Tuesday, May 21, 2013

MY GRANDMOTHER OLLIE

Better known as Ma Sanders.

Today I fixed a BLT sandwich and as I was frying the bacon it brought back fond memories of my grandmother.  She wasn't my grandmother by birth, rather by marriage.  I was just barely seventeen when I got married, I was pregnant, and not very sure of myself.  Then this wonderful woman walked into my life to guide me.

Pa Sanders was a construction oiler and he took a job out in the desert just east of Barstow, California.  My new husband also worked construction and hired on as a laborer.  We found a small studio right next door to Ma and Pa.  My new life began.

Mind you being the oldest of five kids I knew how to cook and clean, but it was so different from the way my new husband was raised.  I was from the north and he was from the south.  Yes, there is a difference.  I did not know what fried okra, fried green tomatoes, or a pot of beans were.  When my mother fixed beans we opened a can of pork and beans, added some bacon and onion, and that was our beans.  Tomatoes were red and they went on a salad.  Okra was foreign to me, period.

Right after moving to the desert I decided I would fix my husband a pot of beans.  I poured the dry beans into a small sauce pan, added water to cover the top, put it on the stove, and went next door to visit with Ma.  Oh my goodness, about an hour later ,when I opened the door on our unit, smoke came billowing out, and the smell was enough to choke a horse!  The pan was burned beyond recognition and had to be thrown into the trash.  I left the door open and ran back next door to tell Ma what happened.  We ate dinner at Ma and Pa's that night.  Thank you Ma.

From that time on Ma took me under her wing.  I learned how to make fried pies, something else I knew nothing of, fix a roast, and so much more in our short time of living next door to each other.  I moved back to San Bernardino, my husband followed the job on to Needles as did Ma and Pa.  When the job was finished they all moved back to San Bernardino too.

Ma and Pa owned a small house on the east side of town.  Their door was always open to anyone and everyone.  When I needed a shoulder to cry on because something wasn't going just as planned, she was there.  She never took sides but tried to make me see both sides of an issue.  If I needed a few extra dollars before payday her pocketbook was always open, no questions asked. 

I leaned how to garden, start new plans, can vegetables, make homemade jams and jellies, and even the basics of quilting.  Still not very good at quilting but once in a while I try, even now.  My teacher, second mother, and best friend.  Thank you Ma Sanders.  You rock.  I pray I can be just half the person you were.  See you later my friend.

 

Sunday, May 19, 2013

OBIT SUNDAY

Obits from Sun 19 May 2013 San Antonio Express News, San Antonio, TX

AMESQUITA, Jeremy Joseph 30 yrs  d. 15 May
BIDDLE, Lillian Thomason  97 yrs  d. 12 May
BOCANEGRA, Guadalupe Sr.  b. 13 Jan 1926 San Antonio, TX  d. 16 May
BRIETZKE, Virgil b. 2 mar 1934  d. 17 may
BRITZ, Fred J.  92 yrs  d. 14 May
BROOKS, Robert Frank MSGT USAF (ret)  b. 29 Feb 1932  d. 14 May
BUCKHOLDT, Dorothy May  b. 10 Dec 1931  d. 16 May
BURNS, Muriel Ruth Brown  b. 2 Oct 1932 Tupperville, Ontario, Canada  d. 14 May
CALVERT, Sarah B. "Sally"  b. 22 Feb 1922 Philadelphia, PA  d. 16 May
CAMACHO, Gregorio R.  66 yrs  d. 11 May
COLON, Eileen Margaret  b. 17 Nov 1930 Port of Spain, Trinidad  d. 7 May
CRAIG, William Henry  84 yrs  d. 14 May
CROSBY, Charles Richard Jr.  42 yrs  d. 10 May
DELEON, David M.  87 yrs  d. 13 May
DOMINGUEZ, Johnny T.  d. 17 May
FLORA, Viva Frances Woolfrey  d. May 2013
FRAZIER, Meriwether Lewis  83 yrs  d. 16 May
GAMEZ, Sebastian Jesus  75 yrs  d. 17 May
GOLAS, Margaret Vaughan  b. 31 Mar 1920 Washington, D.C.  d. May 2013
GONZALEZ, Maria Bernadine M.  b. 11 Jun 1921 San Antonio, TX  d. 15 May
HALL, Mary L.  d. 14 May
HALSTEAD, Tommy J. "T.J."  GYSGT USMC (ret)b. 28 Jan 1940 Martin, KY  d. 15 May
HANNAH, Calvin Lois  b. 21 Dec 1946  d. 16 May
JACKEL, Raymond Tillman   b.4 Dec 1927   d. 11 May
KELLY, Melvin "Gene"  b. 10 Sep 1947  d. 16 May
LEWANDOSKI, Helen 90 yrs  d. 12 May
MARTINEZ, Consuelo Sara Delgado 91 yrs  d. 13 May
MIXON, Ruth Helen McVicar88 yrs  d. 14 May
NANUS, Gregory Lee  b. 3 Feb 1935 Eagle Pass, TX  d. 4 May
OLIVARES, Ernesto G.  78 yrs  d. 12 May
POLOMO, Veronica  b. 11 Jun 1957  d. 17 May
PEARSON, Ralph Jones COL USAF (ret)  b. 22 Jan 1919  d. 9 May
PHILLIPS, Agnes Inez  b. 23 Jun 1926  d. 16 May
POTTS, Jeannette Marie   b. 28 Jun 1952 San Antonio, TX  d. 10 May
PUGA, Eugene Tomas   b. 7 Mar 1938 Tucson, AZ  d. 30 Apr
ROOS, Ruby Louise Schwarz  b. 22 Nov 1925 Dobrowolski, TX  d. 12 May
SALAZAR, Juan B.  b. 30 Mar 1927 Allende, Nuevo Leon, Mexico  d. 16 May
SCHWARZ, Marlene "Mickie" Yvonne  b. 21 Nov 1932 Chicago, IL  d. 16 Mar
SHARP, John E.  b. 16 Jan 1933 Huntington Heights, NY  d. 6 May
SILVA, Ralph  b. 12 May 1933  d. 15 May
SPENCER, Francisca L.  97 yrs  d. 16 May
STAGER, Winsie Simpson Brooks   b. 23 mar 1930 Houston, TX  d. 15 May
STEPHENS, Harry Hart Jr.  b. 28 Jul 1932   d. 16 May
STILES, Evelyn B.  b. 9 Oct 1922 Sherman, TX  d. 14 May
TEJEDA, Francisco "Chico" Farias  b. 8 Mar 1932  d. 16 May
THOMAS, Roy A. "Butch" Jr.  b. 26 Dec 1946 Tulia, TX  d. 16 May
WALBERT, June A.  b. 6 Aug, 1952 Miami  d. 14 May
WALLACE, Eleanor Navarro  84 yrs  d. 14 May
WILLIAMS, Coyle Willis Jr. M.D.   b. 5 Sep 1925 Norfolk, VA  d. 14 May

























Monday, May 13, 2013

OBIT SUNDAY

Obits from Sun 12 May 2013 San Antonio Express News, San Antonio, TX
Link to Memories:  www.mysa.com    Keyword:  Obituaries

ANDERSON, Joseph Carl Jr.  b. 21 Aug 1937 San Antonio, TX  d. 5 May
ARAIZA, Gloria G.  b. 10 May 1946  d. 9 May
BENAVIDES, Casimiro Jr.  87 yrs  d. 8 May
BOSWELL, James Lewis  70 yrs  d. 1 May
BRALEY, Jean Martin  b. 29 Oct 1929 Eagle Pass, TX  d. 5 May
CARDENAS, Maria Inez Valadez   b. 20 Apr 1933 Del Rio, TX  d. 8 May
CLARK, Fred  b. 14 Aug 1943 Austin, TX  d. 4 May
FLORES, Jesse Alfredo  b. 17 Mar 1935 Rio Grande City, TX  d. 4 May
GARCIA, Consuelo Espino  b. 25 Jan 1916  d. 8 May
GOLDENTHAL, Helen L.  93 yrs  b. Gilman, IA  d. 4 May
GOODSON, Bobby  b. 13 Oct 1941  d. 5 May
GOULD, Norma Evangeline   b. 25 Mar 1921  Copperas Cove, TX  d. May 2013
GRIZZARD, Sarah Ellen  b. 11 Feb 1961 Corsicana, TX  d. May 2013
HEADY, Helen P.  b. 8 Nov 1922 Columbus, OH  d. 10 May
HOUSTON, John Page  b. 6 Oct 1936 Floresville, TX  d. 8 May
HOWELLS, Bonnie P.  79 yrs  d. 7 May
JOHNSON, Sandra Jean Forson  b. 24 Nov 1941 Bryan, TX  d. 6 May
LAMM, Gerald A.  b. 7 Dec 1927  d. 8 May
LANDEROS, Calos Castillo  74 yrs  d. 8 May
LARSON, Myrna LaRayne  73 yrs  d. 9 May
MANGES, Connie K.  69 yrs  d. 7 May
MARTINEZ, Herman T.  93 yrs  d. 6 May
MASSARO, Laura Arble  b. 5 May 1914 Altoona, PA  d. 6 May
MAYER, Virginia R.  b. 6 Aug 1922  Baltimore, MD  d. 8 May
MCCALEB, Notie "Mac" Alson  b. 16 Aug 1918 d. 3 May
NAYLOR, Carlene A.  66 yrs  d. 9 May
NEUHAUS, Philip Ross  b. 25 Dec 1919  d. 23 Apr
ORTEGA, Margot G.  b. 24 Jan 1918 Rosebud, TX    d. 7 May
PEAK, Allan Dale  b. 4 Dec 1935  d. 8 May
PENA, Mary R.  97 yrs  d. 3 May
PEREZ, Roberto B. Sr.  85 yrs  d. 7 May
POWELL, Lawrence R. Jr.  b. 7 Oct 1927 Houston, TX  d. 2 May
RAMIREZ, Luisa  b. 11 Nov 1916 Rosita, Mexico  d. 9 May
RODRIGUEZ, Irma (Minnie) C.  b. 21 Sep 1954  d. 8 May
SCHLEIGH, Thomas A. Sr. USA (ret)  b. 20 Sep 1930 Hagerstown, MD  d. 9 May
SHEEHY, Elizabeth (Betty) Pauline  b. 27 Oct 1917 LaCrosse, WI  d. 6 May
SINCLAIR, Marian Stafford  78 yrs  d. 21 Apr
STEWART, Nancy Marie  b. 9 Feb 1940 Nashville, TN  d. 9 May
STOFFER, Heidi Alisha Inman  b. 12 Feb 1980 Dallas, TX  d. 8 May
SUAREZ, Pedro Ricardo  b. 24 Oct 1965 Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD  d. 4 Apr
TERRELL, James Jefferson  67 yrs  d. 8 May
TORRES, Celso C. Jr.  b. 26 Dec 1961 San Antonio, TX  d. 8 May
VAN CLEAVE, Dorothy Jackson  80 yrs  d. 6 May
VOSS, Mark "Tyler" Capt USAF  b. 16 Dec 1985  d. 3 May
WEBB, Edwin (Ed) b. 29 Aug 1927  d. 18 Mar
WEIGAND, Martha J.  b. 1 Feb 1929 Detroit, MI  d. 12 Apr
WESTON, Robert Earl  b. 31 Aug 1921 Marshall, TX  d. 9 May
YBARRA, Santos B.  b. 14 Apr 1938 San Antonio, TX  d. 8 May
ZELLER, Michael D.  b. 31 Jan 1952 San Antonio, TX  d. 7 May
ZEPEDA, Leroy 101 yrs  d. 7 May























Saturday, May 11, 2013

TRIP TO CHICAGO

What a whirl wind trip this week.  My daughter decided we were going to Chicago to the American Girl Place for the four year old's birthday.  We left 6 a.m. Wed and came back 6 a.m. Thu.  WHEW!

I was really impressed with how clean Chicago was.  People were very friendly and helpful.  They probably felt sorry for us as I'm sure we looked like two hicks from the sticks with two little girls wandering the streets of the big city!  We are so countrified.

We stayed at the Raffaello, an older hotel but was quiet, clean, and very nice, only a block from the Water Tower shopping.  The American Girl Place was located in the Water Tower.  Such shopping.  I've never seen so much doll accessories in my life.  You can pick out a dress for your little princess then find the same dress for your doll.  Oh yes, your little princess can pick out a doll that looks just like her.  They have a beauty shop for the dolls if you want her hair fixed in a certain style too. 

We mentioned to the sales lady it was our little princess's birthday and she suggested us staying for the tea.  Well it was lunch time, and we were hungry, and this was a special trip!  So we proceeded to the tea room.  When we entered the hostess took our information, picked up a special seat for the doll, so she could enjoy the tea too, and lead us to our table.  While my daughter and I looked over the menu the girls, the birthday girl and her sister, sat their new doll in her own chair that was hooked onto the table. 

We enjoyed a delightful lunch starting with drinks, the usual, coffee, tea, soda, water, whatever you wanted.  Then a tray of tiny pretzels filled with soft cheddar cheese, strawberries cut in half with a small slice of cheese, cucumbers, celery sticks, carrot sticks, and topped off with ranch dip.  Then I ordered broccoli quiche, which I must say was the best quiche I've had in a long time.  My daughter had a chicken sandwich, one granddaughter had chicken nuggets, and the birthday girl had the picnic lunch.  The picnic lunch was a miniature hot dog, cheeseburger, and fries.  I highly recommend going to the tea if you decide to go to the American Girl Place.

The suggested place to visit was Giordano's.  So we walked, to work up our appetite after that big lunch, to the best Chicago pizza place in town.  At least that was what we were told, and they were right.  As soon as I walked in the smell took me back to my youth when we'd go to the old pizza huts.  The bread mingled with the spices cooking made your mouth water.  We even carried our uneaten pizza all the way back to San Antonio to share with family!

Although I enjoyed my time with the daughter and granddaughters my walk along Lake Michigan was special for me.  I started a book, awhile back, about my great, great, grandfather landing in Chicago on his way west.  The information I got about the docks, streets, etc. were all from a book and I wrote about it.  But when I actually looked out across the lake I could only imagine what it felt like in 1858.  I saw tall buildings, cars speeding by me with horns blaring, and lots of concrete.  He saw dirty docks, marshy land, hustle and bustle of people with horses and wagons.  I can't wait now to finish that book. 

Of course I have to finish Katie first!  Stay tunes.

Until then............................................

Monday, May 6, 2013

OBIT SUNDAY

Obits from Sun 5 May 2013 San Antonio Express News, San Antonio, TX

ANIOL, Jewell (Judy)  b. 23 Aug 1926 Leander, TX  d. 2 May
BENNETT, Helen Jetton  75 yrs  d. 29 Apr
BRANDES, James Michael  d. 7 Apr
CALHOUN, Richard Jr.  b. 9 Jul 1967 Bryan, TX  d. 1 May
CAMARILLO, Abelardo  94 yrs  d. 2 May
CELESTINO, Luis 55 yrs  d. 30 Apr
CHACON, Ezequiel LTC USA (ret)  b. 22 May 1948  d. 28 Apr
COOK, Lawrence Edward MSGT USAF (ret)  91 yrs  d. 1 May
CORTEZ, Olga  b. 12 Jul 1927  d. 1 May
CUSTER, William Robert 64 yrs d. 28 Apr
DAVENPORT, Rosie "Rose" 74 yrs b. Tallulah, LA  d. 29 Apr
DUGIE, Clarence Michael  b. 6 Jan 1944 Panna Maria, TX  d. 3 May
ECHOLS, Margaret E.   b. 27 Mar 1935 Lawrenceville, GA  d. 28 Apr
FARLEY, John E.  b. 26 Seo 1930 Big Springs, TX   d. 26 Apr
FISCHNAR, James Webster Sr.  79 yrs  d. 29 Apr
FUSCO, Maureen  b. 18 Nov 1941 Jersey City, NJ  d. 27 Apr
GARCIA, Gilbert    86 yrs   d. 2 May
GARCIA, Gilberto Javier "Gus"  b. 25 Jan 1937 McAllen, TX  d. 29 Apr
GILBERT, Lewis R.  60 yrs  d. 2 may
GILLIS, Joann K.  b. 21 Jan 1926 Clarkesville, GA  d. 1 May
GONZALES, Juanita Aguero  b. 24 Mar 1928   d. 30 Apr
GONZALES, Peggy Rene (Griffin)  b. 2 Apr 1964 Travis AFB, CA   d. 25 Apr
GRAHAM, Wilburn Joseph  b. 19 Sep 1919  d. 28 Apr
JOHNSON, Walter Eugene Sr.  b. 22 Dec 1929  d. 28 Apr
LAMPORT, Verla Mae  b. 18 May 1927 Schertz, TX  d. 30 Apr
LARES, Florentino "Tino"   b. 28 Apr 1931  Austin, TX  d. 27 Apr
LOZANO, Beatriz G.  b. 17 Feb 1936  Zaragoza, Couahuila, Mexico  d. 30 Apr
MARTINEZ, Mike R.  b. 23 May 1946 Port Lavaca, TX  d. 2 May
MCKNIGHT, Georgia Louise Ellison  b. 26 Jul 1918 Lockhart, TX  d. 30 Apr
MORRIS, Joe Lockhart Chaplain LTC USAF (ret)  b. 28 Jul 1916 Dickens, TX  d. 30 Apr
OSBURN, Velma Irene  b. 8 Dec 1933  d. 28 Apr
ROBINSON, Martha Bernice  b. 13 Jul 1930 McGee, AR  d. 1 May
ROSENFELD, Wenona Fay Kerley   b. 25 Jul 1921 Mart, TX  d. 28 Apr
SANCHEZ, William Rangel   b. 6 Aug 1944 Houston, TX   d. 30 Mar
SCHREINER, Cheryl Ann  b. 23 Feb 1950 Sioux Falls, SD  d. 1 May
SEROLD, Alice H.  93 yrs  d. 1 May
SMITH, O. Lewis Jr.  b. 23 Mar 1925 Barnsdall, OK  d. 27 Apr
STEVENS, Clifford Alton LTC USA (ret)  b. 29 Mar 1919 Lincoln, ME  d. 30 Apr
STEVENSON, Eva Lorraine Berry   b. 4 Jan 1927 Salado, TX  d. 29 Apr
VACEK, Steve J.  b. 18 Dec 1922 Weimar, TX  d. 2 May
VIDALES, Joe Mata Jr.  71 yrs  d. 1 May
VILLARREAL, Albert "Bird"  66 yrs  d. 1 May