I can talk about somebody who’s approximately my age actually. A very dear friend of mine, whom I knew for years and years who had the best smile and the best laugh and was so talented in so many ways. One of the most creative musical talents I ever met. He was a good friend to me for many years. We were involved in creative endeavors together. He did the musical score for a play I wrote once and that…
I have one. We’ve talked about children remembering their grandparents. Well, I’m a grandma and some of my great memories are spent with my grandchildren, particularly my grandson. He was sick a lot when he was little, had tubes in his ears, put in a couple times. And you know, loss of hearing and so forth. He’s getting better, but he loves to spend time with grandma and I used to get to babysit him when he was too sick…
I get Meals on Wheels delivered to me. Just for noon time, Mondays through Friday, and this one lady says, “You know,”–it sounds like I’m bragging on myself, but the inspiration you know comes from within me–and she said, “I like to come to your door because you always have a smile on your face.” And I said, “Really?” And she said yes I do. And you know, I thought to myself, “I’ve got to keep smiling.” Except for my…
My great grandfather was a special person to me. He recently passed away, he was like ninety-five. Before he passed away he could only sit in a chair, but I have some vague memories of him from when I was young. He would make some chocolates and cookies and all kinds of sweet little treats.
Adult: Who is your important person? Kid: Our grandma. Adult: Your grandma. Can you tell us about your grandma? What’s something special about your grandma? What do you do with her that you really like? Kid: She takes us out to movies. And we stay the night at their house. Parent: That’s especially special because we’ve only been living back here for a year and so you get to spend lots of time with grandma now. Yeah, because…
Well, I was lucky because I had two grandmas. I remember my dad’s mom, who was born on an island and came over probably when she was nineteen or so. I don’t believe that she ever did learn to read and write. As a farm wife in northern Iowa, you know, it was hard times, in the twenties and thirties. There were stories of her helping neighbors who had kids that were sick. But when she was older and she…
My first memory of music is when I went to a camp when I was four or five years old, and I fell in love with music. And I remember the first group I really got into was Peter, Paul, and Mary. And I think the first songs that I remember that we sang at camp were Marvelous Toy and Day in the Sun.
In keeping with this Christmas theme… My dad went to school at Harvard and saw the big brass bands, and so he came back and he said, “ I want to do that here.” And he’s done that with friends and so every year they will go sort of around this area and downtown to businesses and go and play carols. And they’ve gone along, and you know, I’ve joined them. A couple of years ago, I thought I was…
At Christmas time we’d go to church. Our family would have Christmas on Christmas, and when we came home from church we were sent to the basement while they were running around upstairs kind of getting out the presents to put under the tree. And we had an old-time victrola which you wound up. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen one, a victrola that you wound up. And we had Christmas carol records that were all in German. And…
I came of age about the same time as Elvis. Well, that’s the music I remember and Elvis and Ricky Nelson and the Everly Brothers. You know, back in the day, and I think that what I really liked was the harmony. So I got into the Beach Boys a little bit and then into folk music with some really good harmonies, and that’s why I like the Family Folk Machine so much. I just love listening to these people…