Nana and My Dream

I used to have nightmares of my dad screaming at me, close up drill sergeant style, which he used to do, veins in his neck bulging out. Haven't had them in years.

The other week he was in one, about to go off on me, and Nana; who rarely is in my dreams at all; was hovering there, right next to him, and told him; just by her presence,  to leave me alone! 😁 What a great dream!

She was there several times in real life when he did that, though never directly interfered. This was around 1964 and 65. I was 10-11years old at the time.

I had gone grocery shopping, one of my many chores because Mom was always sick or in hospital etc. This particular day Nana and Aunts Gloria and Gladys took me to the bungalow at Breezy Point and when Nana took me upstairs at about 10 PM my dad was waiting, fuming!

In my haste to leave that day I had left out a package of bologna so it was no good anymore. He hit the roof and wouldn't stop yelling, screaming.....

Nana wouldn't leave and he finally calmed down. Gloria was waiting downstairs for her and kept ringing the intercom, wondering what was taking so long.

Nana; what a saint she was and still is. You know at one point I was forbidden to go see her! Now, imagine not being allowed to see your own grandmother! She was only 15 streets away at 2807 Kings Hwy. We were at 1310 Ave R. So, it was only about 1 mile.

I used to take my bike and visit her and had to lie about where I'd been. I didn't want to put this on the wall at first and wrote it as an IM to cousin Patsy, but decided to share it anyway.

They say when you speak lovingly of the departed they live forever. Kind of like the Saints. Nana doesn't need to be Canonized by anyone or thing. I did that long ago in my heart.

Photo is cropped from my wedding album. Aunt Gloria made sure she was there for my wedding....

"Fly My Kite" with Hal Roach and His Rascals (1931)

This is probably the first “Little Rascals”/”Our Gang” episode which I remember watching. It’s interesting to note that the name on the credits is “Hal Roach and His Rascals.” They went through two more changes in name as the years passed, finally becoming known mainly as “The Little Rascals.”

In this 1931 episode, “Grandma”, who is really just an old lady in the neighborhood, is having her usual day of fun with the neighborhood kids. She reads to them, feeds them and even boxes with them. The children are all from poor families and presumably the parents are all out working during the day, leaving the children at “loose ends.” She is the anchor which holds their little world in place.

Grandma’s son-in-law, a mean fellow named Dan, has promised to let Grandma stay in her home until she passes away. He had previously broken Grandma’s daughter’s heart with his philandering ways, which she blames for causing her daughter’s early death. With no money of her own to live on, she is forced to accept the promise that Dan will always take care of her.

But when Dan and his new girlfriend arrive at the home unexpectedly, they find Grandma roughhousing with the neighborhood kids. The girlfriend tells Dan that unless Mom moves out, she won’t move in. Grandma, hearing the arrival of the cab with Dan and his girlfriend in it, tells the kids to hide.

When Dan tells Grandma that he is kicking her out and sending her to the poorhouse, all seems lost. As Dan leaves the home he checks the mail, finding a letter informing Grandma that she is in possession of some gold bonds which will make her secure for the rest of her life. Dan takes the letter to an attorney who informs him that the bonds are transferrable and worth about $100,000; more than Grandma can ever hope to use in the few years remaining to her. He quickly returns to her home in an attempt to retrieve the bonds. Meantime, Grandma, while packing her belongings, has given the worthless bonds to “Chubby” for a tail on his kite.

Dan rushes home from the lawyer, and once there, he crushes Grandma’s glasses and reads the letter to her, informing her that the bonds she once held are worthless. But he’s in for quite a surprise when she informs him that the bonds have “gone up”. When he realizes that she has given the bonds to “Chubby”, he rushes outdoors to retrieve the kite, and the bonds. Meantime, Grandma, while packing her belongings, has seen the letter through the “lens” created by the fishbowl where the letter has been laying and dispatches the children to help “Chubby” retain the now valuable kite.

These films were the basis for many of life’s lessons in morality, honesty and hard work. In spite of the stereotyping of everyone in these films; the helpless old Grandma; the fat kid “Chubby”; the racist portrayal of Stymie and Buckwheat; and even the villainous son-in-law, complete with an evil looking moustache; were a staple each morning before I went to school. And, sometimes I think I learned more about life from these old films than I ever did in in class.

The Girls are Back in Town.

As you can see, our two eldest granddaughters; Aliyah, 7 and Trinity, 5; have arrived from Texas with our son Shane, for a visit. They’ll be here for a few days and then they'll be off to Maryland for the Pensinger Family Reunion. Then it's back here for a few days before heading home.

Our daughter Sarah will be taking them to the National Whitewater Center here in Charlotte tomorrow. I think they’re going rock climbing…. And, of course, Sue and I have a few things planned with them as well. They're staying with us, so we get first dibs. It's really great to see them again.  Grandkids; if you haven't got any yet;  you should get some. They'll make you feel young again.