My friend Cay has taught "Writing Life Stories" for years and even volunteered to teach at a few Senior Centers. She has written 160 class handouts for her students, however, told me, "I was always writing the new class lessons and not writing my own stories." She decided to work on her own life stories for her grown children.
This is her story in her words.
"Back in 1993 I wrote the story of our family and photocopied about a trillion pages of snapshots, had some reprinted so each of our three children would have their own copy. The story was in 6 chapter....heritage, montage of each one, the Paris years, family holidays, family vacations, & life after high school.
I made 5 copies cuz by then Pierre & I had been divorced for almost 15 yrs, but we always had birthdays & holidays together. I put each page in those "page savers" that are archival safe & in the books which were loose leaf notebooks.
The kids absolutely loved it - and I've always said I'd made a big mistake cuz I had gift opening b4 dinner so when I'd ask 'can somebody set the table, please?' 'In a minute, Mom'...can someone cut the bread...ditto, & so it went. They were so excited that they could hardly talk cuz they were so enthralled.
Lincolnia - one of the assistants was working on a degree in gerontology & had to do a special project with seniors. Afterwards, one of the other people in the class asked if I would continue to teach the class as I was the only person from the class who'd done anything with it.
It was such fun for me to see my grown children's excitement when they opened the identical boxes...all of them spent the rest of the evening reading."
What a GREAT GIFT for your grown children. A gift that only a Mother could give.
June
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Easy Removal of Ticks
Probably all gardners end up with a tick or two.
Finding a little unwelcome friend, just use this great tip.
Put alcohol on a cotton ball and place it over the tick for 2 full minutes. The tick becomes irritated by the alcohol and 'backs out.'
He is still there, but on top of the skin and easy to lift for a short ride to be flushed down the toliet. A good washing and antibiotic cream is recommended.
Explaining this procedure to my six your old grandson, he asked what color wine was best to use on the tick.
And I thought he would become a Doctor.
June
Finding a little unwelcome friend, just use this great tip.
Put alcohol on a cotton ball and place it over the tick for 2 full minutes. The tick becomes irritated by the alcohol and 'backs out.'
He is still there, but on top of the skin and easy to lift for a short ride to be flushed down the toliet. A good washing and antibiotic cream is recommended.
Explaining this procedure to my six your old grandson, he asked what color wine was best to use on the tick.
And I thought he would become a Doctor.
June
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Trip Down Memory Lane
Camera fun~ Joe and Ellen
Feels like only a few years back~
My brother Tommy~
Can you believe we dressed like this for a school trip?
Ann and Joe~ Young Love
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Last but not least~
A Saturday long ago~
Days like this were the beginning of the Golden Girls
and friends for a lifetime. 
.
I think this is Ray C.'s grocery delivery bike with a basket full of Bobby's. Bobby F. and Bobby G.
June holding bike (they trusted me, right) and Ellen in the background.
Ck out the car that can be seen...a Chevy? Could have been my Dad's car ???
The other car with the door open just behind the bicycle was Bobby Neil's car.
Feels like only a few years back~Are you in this photo?
My brother Tommy~
White Sports Coat (and a Pink Carnation) Days
Good looking, isn't it?
Bobby Neil and Joe~ "Cool Cats"
Good looking guys.
Good looking guys.
We had fun times together.
Joe G. was the best dancer of all
and we danced the summer
away at West Lake. Remember?
Can you believe we dressed like this for a school trip? Yep, Jr High.
Peggy, June, Golda.
We were then the Golden Girls to be.
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Last but not least~Me.
I would say this is my 'movie star' pose.
For sure,
Sweet Sixteen.
June
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus Escape into Egypt
"Would you like to see a water well where your Holy Family stopped to rest when they were escaping into Egypt?" the Egyptian General asked me at dinner one evening. He knew the story quite well.
Naturally and enthusiastically I answered, "I really would."
How nice of him and he himself arranged for the day off to take me.
He knew in the area but not exactaly where this well is located, so we were off to explore the northern area of Cairo looking for this ancient well. I had NO IDEA what to expect. The traffic and roadways are amazing as there are no rules about the lanes. If there are no cars coming in the left lane, the right lane cars drove over there as well...they moved over only as needed. A neat system. ANYWAY...back to my story....
The history of the Holy Family's flight from Bethlehem and Jerusalem is well known. To murder all boys age two and under back in those times was done for any reason the ruling King might have. In the days of Moses, that order was given to control the population of the Hebrew men.
Now, when Jesus was born, word spread that a new King had been born, which was a threat to King Herod who ordered to destroy the infant in a mass murder. He sent his soldiers out to slay all boys under the age of two.
The Holy Family were warned to flee and left Bethlehem. Their arrived in Jerusalem when Jesus was only eight days old. Here, they had the him circumcised before traveling on. They escaped into Egypt and had the large barren desert to cross. This is when they found a well in the desert. The well we were to see.
I have no expectations as we stopped to ask help from several people along the way. For sure, I had been will off the tourist path thus far. Arabic language was becoming familiar, but naturally, it was Greek to me. (smile)
Finally, In a housing project of four story apartments building on windblown sand roads and no trees was found what we were looking for.
Naturally and enthusiastically I answered, "I really would."
How nice of him and he himself arranged for the day off to take me.
He knew in the area but not exactaly where this well is located, so we were off to explore the northern area of Cairo looking for this ancient well. I had NO IDEA what to expect. The traffic and roadways are amazing as there are no rules about the lanes. If there are no cars coming in the left lane, the right lane cars drove over there as well...they moved over only as needed. A neat system. ANYWAY...back to my story....
The history of the Holy Family's flight from Bethlehem and Jerusalem is well known. To murder all boys age two and under back in those times was done for any reason the ruling King might have. In the days of Moses, that order was given to control the population of the Hebrew men.
Now, when Jesus was born, word spread that a new King had been born, which was a threat to King Herod who ordered to destroy the infant in a mass murder. He sent his soldiers out to slay all boys under the age of two.
The Holy Family were warned to flee and left Bethlehem. Their arrived in Jerusalem when Jesus was only eight days old. Here, they had the him circumcised before traveling on. They escaped into Egypt and had the large barren desert to cross. This is when they found a well in the desert. The well we were to see.
I have no expectations as we stopped to ask help from several people along the way. For sure, I had been will off the tourist path thus far. Arabic language was becoming familiar, but naturally, it was Greek to me. (smile)
Finally, In a housing project of four story apartments building on windblown sand roads and no trees was found what we were looking for.We found the Garden of the Holy Family's Well.
The area was enclosed by a whitewashed concrete wall ~ and of all things... right in the middle of these lower income apartment builds. Basically the city had extended into the desert here.
We unlatched the gate to see a Garden ~ a Garden that someone has kept the Garden green and well preserved. I couldn't believe what I saw.
The area was about 50' x 50 feet and walled in with a whitewashed concrete wall.
In the center was a small round well. Surrounding were many very old trees, all green and some had been supported by beams to hold them up.
Someone had brought ferns and made a square brick planter.
The small well is in front of the large tree in the photo. Next to it was the trunk of a dead fig tree with a new tree branching out from the bottom.
On the wall were three stories for visitors to read. They were in three different languages as well.
First Written Story.... "As the Holy Family crossed the desert, they found this well under a fig tree. They stopped to rest and eat figs. Far out on the desert, they saw soldiers on horses. A magic spider quickly spun a web around the Holy Family to make them invisible. The Soldiers didn't see them and passed on by.
" Second Story..."As the Holy Family crossed the desert, they found this well under a fig tree. They stopped to rest and eat figs. Far out on the desert, they saw soldiers on horses. The branches of the fig tree bent down to hide the Holy Family. The Soldiers didn't see them and passed on by.
" Third Story......"As the Holy Family crossed the desert, they found this well under a fig tree. They stopped to rest and eat figs. Far out on the desert, they saw soldiers on horses. The Holy Family climbed up and hid above the tree. The Soldiers didn't see them and passed on by. "
There was a small wooden box for donations. I opened my purse and emptied what Egyptian pounds I had into the box. I was very moved.
June
We unlatched the gate to see a Garden ~ a Garden that someone has kept the Garden green and well preserved. I couldn't believe what I saw.
The area was about 50' x 50 feet and walled in with a whitewashed concrete wall.
In the center was a small round well. Surrounding were many very old trees, all green and some had been supported by beams to hold them up.
Someone had brought ferns and made a square brick planter.
The small well is in front of the large tree in the photo. Next to it was the trunk of a dead fig tree with a new tree branching out from the bottom.On the wall were three stories for visitors to read. They were in three different languages as well.
First Written Story.... "As the Holy Family crossed the desert, they found this well under a fig tree. They stopped to rest and eat figs. Far out on the desert, they saw soldiers on horses. A magic spider quickly spun a web around the Holy Family to make them invisible. The Soldiers didn't see them and passed on by.
" Second Story..."As the Holy Family crossed the desert, they found this well under a fig tree. They stopped to rest and eat figs. Far out on the desert, they saw soldiers on horses. The branches of the fig tree bent down to hide the Holy Family. The Soldiers didn't see them and passed on by.
" Third Story......"As the Holy Family crossed the desert, they found this well under a fig tree. They stopped to rest and eat figs. Far out on the desert, they saw soldiers on horses. The Holy Family climbed up and hid above the tree. The Soldiers didn't see them and passed on by. "
There was a small wooden box for donations. I opened my purse and emptied what Egyptian pounds I had into the box. I was very moved.
June
Poem Place
~SPRING and POEMS go TOGETHER~
In response to the follow request~
Please make a separate entry for Poetry and have your friends contribute poems that they have written or ones that they love!
Shall I start?
For Woody
by June Daab
Retired and living his dreams,
He bought a plane for play
The sun was out, the day was warm,
He took to the sky on this his last day.
Up, up and away,
His spirits did soar in freedom of flight,
This was the life of his dreams,
All other things now seemed trite.
The engine suddenly failed in flight,
Quickly, the landscape he panned,
Woody had but a second to decide,
To find where he could land.
The plane lost lift,
Down, down in trees,
Which to planes
Are enemies.
We mourn Woody
However, we are comforted,
He was living life to the fullest
and enjoying something he loved,
April 17, 2008
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