those days

I'm in one of those moods and I think it's due to the position of the planets again. Or winter. Everyone I know has had it with winter (I don't know any skiers or snowboarders) and we're all still recovering from last week's survival drill and the new storm that dumped more snow on us even as crews were still out there trying to relight gas pilots. I think they've finished by now but I've stopped listening to the latest updates on the local radio stations. We have a couple of microwaveable frozen dinners left, but get queasy when we think about actually eating them. Plus, the stove is working. That of course means that one of us has to cook!

So I dawdle at my desk, halfheartedly working on an essay for my non-fiction writing class, the topic of which is a picture of myself. That scintillating endeavor led me back to the ms I wrote on the American-Italian (as Martin Scorcese says) New York experience. I found this picture of my mother Elvira (on the right) and her younger sister Jenny, taken about 80 years ago.  They're both wearing hand knitted sweaters that I'm sure they made themselves. I think they look quite fashionable actually (except maybe for the headgear and the rolled down stockings). I'm fascinated with that era.

The sisters considered themselves "good girls" who had a lots of "good clean fun" (their words) during those jazz age/flapper days. Living near a beach there were many beaus who courted them. Sitting in the kitchen reminiscing many years later they told me they played "forfeit" games - like" if you don't do something or other, you'll have to kiss me under the apple tree". Or "in the boat". Hmm.

in this late winter
with scratch marks on the walls
I long for something old or new