ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE

I have lived on many streets in my day. My hometown is Glassport. A little town squeezed in between Clairton and McKeesport. Back then in the late 1940 and the 1950 's it was like Mayberry, USA.
 I remember living up on Eriie Ave on the hill. I had to be about 4 years old, no older.

The only thing I remember about living up there on Erie Avenue is that my mom dressed me in my winter coat and made me go to the store for her and get a pack of ciggarettes.
I know I put up a fuss because I was scared to go to the store by myself, that was a long walk down that hill but she said she would watch me from the window. I remember walking down but not walking back up. Looking back I know I would of never sent my 4 year old down to the store by theirself, It must of been at this time my mom was sick with Rheumatic Fever, why else would she not have come with me?  While living there my mom got Rheumatic Fever and had to stay in bed for a whole year. That meant she could not take care of me and my dad worked at the foundry so he was not there to take care of me either.

My grandmother Fidazzo from Greensburg took me and I lived with her in a big house that was located in a small coal mining town called Forbes Road. They had a big vegetable garden and two porches. The big porch facing the vegetable garden I was not allowed on but the side porch with the porch swing is where I spent most of my time.
It was a lonely time for me. My Uncle lived right next door but they had all boys. I never had a girl to talk or play with during that year. I remember my cousins running wild all over the  place and teasing me. My Grandmother took me to the town of Greensburg one weekend so she could get her hair done. I can still picture the Beauty Shop. I remember this one woman sitting under this electric machine getting a perm, All these wires were coming down from the machine and attached to her head. Afterwards we went to the 5 & 10 Cent Store where I spied a small drum, I wanted my Grandmother to buy that drum for me so bad but she wouldn't for some reason. I know I cried and cried in the store and the whole time waiting for the bus.  I heard this story for many years after.

The next street I remember is Hemlock Ave.. It really was not an avenue but an alley and what a fun place to live.  We moved there when I was five years old and there were lots of kids my age to play with. It was such a happy time and I lived there to the day I married sharing a bedroom with my brother during all those yeats. It was a fun street, we played dodge ball, skated on the sidewalk, went riding our bikes the whole length of the town. Caught fire flys - in other words we did everything all city kids did.Went to school dances, American Legiond Friday night dances, double dated, My mother always had someone coming to visit her and they had coffee and talked,
My parents use to go to dances on the weekend and I would have a girlfriend stay over with me.

I was use to all the hustle and bustle of living in the city and all kinds of friends visiting my Mom,having my friends over any time I wanted, taking the streetcar into town - it was all there at my fingertips.
I never for one moment thought my life would be different when I married. And it wasn't. We rented an apartment on the first floor of a 2 story building. There were lots of buildings all over and we were just one of many. The  people were so friendly. We had ironing parties for each other, we made dinner for each other, played cards and visited back and forth. We had our first child there and my women neighbors helped me with a new born, When I got pregnant with my second child we knew that we would have to move because it was only a one bedroom apartment.  I cried when I left there because it was so fun. We moved to a duplex in Port Vue and again I had nice neighbors but a little older. They looked over us like we were children except for this one family who had the most Gasd awful dog,  That dog hated us and would come over and sit at our front door which was open and jut bark his full head off or if we tried to leave the house he would come after us- - - that part was horrid.

My husband then got a different job in East Liberty and did not want to travel the distance from Port Vue to there every day. Ome of my dear friends that I met at the apartment found us a place in Springdale, We have been here for over forty years now. We had terrific friends when we lived on Pittsburgh Street, we stayed there for 2 years and use to have steak cook out's, played cards. watched each others kids, went out together. Then we had to move from their cause the owners were selling the duplex and we landed up on Grant Street, Another fun street to live on, neighbors visiting neighbors, sitting outside talking, sharing coffee over the fence.  While we lived there I had my 3rd child, so were in a two bedroom house with 3 kids, we knew we had to move. 

 This time we decided to build and we found a lot up in the Twp.  It took about a year for our home to be built and we moved here in 1971. By that time I was pregnant with my fourth child. When we were in the process of picking out the plans for our house I so wanted a ranch because I have always lived in a two story home and thought it would be so nice to have a one story, But the builder and my husband talked me out of it because a ranch would only have 3 bedrooms and a two story would have 4 bedrooms.

So four bedrooms it was.  I was all excited about moving up here till one day when I was waiting for the telephone to be installed I realized how deathly quiet it was. At the time there were only about
6 or 7 houses built.  It made me think that I would not have anyone to visit with or have coffee with. I hoped I was wrong but I was right,  I hated the street, no one ever said hello to each other and everyone stayed to themselves.  It was nothing like I ever experienced before. Thank goodness some of my old neighbors would stop in for a visit now and then.

SPELLING

IF YOU ARE FOLLOWING MY BLOG YOU WILL PROBABLY FIND A LOT OF SPELLING ERRORS,  WHY?   WELL FOR ONE I CAN'T FIND SPELL CHECK ON THIS SITE AND THE OTHER REASON IS I PROBABLY AM TO LAZY TO GET UP AND FIND THE DICTIONARY.

SO IF YOUR LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT BLOG - THIS SURE "AIN'T IT" - - - - -

DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

I had and still do have a nice computer desk. I had all of my "stuff" right where I wanted it including my blank checks, I had put them in a slot above the computer. I had my pens, pencils, writing tablets, heck I had everything where I wanted it, So maybe to some it looked like a cluttered desk BUT it was my desk and I happen to know where everything was at - - - that is until the day my husband decided to clean it up, Yep - he did the UNFORGIVEABLE.

He put everything where he thught it should be, he took all the drawers out and rearranged them. Putting things from one drawer into another. He took everything out of the slots and rearranged in other slots. What a mess he created for ME.
I wonder how he would react if I went to his place of work and did the same thing to his desk,
He would be furious I know. He could not understand why I was so upset when I ask him where something was and he said where it belongs!! He did not understand that I had it where I wanted it to belong!

So now I am down to one blank check in my check book with no idea of where my full box of blank checks are. My husband has been looking for where he put them all evening and so far he has come up blank. I am keeping my cool - no use arguing over something already done, it is what it is - I'll just have to use his checkbook and his money (lol).

As for all of the other things of mine that he has moved and I can't find, I go out and buy another one. I am not wasting all of my time looking for something that at one time I knew where it was and no longer know now.

Aah well - things could be a lot worse for sure - - - - -don't sweat the small stuff as they say

WONDERING

I have at least 3 blogs that I have started. This is the 3rd one. Are you wondering why?
Well, I can't seem to find my others. I give up in trying, it gets old after awhile.

I am woman, by others standards an old woman - I know if I were in my thirties through fifties I would think being in the mid sixties as old. My mind does not feel old but oh my poor body does.
Ever since I had breast cancer I have not had my strength or energy like I use to, I walk like an old lady and I mean old. My walking up steps is to laugh at, I do but then I get so mad,
My husband is on me all of the time like stink on S - - - to lose weight.

I work part time and I love what I do, I get to interact with a lot of people and children, It is a pleasure to see them. I only work 3 days a week with only one 8 hour day, that 8 hour day is a killer and I collapse whenever I get home with swollen ankles and legs hurting, I am always amazed at my self that I got through it - every week I amaze myself.

My full time job before I retired was a sit down job and I wore many, many hats. I did customer service, billing, credits, ran reports, inventory, you name it I did it - ahh - I did not appreciate at the time all that I could handle all I did and was able to still function when I got home! I worked all hours from early, early morning to sometimes late night. I loved my work but the people I worked with left a lot to be desired, I found out what a hypocret really is, man oh man
working with all women except for a scatter of men leaves a lot to be desired!! They find fault with the littlest things and heavens if you got compliments and they didn't well, they jsut ignored you the rest of the day. Yep, it was a real trip all right and I worked there for 14 years, Then I took an early retirement and that was the best thing I ever did.

Hmm I like Kenny Ortega, did not know he was the chorographer for so many good movies, moves and dances.

Thinking about moves and dances reminds me that my one son and girlfriend are in Pittsburgh tonight for the show Stomp. It looks like a good show and since my son is a fantastic drummer this will be right up his alley, His girlfriend did good by getting him tickets for his birthday.

G-20 - - - - Man I wish it were over already! Every body seems nonchalant about it but actually I am worried. I am worried about terriorism, protesting, people getting hurt. I am worried that my one son might be put in the middle of it and pray that he is not, My two other sons are not taking off work and will have to travel but at least away from Pittsburgh and not towards.

I do feel like I am writing in my Journal because I know for sure none of my family know about this yet another blog. I hope I can have access to this when I want and not have to go thru hell and still not be able to access it!

Babysit my youngest grandbaby tomorrow and I just found out she is sick - there goes my plans on taking her shopping, Poor little thing Ihope she feels better.

Okay self, close this and say night - ok - night!