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Jean's Recent Stories (1970-present)

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1. Easter Sunday at the Sanders
2. How I got Out of a Ditch
3. Marc on the Eagle
4. Kaitlyn's English Tea Party
5. Fire Flies in the Summer Night
6. Tai Chi in Xion
7. Thanksgiving and Christmas 2003

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Easter Sunday at the Sanders

Easter Sunday at Iris Dr., was always celebrated with the boys hunting for their Easter Baskets. Their Father took malicious pleasure in hiding the baskets all through the house. On this particular Easter morning. He outdid himself. There were only three boys that were capable of hunting for them this year. Marc was out of it, he was just a baby, and had no idea what was suppose to happen, (he got his Easter Basket from his Mommy.) The Baskets were filled with jelly beans, dyed eggs, marshmello peppies, an all kinds of chocolate things, Everythings to make a kid good and sick if he ate fast it before his Mother caught him. .

George would hide the baskets in the most unusual place, on top the bookcase, down in the lower basement; anywhere he thought they would have a hard time finding. He just loved them hunting all over the place looking for them. Michael and Craig were probably nine and Kirk would be four going on five. The twins didn't seem to mind hunting for the baskets they thought it was a game. But Kirk, Hated it!!, The twins found their basket without too much trouble, and were busy diving into the goodies.

Then all we could hear, was this whaling, I can't find my basket, and I didn't get one everyone got a basket but me. I know I didn't get a basket, The Easter Bunny doesn't like me!! Boo hoo, Boo hoo, This went on until one of the twin, I think it was Craig, said come on I'll help you look, so they looked and looked, but still couldn't find the basket. By this time I had had it. Finally George gave in and told them to look in the dryer. And there it was. We had a happy kid for a while. I'll bet he still remembers that Easter.

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Weather in Pa. Or Or How I got Out of a Ditch (1974-6)

We had cold weather (in Western PA) from November until the end of March and then sometimes to the end of April, I have movie pictures of standing in the front yard taking pictures of a four-inch snowfall the first week in May. Our Driveway was 100 ft. of snow and ice most of that time. We had to stay in the ruts left by our preceding runs to the top of the driveway orland in the yard, which then would take some real thought to get back on the driveway.

My sons always had old cars that either didn't run in cold weather or were so buried in snow that they couldn't get out to go to 5:30 A.M. swimming practice. My car resided in my garage, that meant it was snow free. At first, that meant me putting my coat over my P.J.’s, stuffing my feet in boots and driving them up to swimming practice at five in the morning. I usually got them there and home without too much trouble. But one morning there had to be at least five inches of snow on the road and cold as all get out. I survived the trip to the high school, and made it to the top of the hill leading to Iris Dr., as I started down the grade I could just feel the car sliding to the left, I kept telling it no, no, to the right to the right!! But it kept on going to the left hand ditch.  There is not another soul on the road at this time (except other stupid Mothers in their P.J.’s taking kids to swimming practice or hockey). 

The car was tilting to a third degree angle front in the ditch. I got out and slid to the front of the car, and then I prayed Dear God if you get me out of this one, I swear I will get dressed before I take those kids anywhere. I must have stood there a ten minutes blubbering and wringing my hands. Then I faced it - I was not walking home!! I went around to the front of the car again and looked at the ditch.  Gee, it was only curved a little bit.  If I drove along the ditch for a while, I could maybe steer it on to the road.  No other cars were coming, all the other Mothers were home in their warm beds all ready. So I got back in the car and drove along the ditch steering to the right and Thank God he helped me out of the ditch. I made it the whole way home without another incident. I never, never, wore my P.J.’s to take the kids anywhere again.

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Going To New York To See Marc on the Eagle

Marc was a third class cadet (2nd year) at the Coast Guard Academy in 1986. That was the summer before he actually started his second full year in the Academy. He informed us that he was going to be a crewmen on the Coast Guard’s sailing ship, the barque Eagle. It is the training ship for the cadets and officer candidates. Not only that but he was going to be on the tall, square-rigged, ship for the dedication ceremony for the unveiling of Statue of Liberty (after a couple of years worth of refurbishment). It was called ‘Operation Sail 1986’.

The celebration was to be the first week in July 1986. The dedication was to be on the fourth of July. 1986. All the tall ships from around the world were going to take part. George and I were thrilled to death and immediately made plans to be in New York at the South Side Seaport when the tall ships were to come in.

We really had no idea that this was such a big thing! They had completely blocked off all the streets leading to the seaport. There were no cars in the vicinity of South Side Seaport the day of the dedication. When we finally got to the South Side Seaport there were so many people in the street, and crowded on the piers, we could hardly get to where the tall ships were coming in. We barely made it in time to the pier where the Eagle was supposed to arrive. What a sight, it is a beautiful sailing ship with a golden eagle as a bow emblem.

I could see that it was almost into port and right above me, were two gentlemen on top of a piling. I looked up at one and he was looking at me. I said my son is on the Eagle, He said, Hey guys, her kid’s on the Eagle. Just then he and another man reached down and grabbed me by the arms lifting me up on top of the piling. As they did, the Eagle slid swooshing into the berth by the piling. I looked down on the deck of the Eagle and there was Marc looking up! He Said Hi Mom!

Poor George was left to stand by the piling on the dock. But after they got Walter Kronkite off the Eagle. Marc was allowed to go with us the rest of the afternoon. We were invited by the captain of Eagle to watch the fireworks from the deck of the Eagle. This was to take place about nine o'clock in the evening. After walking all over the streets and looking at all the booths and souvenirs stands, we finally got something to eat.

Arriving back at South Side seaport we were shocked to find there were more people there, then were there in the afternoon. There had to be 10,000.00 people, crammed on the docks and every restaurant in the whole seaport. Along with that, It was the most spectacular display of fireworks we had ever seen. Being able to see the display from the deck of the Eagle was like a dream. The fireworks were set off to light up the statue of Liberty and to shine all around the Seaport. I will always remember that trip to be one of the happiest of memories.

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Kaitlyn’s English Tea Party (2002)

My Daughter-in-law Lori mentioned to her twelve year old daughter Kaitlyn, (my granddaughter), that she had never been to an English Tea Party.  They must have been watching something on TV that brought it to mind. Lori is a great drinker of tea, I'm not whether sure that it’s all English tea or not but she drinks a lot of tea.

On one of the occasions that Kaitlyn was visiting George in Irwin, she asked me if I had ever been to an English Tea Party.  Well I had been to any number of them in the Princess Hotel in Bermuda and a number of Hotels in London, but I had never set one up, although I could still remember what they looked like and what was served.

We got on the Computer, went to Yahoo and lo and behold they had the whole thing about English Tea Parties, exactly how you would set one up even to a picture of a Menu: how to serve the tea’s, scones, shortbreads, how to make the tea sandwiches, from watercress to cucumber to deviled ham.  I printed it out for her.  Then we found an English Tea Party invitation site which we also printed out.  I found some very pretty envelopes that I must have been saving for just such an occasion.

I went shopping at our super market and found a packet of variety English Teas and some Deviled Potted Ham for Kaitlyn to take with her back to her home in Lititz, Pa; happy in the knowledge that she was really going to have a tea party for her Mother.

Sadie the west highland terrier resides with us when they come to visit.   Lori’s Mother is not a dog person so Sadie stays with us. Lil Fresch, Lori’s Mother, lives just a mile or so away from us.  Holly (Kaitlyn’s eight year old sister), Lori and Kaitlyn visit with Lil Fresch.  Craig stays at our house to take care of Sadie and I get to visit with my second son. Great arrangement.

George and Sadie at Lori and Craig's house

A couple weeks later, George and I had to go to Lititz, to pick up Lori’s Mother who had been staying with them while Lori recovered from another cancer operation (this one to remove the whole breast). We got to Craig and Lori’s house about 12:30 pm, just in time to witness a shouting match between Lori and Kaitlyn, (Deliver me from teen age girls!!).  I’m not going to go into what it was all about but for some reason Kaitlyn had been sitting on top of her younger sister Hollie and wouldn't get up. This type of thing happens all the time but Lori was not feeling up to par having just got over surgery, so it was a bad time all around.

Lori went up to bed for a well deserved nap and Kaitlyn. after drying all her tears, asked if we could still set up her Mother’s tea party?? Gee, I was just glad to do something to clear the air. 

So Kaitlyn runs up to her room and brings back a big shopping bag full of all the things she and her Father had gathered for the tea Party. Kaitlyn had studied the instruction we had printed out, the bag was filled with packets of shortbreads, scones, and a loaf of English tea bread, cut very thin.  She had bought watercress, a small cucumber some cream cheese, also a bag of chocolate chips, a small piece of sliced English ham. Lil went to the china cupboard and selected a beautiful Rosenthal China tea set with a china warmer that the tea pot sat on. The set came with small plates for the individual servings and the small teacups. Kaitlyn had seen a silver tray in the garage left over from a garage sale - we wiped it off and began to set up everything in the Breakfast room.

   
Kaitlyn and Lori                              The Table

The English loaf was square so I just had to cut the crust off each side and then sliced it into quarters. We scored the cucumber then sliced it very thin. We washed the watercress, opened the deviled ham, and creamed cheese.   As I sat the small slices on the platter, Kaitlyn would butter one side and put a few pieces of watercress, then selected ham and creamed cheese for another, cucumber and butter for another, until we had the platter filled.  The sandwiches were set on a bed of leaf lettuce. The scones were cut into triangles, and placed on a small serving dish, six of the small wedges of shortbread were dipped into the melted chocolate chips.   Another six were left, as they were to be served with raspberry jam.  The shortbreads were arranged on another small serving dish, with the plain in the middle and the chocolate around the outer edge.

The Rosenthal China was set on the silver tray with a napkin placed beneath the teapot, sugar bowl and creamer. We arranged the variety of English Tea bags beside the tea warmer. The others trays were set around this with the teacups and little tea plates at each place setting.  I had brought lump sugar for the sugar bowl, but we didn't have clotted cream for the creamer, just plain milk.  All this had been placed by Kaitlyn on a white triangle table cloth.  Lil filled the teapot with hot water.  We lit the small warmer candle inside the warmer and placed the teapot on the warmer. The table looked beautiful.

Lil went up stairs to wake Lori, Kaitlyn was so excited she couldn't keep still.  She jumped up and down ran around the table, finally went to the bottom of the stairs to wait for her Mother to come down.  As Lori got the bottom of the steps, Kaitlyn made her close her eyes then led her to the door of the breakfast room. When Lori open her eyes she just stood there with tears streaming down her face, she looked at Kaitlyn and said, "Oh Kaitlyn you did this for me???"  It was so emotional. Then she went into the powder room and shut the door.  Of course she finally came out and hugged Kaitlyn and just kept hugging her.  Craig took pictures of everyone involved and then we sat down to one of the best parties I have ever been part of.

Fire Flies in the Summer Night

I woke up in the middle of a summer night, it must have been 2:00 am, I couldn’t get back to sleep, it was so quiet except for the night noises, which I could hardly hear since I don’t wear my hearing aids to bed, so I rolled out of bed and walked out my sliding glass door to my porch that is built off of my bedroom. I sat down and proped up my legs on a wicker cocktail table out there, just looking out to the yard, and surounding trees, it seemed to be filled with flickering lights, they danced up and down, then sideways, some following each other, fire flies, but we always called them lightening bugs!!, They floated through the trees, All at once I remembered being ten, on Barner Hill, and running around with a mason jar and a lid punched with holes, the jar stuffed with grass so the lightening bugs would have something to cling on to.

Tia Chi in Xion, China

We had been planning a tour of China for over a year (starting in June 1991) to take place in June of 1992. The group we were going with were a group of professionals, teacher, doctors and nurses, from Strasburg, Pa., along with friends from the Jacktown Ride and Hunt Club - Betsy and Bucky Melbourne, Bob Fawsett and his wife Betty.

The tour was to last seventeen days.   We boarded a Chinese Jet after flying intoTokyo, Japan’s airport, and flew to the airport near the walled city of Xion, the first city on our China tour.  It is famous for the terra cotta soldiers some ancient emperor had ordered made, then had them buried along with the terra cotta, horses and carriages.  All the figures are life size even to the horses and carriages.

A tour bus picked us up and transported us to a Holiday Inn that had taken over this huge hotel.  The hotel must have had twenty floors, because we were on fifteenth floor, just level with the top of the wall, twenty feet away.

The wall itself, surrounds the city, is twenty feet high and the top is fourteen feet across. I could see the top of the wall very well from my hotel window.

I don’t sleep well at night, I can’t complain about the hospitality, it was superb.  Chinese hotels offer every convenience. I just can’t sleep well at night. This night I made it to 4:30 a.m.   It was barely getting light, June being the shortest nights of the year, The fog was very thick in places and swirled in others.  The top of the wall was getting visible.  I could see movement on top of the wall.  As the fog dissipated, I could make out figures of people.  They were slowly doing an exercise.  There must have been fifty people, in rows of ten, each doing the same motion in unison, They were all dressed alike, high collar jacket and pants to match, slowly doing Tia Chi, the national exercise of China.

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Flying  (post 9/11/2001)

Anyone been flying lately?? It’s a blast isn’t it??   You have to be at the airport two hours before your flight. If you are an hour and a half away from the airport that means three and a half-hour before your flight is scheduled to take off. Then when you get to the airport you find no luggage check in at the curb and none at the counter either.

To get your boarding pass you have to use a computer designed to issue it, it looks like the kind the counter people at McDonald’s use. After you have put your dividend miles card or credit card in the slot, answer some questions regarding your flight it issues you a boarding pass. Then you take your luggage to another area, following the roped off section where they open your suit case and check everything in it.

After that you get on the tram to your gate. Where you find that you flight has been delayed for another forty-five minutes. There are no meals on board the planes now so I had made a sandwich and brought a can of soda. All in all, it took me four hours to fly two and a half from Pittsburgh airport to Orlando airport. Maybe this is very necessary, but it sure is stressful.

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Thanksgiving and Christmas 2003  (posted Feb 2004)

We had a Thanksgiving, Christmas at Iris Dr. in Nov. 2003. My four sons, their respective families were coming to spend Thanksgiving with George their father and me their mother. 

The first to arrive was my son Marc, his wife Cathy and their daughter, Chloe. They were coming in from Honolulu, Hawaii. On Nov. 20th. Thursday, They started their Journey on Nov. 19th. Wednesday. They flew from Honolulu to Cincinnati, Ohio then to Greater Pittsburgh Airport. Where George met them at 2:20 p.m. Thursday afternoon. Their trip started on Nov. 19th at 8:40 PM from Honolulu. There is a six-hour difference between Hawaii and Pa. So I knew it was going to take them a day to get over the jet lag. We just lounged around getting aquatinted and I had a ham dinner for them. Friday they went Christmas shopping. Sat. Nov. 22nd. We went out to dinner at Jacktown Ride and Hunt Club. Sunday was spent going to Church. Marc turned my small garden over with my new Mantas culvinator. Cathy, Chloe and me made chocolate chip cookies. Chloe is
really very good at making cookies!!! She make them exactly the right size and shape. I fixed sauerkraut and kolbassi in my big crock-pot for dinner, one of Marc’s favorite meals. Monday we made pumpkin and apple pies, Cathy and Marc went Christmas present shopping again, I think. That night we had chicken potpie, and tossed salad. They rented DVD’s and I went to bed. (Whew).

Tuesday we went to Carnegie Museum in Oakland, Pittsburgh. It has been renovated since I worked there about twenty years
ago, especially Scaife Art Gallery. Chloe enjoyed chipping the bones out of a dinosaur artificial dig. This was especially constructed for children. They were issued goggles, a hammer and a chisel also paint brush to brush the pieces they chipped from the exposed rock and bones. We saw special showing of Indians from South America.

On the way home we stopped at the Giant Eagle and bought a bunch of Pizzas for supper, knowing that Michael and his family were coming in about 9:30 PM. Michael informed us that he and Carmen were married on Tuesday Nov. 18th. At the courthouse in Mobile with his army staff as witness and in front of Probate Judge Don Davis, a judge Michael was a friend with.  Tuesday morning, Nov. 25th at 4:30 am they started for Iris Dr., after fourteen hour drive they arrived along about at 9:30, (Michael never did believe in taking it easy). The girls were starving so Chelsea gobbled up the pizza. I had made two-grilled chicken breasts for Haley who can’t eat pizza, Michael said he was too tired to eat and Carmen ate part of Haley’s chicken breast. After getting everyone settled in their respective rooms, I went to bed. Everyone but me stayed up to talk, I have no idea when they retired.

I had made reservations with Carnegie Science Center at the Imax Theater for 12:00 PM noon, the next day, Wednesday Nov. 26th. To be there in time for the show they had to be in line by 11:20 am, They had to be there at 10:00 am. If they wanted to see some of the science center before they saw the show. That meant leaving home by 9:00 am it is an hour drive to the center. It was a hassel getting everyone up and fed breakfast but we got them off almost on time. All went except Michael who stayed home to make pies.  They were meet to Michelle Sedlak and her son Michael, our only daughter of the family, even though she started out as someone else’s daughter she is ours now. They were meeting her at the Center. I guess that is another story, to be told someday, but not now. Michael stayed home to make sweet potato pies, pecan pies and prepares the 20-½ lb. turkey for the brine bath, so it would soak for twenty-four hours, before we drained it and stuffed it. I made the bread stuffing, We started the grille and by the time everyone came home from Pittsburgh, (the second time, Marc had to bring Haley home in the middle of the afternoon because she became ill). But he went back and they all came home around 6 o’clock for grilled chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, tatter tots and a big tossed salad. They all started watching TV after cleaning up the kitchen. I went to bed because I knew I had to get up at 5:00 am, to start stuffing the turkey after draining it from the brine bath.

In the mean time, Kirk and Susan and Kavilier the Dashound arrived from Washington D.C., at about 7:00 PM or so.  Craig, Lori, Kaitlyn and Hollie, with Saddie the West Highland terrier arrived about 9:30 PM., Craig’s family stay with Lori’s Mother, Lil Fresch, who lives just a mile away on Bluebird Dr., But Saddie the Highland terrier stays with us. This is her home away from home and she is very happy here especially with Kavilier to play with. Craig had started his journey from Ft. Drum, N.Y., Where he is deploying troops to Iraq. He started from Ft. Drum, very early in the morning of No. 23rd, then meet Lori and the girls in Carlisle, Pa. He leaves his car at the army depot there and together they continue on the trip to Irwin, Pa. Arriving here at Iris dr. 9:30 PM. They leave Saddie off and continue to Lori’s Mother’s home.

Our breakfast, to say the least, is very interesting. I set up the dining room table with bowls and cereal, cups, milk and sugar and whatever, at 5:00 am. No one gets up with me except the two dogs, who I leave out to chase whatever the can find to chase, (which is a big no, no, as far as their families are concerned but what the heck, it’s my house. But then Kirk gets up and walks Kavilire and Saddie anyhow. That started everybody drifting in to the kitchen, do they go to the dining room?? oh. No, everybody is stuck in my kitchen. It’s a mad house. In the mean time it has snowed, great excitement!! All the girls want to get on snow gear and play in the snow. I have a drawer full of gloves and hats, but no boots, which doesn’t seem to bother anybody. Cathy makes maple syrup snow that she learned how from a trip to Maine last year. When they finally come in, they eat the maple snow and drink hot cocoa. Then all troop down stairs to play in our game room (ie, the basement)

Thanksgiving is like a big whirlwind, a big rush then it’s over. The turkey was so tender it fell off the bones and everyone helped set everything up, the girl’s set the table up for eight in the dining room and then two card tables each with four seats, for a total of sixteen. Lori’s mother Lil, came and the whole dinner was a great success. Chloe our seven-year-old granddaughter said the most beautiful grace I have heard, I was so proud of her. I don’t know how we did it, but I couldn’t
have done it with out the help of everyone there. Carmen, Michael’s new bride, is a bundle of energy. She cleans everything, washes clothes and towels and whatever she gets her hands on. Cleaned my kitchen like it has never been cleaned since George had the Maids in waiting here. And also is a contradictory. She must be a size 01, weights about 90 lbs., stands about five-foot, and yet never stops. Just loves make-up and has her hair a pretty shade of red. All the daughters-in-law had their hair a shade of auburn. It really looked nice in the pictures that were taken all daughter-in-laws red heads.

They all decided to have an early Christmas since Marc and Cathy, were going back to Hawaii. And we knew that Michael was going to Kuwait, so on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, we celebrated Christmas. Everyone had gone Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving or had brought their presents with them. Cathy and Marc brought a number of things that were native to
Hawaii, Macadamia nuts, coconut cream, etc., Also had shopped at our stores here before everyone had arrived. Friday early afternoon we sat in our living room by the fireplace and exchanged presents. What a great feeling having everyone there and so much fun and joy. (As Craig said almost like Ozzy and Harriet, but not quite. He also has compared us to Lampoon Vacation so you get my drift) All four sons here, their wives, and the five granddaughters. This will be reminisced about for years to
come.

After everyone had opened their presents. Marc set up the digital camera and took pictures of the four boys together, the four
daughter-in-laws, and the five granddaughters, then each son with their respective family. Even Kirk and Susan who are expecting twin in May got to show off Susan’s new slightly bulging figure. This was one of the best Thanksgivings we have ever had.

For Friday evening George had made reservations at an upscale Italian restaurant, Luciano’s. We had invited my Sister, Mae and her husband Inky, our neighbor Karen Watkiss, from across the street on Iris dr. to come as our guests. And so we celebrated Michael and Carmen’s marriage and all the granddaughter’s great report cards all at the same time.  Saturday at 4:00 am, Michael left with his family. Craig and family left in the afternoon. Marc and family left Sunday morn at 4:00 am. Kirk and
Susan left Sunday morning about 9:00 am. So the whole Holiday that had taken months to prepare, were all over in the time span of five days to a week.

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This Page Last Updated: Thursday, February 19, 2004

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