My grade school teachers

Grade school teachers at Hamilton School located at 8th South and 8th East (now defunct--there are apartments at that corner called Hamilton Place.)

2nd grade:  Miss Ipson

3rd grade:  Mrs. Tanner taught me fractions.  Good art teacher--taught me to color like an Impressionist.  She always had a mural on the back wall for us to work on.  I danced the minuet with Reed Wallace.

4th grade:  Mrs. Cardall, taught me times tables and how to make tuna on toast, Mr. Hatch, social studies. Duck and covered in his room.  Mrs. Le Holm, science.

 That's when I realized that Elizabeth Bolster was a genius, while I was only gifted.  Although, now that I think of it, she may have been a sociopath.  Not because she was a genius, although that would have made it easier to manipulate others the way she did.

Just thinking aloud here.

5th grade: Mrs. Jacobson, played the piano when we sang.  She taught us to sing parts.  Mrs. Nelson, math, and had pneumonia repeatedly that winter.  Lots of substitute teachers.  Once we all dropped our pencils at two in the afternoon.  Who else? 

6th grade: Mr. Peterson, read us Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn the last hour of the day. Sexy Mr. Garrison (tumbling, softball, basketball, volleyball, track sports, square dancing, sit-ups, push-ups and standing on our heads). Mrs. Peterson (Math) Miss McCormick took us to the Utah Symphony on Saturday mornings.  She once said to me, "Miss Roos, do I have to muzzle you?"  Because I was a chatterbox.  We adored each other.

7th grade: Mrs. Carey (alcoholic) She had a mirror inside her closet and I heard her say, "Oh hello," when she saw herself in the mirror. Miss McCormick, Mr. Garrison, Mrs. Thurman (art)

Librarian:  Miss Rollo (tried to get me to read Jimmy Microbe.  What was she thinking?  I only read books with female protagonists.  No boys' books, no animal books.  Black Beauty was an animal book.
Fortunately, she read Charlotte's Web aloud to us.  I loved it, even though it was an animal book.  I never step on a spider, because it may be one of Charlotte's progeny.

Band teacher:  Mr. Layton (I played the flute) 4th through 7th grade.  Occasionally, he hit me accidentally with his baton.  I sat right in front of him.

Principal:  Miss Hammer

We need an eclair

There are those days, usually when the sun isn't shining, when the only thing we can think to do is drive to Bakers de Normandy and buy two eclairs one for each of us.  

Today, they were out of eclairs, but we only had to wait five minutes for a fresh batch.  Oh my gosh, the best lunch ever.  Is there a better bakery anywhere?  I think not.

The worst thing to do is to buy another eclair and eat that too, because it's too much of a good thing.  We didn't do that today, but we have done it before.  There is also the "Eat only Eclairs Day," but we haven't done that in awhile, because Tom is allergic to sugar.  This is new, and it's just wrong. 

 On the way home, I took pics of some of my favorite looks around town:  

I love the look of this Boulangerie but haven't tested the goods yet.  You can see a bit of McKay Jewelers on the right, which is where Tom's mother bought new wedding rings when she was in her fifties.  Robert McKay owned the store and he died this week at age 93.  Just when you think maybe someone will live forever, he doesn't.

The owner of this store usually has tons of stuff outside but not so much today.

Tile art on the side of a building.

I'd like to live in this building.

This used to be the dry cleaners in the neighborhood  where I grew up:  Eliason's.

This was once the candy store just kitty corner from my elementary school.  I see the ghost of it yet.

It worries me only a little . . .

It worries me only a little that I don't have a thought in my head; that may be the real beauty in losing your mind.  You simply don't care.

 I finished reading several books, but because they are not within sight of where I'm seated, I cannot name them.  Delightful.

I'm sitting on my bed.  This is my bed.

Saw The Marriage of Figaro.  Delightful.

Ate at Caffe Molise.  Delightful.

Had a visit from Anne and Spencer.  Delightful.

We visited Charles and Erica.  She was shoveling holes for bushes in the side yard.  The woman is an animal.  And delightful.

I've talked to Sam several times.  He and Sarah are moving back to Salt Lake this summer after three years in Phoenix.  Wahoo!

Looking forward to a weekend visit from Ed and Dede and fam over the Memorial Day weekend.

Here's other stuff around the house:

This plant is blooming for the second time, because I water it.

The beginning of the terrace garden.  "Terrace" may be overstating it.  And "garden" may also be overstating it.

Guy, who sits around my house.

Sally's birthday bear, waiting for her to come and get him.

And that's all folks!

Portrait of an old lady.

Tom found this photo of me on his computer earlier today.  Nice lighting.  I'd like to say I'm praying, but in fact, I'm playing Ms. PacMan.  If the thumbs were pressed down, I could be holding a small Bible instead of a joy stick.  I could do a charcoal drawing and change the thumbs.  Or I could just draw the head and leave the hands out altogether.

Or I could just keep on blathering about it.

If I get Alzheimers: redux

1.  Give me a buzz cut.  I hate that neglected matted hair look.  Then let me wear gold hoops in my ears, the size of nickels.  It's a good look for a demented woman.

2. Buy me an identity bracelet that says, "Memory loss with my address and phone number on it.  Do this BEFORE I go wandering off.

3. Take me for walks and rides.  I will still like that.  I may need a cane for balance.

4. When I can't follow books anymore, try movies.  When I can't follow movies try cartoons or Animal Planet.  Make me a video of each member of the family talking about him/herself as in, "Hi Grandma, it's Maxwell your favorite grandson.  I'm the one who likes to draw maps of made-up worlds."  Have me do one too.  I'll watch it over and over.

5. Read me THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS  and WINNIE THE POOH.

6.  Take me to the dermatologist once in awhile to have me scraped and have ugly skin tags removed.  I have good insurance.  It will cost nothing.

7. Could I have my eyebrows waxed sometimes.  It's $8 bucks at Supercuts.

8. Clip my fingernails short and don't paint them.  Let a professional do the toenails.

9.  I need two footpads in my right shoe.  (That leg is shorter than the other).  Don't bother with anything but athletic shoes.  (Red hightops?)

10. Remember I won't be able to follow a conversation if there's a lot of distractions around.

11.  Don't quiz me or test me all the time as if my cognitive skills will improve.  They won't.

12.  If I'm loud and foul:  sedate me.

13.  Don't let them treat me for pneumonia.  Let me die.

14.  Don't allow strangers to overwhelm me.

15.  Let me sleep in.  What does it matter?

16.  Please don't leave me in a wheelchair all day.  I like to put my feet up.

17.  Don't forget to treat my anxiety, sleeplessness and pain.

18.  I want my bed next to a window.

19.  Let me hold a baby.

20. Don't forget to hug me.

21. Remember I wear reading glasses.  Clean them once in awhile.

22. Don't feel guilty.  I mean it.  Do what you can and forget it.  Sell everything and put me in a home.  Don't feel guilty.  It's completely useless.  Don't feel guilty.  I loved you when I was in my right mind; I'll love you when I am in my right mind again.  Don't feel guilty when you can hardly stand the sight of me.  It happens.

Roos Family on a slippery slide

At Liberty Park 1959--Toni is holding Marilyn

I should like to know who the photographer of this photo is.  I'm guessing Tante Toni.  I don't think they hired someone.  Tante Toni is the kind of person who might pose us on these stairs and give us a look that would have us all responding in kind.  Don't you like the way the two slippery slides make a triangle of it all.  A perfect snapshot.

This isn't even the whole family.  David was born when I was 18.  This is the summer I was 16.

Liberty Park is Salt Lake's oldest park.  It's a great place to walk or jog.  It has a lovely aviary, tennis courts, swimming.  We used to picnic here and ride the swings, and if we were lucky, get a single ride on the Merry-go-Round.  I don't even know if the rides are still there.

When I was in elementary school, we skated on the pond.  I wore skates that attached to my shoes like roller skates.  Impossible.

Marva and I used to take our stenographer tablets to Liberty Park in the summers and sit on the grass to write our "books."

In 6th and 7th grade, we had a school field day here each spring.  We were divided into teams and competed against each other with three-legged races, gunny sack races and just plain old racing.  One year I was on the "Flying Tigers" team, and we had a a cheer that ended, "Flying Tigers, 6th Grade! Yay!"  If I'd written this twenty years ago, I would still have remembered the entire cheer, but it has went with the wind, as they say.  A good reason to write it down earlier.

I do remember this jump rope dittie:

Postman, Postman, do your duty.
Here comes Louise, the American beauty.
She can wiggle.  She can waggle.  She can do the splits.
She can wear her dresses up above her hips!

What is the postman's duty, do you suppose?

Do kids still jump rope?

Family in front of wallpaper

FRONT: Dad, Judy, Toni, Teddy, Mother; BACK:Louise, Gerard, Janie  1956

This is one of my favorite family photos.  It's the wallpaper.  I loved that wallpaper and I think I still love it.  Who would dare to put up that wallpaper?  Our living room wallpaper.  I am 14 and Mother made the dress I'm wearing, which was one of my all time favorites.  Gerard, Janie and I decided to be serious for this shot, which was a bit of a joke, but it turned out beautifully.  No one is sticking out his tongue.

Did I say that I love that wallpaper?