Hello WRITE ON READERS,

My blog today will be different from my short stories, which are fictional, and memoirs, which reflect and share my experiences from childhood to the present.

As a retired senior, I have experienced many things in my life and learned what is good and what is bad. I learned to treat all people with respect regardless of their color, creed, or living conditions, and where they lived. I am accepting and welcoming to all people, even those with the most difficult of personalities. I have known the very rich and the very poor.

In fact, I spent many years of my working life helping people who were struggling to get from point A to point B. And that included people who were mentally ill, and adolescent boys and girls who had a rough start to their lives. And people who lived in poverty in places like Camden, New Jersey. While I worked with Wilson Goode, I made every effort to find resources for them so that they could afford to remain in their homes, have food on the table, access healthcare, and ensure their children had access to education.

After I retired, I decided that I needed a break from Social Services, and I have been volunteering at an animal sanctuary here in North Carolina for the past nine years. In addition, I started writing short stories and memoirs in my blog, WRITE ON. I have written over 200 stories and memoirs in the past nine years, since my retirement.

But at this point, while our country is going through a terrible transition from a Democracy, where we all have rights as American Citizens, our present leader, Donald Trump, has chosen to do the unthinkable at every turn. Every single day, a new nightmare for us to confront. I will never understand why the Republicans chose this man, this low-life, this spoiled rich man to represent and preside over, not once, but twice, now we find ourselves under his thumb yet again. For me, it feels like an ongoing nightmare, I kid you not.

I will never forget the vision of Trump on the internet, coming from the meeting he had with Putin, he looked like a whipped dog. I absolutely knew that somehow, Putin had Trump under his thumb and that we, the American citizens and the rest of the world, were going to suffer the consequences, and it would not be good; in fact, it was going to be an ongoing nightmare. And that is precisely what has happened.

And what I will never, never understand is why, why would anyone in their right mind, vote for this low-life not once, but twice. And here we all are in a recurring nightmare. Trump has every intention of destroying our Democracy, our country, and cares absolutely nothing for we Americans except for the wealthy ones, whom I do not doubt that he will nickel and dime to death. Which serves them right as far as I am concerned because they care nothing for all the rest of us, nor do they care that they are just as guilty as Trump is, as he destroys all that is good in America.

And let’s consider some of the “so-called” experts that Trump has placed in our government. Robert S. Kennedy, let me be clear: this man does not hold a medical degree by any stretch of the imagination. He has no business telling Americans not to get vaccinated; he needs to keep his lying mouth shut before he kills people with his bulshit.

Honestly, I would have to write a book to spell out all the things that Trump is and has done to our democracy; his main goal is to end it. He is Putin’s puppet if any of you haven’t realized that yet, it’s time to wake up, people. 

In addition, one of Trump’s promises to American Citizens when he ran for his second term was that all Americans would have access to healthcare. Did that happen, people? “Well, hell no, it didn’t happen. In fact, healthcare access legislation, such as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” could lead to millions losing health insurance coverage due to cuts to Medicaid and changes to the Affordable Care Act. Trump doesn’t give a good god damm about American Citizens’ health care. All he cares about is connecting with the rich Americans. President-elect Donald Trump has assembled the wealthiest presidential administration in modern history, with at least 13 billionaires set to take on government posts.

They include a wrestling magnate, a private space pioneer, a New York real estate developer, the heir to a small appliance empire, and the wealthiest man on the planet — with several being donors and close personal friends of the incoming president.

In total, the combined net worth of the wealthiest members of his administration could surpass $460 billion, including Department of Government Efficiency co-head Elon Musk — whose net worth of more than $400 billion exceeds the GDP of mid-sized countries.

So, have any parts of your lives improved because of the things Trump has done, including getting rid of Medicare and Obamacare? They have certainly not improved the lives of anyone in our country so far, have they?????

Let’s go back in time for a moment. Do any of you remember Trump’s response to COVID-19? He told us that we shouldn’t let it control our lives. The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus eclipsed 400,000 on Tuesday in the waning hours in office for President Donald Trump, whose handling of the crisis has been judged by public health experts a singular failure.

President Donald Trump signed his domestic policy bill into law on July 4, 2025. The legislation makes sweeping changes to U.S. healthcare.

The bill is expected to reduce healthcare spending by roughly $1.1 trillion and result in 11.8 million people losing health insurance over the next decade, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. So, people, what do you think of Trump’s plan to cut health care for almost 12 million Americans? Which is 1/5 of our nation’s population. Does that seem like someone who gives a good god-damn about Americans? Hell no, he only cares about the rich, let’s face it he is not the President for ALL THE PEOPLE, only the freaking rich Americans. Stop fooling yourselves. It remains to be seen whether Trump will cut Social Security and Medicare. But, people, I am not holding my breath because Trump has proven himself to be a liar and a manipulator. I don’t believe a word out of his lying mouth. We will have to wait and see what happens, probably in the very near future.

I will be writing another blog about what Trump is going to do to us in the near future. Trust that I will tell you what is really going on, and anot the bullshit that Trump says.

It’s hard to believe, but nonetheless it’s true. I am seventy-four years old. It seems like just yesterday when I graduated from high school. I attended St. Mary of the Angels Academy in Haddonfield, New Jersey. It was an all-girls high school. I graduated in 1969. That’s right, 1969. My parents did not have the income to send me to college.

So, I had to get a full-time job. And, believe it or not, I landed a full-time job right out of high school. I was offered a position as a dental assistant to Dr. Edward G. Wozniak. His wife had attended St. Mary of the Angels Academy as well, and they felt they would definitely find a good employee from St. Mary of the Angels Academy.

So, several months after I graduated, I was offered a job at Dr. Wozniak’s dental office. And, believe it or not, I fit right in. The Wozniaks were wonderful people, and Dr. Wozniak taught me everything I needed to know to become a dental assistant. I worked there for almost four years. I liked the job very much, and I took to it right away. I learned how to assist the dentist and make phone calls to patients the day before their appointments. I also made appointments for the patients. And called them to remind them of their appointments or their children’s appointments.

I was a chairside assistant, and in addition, I developed X-rays and assisted at the chairside. I found that I enjoyed talking to the patients, and I was able to calm any patient who was afraid of the dentist and dental work, as I began to realize that my quiet demeanor and voice helped calm them. It turned out that the patients who were most fearful of dental work were me. However, some occasional women would start crying.

One day, Dr. Wozniak had a patient scheduled for an hour and a half. I’ll never forget her, she came right on time and Dr. Wozniak told me to seat her in the front room. She was an older woman, at least to me, as I was about nineteen at the time. I was the chairside assistant,t so I stood next to the patient and handed Dr. Wozniak the instruments. The patient seemed old to me, but that was because I was so young at the time. She was probably about forty.

Well, Dr. Wozniak anesthetized her so that she wouldn’t feel any pain, and then he began extracting one tooth after another. I kept looking at Dr. Wozniak. I felt like he wasn’t going to stop extracting her teeth, and he didn’t. He kept going until all her teeth were removed. That was about the time I started crying, and then I passed out. When I came to, I found myself lying on the couch in their living room. I had never been in the Wozniaks’ living area before. Mrs. Wozniak had put a cold compress on my forehead. I started crying again. I wondered how it came to be in their living room. Mrs. Wozniak said, “Susan, you passed out. Dr. Wozniak had to carry you in here and let you rest until you felt better. Guess what I did? I started to cry again. I said, “ I want to go home. So, as soon as I could sit up, Mrs. Wozniak walked me out to my brand new 1970 yellow Volkswagen. I went home. I decided that I had had enough of dental work, and I was going to get a new and different job.

The next morning I didn’t get up early and go to work, I told my parents I wasn’t going to go to Dr. Wozniak’s office again. My parents were upset because up until the day before, I had been working there. Just about then, Mrs. Wozniak called our house. I lived in a different town, about a twenty-five-minute drive from the dental office. My mother talked quietly on the phone to Mrs. Wozniak and then my mother called me into the kitchen and said, “ Mrs. Wozniak said, “you have to come to work, they need you, Dr. Wozniak needs you, You have to go to work. So. Susan, go in and get your uniform on and get ready to go. I‘ll pack you a lunch. So, sure enough, that’s exactly what I did/ I wasn’t in the habit of disobeying my parents. So, if they said I had to go. Then I would go. 

I was nervous on the whole ride to Dr. Wozniak’s office, but I went there. When I arrived, when I walked into the office, they were both waiting for me. And they had smiles on their faces. They said that they missed me so much, and I was an excellent dental assistant, and they wouldn’t want to lose me. So, I looked at them, and they looked back at me with smiles on their faces. And I said, “OK, I’m alright, I just didn’t know you were going to pull all her teeth out. They smiled. Mrs. Wozniak gave me a quick hug, and Dr. Wozniak said, “ Let’s get to work, Susan. The first patient of the day is on their way. And sure enough, I heard the doorbell ring, and I went into the waiting room and directed the patient into the exam so they could get X-rays. And that was the beginning of a new day. I never passed out. Since Dr. Wozniak made a point of telling me when he was going to extract all of somebody’s teeth, and I wouldn’t have another horrible surprise.

I worked for Dr. Wozniak for several more years. Until I decided that I had to work in a different job because I had only Sundays off, and I didn’t have time for a personal life. And at the time, I wanted to find a boyfriend more than anything. And life went on, and eventually I found another job writing and selling high-risk Auto Insurance with the Ellis Brothers. And that was the beginning of a new chapter in my life.

Little did I know, but I had many adventures ahead of me and a variety of different types of employment. You will have to wait for the next chapter, my friends, until then, take care.

This might seem like a strange subject to write about. However, I have recently had one bad experience after another with biting and stinging insects. I am a baby boomer, and when I was a child growing up in New Jersey, we all looked forward to Summer vacations. Unfortunately, New Jersey was a hotbed for mosquitoes during the Summer. And the number of biting insects did not decrease despite the mosquito truck that drove through our town, spraying DDT in Maple Shade, New Jersey, all Summer long, every night.

In fact all the kids in town would stay out late in the dark just so, we could follow the mosquito truck that was sprying DDT and we would all ride our bikes right behind the mosquito Truck until it was late at night and we would hear ours mothers yelling,” time to come in now.” We would all have bites from head to toe, and there wasn’t a whole lot that could be done about it.

In addition, we didn’t have air conditioning. My parents had fans in their bedroom windows. But we just had windows, some had screens to keep the bugs out, but some didn’t. In the morning, we would wake with mosquito bites from head to toe. But that wouldn’t keep us from going out every night after dinner in the dark to play with our neighborhood friends.

I came from a family of six siblings. My twin and I slept in the same bed. My next-oldest siblings slept in the bed next to us. My eldest sister, Jeanie, had her bed, and my big brother had his own room. Their rooms were sweltering as well. Believe me, Summer was rough on all of us. Some of our neighbors had window air conditioners. Eventually, my parent got a window air conditioner. But the rest of us continued to sweat and scratch mosquito bites. I kid you not. It was rare for a family to have air conditioners. My father and mother eventually got a window air conditioner. Over time, my older siblings got married and moved out. My twin and I remained at home until we were twenty. 

So, this is all old news, but just yesterday, I walked out to our greenhouse, which is located in our backyard. We live in North Carolina now. And as it turns out, North Carolina has its share of biting and stinging insects. And for some reason, I can not determine that they constantly hone in on me. My first experience here in North Carolina was somewhat of a highly unpleasant surprise. A small bathroom joins my bedroom. And I had a small dresser next to the window. And one morning, I went into the bathroom and looked into the top drawer, and without any warning, I was overrun and bitten by Red Ants. And if you haven’t experienced them, it is a whole new level of pain. The ants had somehow entered the side window and then infiltrated my top drawer, and when I stuck my hand in the drawer, hundreds of red ants ran up my hand and arm and began biting me nonstop. The only solution I had was to jump into the standing shower and wash the little Fer’s off. The bites were everywhere and burned like crazy and hurt for many days. This was my welcome from North Carolina.

I have to remember that New Jersey is the most mosquito-laden place I’ve ever been. So, everywhere you go, there are negative experiences. Life is struggles, but we all learn to adapt to sometimes difficult conditions, no matter how big your house is, or how nice it is. There are always experiences that are not pleasant at times. LIFE IS A CHALLENGE. I lived in New Jersey, Florida, California, and now North Carolina.

I loved the people in New Jersey, where I grew up. The people are friendly and outgoing, and California was like that, too. And the weather in California is wonderful. And it is a beautiful place to visit or live in. I loved Florida as well; it’s gorgeous, however, it’s hot, hot, hot, and you’d better have central air or air conditioners in every room, or you’ll cook. I kid you not. And don’t let me forget to mention that Florida has Palmetto Bugs. Palmetto bugs, commonly known as Florida woods cockroaches, are a frequent sight in Florida homes. These large cockroaches, while not typically considered pests like their German or American counterparts, can still enter homes and become a nuisance. They are attracted to moisture and decaying plant matter, often finding their way indoors through cracks and openings. And let me tell you folks, these “bugs” are giant, and if you don’t make every effort to keep them out of your house, they will overwhelm you. Just gross, they are very similar to the Cockroaches in New Jersey—those who live in damp places. In New Jersey, most people have cellars, and beneath almost all NJ homes are streams, and the streams promote the Cockroaches, and if you don’t eradicate them, your home will be overwhelmed by them.

But, as I mentioned, the mosquitoes in New Jersey are evil and will make your life miserable if you don’t get rid of them before they start reproducing. You will find them on your kitchen counter, on the floor at night, and pretty much everywhere.

So, I guess you are wondering why I am writing a story about biting insects. Well, as I was trying to explain earlier, I had a bad experience. We have a greenhouse in our backyard, where we grow most of our vegetables. The greenhouse is located right next to the vegetable garden.

I walked into the greenhouse and was getting bird seeds for all the birds I feed in the front and back yard. So, I wasn’t paying close enough attention, and suddenly I felt a painful sting on the heel of my left foot. I had sandals on. And my foot started to burn, and itch like crazy. I looked down and a wasp stung me. Let me tell you that I smarted. And here it is, forty-eight hours later, and it is still burning and stinging. And the heel of the foot is swollen and stinging like hell, and this was twenty-four hours ago.

And believe it or not, this is not the first experience I’ve had with biting insects here in North Carolina. I’m not blaming NC. Bugs are everywhere. When we first moved to our current home, I put a small dresser next to the window in our bathroom. About a day later, I was on the receiving end of a couple of hundred red ants swarming all over me. The ants had infiltrated the top drawer of my dresser. I had welts and bites all over. It was a nightmare. I was sore for weeks. And let me tell you, I would never want to experience that again.

However, it happened to me again just yesterday. I went into our little green house and was looking at the plants and getting some birdseed out to fill up all my bird feeders. And out of the blue, a WASP flew over to my foot and stung my left heel. And it swelled up like a balloon in no time, and here it is, a full twenty-four hours later, and my ankle is still swollen. All I can say is OUCH.

I know that insects have bitten everyone over their lifetime. But let me tell you, people, insects really seem to have it out for me. They have some vendetta, I assure you. Take care to carry bug spray with you at all times. Better prepared than not..

A bit of advice, if you find a few ants in your house, there are more somewhere else in your home. Get rid of them asap. Luckily, here in North Carolina, we have Anoles and Skinks, which reduces the sheer amount of biting insects. And let’s not forget the Japanese beetles that arrive at the end of the summer, and they gorge on all our plants. 

What can I say, folks, the birds, the bees, the mosquitoes, all a part of nature, take it or leave it. However, we all love summer and going to the beach, as well as taking long walks in the pleasant weather. By the end of Summer, we have had enough of long, hot, and humid days and look forward to Fall. Life goes on.

My Dear Mother, whom I loved with all my heart. The kindest person I’ve ever known.

Once upon a time in a land far, far away from here lived a little girl named Susie. She looked similar to all the other little girls in the neighborhood. But she was different in many ways. She had a different perspective on life than the other girls her age in her neighborhood. She had several girlfriends on her street. But her true friends were all the cats and dogs, squirrels, and birds with whom she spent many hours sitting out in the backyard, observing what the animals did. And sometimes she pretended to be a bird and attempted to fly, but unfortunately, she could only fly in her imagination.

Her parents would often ask Susie what she had been doing all day, and she would tell them she had talked to all her animal friends and told them stories. Her parents would look at each other, and her mother would say,” Don’t worry, she just has an active imagination. She will outgrow all these crazy ideas that she can talk to the animals. Susie especially liked talking to her neighbor, Mrs. Collins, who had over twenty cats as pets, and they would climb out the cellar window into a fenced-in area that went the length of Mrs. Collins’s large backyard. Susie would often spend all day talking to the cats and Rudy, Mrs. Collins’ dog.

Mrs. Rice, who lived in the house next to Susie’s home, often asked Susie, “Who are you talking to, Susan? And Susie would say, “To the cats, of course.” Mrs. Rice would shake her head and say,” What a strange child.”

Susan didn’t care what Mrs. Rice said about her or what anyone said about her. She loved animals and she always would. She didn’t care what anyone said about her. Even her sisters thought she was weird. But, Susan didn’t care what they or anyone else thought about her.

Susan liked to tell people stories, sometimes she made up the stories, and sometimes they were things that happened to her. Susie was truly a unique little girl. She had a wonderful imagination. And she often told her family far-fetched stories. Sometimes the stories were true, and sometimes the stories were a product of her imagination. But it seemed real to her.

In addition to Susan’s imagination, she had a sense of humor and was always telling jokes or making up wild stories of things she had done or wanted to do in the future. Susan loved to hear stories, and once she learned to read, she would visit the town library and borrow as many books as the librarians would allow her. Sometimes, when she was in her classroom she would start daydreaming and not pay attention to the teachers (who were nuns.)

And they would call out her name, and if she didn’t respond, the nun would come down the aisle and tell Susan to put out her hands, and the nun would hit Susan’s small hand with the sharp metal edge of the ruler. Susan would never allow herself to cry in front of the class or the nun.

Susan was a highly imaginative child; she tended to make up wild stories about all of the adventures she had when she wasn’t in school. Everyone would laugh, but the fact was that many times her stories were true. But her friends would listen to her stories, transfixed, but unsure whether they should believe a word she said. But, still, they were attracted to her because of her wild imagination. And they never got bored because Susan would suggest going on a bike ride where they had never been, or going to the clay pits on the outskirts of town, and they would dig in the clay and find really weird and interesting objects in the muddy clay.

As Susan grew older, she began to ride her bike farther and farther away from her home. Even crossing a highway. One hot summer day, Susan decided she wanted to go swimming, and she remembered that there was a hotel right off of Route 73, only about a mile away from her house. She talked her best friend into going with her, and they both rode their bikes down to the hotel. Susan had told her friend to wear her bathing suit under her shirt and shorts.

And after a twenty-minute bike ride and crossing Route 73 to the hotel, they arrived, and Susie and Joanie opened the gate to the built-in pool and spent the afternoon swimming in the deep end of the pool on floats. Neither of them was an excellent swimmer, and at one point, the lifeguard told them they had to get out of the deep end because they were in danger of drowning. So, they did. And they still had fun, until they realized that both of them were sunburned from their heads to their toes. And they knew that the rest of the week, they were going to experience some sunburn pain, not a good thing.

Neither one of them went outside for the rest of the week unless it was dark out, since they were sunburned from head to toe. Their parents didn’t even ask them where they had been. As long as they got home on time for lunch or dinner, their parents never asked them where they had been or where they went. They just said, “Don’t be late for dinner or lunch.”

Susan’s parents never questioned her whereabouts. If she got home in one piece, that was good enough for them. Susan had a childhood filled with friends and adventures. No one ever questioned where she had been or what she had been doing. She must be home for lunch or dinner on time. And she always was on time.

Susan was quiet at home and rarely got in trouble, although she and her sister didn’t get along too well and avoided one another. Her older siblings pretty much ignored her as well. And told her to stay out of their rooms.

Susan’s childhood was generally fun, as she had many friends in school and the neighborhood. She tried not to get in trouble at school. However, she didn’t put much effort into her homework or classwork. Nonetheless, she moved from one grade to the next with little difficulty. Over time, her teachers recognized that she was a gifted child who excelled at telling stories, drawing, and coloring better than her peers. They knew she was capable of doing better in her classwork, but didn’t try very hard.

As Susan grew up, she realized that she truly loved reading books. And she loved to tell stories.

And as time moved forward, Susan did as well, by the time she was in high school. She put more effort into her school work, but no more than she wanted to. Susan graduated from high school with no clear idea of what she wanted to do. She was offered a job as a dental assistant by Dr. Edward G. Wozniak, whose wife had attended St. Mary’s of the Angels Academy, where Susan had also attended high school.

And sure enough, Susan was hired and spent the next five years of her life working as a dental assistant. She was quite good at it. And she made enough money to put the down payment on a 1970 Volkswagen, which she drove for many years. And that yellow Bug was one of the first loves of her life.

At some point, Susan decided that although she liked working at the dentist, she didn’t have any time left to have fun, go out with boys, go to the beach, and so on. She applied for another position selling high-risk auto insurance at the Ellis Brothers in Haddon Township, NJ. And a new chapter of her life began.

Stay tuned for part two. I will post the next chapter of Susan’s life next Wednesday.

     Once upon a time, when I was thirty-six years old, I decided to go to college. It was 1988. That’s right, I said college. Not only was I thirty-six years old, but I also had two young daughters. Jeanette was six years old, and Bridget was three. I didn’t have the opportunity to attend college at the traditional age of eighteen. My parents did not have the money to send me to college. I started working full-time as a dental assistant at eighteen. When I was twenty-two my now husband and I started seeing each other. He had just gotten out of the Navy. He was my best girlfriend’s boy cousin, and I had known him since I was about ten years old, and I had always had a crush on him. His family was living in Florida at the time. We corresponded for about a year. And I decided to move to Florida, and the rest is history. I found a job and started working full-time for an insurance Company. I hated that and decided to go to hairdressing school. It was called the Florida Beauty Academy.
Meanwhile, Bob was working late shifts. Ultimately, he decided he wanted to go to Brooks Institute for Photography, and he applied and was accepted. So, the next thing we knew, we were on our way to California. After he graduated, we decided to move back to the Philadelphia area for better opportunities in Photography.

This is our former home in NJ where I taught Art for many years to children and adults.

     We temporarily lived with my parents for about a year until Bob decided we should buy a house. Since he had served in the military, we could buy a house without paying down. The house was about twenty-five years old and needed some work. It was only about a fifteen-minute drive to my hometown of Maple Shade, where my parents lived.

     At this point, I realized that if we were going to have a family, we better get started since I was about to turn thirty. Unfortunately, it took me several years to become pregnant. First, Jeanette was born, and then Bridget three years later. Bob had found a good job by then, but unfortunately, it was not in photography; it was in electronics. As it turned out, he was quite successful working in electronics.

     Time flew by quickly, and Jeanette and Bridget grew up before I knew it. Jeanette went to kindergarten and first grade, while Bridget, three years younger, was in daycare. Meanwhile, I decided that sometime in the not-too-distant future, I would go to college. Since I did not have that opportunity after graduating from High School, I worked full-time as a dental assistant for several years.

     I had to take an exam before I was accepted into Temple University. I passed and was accepted into the Freshman Class the following September. The first day of my Freshman class I was the first to arrive even the teachers hadn’t arrived yet. So, I walked all around the campus, and the first person I met was a middle-aged man working in the front gardens. I asked if he could direct me to the Graphics design classroom. It turned out that he had a heavy Irish accent. But, somehow, I managed to figure out what he was saying. He told me to follow him and walked me to the correct building.

     I was the first one to arrive—shocking, huh? I decided to walk around the rest of the campus until it was almost time for the rest of the student body to show up. I kept peeking at the parking lot to see if anyone had arrived. Finally, I just sat down at one of the desks and waited. Finally, some students, really young-looking students, started coming into the classroom and sitting down.

     Every single one of the students, male and female, asked me if I was the instructor. After a while, I said, No, I’m not the teacher. And then they would look at me again. I guess they couldn’t imagine that I was a student. Considering that I was twice their age, I didn’t blame them. Over time, I made it my business to befriend every student in all my classes. And sure enough, they came to accept me as a fellow student and forgot about the age gap.

     When the Graphic Design teacher came in, she did a roll call. She gave me a long look, but once she realized my name was on the list, she just let the whole age thing go. As the day went on and I went to each class I was scheduled to take the first day, I began to feel comfortable in my skin and kept up my promise to introduce myself to every student in each class and ask them about themselves.

     The next day that I went to Temple, I decided that every day I would sit at a different lunch table and talk to the students at the tables, ask them their names, what class they were in, and what degree they were working towards. I even decided to introduce myself to everyone who worked at Temple, regardless of their position, lunch lady, professor, or staff member in the office. I befriended everyone over time.

     I must admit that attending college full-time with two young children was no piece of cake. My youngest, Bridget, was in a Christian Day Care Center. Jeanette was in elementary school. After school, my friend Maryanne Czyzewski’s husband watched them until I arrived home. They had a daughter who was a year younger than Jeanette. When I was on Spring Break or during the Summer, I didn’t take any college classes. And I would take care of Maryanne and Jimmy’s daughter, Laura, every weekday until they came home from work. She was a sweet little girl with no trouble at all. Jeanette loved her.

     The four years at Temple were challenging, to say the least. I went to school all day, did homework and research at night, and completed required drawings and paintings for classes, not to mention the hours and hours I spent reading textbooks on Science, history, etc., and studying for tests.

     The most time-consuming work was graphic design. I can’t tell you how many hours I spent on graphic design work for four years. I studied and completed complex paintings and the work for all my other classes. It was intense and time-consuming, but I loved it. I enjoyed the challenge, the students, and most of the teachers.

     It was the most challenging and exciting time of my life. I would do it all again. I graduated in 1992, when I was forty-one years old. I received a standing ovation when my name was called out at graduation. I never had a prouder moment than when I was handed my diploma.

     And all the students clapped their hands when my name was called out, and I accepted my diploma. I spent the rest of the Spring and the Summer with my kids and sent resumes to all the elementary and secondary schools in New Jersey. And I received no responses. Then, I found that New Jersey would no longer finance funding for art education at the elementary, middle, or high school level. So, I started sending resumes to Philadelphia elementary schools to no avail. They were not hiring art teachers either. I was heartbroken.

     One day, in the newspaper, I found a large house for sale in Pitman, New Jersey. It had been empty for eight years, and the owners had died. So, we went to an open house the next weekend, and I decided that this was where I would teach art. A doctor and his wife had owned it for many years, but had passed away.

     We put a down payment on the house in Pitman. Our home in Pennsauken did not sell right away, so we advertised that we would sell the house as a rent-to-buy. Their rent payment would be the down payment. Then, they would have to take out a mortgage and pay the balance. And through some miracle, it all worked out.

     We lived in our house in Pitman for twenty-four years. During that time, I renovated three of the rooms the previous owner used for his practice as art rooms. I named my business THE ART ROOM. And I made a flag with that sign on it. And put an Ad in the local newspaper called THE PITMAN NEWS AND WORLD REPORT. This was in September of 1994. I taught art to children after school and to Adults in the evening. It was a great experience, and I became familiar with almost everyone who lived in town and some people in the nearby cities. I have to say it was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life. And if given a chance, I would do it again.

     Bob and I put our house in Pitman up for sale. We had spent many years renovating the house inside and out, including putting a new roof on it and the old garage. I had spent years creating a beautiful garden in the front and back, including a small Koi Pond. We would have loved to live there for the rest of our lives, but the truth was that the real estate taxes in New Jersey are very high, and once we both retired, we couldn’t afford the taxes and the upkeep of such a large home. So, I started investigating the internet about the most affordable states to retire to. And I concluded that North Carolina was the place for us. And here we are, nearly nine years later, living in a smaller home that we have improved over time, including enlarging the gardens and adding a pond. I no longer teach art. But, it is still dear to my heart.

     I have kept myself active by volunteering at an animal sanctuary and caring for exotic birds. You never know where life will take you, but I know that although I am no longer young, I will continue to participate in life with all my energy. You will never see me just sitting around; I will always move forward until I reach the end.

It all began one rainy Spring morning. I kept hoping the rain would stop since it had rained daily for the last two weeks. I know that April showers bring May flowers, but could we please have at least one day when the sun is shining? I was expecting a package in the mail, so I knew I would have to make a run for the mailbox sooner or later since there were at least five days of mail in my mailbox. I know it’s mostly crap, but still, I was hoping I would get a surprise package from my Aunt Betty since today was my birthday. And she always sent me a birthday card and a gift.

I decided to put on my old raincoat and run for the mailbox. Lo and behold, my dear aunt had not left me down. When I opened the mailbox, a package was shoved way back in it, along with a whole big pile of junk mail. I have no idea how my name got on every junk mail list. 

I grabbed the mail and the package and ran for the side door as quickly as possible. And just as I was about to grab the door handle, I lost my footing and fell flat on my face. The mail was scattered in every direction. I groaned and moaned. It felt like I chipped my front tooth. The one I just had capped recently cost me almost five hundred dollars since they had to do a root canal and a crown. If I weren’t lying on the cold, wet cement driveway, I would have started crying.

I made it to the door, pulled it open as quickly as possible, and smacked myself. I felt a tear, and then another ran down my cheek. I realized that it was raining even harder in addition to my tears. I gingerly picked myself up and slowly went through the door. Luckily, the package was in one piece, but the mail was scattered everywhere and was getting wetter by the minute. I wiped away the tears and ran for my life. Well, that could be a slight exaggeration. But, most likely, I would get a cold or pneumonia from the soaking rain. Or, once again, I may be exaggerating.

I made it into the house without any further drama. I put the mail on the kitchen table and then moved it to the top of the kitchen heating vent to dry. Most likely, It was all junk mail, and it wouldn’t matter one way or the other. I decided I would do the laundry and then vacuum all the rugs. Before I knew it, I cleaned the bathrooms, including the tub, shower, and toilet. Suddenly, I had a burst of energy and decided to vacuum all the bedrooms and clean the windows on the inside. I tend to get carried away with whatever I’m doing. And this, my friends, is why I’m not married and never will be. I drive everyone away with my manic behavior. What can I say, like Popeye used to say, “I am who I am.”

After I finished cleaning the whole house, I considered going out and looking at my garden, but then I remembered it was pouring outside, and the plants would be delicate without me today or whenever it stopped raining. I made myself a cup of hot tea and peanut butter on toast. This has been my favorite breakfast since I was a kid. I love peanut butter. After finishing my breakfast and cleaning up my mess, I decided to examine the mail and see if any of it was worth looking at or if it was all junk mail, as expected.

Then I realized that two letters were stuck together, and the letter on the bottom was from my Aunt Betty. I was so happy that she wrote to me. She is my favorite person on the planet. She raised me when my father and mother divorced, and neither wanted to raise me. I was heartbroken for many years after that. If it weren’t for my Aunt Betty, I would have been put into foster care since my parents didn’t want me.

I slowly opened the envelope, and my Aunt Betty said, “Dear Marie, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you. Do you remember the old commercial on TV where the old woman said, “I’ve fallen and can’t get up?” Well, I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up. I know you are busy with your work, but is there any way you can come and take care of me while I recover? I broke one of my legs and will have to use a walker for a while. I have been assured that I will be up and walking, but it will take a while, and I will need to go and get physical therapy until my leg heals. If you can’t come, I understand, and I will have to go to a nursing home until I heal. Please call me as soon as you know if you can come. Love, Aunt Betty.

I picked up my cell phone and called my Aunt Betty. I waited and waited while the phone rang. Then I heard someone pick up and, in a very low voice, say,” Hello, is someone there? Is someone there?”

“Yes, Aunt Betty, it’s me, Marie. Of course, I can come. I have some vacation time left, or I could do my online work. Do you have the internet, Aunt Betty?”

“ Well, you probably won’t believe this, but I recently installed the internet in my house. All my neighbors kept haunting me day and night to get it installed, and I did. It took a while, but it’s working now.”

“Aunt Betty, I will have to inform my employer what I will be doing, but there shouldn’t be any problem at all. I will give you a call tomorrow when I am about to leave, and call you when I’m an hour away. I’m so sorry you got hurt, I love you, Aunt Betty, I’ll see you seen. She said, “Oh, you are such an angel. “I love you, too. I can’t wait to see you again. Bye, see you tomorrow.” And then she hung up.

I contacted my employers and let them know what I was doing. They didn’t have a problem as long as I continued to complete my work on time. Thank God for the internet; that’s all I can say. I spent the rest of the day packing my stuff, including my laptop and printer. I made some sandwiches and iced tea for the long trip and decided to go to bed early since tomorrow would be a long day.

I had a somewhat restless night. I kept waking up and looking at the clock, afraid I would oversleep. But the alarm woke me up right on time. I took a quick shower and got dressed. I left a note in the mailbox and asked the mailman to tell the post office to hold my mail until I called them and let them know when I would be back from my Aunt’s house.

I put my suitcases in the trunk. I hoped all my plants wouldn’t die, but if they did, they did. My aunt was more important than any plant. The whole time I was driving to my aunt’s house, I thought of all the good memories of my aunt and the childhood I spent with her. She is truly the most loving and caring person I have ever known. And I would do anything I could for her, as she had done for me. I do not remember a single complaint from my Aunt when I was living with her, even during those teenage years when I must have been difficult at times. It took me a long time to make friends at the school I attended while I lived with my aunt. Every day, she made me breakfast, packed my lunch, and met me where the bus let me out. She was never late, she gave me a big hug when she saw me, as if she hadn’t seen me in days or even weeks. And oh, how I loved her hugs,

My parents were not big on showing affection. Nor did they ever seem that interested in my experiences in school or who my friends were. And once their marital problems appeared, things just went downhill from there. First, my father moved out, and then my mother informed me that I would be living with my Aunt Betty since she would have to work full-time now. She would have to live in a small one-bedroom apartment in the city, and there wouldn’t be any room for me anymore. As soon as my mother told me that, it felt like my heart broke in two. My father said, “You be a good girl, I hope to see you sometime soon. And he was out the door, and he never looked back. I never heard from him again. I’ve only seen my mother once a year at Christmas since then. Sometimes, she didn’t come at all and just sent me a Christmas Card with ten dollars in it. I wrote long, long letters to my father and mother. Telling them how much I missed them. And asking them when they were coming to get me. Over time, it became clear to me that they would never get me. And if a heart can break in two, I believe my heart did, or maybe it was shattered altogether. And I would never be able to feel whole again.

My Aunt Betty was the kindest, most loving person I ever knew in my entire life. It is only because of her that I learned there are caring and loving people in the world. I was a person of value who could do anything I wanted to do in life if I set my mind to it. And they never lost faith in me because of her. And if I had to spend the rest of my life caring for her, I would do it. As I recalled all these memories, I realized how much I missed my Aunt Betty, not just her wonderful cooking, but everything about her, her hugs, her kisses. Every day I spent with her was a good day, living where she loved me and would do anything for me if I needed it.

Before I realized it, I was within three miles of my aunt, and I gave her a call to let her know. She didn’t answer the phone,  I realized it must be the nurse or caregiver who was talking. I explained, this is Marie, Aunt Betty’s niece. I will be at the house in about fifteen minutes. Would you please let my aunt know I’ll be there soon? She said, “Yes, I will. She has been looking forward to you. She will be so happy. See you soon.”
The last fifteen minutes of the drive flew by, and before I knew it, I was at my aunt’s home. And so many good memories came flying back to my mind. It looked the same. To tell the truth, it looked like heaven to me. I parked the car under the Willow tree and grabbed my bags out of the trunk. And before I knew it, I was knocking on the door. One of the caretakers came to the door with a big smile on her face and said. “Miss Betty has been so looking forward to you. Oh, I forgot my name, Teresa. Could I take those bags for you? Miss Betty will be so happy.”

I handed over my bags and I said, “ I have a few other bags, but I’ll bring them in later, don’t worry about it. And I ran up the steps two at a time. I looked around the house, and it didn’t look any different from the last time I was here. I couldn’t imagine coming here without my aunt living here. The very thought of the rest of my life without her loving presence in my life would be hard to endure. But, somewhere at the back of my mind, I knew my Aunt Betty didn’t have much time in her life. And I also realized that I would be staying here with my dear aunt for whatever time she had left on this planet. When I quietly knocked on her door, I heard her sweet voice say: “Marie, is that you? Oh, I’ve never been so happy to see anyone in my whole life. Please come over and give me a hug.” I didn’t know it at the time, but it would be the last hug I gave my dear aunt.

I pulled up a rocking chair next to her bed and quietly watched her as she closed her eyes, and then, about five minutes later, I saw my dear aunt take her last breath and close her eyes. And I knew that my dear aunt had left this world, and I would miss her for the rest of my days. But I know she will always live in my heart and memories. And that someday, when my life would come to an end. We would meet again. I felt warm tears run down my face as I held her wrinkled hands and heard her take her last breath. This is the person who has loved me unconditionally my entire life. And I knew that someday we would meet again. But, until then, I would keep her in my heart and in my thoughts.

My Dear Mother

My maiden name was Susan Carberry, and my family of origin was from Ireland. I grew up in a large family with five siblings. I was a fraternal twin. Being in a large family had its advantages and its disadvantages. One of the advantages was that you were rarely alone. One of the disadvantages was that I was never alone. I shared my room with my twin sister, Karen. And with my two older sisters, Eileen and Betty. My eldest sister, Jeanie, had her room as well as my oldest sibling, Harry, who had his own room.

Another disadvantage, I being the youngest and the smallest, was that I was the last in line to receive the hand-me-down clothes. We did all get a new Easter outfit every year. Sometimes, we have to pick out the clothes ourselves, sometimes not. If my father picked out the clothes, you could bet they were durable and extremely ugly.

We Carberrys were good Catholics, despite not having a lot of money. We all attended Catholic School through high school. This meant we wore uniforms. In grade school, there were maroon wool jumpers with a white blouse. And of course, a beanie on the girl’s head. The beanie had the emblem of OLPH School on it, which stood for Our Lady of Perpetual Help. In highschool I attended St. Mary of The Angel’s Academy. It was an all-girl school. We wore navy blue uniforms, the skirts were pleated and didn’t look good on anyone, unless they were really thin. Going to Catholic School meant nuns taught us, which is another benefit???

My parent’s house and my father’s first car

Sunday morning meant Sunday Mass and a big breakfast with the whole family. My mother fried bacon and then fried the eggs in the bacon grease, which was kept in a coffee tin on the stove. My father’s job was to butter the toast, generously, I might add. My mother made a special cake on Sunday morning for dessert after supper. It was half vanilla and half chocolate, with pudding in between the layers and coconut on the icing.

For supper, we always had a roast and potatoes. Supper was a quiet affair at our house; my father was not a fan of free speech. He did not care for any opinions that did not agree with his. He was a great believer in children being seen and not heard, especially while watching TV, which was any night he didn’t have to work. My father was the head dispatcher at SEPTA, the transit company in Philadelphia, for thirty years. My father was an intelligent man. My father slept during the day, and it would behoove you not to wake him up; you would regret it. He was called “The Old Bear” for a reason.

After school, my mother could be found ironing without fail. She ironed all our clothes, sheets, socks, and towels. These were days before wash-and-wear garments. Any clothes that weren’t washed one day would be sprinkled with water, rolled up, and stored in the refrigerator until the next day. My mother would always offer us cookies and milk or crackers with peanut butter and jelly as a snack after school.

Life in our house was very predictable; we had the same thing for dinner each night of the week. On Sundays, it was roast and potatoes; on Mondays, it was meatloaf and mashed potatoes. A special treat was on the first Friday of the month. When we Catholics couldn’t eat meat. We had tuna fish casserole, with potato chips on top. My mother was not a creative cook, but we never went away hungry. And we never had to ask “What’s for dinner?”

We watched the same TV shows each week. Monday through Friday we went t school. Saturday, we played with our friends, of whom there were many. On Sunday, we had the “special cake.” I attended the children’s Mass every Sunday at nine o’clock with all the other kids from my elementary school.

When my sister and I came home from Mass, my mother had breakfast ready. She always attended the 7 AM Mass with her Altar Rosary Society. She was a very devout woman. She attended Mass every single morning and said the rosary in the afternoon after she had finished all her housework.

After school, I went home. Our house was only two houses away from the school. When I arrived home, my mother was always bent over the ironing board, ironing everyone’s clothes. She ironed everything, including clothes, sheets, etc.

My dear mother always offered us cookies and milk or crackers with peanut butter as snacks after school.

Life in our house was predictable. We ate the same thing for dinner every night, every day of the week. For instance, we had tuna fish every Friday, especially on First Friday, when we weren’t supposed to eat meat. Although my mother was not a creative cook, we never went away hungry. And like I said, there was always that homemade cake to look forward to.

We watched the same TV Shows as well, the shows my father liked, he was the boss applesauce. On Saturdays, we played with our friends. Sunday, as I said, was the “Big Breakfast Day.” And dinner on Sunday was usually a roast beef. Our birthdays were a big event, getting a new toy and having a birthday cake with candles. After that, we looked forward to Christmas. My father was a bit of a grinch, but didn’t dampen our anticipation. My mother always made it special. My mother was the kindest, most hardworking person I ever knew. I feel so blessed to have had such a kind and loving mother. I still miss her to this day.

My father was a man of few words but made his feelings known by a look. And that was all it took to get his point across. His nickname was “THE BIG BEAR.” The kitchen was an essential element in our house. All important events took place in the kitchen.

My mother always had a comforting word for us if we had a bad day. If we were acting out, she would say,” Wait until your father gets home.” That would definitely change our tune.

Ultimately, our home was not all that different from other homes in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. I had a father who earned money and paid the bills but was not involved in raising the kids unless there was a serious problem. Sisters and brothers who loved and hated each other lived in the “CARBERRY HOME.” It was two doors down from Our Lady of Perpetual HELP church and school.