True Stuff

  • Sky Blue!

    Sky Blue!

    I wrote this one on May 16, 2017. Here it is again for Fandango’s Flashback Friday. My spirit danced in the love of your laughing blue eyes as we skipped hand in hand down our sidewalk. Through the yellow rays of our neighborhood’s sunlight, we passed the daffodils in bloom and yesterdays’ fuzzy-smudged hopscotch game.

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  • 2nd Grade & Why I’m Not Catholic

      The piece below recounts the actual events of a day at St. James Elementary School in Arlington Heights, IL. 1966, or so.  I flunked a phonics test and Sister Eleanor is scowling like Satan: goose-stepping back and forth, spitting “God Hates You Brats.” She doesn’t know that God likes kids, even brats and kids who

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  • The Class of 51

    The Class of 51

    Picture it : 1966 in Arlington Heights, IL at Our Lady of Perpetual Angst Catholic School. Mrs. Ludy’s third grade class had been designing their special Valentine mailboxes all week. Snippets of red construction paper cut with blunt-nose scissors speckled the classroom floor. Tatters of paper lace doilies and glitter stuck to clothes and jackets

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  • Honeymoon Magic

    Honeymoon Magic

    It’s time for Cyranny’s Quickie again! Today she’s asking, Do you enjoy camping?   I do not enjoy camping in the least. Here’s why: When I got married for the first time, which is among the Top 10 biggest mistakes of my life, hubby decides we should camp near an Indian Reservation on the first

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  • Fifth Grade

    Fifth Grade

    There are many songs I could write about today. I could tell you how Dean Martin’s “Everybody Loves Somebody” evokes images of my mom ironing in the kitchen, singing along with the record player.  We had to keep a book of matches on its arm to ensure the record wouldn’t skip. Yeah, I could do

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