Kith & Kin

NOTE: This was published months ago . . . I thought. But I found it listed in my drafts, so here it is again. A while back my brother Eric scanned in over twenty pages from one of my mom ’ s scrapbooks. I ’ ll post some of them here and more in the future, along with my comments and memories. Brothers, cousins, and others, feel free to comment! Dad and me, 1961. Time to wake up! What a cute little booger I was! 1961. Great-Grandma Mabel Slutz holding me, 1961. Wendell Sidle and his sons, Doug and Mike (behind the swing). And that’s me and Dad on the right. July 1962. Mom and Wendell’s wife, Caroline, became friends when they worked in the office together at Rubbermaid. This was taken on the front porch of our house at the north end of Fredericksburg. I remember that swing. And I remember being friends with Doug growing up—he and I were lab partners in high school Biology. Doug died in 1989 at age 27. I think he died of a heart attack, but I do not remember for sure. Too young—very sad...

Great-Aunt Lois and Grandma Leta were one of two sets of twins in their class (on the left above). I do not know who the other twins are. Grandma Swartz was a warm, loving person with a great sense of humor. She was exactly what a grandmother should be—interested in your life, full of wise counsel, a terrific cook, and a pleasingly plump hugger. She was my mom’s mom, and her full name was Leta Elizabeth Green Swartz. I wonder where her parents got the idea to name her “Leta”—it’s not a very common name. Grandma’s fraternal twin sister was Lois Parker. I barely knew Great-Aunt Lois because she and Great-Uncle Lloyd lived “Out West” all my life. But I was often told how different Leta and Lois were. Lois was what we called “a corker.” Blunt, profane, a smoker, masculine in her manner, and not in the least bound by propriety. I’ll bet her parents went through times of despair during her growing-up years. My mom told the story of visiting Lois and Lloyd one time before I was...