|
Viewing 10 - 18 out of 31 Blogs.
| Page:
|
2 |
|
|
Back about 30 years ago for fun we would take rides in the car, gas was cheap and it was fun to find out of the way places. The best thing we ever found is this story.
A hot July Sunday, my sister came to visit us when we lived in PA. We went for a ride our idea of going for a ride was just to follow old back roads some paved some gravel and just see where we would end up and what we would see. This day we were on a narrow gravel road we never knew the name of that road and we are sorry we didn't write it down. We went for several miles with 9 foot tall corn on either side of the road so close it seemed as if we could touch the stalks. When all of a sudden we could see crossroads ahead of us. And on the one corner was a patch of land that was about 50 yards square, perfectly sowed with grass and mowed. It was surrounded by an iron pike fence. Sitting right in the middle of the square was a massive mausoleum. It was perfectly square and was about 2 1/2 stories tall.
It was made of a dark gray marble with white veins running through it. On each side were 13 marble steps. The square tomb sat off the ground on a slab of plain white marble. There was a very large ornate iron door about 15 foot high behind a fancy grilled iron gate. On the white slab that was about 4 foot wide,that surrounded the actual tomb it looked like a sidewalk one could walk on it around the perimeter of the tomb. On each corner of that white marble slab sat a carved lion standing up about 3 foot tall and 3 feet long Each of the lions faced outward as if guarding the tomb. And they were carved out of some kind of gray stone. The lions did show some weather damage. There were no markings to identify who was inside. We thought it probably belonged to a family with members being laid to rest inside. There might have been plaques inside with name and dates on the spaces. The roof was made of copper that had turned green with age.
We walk around and around this thing but could not find any clue. We did not have a camera. My oldest daughter was spooked by the whole thing but the rest of us didn't feel anything but wonder and amazement. After about a half hour of just looking at the building we left closing and making sure the outside gate was locked.
Later on we both searched our county seat library and asked the librarian if she knew of such a place but she did not. We never found out who was buried there. There were no other cemetarys around. It will always be a mystery occasionally either myself or my sister will mention it or one of our kids will bring it up when we are sitting around a camp fire. We will never know the secret of that strange building. We drove back several times trying to find it but we never found the puzzle of roads we took that day.
Tags: Joy Rides Tomb Memorial Back Roads Stange Unsolved Mystery
Going back in my time machine my first memory takes place Mid-January 1952. My Dad had suddenly become very ill on New Years Eve, and was rushed to the hospital by the Morning of January 3rd, he was dead. Of Encephalitis, an infection of his brain There were 3 of us kids.my brother age 12, myself age 5, and little sis age 2. About a week after the funeral, which I have no memory of, it was snowing hard and very cold, someone knocked on our front door a door we never used as it was very drafty Mum had crammed folded newspapers into the cracks around it and under it to keep the cold air from coming inside. We called to her and she came as we stood behind her she tugged the door open. There wrapped in a dirty old towel was a small flea bitten dirty pup . The person had knocked, and when my Mom opened the door she saw a car driving off, I remember this as if it happened yesterday.. Its funny what kids remember, I have no memory of my Father or his funeral. But I remember that puppy. we named Tramp. He had to have been part terrier and something else cause he had those folded down ears that stood up on his head. He was white with a brown cropped tail. And he was a wonder dog. Back then you could have dogs and let them run the streets of the small town where we lived. It was there where Tramp became a neighborhood dog. He would go and visit elderly neighbors who were sitting out on their porch's and just sit with them as they patted his head. Until they fell asleep in their rockers. Everyday around 1 pm he would take his position at the end of our driveway. Sitting in front of the house when the mail man came by and walk down the block with the mail man waiting for him at each house as he delivered the mail, when he got to the corner of 3rd and Smiley Ave he would turn around and come home.. it was always 3rd and Smiley as if Tramp had his own route to walk.Rain snow sleet hail or sun it was his job. He was a pal, he was our friend, and he was our watch dog. One time he was caught in a dog fight, I was on my way to school and I saw this awful looking dog coming down the street all bloody with half an ear gone, and his back leg chewed up bad, it was Tramp he was so beat up I did not know it was him and just went on to school . When I got home for lunch that day we took him to the vet. After a week or two he was back to normal.but he always favored that chewed up leg. Tramp grew old, and grew up with us, we still had tramp when my first daughter was born. He slept most of the time in his old box in the bathroom he came out to eat and sometimes to just be with us spending quiet times. We had to put him down when he was 19 human years old. My daughter when she was 4 asked me.. What happened to that dead dog grandma used to keep in the bathroom. B then Tramp spent most of his days napping.
Tramp was a hero, he was a companion, a protector of property, a friend to the lonely, and travelers, he was a mutt, but was also the kind of dog that if he were human you would say he was a handsome man who had a flair with the women.. a little bit of tramp belonged to everyone, but he was a part of our family just as much as my siblings were a part of our family. We always talk about him when we have family gatherings.. IF dogs have souls we will meet again, I know it.
Tags: Children Dogs Pets Friends 1950's
Rocko came to our family 3 years ago actually to my oldest daughter and her husband. He showed up at there home in there little small town. A Golden Lab, very well trained, well groomed, and hungry. They took him in and began a search for the owner.. Newspaper, telephone pole posts of his picture, radio ad. They took him to the vet for a check up.. good health, no chip. The search went on for 2 months then they gave up. Rocko had found a forever home. He is a wonderful compaion. They now live in St. Louis and he loves city life, in fact since they live in a high rise they frequent the local resturants especially the ones with seating out side since Rocko walks with them. Several of the restutants and pubs have adopted him. While they pay to dine, Rocko gets some free treats, and a dish of cool water brought out to him by the staff. ( they never have to ask for it) in fact one restuant has a bowl with his name on it... He is such a friendly dog. One pub had a t shirt p rinted with his name on it so as he walks downtown he is a walking advertisment for the local micro brewery pub.
He frequents many of the out door spaces and splashes in the creeks in the parks or just lays under the trees in the s ummer while his owners have a picnic in the parks. He loves the dog park and has several good buddies he plays with on a regular basis. And He has a girl friend who lives next door. A beautiful part collie by the name of Rosie. In the winter time Rosie and He get together for play dates inside. And Rosie has st ayed with Rocko several times when her owner had to go out of town. Since both Rosie and Rocko have been f ixed there is no romantic relationship. They exchange gifts at valentine day, Christmas, and 4th of July.
Here is Rocko wishing me a Happy Grandmothers Day sev eral weeks ago. He wore a new hat that was picked from one of the parks that he loves.
Oh yes he has 5 feathered friends that live with him too which he does not bother at all even when they fly down and sit on his head.
3 Cockatiels and 2 parakeets. Who get to fly around each night before bedtime for a couple of hours before being put back in their cages.
 rocko mothers day  rocko and baby
Rocko and Rosie true love
Tags: Pets Dogs
Five years ago I stood in washington DC with a group of disastisfied American citizens. The group was given the name of "tea party" as for me and the group I was with we did not want to become a party.. or a part of a party we wanted to just be independent citizens who were concerned with what was happening to our freedoms and the nation we loved.... I had written this years before.. and in part the issues I wrote about are the same issues today.. not much has changed.... since 2001. And still things remain the same in 2014....... Into the Wind
s e chan aka oppsgal
A Mother sits at her window in the ghetto
watching the children on the street below
Old before they have ever lived
And her cries for justice echo into the wind
Yesterday a boy of 14 in Africa
was led way to a truck
Headed to a city far away
Bought and sold in the year 2001
And his cries for justice echo into the wind
A Father buys a gallon of milk at his local grocery store
His daughters picture is on the carton
An old photo taken 3 years ago
And his cries for justice echo into the wind
An elderly couple sit down to a meager meal
In their 3rd floor walk up in the city
He had worked all of his life but now is 72
No money for good food and his cries for justice echo into the wind
A proud farmer plows his crop into the dirt
The market value to low to harvest
And the bankers knock on his door for their money
And his cries for justice echo into the wind
In Oklahoma City a family lays flowers
At the memorial of the Federal Building
no one can ever bring back their loved one
And their cries for justice echo into the wind
A Native American Citizen proud of his heritage
Looks out over the Pine Ridge Reservation
Small huddled housing placed there generations ago
Trapped by nothing to do, no way to make a living
And his cries for justice echo into the wind
A wife sits weeping at the counter of her little convince store
Her husband murdered 2 years ago
The gang members will be in prison for 10 years
And Her cries for justice echo into the wind
A single parent raising 4 children
Food stamps, clothing, working 2 jobs
The support checks never came
The caseworker says they will find him someday
just fill out these papers please. Number 42. she calls
And the woman is dismissed
Her cries for justice echo in the wind
The POW sits in his small cell
Still in South Vietnam
He counts the years He is now 55
And his cries for justice echo in the wind
All the politicians stand and recite their long speeches
They smile at the cameras, the press smiles back
Glamor, glitter, 2000 dollar suits
Party at the White House tonight
Passing laws that restrict our freedoms one by one
And Someday. Somehow. Someplace
Their Cries for votes to reelect them
Will echo into the wind
How will it all change? Where will it all end?
It begins with you and me then the
Wind will roar, and the echo will be multiplied
As each one adds their voice and takes a personal stand
Only then can justice come and blow the sorrow away into the wind.
Tags: Politicial National Tea Party Justice Poor Hungry Civil Rights
 Higbee's Cleveland Christmas Shopping
 Christmas tree Higbee's
 toy soilders on either side of entrance to Santa
 Higbee's Silver Grille Resturant
 Terminial tower Christmas
Tags: Vintage Christmas
My friend growing up was an only child her parents were blessed with her when they were both in their early 40's. So of course she was given the best of everything. In mid December her Mother would take her to Cleveland on the train and ask me to go along with them. It was such a special thing. As my family was a family that was struggling as my Mom was a widow my father having died leaving us 3 kids for her to support. So a trip like this was a real adventure.! We would get dressed up, and around 8 am go down to the train station. Back then it was the old coal powered big black locomotives, steaming into the little train station in our little town. We would get on board and take the hour trip into the central station in Cleveland. It was so busy and our eyes would be sparkling as we took in all the people dressed up catching trains. The station in Cleveland was called the terminal tower the tallest building in the city. We would get to ride an elevator up to the top of the building. then back down. From there we would go out a revolving door that was exciting as we did not have anything like those doors back in little Shelby Ohio. And out into the street. Oh my the stores all had their windows decorated for Christmas. They were beautiful. We each held her Moms gloved hand as we walked the block looking at all the windows. And then we would go in to Higgbee's the big department store. First thing we did was take off our coats and walk around the toy department. My the wonder of it all never had seen so many toys in my life. Then it was stand in line to sit on Santa's lap. There were elves there too. And he was sitting on a big throne. Then it would be time for lunch ... in the Higgbee's restaurant it was so fancy, they had cloth napkins. And we would get a child's meal. It came in a box decorated for Christmas, and there would be a candy cane inside it too. After lunch came a time to shop. My Mom would give me 2 dollars to spend. And I would get something for everyone. my two siblings a small toy. for each, my mom I would get talcum powder that smelled so good. And for both my grandma's I would get a white hankie with a flower embroidered on them. That was the best part being able to give something special to every one. Then came the train ride back home. Watching the snowy fields, and passing through small towns stopping to pick up passengers, the conductor in his uniform pulling tickets, the seats were velvet red and brown stripes. We did this 3 different years. Until I moved away. But I will always remember my wonderful trips. |
Favorites
Digg
Facebook
Google
Yahoo MyWeb
