Friday, August 27, 2010

Sepia Saturdays: Grandpa Was Right!


Grandpa always said "Grandma was the most beautiful woman in the world."

Turns out he was right.

John Ignatius Grocholski and Clara M Lipke c. 1910


I did not know these beautiful pictures of my grandparents, existed until their youngest daughter, Mary, a beauty in her own right, shared them with me in July of this year. I had only known Grandpa John and Grandma Clara from more contemporary pictures, and as I remembered them in life.

Clara's Edwardian gown, though high necked and long sleeved, looks comfortable, cool and crisp to the touch. I love the material, the textures, the brightness, the tucks and lace. The beautiful roses, probably picked from the garden, look fresh and scented as roses once were.

She looks serene and content with her choice while grandpa seems to barely contain his pride and happiness with his new bride. Grandpa once shared the story of his wedding day with me. A Polish band and his groomsmen met at his house. The lively procession picked up attendees and passers by along the way as they paraded to young Clara's home. From there, John escorted Clara, her family and bridesmaids to the church. Later, and after these photos were taken, they celebrated for three days in fine Polish tradition.

They raised seven children with love and laughter through two wars and the Great Depression. Their home was the gathering place for a multitude of friends and a large family.

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Joe, Margaret, Mary and John (November, 1942).

The picture above shows four of their seven children. (L-R) Joe, my father, will be married the following October to my mother, Delphine. He tried to join the service, but all four branches turned him down because of his eyesight. John is about to be married, will join Marines and come home safely after serving in the South Seas and then in Germany during the liberation of the concentration camps. Mary and Margaret have both taken war time jobs. Between the four of them they will have 14 children (seven of which include me and my siblings). The oldest son, George, is not in this picture - perhaps he is the one taking the picture. Two tiny daughters with blonde curly hair, Genevieve and Dorothy, died of encephalitis when they were toddlers. Aunt Margaret still cried when she spoke of them 50 years later.

Everyone is gone now, except Aunt Mary who at age 86 is still beautiful and still has her often used youthful laugh.

Stop by our host, Alan Burnett's Sepia Saturday Blog for more family photo fun.


Monday, August 23, 2010

The Affects of Peek-a-boo on Today's Society



Peek-a-boo! It is I, the absented blogger. Happy Postcard Friendship Friday!



Posted October 10, 1911. Message: Dear Hazel, how is everything in Alpine? Wish the picture on the other side was W.S. and (?). Will write you a letter tomorrow. Answer soon. Zack

The somewhat cryptic message about W.S. and (?) leads me to believe that Miss Pendorf is not Zack's peek-a-boo paramour. I am sorely disappointed. However, I also understand that this racy innuendo of a card would not get past Mother Pendorf's hand. She will be mortified that Postman Pete has probably read the card. No-last-name-Zack will be banned from dinner table conversation and all house parties forthwith.

The Effects of Peek-a-boo on Society

It has long been known that playing peek-a-boo has an understated importance in the cognitive development of babies. Yes it does. This simple game teaches the concept of object permanence. Object permanence is the understanding that even if an object cannot be seen, heard, or touched, it still exists.



Piggy Peekaboo - Peekaboo in its sweetest form

Thanks to Fisher-Price, Disney and the trucking industry, the concept of object permanence is clouded by the false notion that everything is always there unless it has been recalled. Example: There are no seasonal fruits. No need to wistfully look forward to spring rhubarb, summer cantaloupe or winter pomegranates. The trucking industry brings us Chinese cherries in January, Batswanian tangerines in July and Norwegian sardines any time that, somehow, a can happens to be sold off the shelf. On the other hand, if there is no rhubarb, cantaloupe or sardines on the grocery shelf one tends to believe they do not exist.

Children who have not been instilled with the concept of object permanence grow to adulthood without a clue that although some things may not be right in front of their face, that does not mean it doesn't exist.

A simple example of this is April 15th. Every single year. Adults everywhere are caught completely off guard and unawares. Every single year. They end up in long lines at the Airport Post Office to postmark their taxes by midnight. Had these adults received ample peek-a-boo time as infants it might have occurred to them that..oh, I don't know....just because their month-at-a-time calendar view says it is March doesn't mean that April does not exist.


An Example of Object Permanence

Examples of Adults who suffer from lack of peek-a-boo and the permanent object of their downfall:

Person / Permanent Object Overlooked
Saddam Hussein / US Armed Forces
Lindsey Lohan / Common Sense
Texting Driver/ Mack Truck
Kim Jong-il / Effects of Toni Home Permanents
Watergate Participants / Martha "Mouth of the South" Mitchell
John Wilkes Booth / Bunting Safety Hazard
Alolph Hitler / The Rest of the World
Marie Antoinette/Cake Ingredients
Cain/God
Roger Chillingworth/ The Devil
Tiger Woods/Unlimited Texting Upgrade





People Who Play Peek-a-boo For a Living

The effects of the lack of peek-a-boo are seen daily in criminal activities. The average criminal has no concept of the following permanent objects: security cameras, concerned citizens, scorned women, GPS, CSI SWAT FBI, Mom.

After committing the crime the criminal falsely believes, that if hidden, he does not exist. He/she finds the mistruth in this paradigm when S.W.A.T stops by to play the adult form of peek-a-boo: POLICE! DROP YOUR WEAPONS! COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEADS!


Apprehended Adult Playing Late Stage Peek-a-boo

The criminal, handcuffed and on his way to the hoosegow, finally understands the rules of the game (except in the case of the smirking Bernie Madoff)and invariably attempts to play peek-a-boo with the press and a mob of infuriated bystanders by hiding her eyes. Very effective.


Example of Object Permanence oft overlooked by society as a whole


Do your part. Play peek-a-boo with your babes! Play peek-a-boo with the cute baby in the grocery store and the one looking over Mom's shoulder in church.

Peekaboo to you!

Thank you to several of my dear bloggie friends who have inquired as to my apparent permanent lack of existence. Just the usual attention span deficit.

For more Postcard Friendship Friday Fun stop by and see Beth at The Best Hearts Are Crunchy