Grandma’s Stories

Feb 22nd Florida Memories pg.2

Key Crest  School in Ft. Lauder dale, Florida. We enrolled  Lee  in this school for  Dancing  Lessons,  Lee may have been around (4)  years old.  Since he had so much energy thought he  would do well in something that would  use a lot of  his ” get up and go ” learning to dance and to practice.  Of course I would take him  for his lessons, and some of us mothers would sit and watch what our children were doing and how the teacher instructed the boys and girls. The steps of dance had names which I wrote in my note book and I also made notes as they were being instructed, so that when we were going to practice that evening I would be able to remember how you do the particular step.

The picture  of the class of dance students with their teacher,   in front of the school   has seven (7) boys and (6) six girls, and I am  so grateful and thankful to have this memory. The pictures we save  are worth thousands of words of memory  – that without the “picture” would be gone forever.

Later in the year, after learning their dance steps and a regular dance  routine .   Lee was in a dance with  just the  girls!  The girls wore a green costume with white fluffy feathery stuff around the bottoms of their short skirts  and Lee  wore a green coat and white long pants. When it came time for the recital to be at the War Memorial Auditorium  and before the show started we found that our family was sitting with families of older dance students. The ages of the students in Lee’s class were from  (4) to (8) years of age. Following the program  and now Lee’s group of girls and he are on stage dancing and I am standing and taking pictures.

Every thing is going so nice on the stage and all of a sudden   – some one with “poor eyesight ” says,  “ that one  little girl must have been too cold   –  she  had to wear long pants!”   I just could not   let everybody think that was a little  girl   and  had to reply,  “Read the program  –  that’s my son, Lee Aldrich!”

Feb 20th Florida Memories pg.1

Florida  pictures of   “Little Lee”   always have action going on. He had and still has more than enough energy to keep every body  wanting to do something  and he never tires out.  Have a picture  in front of me and  Lee is trying as hard as he can to get up on this two-wheeler bike  –  he is maybe two years old  –  and he sure looks like he just might get a leg up and over.  There are two (2) other bikes  in the picture and they are laying on the ground,   so I’m guessing he tried to get up  on each  of those and he  and the bike went down,  so this still standing bike is the last chance?   He’s just not  inclined to give up.  Never has been a quitter?

Several times Lee has brought someone’s bike  to our house and left it  hidden behind my husband, Lee, Sr’s car  –  and of course no one knew it was there  – out of sight, and when my husband would leave early in the morning to open the restaurant up for the breakfast crowd  – Crunch – crunch and a nicely damaged  two wheeler!    We had to  buy and or pay for  more damaged bikes and or have repairs done than any other family I know of!

We bought Lee one of those big three-wheelers – since he was growing and the regular three wheeler  just would not be  for him with his energy. The rear wheels were the height and size of front wheel on the bigger bikes , so he could be seen and was pretty high up and off the ground.

On day, the service man for our restaurant gas appliances called  and said, “I hear you always talking about your son going on long trips from home – have to tell you I saw a small child on one of those big three wheelers – riding  up the Federal Hwy. Just thought you might check  and see if this could be him?” Sure enough  –   that was Lee and we were  “Lucky” to have  relatives up that way to pick him up!   I don’t remember what kind of punishment he received   –  I bet he does!

Would you believe    – Lee is an   “over -the -road -driver “  – Today!

Feb 19th Florida Memories

Looking through old pictures   of when we lived  in Florida, during the 1960’s. The memories of my son Lee, this picture of him , leaving our drive way and headed up the street  –  and down the middle of the street  –  pulling a lawn rake behind. Lee  is just around the age of   ( 2 )  two  – should I say the terrible  “two’s.”  Lee  has a friend the next block down from  us and  Arthur is maybe   (4 ) and has lived in the neighborhood   a lot longer than we!

Now that I think about it  –  Lee  must have  thought it was  “okay” to take our  long handle lawn tools up the street and  just leave them, since I was taking pictures of him  –  dragging them away?   He never brought the tools back  –  have no pictures of anything coming back our way  –  and since we had the Lawn Service Family  taking care of everything outside the house  –  it’s too late now to worry about what we are missing?    No neighbors ever came to the house to complain that my son was dropping off  our lawn tools at their houses?

There was only one time I remember  that I wanted to plant something good smelling  and with flowers and some one told me about the Gardenia bush. So, I picked up a couple containers and planted three containers on the right side  –  just outside the dining room windows.  Then another two containers were planted  on the left side of the house.

Since there is no basement to the  Florida homes –  our  laundry room was on the right side of the house, same side you drive in to area.  The water from the wash machine had to go somewhere so I had a man have a drain  system from the laundry room directed to the area in front of the house where the Gardenias were planted.  The Gardenias on the right side  did a beautiful job  of blooming and the smell was  so wonderful.  The left side did not do too well and never  gave the enjoyment we received from the dining room  side.

If you want a pleasant fragrance year round and a beautiful flower  I  vote for planting  “Gardenias.”