Bill's Gig; rainy weather for four days; my trip to Memory Land again.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2011

Bill's gig; rainy weather for four days; my trip to Memory Land again.

Bill's gig last night at the Overland venue on Cooper Avenue was a success. There is a whole backdrop of floor-to ceiling windows on one side of the room, and the performers sit with their backs to the street and facing their audience. I like the view, except for the street lights 'shining me right in the eye', as I've heard it said.

The audience seemed to like Bill's four songs very much, especially the first one "My Lover Loves Liver". The lighting was very good, the sound system very good, and the audience was well-behaved. In my opinion of Bill's gig, it was the best I have ever heard of his program. In a couple of his songs, there are so many quick phrases, which are difficult to enunciate, but he did an excellent job. We want more, Bill Shipper!

There were quite a few performers in groups of two or three, and it would have taken much longer to see the rest of them. I wish we could have seen them all, but with a half-hour drive home, we had to leave at 10:30; work, you know, for Bill.

The weather forecast indicates that we will have four days of rain and some thunderstorms. I hope that it will be on and off rain so the excess can run away. I hope the weather will be good for all the people going to and fro for Thanksgiving.

Now for my trip to Memory Land. I think I told you that I made a New Year's Resolution that I would write a page or two in my notebook every evening. It's a great thing to do. I thought of so many memories and people and places. I want you to know that it worked for just over a whole month! Maybe next New Year's Day will see me making that resolution and keep it for a longer period.

Let's see, I think we were talking about Christmas Trees and how families were invited to go to see their friends' Christmas Tree Village underneath the Christmas Tree.

The Akromis family had a large room for their Christmas Tree, and a very large layout which extended to some distance away from the Tree. The Akromises lived at the corner of Chestnut and Poplar Streets and had a large yard. They were good friends.

On Chestnut Street near Buttonwood Street (which runs parallel to Poplar) there was a small store. All I remember was the candy showcase and the large low freezer containing cylindrical ice cream buckets. I'd say each of these buckets held at least three gallons of ice cream. The owner of the store would dip into the flavor you chose, to fill your ice cream cone. In grocery stores today, you see large standing freezer showcases with many different sizes of containers of ice cream. You pick your ice cream and close the door.

You do not have that most wonderful pleasure of watching the Dipper Lady put her dipper into your favorite flavor, while you are 'drooling', and you can hardly wait to have that ice cream in your hand for your first lick! There is nothing more exquisite for a child to look forward to.

This same lady would have in stock, her ice-cube trays full of frozen flavored ice with sticks in them, for a penny each. These were home-made Kool-Aid popsicles that she made to sell. In those days long ago,'times were tough' and you had to make some money somehow.

I was friends with Mildred Alexis, who lived next door to that store, or maybe two doors away, and she was my age. We would often get together to go to get ice cream, or play with our dolls, or color in our coloring books. We almost always had a good time together.


Now I wonder if we were the best of friends, because once in a while we 
would have an argument. I'll tell you about that: 

           The Black-and-Blue Shin

I had a friend named Mildred Alexis

And here's the thing that will perplex us:

We had a fight and she kicked me hard,

But the very next day I was back in her yard.

The thing that made her anger rise

Was enough to bring the tears to my eyes,

Were enough to raise my cries to a din

After she kicked me in the shin.

I went home, then, to tell my mom,

Her hugs and kisses made me calm,

And then, of course, I was back at play

With Mildred Alexis, the very next day.

        -- Allegra, aka Anna Mae Schroeder.

        -- written on October 23, 1992.

I wrote that poem one night when I just couldn't sleep. I lay back down in my bed to try to fall asleep, but within five minutes I got up again, and couldn't get Mildred off my mind:

          The Black-and-Blue Shin II

Mildred Alexis! That name rings a bell.

I remember a story that I'd like to tell:

One day we were playing in her front yard,

And we had a big fight, and she kicked me hard.

She kicked me hard on my little shin,

I started to cry and made quite a din.

I was, no doubt, sent home to my mother,

To play there with my little brother.

That kick did hurt! I can tell you true,

It made my poor leg black and blue.

But it must have gotten better fast,

And the fight retreated into the past,

Because although she kicked me hard,

The next day I was back in her yard

Playing so well with our dolls and such,

Because I liked her, oh, so much!

         -- Allegra, aka Anna Mae Schroeder.

          -- written on October 23, 1992.

 I’ll see you at the Corner Post…