Look @ this adorable picture of my sister, Terry!
My Mom handed it to me on Monday and asked if I could enlarge it. She wants to make it suitable for framing.
Not sure what year it was, but I suspect the late 1960's...and (like everything my Mom handles) its not in the best of shape.
Its like the size of a large postage stamp.
Anyway, I thought it was really cute and sorta shows her personality....she was never one to take herself too seriously...and she remains my favorite person in the Universe.
Brings back fond memories of my childhood.
Speaking of my Mom and memories.
While I was down on the Coast visiting my Mom last week, I went and picked up my great-nephew Joey for a visit.
One evening the three of us (Momma, Joey and I) took our afternoon walk around Nessler Park.
While leaving the park, we saw a cop had pulled a car over to the side of the road and he was writing the driver a ticket.
I said to my Mom: "Have you noticed the police (here) seem to be pulling people over alot in the last week?"
Her only response was to remind me I was driving without having my license on me that evening.
Joey speaks up: "Oh, they are gonna take you to jail!"
I asked him if he'd let the cops take me away?
He responds in his cute little 6 year old voice:
"only to spend the night" and then "the policeman will bring you home in the morning, like they did Daddy"!

My Mom's eyes almost popped out of her head.
Eventually, she turned her thoughts to a time many years ago when my oldest sister Sherry was about three.
Sherry and my parents were driving along when a cop pulled my Dad over. (I'd guess for speeding!)
Momma: "You're sister leaned her head out the window and looked at the cop and said:
'Are you gonna take my Daddy to jail you old son of a bitch?'"
I love hearing old "Family Stories" like that.
Billy

Sigh.

Toby and I have fallen into this pattern at the end of the day.
We call each other and talk on the phone until my cell battery runs dead.
I think last week, I mentioned to him I had taken one of those "tests" on a local news channels site and had gotten 100%....
I was one of only 16% of the people (who'd taken the quiz) to score perfect.
The subject?
"The Munsters".
At the time, he asked me if "Lily" was still alive?  I told him in fact, she was, but I looked any day to read that Yvonne DeCarlo had passed....and boom.
It happened.
Tonight on my way home Toby mentioned he'd talked with Mark (my X) the night before and Mark had asked Toby if I had heard that "Lily Munster" had died?
Mark warned Toby, "Billy will be very upset".
I told Toby I cried my eyes out when Don Knott's passed away last year and that "yes" I had heard "Lily" had died and although I didn't cry, I felt a huge lump in my throat when I read the news.
"I'm gonna be a basket-case when Barbara Billingsley (June Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver) passes away.
"All the parents are dying on me Toby"....I said over the phone. 

Each time I look at the paper and read of another "celebrity" or "famous" person passing away....or hell, even the obits in the paper, something always sticks out.
The 1920's.

My parents were born in 1926.
Their generation is dying out and it scares me so much.
Some mornings I wake up in tears (literally) having dreamt of their passing.
Each time my phone rings late in the evening, my heart skips a beat.

They are so much a part of me.
I can't handle even the slightest thought of "Momma and Daddy" not being here.
I just can't deal with that picture at all.
I've often thought, I won't survive their passing....I think I may literally grieve to death.

I remember as a little kid, I would look up to my Dad and I'd say:

"You're never gonna die are you Daddy?" 

He would smile and say something like:

"Now son, one day when you grow up, I won't matter as much to you as I do now".

He could never be so wrong.
Billy