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, …

FAMILY TRADITIONS AT HISTORIC JEANNETTE’S PIER, NAGS HEAD

History of Jeanette’s Pier PHOTOGRAPH BY NC DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES Originally built in 1939, Jennette's is the oldest fishing pier on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Battered by storms and rebuilt many times throughout its 80-year life, Jennette's was knocked down by Hurricane Isabel in 2003, just after the pier and its five-acre …

Our World Is Full Of Circles

Our world is so very large and yet we seem to travel in circles For example, today I had an absolutely delightful and rare lunch date at a small cafe at Friendship Maryland's Herrington Harbor South Marina Resort on the Chesapeake Bay.  My daughter and I joined a mutual friend who we have had only limited contact with …

And, together they danced…

The Month for Lovers Continues... My niece, Caitlyn Boling (daughter of my brother John Arthur and his wife Joyce), and her new husband Anthony Rubio, honored my parents' (Frank and Norma Boling) 70 years of marriage together (2/5/1946) at their wedding this past Sunday, February 21, with an Anniversary Dance especially for them. As some …

20 Reasons Why You Should Write Your Family History

The following article was published February 9,2015, by the New York Public Library. I have re posted it here because it best describes my blogging's purpose, reasons, and experiences. The information I've gathered, the places I've been and the very kind people that I have come into contact with through my research and writing adventures …

You Little Dickens!

My mom has told me a story about my relationship with my Cherokee maternal great-grandmother, Mary Susan Morris Ford, ever since I was old enough to talk. Unfortunately, I was only 14 months old when Grandma Susan passed at 73 years old. The story goes like this.  My great-grandmother went to sleep one night and when she …

Why do Americans and Canadians Celebrate Labor Day?

Reflections my Past Labor Days When I reflect on the meaning of Labor Day from my childhood years, I think: end of summer; back to school tomorrow; our family get-together's that always included outdoor picnics; softball, badminton, and other games; watermelon, potato salad, hot dogs, hamburgers, fried chicken, ice cream, and cake. And, in my …

Happy 75th Anniversary to The Wizard of Oz Movie

Girls Day Out We had a girls' day out on Saturday, August 11--my granddaughter, daughter and me (+1 grandson), to celebrate my millennial grand daughter's 14th birthday.  While having lunch, I asked them to name a film or films that they had watched three times or more.  Naturally, the Wizard of Oz and its amazing …

The Robin Williams – A Fellow Baby Boomer

Like so many others my emotions flew from disbelief to sadness, to a true sense of personal loss--almost as though he were a greatly loved family member.  We were fellow baby boomers who experienced some of the most incredible and incredulous moments in life on this planet.  No disrespect intended, Robin had been a part of …

Revisiting Lottie’s Cardboard Box of Momentos

Sometimes when searching for one thing you come across something entirely different, but the smell of old relics opens your senses, the aged paper catches your eye, and the written words touch deep into your heart; You're caught in the moment and it causes you to wonder once again what her life must have been …

Remembering Loved Ones for Their Military Services

Home of the Brave About 1-1/2 years ago, I wrote a blog post From Everyday Moments May Come Precious Memories where I noted my feelings, ties, and respect for my mom's grandfather, John Carpenter Ford; her parents, Robert Gideon and Loretta Ford; and her brother, my uncle, John Austin Ford.  The Ford family was intricately involved with me in …

Chi-Town –The Wedding Weekend, Part II

Friday, April 11, 2014 On  Saturday, April 12, 2014, Robert Joseph II's (our eldest son--age 47, left) eldest son, Robert Joseph III, (nearly 27), wed the love of his life, Corrie, in Chicago, IL.  As their story goes, "Joe" and Corrie were among the nearly 13,000 who annually attended Liberty University (the largest Christian university …

Sharing Two Months of Moments…

It’s been nearly two months since I have posted anything new on my blog site. No, I haven’t had writer’s block, genealogical brick walls that I couldn’t break down, or been outside experiencing the snow and extreme winter temps. To the contrary, I believe I just became overwhelmed by the volume of my every day …

Introducing Beau…Part 4, Dogs are Family, too!

Contributing Author:  My  Daughter, Jennifer My 18th Birthday Present It was November 1991, I had just started college two months before and my brothers were already out of the house when Mom and Dad brought Beau home to me as a birthday present. He was a cute puff of grey, black, brown and white fur …

Drawn to the Dogs: Part 3–Dogs are Family, Too!

Contributing Author--My Son, Jeff Adventurers at Heart Our children, Bobby, 14; Jeff, 12; and Jennifer 7, were always adventurers at heart. I like to think they got this trait from me, and I got it from my maternal grandmother, Loretta Lathrop Ford. I wish so very much that they had had a chance to know …

Found In the Archives from December 8, 1941

Dark, cloudy skies with intermittent heavy downpours to sprinklings of rain make today the perfect day for exploring, researching, and documenting new finds.   Among my many searches today to complement draft posts to come, I entered just two of the 13 Presidential Libraries  (Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S.Truman Libraries), which have their collections online. …

A Poem To Me Mudder

I wrote this piece 10 years ago just before Father's Day. June 20, 2021. It was our family's first Father’s Day without our patriarch. In addition to COVID, a lack of civility towards each other and even racist and political unrest that left coworkers, family, and friends divided, we lost a loving and caring man …

Life is Precious and Sometimes Wild–Let’s Just Do It!

Some of us struggle in life and are too proud to ask for guidance or help. Some lives are in destructive ruts and we are blind to them. We all have a loved one, neighbor, or friend who we might like to help, but we are frozen in fear of being so bold to intrude …

Patriots Day, Boston 2013: Another Indelible Memory

Reflecting Upon Everyday Moments that became Precious and Often Indelible Memories April 15, 2013--marked the 117th running of the Boston Marathon, the world's oldest annual marathon. The popular event is held annually on Patriots' Day, to commemorate the 1775 battles of Lexington and Concord that kicked off the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783).  Events in Boston …

When’s the Last Time You Expressed Your Feelings Through a Greeting Card?

When cleaning my desk in my home office I came upon a birthday card from my second born son and his wife.  I had set this card aside after initially receiving it in January 2013. When I received it, I couldn't fully focus on it with others around.  I knew though that I wanted to …