memorable.

She took her sister-in-law on two or three trips. Then she took my sister on a couple of trips. She even traveled with a friend now and then but she and I went on the most trips. There were cruises and land trips, some by plane or train and some by car. She went to Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, a Caribbean cruise, and a Far Eastern cruise to name a few. She and I went on the Far Eastern Cruise which included Hong Kong, Singapore and various ports in Thailand. It was called A Millennium Cruise and took place from December 1999 to January 2000. It was her last big trip as the following year she experienced her first stroke. The stroke did slow her down but not much. She still took short trips to visit family in California, Washington, Kansas, and Florida.

There are many things I remember about my mom but most of all I remember her as a world traveler. Whenever I take a trip, and I have taken several with my daughter since Mom passed away, I always think “Mom sure would love this.” I manage to travel to places she didn’t have the opportunity to visit, and I hope she is watching and enjoying it along with me.
Miss you Mom!

When one is deciding on adopting a pet the shelter suggests a visit first to sort of get acquainted. They have a special room set aside for this visit. Someone brought Hero to me, and I held him for a while. The next step was for my grandson to come and let Hero get to know him, too. He had recently come to live with me for a while, and it was a requirement that before being adopted a dog must meet all members of the household.

I had to wait a few days for this visit as my grandson had to arrange some time off from work, the shelter was not open on weekends.

Finally, all the meetings had taken place, and all the paperwork signed. Hero was now coming to his new forever home. Soon the fun began.

To begin with, the shelter had called him “Gouda”, I guess this was due to his coloring. I knew right away he wasn’t cheesy, so this name had to go. My daughter and I mulled over various ideas until she came up with “Heroditous.” This one I liked, shortening it to Hero. Next, it was time to teach this little chihuahua looking, long-legged pup to answer to his new moniker.

It didn’t take long to discover that Hero was smart, quite clever enough even to do what he wanted, and only do what I wanted if it suited him. He had quite a unique personality. He could be chummy and cuddly when he felt like it. He also displayed that indifferent attitude when he chose to. I had never had a dog like this before.

I soon learned that one of Hero’s most enjoyable pastimes was eating. If I sat down to eat he would be right at my feet begging for a taste. He didn’t beg by sitting up, rather he jumped up and pawed at my lap or just sat and stared. I knew it was not healthy to feed him ‘people food’; I also knew it was not advisable to feed him three times a day just because I was eating. It took a while to slow him down to two meals a day and finally one meal a day. My training of him took a long time; his training of me, on the other hand, took a very short period.

The first example was when I bought some training material so I could start working with him. There were some cones so he could learn to run an obstacle course; he couldn’t be bothered with these so he pretended not to understand. Then there was a big round hoop that I tried to teach him to jump through. At first, he was his usual indifferent self, but when I got a few treats and held them out for him to get when he made the jump the fun began. First, he tried to go around the hoop on one side and when I told him “No” then he tried the other side. That wasn’t successful so he tried crawling on his belly underneath. That also was unsuccessful so he sat in front of the hoop for a moment, gave a sigh and jumped through it. After about three jumps he turned his back and walked away as if to say, “OK, I am done now.” So we stopped. But I managed every day to get a few jumps from him until he was tired of it all, or had enough treats.

I always worked this practice in the sunroom just off the kitchen. One could sit at the table, eat and look out into the sunroom. Now comes the funny part. One day I am enjoying my lunch when I felt some eyes staring at me. I looked to my right and saw Hero sitting in the sunroom and facing the direction where the hoop should be, then turning to look at me. He kept this up for a while until I finally got the message. He wanted me to get the hoop and, of course, a treat. He did two jumps, got two treats, then went to lay down and rest. Clever little guy. This wasn’t the last time either, whenever he felt like he needed a yummy he would go through the motions again. I had to laugh ’cause he really got me jumping through a hoop, of sorts.

There were other little clever tricks he pulled on me from time to time. The next memorable one was how he would pretend he needed help jumping up on things. He had very long legs and ran so fast we often called him our little “white lightning”, but he would get lazy from time to time. Even though he had his own doggie bed he liked to sleep in bed with me from time to time. I would be settling down for the night and he would sit beside the bed and whine and stare up at me. I would, of course, pick him up and bring him to bed. This also became a ritual until one afternoon I walked into the bedroom, and what did I see right in the middle of my bed but a little white pooch. He looked up at me and I swear he grinned. My response was, “You are so busted.” The next time he whined for me to pick him up and bring him to bed I just said, “You want up, you can jump.” Then I turned over closed my eyes and went to sleep. After a couple of nights trying he decided he would have to jump up on his own.

It took me a while to convince Hero I was the boss. I am not sure I was ever successful.