On Friday, December 15, 2023, my granddaughter and I returned to my parked Saturn on Spring Street. As we checked the meter, three women came out of the Monarch beauty salon and yelled that someone had just hit my car and went down Cherry alley. “It was a dark orange-ish red pick-up.” They showed me …
Category Archives: Family
first birthday picture
I’ve done over 30 birthday cards for my daughter. I recently found this- the first picture I did for her birthday when, I think, she was three. It wasn’t a card, though; it was a framed pastel. The actual card had only one lizard on it and a poem/riddle that spelled out her name. The …
birthday 36
Big pictures. Sorry. You see, I did the main image and thought the funny pages my daughter was reading would be readable. They actually are, but for me, only with a magnifying glass. So I did one of the funny page alone, without any perspective. This is where they sit. Unmistakeable. In the comics, though, …
portrait
Egon Schiele? No, but close. I love this drawing. When I saw it I asked my granddaughter if I could have it. She looked a bit uncomfortable when she said, “Actually, I made it for mom.” I was bummed, but I understood. The next day I took this photo- as good as I could make …
Brownies
On Thursday, my granddaughter got off the school bus with a paper in her hand. Usually her hands are free to play and all papers are in her backpack. As we walked up the driveway, she showed me the paper and told me it was a recipe for brownies that she wrote. It looked simple …
The Vic
I was talking with an old friend over the holiday. We briefly compared notes about Thanksgiving at the Victorian Manor. Her restaurant. She’d done a web search for Maurice, the chef, and turned up this essay from my very old (early 2006) web space: At one time, this link loaded the Victorian Manor’s Web page. …
35 and catching up
I’m finally less than twice her age. The first time in my memory that she’s been away for her birthday. Flying Spirit airlines to Florida for a friend’s wedding. Leaving the kid with me. We’ll have a bunch of fun.
minor attitude
We were at my place and she seemed a little mopey. She didn’t want to do the things I suggested, seemed bored, and finally said she just didn’t know what to do. I suggested we draw again and she said, “Okay. First I’ll draw, then you can draw.” She picked up a box of colored …
Dick’s store
Dick Nieman’s store was just up the alley from my home in Pottstown. It was a small place, but played a big part in everyone’s lives. It was a time when small grocers existed in every neighborhood, but were starting to feel the loss of revenue from the large markets that opened. A&P, Acme, Weis- …
hers, not mine
She handed me this beautiful landscape when I dropped her off last evening. Included was a card “to the best Granmpop ever.” She had mentioned the card and picture when she got off the bus. She didn’t give them to me then but instead handed me this picture of four snowmen. “It’s early morning…see the …