May 2012

Typical snow day on Myrtle Avenue

Life keeps moving on

I received some bad news today.  The toughest dancing partner in my world passed away.  This was no old boyfriend or some past dance instructor but merely the father of some kids from the neighborhood that raised me.  

It was at someone’s wedding in 1979-1980.  I thought I was the quintessential Donna Summer dancing queen and had been such for half a decade until I danced with Michele and Mary’s Dad, Harry.  Little did I know that Harry really did know how to “cut a rug” and my smoking habit made me lose steam about half way through the dance.  Harry laughed at me and I felt squarely put in my place.  So much for my ever dancing again, at least with men who came into maturity in the 50’s.

When I called Barb, Harry’s wife, today I did so with dread, just knowing that the news would be bad.   After Barb related to me that Harry had died of a massive heart attack we began to talk.  Barb and Harry Tadda were wonderful to me as I was growing up.  Barb got me my first job as a swim instructor at the local YMCA and then later as a camp counselor.  We chit chatted about the wonderful neighborhood that raised us all. We talked about all those who have gone. About Ryan, the Kluth’s, the Mulvey’s, the Jones's, the Pearson’s, the Kolbus’s, the Thompsons, the Marshalls and so many who called the 2 blocks on Myrtle Avenue from Oriole to Talcott their home. We are really strangers now as our lives all moved on, as lives tend to do.  Strangers, but we are tied to one small street and a common history.

So in honor of Harry Tadda who died May 18 2012 a song of tribute as written by the kids on Myrtle so long ago, to the tune of  Ta-Ra-Ra Boom-de-ay!

“We live on Myrtle Street

We think we’re pretty neat.

 Come on and smell our feet

We think they’re really neat.”

Restless

I am in an odd predicament.  I am too old to do Rio at Carnival, too young to be on a sightseeing bus, too timid to zip line and para-sail, to active to sit on a beach.  Limbo.  When did it begin? What do I do while I here?  I have already done so much.  I have marched arm in arm with fellow students singing Yankee Doodle Dandy on Red Square, I have laid on my back beneath a sail on the open sea and gazed upon the stars, I have touched all 4 corners of our country, lived on an island, canoed, backpacked, showed my children 45 of the 50 states and spent wonderful weekends with my husband in just about every romantic place within driving distance of our home.   And yet I am still restless but I don't know what to do next.  It really is an odd feeling.  I think perhaps I will garden.

Sadness

As I told my second cousin Nancy of the death of my cousin Steve I realized that to her Steve is still Max’s son, as in Max’s son died. He lost his beautiful wife Donna just 3 weeks before.  She was a good friend and a kind soul. Extended family is like the universe, it just keeps growing further and further apart.

 

Beginnings

I am gearing up for the big weight loss.  I really have to focus.  I think this time I am going to try counting my calories and watching my cholesterol.  South Beach and Atkins work well with me but both really make me feel  a little under the weather. I am going to try to create low fat low calorie recipes that I can post here.

I really love to cook and to create in the kitchen.  I joined a recipe club online.

 http://www.justapinch.com/me/luv2cookDeb

I find it fun.  If I am energetic enough I may post here and there. For now I am off to bed for a nap before work tonight.

Happy New Year World!

So, here it is New Year's Day 2012.. I have no resolutions for the New Year unless you want to count my daily resolution to get healthy and stay healthy.  I decided to start this Blog for myself, really, so I can go back and see  the ups and downs of my life.  I hope to add little things that might be of interest to others, recipes, quotes, my rather middle of the road political commentaries, my family photos (of interest only to out of state family) and I hope to document my rather long, slow, weight loss.  If there is one thing that I have learned, it's that everyone must change their own life on their own terms.  People use many different techniques to quite smoking, the patch, cold turkey, hypnosis.  The goal is not how you do it, It merely is to do it.  I have taken on that attitude towards my weight loss.  I decided last year that I would loose 20-25 lbs a year and keep it off until the next year, where I will do the same.  I did accomplish last years goal of 20 lbs.  I am on to this years goal of 20 lbs.  By the time I am 60 I will be a healthy weight.  And hopefully I will stay there until...well..until I am no more. So Happy New Year Let the year bring health, wealth and happiness to us all.