Alright, I know it's been too long, but today I have to add memories of gobble gobble and let all of you know how thankful I am you are a part of my life.
Lets see, the most vivid memories are of my mom's blonde desk that turned into an enormous dining table. It was used 2 times a year, Thanksgiving and Easter. We always had my Aunt Vi and her troop to dinner as well as Grama Fillbrook. That meant there were between 10 and 12. Always a 20 lb turkey. I remember Mom getting up at 4 am to start it. Oh, forgot, when the table was opened I got to set it with mom's Jewel tea autumn leaf dishes and silver. Also had these tiny dishes mom would put olive oil and salt and pepper in and we would get to dip celery in them.
My favorite dish was the stuffing and all she ever made was enough to stuff that bird, so I remember cleaning the ribs out of left over stuffing.
My most memorable Thanksgiving was the time mom asked me to say grace and I said, " God is great, God is good, rah rah God." Mom was the only one that did not think I was funny and sent me to my room without dinner, but did haul me down to do dishes. Joni and I did them , but we laughed the whole time.
I am most grateful I can be grateful for the little things in life. I believe in daily miracles (a friend calls as you are thinking of her, you drop cookies on the floor and no one sees you so you serve them to company, the thing you go to the store for is on sale, a soft summer day, the smell of bread and soup on a winters day and memories), See, daily miracles, don't wait for the big ones as you are liable to miss the daily ones. I am grateful for my upbringing in the Lucchesi clan in the UP. This is even tho I was sure as a child I was adopted and my real parents were movie stars that would come and take me to Hollywood. Never happened, and I got the gift of a yooper childhood.
this is Cookie, over and out-Love you all
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
summertime-a short time in the up
After 5 days with 4wonderful grandchildren I was reminded of how much I loved the beach, water and fun. The best thing about children is you get to relive the joy of life thru them. Thanks guys.
Here are some memories of mine.
1. has to be the beach bus. It left Houghton at 12:45 and returned at 4:15. I had to walk about 6 blocks to catch it. I went just about everyday. Come Aug. there was no bus as it was polio season and we were not to gather in large groups. June and July was fun, fun, fun. All my neighborhood friends went with me and we played in the water, on on swings, teeter totter or merry go round. I was very brown after those days. No sun block. Beach was about 7 miles from my home.
2. Fourth of July-Dad and Uncle Fred (neighbor across the street would leave early in the morning with the beer and Jim Beam for Twin Lakes (about 40 miles from us). By the time My family, Joni's family and Joycies family showed up Dad and Fred were potted. We would spend the entire day in the water except for the 1 hour after lunch we could not go in as it was believed we might get a cramp and drown. I personally think it was because the adults wanted to rest and not worry about us in the water. Dinner was usually pasties wrapped in wax paper and newspapers packed in a beer case. Spagetti in a pot that would be warmed on a grill. Kool aide and cookies. Sometimes there would be hot dogs. If the parents had enough money we could go to the concession stand and get a frostick (like an eskimo pie). Once we got home it was time for sparklers. we all did it together and every year someone stepped on a hot one or burned themselves.
3.Evenings on Baraga st. during the summer was game time. Hide and seek (always had to pee when I was hiding) ,kick the can (was always a beer can for everyone in the garbage at the neighbor ZaZa's house, knock the can off the rock or button button who has the button at Joycies house as she had the most steps to her front door.
4.Other than swimming we spent summer days catching bees, picking wild strawberries at the dump, walking to a place called the Sands that seemed very far away (maybe a mile). Playing in a sand pile with trucks, playing house, school or just doing picture clouds. We also loved going to Lehti's store (the neighborhood store) to buy 5 cent popscicles, or penny (yes really a penny)candy. Parents didn't give us that nickle everytime we asked so we often scrounged up bottles to return at 2 cents a bottle. Sometimes if we got a dime we would buy 2 for one penny candy and take it back to the neighborhood and sell it for double what we paid.(My friends were pretty dumb and would buy it, and when they sold it I was dumb enough to buy it ).
5. What a great childhood!! No doubt somewhere in this blog you'll hear more about the summer experiences.
Here are some memories of mine.
1. has to be the beach bus. It left Houghton at 12:45 and returned at 4:15. I had to walk about 6 blocks to catch it. I went just about everyday. Come Aug. there was no bus as it was polio season and we were not to gather in large groups. June and July was fun, fun, fun. All my neighborhood friends went with me and we played in the water, on on swings, teeter totter or merry go round. I was very brown after those days. No sun block. Beach was about 7 miles from my home.
2. Fourth of July-Dad and Uncle Fred (neighbor across the street would leave early in the morning with the beer and Jim Beam for Twin Lakes (about 40 miles from us). By the time My family, Joni's family and Joycies family showed up Dad and Fred were potted. We would spend the entire day in the water except for the 1 hour after lunch we could not go in as it was believed we might get a cramp and drown. I personally think it was because the adults wanted to rest and not worry about us in the water. Dinner was usually pasties wrapped in wax paper and newspapers packed in a beer case. Spagetti in a pot that would be warmed on a grill. Kool aide and cookies. Sometimes there would be hot dogs. If the parents had enough money we could go to the concession stand and get a frostick (like an eskimo pie). Once we got home it was time for sparklers. we all did it together and every year someone stepped on a hot one or burned themselves.
3.Evenings on Baraga st. during the summer was game time. Hide and seek (always had to pee when I was hiding) ,kick the can (was always a beer can for everyone in the garbage at the neighbor ZaZa's house, knock the can off the rock or button button who has the button at Joycies house as she had the most steps to her front door.
4.Other than swimming we spent summer days catching bees, picking wild strawberries at the dump, walking to a place called the Sands that seemed very far away (maybe a mile). Playing in a sand pile with trucks, playing house, school or just doing picture clouds. We also loved going to Lehti's store (the neighborhood store) to buy 5 cent popscicles, or penny (yes really a penny)candy. Parents didn't give us that nickle everytime we asked so we often scrounged up bottles to return at 2 cents a bottle. Sometimes if we got a dime we would buy 2 for one penny candy and take it back to the neighborhood and sell it for double what we paid.(My friends were pretty dumb and would buy it, and when they sold it I was dumb enough to buy it ).
5. What a great childhood!! No doubt somewhere in this blog you'll hear more about the summer experiences.
TONSILS
Had coffee with my friend Mary Lou today and we discussed how taking out tonsils was a rite of passage in our generation. Usually this was done at age 4 or 5. Mary Lou and her older brother had theirs out on their kitchen table. Mine was at a hospital and I stayed over night. My mom told me she took me home (I was 4 yr. old) and she warned the older kids not to feed me anything. She fixed spaghetti and Ace, Paul and Patt took theirs to the front porch to eat. A little while later she was looking for me and lo and behold there I was on the front porch scarfing down pasta. Mom knew at that point she had a pastaholic on her hands.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
SPRING IN THE UP
I loved in April when the snow finally started to melt. We sanded, not salted the roads so there was plenty of sand to build a dam. People would call my Mom to complain I was building dams on my way home from school and their yards were flooding. (OLD FARTS!!!) We had to wear over shoe boots which zipped up and had fur along the top. Had to use bread bags to slip them over my shoes easier. Could never figure out how my mom knew I had taken my boots off on the first nice days after she cautioned me to "keep your boots on." Think perhaps the wet shoes were a hint. Spring was also the time for marble playing. We would make a hole by sticking our heel in the dirt and turning around to make the hole. We would stand back and throw our marbles. The one closest to the hole got to shoot first. Whoever got all their marbles in first won all the marbles. I was pretty good. No real exertion needed. Drove mom crazy tho as my fingers were always black when Easter came around. I was sent to church in new dress, hat and gloves with the warning to leave my gloves on. what a great childhood I had.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Cookie and the wolves
Did I ever tell you I was raised by wolves? Bet I did. Here's the story.
As you all know my mom liked to drink beer. Well one day when I was about 3 months old she went across the street to drink beer with her friend Dot. When she left there she had to go to the bathroom so while walking thru the woods she stopped to pee. She set me down and forgot she had me. Thank God a pack of wolves found me and nursed me until I was old enough to eat raw meat. I lived with them until I was about 4 and one day I wandered out of the woods and lo and behold there was mom at Dots again and all of a sudden she remembered me. Miracle hey? I did walk on all fours and bayed at the moon until I started Kindergarten. Strange no one else in the family noticed I was gone. Oh well alls well that ends well. To this day I like raw meat and at full moon have a tendancy to howl.
As you all know my mom liked to drink beer. Well one day when I was about 3 months old she went across the street to drink beer with her friend Dot. When she left there she had to go to the bathroom so while walking thru the woods she stopped to pee. She set me down and forgot she had me. Thank God a pack of wolves found me and nursed me until I was old enough to eat raw meat. I lived with them until I was about 4 and one day I wandered out of the woods and lo and behold there was mom at Dots again and all of a sudden she remembered me. Miracle hey? I did walk on all fours and bayed at the moon until I started Kindergarten. Strange no one else in the family noticed I was gone. Oh well alls well that ends well. To this day I like raw meat and at full moon have a tendancy to howl.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
mom and grandparents
My mom was a woman before her time. She finished high school and went to Soumi college in Hancock for business, but did not finish. She also started beauty school, but had to quit because of allergies. When I was 12 she went to work for Bancroft Dairy and worked as a book keeper for 8 years. She then was head bookeeper for the city of Houghton water dept. for 5 years. Then went to Houghton High school and was bookeeper and secretary to the superintendent until her retirement. She died of Alzhiemer disease. She loved to knit and to walk. Her cooking did leave a little for improvement. She MADE me go to school. She told me she wanted me to have an education as that made me more than just a woman. Smart lady. She was crabby, but was always the rock of all families within our street. quite the lady.
Grandpa Fillbrook died of a heart attack when I was 2 so I never really knew him. He was alway depicted as funny and loved to have fun. My favorite story about him was when asked what he wanted done with his body when he died he said, "stick a bone up my ass and let the dog drag me around the back yard."
Grama Lucchesi also died that year of breast cancer. Never knew her either. Was always told she was an incredible cook and was as wide as she was tall.
Grandpa Lucchesi had a thick Italian accent and was hard for me to understand. He lived in a house that belonged to the copper mines. He did finally buy it. His toilet was in his stone basement and I made my dad stay outside that door until I was finished well into my adulthood. Memories of fighting cocks Grandpa kept in cages in the basement during the winters scared the devil out of me. He always made me look at the Easter story on his stereoscope no matter what time of year it was. He always asked me how school was and told me to tell my teachers I was a good girl. My grandpa said so. He was 99 when he died in 1968. He loved gardening and brandy.
Grama Fillbrook was a redhead full of fire when young. When Grandpa died she lived in the same home and Aunt Vi and her family lived with her. She was kind to me and loved me. she was very protective of me. When report cards were due and I knew I was going to catch heck from my mom I would tell her and she would come to our house and keep mom in line. I think my mom was scared of her mom. Gram loved tea and violets. When she was at our home we always had tea and cookies in the afternoon. She always put milk in her tea. Loved it when the cookies were lorna dunes or chocolate striped. Shse was a good cook and my favorite thing she made was heavy cake. She came from England and worked as a maid before she married. Her maiden name was Moyle. One favorite memory of her was going to the mother daughter banquet for mothers day at the Hurontown Methodist Church. Alway gram, mom, me and cousin Joni went., Gram was 97 when she died. She had breast cancer and glucoma she struggled with for years. She live with mom and dad when her health declined. I wasn't always nice to her, but she always loved me. She always gave me a dollar for my birthday, which was alot for her as she really had no money.
That's it for now kiddies... Love you all-Nona
Grandpa Fillbrook died of a heart attack when I was 2 so I never really knew him. He was alway depicted as funny and loved to have fun. My favorite story about him was when asked what he wanted done with his body when he died he said, "stick a bone up my ass and let the dog drag me around the back yard."
Grama Lucchesi also died that year of breast cancer. Never knew her either. Was always told she was an incredible cook and was as wide as she was tall.
Grandpa Lucchesi had a thick Italian accent and was hard for me to understand. He lived in a house that belonged to the copper mines. He did finally buy it. His toilet was in his stone basement and I made my dad stay outside that door until I was finished well into my adulthood. Memories of fighting cocks Grandpa kept in cages in the basement during the winters scared the devil out of me. He always made me look at the Easter story on his stereoscope no matter what time of year it was. He always asked me how school was and told me to tell my teachers I was a good girl. My grandpa said so. He was 99 when he died in 1968. He loved gardening and brandy.
Grama Fillbrook was a redhead full of fire when young. When Grandpa died she lived in the same home and Aunt Vi and her family lived with her. She was kind to me and loved me. she was very protective of me. When report cards were due and I knew I was going to catch heck from my mom I would tell her and she would come to our house and keep mom in line. I think my mom was scared of her mom. Gram loved tea and violets. When she was at our home we always had tea and cookies in the afternoon. She always put milk in her tea. Loved it when the cookies were lorna dunes or chocolate striped. Shse was a good cook and my favorite thing she made was heavy cake. She came from England and worked as a maid before she married. Her maiden name was Moyle. One favorite memory of her was going to the mother daughter banquet for mothers day at the Hurontown Methodist Church. Alway gram, mom, me and cousin Joni went., Gram was 97 when she died. She had breast cancer and glucoma she struggled with for years. She live with mom and dad when her health declined. I wasn't always nice to her, but she always loved me. She always gave me a dollar for my birthday, which was alot for her as she really had no money.
That's it for now kiddies... Love you all-Nona
Monday, June 8, 2009
the start
I was born September 25, 1946 in Hancock Michigan. My parents were Ralph Antonio Lucchesi and Edith Lyle (Fillbrook)Lucchesi. . Mom told me she gained 60 lb. during her pregnancy with me. She also said she was in the hospital for 2 weeks (routine stay for that time.) They kept her in bed for a week and she fainted when they got her up. My how things have changed.
A little about Mom. She was born at home to Edith Moyle Fillbrook and George Donald Fillbrook.. She was the second of a set of twins that were so small they were put in a both in the wood stove to keep them warm and fed with an eyedroopper.. She and her sister Violet May had 2 older brothers, John and Glen. My Aunt Vi has always lived in the house they were born 404 Baraga Avenue.
My dad was also born at home to Amelia Checci and Felix Lucchei. He had 2 sisters, Anna and Matilda. Three brothers, Peter, Joseph and Arthur. Anna died of Brights disease and TIlly died of breast cancer. Art had epilepsy and waskept up in the attic after his seizures. He was mildly retartded because of this. Remember this was the time before medicine was invented for it. One memory my dad told me was when he was in 6th grade his family made him quit school and work in the copper mines. He hated that so he would take a train from Laurium where he lived to Houghton and would steal stuff to take back and sell. He eventually got a job delivering propane gas and then became a furniture salesman. Despite his lack of education he was great at math and had excellent English. His parents were both from Italy, but he never spoke Italian. He was married before he met my mother and she died of an illegal abortion. They had 3 children, Patt, Fred (Ace) and Paul. They were 13, 12 and 10 when my parents were married.
Only 2 stories of my infancy. First my nickname was Cookie which was given to me by Aunt Vi. She claimed I was as sweet as a Cookie. Second when I was about 6mo old, my mom was in the kitchen and she noticed the older boys throwing what she thought was a football from living room to dining room . She went in to yell at them and found it was their baby sister they were throwing. Baby sister loved it. Enough for now, will get back to the stories later.
A little about Mom. She was born at home to Edith Moyle Fillbrook and George Donald Fillbrook.. She was the second of a set of twins that were so small they were put in a both in the wood stove to keep them warm and fed with an eyedroopper.. She and her sister Violet May had 2 older brothers, John and Glen. My Aunt Vi has always lived in the house they were born 404 Baraga Avenue.
My dad was also born at home to Amelia Checci and Felix Lucchei. He had 2 sisters, Anna and Matilda. Three brothers, Peter, Joseph and Arthur. Anna died of Brights disease and TIlly died of breast cancer. Art had epilepsy and waskept up in the attic after his seizures. He was mildly retartded because of this. Remember this was the time before medicine was invented for it. One memory my dad told me was when he was in 6th grade his family made him quit school and work in the copper mines. He hated that so he would take a train from Laurium where he lived to Houghton and would steal stuff to take back and sell. He eventually got a job delivering propane gas and then became a furniture salesman. Despite his lack of education he was great at math and had excellent English. His parents were both from Italy, but he never spoke Italian. He was married before he met my mother and she died of an illegal abortion. They had 3 children, Patt, Fred (Ace) and Paul. They were 13, 12 and 10 when my parents were married.
Only 2 stories of my infancy. First my nickname was Cookie which was given to me by Aunt Vi. She claimed I was as sweet as a Cookie. Second when I was about 6mo old, my mom was in the kitchen and she noticed the older boys throwing what she thought was a football from living room to dining room . She went in to yell at them and found it was their baby sister they were throwing. Baby sister loved it. Enough for now, will get back to the stories later.
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