The Origin Of Our 59-Year Romance

I met Bob Dickinson on Tuesday, September 15, 1964, (a leap year), one week into my senior year at Suitland High School. I remember this date well because it was the day I started my first job behind the soda fountain at People's Drug Store (now CVS), located in Forestville's Penn Mar Shopping Center. Then, …

Uncommonly Close

This picture is not of our boys and their uncles, but it reminds me of some of their adventures and escapades. They were, in fact, uncommonly close like a band of brothers. They explored abandoned areas, on dares from neighbors, they walked on gutters across our roof, made their own backyard fires, and built forts …

Play Fair

In the early 1970’s the women’s rights movement was recognized as the “second wave” of feminism. Every aspect of women's lives, including work, family, and sexuality were included in this movement.  However, not everyone was on board with this equal rights for women’s evolution. In fact, some of the fathers and coaches on our Catholic …

Boyhood Adventures

The picture shown here is not that of our boys and their uncles, but it reminds me of some of their adventures and escapades. You see, our two sons, Bobby and Jeff were born in 1966 and 1968. My brother, Frank, the eldest uncle was born in 1958 and my younger brother Johnny was born …

” FUNNY AND NOT SO FUNNY MOMENTS “

Our son-in-law, Brian, turned 50 on January 30, 2022! Our daughter, Jennifer, first introduced Brian to us 31 years ago. Our introduction to Brian's father, Bill, (who happened to be 50 years old when Brian was born), gives way to an amusing story. Jennifer's dad, Bob was on call at Maryland's Forestville Volunteer Fire Department …

More Memories of My Brother, Frank Roy Boling

I spent most of today responding to expressions of sympathy and condolences from neighbors, friends, near and distant relatives, and many people that I don't believe I knew, but that my brother, Frank Roy Boling, did. It's amazing how uplifting a few words can be--just to know that others thought much of him, too. Thanks …

Obituary: Frank Roy Boling 03/16/1958 – 01/20/2022

Frank Roy Boling, age 63; of Chesapeake Beach, MD; childhood resident of the Berkshire Community within District Heights-Forestville, MD, passed away on Thursday, January 20, 2022, at the Anne Arundel Medical Center, Annapolis MD.  (Frank just learned on December 7, 2021, that he had late stage lung cancer. Three hospitals and 20 doctors later he …

Remembering Our Mount Calvary School and Community – Part 2

My first post in May 2016 about Mt. Calvary School's history and its closing drew much interest and even today continues to do so. Further, the Mt. Calvary Catholic School Alumni-Forestville, MD Facebook page with its 1.5K members remains active on a daily basis since opening on October 23, 2008. Regardless, of where their live …

SLÛ-Bi`

By: R J Dickinson, II Note to readers:  This account of SLÛ-Bi` is only to be read by those who first have read the post entitled “Fast  and Furious on Bee Oak Road” dated May 27, 2021, by author Joanne Dickinson as told to her by my sibling.  My tale that follows is a mere …

Fast and Furious on Bee Oak Road

The Columbian Squires, the official youth organization of the Knights of Columbus, is a leadership and character development program for Catholic young men, 10-18 years old. My husband, Bob, was the Chief Counselor in charge of the St. Pius X Knights of Columbus Squires Circle in Forestville, MD. It was late summer 1978, when Bob …

Home, Sweet, Home

This is an open letter to house-seeking buyers. Real Estate deals are said to be one of life’s most stressful undertakings. Yet, one of Americans’ greatest aspirations is to acquire a house and to take pride in your ownership--it’s like one more step up that ladder to success. In contrast, just as equally or more …

Mom’s Address Book

I set mom's address/phone book aside about two months ago when we first started cleaning out our parents home of 60 years. She had always kept her cookbooks, hotpads, and address book in a drawer under her wall oven in the kitchen which was in close proximity to their wall phone and kitchen table. That's …

Obituary: Frank Burton Boling: 12/07/1928-08/22/2020

Frank Burton Boling, age 91; five generation family patriarch; a 60-year-resident of the Berkshire Community within District Heights-Forestville, MD, passed away on Saturday, August 22, 2020 at Calvert Health Medical Center, Calvert County, MD.  Frank’s wife of 72 years, Norma Florence Ford Boling, age 90, preceded him in death on March 16, 2018.  Frank was …

Drinking and Driving Don’t Mix!

The article that follows is a true story as told to me by son as we reminisced back 31 years and now can laugh about it: It was the Summer of 1988.  The weather ranged in the mid-80s to lower 90s.   I was 20, my Uncle John was five years older than me, and only …

NO TURNING BACK

A Captivating Title A captivating post title is often hard to nail down so I routinely refer to other sources for inspiration and ideas.  This morning was a little different--an apt title leapt out at me while I was in church.  The image appeared on a 300" HDTV that had a viewing area of 146" x …

♬Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh.. Here I am at…♬

Camping has always been one of kids favorite activities. Hence, my lifting of the 1964 Alan Shermann song seemed an appropriate fit for this post's title. Earliest records show that girls attended camps as early as 1917 in the Washington-Metropolitan Area. In 1935, the Prince George's County Girl Scout Council was chartered from the Washington, …

♬ I Ain’t Afraid of No Goat ♬

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 3.6 million students are expected to graduate from high schools in the United States over the next couple of weeks-- my granddaughter and nephew will be among them.   So I guess it's only natural for me to reminisce back to my high school days where there was only radio, television, …

Life Interrupted

It's been nearly two months since I last sat down to write--a very long hiatus for me.  Simply put, life interrupted!  Daily routines became passé.  God's plan and purpose redirected me from my to-do lists and preferences to His.  In keeping with His timeline and focusing on His perspectives on my life in this season, …

Norma Florence (Ford) Boling: 22 Aug 1927 – 16 Mar 2018, Age 90

It is with great sadness that I share with you the passing on Friday, March 16, 2018, of my mother, Norma Florence (nee Ford) Boling at her home of nearly 60 years in Forestville, MD.  She was 90 years, 6 months, and 3 weeks old and courageously fought a long battle with Alzheimer's and heart-disease-related conditions. …

Sit’n on the Porch to Make a Stand

The year was 1981.  The day was Friday, December 4.   I had just finished a visit with Sister Kathleen, who was the director for the religious education program that prepared 7th-grade children for their sacrament of confirmation into the Catholic religion at Mount Calvary Church and School in Forestville, MD. The backstory goes something like …