Oh, laziness be my name.
I should haul the suitcases up. I need to sort through my clothing for 8 days of summer lightness and one day of winter coverings. Instead I read. Instead I let those should’s go.
I caught up with all my blog friends….there was no time for notes tho. I skimmed one Sue Henry book and began a re-read on Lederer’s “All The Ships At Sea” saga. He’s that WWII officer who made it to Annapolis by cleaning a head….that’s a bathroom in naval parlance, then helped capture a U-Boat. I bestirred myself to pick up the house. That was a good thing.
When I discovered my youngest, Lenora, owned only one very tattered paperback Joy of Cooking, I ran a battered hardbound copy of The Boston Cooking School Cookbook down to her on my way to buy ground coffee and dishwasher soap. She returned with a hot slice of banana bread….yes, it was delicious. That was a very good thing.
40 Questions to Ask Your Mum: Home
13. What work did your parents do and did they enjoy it?
I must honestly say that the climate of the times plus the alcoholism affected their employment. Father, Gunny, graduated with an LLD from the University of Arizona in the 30’s. He liked corporate law, and didn’t like dealing with divorces and the like. Mother received her degree as an Architectural Engineer from the University of Michigan just after the market collapsed into the Great Depression. They met at a friends house and were married in 1939. Unable to get a job beyond draftsman, for no one hired women architects in those days, she stayed home. The war swept him away, and she had her one and only baby at age 40. When he came home, he couldn’t hold down a job. She started a tiny printing company in the basement of our house, and gradually it grew into a nice small company. I think they both hated it. I believe they both felt that being printers was beneath them and was wasting their lives and dreams. When offered a way out, a chance to become members of AA, they turned it down.
I can only guess.
Such smart and into the future parents in spite of their weaknesses and expectations. NOw I see you more clearly.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad. Some of my relatives have found sobriety, others not. I can sympathize.
ReplyDeleteLove the banana bread. That's a good way to get a kid to cook, give her a cookbook.
My Father was a fantastic man with a great mind, but dead at 53-he tried AA a few times just wasnt able to kick it-it took me many yrs to understand.
ReplyDeleteYour insight about your family is filled with staggering brilliance c
ReplyDeleteThat's not being lazy -- you're choosing to do other things!
ReplyDelete(Actually, I had the same kind of day yesterday and experienced the same pangs of guilt!! :) )
The stories of your mom and dad make me feel so sad. Must have been really hard for you, Maggie. I'm sorry.
My ex is an alcoholic; also, brilliant, accomplished and nowhere. Sometimes it tears me up. We also started a printing company. I learned to use the computer; he just ran up debts. I had mixed feelings about it. Nice to create something tangible, too difficult dealing with customers and pressmen. The small presses we had breed alcoholics and drug users. Too boring to run, and you have to remain alert. Hah!
ReplyDelete