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We were always eating something
with buckshot in it! He also fished - trout,
bass, salmon, and whatever else happened to swim by.
Was years before I knew you could BUY these
fish. Always thought you had to catch them.
The fishing never bothered me, but the deer
hunting did. I remember asking him if he shot
Bambi's mother ~ he said no -- only shot the "bad
deer" - the ones with horns!! Our vacations
were always spent at rivers or lakes. He had a
boat, and would take my mom fishing in the morning,
and my brother and I water skiing in the afternoon.
Later my folks bought a cabin in the mountains by a
lake. He loved it up there, and that's where he
wanted to retire.
My dad was a very strong
individual. He had very definite ideas, and you
usually couldn't change his mind. Things to him were
black or white. Very seldom did he see a "gray
area". Made it hard for a kid growing up, and
trying to explain why it was okay to do something!!
My dad's word was the law -- that's it! But I
always knew he was there as a protector, and a rock
to lean on. Nobody messed with his family! He
passed away in Sept 1970. My mom had taken him
to emergancy because he was hurting so bad ~ he died
before he ever saw a doctor. He had cancer --
started from a skin cancer that spread. 
I never knew about
it ~ mom and brother protecting me because I was 2
months pregnant with my second child. All of a sudden
this strong personality was gone, and we were on our
own. My brother and I "circled the wagons", and
protected my mom the best we could. For
awhile, we were like a ship without a rudder. I can still remember the emptiness and pain I felt. I couldn't understand why the world didn't come to a halt.
MY MOTHER ~ While my dad was the "lord and master" of the castle, my mom was the one quietly keeping things running! She was the chief cook and bottle washer! Stayed home, and raised my brother and I.
Whereas, my dad was very rigid and strict ~ we could con my mom into just about anything!
Mom is very gentle and easy going ~ which was fortunate living in a house with three Scorpios! She had three birthday cakes to bake in November ~ no combination birthdays in my family ~ all of us wanted our own cake!
My dad taught us to love the outdoors ~ mom taught us to be able to laugh at ourselves, and to find humor in just about any situation.
Teasing mom was a full time job for my brother and I. When she finally got her drivers license, every time we got in the car ~ we wore our football helmets. That was to give her confidence! We still tease the devil out of her!
Mom always had a cat ~ which my dad tolerated!
Think that's where I got my love for cats. We had a litter of kittens once. I remember the dog checking out those kittens each morning ~ while momma cat purred. When the kittens starting walking around, they would hiss and spit at the poor dog. Finally, momma cat would start rubbing against his legs to show the kittens he was safe. Then the poor dog was really in trouble! Kittens attacked his food dish ~ while he stood back and let them. When they were all running around ~ poor dog was afraid to walk. We had alot of fun with the kittens, but when they started climbing the drapes in the living room ~ mom found homes for all of them.
My mom loves to read ~ always has. Can remember coming home from school to find her curled up in her chair reading away. Before the web, I also enjoyed reading ~ LOL. Now I read the screen instead!
She was always the peace maker in the family ~ running interference between us kids and my dad. Guess like all moms do! We would always go to her first with a question, or "special" request. Felt we had a better chance of getting the answer we wanted!!
After my dad passed away, mom finally got it together and decided to go to work. We were happy to just see her get out of the house. About a year later, she remarried a fella we all knew from up at the lake. He had a cabin behind our's. All of a sudden she was laughing and having fun again. Brother and I were thrilled. They did alot of traveling with his job ~ which my mom had never done before. She is terrified of flying ~ so she would take a train and meet him! Of course, he would be there three days before her!
She finally sold the house I grew up in, and moved to my town. A year or so after the move ~ my stepdad passed away. Thankfully she lives five minutes from my brother and I now ~ and we can keep an eye on things.
She plays bingo twice a week, and has lunch at the senior center with her friends. She has met several "gentlemen", but swears she will never marry again. My brother and I said the next one would have a number ~ not a name! Something about my mom that makes you protective of her ~ fellas find it very appealing!
She still drives around town in her '66 red Dodge! Looks like a tank compared to all the little compact cars around here! She is always getting notes left on her windshield from people wanting to buy it. That car flies down the freeways!
Bill (brother) and I like knowing she is in that car. Any accident ~ she'll be fine!! LOL -- and she can park that baby like a champ! Wheels it around like a kiddie car. Think my car can fit in her trunk!
So now you've met my mom. You'd like her! Gentle, loving, and lots of fun. Always game to try something new, and the first one to laugh at a situation. Remember several times while driving with her in the car ~ that I had to pull over. I was laughing so hard that I couldn't see the road. My grandmother had a great sense of humor, and I think its a VERY strong gene!
Oh yeah, mom also taught us to love clouds, the ocean, and fire engines! Never did a fire engine go by that she didn't check it out! When several went by in an evening ~ we all got in the car to check it out. We ended up watching Sutro's in San Francisco burn to the ground. Think that was a moment in the city's history!!
MY BROTHER ~ He is a unique individual ~ has always lived his life "his way" ~ which has always made me laugh. His logic is sometimes hard to follow! Now ~ before I begin to give you examples of my brother's twisted sense of humor ~ want you to know he has two grown children from a previous marriage, and has an extremely responsible job.
That said ~ here we go!! He loves to tease ~ I had a bad cold one time and lost my voice! Everyone in the family was thrilled something finally silenced me. I must have answered my phone ten times that one day ~ just to hear my brother laughing his head off, and saying he just wanted to hear me croak "hello"!
He kept doing this until my voice came back, and all the fun was gone.
I think the best example of my brother's "finest moment" was the kidnapping! Believe it was on New Year's Day several years ago. Watching the football games, and heard a knock on the door. Answered the door, and nobody was there. Happened to look down, and there was a video tape there. Hmmmm - stuck the thing in the vcr ~ and there is a Garfield tied to a chair! A mean nasty voice said he was being held for ransom. I had twenty minutes to give the "bad guys" what they were asking for (can't remember now what it was!!). Just then the phone rang, and it was my neighbor laughing herself sick. Seems her hubby was looking at the window ~ saw two guys wearing fatigues ~ sneaking up on our car. He was all set to call the cops when she saw what was going on, and told him it was just my brother! He got into my car ~ and kidnapped Garfield off the window! You remember those Garfields we all had on our car windows?
So now I knew who the kidnappers were. My brother and his wife's brother in law. A deadly combination! Just about then ~ another knock at the door. Another video tape. This one showed poor Garfield hanging from a rope ~ saying our time was up!
This went on all day ~ ransom demands ~ video tapes ~ weird phone calls! I finally called my sister in law, and told her I didn't wanna play anymore! She was going nuts at that point with my brother! So Garfield was finally returned safely to his car! Seems my brother was bored, and decided this would start the New Year off with a bang!
My brother also loves black powder guns and cannons. He has a big cannon he always fires off on New Year's Eve. After the first time, his neighbors expect their windows to rattle! He had an old pistol he used to shoot also. I honestly think my brother should have been one of those guys that blows up buildings when they are going to build new ones. The kind where the building is set to fall straight down! He would love that!
Things were kind of quiet for a few years. My brother needed a liver transplant. That was a stressful time to say the least, but I'm going to save all of that for another page. Just sum it up by saying he got the transplant, and is doing just great.
My brother and his wife both love monster movies! Hollywood can't make, or find a monster that will scare those two! As a kid, I saw the Mummy. Scared me to death ~ won't look at a mummy to this day. I go to a museum ~ I get as far away as possible from them. Needless to say, every time a movie is on television about mummies ~ I get a phone call!
They tell me that watching these movies is very educational. No matter what kind of horrible critter invades our town ~ they will know how to kill it. I sleep much easier at night knowing they can handle that emergancy!
So there are the highlights about my brother. He is alot of fun, and has always been there for me. All I ever have to do is pick up the phone, and he is there for me. I've leaned on him alot through the years. Besides being full of the devil, he is warm and loving. He is now married to my best friend from high school! I've never seen my brother as happy as when they got married. The two of them have gone through alot together, and its made them closer.
About My Brother's Transplant HERE
So now you've met my folks and my brother. The people I grew up with, and the people I love beyond words. These deer are very special to me. I feel its kind of symbolic ~ my dad off to the side ~ still watching out for the three of us. We're doing just fine dad.
