“Watch out,” they said, “for a man with a hook for a hand.”
The morning is hot already at 80°, but it is tempered by a strong breeze. I can hear the swishing of the oak tree leaves. I can also hear the morning songs of birds. We may have a thunderstorm or two later in the day. I’d like that.
When I was a kid, I went to mass every Sunday. I brought my missal. I still have that missal. Inside, in huge letters spread down the page I wrote my name. I used the missal to follow along. The mass was in Latin. The priest had his back to us. I got easily distracted. I’d bring a book and read it pretending if anyone noticed it was a holy book. I’d close my eyes as if I were praying. I liked standing in the back of the downstairs part of the church. I read the pamphlets. If I went upstairs to church on an early summer Sunday, the crowd was usually overflowing. I’d stand in the vestibule or even sit on the outsides stairs. I figured proximity counted.
I don’t remember being afraid of natural things when I was a kid. It was the man with the hook and his ilk who scared me. Noises in the night scared me. I’d look out the window hoping to see nothing. Sometimes I’d yell pretending to be brave. I never saw anybody, but that didn’t mean nobody was there. My sister was afraid of dragonflies, darning needles. She thought they could sew up her eyes and mouth. Bugs never bothered me.
My mother always loved to listen to music. She had a hi-fi before anyone else we knew had one. My father bought it using his bonus money. Her collection of records was heavy on the Frank Sinatra’s and the Tony Bennett’s. She also had all sorts of Christmas albums, some collections from Firestone and Grant’s. She would dance a bit around the kitchen when she was making dinner. I learned all the old songs by listening to her records.
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August 4, 2024 at 3:09 pm
Hi Kat,
Same weather as yesterday except a possibility of not hitting the century mark. 🙂
When I was a kid I was scared by aliens from outer space. I never was frightened by monsters like Godzilla and I always knew that the man with the hook instead was not scary.
When my mother was alive, we never had a Hi Fi player, but just had a small record player. I became interested in music when I became a teenager living in New York. My two friends and I became interested in classical music and jazz. I’m probably one of a small dwindling group of jazz enthusiasts. I still have my original recordings of Miles Davis, “Kinda Blue” and Dave Brubeck’s “Time Out”, which had the track, “Take Five”. Sadly, jazz is the only original American music. Also, I don’t have anyway to play those albums.
August 4, 2024 at 8:20 pm
Hi Bob,
We had clouds but the rain missed us. It got hot enough for me to turn on the air conditioning. They are again predicting rain but for tomorrow. We were in the 80’s.
I was young when my father told us the hook story, young enough to be afraid. I think it was the scratches on the car that scared me. Aliens never scared me.
I remember a movie called The Town That Dreaded
Sundown. It was about a serial murderer in 1946 in Texarkana. He killed couples on Lover’s Lane. I think the whole story started a few urban myths.
I am a jazz vocalist fan. I have several cassettes of Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Etta Jones, Blossom
Dearie and so many more. I also have records and a record player. They are fairly inexpensive now.
August 4, 2024 at 9:47 pm
The last time I looked at my record collection was when we moved the previous time, about nine years ago. When my mother-in-law moved out of her condominium she made my wife drag her artwork down to an art appraiser. She thought her collection was very valuable. The appraiser told her that her art had only sentimental value.
I’m sure after my wife and I are gone, my house full of junk will be absolutely worthless and my son will have to pay someone to haul it off to the dump. These days I can find almost any album on an Amazon Music because for free because we are Prime members.
August 4, 2024 at 9:55 pm
Bob,
I love the sound of vinyl. Records are coming back. I have three or four which have been rereleased including a commemorative Sergeant Pepper album. I also my old albums from the 60’s.
I have several antiques which are worth money, and I have first edition books also worth money. My copy of recipes from Shakespeare was under $20.00 when I bought it and is now worth close to $200.00. I just hope my sisters have things appraised.