A Home of Our Own

I recently watched the movie “A Home of Our Own” starring Kathy Bates and Edward Furlong. Such a touching movie and that mother was strong as an ox to keep her family together. I won’t spoil the plot by telling you what happened in case you do happen to see it. I only mentioned it because it reminded me of my childhood and the constant moving that we did.

Bear with me. I digress.

Well, before leaving the urban jungle that we called home in Brooklyn NYC I always knew that my father was a shady character. When I was thirteen, my father decided he made enough enemies in NYC after living there all of his mean life, so he decided to move my mom, me, my three sisters, and my three brothers to the state capital. Yup. That’s right. Washington D.C.

I apologize in advance if I offend anyone reading who is from the D.C. area, but that place is off the chain! I learned so much about drug paraphernalia I am surprised that I didn’t become a pharmacist. I would have made straight ‘A’s’.

I also watched a neighborhood kid get shot, numerous drug busts, and one too many fights. After three weeks in that place called home, my mom decided that it was too much trouble to go outside, so we spent the next year and a half watching all of the action from our second story windows. I vaguely remember that we didn’t watch too much television around this time either.

After we were evicted from our gray painted peeling and in desperate need of a paint job house called home, we moved in with some friends in Baltimore, Maryland. My mom had the last of the Hann tribe in D.C. which made the grand total of children that my mother had an even eight. Yup. Five girls and three boys. She was only three shy of the total that my father had. He has eleven kids total. At least, that’s what he told us. But who knows.

Yes, with eleven children under his belt my papa was a rolling stone.

Anytways.

We stayed in Maryland for a total of eight months before heading to that great big state that always shines. Yup. Californ-i-a!

I was fifteen by then and would be sixteen in a couple of weeks of arriving there and it was not pleasant circumstances. We lived in the high desert and we were not aware that it only rained but once a year in the Mojave Desert and we just missed the annual downpour. I was missing the East coast by the time I was sixteen and three days.

After almost two years in the desert we made it back to the East Coast. My father liked driving and it took us almost a week, and he was the only driver. And I didn’t feel sorry not one bit for that mean scoundrel. He was a mean wheel man with caffeinated blood that accelerated his hatred. I was so happy to reach my grandmother’s house.

My grandmother has lived in her home since 1971. A year before her first grandchild (that would be me) was born. She has the same phone number and I’ve know her Queens address since I was six. It was the place that I called ‘home’ away from our multiple ‘homes’ before I married and got my own.

Now when I look at it, we moved so much that I began to look forward to the next road trip that would bring us new adventures, a new place to lay my head, and new friends. I never had a problem making friends, just a problem keeping them.

But we finally settled in VA in 1990, after a long extended-stay at my grandmother’s. I call this place home now, with its southern atmosphere, slow-paced patron’s who take the time to smell the roses (or who drive slow enough to watch them grow), and that everyone knows your family, and you know theirs. All of my children were born at the same hospital, they have the same pediatrician for the last 16 years, we visit the same library, and my children check out the same books now that I picked out when I was a teenager starting off here.

It’s a wonder I don’t get ‘town fever’ for staying put in one place for so long. I guess home IS a place where you lay your hat. Or in my case a Yankees cap.

I am still a New Yorker deep inside.

Bear with it!

Bring on the 'da noise; bring on 'da funk!

The hubby is in a funky mood. As a matter of fact, he’s been that way since we came back from PA. Maybe his blood sugar is low, who knows?!?

What I do know is that we woman are not the only ones who PMS once a month.

But seriously, maybe he is missing his home town, or mom, or sibs. Personally I think he misses his old haunts and childhood friends. I’ve tried asking him but he has his imaginary wall up. And with a wall 6 feet tall, I won’t be climbing over it anytime soon to see what’s on the other side.

So right now I’m letting him have his own way, and when he wants to ‘disagree’ to prove a point, I just let him have at it as long as he doesn’t step over the line or push any of my buttons. Plus it’s amazing to see the looks on the kid’s faces as he attempts to argue without a willingly participant. Nothing says ‘cuckoo’ than a person caught arguing with themselves and answering their own questions as they do so. I never realized how noisy he can be when he is trying to prove his point.

However, I DID have a good time getting away for a while, but there really is “no place like home”. Thanks Dorothy!

While in Philadelphia, I did discover that:

I ) The stores, malls, shopping centers or what have you were very crowded. It was every man for himself, and people didn’t mind pushing you out of the way to get what they wanted. And I thought country people were aggressive!

II ) The F.A.O. Schwartz in Macy’s is overrated. My living room is bigger and has much more toys.

III ) Yes, the taller the buildings are the more clothes people take off and stand in the window. People of all shapes and sizes. I’ve had nightmares for the last 4 nights.

IV ) City traffic is overrated. There ARE some courteous people in Philadelphia.

V ) I haven’t realized that since I started this diet how greedy I really was. The variety of restaurants to choose from is overwhelming. My eyes actually welled up with tears outside of a ‘Crown Fried Chicken’. That is how much I missed eating things that I liked. (Crown Fried Chicken is like KFC, except tastier).

VI ) You can still see the division amongst most of the city dwellers and especially in their neighborhoods. Everyone seems to stick to their own part of town. Who draws these invisible lines anyway?

VII ) I wasn’t mugged while there. However; it was the holidays and everyone kinda sorta seemed to be in a jovial mood. I did keep my fingers crossed, and kept my eyes out for seedy looking people. (Which is hard, because with my paranoia, everyone looks seedy!)

VIII ) Yes, some individuals still do talk loud enough and everyone on the street can hear them. And their not even using a cell phone!

IX ) No jaywalking! People there love their crosswalks. Only they cross and walk in front of your ‘fast and approaching to catch the yellow light car’.

X ) Everyone likes a good party. It seems that the whole city was out to watch the fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Ok, so… there wasn’t no ball to drop, but the fireworks were still nice.

XI ) I never realized that my hubby was a true live comedian. He said something so funny to me that my stomach still hurts from thinking about it. He wanted me to DRIVE in Philly to the local market. ME? DRIVE? In a city that I am so unfamiliar with? Philly with their narrow streets and double parked cars?!? Hey, I’ll drive in NYC ‘cause it is at least familiar, but Philly? No siree, not this chick! Plus I have grown so used to trees and shrubbery being my landmarks that I’ll probably get lost going around the corner. PSST… the hubby hated being the chauffeur, but I enjoyed every bit of the ride.

XIV ) “DON’T BLOCK THE BOX” I’ve seen this sign all over Philly. Of course, ‘ole naiveté me had no idea what the heck that meant until the car in front of us blocked the box and some people walked past hitting the top his car. I told you Philadelphian's love their crosswalks!

So all in all, I really enjoyed the trip. I missed home a bit and noticed the tension level in my neck dissipated. Perhaps getting away for a while did do me some good. Or maybe it was the chauffeuring, or the restaurants that I couldn’t get enough of.

What ever the case, it was good to wake up in my own bed Saturday morning.

*PEACE*