“My NEW NAME for doing Hard Work”

Feb 23rd “My NEW NAME for doing Hard Work”

“Powerful Katrinka”

When you hear words and or names that sound… “funny to your ears”…. there is also an old song with those words… as I remember… funny that I should also… think of that phrase, but…

That is what you will do…. when you are a little kid, just keep your mouth shut and listen to what the grown-ups are saying… as some things… just may be about you… and some things are so new and or different and will have a strange way of getting stuck in your brain, somewhere, and maybe forever!

My Mother had the best command of the “English Language” and with her voice and diction – she could have been a stand-in for actress, Betty Davis.

When my Mother wanted your attention – she had that “voice” to let you know exactly, what she wanted and there was no way for you to escape – it came across so very clear!

As I grew – up – taller- and more able to reach and to do that which she was not able to – my Mother would refer to me as her “Powerful Katrinka!”

I always thought that I was the next “Super Woman” since I was able to do whatever Mom wanted me to do!

There was the time, when my Father was not around and not available and with the cold weather coming on… and Mom needed the storm-windows hung and she was unable to do that kind of a job … the heavy lifting and then hanging of six outside storm windows.

First of all… she was not able to carry then up from the basement. (I was the only one around and available to be told …. how you are to carry each of these eight foot long windows up from the basement, and without breaking, to a safe place in the back yard to clean and then when dry to hang.)

We lived in North Saint Louis and you may have seen the windows on some of the old houses. The height was at least 8 foot and all one piece with the hanging hooks at the top.

So, the job for me was to bring each one up from the basement – without breaking – wash both sides and dry. The windows have all been washed on the outside of the house – so that when this storm-window was hung, we would have clean glass to see through.

There were 6 storm-windows for me to hang – now that I am even thinking about those days…just thinking about doing that kind of a job “TODAY”… I’m all worn out… and could not even begin to even think of my doing… such a heavy lifting up and over my head… to attach to those clips above each window that our home had and then holding each window… in place and pushing tight … for MOM to attach to the hooks inside…

While my Mother … who is inside… is trying to pull each window in place…I am standing outside and on my tippy-toes… doing the pushing… for a closed tight fit .. so as that no cold air will be coming into the house during those Winter months!

Just to even think, of me trying to balance each storm window , as well as any of the above work, that… I was required to do… back in those 1950’s era… was too hard and too involved!

This was just another one of those good ole’times… when I was called “Powerful Katrinka!”