What a wonderful whirlwind it was! Christmas, that is. Christmas Eve was a flurry of activity that ended with a grand party at my sister's house. It started early - I had to get some bloodwork done, get a couple of last minute gifts, and pick up our Christmas dinner from the fabulous Founding Farmer's. Then I had to rearrange the fridge and stow the dinner, throw stuff in a bag, and check on our... Read more →
Here's my grandmother's marriage certificate. It's not as fancypants as her father's certificate, but Gramma's wedding was 27 years after his, so maybe things were more streamlined in the 20th century. Anyway, the Washington Star published the following description of the wedding. The suburban home of Dr. and Mrs. Charles F. Whitney of Woodside, Md., was the scene of a pretty wedding Wednesday evening, when their daughter, Miss Mabel Whitney, was married to Mr. Jarrett... Read more →
My Pop sent the following telegram to my Mom on the occasion of her 29th birthday. Now, what do you suppose "a more appropriate fashion" might be? Hmmm... Read more →
Here is the Certificate of Marriage of my great-grandfather, Charles F. Whitney, and my great-grandmother, Anna Elizabeth Hall. The writing is a little faded, but that's understandable, considering that it was written in 1880. They were married in Menard County, Illinois. I think that John T. Hall and Laura F. Hall are Anna's parents, my great-great-grandparents. I especially like the picture of the bride, groom, and their attendants at the top of the certificate. Don't... Read more →
This is my Gramma's high school report card. Check out the date of the school year: 1900-1901! Gramma was 18 in 1901, so I'm guessing that she was a senior. It appears that she graduated from Eastern High School. She didn't have a very heavy course load - just History, English, French, and Latin. Oh, and Neatness. Neatness? I wonder what the syllabus was for Neatness - Dusting, Polishing, Tidying? What do you think? No... Read more →
I drove down to the beach Saturday - the first time I've driven that far alone in years, and the first time I've taken Rinaldo on a long drive. I confess that I was a little nervous, but I reminded myself that I used to drive long distances alone all the damn time and I would be fine. Besides, unlike in my circus days, I had a phone. I'd be able to summon help with... Read more →
Four years ago, I bought my Fiat 500, Chicolini. It's been a great little car. Oh, it had its flaws, but I accepted them because I bought it used, after all. It had the proper inspection stickers on it, so I figured all was well. They couldn't sell a car that wouldn't pass inspection, now would they? Each subsequent year, it passed inspection, sometimes needing minor repairs. But it always passed. (Cue ominous music.) In... Read more →
Last week, from Wednesday evening to Sunday evening, was pretty damned awesome, if I do say so myself. Allow me to recount it. Pat (aka SonnyeBoy) came up Wednesday afternoon - that's enough to make a weekend great. I ditched work at four o'clock and the three of us made our way to Center City Philadelphia to see Eddie Izzard at the Kimmel Center. The show was amazing. He covered evolution, the Big Bang Theory,... Read more →
Oh hi! We had, of course, the best Christmas ever. On Christmas Eve, Joe and I threw some stuff in a bag and took a cab to the train station. We're both pretty sure that the hole in the door of the cab came from a bullet; it's Philly, after all. Naturally we were two hours early, because every time we allow a lot of time for the Schuylkill Expressway to be hosed up, it's... Read more →
My Pop had his own creative names for things. For example, he had a gardening tool that he called a "hooka-hooka." This tool was simply a hoe without a blade. The hook that the blade was attached to remained. Pop realized that the hook was ideal for precise weeding around his tomatoes and beans, so a broken hoe became a valuable hooka-hooka. He didn't like being late. If you were dragging your feet and making... Read more →