“Having lots of FUN on a DIME”
A New Favorite Place
When we did our walks around the new neighborhood, we were in for a real treat. My mother liked good movies and lucky me, I was the one that would get to go with her on “Wednesday!”
The O’Fallon Theatre at 4026 W. Florissant Avenue gave dishes out on Wednesdays and we started collecting the dishes, by going each week.
Before “TV” … going to the movies would be the thing to do.
I do not know what or even remember anything about the admission fees… THEY CHARGE FOR ADULTS… BUT FOR KIDS IT WAS ONLY TEN CENTS.
By going to the O’Fallon theatre with my Mother so often, I was learning how to pay for us to get in and hand the ticket to the person collecting them as we went in, and also to keep my half of the ticket, and where to sit inside, so that we could see the picture.
All of this information was so that… I could bring my brothers to see the movies on Sunday afternoons.
So, after a time and understanding what all I would need to do and of course feeling secure in taking care of my brothers, while in the Theater, we were now ready to go.
Sunday afternoon, I was given three dimes and off we went down Carter Avenue and made a right turn through the gas station at Warne Avenue, and crossed over when I saw the Food Center Store in the middle of the block… because if I went all the way down to the end of the block, it would have been too dangerous crossing the streets, with my brothers.
Where Warne Avenue and Florissant Avenue intersect, the roads have an extra street or two and too much traffic for us little kids to try to look out for?
So, I crossed where I was told it would be safer and we all got to the Theater – safe and sound. There were a lot of little kids who were also there and we were in time to pick out good seats.
Once the shows started, we sat there tied to our seats;
I do not believe we even got up to go to the bathrooms?
There was one picture and then there were newsreels of the WAR NEWS and shorter preview films, then the cartoons – which we really liked, then another movie, and then another movie, and we just had our faces glued to the “silver screen!”
It must have been around nine o’clock in the evening and my Mother was looking for us in the Theatre, and had someone with a “flash-light” to help find us.
She just couldn’t believe that we would sit so long in one spot. But there was no way I was going to be asking someone what time it was in the middle of a movie, so we watched until someone came and got us!
Every time that we were allowed to go to the movies – it was the same old story – we sat, glued to our seats, enjoying whatever was on the silver screen!
“This was long before “TV” … was ever available!”
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“As We AGE… WE Remember Better TIMES”
New Move – New Sites
There is a TIME… for everything, in our Lifetime… a time for LOVE, a time for WORK, and a special TIME for FUN!
So with that thinking… there just has to be an extra special TIME for FUN … for children … and … If children can ever have some extra special “fun times” – it surely should be… before the age of seven!
This new move for us, to north Saint Louis was exactly what I wanted.
Where we lived in the Pine Lawn area… a subdivision of blocks of houses and we were at the bottom of those hills and no stores, strictly residential housing… nothing different… each house nicely planted with nice grass and trees and flowers… each to the liking of of residents living in a dream world!
So now being the oldest child and having more knowledge of what to do… when told by an adult…was NOW able to run to the “Bakery Store” for our morning “cinnamon rolls” and I wrote about the “book mobile”… that I discovered, on the way there … and that is another story… you will LOVE!
Another story I wrote about was the “scary” times walking to the “Drug Store” for hand packed ice cream for all of the family!
Sure am glad that I paid attention to where we were walking and going in those long walks my mother would take us on.
Walking around our brand new neighborhood has always been fun me, from the earliest of days of our going on long walks, evento now and into these days of my seventies, and beyond and those years do seem to just kinda creep up on us… as we are always getting a day older and a dollar short… alone or with other neighbors… that also enjoy sight-seeing … as we will walk and talk in our own “slow poke” walking manner.
During the early 1940’s – we, Americans were engaged in the “WAR” and there were times when the air-raid sirens, sounded and immediately… all lighting inside our house had to be turned off, and those specially made thick drapes, had to be pulled tight shut – not a peep of light to penetrate – or else?
One such evening there was someone banging at the front door, yelling… to… “turn off all lights and pull the drapes tight shut!”
We not only had everything off, but just to see what was going on outside, that night, we all went out and walked to the corner.
There were some other neighbors out and some kids, too.
So, right there in the middle of the street – no traffic – no lights anywhere – you could almost hear a pin drop, outside?
The weather was warm, so I started doing some somersaults, right there in the middle of the intersection.
It was like I was on stage.
And some of the kids joined in, each of us showing off what we could do!
The “search lights” were all over the black skies, looking for enemy planes, and we kids were having so much fun… down here on earth!
“God Bless America!”
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“Living in AMERICA in the 1942 era”
A New Start in 1942
We moved into the north Saint Louis, to an area where the “Brady Family” has lived since coming to America from Ireland!
There was the Fairground Park on one side of where we were living and the O’Fallon Park on the other side.
My mother would take us for long walks throughout the neighborhood, pointing out all of the important places for me to remember – that when the time came – I could find the correct way to get there.
The “Water Tower” on north Grand Avenue then, straight south to Natural Bridge Avenue, where the Northside Theatre was on the one corner and the Drug Store on the corner, and that is where we would stop for a caramel nut sundae.
We could then follow Natural Bridge west to Van deVanter Avenue, and cut through Fairground Park, or go on down to Sarah Avenue and look at the different homes we never saw before, as we aimed toward home.
In the other direction, we would travel on Carter Avenue to Warne Avenue, sometimes stopping in at the “PINK SISTERS” for a Church service, and or go through to the O’Fallon Park.
Sometimes on a Saturday or Sunday we would go on then to Calvary Cemetery to see where the Brady’s and Riley’s were resting, nicely – six feet under!
There was no “TV” – no “GAS” for automobiles – so the best thing to do was to “WALK.”
The air was clean without “gas” fumes and for our health’s sake we were exercising the body and viewing the sites. We were doing what families should be doing today, enjoying the great outdoors while communicating with each other.
Sometimes, we would be walking, and some relative or friend of my mother’s would be also out for a walk or going to a nearby store.
Naturally, we would all stop to catch up on what the current news of the day, namely the war and who had a son or father killed in “ACTION?” Every family in those days was in the same boat, all of us were poor, trading ration coupons, working out “V” gardens, chickens in the garage, collecting newspapers and saving bacon grease in old coffee cans, and all for the “WAR effort!”
The walks we took along Florissant Avenue were some of the best, because there were stores for blocks and blocks.
There was a “5 and 10 dime store,” dress and shoe stores, beauty shop, a meat market, a grocery and vegetables stand store, a “live” poultry store. We would go into the poultry store just to see the “live” chickens.
You would look over all of the “live birds” they had and pick the one you wanted. Someone would take that selected bird to the back killing it, depending on what you were paying them to do clean and dress the bird – prepare it for you to bake or whatever way you plan to have it for dinner.
Best kindergarten school for me was Bryan Hill Elementary School, which was also along Florissant Avenue, and the best teacher, my mother liked her!
“She must have given me good grades… on my report card!”
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“HALLOWEEN” costume Winners are the BEST Today”
“Getting Ready for HALLOWEEN”
“HALLOWEEN” is that one day that all little children get to have a really good time – the children will get to dress up – in some outfits that really look so cute – and are just so much FUN – just the making of them and then watching each child have a really great time – in the best of “Make-Believe” lands.
The PHOTO on the left is our little Miss “JAIME” and she looks like the cutest little and most friendly MOUSE – that you would like to keep… forever.
And then… if ever you wanted to look beautiful… you would get all dressed up like our little Miss “ALYSSA” is seen here, in the PHOTO on the right – and try on a most beautiful of gowns… a “WEDDING DRESS” – that may have only been worn once… before.
This is the “PRE-SCHOOL” class room… where you first get to see how your very own school friends will be all “DRESSED” in their own fancy and sometimes scary outfits, for that big day… HALLOWEEN – and find out where they will be going to do their “trick and treating” – and of course – you will be getting ideas for what your next year’s “HALLOWEEN” costume will look like.
In this PHOTO – we see that the “TEACHER”, herself is dressed like “RONALD MAC DONALD” – which is a very nice out-fit to have – as you can use it… at so many other “PARTIES” and will always be is style.
I do not remember who made “LITTLE MOUSE ” JAIME’s out-fit – but she sure is the cutest little ole mouse – that I have seen – and it looks like all of her friends also like her cute “mouse” out-fit – it just “WINS a PRIZE”… in my book!
“All are Winners”
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“We can only Remember to NOT Forget”
“Happy Birthday to the BEST of MOMs”
This is the most terrific day of days!
The weather is just right and everyone has let me know that it is your Birthday… and they are also singing with me that favorite song of songs…”Happy Birthday to Marie… the best of all MOMs’ in the world!”
“Just have to add one of the Photos that I always liked the mostest and have hanging up for all to see and ask me about!”
This is also one of those prize finds of mine… when I was doing what I do best… looking into everything and all boxes high up in those closets, that no one else seem either to know about… and or completely forgot about?
When I was very little… and my Mother was wondering what I was doing… because I was so quiet… She would ask, “Me Ellen what are you doing?’
And since I was just nosy and too young and too little to use the correct words in a sentence… I would answer… “I’m doing!”
Seems that I was that nosy and most doing child in this world, because … that is the same way that I am today!
“I’m doing… I do not know what I am doing… but, will continue doing… and maybe someday… I will really know what I am doing!”
So… one other prise find for me is the next PHOTO of my MOTHER… and again … could never figure out “WHY” these photos were never hung up on the walls of our home for all to see?
Evidently there is something wrong with them to MOM… but, I sure can not see what is wrong… in my book… they are terrific!
To me… this is a real prize photo… in the photos of babies that are taken today… they just seem, not to have all of the above preparation put into the taking of a “Baby Photo” as they have done in the above photo!
Maybe… because little Marie was the thirteenth child and the last … they wanted everyone to know that she was extra special by adding some jewelry… and that is how… it was done back in the good ole days… of the turn of the Century!
Since this is also… an extra special “BIRTHDAY” remembrance… must add some music that MOM likes and hope this will fill the bill…
and… “The Best Of Classical Music”
Lang Lang wowed tourists in the ‘City of Love’ on Valentine’s Day 2019… as he gave a unique album launch concert in Paris on a boat cruising along the Seine, performing pieces from his new album, Piano Book, such as the French classic ‘Clair de lune’ by Claude Debussy.
With ‘Piano Book’, Lang Lang goes back to his first love – to the pieces that made him want to become a musician in the first place.
“I dedicate this album to my wonderful piano students and all my friends around the world who love the piano as much as I do.” Rediscovering the most popular and accessible pieces written for learners and lovers of the piano, this album is a journey of inspiration, of discovery, fantasy and learning.
‘Piano Book’ gathers together many of the miniatures that generations of amateur pianists have grown up with. Lang Lang holds them in the highest regard, believing them to be classics in their own right.
He wants to encourage piano students across the world to fully appreciate them. Enjoy the video of this famous poetic piece along the landmarks of Paris by night.
“Just have to add some flowers on the table to let you know that I remember how much you also… like to have flowers in the garden growing year round … and also, some flowers brought in… and put in an extra special vase on the dining room table.”
And one more favorite…
“That “Sun-Set Cat” is just… outside… and looking for you!”
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“Lots of LOVE and UNDERSTANDING is Needed”
Some PHOTOS are worth a thousand words, when you just sit back and remember all that was going on then… and stop to think about the life that each of those in the Photo has had… all these many years!
When I had taken the above PHOTO of the big brother Lee Jr., and his new little baby brother AL, just a week or two old at the time of this PHOTO…
It was like nothing else at the time!
When Aunt Irene Riley in Saint Louis received her PHOTO… she immediately has her copy enlarged and framed … so everyone visiting her… could see the two boys, with what she said was their first communicating … as it seems to be going on in this PHOTO!
When you first come home… from the HOSPITAL… with a brand new member of the family… an extra special little baby brother for the older son… now up to three years of age… and as you have told the bigger brother to be expecting a younger brother to be able to play with… to now have someone to play with… this little brother is not exactly ready to do anything with the big brother… as yet!
Here is what I see…
Big brother Lee… said a few words to his new baby brother AL and of course… Baby Al can not talk as yet, but can hear … and is is looking at his big brother Lee, watching the expressions on his face and trying to understand by facial expressions just exactly what is going on… but, since all of this new earthly stuff is all new to him “AL”… he is also learning new ways of doing … that which we do here on EARTH, in the line of communications in this new realm!
It looks to me as if our little AL, is holding his left ear … somewhat toward his big brother Lee… as he can hear something … but he can not understand and does not know how… as yet to respond… as he is here NOW to learn the ways of people here on EARTH.
And of course… we humans here on EARTH… all know, that it does take a couple of years to learn to communicate and to understand all the ways that it is done.
The other noticeable thing that I am picking up from this PHOTO … is that our little Lee has not been informed of the fact that his new little brother was a very small baby… and that small babies do not talk and hear and know everything that we that are a little older know and understand…
Everything in LIFE on this EARTH does take a certain amount of time and understanding to learn and know what you and others are doing and are going to do… at some point in life here on EARTH.
I do not know if there is anybody with a complete understanding of what we the people here on earth are doing… or even trying to do… as so much is going on that no one knows about and or understands… and if we all do not wake up soon… it just might be all over … for all of us.
We all need a lot more LOVE and understanding… to get along with each other … Now and for always!
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