Bling Provenance

The root beer ring is one of my most cherished bits of history.  It was given to me by Nanny Ryan (at least that's the story I remember).  It might be hard to tell by this picture, but it's small-- a child's ring. Must be I used to wear it once in a while as a child because I recall it got lost once and we all looked feverishly for it--it was recovered by miracle in the sandbox!   For the longest time I had it on my charm bracelet.  One day I realized I did not wear that bracelet very often but I missed wearing the ring so I had it resized.  They couldn't get it very much bigger but now it does fit on my pinky. 

Oddly, the stone itself seems too big for the setting so it is my guess that this may have been Nanny Ryan's ring to wear at one time.  I don't know what the stone is, but it could represent the January birthstone garnet.  Nanny Ryan was born January 7 so that's the story I'm going to stick with.

Apparently at one time there were poetic verses to go with each month's birthstone:

By her who in January was born

No gem save garnets shall be worn

They will ensure her constancy

True friendship and fidelity.

We didn't get to know Nanny Ryan very well but I like to think she was a good friend as well as a constant in other lives.  Another little piece of bling that I treasure is this pin.  It was once part of a set which also included a ring (long gone).  Nanny Ryan gave me this pin and that's a memory I have of my own.  It's the only thing I can remember her giving me.  I don't think it has more than sentimental value but I like to wear it especially around Valentine's Day and it's very precious to me. 

Is this the one you're looking for?

I am still very upset about this. I was not prepared to hear that news. Unfortunately, Bruce ended up consoling me. I feel really bad about that. I am also very glad that Patty Anne and I went to see them this summer.

I also remember loosing the boot at Burt and Jean's and Dad being furious!

I also remember Burt "destroying" fireworks that had been confiscated. (I think this must have been done on July 4, but I think that New Year's Eve was also a prime time)

Here is the obituary:

http://observertoday.com/page/content.detail/id/535696.html?nav=5008

This is one of my personal favorites.

"Here comes the judge" (from my wedding, too)

Burt Valvo

We will miss Burt, that's for sure.  While I can't say I have a lot of specific memories of him, I can say that I always remember him as smiling or laughing heartily.  He always seemed a really good match for Jean. 

I recently heard something about how women bring men together and I've been thinking about it in terms of families but it does seem to apply here.  I don't think Dad and Burt would have been natural friends without Mom and Jean forcing them together so often.  Dad sort of skinny and serious--Burt stout and somewhat un-lawerly  made for definite opposites.  Mom and Jean certainly brought Dad and Burt together and made a little "family" for us all. 

Of course, I can't find the picture I really wanted to use here of Mom and Burt solving the world's problems at our kitchen table in Walton--if I recall, it looked as if they were both talking at the same time.  But I did find these from Judy's wedding and they sum up how I remember Burt.  I'm very glad that Judy and I made our visit recently.  Burt had been out yard-sailing that morning.  He proudly showed me an old book he'd acquired from one of these adventures.  So, thank you Judy for pushing that and making it happen.  Rest in Peace, Uncle Burt. 

New Braces

Well, here he is. He is still adjusting, and realizes it will take time, but the hard part is over (We hope)

Is he the first in the family?

Dad Aug 4 1927 - Jan 24 2003

Robert B. Parker died yesterday.  He wrote the Spenser books and I feel like I've lost a member of the family.  Mom loved the Spenser books, Kathy likes them and I'm not sure about anyone else but it was one of those things that we all had in common as kind of a secret treat.  A new Spenser book! 

There was a Spenser TV show for a while and it wasn't too bad--Robert Urich was the lead (dead also--sensing a pattern here).  Parker had another character Jesse Stone and that also made for some decent TV watching with Tom Selleck in the lead (easy on the eyes). 

The Spenser stories take place in Boston and nearby so I always felt like I knew the area well.  His prose was succinct with just a hint of humor at life's inconsistencies.  I never gave his books away--and I"m really glad for that now because maybe I will re-read them.

I thought I had an autographed copy from once when I heard him speak so I went down to see if I could find it.  As I went through them, I realized that over the years, the books have gone from pleasingly thin to satisyfyingly fat.  Must be his prose isn't as succinct as I remember it.  Or Spenser's life stories got more complicated. 

Alot like life in general.  Once again, going from thin to not-so-much;  from short and simple to complicated.  But I miss him already especially because it was something I shared with Mom. 

Good luck to Timmy--we are thinking about him.  Happy 30th Kevin!  Cheers to Spenser, Susan and Hawk.

Proud of our Coast Guard

Just wanted to let the family know that Timmy is doing well. He called me this weekend to let me know that he is definately in the thick of things in the Gulf of Mexico, and Haiti. His boat left Florida early last week for a two month planned deployment. They were quickly diverted to Haiti.

While Tim can't tell me too much about their mission, he did say that "if you are watching the news, you know where I am". He is very happy to be helping and making a difference. That is why he joined the Coast Guard.

He hasn't personally left the boat too many times. His job is to keep things going and ready on the boat for those who do leave and go on land. He said he has lots of stories and has taken over 200 pictures so far.

He wanted everyone to know he is doing well and that he is sorry he missed the "Ryan" Christmas. He says hello to all.

This proud Mom will let you know how he is doing as I hear from him.