EASTER


My friend, Terri Sweatman, sent this clever poem:

THE JELLY BEAN PRAYER

Red is for the blood He gave
Green is for the grass He made
Yellow is for the sun so bright
Orange is for the edge of night
Black is for the sins we made
White is for the grace He gave
Purple is for His hour of sorrow
Pink is for our new tomorrow
A Bag full of jelly beans colorful and sweet
Is a prayer, is a promise
Is a special treat!

Have a blessed Easter. God bless everyone and God bless our country.
Carole

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO 1906

THE YEAR IS 1906

This is 1 year after my father, Leonard La Flamme, was born and 3 years before my mother, Anne Ballard La Flamme, was born. This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1906. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some of the U.S. statistics for the Year 1906:

The AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY in the U.S. was 47 years old.

Only 14% of the HOMES in the U.S. had a BATHTUB.

Only 8% of the HOMES had a TELEPHONE.

A 3-min. call from DENVER-NEW YORK CITY cost $11.

There were ONLY 8,000 CARS in the U.S…and ONLY 144 mi. of PAVED ROADS.

The MAX. SPEED LIMIT in most cities was 10 MPH.

Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each MORE HEAVILY POPULATED THAN CALIFORNIA.

With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union

The TALLEST structure in the WORLD was the EIFFEL TOWER!

The AVERAGE WAGE in the U.S. was 22 CENTS/ HR.

The AVERAGE U.S.WORKER made between $200 - $400 / YR.

A competent ACCOUNTENT could expect to earn $2000/ YR., a DENTIST $2,500 / YR., a VETERINARIAN $1,500/ YR., and a MECHANICAL ENGINEER about $5,000/ YR.

More than 95 % of all BIRTHS in the U.S. took place at HOME.

90% of all U.S. DOCTORS had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called MEDICAL SCHOOLS, many of which were CONDEMNED in the press and the government as "SUBSTANDARD."

SUGAR cost 4-cents/lb. EGGS 14cents/doz. COFFEE 15 cents/lb.

Most WOMEN only WASHED their HAIR once/month, and used BOROX or EGG YOLKS for shampoo.

CANADA passed a law that PROHIBITED POOR PEOPLE from ENTERING into their COUNTRY for any reason.

5 LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH in the U.S. were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza

2. Tuberculosis

3. Diarrhea

4. Heart disease

5. Stroke

The American FLAG had 45 stars.

Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska HADN'T BEEN ADMITTED to the Union yet.
The POPULATION of LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, was ONLY 30!!!

CROSSWORD PUZZLES, CANNED BEER, AND ICE TEA HADN'T BEEN INVENTED YET.

There was NO MOTHER'S DAY or FATHER'S DAY.

2 OUT OF EVERY 10 U.S. ADULTS COULDN'T READ OR WRITE.

ONLY 6% of all Americans had GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL.

MARIJUANA, HEROIN, AND MORPHINE WERE ALL AVAILABLE OVER THE COUNTER AT LOCAL CORNER DRUGSTORES. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." (Shocking? DUH! )

There were about 230 reported MURDERS in the ENTIRE U.S.A.!

Now I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you and others all over the United States, possibly the world, in a matter of just Seconds!!!

Just TRY TO IMAGINE ... what it may BE LIKE IN ANOTHER 100 YEARS!!!

IT STAGGERS THE MIND!!!

CAROLE'S PERSONAL PAGE

Monday, October 18, 1937

[The Day I Was Born ... St. Joseph's Hospital ... Flint, MI ...
to Leonard & Anne Ballard La Flamme]

Top News Headlines This Week:

Oct 1 - Pullman Co formally recognizes Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
Oct 2 - FDR visits Grand Coulee Dam construction site in Washington State
Oct 10 - NY Yankees beat Giants 4 games to 1 in 34th World Series
Oct 15 - Ernest Hemingway novel "To Have & Have Not" published
Oct 18 - Leonard & Anne La Flamme announce the birth of
a daughter, Carole Anne La Flamme
Oct 21 - Franco-troops occupies Gijon
Oct 25 - Casey Stengel signs to manage Boston Bees

Top Songs for 1937

That Old Feeling by Shep Fields
Once In Awhile by Tommy Dorsey
It Looks Like Rain in Cherry Blossom Lane by Guy Lombardo
September In the Rain by Guy Lombardo
The Dipsy Doodle by Tommy Dorsey
The Moon Got In My Eyes by Bing Crosby
Sweet Leilani by Bing Crosby
Boo Hoo by Guy Lombardo
Goodnight, My Love by Benny Goodman
Whispers In the Dark by Bob Crosby

US President: Franklin D. Roosevelt
US Vice President: John N. Garner

1937 Prices
Bread: $0.09/loaf
Milk: $0.50/gal
Eggs: $0.56/doz
Car: $675
Gas:$0.20/gal
House: $6,622
Stamp: $0.03/ea
Avg Income: $1,789/yr
DOW Avg: 121


Academy Award Winners:

Best Picture:
The Life Of Emile Zola Produced by Warner Bros
Best Actor:
Spencer Tracy in Captains Courageous
Best Actress:
Luise Rainer in The Good Earth


People born on October 18

1889 - Fannie Hurst novelist (1019?)
1934 - Inger Stevens Stockholm Sweden, actress (Katy-Farmer's Daughter)
1939 - Lee Harvey Oswald JFK assassin, born
1971 - Bob Whitfield, NFL tackle (Atlanta Falcons)
1405 - Pius II, [Aenea S Piccolomini], Italian pope (1458-64) (Cynthia)
1925 - Melina Mercouri Athens Greece, actress/politician (Never on a Sunday)
1939 - Mike Ditka coach/tight-end (Bears, Cowboys, NFL rookie year 1961)
1972 - James Stream Thurmond Jr, son of US senator Strom Thurmond
1937 - Carole Anne La Flamme Beighey (Author-Waddodle Series)
1811 - Hugh Thompson Reid, Brig General (Union volunteers), died in 1874
1926 - Chuck Berry St Louis, rocker (Roll over Beethoven)
1958 - Jean-Claude Van Damme Belgium, actor (Kickboxer, No Retreat)
1818 - Edward Otho Cresap Ord, Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1883
1970 - Shane Bonham, NFL defensive linesman (Detroit Lions)
1831 - Frederik III NK of Hohenzollern, German Kaiser/king of Prussia
1951 - Pam Dawber Detroit, actress (Mindy-Mork & Mindy, My Sister Sam)
1890 - [Agathe] Henri‰tte [M de Beaufort], Dutch author (Rembrandt)
1902 - Miriam Hopkins, Bainbridge GA, actress (Becky Sharp, These Three)
1922 - Little Orphan Annie comic strip character
1919 - Pierre Elliot Trudeau (L) 15th Canadian PM (1968-79, 1980-84)
1956 - Martina Navratilova Prague Czech, tennis (Wimbledon 1989,79,82-87)
1921 - Jesse Helms (Sen-R-NC) right-wing
1942 - Willie Horton baseball slugger (Detroit Tigers)
1926 - George C Scott Wise Va, actor (Patton, Bible, Taps, Hardcore)
1950 - Patrick L Swindall, (Rep-R-GA, 1985- )
Gary Hoyle (2nd Cousin)
Larry Murtha, Jr. (2nd Cousin)
Meg Harrington (Annie's Friend)


Hot New Toys in 1937

1936 - Monopoly
1936 - Scientific Football
1934 - Radio Flyer "Streak-O-Lite"
1934 - Parker Brothers' "Sorry!"
1930 - Mickey Mouse Dolls
1929 - Duncan Yo-Yo
1928 - Chinese Checkers
1924 - Tootsietoys
1919 - Pogo Stick
1917 - Radio Flyer "Liberty Coaster"
1916 - Lincoln Logs
1915 - Raggedy Ann
1914 - Tinkertoy
1913 - Erector Set
1903 - Crayola Crayons
1902 - Teddy Bear
1901 - Lionel Trains
1892 - Ouija Boards
1888 - Gund Soft Toys
1888 - Tiddledy Winks
1870 - Snakes and Ladders
1867 - Parcheesi
1865 - Cap Guns
Spinning Top
Rubber Baby Doll
Wooden Building Blocks

Top Books in 1937

1937 - U.S.A. (trilogy) by John Dos Passos
1937 - Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen
1937 - Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer
1936 - Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
1935 - The Studs Lonigan Trilogy by James T. Farrell
1935 - The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money by John Maynard Keynes
1935 - The Strange Death of Liberal England by George Dangerfield
1935 - Dobry by Monica Shannon
1934 - I, Claudius by Robert Graves
1934 - Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara
1934 - Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
1934 - A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh
1934 - Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
1934 - The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
1934 - Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

***

December 20, 2007

HELP WITH SANTA?

A letter came to me, by way of Elizabeth, who received it from Susie. Seems Susie's kids are asking a few questions concerning Santa that Susie would like help answering. Susie says, " Hi Girls! Help! Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated as I sit on the hot seat! Here are some interesting questions my kids wrote down when I asked them to write on note cards all their questions about Santa ..."


MATTHEW

Why is there a santa?
How does santa know egsakley what I want?
How can santa read your mind?
How does santa know witch preasent gos to witch house?
Does santa have a sister?
Why is his name santa?
What is his best Elv's name?
What is santa's favorite TV show?
Why does he go down the chimney and not the front door?
Why does he have raindeer and not dogs or something?
What's santas favirt raindeer?

Maggie:
How does santa fit down the chimney?
How does he keep all the toys in one bag?

Bennett:

What is the most comen toy for children?
What are raindeers favorite animal friends?
Have raindeer been extinced exeped for santa's?
Does everyone in the world know about santa?
Does santa know all his elfs names?
Does santa's wife have any brothers or sisters?
Does santa make some gifts too?

Ho HO HOOOOO

SUSIE

***

Tim wrote putting in his two cents worth ... with some interesting advice ...

Santa started out as a saint in Turkey giving toys secretly on kids doorsteps. He had to expand his operation and go world wide so he moved to the North Pole and hired Bernard as his head Elf. He just knows when kids are naughty or nice. Time slows down on Xmas Eve so he can cover all the kids that need him. He can be a shape shifter when he goes down a chimney and can expand dimensions to fit his needs.

HistoryChannel link might helphttp://www.history.com/minisites/christmas

Click here: Biography of Santa Claus

***

Elizabeth, you asked me to write and tell you how I met your father. This is how it happened.

WHEN CAROLE MET LARRY

My late husband, Basil Anthony Lanzoni, D.D.S., died of leukemia December 26, 1968. He had just turned 38, October 3, 1968. Suddenly, I was a young widow of 31 with four young children.

My sister, Nancy La Flamme was in the Peace Corp, serving in Afghanistan and was due to fulfill her term at the end of December. She was going to take a few months and travel before returning to the States. I knew these were her plans so when Bas died, I asked my family not to tell Nancy so it wouldn’t interfere with her plans … but they did notify her, and Nancy decided to come home on the first plane available. It was a good thing she did as the plane she would have been on the following week crashed. Thank God she decided to come home when she did.

The Peace Corp pulled many strings to get her home, as it was the holidays and flights were jammed. They got her on a plane that landed in New Jersey where a helicopter was waiting to fly her in to New York to make the next connection for Du Bois, PA, by way of Pittsburgh. Miraculously, she made all her connections and was home in record time. I was so relieved to see her. She stayed with me after the funeral. I don’t know what I would have done without her. It was comforting to have her with me, after everyone left, staying with me in my cold, mouse-infested unfinished house, with four fatherless children, in the middle of winter, on the snow-covered slippery slopes of Mt. Vista in Brockway, Pennsylvania. The weather couldn’t have been worse. We had to light the fireplace downstairs to keep warm and I kept my baby, Tim, in his snowsuit during the day.

The night Bas died, coming home from Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA with his brother, Paul Lanzoni, it sleeted all the way home. The roads were treacherous. I can’t remember a more miserable ride anywhere, except on the way to the hospital with Bas very ill, laying over my lap in the back seat of Paul’s car, driving through a terrible blizzard. Bas refused to go in an ambulance.

Going back a few nights to Christmas Eve, I called my sister Joey that afternoon and asked if it was possible for her and her husband, Mike, to come to be with my children and have Christmas for them. I knew it was a great imposition, but God bless them, they dropped everything and headed for Brockway, PA. When they arrived in Pittsburgh, they could not get a flight to Du Bois, PA because of severe weather. The shuttle was not operating so they took a bus. And what a trip it was. They were the only two on the bus and had the driver in tears telling them the story of why they had to get to Brockway to have Christmas for the children whose father was dying and whose mother could not be with them. The driver told them not to fear, that he would get them there … and he did … in spades! The people who lived along the winding road up Mt. Vista watched as this huge bus slowly made its way up the snow covered slippery road in horrible sleet and windy weather. They could not imagine what was going on. No bus ever climbed this hill ... ever! The bus got as far up as he could go and Joey and Mike had to trudge through knee high snow drifts to get to our house at the top of the hill.

To go into more detail would take a book to tell, but one thing I must tell is that, believe it or not, the plane Joey and Mike were supposed to get crashed after take off. Nancy and Joey almost were in plane crashes because of what had happened to us this Christmas. Unbelieveable, isn't it? Someone up there was watching out for us. Well, on with the story ... Joey and Mike finally got to the house and let Auntie, who was caring for the children, go home for a much needed rest. They found all the Christmas stuff I had hidden away. I had even stuffed the socks. I had everything ready since October, as I had no idea what would happen to Bas and if he would even be here for Christmas ... but I had to get Christmas together for the kids as anything could have happened at any time.

We almost made it through Christmas, but as Bas was decorating the shrubbery outside he became ill and had to come in and lay down. I was in the middle of decorating our huge Christmas tree, that was standing in the middle of the room so we could decorate all around it ... then we would push it back toward the wall and anchor it with wire. We were making ornaments out of pine cones and the kids were stringing cranberries and popcorn and making paper chains. I hadn't gone for the big Christmas grocery shopping yet and now with Bas getting sicker, I couldn't leave him to go to the store. So when Joey and Mike came, they had to make due with what they could find in the cupboards.

A friend brought up a frozen turkey, which they thawed and cooked for the kids, stuffing it with wild rice they found in the cupboard. The only thing was, I had baked apple pies for Bas a few days earlier and they had run over in the oven. I had Easy Off spread on the oven and had no time to clean it before making the emergency trip to the hospital. They did not realize the oven was spread with Easy Off and, being a new bride and inexperienced cook, Joey cooked the turkey in the oven and wondered why it did not smell like turkey should smell while it was cooking ... but that is another story. They ate it. No one died. And the kids had their Christmas, happy to be with Aunt Joey and Uncle Mike. I was much relieved to know that Santa had made it to our house. I will never forget Joey and Mike’s good deed as long as I live. Never does a Christmas pass that I do not remember, in detail, every minute of that terrible Christmas. But I have gotten way WAY off the path of the story I am supposed to tell. Back to how I met Larry.

Following the funeral, it was Nancy who dragged me out of bed and told me to get myself together, that my children needed their mother. She even called the hospital and enrolled me in a refresher course. I went shopping for uniforms and shoes, got my cap and cape out of storage and cleaned and starched my cap, found my nurses watch and pin and bandage scissors and went to work for the first time in 13 years.

The refresher course helped; we had much hand on instruction and observed and practiced procedures. I even served in the delivery room and watched a woman give birth, thinking, “Wow! I’m done with that. I’m glad it is her and not me.” [Ha! Ha! Two years later, when delivering my Elizabeth, I thought of that day. But, contrary to what I said, I was very glad it was I, as the day Elizabeth was born was one of the happiest days of my life.] But I’m getting ahead of myself.

I worked hard 10-hour days. The nuns were kind and let me come in later than usual so I could get my children off to school [I had no one to help do that after Nancy left] I would work the floors, mostly med-surg until the shift changed, then I was sent to a small ward that housed diabetic patients suffering with amputations, emotional problems, and senility. Some days I was sent to the psychiatric ward when they needed help. I would come home exhausted. I had little quality time to spend with my children; it was bath time … then bedtime and the routine started all over again.

The evening before I met Larry, I was driving home from the hospital, totally exhausted, and came upon an injured deer sitting in the center if the road, who had just been hit by a car. I parked until the police came and watched the poor deer suffering, unable to do anything to help. I couldn't stop crying.

I drove into Brockway and headed for St. Tobias. I didn’t think the church would be open this late, but to my surprise, it was. I walked to the front of the church, feeling lost and alone. It was dark with just the vigil light burning and a few candles. I sat in the front pew and bawled, so despondent, I didn’t know how to help myself, or what I could do to improve my life. All seemed so lost. Life was so hard. I had to pull myself together for the children. I prayed, placing all my problems in God’s hands, pleading for help … not for money … or promotion … just for the strength I needed to face each day, for Him to help me improve my attitude so I could face what I had to face and help my children. I stayed longer than I had planned and worried about the kids having to get to bed. Auntie had delivered them to the house that night, because I was going to be so late.

On the way up Mt. Visa, I couldn’t believe my eyes. What was happening tonight? There, in the middle of the road, was an injured opossum, bleeding, not quite dead. I considered running over it to put it out of its misery, but I couldn’t make myself do it. When I got home, I called the Game Commissioner, broke into tears, and asked them to come and help put the little opossum out of its misery. They, of course, did not come … they must have thought I was a pathetic, hysterical, out-of-control woman. How ridiculous to think the Game Commission would come to tend to a dying opossum, like, busy as they are, they could drop everything and rescue every animal that was hit by a car? The next morning, on their way to the bus, the kids saw the injured opossum; still sitting in the pool of blood … and it was still alive. They were horrified and sobbing. Susie was beside herself. One of their friends ran in and got his father, who came out and said he would take care of it, which he did after the kids got on the bus.

The next day was Friday, my day off. The phone rang; it was the hospital asking me to come in to help in ICU. One of the nurses was sick and it was illegal to run the ICU clinic without three nurses … and they only had two. I said ‘no’ as I did not have a sitter for Timmy. A few minutes went by and the phone rang again, litterly begging me to come in. I called Auntie, who was already tired from the week watching my kids, but she was a dear and consented to watch Timmy another day and told me to bring him over.

By this time, it was 9:30 AM or so and the hospital had already been without that third nurse in ICU for almost 3 hours. I donned my uniform and hurried to the hospital and headed for ICU. I was somewhat apprehensive, as I had never worked in ICU before.

When I arrived, ICU was filled to capacity. I had the quickest orientation to ICU possible. They assigned me routine things to do and morning care etc. One of my patients, a cardiac patient, was a Mr. Jac Beighey. I gave him morning care and tried to get his airway to stay in place, but Mr. Beighey was perspiring and the tape would not adhere to his nose. I kept trying and he was sweet and very patient. I kept calling him Mr. Bayhee. He was too sick to correct me. He just smiled sweetly, as I kept replacing the annoying tape that kept slipping down his nose.

On the hour, family members were allowed to visit the patient, one at a time for five minutes. Mr. Beighey’s wife, Martha, came regularly, and if it was not her turn, she stood outside the ICU door trying to gain more information from hospital personnel coming and going in and out the room. Martha alternated visits with a male member of the family about my age. I noticed him smiling at me and ‘giving me the eye’.

Then in came the nun, and asked me what Mr. Beighey’s [pronounced BeeHee] heart rate was. I thought to myself … oh my God … so that’s how you pronounce it. Why that man must be that Larry [Bee Hee] who my friends Sheila and Jay Broberg have been wanting him to call me and ask me out, the Larry ‘BeeHee ' who visited them in Califormia once a month. I didn’t know what to think. Now that I knew who he was, I tried to stay out of sight as much as I could when he came in the room.

When Larry traveled back and forth to California, he would stay at the Brobergs house. The Brobergs were my good friends and Larry’s as well … but we didn’t know the Brobergs at the same time. Larry worked with Jay at Brockway Glass Company. Shiela and Jay bought our old house on Mt. Vista and Bas and I became good friends with them. When Larry traveled to California once a month, Sheila kept after Larry to take me out, that she thought we would like each other. To get Shiela off his back, he told her he had tried to call me but that I was never home to take his calls and had no answering machine. On one of his trips, he even went so far as to infer that he had seen me a few times, which he hadn’t, but Shiela believed him and kept writing to me saying how happy she was that we had met and were probably having great times together.

After I realized he was deceiving Shiela about our meeting, it made me angry. I thought, 'who does he think he is? If he calls, I am not going out with him.’ But, I was curious about him as he was a popular bachelor about town and Shiela said a ‘great catch’ … and it had been a long time since I went out with anyone over 4 1/2’ tall. It would be nice to go to dinner and have an adult conversation with someone. I was interested but I was also very vulnerable. I had children to care for and could not be frivolous. They needed me and I was all they had. I thought about it, and knew if I ever dated anyone, he would have to like my children. If he didn’t, there would not be two dates.

When on break, I headed toward the Coffee Shop. As I came out the door Mrs. Beighey would follow me asking me a million questions about her Jac. I told her she had to talk to her Doctor, as I was not allowed to give her this information. It was for the Doctor only. She followed me into the Coffee Shop and asked if she could join me. I said, ‘Of course,’ and she proceeded to ask me questions about my life.

She said she thought I knew the people she had just visited in California … The Brobergs, that the Beighey family had just returned from visiting them. Shiela must have talked to Martha about me because she asked, “Were you married to a dentist from Brockway who was a friend of the Brobergs?” It was ironic! She told me how close her son, Larry, was to the Brobergs and that I really should meet him. I said I really had to get home, that I had to relieve the sitter and put my children to bed. She said it would only take a minute and led the way to the Waiting Room Lounge where Larry was sitting, reading the newspaper.

When he saw me, his face went from a big smile to a most puzzled expression. He looked like ‘the cat that swallowed the canary’. He KNEW, now, that I was the one the Brobergs had been trying to get him to call, and he knew he had colored the truth to them, that I most likely knew he did that, and didn’t know what to say to me. After lying to Shiela about seeing me, I thought he deserved to suffer some embarrassment, however, I couldn’t help finding it rather amusing. I thought he deserved to be embarrassed after deceiving my friends. So, it really was Larry’s mother who introduced us. [God bless her) I talked with them for a few minutes and left. FINALLY I had met the notorious Larry Beighey, the most eligible bachelor in town. I knew he was terribly embarrassed. Then I knew that flashy silver Corvette I kept seeing parked in front of the hospital was likely HIS car.

I was sent to ICU on assignment. Every day after that, Larry or his mother would follow me into the coffee shop. Martha to pump me for information, and Larry ‘playing it cool’, pretending he wanted to buy something … sneaking peeks at me out of the corner of his eyes … then nonchalantly leave.

One night, before I went shopping for my kid’s vacation clothes, I stopped at the hospital to pick up my check and to see my niece who had just had an operation. When I checked ICU to see who was on duty, I noticed Mr. Beighey’s bed was empty. I thought he had died. I asked the nurses. They said, “Oh no! He is doing better so we moved him upstairs to a regular room.

”I had taken care of Mr. Beighey several days and had grown fond of him and was very happy to hear he had improved enough to be moved upstairs. I went up to see him to tell him so. And who was there, sitting in a chair beside his father’s bed, but Larry. I was embarrassed. I was not in uniform or working on that floor, and he knew it. I worried it may have looked like I was tracking him down … I was not … I don’t think … although it was a pleasant surprise to see him there. I made my visit short, said my goodbyes and headed out of the room and quickly down the hall.

I heard someone call, “Hey! Wait up!” I looked behind and it was Larry, trying to catch up with me. He said, “Would you like to have a drink?” I said, “I think the coffee shop is closed.” He said, “I don’t mean coffee in the coffee shop, I mean a REAL drink … at a bar. Will you go? Where would you like to go?”

I thought to myself, ‘Why not? It would be nice to have a drink with him.’ “How about the Pine Inn?” It was quiet and in the middle of the week, I didn’t think anyone would see me. Why did I feel uncomfortable about having a drink with someone? I was available and single. It was all right if I dated. But having been married for so long, eleven years, and two years in mourning, I did not feel single and did not know if I was ready for dating. So, he climbed into his silver Corvette and I hopped into my white Jeepster and followed him to the Pine Inn, which turned out to be closed. He pulled alongside me and said, "Follow me." He drove to the Holiday Inn, which was a new popular spot at the time.

We walked in, sat in a booth and it seemed I knew everyone in the place. They were craning their necks to see whom I was with, and I excused myself to call my baby sitter. She was so excited about my ‘date’, she said to take my time, that if it got late, she’d sleep on the couch. And it is a good thing she did, as I had a wonderful time. Larry and I clicked right from the start, just like the Brobergs thought we would, and I didn’t get home until REAL late.

When I arrived home, Larry called to see if I was home safely. I liked that. And the next morning, he called me during his coffee break at work and asked me to lunch. He said he had to deliver something to Brookville and would I like to have lunch with him at the Gold Eagle? I was thrilled, and called a friend who said she would watch Timmy until I got back. And we went, and we had Club Sandwiches, and I knew this was the start of something grand.

And it was. We saw each other every day after that, unless he was traveling on business, and then I was there waiting at the airport when he came home. We were married that December 11, 1970. My family said, ‘I found the needle, not in the haystack, but the world.’ And I did.

Shortly after our marriage, Larry started adoption proceeding for the older four children. We all became Beigheys. Two more beautiful daughters were to follow within 20 months … and the Beigheys went from a family of 6 to a family of 8 in all.

When Larry had a class reunion, shortly after our marriage, he got the award for the one whose life was most changed, the youngest baby, and the most kids. And our marriage worked out beautifully. And that was 33 years ago.

THE END

Note: This was written four years ago. Now our children are all grown. We have eleven grandchildren … 9 boys and 2 girls … and Skip has just married a lovely woman who has 2 children, a girl in college and a young teenager, in high school … so with our new additions, we can claim 13 grandchildren. We just celebrated our 37th Anniversary, Dec. 11, 2007. We are still together, still in love, and plan to stay that way for many more. We are blessed! Life is good!

MY PRAYER

THANKFULNESS


As I age, I think more about my life in a different way and more about what I am experiencing now, and wonder what my future holds.

For most of this past year, my sister, Nancy, has been confined to a hospital or nursing home. She had wonderful care in the hospitals but when time to enter a nursing home, she had no choice of a nursing home due to the high cost of her medications; she was at the mercy of those who would admit her. She became totally dependent on the staff, some of who treated her with kindness and respect, others who were uncaring and disrespectful, an incompetent staff who frequently ignored her bell, kept her waiting for medications, had eratic hours that interfered with Nancy's necessary therapy or treatments or made her wait for her insulin before meals while her food got cold.

Their incompetence caused Nancy much frustration, even regressed the progress she made, but she did not complain as much as most of us would have. She lost much of her vision due to diabetes and had to adjust to this horific loss all while enduring many major illnesses. She did remarkably well and tolerated her illnesses with dignity and patience offering little complaint. Even though I am an RN, it opened my eyes to those who are confined to hospitals and nursing homes and at the mercy of understaffed, overworked, sometimes incompetent staff.

As I think of all these things, I pray and tell myself every day to be thankful for what I have and who I am.

Even though I may complain if I have to get up early for an appointment instead of nestling in my bed a little longer and am pressed to get up and moving, I am grateful, Lord, that I can hear the alarm or my husband's voice calling me. There are many who are deaf.

Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible. Thank you, Lord, that I can see. Many are blind.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising to face my morning aches and pains, I thank you, Lord, that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, it used to be when my children were young and getting ready for school and the toast burned and tempers short, but now it is my fault my morning is hectic, as everything I do is more difficult, simple things that I took for granted, like my shower, etc. I move slower and am unsteady on my feet and need help dressing. I cannot do many things that I used to do and it is annoying and frustrating for me and for others around me. Still I thank you Lord, for my family and for waking up each morning with my husband nearby and my son with us. There are many who are lonely.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced. Thank you, Lord, for the food we have. There are many who are hungry.

Even though the routine of my writing can be difficult, I thank you Lord for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no job or when they retire are bored. I am never bored. I am grateful that I can see and use my computer, and thank God, mentally sound. I no longer can do all my housework alone but I have wonderful household help, and my husband and son are invaluable help.

Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my health was better, I think of how fortunate I am that I at least have the means to take care of my health and have people who care about me to help, and that I am fortunate to enjoy a comfortable life style with an oceanfront winter home and in summer a lake home. So many others do not have the means to help themselves or loved ones to care for them.

I thank you, Lord, for my great country and my fellow Americans, for our brave men who have fought the many wars to keep us free, I thank you for my freedom to speak, to practice my religion, to live in this great land. And I pray for all those in need, who are suffering, who have no homes or food or loved ones, who live in a world of fear and pain, with little hope. I pray for guidance for our President and world leaders and those responsible for keeping us free. I pray for peace throughout the world.

I thank you, Lord, for my life.

STORY

THE GRAVY LADLE

John invited his mother over for dinner. During the meal, his mother couldn't help noticing how beautiful John's roommate,
Julie, was. She had long been suspicious of a relationship between John and his roommate and this only made her more
curious.

Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she started to wonder if there was more between John
and the roommate than met the eye. Reading his mom's thoughts, John volunteered, "I know what you must be thinking, but I
assure you, Julie and I are just roommates."

About a week later, Julie came to John and said, "Ever since your mother came to dinner, I've been unable to find the beautiful silver gravy ladle. You don't suppose she took it, do you?"

John said, "Well, I doubt it, but I'll write her a letter just to be sure." So he sat down and wrote,

Dear Mother,
I'm not saying you "did" take a gravy ladle from my house, and I'm not saying you "did not" take a gravy ladle. But the fact
remains that one has been missing ever since you were here for dinner.
Love,
John

Several days later, John received a letter from his mother, which read:

Dear Son,
I'm not saying that you 'do' sleep with Julie, and I'm not saying that you 'do not' sleep with Julie. But the fact remains that if she were sleeping in her own bed, she would have found the gravy ladle by now.
Love,
Mom

MIMI & ME FAVORITE RECIPES

MIMI AND ME FAVORITE RECIPES

A traditional French soup that was a staple in the La Flamme household ... a delicious carry over from Grandma Ballard and our French Canadian heritage. A comfort soup. Delicious! Filling! Satisfying! No particular recipe is used; each family has their own recipe resulting from the original recipe passed on in the family throughout the generations, each adding their own touch. This is my recipe. I LOVE this soup. It is much like my mother’s, who taught me.

Note: One can make as much pea soup as desired by adding more water, broth or beer and adjusting the seasonings. If using a small whole ham, like a picnic ham, after simmering it, trim off fat and remove the meat. Set it aside to add to the soup later. Put the bay leaves in a tea ball when cooking, to keep them from getting lost in the soup. This recipe makes a sizable amount. It is a favorite of mine.

SPLIT PEA SOUP

1 lb. lean bacon diced … OR … 2 ham steaks (lean) diced (not as fattening with lean ham) OR use a sm. ham OR may use a ham bone etc.
2 med. onions, chopped
1 bunch celery, chopped with leaves
2 [1 lb] packages dry split peas (green)
4 c. chicken broth or vegetable broth
5-6 carrots, diced
1 capful-dried marjoram
4 bay leaves (wrap or put in tea ball)
1 capful thyme
1 capful summer savory
¼ c. lemon juice
1 T. Bouquet Garni* or Herbs de Provence
2 T. parsley
3 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. Lawrys Seasoned Salt
2 T. sea salt
1 T. cracked pepper
1 c. white wine or sherry OR 1 can of beer
1 stick unsalted butter [Optional]

*Bouquet Garni equals pinches of basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and oregano

Optional: If meat is very lean, may add 1 stick butter for more flavor, otherwise the juices of the ham OR bacon provide plenty of flavor.

Rinse peas well. Set aside. Spray bottom of a lg. stockpot with olive oil spray. Brown celery and onion in a T. of butter, unless using bacon, then brown in the bacon drippings. If using ham slices and need more liquid, add a little broth. Add rest of broth; then ham. If using a ham, add enough water to cover ham … about half of lg. stockpot. Add the split peas, celery and carrots. Add seasonings, beer or wine and lemon juice. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover (optional) and simmer for 1 hr. or more until peas are cooked. Stir occasionally. I usually simmer for much longer … about 2hrs. You can make as much as you want by adding more broth or water and adjusting seasonings. If using a sm. whole ham, remove and cut off meat. Save to add to soup. Either discard the bay leaves or put the leaves in a tea ball when cooking for safe keeping. Some like to put the soup through a sieve or mix in a Cuisinart. I like it best like it as is. Bon Appetit!

Definitely, for many years. an old family favorite.

MY COOKBOOK MIMI & ME

MIMI’S CHERISHED MEMORIES

For many years, my children begged me to write down my old family recipes … and for many years, I did jot them down … and stuffed them in drawers, used them for bookmarks, scribbled them on scrap paper, clipped them from newspapers and magazines, and piled them in boxes and plastic bags. Many favorite recipes I’ve adapted from my large cookbook collection that I buy and read like novels. Many recipes were given to me by word of mouth, handed down from generation to generation, mother to daughters, friends and neighbors. Most are of my own making. Soon after I learned to cook a decent meal, I experimented with my own recipes. I adapted most menus from watching my Mom, other family members, TV shows, girl talk, magazines, and newspapers, whatever. Thus, over the years I have accumulated thousands of recipes. I have boxes of clippings filed away … most of the time I ‘wing it ‘… except for baking when I must follow a recipe more closely.

Food has always been a big part of our life. We never lacked for food, even during the ‘lean times’ like during WWII when we were very young kids and foodstuffs were rationed. Somehow my folks found a way to keep us fed, clothed and shoed … and with a roof over our heads. Mom could make a pound of ground meat last for several ingenious meals … the same with a chicken. First boil it … use the broth for soup, the meat for a meal and the leftovers for sandwiches. Then she would boil the bones and make more broth. Mom was a genius at making something tasty out of practically ‘nothing’.

During the food rationing, we went without frills, like candy and gum, butter, sugar and chocolate. I remember my folks yearning for real coffee, complaining about having to drink chicory coffee. Gasoline was only for necessities. We chewed our wad of bubble gum for a whole week, sticking it on our bedpost overnight, just like in the song. We had our Victory garden, as did most of the town, and grew our own vegetables. We were lucky to have a grandfather and two uncles who owned a grocery store and butchered their own meat, so we managed to have some meat to eat. When they received their quota of chocolate or gum, they would put one piece aside for each of us kids, but were careful not to give us more than our share … as every kid in town was waiting as patiently as we were for their treats and my Grandfather and uncles saw to it that all children had their share.

When someone died, the sexton ran the old church bell and my Mom would send us to the market for a soup bone to make soup for the grieving family … many times her soup was well under way before she knew who died. It was what people in Linwood, MI did for each other. If sugar was scarce and someone needed something for a special occasion, they shared their portions for birthday cakes, or evenings of fudge making or taffy pulling.

Food was always a topic of conversation in our big family. It was, “What are we having for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July, New Years, for the company coming next weekend … for a birthday party, a special occasion, Sunday dinner, whatever … life was centered around talk of FOOD. And there was always room for anyone who stopped by to join us at our table. Mom made our meal ‘stretch’. She even found enough food to feed the bums that jumped off the boxcars of trains passing our house. She often found them sitting on our doorstep, almost as if they knew they would get a hand out from the kind lady in the little white house with green shutters … and they did. Mom said she thought there was some coded mark on our house that told them they were welcome and would be fed.

My father thought my Mother was the ‘World’s Best Cooker’. He’d still be eating a meal when he would ask Mom what we were having for the next one. I can still see him sniffing around the Thanksgiving turkey when Mom opened the oven to baste the cheesecloth covering our big bird. Dad could hardly contain himself when eyeing his favorite drumsticks. He got one and my brother got the other. Me? I LOVED the browned crispy turkey skin best. Mom always enjoyed a wing, my sisters had the white and dark meat and my Grandma La Flamme, by choice, loved ‘the part that went over the fence last’ as she put it … and oh how she enjoyed it. I can still see her sitting at the table, savoring the fatty goodness, while we kids looked on, confused, wondering why Grandma would choose such a strange piece … YUK!’

We all love good food. It is considered one of life’s greatest pleasures. When I was a kid, I was downright skinny … oh those were the days! Mom tried to fatten me up with fortified milkshakes with eggs whipped in. I hated to drink milk, ever since a farmer squirted milk from a cow’s teat directly in my mouth. It was so warm … I gagged and ever since, I disliked milk … and it got worse when my Mom made me drink warm milk when I was very ill with measles and delirious with fever. YUK! But it was a rule in our house, we kids had to have a glass of milk with each meal … so I would plug my nose and swallow it down, unless I could bribe my little sister, Nancy, to drink it for me, if I promised her a nickel or let her follow me around with my friends.

Mom’s cooking was known far and wide. Lots of ‘good cookers’ my Dad called the women in our family. Everyone had his or her specialties. My aunts were all wonderful cooks. Each had special meat dishes, desserts, breads, wild game, but of them all, to me, my Dad and brother and sisters, Mom was the ‘best cooker’ of them all.

Food was a big part of our French heritage … and it still is. Our holidays are FEASTS! Most of our families have great cooks, as are many of their children and spouses. All my children are good cooks … some cook extremely well. When I married Larry, there were more good dishes his mother, Martha Beighey, and Grandmother Sallie Vestal brought into family meals. As the children grew, married and had families of their own our extended family grew and produced even more new recipes.

We all can cook, some like to better than others. I confess I am getting a bit tired of compulsory cooking after having to feed my big family of six children and a hungry husband three meals a day for all those years. I do enjoy cooking when I feel like cooking. I love eating out, but we all agree that there is nothing like a good home-cooked meal. So I still do a lot of cooking … when I want to … when I feel like it.

Most of our big family meals are done in the summertime when Larry and I move from Amelia Island, Florida Up North to our lake home at Hubbard Lake, Michigan. All of our children come with their families to visit. We have two places at the lake … one the old family cabin, 'The Shack’, which has countless memories for all of us since we began going there in the early 1940’s. Now it is remodeled, [upscale rustic is how my son, Tim, describes it] … with the luxury of running water, laundry facilities, a shower, toilet and fully equipped kitchen … actually it is very cozy and convenient with a dormitory that holds many.

Our lake home, Mighty Oaks, is very comfortable with all the facilities. We have a wonderful time at the lake and do much cooking for a lot of people. My two sisters live there, one permanently and the other’s family has a place directly across the lake from us and spends much time there in summer and winter. We enjoy boating, water skiing, fishing. Everyone joins in cooking. We have bonfires, skits with campfire programs, boat rides, jet skiing, canoeing, hiking, snowshoeing, camping, swimming, tubing, there is always a lot going on, not to mention biking, playing bocce, croquet, softball, lots of board games, card games, etc. but the thing everyone likes to do the most is … EAT! And we certainly do our share of that! We are learning to eat a little healthier, even taken to whole-wheat pasta and brown rice, which I never thought I would learn to enjoy as much as I do now … even like it best. We eat much less red meat and more fish and poultry, whole grain cereals and breads, lots of fruits and vegetables. Got to admit, just as we do at our home, Spyglass, on Amelia Island, while at the lake we enjoy eating out, but the best meals are right at home by our grills in our own homes and on our own decks and porches … with family.

I had a great time getting all these recipes together. There were many little stories about food I wanted to include and there was not room in the recipe section so I made a Notebook Section to include the tidbits I wanted my family to know and remember. Do not hold me responsible if I have not explained the recipes well. Many of my recipes are ‘by-guess-and-by gosh’ [that’s how my Mom described them] recipes that I try to recall … or emulate. Some are from recipes I’ve used for years, some fancy, some not so fancy, but all of those entered are among my favorites. I hope you will all try them and enjoy them as much as we do. My brother, Richard, said they were all, “Scrumptious! Simply Scrumptious!”

I wish to thank all who offered recipes and to my family for their loving encouragement. I dedicate this effort, especially to my Mother, who taught me so much. And a big grateful thanks to my husband, Larry, who helped tremendously with the many details and editing it took to create this labor of love. I love you all. Bon Appetit!

Carole La Flamme Beighey
Author
CBeighey@aol.com

THE WADDODLES OF HOLLOW LAKE OVERVIEW

The Waddodles of Hollow Lake

A series of books about a widowed raccoon mother who courageously raises her family alone on a lake in The Great Northern Wood.

“Harriet cradled her twin sons in her arms, thinking of her husband, Theodore, battling the blizzard cold and alone. Petrified, they waited for him to return, praying he could find enough food to keep them among the ‘Survival of the Fittest’…for one more day.”

The death of a parent can devastate a child. I know. My four children (ages two-eleven years) experienced this devastation when they lost their father in December of 1968.

We were stranded in a blizzard, the day after Christmas, in an unfinished house with little money when my husband died. Anxious how we would manage without him, too young to understand, the children asked, “Why my daddy?”

Feeling lost and alone, our hopes and dreams shattered, I struggled to find a way to explain his death to them. How could I make them understand? Comfort them? Make them realize he was gone forever? How would I reassure them life would go on; that we would find the courage to live without him…that they would be happy again? I searched for books to help them adjust, and found few. So I began writing one…for them …for me…for the countless suffering children who lost a parent.

Children need help to understand their sorrow. When they read the series The Waddodles of Hollow Lake and understand how well the Waddodles cope with Theodore’s death, they will feel encouraged and know they are not alone. With faith restored, hope renewed, they will know they can endure their devastating sorrow; that they will feel happy again.

We spent the summer following my husband’s death at my brother’s humble cabin on Hubbard Lake in the Michigan Great Northern Wood. Every night we watched a young raccoon mother and her babies feeding at our stump. My children related to the fatherless raccoon family; watching them cope made it easier for them to accept their own loss. This inspired me to write my series through the eyes of animals instead of humans, thus The Waddodles of Hollow Lake was born.

In many ways Harriet Waddodle is me; my children are her children. Through the series of books the Waddodle children learn to adjust to their loss, relocate to a faraway home, change their lifestyle, make new friends and cope with family problems as many children experience, even welcoming a new father and more babies into their lives.

“Cradled in Harriet’s arms during the blizzard, Theodore Waddodle gave up his earthly life and passed into eternity. Before he died he made Harriet promise to, ‘Always look forward, Never behind.’”

Over the years, after working as a registered professional nurse and raising six children, the Waddodle stories evolved into a series. Because death is a depressing subject and difficult for children to deal with, I felt the need to address this subject knowing many children face this problem daily.

Though The Waddodles of Hollow Lake: Law of the Woodland may stimulate feelings of sorrow when a parent dies, humor is interwoven throughout the series. The stories are upbeat, warm, amusing, moral, adventurous …even mysterious. Many characters have endearing, humorous personalities.

The Waddodles and their friends are real to me. They behave like animals but reason like humans. Children will laugh and cry along with the Waddodles sharing the family’s good times and bad.

I hope all who read these books will enjoy them as
much as I enjoyed writing them. Thank you…and ‘Always look forward, Never behind.’

Carole La Flamme Beighey February 2002

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS

POSTED BY LARRY BEIGHEY FROM HIS BOOK, "A DROP IN THE BUCKET."

Follow Your Dreams

My wife is a remarkable person. What she has accomplished at this point in her life makes any of my accomplishments pale in comparison.

Her first husband died the day after Christmas, leaving her with four children, ages two to nine. She was 30! Besides her own grief, she still had to cope with explaining the loss of their father to these four small children. They just couldn’t understand what had happened to their father. When was he coming back?

While vacationing at her brother’s lake cabin in Michigan’s northern woods, she watched a mother raccoon and her babies feeding nightly at the stump outside the kitchen window. The idea came to write her stories through the eyes of animals, believing it would be less painful for children to relate to their loss.

Carole had a dream about writing but could never imagine how she would find the time, especially after marrying me and having two more children … six children under the age of 11.

It was a great idea, but when would she ever find the time?

One Saturday afternoon, I told her that I was going to take the six kids out for about three or four hours and that she should do whatever she wanted.

When I returned home, I found that she had sat down at a typewriter (there were few personal computers in those days) and had written 30 pages of her book, The Waddodles of Hollow Lake. That was 31 years ago.

By sneaking a few minutes here or there – or staying up half the night after everyone had gone to bed – she typed away.

In 1986, we bought a personal computer and after a few quick lessons, Carole learned how to use a simple word processor. Soon, she was proficient in using the computer and had moved up to the most advanced word processors.

That was 1500 type-written pages ago.

She has now had three books published in the series, The Waddodles of Hollow Lake, and has written enough draft material for 5 or 6 books. (http://www.waddodles.com/)

What started out as a dream has turned into a reality! It just proves the point that if you set your mind to something, you can find a way to get it accomplished, despite difficult odds and situations.

Remember to “follow your dreams” and as Theodore Waddodle, one of the raccoons in Carole’s books says, “Always look forward, never behind.”

WADDODLES LAW OF THE WOODLAND SYNOPSIS

A blizzard is raging. Trapped in their rock den, overlooking Hollow Lake, The Waddodle Raccoon Family is freezing and starving. Harriet is pregnant, expecting babies in the spring. Her husband, Theodore, struggles daily to locate enough food to keep them alive. After several near-death failures to locate food, Theodore must compromise his principles and raid Old Mr. Grump’s garbage cans.

Infuriated, Old Mr. Grump lays a trap for Theodore, tempting him with fresh meat. After tasting a few morsels, Theodore trudges homeward, toting the rest of the tainted meat for his family. When almost home, he collapses near his favorite pine.

Near the rock den, The Ruffin Twins are howling and whining, tormenting the Waddodle family. When Theodore is late, Harriet prepares her sons, in case their father does not return, teaching them about "The Law Of The Woodland" and "Survival Of The Fittest."

After much soul searching, sensing Theodore needed her, Harriet decides to look for him. Leaving strict instructions for her frightened sons to stay covered and not to leave the den under any circumstances, she gathers her courage, and in spite of her advanced pregnancy, trudges forth through the blizzard in search of Theodore, with the starving Ruffins howling and prowling nearby.

Harriet encounters many harrowing experiences as she battles the blizzard during her search before finally discovering Theodore buried deep beneath the snow beside his favorite pine. Heroically, he struggled to stay alive to warn his family about the poisoned meat. Until he dies, Harriet cradles him in her arms to comfort him.

But where can she bury him with the ground frozen? She chose a temporary grave in the stump where Theodore had her bury the poisoned meat. With help from her "strength," Harriet finds the courage to tell her sons the devastating news of their father's death and reveal to them Theodore's parting words and his dying wish was for them to be happy.

Harriet promises her sons that through faith, courage, and love for each other, they will survive if they follow Theodore's wise advice, to "always look forward, never behind."

Lonely and pregnant, Harriet and her devastated sons struggle to survive the winter and endure frequent encounters with their enemies, Jake and Rudy Ruffin and Old Mr. Grump, his double-barreled shotgun and blood-thirsty hounds, Rufus and Brutus.

At long last, spring arrives. Harriet's devoted neighbor, Scitter Chipmunk, visits daily along with Clara and Zoe, who offer the Waddodle Family their undying love and support, helping them to adjust to their tragic loss.

Slowly, the ground thaws. It is time to bury Theodore safely in the earth. Teddie and Freddie search for the perfect burial spot. Clara, Zoe, Teddie and Freddie dig Theodore's grave. Harriet and Scitter gather adornments to decorate it as a memorial in his honor. Reluctantly, shovel-shy Percy Chipmunk tries to help dig, but proves useless, getting in the way of the doe's sharp hoofs, and ends up injured by Clara’s flying clumps of dirt. All the women, except Percy’s wife, are aware Percy is not sick but "hung over" from a night of carousing with "floozies" and sucking on beer caps in The Dump.

Scitter pampers Percy, which annoys the doe. Clara and Zoe vow to intervene with Scitter, on Percy’s behalf, to help guide her alcoholic husband back to health and encourage him to mend his 'wandering ways'... or else. Clara and Zoe send The Waddodles to the brook, while they prepare the grave for burial and transport Theodore's body from the stump to his earth grave. Clara and Zoe bury Theodore, beneath his favorite pine.

Everyone returns to the gravesite. Harriet is too overwhelmed to speak. Clara takes charge of conducting the funeral service. Prayers are said and eulogies delivered. Percy shocks everyone by delivering the best speech they have ever heard. He leads them in song, singing The Woodland Anthem.

After the boys fall asleep, Harriet visits Theodore's grave, and buries the poisoned meat in the earth. Unexpectedly, her labor begins. Luckily, Clara and Zoe, sensing Harriet needed them, returned and stayed to help with the delivery of the babies. Scitter came to baby-sit.

Freddie helps Clara construct the birthing bed. Teddie rubs Harriet's back and times her contractions. Both boys pace nervously, waiting in the rock den for news of the births.

As Harriet’s delivery approaches, Clara grows frantic. Aware she overstated her birthing skills, she now worries whether she can measure up to the task. Her nerves get the best of her and she throws a 'conniption fit', issuing orders fast and furious to everyone, upsetting Zoe and Scitter and the boys, especially Freddie. Zoe suggests that Clara go off alone to compose herself.

Finally composed, Clara returns to apologize to Freddie. She shocks him when she reveals her secret to him, that she feels inadequate. Freddie thinks Clara can do anything. He calms and encourages her, helping to restore her confidence. They patch up their differences and become each other's "Rocks."

The babies are delivered safely. Harriet expected two babies but, to everyone’s surprised delight, delivered triplets. The third delivery is a difficult breach delivery. Finally, when all the healthy triplet girls arrive safely, everyone rejoices, except Freddie, who wanted brothers.

When Harriet reveals to Freddie that his father had two fine sons and wanted baby girls, Freddie quickly adjusted to the idea and struts proudly, showing off his sisters to Scitter.

Harriet named the triplets Adalaide Clara, Bithia Zoe, and Cecelia Scitter, after her dear friends, which delights them. The girls will be called Addie, Bitzi and Cissy, until older. Now that Teddie and Freddie are big brothers with more responsibility, they decide they want more mature names and ask to be known as Ted and Fred instead of Teddie and Freddie.

The boys pick violets for their mother, knowing Theodore would bring her violets if he were here. They lay violets on his grave, and present Clara, Zoe and Scitter with bouquets, bringing them to tears. Harriet believes Theodore's spirit is near, guiding her sons to bring her violets.

After watching their sisters nurse and asking many questions, Scitter hustles the happy brothers inside so Harriet can rest. Clara and Zoe take turns standing guard day and night over 'their family'.

Grateful for her healthy children, Harriet, though missing her husband, reminds her friends that life is good. She falls asleep smiling, holding Theodore's violets in one arm, nestling his babies in the other, looking forward to a promising future, vowing to follow Theodore's wise advice, to 'always look forward, never behind'.

For the time being, all is quiet and peaceful at East Bay, on the shores of Hollow Lake.

WADDODLE SERIES OVERVIEW

SERIES OVERVIEW

A series about the trials and tribulations of a family of raccoons in the Great Northern Wood … targeted for pre-teen children.

STORY LOCATION

A dense virgin Great Northern Wood of white birch, evergreens and hardwoods surrounding Hollow Lake. Running brooks feed the clear, spring-fed lake. Territories include East Bay; West Shore; The Rock Den; Theodore’s Pine; The Chipmunk’s Hollow; Old Mr. Grump’s Cabin; The Cedar Swamp; Pine Forest; The Grassy Meadow; The Gravel Pit; The Ravine; Billy Buck’s Dam; The Grassy Knoll; The Dump; The Stump; 'The Shack'; The Mighty Oak; The Brook; and the Shores of Hollow Lake.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

The Waddodle Raccoon Family:

Theodore: [Father] Strong, brave, honest, devoted to his family and his woodland
Harriet: [Mother] Pregnant, caring, loving, devoted wife and mother
Teddie: [Twin Son] Dependable, obedient, strives to achieve
Freddie: [Twin Son] Adventuresome, fun loving, mischievous.

Triplet Daughters: Born the spring following Theodore’s death.
Adalaide Clara ‘Addie’ … Fun-loving, kind
Bithia Zoe ‘Bitzi’ … Generous, patient
Cecelia Scitter ‘Cissy’ … Musical, comical


WADDODLE FRIENDS

Whitetail Doe: Clara and Zoe: Devoted friends of the Waddodles. Known as “The Newspapers”. Live in The Grassy Meadow. Inform neighbors of woodland Happenings. Offer protection, help police the woodland and assist the Waddodles, offering love and support.

Clara: Beautiful, bossy, ‘take-charger', persnickety perfectionist.
Zoe: Lovely, docile, sweet, a pacifier.

The Chipmunks: Scitter and Percy: The Waddodles good friends and neighbors.
Scitter: Percy's trusting wife; one of Harriet's best friends, good-natured, personable, amusing.
Percy: Shovel-shy, vain, intelligent. An alcoholic 'carouser', addicted to beer-cap-sucking in The Dump. Annoying, troublesome. Wants to reform, but fails consistently. Prone to periods of depression.

WADDODLE ENEMIES

Old Mr. Grump: Grouchy hermit. Hump back, sinister. Only human on East Bay. Totes a double-barreled shotgun. Torments woodland wildlife, especially The Waddodles and Clara and Zoe. Main target is Theodore Waddodle who is forced to raid Grump’s garbage cans during the blizzard.

Rufus and Brutus: Old Mr. Grump’s bloodthirsty hounds who 'coon hunt'.

The Ruffin Twins: Jake and Rudy: Mean, wily red foxes who endlessly torment The Waddodles.

Jake: Most hateful and leader of the two. Abuses brother.
Rudy: Petrified of his brother, Jake, but follows Jake’s lead.

Mr. You-Know-Who [Phantom name] for the notorious black bear: Big Casey: The most fearsome of all enemies. Sick, mean, mad with pain, rumored to be rabid. Torments the entire woodland.

LIFE IN LINWOOD

We lived in the small village of Linwood, Michigan, on a corner lot on Center Street, right next to the Linwood Recreation. My father was a barber and had his shop kiddy-cornered across the street next to the Linwood Hotel.

It was the early 1940's. My sister, Nancy, was born and WW II was in progress. The United States entered the war when the Japanese surprisingly bombed Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands where we had bases and ships in port. Many people died there. Back home, times were hard. People were enlisting and off to war. The town emptied of its young men who used to frequent The Linwood Recreation next door. When a relative decided to sell The Recreation, my father purchased it and began adding on an addition for a home. The Recreation was not the run-of-the-mill pool room, it was family oriented with a juke box, pin ball machines, ice cream, a popcorn machine ... pop and lots of fun and laughter. The older kids hung out there and many adults came, both men and women. Business slowed down some now that many of the boys left to join the military and fight our war.

Before the addition was completed, we moved into our new home. It was a humble home as building materials were not readily available while the war was on. We had an outdoor privy while we waited for our toilet and sink to be installed. Wood was at a premium and we had only light lavender paper stretched across the walls dividing the 6 small rooms ... a kitchen, living room, 2 bedrooms, laundry room, bathroom. [Later, the rooms were plastered by a good friend, Johnny Pelky, but that was a long time coming.] By the time the men came to plaster, the paper walls were torn and uglier than before from poking our fingers through it and making the holes larger and larger. I was eager to be rid of all the torn paper.

We did have a room attached to our house that separated our home from The Recreation. We called it the Middle Room. It is where my father stored the supplies for the store. It did have a public restroom. Our upright piano was in this room, my mother's push treadle sewing machine, a coal stove, an antlered deer head hung over the piano, later my mother had a dryer tucked behind the door going into the kitchen ... but that, too, was years and years later. The Middle Room gave us a little extra room and we used it a lot to play. The only telephone for the house and store was located here. The room was furnished with a few comfortable chairs and a few wicker pieces my mother loved ... and atop the wicker table stood a colorful Tiffany's style Victorian lamp with tassels hanging from the light switch. In an alcove off the main room was a section used for stacking soda pop bottles for the store. We also kept our dog blanket and Trixie's dog dish next to the stove. The room was filled with memorabilia and interesting bric-a-brac artifacts that Mom collected and had no place in our small home to store them. Everything we had no room for seemed to end up stashed in the Middle Room.

The Middle Room was painted a light pea green ... not too cheerful, but Mom said it was a relaxing color. She loved the colors green and yellow. Our kitchen was bright yellow with dark green counter tops, the living room pale green, the bathroom was tinted pink, the folks bedroom a restful pale green and all us kids, three of us at the time, my brother, Rich, who had a daybed and my sister, Nancy and I slept together in a double brown iron bed in the blue bedroom. There wasn't enough room to install a bedroom door so for years we slept in a bedroom with no door, which was fine as we could get more heat from our oil burner in the living room with the door open. [Years later, when my little sister, Joey, was born, she took my place when I went off to nursing school ... until then, it was necessary for her to sleep on a cot in my parents bedroom ... not an ideal situation, but it was the best my folks could afford. Also, while I was away at school, my folks built an addition to their living quarters, adding on a good size living room with a fireplace, another bedroom, and a lovely screened-in porch.] Many mornings I woke up so cold I would run into the living room and Dad would help us dress with the clothes he placed across our stove to warm them. One of the nicest memories I have is my father sitting me on his lap and rubbing my feet to warm them before he put on my socks.

Mom would be in the kitchen cooking breakfast, either oatmeal, cream of wheat, scrambled eggs and toast or pancakes, if she had time. Ovaltine, a chocolate crystals we stirred into our milk was a regular, as was hot cocoa when it was cold outside. We all had the daily dose of cod liver oil and a multiple vitamin. On the radio we heard Squeaky and Sputters, Eddie Arnold singing, news reports, or Happy Hank singing his birthday song, "I know a girl who has a birthday today, I know a boy who has one, too ...". Mom would braid my hair in pigtails, always neatly pulled tight ... shiny clean. Mom rinsed our hair with vinegar to get all the soap out and make it shine. We got teased by the other kids that our pigtails were pulled so tight, we looked Chinese ... and that we smelled of vinegar ... at least until we had our hair washed again. We didn't care what they said, we knew we looked fresh and clean. Mom would always tie colorful ribbons on the end of our braids. She kept us all neat and clean ... taught us table manners, insisted we respect all adults, and reminded us that The Blessed Virgin was watching over us which encouraged us to always behave ... and of course we all knew our Guardian Angels were right with us to protect us at all times.

We were a proud family, well behaved, and deeply loved. We put on our winter coats and galoshes, mittens and scarves and we walked to school along the sidewalks that followed Center Street. It seemed a long way then but in reality it was only about 1/4 of a mile. We only got driven to school if it was raining.

When school was out for summer, Mom would always have a hired girl to help out with the housework so she could work in the store while Dad barbered in the shop that he had built in connection with The Recreation. My parents worked long hours. Later, after selling the pool tables, juke box and pin ball machines ... they converted The Recreation into a dairy bar/lunch counter ... sold greeting cards, newspapers and magazines, ice cream and some clothing ... and carried a line of Feather's baked goods brought in from Bay City. It was more like a General Store. Later, my folks bought out the local drug store from Jenny Yakel and moved it into our building ... now selling patent medicines, all sorts of drug store fare except prescriptions. We had no pharmacist. My brother, Richard, began his college studying pharmacy, intending to return to our store when he graduated but he ended up teaching elementary school when he received a full scholarship from the Ford Foundation with the understanding that he would have to study teaching. So our Drug Store never did have a pharmacist ... but we had everything else ... and still ran the dairy/lunch counter. We had many coffee guzzlers daily, sometimes coming in twice a day, morning and afternoons sort of their social life. During the big smelt runs, hundreds of smelt fishermen descended on the whereabouts of Linwood and my folks would keep the lunch counter open all night ... and I worked all night. [One night I was so exhausted I dropped a bowl of hot chili in the lap of one of the sportmen. It was embarrassing but he was a gentleman about it and of course my folks did not charge him for his late night snack ... and my father helped clean him up, heard the smelt were running good and sent him back on his way fishing with a smile on his face.]

Linwood Beach was the place to go at one time. Many lovely cottages lined the shore. Years ago well-to-do families would come, by train, for the summers and return to the city for the school and winter season. The Beach had a pavilion with big bands playing where dances were held and people came in by boat and train from Bay City, Saginaw, and Midland. It still is a lovely beach and many of the original cottages remain with their original families. Many have remodeled them, restored to their original condition and some are just the same as they were in the beginning ... well tended and loved, and Linwood Beach still remains a lovely place to own a second home ... although more and more people are making Linwood Beach their permanent residence.

One Christmas in the 40's when we still owned The Linwood Recreation

I was about eight years old when we had a December with no snow. It was nearly Christmas. Every kid in town was worried how Santa would get to us. The village streets were bare ... the grass bare ... not a snowflake fell the whole month of December. I was not only worried, but I was sad. Here it was Christmastime and it didn't feel a bit like Christmas. Dad and Mom were late picking out our Christmas tree. When it came, it seemed ages before it was fit to decorate. Dad, a Christmas tree perfectionist, was busy cutting holes in the trunk and redistributing branches to cover the bare spots. The Christmas tree was a big deal at our house. Mom loved the tree, as did we all. After Dad was satisfied he'd covered all the bare spots, he covered one or our pool tables with a tarp, set the tree in a stand ... put it atop the pool table and lifted each of us kids up on the table to help trim the tree.

My father was fussy about the decorations and we all liked the icicles, taking great pains to hang them one by one so they hung gracefully from the branches. Dad was bigger on stretching cotton over the branches to make it look like snow. The ornaments were special and each had a story. My favorite was the soft little brown teddy bear that was one of the first ornaments they bought for the tree when my brother was a baby. There were beautiful hand blown glass violet and aquamarine bells that had been on every tree that I remembered. I wanted to put some of them on ... and when I picked one up, it fell and broke and I was devestated and cried forever it seemed. Initially, Dad gave me a sour look, but later, hugged me and said that maybe I had better stick with the ornaments that weren't so fragile. I never forgot that incident. Every time I decorate a tree I think of that broken bell.

Anyway, there was still no snow on Christmas Eve. As usual, a bunch of us went Christmas caroling in the neighborhood and returned home for hot chocolate and Christmas cookies. It was time to prepare for midnight mass. Our house was unusually quiet. Mom and Dad had closed the store and were resting up before going to church. It had been a busy week and up until I left for caroling, Mom was still wrapping gifts.

We all went to Midnight Mass together, leaving early about 11:00 as Midnight Mass was always well attended at St. Anne's and although our church was large for a small town, it would be crowded ... by the time mass started, there would be standing room only. As we approached the church steps, Mother saw how sad I looked and asked me what was wrong. "It's Christmas, Carole. You should be happy."
"I know, Mom. I am happy, but I am disappointed that it is not snowing. All the little kids are worried about Santa arriving."
"Not only the little kids," Richard said. "You look a bit concerned yourself."
"I am concerned as to how he'll get here but, like always, I'm more concerned about how he will get into our house. We don't have a big enough chimney for him to crawl down. How does he get in?"
"We don't really have a chimney at all, just pipes from the oil burner," Richard said.
"Santa has all kinds of transportation, kids ... airplanes ... trucks ... not only reindeer and a sled," Dad reminded them "Remember, just the other night Santa was checking and left his big red truck on our lawn."
"Yah, right, Dad," Richard said.
"That was Gene Sauve's Gasoline Truck, Dad. He was filling our oil tank. We knew that even though he tried to scare us by tapping on our windows and pretending he was Santa Claus." Claus."
Dad smiled. "Just pray for snow then, kids."
"I'm praying hard," I said. "I've been praying for snow all week."
Christmas Mass, as always was beautiful. The Adult Choir sang and the Children's Choir, which Nancy and I belonged to. It was hot in church with our winter coats on and by the time the long line of communicants finished, they were hot, tired and ready to go home.
All I could think about was seeing our Christmas tree, and sitting curled up on the couch in front of it and just watching it. When we opened the doors to leave church, I gasped! Looking up, I cried, "Look Everybody! It's snowing! It's a miracle!"
"See, kids. Your prayers were answered," Mom said, smiling. "Now Santa will get here for sure."
Happily they headed for home where Dad and Rich would eat oyster stew and the rest of us would have a piece of Mom's famous meat pie with cranberry sauce. They laid out a snack for Santa ... Christmas cookies and milk with a little bowl of sugar for the reindeer. Then it was time for bed and sweet dreams of Santa flying through the air while the snow fell paving his way to deliver his toys to all the boys and girls. It would be hard to sleep tonight as we listened for the reindeer to land on our roof and hoping Santa would find his way in.