My teenage years did'nt last long. On my 18th. birthday I met Jim. We met in January, got engaged in April, and married in August. Some might say it was a whirl wind courtship. Heck, it was, but it has lasted many years. He proposed to me the first night I met him, and I guess after all these years I have to believe I was the girl for him. Who says you can't fall in love while your dancing? We did.
When we were new to Long Island everything was dress up and go out. We loved doing that, and we loved dancing.
Once we started our family, Brooklyn really changed. Those four room railroad flats were too small to hold all of us. Not only our children lived with us, but we were helping to raise my niece and nephew. It was a full apartment, no wall to wall carpeting, we had wall to wall kids. I am a firm believer that you don't have to be a biological mother to be someones Mom. So everyone just became ours. Tough at times? Yes. Crowded? Always. Tears? Sometimes. Laughter? All the time. Our house always had children, and after all these years, it's still the same. Other kids that lost their way, come here. Spend some time, get their bearings and move on. We do the best we can.
I was never ashamed to dress up for Holloween. Like I said a home needs laughter. If children are not taught how to laugh and enjoy life, they lose a precious gift. The roughest life can be made smoother by laughter.
So we found a home on Long Island, freash air, grass, not concrete. Front yard, not sidewalks. Back yard, pool, gymset, little league, girl scouts, car pools. This Brooklyn girl was becoming a suburbanite.
Our favorite home was in Selden, Long Island. It was a big old house that sat on over an acre of land. There were pine trees, dog wood trees, red maple, maple, and 110 oak trees, these towered over the house. Some over 60ft.
Here are some pictures of the front yard, the house, the patio, and our boat. Our home was situated centrally on the island. Six miles north took us to Long Island Sound.
We had boating, swimming, and fishing. Bar-B-Ques, family gatherings. Even a backyard wedding for my son Kevin and his wife Lorilyn. There is nothing in this world like summer on Long Island.
Life was good, we were happy here.
Thanks DJ for the use of your animated graphics.
This Background set was made by me, it was made in Paint Shop Pro.
Six miles south took us to the Atlantic Ocean.
Winter was beautiful to me. I loved watching the snow come down. Snowmen, the dog shoving his nose in the snow, the kids tubeing down Bald Hill.
Here is a favorite picture of our side yard when we had a blizzard that dropped 23 inchs of snow. Beautiful.
Then the Fates threw us a curve ball. Jim got emphysema, since he drove a truck, every time he drove on the Long Island Expressway to the city, the fumes and pollution did damage. So he took early retirement.
Not a setback for us. Just a new adventure. We were now Florida bound.
I used a copy of one of my paintings for the graphics.
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