The Old Folks Home

[Pozees]

My dad is the first generation from immigrants from Lithuania. I grew up thinking certain words were English, and finding out in school that they weren't. We just used the Lithuanian word when there wasn't a good English translation.

My mother's side is from Germany, and somehow we are related to Virginia Dare. My mom had a huge genealogy book on her side of the family but she tossed it in a fit of rage a number of years ago (that showed us!). I miss it.

We didn't get too many family stories - but one thing that is all my family is the train platform that we put up for Christmas every year. My father and his father built it when he was a kid, and a lot of it is still original. I've had to replace some of the O track, and when I was a little girl my dad added the HO track and bought me my own train (which still runs). Over the years I've had to replace all the street lights and building lights and rewire due to the whole thing being a fire hazard, but the original O trains from my dad's childhood still run. The front light is burnt out but it still whistles and smokes! My sister smashed all the original PlasticVille houses when she was little, but I still have them, just don't put them up because they look so horrid. I've upgraded to porcelain houses.

It has been probably 15 years since my parents put the train platform up. Last time I drove down to their place I brought it home, and cleaned it up. They visited last year right after Thanksgiving and I put the platform up early, and didn't tell them. They both cried when they saw it.

Anyway, here I am going on and on...

I put it up tonight with some friends, and it still holds the magic it did when I was a kid.





Thanks for letting me share my favorite family memory. Sorry it's not a great story.

I love this story! My father loves trains, and for the longest time wished for a Christmas setup. Trouble was, he was secretly wishing, and none of us knew it. When he finally shared, he was gifted several of the items he needed, and now sets up his trains every year. It took him almost a lifetime to get it done, but he's 77 and still doing well, and has had trains over 10 years now, so I'm glad he didn't wait any longer!

 

[Pozees]

So, my favorite family story is that of my paternal grandparents. They were both Irish, one Catholic, one Protestant. My grandfather's family was wealthy, my grandmother's family was poor. They fell in love, and when my great-grandfather found out my grandfather intended to marry my grandmother, he told him if he went through with it, he would be disowned. They married anyway, my grandfather was disowned, and they remained deeply in love and devoted to one another (and broke, and didn't care) the rest of their lives. When my grandmother died, my grandfather took a one room apartment and sat in his chair and waited to die, so he could be with her again. It took a year.

I have memories of visiting them and all the neighbors stopping by asking my father to sing this, that, or the other song (he was very active in musical theater and has a wonderful voice) - he would always oblige, and by the end of the evening the apartment and hallway and stairs would be filled with everyone in the neighborhood there to listen to him sing - a capella (no accompaniment) - any song they asked for, for hours.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Do you have a picture of his train set up?

We built one last year for BF's nephew and niece and gave it to them for Christmas. Maybe it was the year before. I can't remember. We did a raised track in the center and a level track on the outside of the platform. We did not run electricity to it (other than the track) and didn't put a tree stand in the middle of it so they could use it "year round."

I haven't seen it in many months but I'd bet it's pretty smashed up now. Better theirs than mine!

 

[Pozees]

Do you have a picture of his train set up?

We built one last year for BF's nephew and niece and gave it to them for Christmas. Maybe it was the year before. I can't remember. We did a raised track in the center and a level track on the outside of the platform. We did not run electricity to it (other than the track) and didn't put a tree stand in the middle of it so they could use it "year round."

I haven't seen it in many months but I'd bet it's pretty smashed up now. Better theirs than mine!

I don't, but I'll send an email request for one - chances are they've already put their tree and the trains up, they are in NY and I'm in CO so I can't just bop over and snap a pic myself. If they have it up they will probably oblige, though

 

[drumstick diva]

Pozees what a beautiful love story. Your grandparents knew what was really important.

 

[gryeyes]

SCG, I was surprised - perhaps, as Oz appears to have been - by a sudden spate of eye leakage upon reading about your family train set. The pictures started it. What was before is still now. Lovely.

Thank you.

 

[Wisher1000]

Aren't we a bunch of saps!

Moving on.......

I am putting my first "test batch" of eggs in the bator tonight, is it too early to join the NYD Hatch? Ron?

 

[ronott1]

Aren't we a bunch of saps!

Moving on.......

I am putting my first "test batch" of eggs in the bator tonight, is it too early to join the NYD Hatch? Ron?

No, post a picture of what you set for the hatch rate contest.

Welcome!

 

[ozexpat]

Aren't we a bunch of saps!

Moving on.......

I am putting my first "test batch" of eggs in the bator tonight, is it too early to join the NYD Hatch? Ron?

i have 30 eggs that passed the candling stage of the last get the flock out of here - set almost 2 weeks ago. I am hoping to add 20 of those to my flock

There are 100 quail set to go on Wed.

I leave again on Dec 22 to arrive Dec 24. My daughter told me this morning that two more weeks is too long to wait.

 

[ozexpat]

I am still on the lookout for Sussex and Australorps