I believe I might have covered some of this some time ago, but yesterday I saw an advertisement on the TV of a young lady changing a tire. Her father came around after she had finished and was pleased she had learned the lesson well. I was 21 before I learn to drive, and felt it was necessary for me to be able to take care of the car when I was out and about by myself. Changing a tire was one of the things I felt would possibly come up, so I wanted to know how to do it properly. It wasn't an easy lesson, but one I tackled with the best I had in me. In the first place getting those lug nuts loose, as shown in the TV Ad was the biggest problem. Especially when they had been put on at the Tire Shop.
In a learning experience it was one thing, but on a main street in town, outside the Post Office, it was just a bit more! At least I was alone at the time. Didn't have either of the children with me to keep calm while I went about getting a flat off and the spare on. Oh, and then it was a full size tire. It had been raining, so that added to the problem. I got the car jacked up, and with every bit of leverage I could manage finally got the lug nuts removed and the tire off. Now with my size at the time, not being height alone, it was a job. I was able to get the tire out of the trunk, put the flat in, and then go about mounting the spare. One middle aged man offered to help, but I explained that I wanted to do it. He stayed handy, but didn't try to stop me from what I was successfully doing.
I made sure all the lug nuts were secure. Then I let the car back down and went on my way feeling quite satisfied that I had been able to care for myself in such a circumstance! I still believe that if young ladies want to drive, they should have their Dad or Brother help them learn how to take care of themselves when they are out alone with a car. To be able to change a tire, check the oil or in general have some understanding of the car they are driving will benefit their safety and security.
A young lady should also remember to have her cell phone charged and ready to get help when and where it might be needed. If there is an Insurance that covers Roadside Assistance, than by all means call and take advantage of it, but should something happen where there is a space where cell phones are not working, it will be important to be able to assist ones self in taking care of small emergencies.
It doesn't take up much space to keep a Jumper Cable handy in the truck either. Small preparations are so vital when one is out and about alone. We don't live in a climate where other emergency supplies might be of help, but if one should be living where it could get cold suddenly, it is always wise to keep Space Blankets in the trunk, or under the front seat. Always have a flash light of some sort as well. One with a red portion will be good in case of an accident. Uncle Paul always made sure he had flares in case of an accident. Many a time he stopped to put out flares when he came upon an accident while driving. The Highway Patrol was always please to replace what he had put out.
Driving is one of things we should not take for granted. It is something that should be done with great care. When our children were ready to drive the first thing I told them was that I was putting a weapon in their care. One false or careless action could be deadly to themselves and any number of other people. They were to remember that speed might be exciting, but being able to control the car was far more important!
Driving in all kinds of weather conditions brought different kinds of hazards and thought should be given to the type of road conditions. The first rain was cause to watch. The road glaze from so much summer use caused road slick that could mean hydroplaning and traction of the tires on the road could be difficult. Thus the car could do all sorts of strange things. Learning to steer when those kinds of things happen will be vital to safety within the car and without as well.
I remember hitting a street where someone had been washing out a Filling Station area. It washed out a slick that I drove over and lost traction in a second. I had a car full of Sisters I had taken to a meeting. The car began to fish tail. Fortunately I had been taught to turn into the various turns the car took. Within a few seconds I had the car under control, we were past the danger area and we continued our journey. Had I not known what to do, we could have gone into a spin, even caused us to roll over. It would have only taken a few seconds and there could have been some serious injuries or even deaths. We can never take driving as a casual thing. Once we get behind the wheel of a car, once we turn on the engine and start moving, we are responsible for everything that car does. It may, or may not be, the conditions of the road, or how someone else is driving that is under our control. What ever we find we must be ready to accept the responsibility to keep things going correctly. True, we cannot control the other drivers, but if we are alert, and keeping our car under control, we can save ourselves.
If your tired, stop, rest and then go on. If you are not well, don't get in the car. If you have to take any kind of medication that could cause you to be less alert, get someone else to drive you, or stay home until you are sure you have yourself capable of doing what may need to be done.
Remember one very important thing as well. If you keep the Commandments of the LORD, you have no need to ignore the Laws of the Road. If it says 25 miles an hour, drive 25 miles an hour in that area. If you follow the guide lines that are marked along the way, you won't get into trouble, or pay high prices for tickets that you don't need. Be a good driver. Be alert and careful. Driving is something that has become so necessary in the time in which we live. No horse and buggy for us. Make sure you leave the house with ample time to make it to your appointed place and ON TIME. MORMON STANDARD TIME is not acceptable. If you know the time you are to be someplace, make sure you give yourself ample time to get ready, leave and arrive with time to spare. Don't slide into the Parking Lot, Jump out of the car and Run to get where you are suppose to be. Now, I am not saying there will be times you can't make it due to traffic, or something that is beyond your control, but NEVER leave it up to chance. Keep yourself ever ready to do what needs to be done with thought and preparation. There will be times when you will be called upon to do something in an emergency. That is when you will need to get a grip on yourself and become part of the solution not part of a problem.
So you want to drive? DO IT - but remember that when you are behind the wheel of any moving object, you can come to one quick stop that could mean the very end of health or life. Your choice, choose very carefully.
Written this 5th day of March 2014
by: Eileen C. Rosenberg
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Oh Yes, The Movies
Thought I would express a word or two about Movies. During the early days of Movie Making they didn't have a lot of money I guess. The Silent Movies were great for their time, but seem a little 'hoakey' to me when I look at them. Of course even at my age, they were out of date when I was going to the Movies as a kid. I had the joy of seeing some of the best, and would stay to see some of them twice they were so go.
Back then, once you were in the Theater, you could stay, they just kept running the program over and over again.
During the Depression, which was my very early years, Movies were a great escape. There was little that people had to make their days brighter. My Dad always had work. The folks were ever mindful that we kids were able to have some fun. It might not be much, but we did some great things as a family. I believe I have mentioned in previous Bolgs' that we had a car, but we seldom used it. When we wanted to go someplace, we used "shanks ponies" and stretched our legs and walked. Always as a family, or at least me along with my two brothers.
Saturday was Movie Day. That was then they made REAL MOVIES. Something you could go to and set in and be uplifted and enjoy yourself. You weren't bombarded with car crashes or everyone shooting or a lot of physical activity on the screen. No those were the days when they had a story line. When they had a moral to their base, and characters that were telling their story with as much normal action as we could believe. No fake stuff, well, there was, but it was so fake, it didn't even fool a kid my age. Most of that was in the Serials they played every Saturday for the kids. Things like "Buck Rogers" which was suppose to be a space thing, but all the rocket ships and the space scenes were so weird that it was not the least bit in any form, reality. But they were entertaining and fun anyway.
There were the Cowboy hero films that all the kids loved. In fact many of them turned up on TV when it was in it's earliest times. We don't ever see them now. They aren't 'hip' enough, or what ever the 'in' word is these days. It seems, from all I see, that unless you are scared half out of your seat, it isn't in the Movies anymore. I recall the one film I went to that had me spending most of my time under the seat. That was
"King Kong". Now when I see scenes from it, I realize just how fake that was, but it still scared me when I was in the theater that Saturday. Ronald laughed at me. I wonder how he really felt, now that I look back on it?
There were the Cartoons that we all laughed at, and the Comedy Films that kept us in stitches. There were the Adventure Films and the Historical Melodrama Films that I liked so much. I remember when Color came out and we saw "Robin Hood" for the first time. Man what a thrill. The Kids shows that came out and we all were so thrilled. "Cinderella", "Bambi", "Dumbo" to name some. The Love Stories were so well done and their was no foul language or sex scenes. The entire experience of going to the Movies was for entertainment and we were certainly entertained. Some of the great stars of those days were: Lorretta Young, Carol Lombard, Madelaine Carrol, Clodette Colbert, Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and of course the Cowboy Stars like Tom Mix, Richard Dix, Hop-a-long Cassidy, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and back then even John Wayne. He became better know much later in different rolls and was great in everything he did.
No language that would cause for alarm and no action that was unkind to the younger viewers. Yes, we were blessed. I am grateful for the TV re-runs of many if not most of those old movies. The comedy ones are still funny, the action ones are still exciting, or at least to me, and the love stories are just a sweet and delightful as they were back then, when I didn't know a lot about what they all ment at the time. Innocence is so special and it is a shame that it is no longer valued. Language has slipped into such a sink hole that it is unfortunate. Relationships with individuals is portrayed in such a way, so out fashion that it boggles the mind trying to figure out just what the writers and producers are thinking about. Most of what is projected is so far a field from normal life as we know it, that is is unreal. Moral standards have been shot full of holes in the many formats they are producing for not only the movies but for TV as well. It is so bad, in my opinion that very little of reality is out there for the normal person to view.
Sex is the means for selling most everything on TV. In fact when they started using it to sell 'hamburgers'
I really decided someone had slipped a cog in the advertising business. I don't need to be exposed to such junk as they are producing today, so I don't watch much TV and I rarely ever go to a movie theater. I have walked out of a number of theaters when what I saw or heard so insulted my intelligence that I wouldn't spend another minute wasting my time. At one of those times, the Manager of the theater heard my loud disgust at what had just be said and apologized to me. I think he was even upset that such language was coming out of the speakers, and the mouth of a women no less. Well it taught me well that I didn't need to waste my time or money being insulted. I don't even want to hear one bad word, or watch one insulting scene between a man and women. I am not a prude. I just like to think of myself as having good sense and good judgement in what I want to see and hear. For I realize what goes into the mind is something that stays in the mind. No scrubbing will remove it.
I loved the Movies and I loved going to the Theater. I have been fortunate to see some great Stage Plays and Productions. My Dad and Mother wanted us kids to be raised with cultural backgrounds. We were taken to some of the nicest places to eat and then out to see a great live show in Los Angeles. I was and am grateful for their careful teachings and guidance in such things. I have enjoyed Musicals and Drama in live as well at the Movies. I have seen Variety Shows on the Stage in person and on the Movie Screens. I have even performed on the stages of some of those theaters. That was before the days that the live entertainment in between the Movies was no longer deemed necessary. Of course in those days they gave away glass ware and dishes too. Things were a great deal different back then. There were the nights when they had sneak previews. I think I have talked about those before as well. It was such a great thing to see the big lights in the sky outside the Theater announcing there would be a special showing. It didn't cost any more to get in, but it was a thrill to see the first showing of a new Film. One never knew what it would be but everyone was excited to watch and then fill out their suggestion cards at the end. If one was lucky they could catch a glimpse of one or more of the Stars as they left the show. Been there to get the reaction of the audience, don't you know.
Well like most of what I have experienced in my life, things change, and in this case I have to admit I don't think the change has been to the better. The cost has risen and the content has sunk way low. One is not given entertainment, one is exposed to all sorts of unusual action that is so far fetched that it is stupid. I just recently saw one of the old Musicals called "That's Entertainment". Yes, it was! They don't make things like that anymore. They say it would be too expensive. I don't believe it could be any more expensive than what they crank out of their Tech Labs and Computer set ups. It just is they don't have the talent to display. All the singers yell now, they don't style a song. Even the old songs they have to sing out of style and yell the lyrics. They kill the Star Spangled Banner with all their catterwalling and screaming. I have even heard them do a 'job' on America the Beautiful. Apparently nothing is sacred to them. Actors and Actresses that have to reduce themselves to such low levels to put a Film together have never studied what went before, or they would have known that what they are acting in not life, or at least not normal life. I guess the old adage of'
'you get what you pay for' has a whole new meaning in today's standards.
I'll take the good old days when their were Stars who made entertaining Movies. I know the Studios were different back then and molded their Stars and watch over their actions on an off the screen. They guarded their moral code and had ways of keeping things in check. I realize they did have a strict code that had to be followed. A shame that the one they use today only tells how bad the action and language is, not what is in good taste. Even their way of trying to let the public know what is in any given film, they lack the ability to even keep that in any kind of order that the public can really tell.
Well, these are the signs of the time. Everyone has their Agency to make the choices of what they will watch. As for me, I choose not to be part of what is being produced. No, not even on TV, and I pay a lot of money for no more than I do watch. Even the NEWS programs are so bulked up with commercials it takes more time to wade through them. I certainly don't feel like I am getting much for what I pay for.
They don't play Hop-a-Long Cassidy either, or the Cisco Kid. Now there was some real good adventure and moral watching. I did like the Long Ranger too! Well not the new one they turned out. It looked as if it might have come out of the brain of some horror writer? I guess if you want to remake something that was good once, you have to tweak it a bit. Life has it's changes and I am too old to adjust to what they are cranking out as entertainment. Just a cranky old lady here I guess. I do however wish my growing family could look forward to enjoying some of the great things that I was able to enjoy. I wish there were Comedians like Red Skelton, Danny Kaye, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, Joan Davis and the venues they played. Why there were the friendly competitions of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, Jack Benny and Fred Allen. There were the fun Fibber McGee and Molly and so many others that made the nights fun and the air bright with laughter that was uplifting and enlightening. Chuckles that returned until the next time you saw or heard them.
We need a lot of laughter and we need a lot of love, real love to make the days great and happy. No long faces, no heads full of things to make them scared or unhappy. We had some wonderful things to share, and OH, how I wish we had a number of them around right now as well.
This is a wonderful world, and there is a lot of wonderful things in it to make us happy and proud and loved and needed. We need lifting and patted on the back for the goodness that is in each of us. We need the entertainment and laughs that brighten our days and brings happiness in to our lives. We need a lot of what is lacking in the society we are dealing with daily. Too many heads are bowed over small phones that keep them connected to each other, but they have little time to look up and enjoy the things around them. Life is short, it slips away from us one minute at a time. On day at a time, one week at a time. Before the child realizes they are not children any longer. It happens, I can testify to it. I have had a great life. I have enjoyed many things, but most of all I have enjoyed my family. I hope in some way I have put into their lives some of the good that was placed into mine by parents who wanted me to see and experience good things. There are so many around us all the time, but in today's society, it appears one has to dig deep to find them.
Technology has run us right into a whole new way of living. Being as old as I am, I don't find it a place I fit very well. Even the Cell Phones have advance too far for me to manage. How far we have come in so short a time. It must be time for me to slip into the past and let the rest of the world go rapidly by. I won't go quietly however, I have to have my say. I have to leave some word of caution to those who may read my 'rambling'. Don't allow the world to tell you what is good. Don't let the modern things so catch your attention that you forget to enjoy the greatest gifts that God has left here for us. Stop and smell the roses. Lend an ear to the sweet sounds of nature. Wind in the trees, birds singing, animals exploring and playing, the smell of the grass being mowed and the happiness of children laughing. Make the day the best you can, look for the good around you, enjoy being part of something so wonderful as the family you have been blessed with. Gain your place in life by being all that you can be. Love deeply, Laugh from the very bottom of yourself, and touch life with a heart and soul full of gratitude for what you have been blessed with. Be free to enjoy this life, and to return each day with a happy heart in what you accomplish with the time you have been given. Nothing lasts forever, but while you have it, embrace it, and appreciate it. With all my love, now and forever.
Written this 27th day of February 2014
by: Eileen Rosenberg
Back then, once you were in the Theater, you could stay, they just kept running the program over and over again.
During the Depression, which was my very early years, Movies were a great escape. There was little that people had to make their days brighter. My Dad always had work. The folks were ever mindful that we kids were able to have some fun. It might not be much, but we did some great things as a family. I believe I have mentioned in previous Bolgs' that we had a car, but we seldom used it. When we wanted to go someplace, we used "shanks ponies" and stretched our legs and walked. Always as a family, or at least me along with my two brothers.
Saturday was Movie Day. That was then they made REAL MOVIES. Something you could go to and set in and be uplifted and enjoy yourself. You weren't bombarded with car crashes or everyone shooting or a lot of physical activity on the screen. No those were the days when they had a story line. When they had a moral to their base, and characters that were telling their story with as much normal action as we could believe. No fake stuff, well, there was, but it was so fake, it didn't even fool a kid my age. Most of that was in the Serials they played every Saturday for the kids. Things like "Buck Rogers" which was suppose to be a space thing, but all the rocket ships and the space scenes were so weird that it was not the least bit in any form, reality. But they were entertaining and fun anyway.
There were the Cowboy hero films that all the kids loved. In fact many of them turned up on TV when it was in it's earliest times. We don't ever see them now. They aren't 'hip' enough, or what ever the 'in' word is these days. It seems, from all I see, that unless you are scared half out of your seat, it isn't in the Movies anymore. I recall the one film I went to that had me spending most of my time under the seat. That was
"King Kong". Now when I see scenes from it, I realize just how fake that was, but it still scared me when I was in the theater that Saturday. Ronald laughed at me. I wonder how he really felt, now that I look back on it?
There were the Cartoons that we all laughed at, and the Comedy Films that kept us in stitches. There were the Adventure Films and the Historical Melodrama Films that I liked so much. I remember when Color came out and we saw "Robin Hood" for the first time. Man what a thrill. The Kids shows that came out and we all were so thrilled. "Cinderella", "Bambi", "Dumbo" to name some. The Love Stories were so well done and their was no foul language or sex scenes. The entire experience of going to the Movies was for entertainment and we were certainly entertained. Some of the great stars of those days were: Lorretta Young, Carol Lombard, Madelaine Carrol, Clodette Colbert, Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and of course the Cowboy Stars like Tom Mix, Richard Dix, Hop-a-long Cassidy, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and back then even John Wayne. He became better know much later in different rolls and was great in everything he did.
No language that would cause for alarm and no action that was unkind to the younger viewers. Yes, we were blessed. I am grateful for the TV re-runs of many if not most of those old movies. The comedy ones are still funny, the action ones are still exciting, or at least to me, and the love stories are just a sweet and delightful as they were back then, when I didn't know a lot about what they all ment at the time. Innocence is so special and it is a shame that it is no longer valued. Language has slipped into such a sink hole that it is unfortunate. Relationships with individuals is portrayed in such a way, so out fashion that it boggles the mind trying to figure out just what the writers and producers are thinking about. Most of what is projected is so far a field from normal life as we know it, that is is unreal. Moral standards have been shot full of holes in the many formats they are producing for not only the movies but for TV as well. It is so bad, in my opinion that very little of reality is out there for the normal person to view.
Sex is the means for selling most everything on TV. In fact when they started using it to sell 'hamburgers'
I really decided someone had slipped a cog in the advertising business. I don't need to be exposed to such junk as they are producing today, so I don't watch much TV and I rarely ever go to a movie theater. I have walked out of a number of theaters when what I saw or heard so insulted my intelligence that I wouldn't spend another minute wasting my time. At one of those times, the Manager of the theater heard my loud disgust at what had just be said and apologized to me. I think he was even upset that such language was coming out of the speakers, and the mouth of a women no less. Well it taught me well that I didn't need to waste my time or money being insulted. I don't even want to hear one bad word, or watch one insulting scene between a man and women. I am not a prude. I just like to think of myself as having good sense and good judgement in what I want to see and hear. For I realize what goes into the mind is something that stays in the mind. No scrubbing will remove it.
I loved the Movies and I loved going to the Theater. I have been fortunate to see some great Stage Plays and Productions. My Dad and Mother wanted us kids to be raised with cultural backgrounds. We were taken to some of the nicest places to eat and then out to see a great live show in Los Angeles. I was and am grateful for their careful teachings and guidance in such things. I have enjoyed Musicals and Drama in live as well at the Movies. I have seen Variety Shows on the Stage in person and on the Movie Screens. I have even performed on the stages of some of those theaters. That was before the days that the live entertainment in between the Movies was no longer deemed necessary. Of course in those days they gave away glass ware and dishes too. Things were a great deal different back then. There were the nights when they had sneak previews. I think I have talked about those before as well. It was such a great thing to see the big lights in the sky outside the Theater announcing there would be a special showing. It didn't cost any more to get in, but it was a thrill to see the first showing of a new Film. One never knew what it would be but everyone was excited to watch and then fill out their suggestion cards at the end. If one was lucky they could catch a glimpse of one or more of the Stars as they left the show. Been there to get the reaction of the audience, don't you know.
Well like most of what I have experienced in my life, things change, and in this case I have to admit I don't think the change has been to the better. The cost has risen and the content has sunk way low. One is not given entertainment, one is exposed to all sorts of unusual action that is so far fetched that it is stupid. I just recently saw one of the old Musicals called "That's Entertainment". Yes, it was! They don't make things like that anymore. They say it would be too expensive. I don't believe it could be any more expensive than what they crank out of their Tech Labs and Computer set ups. It just is they don't have the talent to display. All the singers yell now, they don't style a song. Even the old songs they have to sing out of style and yell the lyrics. They kill the Star Spangled Banner with all their catterwalling and screaming. I have even heard them do a 'job' on America the Beautiful. Apparently nothing is sacred to them. Actors and Actresses that have to reduce themselves to such low levels to put a Film together have never studied what went before, or they would have known that what they are acting in not life, or at least not normal life. I guess the old adage of'
'you get what you pay for' has a whole new meaning in today's standards.
I'll take the good old days when their were Stars who made entertaining Movies. I know the Studios were different back then and molded their Stars and watch over their actions on an off the screen. They guarded their moral code and had ways of keeping things in check. I realize they did have a strict code that had to be followed. A shame that the one they use today only tells how bad the action and language is, not what is in good taste. Even their way of trying to let the public know what is in any given film, they lack the ability to even keep that in any kind of order that the public can really tell.
Well, these are the signs of the time. Everyone has their Agency to make the choices of what they will watch. As for me, I choose not to be part of what is being produced. No, not even on TV, and I pay a lot of money for no more than I do watch. Even the NEWS programs are so bulked up with commercials it takes more time to wade through them. I certainly don't feel like I am getting much for what I pay for.
They don't play Hop-a-Long Cassidy either, or the Cisco Kid. Now there was some real good adventure and moral watching. I did like the Long Ranger too! Well not the new one they turned out. It looked as if it might have come out of the brain of some horror writer? I guess if you want to remake something that was good once, you have to tweak it a bit. Life has it's changes and I am too old to adjust to what they are cranking out as entertainment. Just a cranky old lady here I guess. I do however wish my growing family could look forward to enjoying some of the great things that I was able to enjoy. I wish there were Comedians like Red Skelton, Danny Kaye, Jimmy Durante, Martha Raye, Joan Davis and the venues they played. Why there were the friendly competitions of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, Jack Benny and Fred Allen. There were the fun Fibber McGee and Molly and so many others that made the nights fun and the air bright with laughter that was uplifting and enlightening. Chuckles that returned until the next time you saw or heard them.
We need a lot of laughter and we need a lot of love, real love to make the days great and happy. No long faces, no heads full of things to make them scared or unhappy. We had some wonderful things to share, and OH, how I wish we had a number of them around right now as well.
This is a wonderful world, and there is a lot of wonderful things in it to make us happy and proud and loved and needed. We need lifting and patted on the back for the goodness that is in each of us. We need the entertainment and laughs that brighten our days and brings happiness in to our lives. We need a lot of what is lacking in the society we are dealing with daily. Too many heads are bowed over small phones that keep them connected to each other, but they have little time to look up and enjoy the things around them. Life is short, it slips away from us one minute at a time. On day at a time, one week at a time. Before the child realizes they are not children any longer. It happens, I can testify to it. I have had a great life. I have enjoyed many things, but most of all I have enjoyed my family. I hope in some way I have put into their lives some of the good that was placed into mine by parents who wanted me to see and experience good things. There are so many around us all the time, but in today's society, it appears one has to dig deep to find them.
Technology has run us right into a whole new way of living. Being as old as I am, I don't find it a place I fit very well. Even the Cell Phones have advance too far for me to manage. How far we have come in so short a time. It must be time for me to slip into the past and let the rest of the world go rapidly by. I won't go quietly however, I have to have my say. I have to leave some word of caution to those who may read my 'rambling'. Don't allow the world to tell you what is good. Don't let the modern things so catch your attention that you forget to enjoy the greatest gifts that God has left here for us. Stop and smell the roses. Lend an ear to the sweet sounds of nature. Wind in the trees, birds singing, animals exploring and playing, the smell of the grass being mowed and the happiness of children laughing. Make the day the best you can, look for the good around you, enjoy being part of something so wonderful as the family you have been blessed with. Gain your place in life by being all that you can be. Love deeply, Laugh from the very bottom of yourself, and touch life with a heart and soul full of gratitude for what you have been blessed with. Be free to enjoy this life, and to return each day with a happy heart in what you accomplish with the time you have been given. Nothing lasts forever, but while you have it, embrace it, and appreciate it. With all my love, now and forever.
Written this 27th day of February 2014
by: Eileen Rosenberg
Then There Was Music
We live in a day and age when we have more noise than Music. The beat of the Drums seem to be what is the major part of any piece that is Banging out of car radios as I drive down the Streets. What is being done to the tender ears of those in the cars I pass, I have no idea. I only know that what I hear is NOT MUSIC.
Guess it gives away my ancient age when I make a statement like that. So be it! There is nothing so sweet as a Melody that soothes the ears and makes the heart beat in mellow rhythm.
Back when I was still quite small - maybe 7 or 8 years of age, I went to a Movie - Ziegfield Follies - that was a Broadway Show that was one of the highlights of New York. The sets were spectacular and the girls were dressed in lovely gowns and wore fancy head dresses. In one particular scene Dennis Morgan stood on a huge staircase surrounded by these girls and sang "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody". I can still hear the Music and Lyrics in my head after all these years. "A pretty girl, is like a melody, that haunts you night and
day. Just like the strains of a haunting refrain, she'll start upon a marathon and run around your brain. You can't forget her, she's in your memory, morning, night and noon. She will leave you, and then, she will come back again. A Pretty Girl Is Just Like A Melody". Now, that is MUSIC!
I am not into Opera. Though I am sure it is wonderful, just not what touches my soul and brings the bright lights into my eyes. Music speaks to the soul and is uplifting. Brings hope and insight into ones very being.
It isn't loud, or hard, is can be jazzy, even have a bit of razz-ma-taz and still be MUSIC. During my youth I know there were a few crazy songs that were popular, but that was mainly their lyrics. Like "Ashe-b-del-a-zuch, Castle Abbey. That a Little English Town by the sea. Where the skies are full of blue and the cows are full of moo. In Ashe-b-del-a-zuch by the sea!".
During the Second World War we were blessed with so much Good Music. There were the Big Bands and the Musicality of the performers. The Soloists, the Groups that belted out the songs with such delight. Every toe tapped and everyone knew every word, but didn't blend in just mouth the words as the singers gave out
with the tunes. That was when Frank Sinatra, Frankie Layne, Mel Torme, Ginny Simms, Lena Horne, Doris Day, Vaughn Monroe, Vic Damon and so many others were getting started. There were the groups that were so great at that same time. One of my very special favorites were the Lettermen. Oh, and who could ever forget the Williams Brothers or the Ink Spots. The olde master Bing Crosby was well established before that time, but he wasn't behind in any of the others you can bet on that.
Being War Time of course the songs were about the Army, and Coming Home Again. Of sweethearts and of the longing of being together. "I'll Be Home For Christmas", "Don't Set Under The Apple Tree With Anyone Else But Me.", "I'll Be Loving You Always", "Bugle Boy From Company 'B', "You're In The Army Now", "Off We Go Into The Wild Blue Yonder" and of course the many sound tracks of the many Movies that told stories of the War and of the men and women who were to live with the dangers and the time of separations. Oh, those were the days when Music spelled out the true feelings of those who were caught up in a time in History that is so sadly lost to the Generations of today. Most of what we lived during those years will never be found in History Books. Memories will slowly fade away and die, because those who were fortunate to have experienced them will die and not leave the least bit of their feelings behind to help their families carry on in even a small way what that time means to their everyday lives.
I remember singing many of the songs over and over when Jay and I would drive along on dates and after we married. We both loved them so much, and they were such a part of our lives at that time. How I fell for those who are young today. That which they classify as Music seems so lacking in the ability to lift them and make their day peaceful and delightful. No Melody to 'run around their brain'. Oh a 'beat' yes, but nothing
to inspire or bring the heart into a sweet pace that helps the whole being feel inspired. Nerves calm and
the mind relaxed and happy.
Music is so special. We enjoy the Hymns at Church because they feed the soul and bring to mind the love and enlightenment to our sacred sides. Their words tell of us such great things and help us learn, through
music what the heart and soul needs to understand. So should the music we listen to for recreation bring us into mellow and sweet mental avenues. When we aren't hearing tones and sounds that bring us into a peaceful place, we aren't really having enjoyment. Well, not in my way of thinking, anyway. I do Love Music. All kinds really, but I don't need 'high tech sound' to help me appreciate the notes that come out of instruments. I love the smooth and even beat of a drum. I will admit that Gene Krupa had a wild way of rapping the drums, but those were mainly in a solo break in a piece that let everyone know that he was a real artist. It was great to watch him, he was a showman, and he could rap out on those Drums like no one could believe. Then the Band went back to the regular Music, and the show went on. The Drum returned to the place it had in the arrangement. It was there, but it was not the BEAT.
I am grateful for the talent of those who can write, and even more so for those who can arrange a piece of Music so that every instrument has their part, and they blend and bring out the beauty of the notes that are on the page. To me Music is another language that has been given to us. Some can read it, but all can hear it. There are many types of Music, and for each, there is an audience. I do not care to take away from anyone what they consider their favorite. I just want to remember that which has brought me so many hours of great pleasure. And still hold such fond memories of times, places, people I don't ever want to forget. I guess it is part of me to love the finer things of the past. My Dad had a lovely voice, as did my Grand Father who sang on the Radio. Dad was a baritone and Grand Father a Tenor. I never heard them sing together but I bet they would have been great. I have sung, good, bad or indifferent all my life, and have enjoyed every minute of it. Now at my age, the voice is no longer of enough quality, and I certainly don't have the wind to maintain notes like I should, but I still sing out when I feel the music, and don't apologize for any lack I may have. After all, the Lord loves to hear us sing. I don't believe He is judging how well we do it, just if we have our HEART in it. I certainly put all my heart and soul into Music. One way I can express myself and be sure I am not insulting anyone.
I am sure when God made the world, He carefully left the Melody in everything He did. That is why their is so much beauty all around us. The wind in the trees, the sweet sound of water running and the clouds drifting lazily over the blue sky. The streaks of color when the sun rises and sets. The bright flash of lightening and the boom of the thunder. Music in a different form, but yet letting our ears and eyes know that there is so much to see, hear and enjoy. Shouldn't we be mindful of just how much Noise we bring into our lives. There is enough racket to jog our nerves, why ply our tender body parts with such crashing and abrasive sounds? I guess it is all in the eyes and ears of the beholder. Thankfully this beholder is grateful for the 'melody that runs around my brain'. I am happy to 'not forget it'!
Written this 27th day of February 2014
by: Eileen Rosenberg
Guess it gives away my ancient age when I make a statement like that. So be it! There is nothing so sweet as a Melody that soothes the ears and makes the heart beat in mellow rhythm.
Back when I was still quite small - maybe 7 or 8 years of age, I went to a Movie - Ziegfield Follies - that was a Broadway Show that was one of the highlights of New York. The sets were spectacular and the girls were dressed in lovely gowns and wore fancy head dresses. In one particular scene Dennis Morgan stood on a huge staircase surrounded by these girls and sang "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody". I can still hear the Music and Lyrics in my head after all these years. "A pretty girl, is like a melody, that haunts you night and
day. Just like the strains of a haunting refrain, she'll start upon a marathon and run around your brain. You can't forget her, she's in your memory, morning, night and noon. She will leave you, and then, she will come back again. A Pretty Girl Is Just Like A Melody". Now, that is MUSIC!
I am not into Opera. Though I am sure it is wonderful, just not what touches my soul and brings the bright lights into my eyes. Music speaks to the soul and is uplifting. Brings hope and insight into ones very being.
It isn't loud, or hard, is can be jazzy, even have a bit of razz-ma-taz and still be MUSIC. During my youth I know there were a few crazy songs that were popular, but that was mainly their lyrics. Like "Ashe-b-del-a-zuch, Castle Abbey. That a Little English Town by the sea. Where the skies are full of blue and the cows are full of moo. In Ashe-b-del-a-zuch by the sea!".
During the Second World War we were blessed with so much Good Music. There were the Big Bands and the Musicality of the performers. The Soloists, the Groups that belted out the songs with such delight. Every toe tapped and everyone knew every word, but didn't blend in just mouth the words as the singers gave out
with the tunes. That was when Frank Sinatra, Frankie Layne, Mel Torme, Ginny Simms, Lena Horne, Doris Day, Vaughn Monroe, Vic Damon and so many others were getting started. There were the groups that were so great at that same time. One of my very special favorites were the Lettermen. Oh, and who could ever forget the Williams Brothers or the Ink Spots. The olde master Bing Crosby was well established before that time, but he wasn't behind in any of the others you can bet on that.
Being War Time of course the songs were about the Army, and Coming Home Again. Of sweethearts and of the longing of being together. "I'll Be Home For Christmas", "Don't Set Under The Apple Tree With Anyone Else But Me.", "I'll Be Loving You Always", "Bugle Boy From Company 'B', "You're In The Army Now", "Off We Go Into The Wild Blue Yonder" and of course the many sound tracks of the many Movies that told stories of the War and of the men and women who were to live with the dangers and the time of separations. Oh, those were the days when Music spelled out the true feelings of those who were caught up in a time in History that is so sadly lost to the Generations of today. Most of what we lived during those years will never be found in History Books. Memories will slowly fade away and die, because those who were fortunate to have experienced them will die and not leave the least bit of their feelings behind to help their families carry on in even a small way what that time means to their everyday lives.
I remember singing many of the songs over and over when Jay and I would drive along on dates and after we married. We both loved them so much, and they were such a part of our lives at that time. How I fell for those who are young today. That which they classify as Music seems so lacking in the ability to lift them and make their day peaceful and delightful. No Melody to 'run around their brain'. Oh a 'beat' yes, but nothing
to inspire or bring the heart into a sweet pace that helps the whole being feel inspired. Nerves calm and
the mind relaxed and happy.
Music is so special. We enjoy the Hymns at Church because they feed the soul and bring to mind the love and enlightenment to our sacred sides. Their words tell of us such great things and help us learn, through
music what the heart and soul needs to understand. So should the music we listen to for recreation bring us into mellow and sweet mental avenues. When we aren't hearing tones and sounds that bring us into a peaceful place, we aren't really having enjoyment. Well, not in my way of thinking, anyway. I do Love Music. All kinds really, but I don't need 'high tech sound' to help me appreciate the notes that come out of instruments. I love the smooth and even beat of a drum. I will admit that Gene Krupa had a wild way of rapping the drums, but those were mainly in a solo break in a piece that let everyone know that he was a real artist. It was great to watch him, he was a showman, and he could rap out on those Drums like no one could believe. Then the Band went back to the regular Music, and the show went on. The Drum returned to the place it had in the arrangement. It was there, but it was not the BEAT.
I am grateful for the talent of those who can write, and even more so for those who can arrange a piece of Music so that every instrument has their part, and they blend and bring out the beauty of the notes that are on the page. To me Music is another language that has been given to us. Some can read it, but all can hear it. There are many types of Music, and for each, there is an audience. I do not care to take away from anyone what they consider their favorite. I just want to remember that which has brought me so many hours of great pleasure. And still hold such fond memories of times, places, people I don't ever want to forget. I guess it is part of me to love the finer things of the past. My Dad had a lovely voice, as did my Grand Father who sang on the Radio. Dad was a baritone and Grand Father a Tenor. I never heard them sing together but I bet they would have been great. I have sung, good, bad or indifferent all my life, and have enjoyed every minute of it. Now at my age, the voice is no longer of enough quality, and I certainly don't have the wind to maintain notes like I should, but I still sing out when I feel the music, and don't apologize for any lack I may have. After all, the Lord loves to hear us sing. I don't believe He is judging how well we do it, just if we have our HEART in it. I certainly put all my heart and soul into Music. One way I can express myself and be sure I am not insulting anyone.
I am sure when God made the world, He carefully left the Melody in everything He did. That is why their is so much beauty all around us. The wind in the trees, the sweet sound of water running and the clouds drifting lazily over the blue sky. The streaks of color when the sun rises and sets. The bright flash of lightening and the boom of the thunder. Music in a different form, but yet letting our ears and eyes know that there is so much to see, hear and enjoy. Shouldn't we be mindful of just how much Noise we bring into our lives. There is enough racket to jog our nerves, why ply our tender body parts with such crashing and abrasive sounds? I guess it is all in the eyes and ears of the beholder. Thankfully this beholder is grateful for the 'melody that runs around my brain'. I am happy to 'not forget it'!
Written this 27th day of February 2014
by: Eileen Rosenberg
Thursday, January 30, 2014
What a Birthday Brings to Mind
Today is my daughters Birthday. She is in Serbia serving an 18 month Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints aka Mormon Church. I won't say which Birthday it happens to be today, not because I believe it isn't important, but because it hasn't any bearing on what is on my mind at present.
Jay and I were only blessed with two children. A Son Paul LaMar who was born 48 days before my 19th Birthday. He had a big head and large hands. He grew into both, and though he was very badly cross eyed, he grew out of that as well. Starting out as rather an odd looking baby, he soon grew into being a cute little thing, that unfortunately was mistaken as a 'girl'. No wonder seeings he had beautiful blue eyes and a mop of yellow curls, plus a smile that could charm anyone. Paul was friendly, happy and a joy to be around.
He was six (6) years old when he was finally changed from and 'only child' into a Big Brother. He had started Kindergarten and was anxious about whether he was going to have a little brother or sister. As you may well guess his parents were hoping for a girl to round out the family.
Dawn joined the Rosenberg Family 8 days before my 25th Birthday. I always teased Jay about that as I had told him I didn't want to have any children after I was 25. He was sneaky and slipped Dawn under that wire, so to speak. I am sure most of the family has heard that the night she decided to appear on the scene it was FOGGY. We inched our way from our home in Pico Rivera to Downey where my brother Ronald and his wife Willetta lived. They were to take care of Paul while Jay was at the hospital. Once we were able to drop Paul off safely, we started out for the Hospital that was just a short drive away. It seemed to take for-
ever. We had to really watch for the driveway into the parking lot. Once inside, it was determined that I would be awhile, so they told Jay to go back home. (The same thing they told him when I was expecting Paul). Of course, the problem was getting the Dr. to the hospital. I did my normal thing and progressed much faster than the nurses thought I would. Once again I was given something to slow the process down as the Dr. had not been able to get to the hospital. Fortunate for me two Doctors that I had been seen by, prior to my pregnancy were in the hospital. They couldn't leave due to the FOG, so they were setting by my side
talking when I woke up, well slightly that is. I asked who was there. They laughed and told me it was
Dr. Frost and Dr. Sylvester. If Dr. Bloomquist didn't get here in time, they were willing to deliver the baby.
Fortunately shortly after that Dr. Bloomquist burst into the delivery room and was able to assist Dawn into
her earth life. Jay was at home, as usual! They called him, the FOG was not as bad so he made it back to the hospital, but the person at the desk was told that under no circumstance were they to tell Jay the baby was born. Dr. Bloomquist wanted to tell Jay he had 'his girl'.
Dawn was a cute little baby. Beautiful Auburn hair that thrilled me to pieces. Unfortunately it turned blonde over night and I was heart broken. They explained to us she had a very large imbilical (sp) rupture. It was
the size of a silver $. She had difficulty keeping food down. We learned she needed to be burped prior to being fed. My mother made 'belly bands' for her which helped the weakness in her stomach muscles. It
was a constant worry that she could have problems and even pass away. We watched her constantly. Paul was great a setting by her bed and making sure she was O.K. while I had to be taking care of things around the house and cooking.
When Dawn was 9 months old she had grown, but the problem was only becoming more serious. It was decided an operation was in order. Dr. Crum was the surgeon who was recommended to us. I took her to the hospital after taken Paul to school and Jay to work. No pediatric care in the hospital. She looked so tiny in a regular hospital bed. It was about 9 am when they came to take her down to surgery. They picked her up and carried her down. She was quite happy and playful. When they brought her back she was slapping he hand over her face and smiling. I couldn't figure out what was the problem. The nurse came back from surgery and explained they had played with her with the mask to put her to sleep. She would try to push it away and they would laugh and put it back over her nose and mouth until she had received enough medication to put her to sleep. It was apparently a playful time to her, and didn't leave any sad effects on her. Dr. Crum came down and explained the surgery was pretty complicated, but he was able to repair the weakness. He felt Dawn was so tiny he couldn't repair the outer layer like normal, because he didn't want her to feel 'different' than other people, not having a 'belly button'. The incision he had made was a half moon directly under her navel. After she came around, I took her home. As I said they had to pediatric care, so she was better off at home. For them maybe, but it was a real nerve racking time for us. The second day after her surgery I had put her in the small rocking chair while I fixed her breakfast. When I looked back, she had slipped out of the rocker and was holding on the arm standing. She had never done that before. I dropped what I was doing and went to the phone and called Dr. Crum right away. He laughed at me and said: "don't worry, she won't do anything that will hurt her. For the first time in her life she had muscle strength she hasn't had before!". He was right, from then on, she was up and at it and had no fear. Became quite a monkey and could climb anything.
Paul was always proud of his 'little sister' and she of course wanted to be doing anything he did. Not a good thing. He was a 'boy' and didn't really think a 'little sister' was the right kind of 'playmate' for a 'big boy'.
She was more boy than 'little miss'. Loved working along side her Dad. Could do just about anything he could do before she was any size at all. A constant fight over tools when they were in the garage working on something. Many a time I would hear Jay yelling: "Charmaine, come and get this kid, I can't find any of my tools, she has them all over the place!" They would argue and carry on like you wouldn't believe, but never
seemed to want to do anything unless the other one was around.
Age didn't seem to change that much. I can remember when Dawn and Greg were first married, if we would go some place together. Greg walked next to me as we followed Jay and Dawn walking ahead of us sometimes hand in hand. I don't think they ever gave it a thought that they never lost the closeness they had from the time she was born. Jay never was a 'singer'. In fact one might say he couldn't sing. He often told the story about a class he had where the class was all singing. The teacher went up and down the isle listening. When she came to Jay she said: "you - shut up!" Well that never stopped him from singing to Dawn. When she was small, he worked Swing Shift. He would get ready for work, take Dawn and set in the rocker. Feed her and sing to her before putting her down for her nap. I could sing to her and she would never fall asleep. When he sang to her she went out like a light. I don't believe I will examine that further. She either loved his voice, or she was tired. You take your choice on that one.
I never had a sister, and for so many years I hoped for a little girl. I was blessed with a very deal little girl, but it never turned out to be the relationship I had envisioned. Instead of the close relationship I had envisioned I ended up with enjoying the loving and sweet relationship Dawn had with her Dad, like the one I had with mine. Believe me, I couldn't have wished more for her. She was blessed with a Dad who loved her like my Dad loved me. A choice relationship that is worth far more than Gold. Jay named her, and
cherished her. I have felt very blessed to have had them both in my life. Well I guess I should say all three of them in my life. Once a Mother, always a Mother. The best job in the whole world. Every Birthday has been a milestone in our lives. Each has added many more blessings than the ones before. The years just seem to roll by. The changes and adjustments make life both challenging and fun. It has been a very interesting life. School activities, projects, Scouts - both Boy and Girl. Church and the many things it has
added to our lives. Marriages, Grand Children, Great Grand Children and yes deaths. We have experienced them all. There will be more ahead, some of each I am sure. None of it can change the joy of being Family and sharing both the ups and downs. We all have things which made us happy and things that had made us all sad, but we have done them all together. That is what life is all about. Doing and growing and loving and sharing. I feel like Bob Hope - "thanks for the memories." I have certainly enjoyed the journey. Look forward to the winding down scenes as well. For I am one of the very blessed. I Know that Families Are Forever. I am grateful to be part of OURS!
Written this 30th day of January 2014
by: Eileen C. Rosenberg
Jay and I were only blessed with two children. A Son Paul LaMar who was born 48 days before my 19th Birthday. He had a big head and large hands. He grew into both, and though he was very badly cross eyed, he grew out of that as well. Starting out as rather an odd looking baby, he soon grew into being a cute little thing, that unfortunately was mistaken as a 'girl'. No wonder seeings he had beautiful blue eyes and a mop of yellow curls, plus a smile that could charm anyone. Paul was friendly, happy and a joy to be around.
He was six (6) years old when he was finally changed from and 'only child' into a Big Brother. He had started Kindergarten and was anxious about whether he was going to have a little brother or sister. As you may well guess his parents were hoping for a girl to round out the family.
Dawn joined the Rosenberg Family 8 days before my 25th Birthday. I always teased Jay about that as I had told him I didn't want to have any children after I was 25. He was sneaky and slipped Dawn under that wire, so to speak. I am sure most of the family has heard that the night she decided to appear on the scene it was FOGGY. We inched our way from our home in Pico Rivera to Downey where my brother Ronald and his wife Willetta lived. They were to take care of Paul while Jay was at the hospital. Once we were able to drop Paul off safely, we started out for the Hospital that was just a short drive away. It seemed to take for-
ever. We had to really watch for the driveway into the parking lot. Once inside, it was determined that I would be awhile, so they told Jay to go back home. (The same thing they told him when I was expecting Paul). Of course, the problem was getting the Dr. to the hospital. I did my normal thing and progressed much faster than the nurses thought I would. Once again I was given something to slow the process down as the Dr. had not been able to get to the hospital. Fortunate for me two Doctors that I had been seen by, prior to my pregnancy were in the hospital. They couldn't leave due to the FOG, so they were setting by my side
talking when I woke up, well slightly that is. I asked who was there. They laughed and told me it was
Dr. Frost and Dr. Sylvester. If Dr. Bloomquist didn't get here in time, they were willing to deliver the baby.
Fortunately shortly after that Dr. Bloomquist burst into the delivery room and was able to assist Dawn into
her earth life. Jay was at home, as usual! They called him, the FOG was not as bad so he made it back to the hospital, but the person at the desk was told that under no circumstance were they to tell Jay the baby was born. Dr. Bloomquist wanted to tell Jay he had 'his girl'.
Dawn was a cute little baby. Beautiful Auburn hair that thrilled me to pieces. Unfortunately it turned blonde over night and I was heart broken. They explained to us she had a very large imbilical (sp) rupture. It was
the size of a silver $. She had difficulty keeping food down. We learned she needed to be burped prior to being fed. My mother made 'belly bands' for her which helped the weakness in her stomach muscles. It
was a constant worry that she could have problems and even pass away. We watched her constantly. Paul was great a setting by her bed and making sure she was O.K. while I had to be taking care of things around the house and cooking.
When Dawn was 9 months old she had grown, but the problem was only becoming more serious. It was decided an operation was in order. Dr. Crum was the surgeon who was recommended to us. I took her to the hospital after taken Paul to school and Jay to work. No pediatric care in the hospital. She looked so tiny in a regular hospital bed. It was about 9 am when they came to take her down to surgery. They picked her up and carried her down. She was quite happy and playful. When they brought her back she was slapping he hand over her face and smiling. I couldn't figure out what was the problem. The nurse came back from surgery and explained they had played with her with the mask to put her to sleep. She would try to push it away and they would laugh and put it back over her nose and mouth until she had received enough medication to put her to sleep. It was apparently a playful time to her, and didn't leave any sad effects on her. Dr. Crum came down and explained the surgery was pretty complicated, but he was able to repair the weakness. He felt Dawn was so tiny he couldn't repair the outer layer like normal, because he didn't want her to feel 'different' than other people, not having a 'belly button'. The incision he had made was a half moon directly under her navel. After she came around, I took her home. As I said they had to pediatric care, so she was better off at home. For them maybe, but it was a real nerve racking time for us. The second day after her surgery I had put her in the small rocking chair while I fixed her breakfast. When I looked back, she had slipped out of the rocker and was holding on the arm standing. She had never done that before. I dropped what I was doing and went to the phone and called Dr. Crum right away. He laughed at me and said: "don't worry, she won't do anything that will hurt her. For the first time in her life she had muscle strength she hasn't had before!". He was right, from then on, she was up and at it and had no fear. Became quite a monkey and could climb anything.
Paul was always proud of his 'little sister' and she of course wanted to be doing anything he did. Not a good thing. He was a 'boy' and didn't really think a 'little sister' was the right kind of 'playmate' for a 'big boy'.
She was more boy than 'little miss'. Loved working along side her Dad. Could do just about anything he could do before she was any size at all. A constant fight over tools when they were in the garage working on something. Many a time I would hear Jay yelling: "Charmaine, come and get this kid, I can't find any of my tools, she has them all over the place!" They would argue and carry on like you wouldn't believe, but never
seemed to want to do anything unless the other one was around.
Age didn't seem to change that much. I can remember when Dawn and Greg were first married, if we would go some place together. Greg walked next to me as we followed Jay and Dawn walking ahead of us sometimes hand in hand. I don't think they ever gave it a thought that they never lost the closeness they had from the time she was born. Jay never was a 'singer'. In fact one might say he couldn't sing. He often told the story about a class he had where the class was all singing. The teacher went up and down the isle listening. When she came to Jay she said: "you - shut up!" Well that never stopped him from singing to Dawn. When she was small, he worked Swing Shift. He would get ready for work, take Dawn and set in the rocker. Feed her and sing to her before putting her down for her nap. I could sing to her and she would never fall asleep. When he sang to her she went out like a light. I don't believe I will examine that further. She either loved his voice, or she was tired. You take your choice on that one.
I never had a sister, and for so many years I hoped for a little girl. I was blessed with a very deal little girl, but it never turned out to be the relationship I had envisioned. Instead of the close relationship I had envisioned I ended up with enjoying the loving and sweet relationship Dawn had with her Dad, like the one I had with mine. Believe me, I couldn't have wished more for her. She was blessed with a Dad who loved her like my Dad loved me. A choice relationship that is worth far more than Gold. Jay named her, and
cherished her. I have felt very blessed to have had them both in my life. Well I guess I should say all three of them in my life. Once a Mother, always a Mother. The best job in the whole world. Every Birthday has been a milestone in our lives. Each has added many more blessings than the ones before. The years just seem to roll by. The changes and adjustments make life both challenging and fun. It has been a very interesting life. School activities, projects, Scouts - both Boy and Girl. Church and the many things it has
added to our lives. Marriages, Grand Children, Great Grand Children and yes deaths. We have experienced them all. There will be more ahead, some of each I am sure. None of it can change the joy of being Family and sharing both the ups and downs. We all have things which made us happy and things that had made us all sad, but we have done them all together. That is what life is all about. Doing and growing and loving and sharing. I feel like Bob Hope - "thanks for the memories." I have certainly enjoyed the journey. Look forward to the winding down scenes as well. For I am one of the very blessed. I Know that Families Are Forever. I am grateful to be part of OURS!
Written this 30th day of January 2014
by: Eileen C. Rosenberg
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
The Melody Lingers On
Yes, the music in our lives seems to continue even when we are not paying attention to it. I especially felt this during the recent Holidays. There is nothing quite as sweet as the Christmas Carols of olde or the New tunes that have been developed over the years. It seems we warm to the melody and words of "Chestnuts Roasting" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". Along with the fun tunes like "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" and of course "Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer". Music both heard, played and enjoyed by one and all is the beauty that touches each of our lives in such a wonderful way.
As for myself, I can't play and instrument, or read a note easily, but I do enjoy singing and have many times enjoyed spending time with others belting out one tune or another. For some time I sang in Church Choirs. I was asked to sing at Funerals of friends as well. A time or two I joined one or two other singers to sing at Church Meetings. At the age I am now, the voice is not what it once was, but then there is a lot of the Olde
Girl that isn't what it once was. Not to complain, just a statement of fact.
There was a time I sang with a group of Senior Ladies called the Silver Belles. We started out as part of the Women's Club of Paso Robles, then set out on our own and happily earned funds by singing at various functions in and around the city, which we gave Music Scholarships to Students from the Local High School. Those were some fun times, and rewarding as well. Age taken its toll made it a wise choice to start being support rather than a singer. I still belt out a mean solo around the house, but with my asthma the breath is not what it should be. When I have to take a breath where it shouldn't be, it doesn't effect my enjoyment.
I have learned that listening gives me much pleasure also. It doesn't have to be singing, I enjoy a great band, or orchestra with arrangements of music that I have learned to love over the years as well. Nothing thrills me as much as listening to the Big Bands of the 40's and 50's. Now that was real music, and how we could dance to it. Well in some cases the dance floor was so crowded one could merely swayed
to the tunes. It certainly did not make the listening any less enjoyable.
When I was a Missionary in Salt Lake City, I was fortunate to be in the Elijah Choir and sing at our Devotionals. The practices were early in the morning. Like 5:30 am that is. But even we older Missionaries were up to the challenge of rising early and making practice. Sister Jorgenson was worth the effort. She was a great director, and singer in her own right. I developed a wonderful relationship, and visited her
office a time of two when I was back in Salt Lake. In fact, now that I think of it, I was the last Missionary to plan a Devotional Program. They had scheduled them for years, and then with the change of the Mission Presidency, that policy was changed. The program I had arranged was fun. I had looked all over for an old Hymnal that had Primary Music from way back. I found one in a Used Book Store in Murray, Utah. It contained some Music I had never heard before. I asked for some Solo, Mixed Quartet, and Piano Solo
numbers. It was fun to do, and brought back a great deal of sweet memories for the Missionaries who had been raised in the Church for years. One of the Elders whistled one of the old songs, and I witnessed a few
tears shed. Which brings up the Memory of the Program I was asked to do for a Devotional before Jay and I left the Mission Field on my First Mission. I sang a duet with Elder Bishop. Can't remember where he was from, but he had a lovely voice and sang in the Elijah Choir too. The Music for that particular Program was songs from the Primary, the Hymnal and Special Numbers. What I remember most was the fact that this
program, like all the others was put on before Devotional stated. I ended my Program with: "Jesus Was No Ordinary Man". Just when I finished singing and sat down the Mission President Brimhall and his wife walked into the Auditorium. When he reached the podium he looked out over the 300+ Missionaries and said something to the effect he had never seen the group so quiet. He was sorry he had missed what had caused such a reverent feeling. I felt the effort had been worth all the trouble and practice. Finding time and a pianist who was willing to do the hard work of playing so much music for myself and Elder Bishop was not an easy task. The ones needed never seem to work in the same area or same time. Part of us had to work the 'late shift', which made our time from 11:00 am until early evening. this was because of the shortage of computers at the time. Well, it all came together, and ended well.
I love music and am pleased to have the Melody Linger On in my life, and hope that it fills just as much in your life as well. The Lord has told us that His soul delighteth in the song of the righteous" (Section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants) I'm greatful to have had many opportunities to share my voice alone, or with others in singing unto the Lord!
Another New Year, more time to lift up our voices and sing, or shout. May we be happily enjoying both the song and musical rendition of instrument and voice with delight and appreciation during this year!
Written this 7th day of January 2014
by: Eileen Rosenberg
As for myself, I can't play and instrument, or read a note easily, but I do enjoy singing and have many times enjoyed spending time with others belting out one tune or another. For some time I sang in Church Choirs. I was asked to sing at Funerals of friends as well. A time or two I joined one or two other singers to sing at Church Meetings. At the age I am now, the voice is not what it once was, but then there is a lot of the Olde
Girl that isn't what it once was. Not to complain, just a statement of fact.
There was a time I sang with a group of Senior Ladies called the Silver Belles. We started out as part of the Women's Club of Paso Robles, then set out on our own and happily earned funds by singing at various functions in and around the city, which we gave Music Scholarships to Students from the Local High School. Those were some fun times, and rewarding as well. Age taken its toll made it a wise choice to start being support rather than a singer. I still belt out a mean solo around the house, but with my asthma the breath is not what it should be. When I have to take a breath where it shouldn't be, it doesn't effect my enjoyment.
I have learned that listening gives me much pleasure also. It doesn't have to be singing, I enjoy a great band, or orchestra with arrangements of music that I have learned to love over the years as well. Nothing thrills me as much as listening to the Big Bands of the 40's and 50's. Now that was real music, and how we could dance to it. Well in some cases the dance floor was so crowded one could merely swayed
to the tunes. It certainly did not make the listening any less enjoyable.
When I was a Missionary in Salt Lake City, I was fortunate to be in the Elijah Choir and sing at our Devotionals. The practices were early in the morning. Like 5:30 am that is. But even we older Missionaries were up to the challenge of rising early and making practice. Sister Jorgenson was worth the effort. She was a great director, and singer in her own right. I developed a wonderful relationship, and visited her
office a time of two when I was back in Salt Lake. In fact, now that I think of it, I was the last Missionary to plan a Devotional Program. They had scheduled them for years, and then with the change of the Mission Presidency, that policy was changed. The program I had arranged was fun. I had looked all over for an old Hymnal that had Primary Music from way back. I found one in a Used Book Store in Murray, Utah. It contained some Music I had never heard before. I asked for some Solo, Mixed Quartet, and Piano Solo
numbers. It was fun to do, and brought back a great deal of sweet memories for the Missionaries who had been raised in the Church for years. One of the Elders whistled one of the old songs, and I witnessed a few
tears shed. Which brings up the Memory of the Program I was asked to do for a Devotional before Jay and I left the Mission Field on my First Mission. I sang a duet with Elder Bishop. Can't remember where he was from, but he had a lovely voice and sang in the Elijah Choir too. The Music for that particular Program was songs from the Primary, the Hymnal and Special Numbers. What I remember most was the fact that this
program, like all the others was put on before Devotional stated. I ended my Program with: "Jesus Was No Ordinary Man". Just when I finished singing and sat down the Mission President Brimhall and his wife walked into the Auditorium. When he reached the podium he looked out over the 300+ Missionaries and said something to the effect he had never seen the group so quiet. He was sorry he had missed what had caused such a reverent feeling. I felt the effort had been worth all the trouble and practice. Finding time and a pianist who was willing to do the hard work of playing so much music for myself and Elder Bishop was not an easy task. The ones needed never seem to work in the same area or same time. Part of us had to work the 'late shift', which made our time from 11:00 am until early evening. this was because of the shortage of computers at the time. Well, it all came together, and ended well.
I love music and am pleased to have the Melody Linger On in my life, and hope that it fills just as much in your life as well. The Lord has told us that His soul delighteth in the song of the righteous" (Section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants) I'm greatful to have had many opportunities to share my voice alone, or with others in singing unto the Lord!
Another New Year, more time to lift up our voices and sing, or shout. May we be happily enjoying both the song and musical rendition of instrument and voice with delight and appreciation during this year!
Written this 7th day of January 2014
by: Eileen Rosenberg
Saturday, September 28, 2013
V-Mail
One of the interesting things that have changed over the years is how we send the written word to each other. During the Second World War, there was regular mail, airmail, which was suppose to go faster, then there was V-Mail. It was form that had wings that folded in and then you folded it into thirds with a flap that had glue on it so it could be sealed. It was light blue in color and had red and blue strips down each side. It was the common way to send letters to the service men. They didn't have to open an envelope and pull out the papers inside to read their mail. I suppose in a 'foxhole' it was even more appreciated. I wrote hundreds of them, and wish I had kept one of them as a reminder of how we use to keep in touch.
Amazing how many of those kinds of items have come and gone in and out of our lives. We had Savings Bonds, and Savings Stamps that helped with the War Effort. Keeping money available for funding the various things that was needed for those who were away fighting for our Freedom. In fact,
as I think of it there are some such things left over from the First World War in the Safe in the Office. Once we had such things, it is sad we don't have a little of it left around. We use to have stickers on the windshield of the car that told what class the car was to make it O.K. for gas. We even had that limited. Dad use to save his gas stamps so we could take our trips up to the Cabin we had in the mountains for a vacation. Back then we only used the car for such things. We walked most everywhere. If it ment a further amount to get where we had to go we rode a bus or the "J" car. There was a bus that got us around town, and of course the Red Bus that would take us all the way to Long Beach. Once we got there we had to walk down to the Shore to enjoy the sand. The trip with a transfer to get back was .50 cents.
Back in those days there was mail delivered twice a day. We watched for the mailman to gather in whatever we were lucky to receive. With both my bothers away in the South Pacific and our cousin in the Airforce, we had plenty of mail going, and prayed we would get some coming in. It was slow, and far between, but every letter was priceless.
I remember going to the market and hoping there had been meat delivered. We had coupons for that as well. A lot of mock this or that showed up. I remember mock chicken legs. Haven't seen them since. They were some kind of veal I believe that was mixed with filler of some kind and formed around a stick. Mom fried them and made gravy. They were pretty good,
I think? To make chicken stretch when Dad would invite the single guys who were 4-F home to dinner Mom would ask for a piece of veal and stew it with the Chicken to make it go further. Once it was in with the chicken, it took on the flavor of the chicken and it was good. That was when veal was cheap. Today I don't believe they sell it the same way. Times change!
I guess going into the Super Markets of today and taking a look around we feel a little safe with so much on the shelves, but it would only take one day of a road shut down when the trucks couldn't get into an area until all the shelves would be bear, and it would look like it did during the days of the Second World War. It wouldn't take much to bring our normal daily life to a screaching halt. Something to think about. One major disaster, one terrible crash on a major highway, one, just one, and our whole lives could take a sudden turn. One never should feel safe if they haven't made some preparation for a back-up to carry them over in case of a sudden change in daily living. It may not be within our control, but it is in our control to prepare and be covered at least for three or four days. If everyone had to depend on the stores in their areas, they would learn quite quickly that there is no supply adequate to take care of everyones needs over a limited amound of time. That is not only in food, but in water as well.
Well - V-Mail is gone, regular mail is now expensive and Airmail is a thing of the past. There is Priority and Plus, which still wouldn't compete with the Airmail of yesteryear. Some changes haven't improved some things, but we can certainly tell that the prices have advanced with the quality of the service going down hill. How pleased I am to know that we are able to look back and remember how great some things were and how far we have come, but with some things still not as good as they once were. Old Age has some good things thrown in the mix. I guess our Memories are one of those things.
Written this 28th day of September 2013
by: Eileen Rosenberg
Amazing how many of those kinds of items have come and gone in and out of our lives. We had Savings Bonds, and Savings Stamps that helped with the War Effort. Keeping money available for funding the various things that was needed for those who were away fighting for our Freedom. In fact,
as I think of it there are some such things left over from the First World War in the Safe in the Office. Once we had such things, it is sad we don't have a little of it left around. We use to have stickers on the windshield of the car that told what class the car was to make it O.K. for gas. We even had that limited. Dad use to save his gas stamps so we could take our trips up to the Cabin we had in the mountains for a vacation. Back then we only used the car for such things. We walked most everywhere. If it ment a further amount to get where we had to go we rode a bus or the "J" car. There was a bus that got us around town, and of course the Red Bus that would take us all the way to Long Beach. Once we got there we had to walk down to the Shore to enjoy the sand. The trip with a transfer to get back was .50 cents.
Back in those days there was mail delivered twice a day. We watched for the mailman to gather in whatever we were lucky to receive. With both my bothers away in the South Pacific and our cousin in the Airforce, we had plenty of mail going, and prayed we would get some coming in. It was slow, and far between, but every letter was priceless.
I remember going to the market and hoping there had been meat delivered. We had coupons for that as well. A lot of mock this or that showed up. I remember mock chicken legs. Haven't seen them since. They were some kind of veal I believe that was mixed with filler of some kind and formed around a stick. Mom fried them and made gravy. They were pretty good,
I think? To make chicken stretch when Dad would invite the single guys who were 4-F home to dinner Mom would ask for a piece of veal and stew it with the Chicken to make it go further. Once it was in with the chicken, it took on the flavor of the chicken and it was good. That was when veal was cheap. Today I don't believe they sell it the same way. Times change!
I guess going into the Super Markets of today and taking a look around we feel a little safe with so much on the shelves, but it would only take one day of a road shut down when the trucks couldn't get into an area until all the shelves would be bear, and it would look like it did during the days of the Second World War. It wouldn't take much to bring our normal daily life to a screaching halt. Something to think about. One major disaster, one terrible crash on a major highway, one, just one, and our whole lives could take a sudden turn. One never should feel safe if they haven't made some preparation for a back-up to carry them over in case of a sudden change in daily living. It may not be within our control, but it is in our control to prepare and be covered at least for three or four days. If everyone had to depend on the stores in their areas, they would learn quite quickly that there is no supply adequate to take care of everyones needs over a limited amound of time. That is not only in food, but in water as well.
Well - V-Mail is gone, regular mail is now expensive and Airmail is a thing of the past. There is Priority and Plus, which still wouldn't compete with the Airmail of yesteryear. Some changes haven't improved some things, but we can certainly tell that the prices have advanced with the quality of the service going down hill. How pleased I am to know that we are able to look back and remember how great some things were and how far we have come, but with some things still not as good as they once were. Old Age has some good things thrown in the mix. I guess our Memories are one of those things.
Written this 28th day of September 2013
by: Eileen Rosenberg
My Chair!
When I was about 4 years old, Santa Claus delivered a table and chair set. I had so wanted one to play 'tea party' with the lovely tea set my grand parents who lived in California had sent me. When I came down the stairs and saw that table and chair set, I was thrilled. I don't think I let the chairs be empty from that day until we put them in the trailer to bring them to California - that was in 1935. Those same grand parents had sent me a knife, fork and spoon set they had bought while visiting Long Beach, or at least I believe that was where they had found it. They were a childs set and had abalone shell handles. I have no idea what happened to each piece, but just the other day I found one of the shell coverings. May have been off the knife. So many such things seem to get lost over the years, by one means or another.
However, I wanted to talk about "my chair". That set was around for so many years. Only one chair survived. The table I remember lost a leg and Dad put a branch from tree in its' place. The sad little table was left in the yard, under the bathroom window where the eves gave it some protection and it was loaded regularly with newpapers that were periodically bundled and taken to school for a "paper drive". The final where about of that table is lost to me, but that one chair has been kept over all these years. It at one
time was hung in the rafters of the garage, so it wouldn't be in the way. then it was put up in first one garage then another. Needed to have some "TLC"
but never seemed to get any attention to receive what it needed.
Each time we moved, I think Jay wondered why in the heck we hung on to the poor thing, but I wouldn't part with it, just had it put some where safe until the time I could "get around to it". With all the furniture Jay worked on over the years it is surprising he didn't get around to it himself, but he never did. It wasn't until my Son-in-law got envolved - how that came about I am not sure - the chair was secretly spirited away, never missed, and given the "TLC" it had so sadly lacked over all the years.
I was in the last stages of getting Christmas Dinner ready to serve when the
Slane family came in the front door. I hollered a "hello" and went right on with what I was doing. When I looked up a short time later I spied Greg with "MY CHAIR" in his hands, trying to sneak it in the house. One glance, and those words came very loudly out of my mouth, and tears came
into my eyes. I didn't need to guess, I just knew it was "MY CHAIR". I
was thrilled and if I hadn't of had my hands full of what ever it was I was doing, I am sure I would have sprinted to take a closer look. It was so wonderful to see it - all solid, freshly stained and varnished. Well it is such a prize, it is in my "reading room". Any child would love to set in it, but at
present it has a doll bent over it in prayer. Just a very special edition to the
room. The doll was a gift to me from a very dear friend I served my second
mission with in Salt Lake City.
I guess there are somethings in life that take a special spot in ones heart and never loses the value it gained when it was first introduced. The chair is no longer the same color it was when it was new, it may have weathered over the years, but it will ever be a very special thing in my life, and whoever ends up with it in their home when I no longer can care for it, I hope they will ever remember that it was something a little girl once cherished, and used to fill many happy hours of childhood games and play. I'm sure I sat in it by the hours learning to write, play paper dolls, color, have tea parties with my dolls and friends. There was only the table that had two leaves that folded up to make the table bigger and two matching chairs. The table and one chair lost forever, but this one loan chair remains to be loved and charished like nothing else in my house. Lets see, it would be an antique as it was made pre-1935. I believe I received it for our last Christmas in Pennsylvania. Could have been as early as 1933. Which would make it at this writing 80 years old. Yes, it would be an antique. Remember that when you see it. Old, loved and very special! "MY CHAIR!"
Written this 28th day of September 2013
by: Eileen C. Rosenberg
However, I wanted to talk about "my chair". That set was around for so many years. Only one chair survived. The table I remember lost a leg and Dad put a branch from tree in its' place. The sad little table was left in the yard, under the bathroom window where the eves gave it some protection and it was loaded regularly with newpapers that were periodically bundled and taken to school for a "paper drive". The final where about of that table is lost to me, but that one chair has been kept over all these years. It at one
time was hung in the rafters of the garage, so it wouldn't be in the way. then it was put up in first one garage then another. Needed to have some "TLC"
but never seemed to get any attention to receive what it needed.
Each time we moved, I think Jay wondered why in the heck we hung on to the poor thing, but I wouldn't part with it, just had it put some where safe until the time I could "get around to it". With all the furniture Jay worked on over the years it is surprising he didn't get around to it himself, but he never did. It wasn't until my Son-in-law got envolved - how that came about I am not sure - the chair was secretly spirited away, never missed, and given the "TLC" it had so sadly lacked over all the years.
I was in the last stages of getting Christmas Dinner ready to serve when the
Slane family came in the front door. I hollered a "hello" and went right on with what I was doing. When I looked up a short time later I spied Greg with "MY CHAIR" in his hands, trying to sneak it in the house. One glance, and those words came very loudly out of my mouth, and tears came
into my eyes. I didn't need to guess, I just knew it was "MY CHAIR". I
was thrilled and if I hadn't of had my hands full of what ever it was I was doing, I am sure I would have sprinted to take a closer look. It was so wonderful to see it - all solid, freshly stained and varnished. Well it is such a prize, it is in my "reading room". Any child would love to set in it, but at
present it has a doll bent over it in prayer. Just a very special edition to the
room. The doll was a gift to me from a very dear friend I served my second
mission with in Salt Lake City.
I guess there are somethings in life that take a special spot in ones heart and never loses the value it gained when it was first introduced. The chair is no longer the same color it was when it was new, it may have weathered over the years, but it will ever be a very special thing in my life, and whoever ends up with it in their home when I no longer can care for it, I hope they will ever remember that it was something a little girl once cherished, and used to fill many happy hours of childhood games and play. I'm sure I sat in it by the hours learning to write, play paper dolls, color, have tea parties with my dolls and friends. There was only the table that had two leaves that folded up to make the table bigger and two matching chairs. The table and one chair lost forever, but this one loan chair remains to be loved and charished like nothing else in my house. Lets see, it would be an antique as it was made pre-1935. I believe I received it for our last Christmas in Pennsylvania. Could have been as early as 1933. Which would make it at this writing 80 years old. Yes, it would be an antique. Remember that when you see it. Old, loved and very special! "MY CHAIR!"
Written this 28th day of September 2013
by: Eileen C. Rosenberg
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