Happy Birthday Ma... Today July 22nd is my mothers birthday... and I'm thinking about all the gifts she gave me throughout her life. One of those gifts was sage advice. This post is one of those memories I still laugh about today..and use frequently.My mom was well noted for her expertise in the use of …
Category: General Posts
What’s your nickname?
There was a time when just about everyone I knew had a nickname. There's something about using a "nom de nick" that seems to promote a closeness or linkage to me. The more nonsensical or outrageous the nickname the more permanently it will stick. Some are fond names and other are memorials to behavior or …
The Sweet Smell Of Home
At times back in the day the air from Lafayette Sq along Main Street to Kendall Sq. and all the way to Lechmere station in Cambridge Ma smelled as sweet as candy. Many of the candy factories there produced some of our favorite treats, including Necco Wafers, Sugar Daddies, Charleston Chews, and Junior Mints. The …
On The Corner of Pleasant Street and Putnam Ave
In Cambridge before video games were a thing, kids played the game of stick ball. Using card board bases, a ball (rubber pinky, pimple or half ball) and a broom handle, we played a short version of baseball which made it fit the close quarters of back yards, alley ways and busy streets. The toughest …
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Richards Drive-in old school social distancing
Richards Drive-In Memorial Drive Cambridge Ma If you grew up in Cambridge during the 50's and 60’s, there were a number of Adventure Car Hop Drive-in restaurants featuring car hop / curb service. Cambridge had its own Car Hop called Richards Drive-in on Memorial Drive next to the Art Deco styled BB Chemical building (which …
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Cambridge’s Mass Ave a High Fashion Mecca….
On a recent trip to Europe I was struck by how well dressed Europeans are in the big cities I visited like Rome and Barcelona. As I walked though their city streets I found myself remembering the days when Jackie O' inspired a desire for fine clothing among Cantabrigians before spandex and sweatshirts replaced a …
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Crossing The Divide
The best way to be human is........being human, with a human being. Historically, Americans have come together in times of crisis. Lately however, it seems a perfect storm of crisis has made it more difficult than ever to unite us as in the past.. Politics, unemployment, social distancing and the Covid19 pandemic has us scared, …
Is Truth Stranger Than Fiction?
Payday weekend always seems to take on a wild west type atmosphere around the base. Most Marines living on base are in their prime, fit and ready both physically and mentally. Trained to be ready.. always prepared to engage any target...not to question the who, what or the why. That is …
Finish this short story…
HELP ME FINISH THIS SHORT STORY.......... Calm replaced the chaos of his childhood home in the days following his mother's passing. Seated on the edge of her bed he welled with emotion as he sifted through her things. All her earthly belongs now fell into three piles. Most would go to Goodwill, some for …
What’s in the cards for you?
While reading Dear Abby in the morning newspaper, I stumbled on a brilliant idea. It was an article recommending that dementia caregivers create “business cards” stating briefly, “My companion has dementia. Please be understanding.” Caregivers would give these to hosts and hostesses when entering restaurants, or discreetly hand them to salespeople if situations start to …
A New Sense
It's no secret that my hearing is shot to hell lately.. with the help of hearing aids I can get most of what people are saying but I'm sure a lot goes by that I miss. I've often heard that when someone losses one of their five senses the others sharpen...some report to almost to …
When Things Get Lost In Translation
A Tuna sandwich is a staple of mine.... It originated around the 19th century when Americans started combining the leftover fish scraps from dinner with mayonnaise for lunch. In 1977 while serving as a Marine Corps military policeman at MCAS Iwakuni Japan, I longed for American style food and in particular an old style tuna sandwich... …
Hugs on Hiatus?
Will the Corona Pandemic and the practice of Social Distancing leave a lasting scar on us similar to what the Great Depression and the Spanish Flu did to the Greatest Generation? Social distancing has put hugs on hiatus for a good reason I know but.. will they ever return? My buddy Steve mentioned how awkward …
We Are The Lucky Ones
Being lucky is believing you are…. Growing up I was always superstitious about luck and purposely didn’t play the number, the lottery or bet the horses. I think it’s because I sensed that luck came in small quantities and wanted to save it for things more meaningful to me than money. The Corona Virus …
If you see your glass is half empty, pour it into a smaller glass.
I have come to understand that New Englanders love to complain, it's kinda what we do..more than anything. We complain about politics, weather, sports, kids, spouses ... you name it we complain about it. It's not that we are unhappy, venting or confrontational... we're just looking for a different way to look at life... we …
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Fairy Tales
Abby was fishing around in her desk drawer last week and happened upon a letter our daughter Izzy wrote some time ago ... I'm guessing she composed it somewhere around the age of six or whenever a kid learns to construct semi decipherable sentences from words unknown in the English speaking world. After some …
The God of Driving
Nobody slept in our house last night… we all lay awake in anxious anticipation for my daughter’s state driving test at 8:00 AM the next morning. It was kind of like waiting for on a six month deliberation with the verdict that could change our lives forever..…To pass or not to pass that was the …
Whatchamacallit
Whatchamacallit A buddy of mine (let’s call him Joe) uses the phrase “Whatchamacallit” over and over again in our conversations. Every time he uses it I stop listening for a split second and focus on this mishmash of a word that just doesn’t make sense to me. Words interest me… I like words… but …
Everyone Loves A Great Storyteller
Everyone loves a great storyteller.....They can transport us to unimaginable places and all we have to do is listen. Storytelling has been called an oral history, an art form, a powerful force for learning and an ancient craft but it is powerful whatever you call it. A great storyteller has the ability to alter our …
The Plum Island Pluviophile
Rainy-day bike rides are not for everyone. Those of us who love to ride tend to opt in-side during winter to get our saddle time fix but I prefer to be outside even in bad weather. I'm riding outside today in the rain after taking a serious shaming by my buddy Steve from Virginia. He …
I give you permission to discipline my son!
The Blessed Sacrament Elementary School Cambridge Ma. With the start of every new school season came the teacher / student and parent mandatory meeting. Each year as my mom and I awaited our turn to meet my newest nun, I'd sit clutching the edges of those heavy oak library style chairs with sweaty hands as …
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A neighbor’s dad passed away last night.
Mr. Lavalle was my next door neighbor while growing up in Cambridge. But for a few hours one summer day, he was my Dad... at least while having the left side of my forehead stitched up at the Cambridge City Hospital Emergency Room. More on that later.... James and Voula Lavalle had eight kids ...all …
“Big Tom” Ferguson – Old School Lawman
Listed below is the obituary for my great grandfather Chief Constable Thomas Ferguson as posted in the Stirling Observer, Stirling Scotland on Saturday October 19th 1918. What's interesting about this account of his life are the descriptions and references to a time and place when Scottish law and order were still largely entrusted to a …
Just write something..
I've been here before.... writers block ... I keep writing but nothing seems to get published... The draft bucket if full of half baked blather. I need to get out of the house, get on the bike and get a cup of coffee. Ok, I am now sheltered away with all the other coffeehouse vagrants …
Bikes, Buds, Boys and Sue
I am one of a core group of Old Marine MP's who have done a lot of amazing events together over the past 30 years ranging from team relay races (run to bike to boat) to triathlons (Ironman, Sprint and Olympic) and countless road races (Marathons to 5K's) but few have been more personally rewarding …
The Bow Legged Blogger 