There's your sign

This Lucy episode was on the TV at work yesterday (well, we had no internet so I had to do something).  The tech guy comes in to work on one of the laptops and says to me "So, what's her name again?"  YIKES! I'm not really sure when Lucy died, but it might be possible that she's been dead longer than he's been alive.

It seems to me that I've watched Lucy always--and I guess I have.  I remember Dad just getting so mad that we were watching Lucy again.  He didn't get it.  Neither did I--I mean, did he want us to learn humor from watching The Monkees instead?  And he hated them too, now that I think about it.  I have lots of Lucy videotapes and we've played them lots and lots of times.  At least my children know Lucy--and I daresay I'll bet they Love Lucy.

What television or pop culture icon will live on for our children the way Lucy has?  Will Seinfeld still be funny in 50 years?  Maybe--it was about everyday stuff so I guess it's possible.  Some of the characters have become part of culture:  Kramer and the Costanza wallet.  Will Lady Gaga still be Gaga in 2040? 


But still, I did not think there was much of anyone who didn't know Lucille Ball.  Or I Love Lucy.  He asked me when that show was on and I told him mid to late 50s and realized that makes the show just about my age. And there's your sign.  Guess I've got some 'splainin to do with anyone who doesn't Love Lucy.

The Nights are Long but the Years are Short

We have all experienced long long nights.  Usually it's because we are worried about something or someone.  Sometimes it's just because you can't sleep very well.  I had one of those long nights this past week.  Wide awake in the middle of the night thinking about everything from Irene to Ryan.  These are lyrics from the Red Hot Chili Peppers:  the nights are long but the years are short.

New parents often have long nights--and so do the children.  The kids can usually sleep it off during the next day, but the parents can't.  Parents of teenagers have REALLY long nights, especially that first summer they have their drivers license.  Curfews don't matter, only the sound of the car in the driveway brings peace and the chance for sleep.

But, at the same time, the years are very very short. As you know, we just celebrated the 20th anniversary of buying our house and Judy and Patrick celebrated their 20th annivarsary too.  Where did the time go?  The years are such brief images flashing by that they seem to blend into a seamless dream. 

Ryan went back to Cortland yesterday to start his sophomore year.  What a difference 12 months makes!  Ryan has grown so much in the last year and I'm very proud of him.  Much of the worry I lost sleep over a year ago melted into minor anxieties this summer.  He seems confident and happy and now I can rest easy.  Well, easier.  If only the damn hurricane winds and rain would stand down.........

August Weddings

August is a pretty popular wedding month for the Ryan clan.  Even though our upcoming nuptials will be fall events and even though June is supposed to be a favorite for brides, this month marks significant birthdays and weddings for us.

First of all, happy 20th anniversary to Judy and Patrick this year! 

I love this picture partly because Judy reminds me of Cinderella here with her foot out like that on the steps but mostly because of the kids on the sideline.  I love the little guy leaning over for (?) I-have-no-idea-what but I think it's Timmy and it's stinking cute.  That was a weekend for the record books so start your memory machines going because 1991 is the theme for the party next week!  Was this the last visit Nanny made north?

Most of us remember the Gloucester trip for Tim's wedding:

August 12 1967.  Happy 44th anniversary to Tim and Emmy this weekend!

I think Mom tried really hard with her special occasion dresses to be stylish and ahead of the curve but it seemed to me her choices were often a "miss".  Like this one. 

And I know we like to pretend this never happened, but Cathy's first wedding was in August and it was also memorable especially for this great picture.  It's too bad we can't really use it!

August 2000

Also, of course, we were married in August 1985.  And this is what you all looked like back in the day:

I love this picture, especially the wet spots and the blue cabinets

Yes, August is definitely an important month for the Ryan kids.  Good luck this week to Paula with all her Fair responsibilities.  Hope to see you all next week here for the party.  Maybe we can recreate the above.

Al Dente

I was cooking up some spaghetti tonight to have with homemade sauce and meatballs.  Someone said something that flipped my switch from "cooking dinner" to "What the hell?".  I turned back toward the stove and took a breath letting some of my irritation out through the spoon stirring the pasta.  And I flashed back to a story I wrote for Creative Writing while I was in college.

I used the imagery of the boiling pot of spaghetti as an anchor indicating stability over time.  Yeah, I know but my professor liked it and I was pretty proud of it then.  Might even be proud of it today if I could find it.  I had my hands on it about a year ago but I'm afraid it went out in one of the great purges.  (You know -- as an aside--sometimes I've been sorry that I threw something away but have never been sorry I kept something)

The scene was Mom cooking spaghetti for dinner at the stove in the kitchen at the house on Buffalo Street getting ready to tell us we were moving to Walton.  The story was told from Mom's perspective and came back to the comfort provided by menial tasks such as boiling pasta.

Remember that kitchen?  It was a pretty great kitchen--that house was actually pretty cool for a lot of reasons.  The picnic table  tucked right into that subby hole and the 8 of us fit there pretty well.  Most vividly I remember the dinnertime discussion about Chris' knee surgery.

Anyhow. looking into that pot today and flashing back on the general theme of that story immediately calmed me down.  Not much has changed over the years about preparing store bought pasta so I'm pretty much doing what Mom did.  And there's great comfort in that alone. 

Happy Birthday

1989 Dad loved a parade!  This is one of my favorites.

Way Back Machine

Remember the footbridge in Silver Creek?  There's a new group on Facebook called Silver Creek & Beyond with a whole bunch of pictures of new and old Silver Creek.  Boy, did it bring back a flood of memories!  There are lots of comments --most seem to be from people younger than I, but that's OK because I recognize many of the downtown buildings even after all this time.  I know you don't all remember such things, but let me throw a few at the rest of you and see what you remember:

Wright's store!  It was such a treat to have a little money in your pocket so you could go down there for soda or other goodies.  Chris, did you work there for a bit?  It was the last vestige before going down that footbridge into town.  The footbridge is gone now but the memories for many linger.

The Babcock Street School.  Many comments on Facebook talk about having Mrs. Rocker for kindergarten, which I did as well.  Do you remember your elementary teachers?  Mrs. Rocker, Mrs. Millard, Mrs. Smith (I think), Mrs. Lesso, Mrs. Moore (who lived across the street from where we used to live on Olive St), Mrs. Langer and Miss Sullivan.  The Babcock Street School was apartments last time I drove through there.  Someone is cooking zucchini in my kindergarten nap time area!

How about Costa's?  Best pizza ever!  What was the name of that bar Dad used to take us to across from Petris at the bottom of that hill?  I remember practicing "the twist" while my ginger ale waited for me at the table.  How about walking from Old Main to church school every Tuesday afternoon?  Can you imagine that happening today?  Not so much.

Roof's Restaurant with Weenie?  How much he loved Hole-Parker Funeral Home?  I didn't get that joke for the longest time..........I was a late bloomer.

I think I've taken you all down this path before but these pictures really brought back picture-perfect memories I wanted to share with anyone else who might remember.  You might enjoy the Silver Creek & Beyond group as well.  Enjoy your ride in the Way Back Machine (remember that?)