The Beginning, The Middle and The End Poem

This is a poem Mom found & sent it to me a LONG time ago - probably late 70's or early 80's.......just wanted to share it. (by Susan)

The Beginning, The Middle and The End

Dear First Born:

I've always loved you best because you were our first miracle. You were the genesis of a marriage and the fulfillment of young love. You sustained us through the hamburger years, the first apartment (furnished in Early Poverty), our first mode of transportation (1955 Feet), and the 7-inch TV we paid on for 36 months.

You were new, had unused grandparents, and enough clothes for a set of triplets. You were the original model for a mom and a dad who were trying to work the bugs out. You got the strained lamb, the open safety pins and three-hour naps. YOU were the BEGINNING.

Dear Middle Child:

I've always loved you best because you drew a tough spot in the family and it made you stronger for it. You cried less, had more patience, wore faded hand-me-downs, and never in your life did any thing first. But it only made you more special. You were the one we relaxed with and realized a dog could kiss you and you wouldn't get sick. You could cross a street by yourself long before you were old enough to get married. And you helped us understand the world wouldn't collapse if you went to bed with dirty feet.

You were the child of our busy, ambitious years. Without you we never could have survived the job changes and the tedium and routine that is marriage. YOU were the MIDDLE.

To the Baby:

I've always loved you best because while endings are generally sad, you are such a joy. You readily accepted the milk-stained bibs, the lower bunk, the cracked baseball bat, the baby book that had nothing written in it except a recipe for graham-cracker pie crust that someone had jammed between the pages.

You are the one we held onto too tightly. You are the link with our past, a reason for tomorrow. You darken our hair, quicken our steps, square our shoulders, restore our vision, and give us a sense of humor that security, maturity and durability can't provide.

When your hairline takes on the shape of Lake Erie and your own small children tower over you, you will still be our baby. YOU were the END.

Jack-in-the-Box by Susan

Usually Mom would have a nice meal for us even after working an 8 hour day at Lockheed. I even remember when it was only me and her home, she'd mix up a meal including mashed potatoes - she was something else. Often times she'd get things put together before she went to work so we could just put it on so it would be ready when she got home. The best thing was when she'd have chocolate pudding (the cooked kind) made in a big bowl in the fridge with added things in it like marshmallows, nuts, whatever she decided to add - that was a nice treat to come home from school to or have during our days off school in the summer time.

Fast food chains were just beginning and there was one in particular just a block from us right on the border of Burbank and North Hollywood called Jack-in-the-Box. Mom, Jill and I decided to try it out one evening. To order from outside, you had to stop your car in front of this stupid looking clown that was popped out of the box - just like the toy creation but this was really a ridiculous looking clown. As the voice from the clown spoke "Can I take your order?" the three of us got to laughing so hard that we couldn't speak. Mom wanted to tell it off but she was laughing so hard she couldn't say anything. I believe we just ended up just driving away feeling quite foolish but we did have a great laugh. The next time we tried to eat there, we had to really prepare ourselves before driving up to that stupid clown.

I don't see many of those Jack-in-the-Box take outs around any more, but if I do, I can't help but chuckle.

Our Trip to Ohio by Susan

I'm sure the three of us have our own accounts of our trip to Ohio. I think some time in August 1961, we left on a Friday right after Dad & Mom got off work. We stopped and bought hamburger buns with some bologna to eat on our trip and I remember buying a huge dill pickle that I never found until after we returned home. It was under the car seat and was quickly thrown out. Dad drove so we could reach the Grand Canyon by morning and was so disappointed that we didn't make a big deal about it - we got out of the car, looked down and that was it - at least for me.

Dad had gotten a cooler that plugged into the cigarette lighter that was meant to keep the car a little cooler (old time air conditioner). Think we had to keep ice in the compartment and we would also put bottled drinks in there, too. That was in the middle of the front between the driver & passenger so whenever I sat between Mom & Dad, I had to sit cross-legged but for an 11 year old that wasn't too hard to do.

Seemed like Texas was such a long drawn out drive - it just went on and on. When we got close to I think Kansas, Mom spotted what looked like a tail of a tornado in a far distance storm. When we got to our hotel, there was a tornado warning posted on the t.v. - that really scared me.

One of my favorite things in Ohio was the fire flies - they were the coolest things. We'd catch several of them in a bottle and it would light up. We'd carry the bottle around during the night hours as the fire flies buzzed around inside the bottle giving us "natural" light - that was so much fun.

We stayed at Aunt Vada & Uncle Johnny's house. I thought it was such a nice house especially the basement since I had never seen a basement in a house before. I stayed in cousin Janice's room since she was married and so was Ron. I believe Judy & Jill had Duane's room but I'm not sure about that. We probably drove everyone nuts because we kept playing a song on the piano that was a duet - I think the name is "Heart & Soul." But we only knew that one song and we kept playing it over and over again. Seemed like Aunt Vada went to the extra trouble and fixed us such special meals (she was a Bowers) and I especially remember the yummy pudding dessert she made in fancy glass dishes.

Our Nana was staying with Aunt Gladys who also took care of her husband, Uncle George, both being in a wheelchair. Aunt Gladys was such a hard worker. I remember Mom leaning down to Nana and talking to her and Nana would cry and cry. Our Nana passed away less than 6 months later.

Everyone was so excited that George & Hilda had brought their family to come visit after moving to California over 20 years ago that they had a big celebration. I think it was at the Houser home in their basement and it was a pot luck dinner with lots of relatives and friends for Dad & Mom to visit and get reacquainted. It must of been a thrilling time for them.

Uncle Frank took us to his daughter, Helen, home. His granddaughter, Jan, was a little younger than me and she had a go-cart that they let us ride all over their large yard. We met Jim & Jeanne Kendrick Nau and they had just had their first baby, Teressa. Aunt Gladys' family, Irene & Ron Young had Roger who was 5 years old and I don't remember if Sandra was born yet since her birthday is later in August of the year we were there.

Probably one of the fondest memories was when we would sit around listening to the three Bowers sisters talk - they could talk SO fast, I mean REALLY fast - then they would even start to laugh until they couldn't stop! I wish Ohio wasn't so far from us in California, it would of been fun to be able to visit more than once.

Home by Susan

Many a time I remember putting on socks and skating around our wood floors throughout our house to shine them up after they were waxed. The times we'd listen to the LP33 records like Brier Rabbit. Coming home when I was really young from some close by restaurant that Dad would let me pick out all his purple cabbage out of his salad and watching Edgar Bergan & Charlie McCarthy on t.v. When the 'Honeymooners' would come on the t.v., Mom would let me go out to the kitchen drawer next to the "ice box" as she called it and let me get a Mountain Bar. (They don't taste like they use to.)

I really enjoyed the summers when our plum tree would produce good. I'd just sit under that tree and eat and eat those plums. Now days that would make me really ill. The tangerines were good but the orange tree never did produce much. The peach and apricot tree weren't my favorite & hated cleaning up the mess they left. Dad let me try planting a garden in the back flower area but the only thing I could grow was radishes that we didn't even eat. We took the shed in the corner of the backyard and made a club house with a chalk board. And remembering chalk boards, we had that full wall in that middle bedroom painted as a chalk board with the dog & cat trim boarder - how BIG that was & what fun. That's the same room Dad decided to remodel and took out the window to make that large bar table with the hanging light. I thought he was so brave to be cutting windows out but it was exciting to have something changed around.

My favorite place to hang out when it was cold was sitting over the floor heater or putting my feet really close to the gas logs of the fireplace. Thought where we kept logs of wood was really neat but always wondered if anyone could open the outside door of it and push in the inside door and get into the living room - that scared me. Didn't help knowing 'Weird Wesley' next door or the peeping-tom that ran through the neighborhood.

Dad always kept the lawns looking so good. He never let any of us mow it saying he didn't want us to mow up the cord since it was an electric mower. Since that time, though, I've mowed many of my lawns. Wish I could grow roses like Mom; I try but don't make the bouquets quite like she did. She'd make flower arrangements for my teachers that seemed to be done professionally.

Seemed like as neighbor kids we would always play in the street either baseball, football or some other kind of game. We rode bikes a lot - even through the alleys that would take us all over the place. Taster Freeze was really close & we could get those dipped cones that you couldn't seem to eat fast enough before they'd drip all down your arm. Loved the sound of the ice cream man that would come down the street late in the afternoons or the Helm's Bakery truck that would come in the mornings & he'd have such a huge variety of donuts to choose from. Winchell's donuts were still the top of my favorite though.

One of the things I wish we could of kept before selling the house is that closet door in the garage. The one we had signed our signatures or wrote boyfriend's names. Just the years of memories that were on that door - did we ever take a picture of it?

Banana Curls by Susan

Mom had the technique of making my hair look like long curls that we called 'banana curls.' She would take an old sheet and rip it into look pieces and then wrap it around sections of my hair. When they were left in, I looked like I was from the Southern States but a different color! But when she would carefully unwrap the fabric from my hair, there would be the curls.

Holding our dog, Pip, in this picture I'd hope no one would notice my funny looking teeth. Christmas Eve 1959, I was playing with the neighbor kids at the Laurie's house across the street from us. Of all things, we were playing basketball on a ladder, it made it easier to make the ball go in the hoop. Danny Laurie, a few years younger than me, kept pushing at the ladder probably wanting another turn on the ladder. That's when I lost my balance and fell on the blacktop flat on my face. I remember falling and then being in our neighbor's arms at our front door but nothing in between. I must of looked horrible because Mom just started crying and yelling for Dad. They couldn't get in touch of a dentist but our family doctor met us at his office but had no solution. By that night my permanent right front tooth fell out and I had a huge scab covering my upper lip. That one stupid decision I made to be on top of that ladder made me suffer with funny looking teeth for a LONG time.

Friday Night Horseback Rides by Susan

A lot of the times I was Jill's tag-along. A group of her friends would go on horseback rides on Friday nights. Most of the time she'd let me come along. The stables were some where in Hollywood because I remember we could see the backside of the letters of HOLLYWOOD. It seemed like I was always given an old, slow horse probably because I was the youngest and not very big in size. It was fun riding the trails over the hill and our destination being the Pick-Wick Bowling Alley where we would get usually a grilled cheese sandwich or something at the small restaurant there. By then it would be dark as we headed back up the trail to the stables. The next day my legs would be really sore because that old, slow horse made my short legs stretch out really far. It was something I looked forward doing and glad my sister let me come along.

Grauman's by Susan

I was probably quite young when we went to see the movie "Auntie Mame" at the Grauman Chinese Theater. Don't remember exactly who was with us but I felt very small holding on to Dad's hand as we entered the theater. Any time I see that movie now, I can feel myself in that awesome building. Now I don't remember if the "Tick-Tock Restaurant" was close to Grauman's or not, but I remember being at the restaurant and walking over to Grauman's and checking out the Star's names & hand/footprints. It just seemed like we were in such a 'make-believe' world when we were there - I loved it. As far as the Tick-Tock Restaurant, as a child I never saw that many clocks in one place before and I was so amazed. Don't really remember what I ate there but do remember the clocks.

New Year's Eve seemed to be the time I would tag along while my sisters would go shopping to get fancy clothes to go out on their dates. It was a must in those days to have your fancy shoes dyed to the certain color you wanted to have match your outfit and I thought it was so neat that my sisters were so fashionable. I was amazed the one year that Judy wanted a particular dress and couldn't find exactly what she wanted so she designed it herself and sewed it. It was either black or dark blue velvet and she wanted it to be a 'baby doll' style so she created it. I thought that was so remarkable that I wanted to be able to do that some day, too. When I was in Junior High, I did begin learning to sew not knowing then how important that skill I learned would benefit my future family.

I don't recall ever going out and getting special dresses or dyed shoes to go out on New Year's Eve on a date myself. I do remember on New Year's Eve 1963, I went with Dad & Mom to see "How the West Was Won." Don't remember where we went to see it but remember it was in 3-D because it felt like we were actually in the movie scenes. We also saw "Unsinkable Molly Brown" together on New Year's Eve 1964. I'm not much of a 'going-out-to-the-movie-person' so it has been convenient to have access to watch them right in your own home. But I'd never pass up the memories that were created of Grauman's.

Weekends by Susan

Weekends growing up we seemed to go on long rides. Dad just loved to drive. It was really fun when we had the black Ford convertible and we'd drive with the top down. Driving to the beach was probably my favorite driving along the old highway twisting up and down the hills and then finally arriving at the beach. I remember we'd drive along other roads where those oil derricks that looked like huge ants going up and down were all over the place. And it wouldn't be a Friday or Saturday night without going out to eat. "George's" was just down the street on Burbank Blvd and they had those hush puppies. "Sargent's" where you couldn't get enough of their yummy tapioca pudding. "Howdy's" is where Mom taught me never to order meatloaf at a restaurant because they would just take everyone's leftovers mixed up to make it - yuck! "Leo's Steak House" seemed to be dark inside for a reason. "Van De Kamps" with the chicken pot pies and flaky rolls. But, of course, none of us can forget "Bob's Big Boy" with their special sauce on the hamburgers, the tall thick malts, and the heavenly hot fudge sundaes. Glad I enjoyed it when I was young. Life then seemed to be so laid-back doing whatever we wanted.

Needles, California by Susan

Coming home from our trip to Ohio the summer of 1961, Dad must of been tired of driving and called ahead to reserve a hotel room. When asked how many people for the room, he replied "My wife, two daughters and my baby." Well, sure enough they had the room ready - two beds and a crib. Now remember this is 1961 - I was the baby but I was 11 years old. Funny thing, I wasn't that big for the crib. But I think I slept on the mattress on the floor. Probably this account is remembered differently with me throwing a fit about it but hey, who wouldn't. As the many years have gone by, the anger has disappeared and fondness of my Dad referring to me as his "baby" has become part of this memory.

Strohm Ave by Susan

One of my memories living in North Hollywood was the smell of the bakery down the street. It would smell so good almost every day of the week. One time some of us neighbor kids were down at the railroad tracks right near the bakery when some of the workers came out. They actually took us on a tour of the bakery - that was fun to see how it all worked and knowing what actually did make that wonderful smell each day. Maybe that's what made me so ambitious to make bread like I do - I just don't bake it for everyone else - I like it too!

My 11th Birthday - by Susan

I will never forget my 11th birthday, March 14, 1961. My Dad drove me out to the San Fernando Airport and surprised me with an airplane ride. No, he didn't fly the plane even though he really would of enjoyed that more. He loved flying but didn't have his license then. It was just him, me and the pilot in a Cessna plane. He sat next to the pilot and I was behind my Dad. Wow, was that a great experience. I remember the take off was nothing I expected but when we finally got into the sky it was amazing. We could see the entire Valley - smog wasn't too bad then. I thought it was so cool to look out the window and see under the plane. I could of stayed up there for a LONG time - I didn't want it to end. The sky looked so beautiful and the clouds looked so soft - what a FUN and memorable birthday that was that I shared with my Dad!

Memories - Let's begin by Susan

I don't know if this will work for us or not but I'm willing to give it a try. I feel that working together we can create some memories that we, our children, and grandchildren will enjoy. This all began with two special people, George & Hilda. It's time for us to actually put in writing those memories that we have so our families can feel connected.