"Seems Like Old Times"

 I went over to my Mom and Dad's home for a run in the old neighborhood this evening. While there, I looked around at the quiet house and thought back to all the fun times we used to have there.  The old homestead looks a bit different, now. When I was growing up it was red and my father seemed to paint it just about every year. Most times, these paint jobs seemed to coincide with family vacations, but that's old news. 

I can remember playing seemingly endless games of wiffleball, basketball, and football (real and imagined), there. Sometimes by myself and sometimes with groups of friends. Whether I was with others or by myself, though,  I was never alone. 

By this time of year, Tammie and I would be back to school, as the long summer nights and warm days would be a distant memory. She always seemed to like being at school and interacting with her friends. Many times they would come over and fill the place with laughter and secret guy talk. Despite a nagging litle brother, they would always come. I think Tam's personality was too persuasive.

Tonight as I made yet another attempt to turn back the clock on my running "career".  I felt as though I was stuck in a place where the music had stopped and everyone had left years before. Fortunately, my Mom and Dad will be back home in a few days and the stillness will abate.

Believe me, I was a 5 minute miler twenty years ago! Now, I am just an old sweaty mess. :-)

I can only wish, but those don't come true.

One Year Ago

Last September 9th, my mother called me at work to let me know that Tammie had cancer and that it was inoperable. There couldn't have been a worse prognosis, as she was given just a month to live. I was just stunned during my conversation and after I hung up the phone, I needed to leave work for a while in attempt to clear my head. If it weren't for the fact that I was the only librarian on that night, I wouldn't have come back. About a week later, I started this blog.

Today, I was thinking back to an old 45 record that Tammie used to have. We used to dance to it and act out these crazy skits. I remember that it only worked if she had her boots on and somewhere along the way, starting stomping stuff. Thanks Nancy Sinatra for some wonderful memories.

NYS Fair

The NYS Fair is almost over for another year. Tammie loved to go to the Fair and I have blogged about our big fight on stage back in '69. After that tumultous visit, my family continued to go and usually would arrive early in the morning and stay way too late at night. My Mom used to restrict us to one ride a piece and the rest of the time would be spent listening to music, eating, or touring the various buildings.

Somewhere in the late 1970's, we became interested in entering competitions. I had this rabbit named Patches, and I got this brilliant idea to bring him to the Fair and have him compete for a rabbit blue ribbon or whatever they award in such things. Now, I didn't even have a carrier for the little guy and had to carry him in my arms from our car to the Poultry Building. Once there, he was tattooed with a number and then taken care of for the week. This was great for me, as I didn't have to worry about being bitten or cleaning his cage. In addition, my Mom and Dad received parking and entry passes for the entire run of the Fair. This wasn't bad, once you consider the $5.00 rabbit entry fee.

Unfortunately for Patches he was disqualified. Apparently, he didn't have the necessary markings that would make him a champion Dutch Black rabbit. The staff at the Poultry Building took great pains to tell me that he was very well behaved, though. I remember that it was quite painful to hear at the time, but I got over it quick and used the story for a show and tell segment in my class in school that fall.

Tammie concentrated on cooking and entered various bake goods. Of course, they didn't take such entries at the Poultry Building, but they did at the Arts and Home. I remember her making snickerdoodles and molasses cookies (I am pretty sure that she would have never eaten a molasses cookie, otherwise). Much to my tween/young teen shock, she actually won blue ribbons for that stuff. I believe her previous cooking experience consisted of fried peanut butter sandwiches and fried bologna. She always told me that you had to wait until the center of the bologna blew up, before you could poke it with a fork and eat it.

We were all quite proud of her cooking triumphs and she actually was interviewed by a reporter from the Camillus Advocate. Hurray for Tam! She never ceased to surprise us all.

One of the last times that I spoke with her, she lamented that she missed going to the fair for the first time in her memory.