Long ago, far away

May 5, 2021 by 4 Comments

 

The United States entered World War II in 1941, this song became popular three years after, in 1944.  It conjures up so many thoughts about those who reunited after their loved one returned from the battlefronts.  They were the lucky ones, so many did not.  Sad and lovely in so many ways.

My late mother often performed this Jo Stafford favorite at a local USO facility in our hometown.  She had a lovely voice and even sang on a radio show broadcast from the Roger Smith Hotel in White Plains, New York.  I’ve often wondered how far her singing might have taken her had the war not taken her in a different direction.  A twisted path and difficult  marriage that produced a child caught in the constant warfare between two unhappy people.

In many ways, she was no different than others who find themselves wondering and wishing for something better.  Somehow, we all end up just where we are supposed to be, despite those unfulfilled dreams of long ago and far away.

 

workshop-button-1From Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop…Write a blog post inspired by the word: far

Signature
Filed Under: Writing Prompts Tagged With: , , , ,

Term of affection…

May 1, 2021 by 2 Comments

pinky2

 

She always called me “Pinky”, well into my adult years.  That label of affection was far better than the one bestowed on me by my father who called me “Doc”. 

“Doc”?  Certainly not a nickname for a girl, in fact, hearing it always made me cringe.  WTF was he thinking?

But, back to Pinky and my late Aunt Eleanor, my mother’s only sister and someone I was always close with growing up.  She got me and was in my corner during my difficult childhood.  Aunt El gave me that name because I was always, always, dressed in pink as a baby.  Back in the day, children were outfitted in very basic, even subdued, colors…pink, blue, maize, soft green and white.  In present times, baby and toddler clothing HAS to make a fashion statement and, of course, focus on being gender-neutral in many cases.  And, I won’t even get into the baby photo trend where infants are stuffed into some pretty garish theatrical props for their early pictures.

garish

 

Whatever.  I was Pinky and that favorite aunt was the only one who ever called me that until the day she left this troubled earth.  And, for some reason, I despise this color. Probably the last photograph ever taken of me wearing pink was from my senior prom.

NRHS Senior Prom-1964

I burned that dress but…still have the shoes.

 

workshop-button-1From Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop…Write about a nickname you were given at some point.

I realized, after I hit “publish” that I could have combined two prompts with this one.  Obviously, what I wrote was about a nickname but, there is also a mistake I could have shared and…I wasn’t a child when I made it.  Said “mistake” is in my prom photo but, what resulted in that particular situation was something/someone to be very thankful for.  Enough said.

Signature
Filed Under: Writing Prompts Tagged With: , ,

Cockeyed optimism…

April 21, 2021 by 6 Comments

Gaynor

And…here we all are, more than one year after this virus insanity began.  At least most of us, and I’m not waxing sarcastically here.  My heart hurts still for those lost from COVID-19’s rampage, and for their families and friends.

In March of 2020, as the panic set-in, well, make that started sinking-in, people valiantly started adjusting to being at home, wrapping themselves in a cocoon of safety, and living with a fair amount of fear.  There was still so much unknown about this virus last year and, frankly, as far as I’m concerned, it’s still a ludicrous crap shoot with each news release and conflicting opinions shared by the medical field and media.

Looking back over my posts, almost to this same date a year later, I’m once again doing what I did last April, cleaning, re-organizing and purging.  But what’s different this time is that it’s for happier reasons, other than just passing my “virus-avoidance incarceration” time.  Family is coming, and not soon enough!  My Florida family, to be exact.  After not seeing them for two years, I’m pulling out all the stops, still proceeding with recommended caution, and plan to enjoy as much normalcy as possible.

Wow, that’s a loaded word…normalcy.  We have the old normal, temporary normal and, of course, new normal.  That last one sucks lemons, let me tell you.  I can’t wait for one year from today to write about what I was doing this year and how things have changed. 

Will we still be hiding behind masks? 

Was the vaccination process successful in controlling the virus? 

Will we be lining-up for booster shots to reinforce the biological preparations that were unceremoniously jammed into our arms? 

Did Joe Biden stop reading from Etch A Sketch when he gave speeches? 

Did Maxine Waters get shown the door in Congress? 

Oops, sorry, politics just slipped out.  My bad.  I feel that we’re moving past this damn virus blockade, slowly but surely.  Call me a cockeyed optimist. Sure, there will be setbacks ahead but none comparable to what this world suffered in 2020.  I have to believe that.  We all do.

 

workshop-button-1From Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop…Throwback Thursday: Choose a photo or blog post from a previous April…how have things changed?

Signature
Filed Under: Writing Prompts Tagged With: , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »