I have a couple of corrections to make from that last entry. I think when I went to see Mother Goose, she might have been in brighter colors than I remembered. Not absolutely sure, but I do want everything I write to be as accurate as possible .

Also, it wasn't so much movies that the Harmonica Rascals were in, but TV appearances. They were on Ed Sullivan and Milton Berle's shows, and others. Funnier than I remembered, too, as evidenced by the video I watched yesterday, from the old 'Milton Berle Show' . Little Johnny

was a crack-up !! Oh, yes, another tidbit I learned yesterday is that they were first called 'Johnny Puleo and his Harmonica Gang' . Another guy, with a Russian name had the Harmonica Rascals, but somehow, J.P. adopted that name for his group. that's the only name I'd ever seen him billed under.

The one movie they were in was 'The Trapeze' , starring Burt Lancaster.

So funny, when M. Berle introduced J.P.'s appearance on his show, he pronounced it Poo-leo. It's pronounced Pu-lay-o. Struck me funny .

One more thing, the little black, patent leather shoes Mamma bought for me were called

'Mary-Jane's .

Ok, hope those are the only mistakes or corrections.

As I've mentioned before, I was a tiny little girl, and, as my folks didn't have much money, I always got into movies for the younger kids price. didn't hurt to have a babyish-looking face, either. When Mamma would take me on the El, she'd have me duck under the turnstile, to avoid having to pay the fare for me. People always mistook me for much younger than I actually was . Saw lots of free movies that way.

Once, up at the Shawmut Theater, I was with both Betty and Phyllis, to see whatever was playing that day, and somehow, as we were leaving, got my thumb caught in those really heavy doors. Of course, I was screaming, and the manager came, and when my sisters told him what happened, he gave me a nickel for an ice cream cone. I shared with them.

Ended up going to the hospital with Mamma for that, and the doctor got a bowl, put some peroxide in it, and had me place my whole hand in it for what seemed like hours. The thumbnail came off, with his help, and there was this weird looking flesh underneath it. Doctor bandaged it with a gauze bandage and tape, and I had that on for some time, until the new nail grew back.

I loved going 'in town' to Boston, seeing all the sights, and going into some of the big stores there. On three corners at one intersection, I believe, were R.H.White's, Filene's, and Jordan

Marsh. I loved seeing all the wares while Mamma shopped. I remember we went down into Filene's Bargain Basement, where all their less expensive items were. They would have special sales for a limited time, and if the clothing didn't sell after just so many markdowns, they would give them to charity. Don't know if the other two stores did or not. Probably.

At Christmas time, Mamma would take Paul and I to Jordan Marsh's to see Santa Claus, and get a present each, but also, once in a while, we got to ride on the real ponies, with a man walking beside us holding the reins . Loved that !

There were a bunch of movie theaters on that one street, forget which one, don't think it was Tremont, though. That was, and is, a main thoroughfare and the Boston Common was on that street. Famous park right there in town. Had a concert shell, in which they held special concerts for special occasions.

The movie theaters were the Paramount, with that glorious staircase I've mentioned before. and two theaters named Loew's ...one was Loew's Keith, and the other, I think, was

Loew's RKO theater. There was a cheaper theater where I think, they showed only horror movies, called the Trans-Lux theater. Think there were one or two more movie houses, but not sure. If so, can't recall their names. I think there, on that street, was 'the Latin Quarter', a night-club that was owned by Barbara Walter's Dad. I didn't know who owned it, until she mentioned it one time, on 'The View'.

At home, back when we lived on Dewey St. a man would drive a truck around the neighborhood and he had a little merry-go-round in the back of the truck, and, if Mamma had the money, we, Paul and I got to have a ride on that.

My Mamma made the most delicious bread ! It had a yellowish tinge to it, and had a dense texture. Think it might have been 'egg bread' . It was so good, but I guess none of us got the recipe for that, or, if I did, it was probably thrown away when my daughter, Linda, tried to help de-clutter my kitchen one day, when she emptied my recipe drawer. Had a few of Mamma's recipes, but they were all gone now. She didn't realize what was there, and was only trying to help. I've always been a sort-of 'pack-rat', so she was helping . Don't think any of my siblings got that bread recipe. Such a loss !

Once in a while, at Hallowe'en time, Mamma would buy us a red candy apple. Didn't have caramel ones in those days.

Did I mention that, while at parades, sometimes Pal would buy me Cracker-Jacks ? Loved that, and especially the prize inside. they were pretty good prizes, too, not the really cheap junk they put in the boxes in later years.

Another Hallowe'en memory is when I was around maybe 10, and I was walking in our neighborhood ( it was safe to walk at night back then ), and I had a piece of Mamma's brown laundry soap with me. Found a store window, and wrote a really bad word on it, the 'F' word.

thought I was really something, writing a cuss word like that. Don't think I ever said that word aloud to anyone, but thought I was some big-shot now, daring to write it there !

In seventh grade Homemaking class, we were taught to cook, sew, set a table properly, and

other things. Only girls were in the class, but the boys got to eat whatever we made. I learned to make Lemon Snow, a kind of really light sort-of pudding, or custard. It was so good, I made it at home once or twice for my family. They liked it, I seem to remember. Whatever happened to that recipe, I'll never know. Perhaps it was lost in moving.

I've always had the habit of making a face when I'd hear a food mentioned that I didn't like, or even THOUGHT I wouldn't like, and in Homemaking class, if the teacher caught me doing it,

she'd say, "Boyden, stop turning up your nose". they always called us by our last names in Junior High. Sometimes, I thought it was Doris Bowden who was getting scolded .

We girls got to eat the ice-cream we made in the old-fashioned ice-cream tub. It had a crank handle, and we all took turns winding it. We shared that with the boys, too.

The one dress I made, with the teacher's help, was a princess dress, which was a popular style

back then. Fay and I had gone shopping together, and got the same material and pattern. For some reason, I don't know, or remember, if I, or we, ever finished them .

Mamma used to bake a lot when we were young, and she would put the finished pies, cakes, turnovers, or whatever she'd made, on the big, round oak dining room table, and cover each one with a clean dish towel.

She'd always ask Daddy if he'd like some of whatever it was, and he always declined. Well, sometimes, later on, Mamma or one of us kids would see Daddy sneaking some. He thought we didn't see him, and Mamma would kid, 'Must taste better when he steals it." We'd all laugh.

Have I mentioned before about the time I had Thanksgiving dinner with another family from our church ? I was eleven, and the church asked some families to take an under-privileged child for Thanksgiving. I was chosen for this particular family.

I'd never eaten a stalk of celery, but they placed one at each place on the table, so I took a bite. Instant dislike---yuck, patooey !! Have never gotten to like it, plain like that, but if I cut it up really fine to mix with tuna, along with onions. then I can tolerate it.

They had this little six-year old girl, and she showed me her bedroom. While we were in there, she picked up a brush, and started brushing her hair. I asked her if she did her own hair, and she said yes, she did. I was amazed ! I didn't do my own hair, Mamma did. She also washed me with a washcloth from head to toe, as she did Paul, also. She brushed and combed my hair until I was maybe 13 or 14 . She would curl it, too, using an old-fashioned curling iron, non-electric, that she had to put in the stove after removing one of the lids, holding it by the handle until she thought it was hot enough. then, she'd start curling, and when the iron started cooling down, back into the stove it would go, until she finished. I got a few burns when she'd accidentally roll the hair a little too close to my neck, or ear. Only hurt for a short while, tho'. I loved having curly hair. Little did I know that, years later, I would discover that my hair was naturally curly.

Speaking of non-electric appliances, Mamma also had a clothes iron that she had to heat on the stove, too. On the top of the stove, not in it, as with the curling iron.

I loved watching Mamma preparing clothes for ironing. She didn't have a soda bottle with a shaker top to dampen the clothes. She would take them over to the sink, and lay them on the counter, run water, put her hand under it and shake her hand over the clothes, then roll each piece, and on to the next piece, until they were all sufficiently dampened, and rolled, then put them all in a bushel basket, and leave them for a while, to let the water absorb enough, so the clothes would iron smoothly. Then, after a while, she'd heat up the iron and start ironing the clothes. she did a darn good job, too. Our clothes were all neatly pressed, and mended.

Our 'Auntie Eva', not a real aunt, lived across and down the street from us, with her husband. Fred. They had a small dog, too, and they spoiled him by giving him only hamburger. No canned dog food for him ! Wonder if she gave him horsemeat when we made the switch during the war.

I loved her, too, just like 'Nana' Lambert. She was funny, pretty outrageous, actually. She's the one who would throw her breast up on the mantelpiece behind her. she also was very kind to us kids. She tried to teach me to crochet when I was 16, but I didn't stick to it, and never did anything about it.

She also sometimes cut my toenails for me. That has always been difficult to do, b/c the bone disease made them thick and really hard to cut.

She would say to Mamma, that although we didn't have much money, Mamma kept us clean and our clothes neat, clean and mended. Mamma liked that compliment, and would now and then bring it up in conversation. She had a right to be proud of that fact, she and Daddy both. He would scrub clothes on a washboard right beside her. He was a good husband.

I'll go more into my teen years next time.

For now, I'll say bye, count your blessings. We all have many more than we know.

Love you all.

D