Claire V. Bogdanos

Acceptance,Knowledge,Love,New Chapter,Process,Wisdom,

DATELINE: HOBOKEN, NJ,USA (2013) “OH DIOGENES” 2013/07/04

Filed under: MEMORIES — bogdanosclaire @ 1:23 am
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What is poetry?  I believe poets tell the ugly truth, but cushion the telling with soft and gentle words !  My father told me that something can’t be a lie unless it is based upon an actual fact, else it would be a simple fantasy !  Story telling !  Oh well, I’m not astute enough to be able  to distinguish the difference but it appears that I live in the right place at the right time !  I find myself torn by dichotomy, on one hand, Diogenes and on the other, Socrates.  The thought of carrying a candle searching for an honest man in these “tornadic” times seems senseless, but who chooses to drink hemlock to score a point ?  Kind of reminds one of the   ” Lady and the Tiger “.  When checking on my words and meaning, I find library “source” books much more factual than I.T. shorthand database which reports multiple opinions and conclusions in minutes, even seconds, as fact !  Scant time for nuances, sadly.  No more ancient volumes residing in the world’s most sacred library in Alexandria, Egypt, right? Only ashes?

Sincerely,

Claire B.

 

DATELINE :HOBOKEN, NJ,USA (2013) “ICEMAN COMETH” 2013/06/18

Filed under: MEMORIES — bogdanosclaire @ 12:16 pm
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Remember the peddlers? Well, I’m still in the 30’s and recalling that bygone era with much affection. Especially the iceman who came once a week the entire year long. We never questioned where the ice came from, much like today’s children who do not query the existence of Wi-Fi. How much we take for granted since Ben Franklin’s experiment with a simple kite in an open field. I think I was about three and we lived on Cambridge Avenue in Jersey City, close to the park on the first floor of a frame building with a wooden porch in front of three large railroad rooms with a shared toilet in the hall! It was just up the steep hill from Hoboken off Congress Street with cheaper rent. It was a very hot summer. If you wonder what “railroad” means think of trains, opening one into another minus wasted hallway space (of course no privacy). Two huge double-hung windows porchside and two in the kitchen, yardside, with wide walls in between, there were large pocketdoors on the front room to save coal in the winter. No bath! Enough said, a huge laundry tub and a folding screen next to the obligatory black iron coal stove with a giant water cauldron over the glowing embers, familiar to anyone? But back to the ice, my dad built a shelf for an oscillating fan and placed an enamel pan with a 10 cent piece of ice on top of the icebox, opened all the windows, and “voila”, old fashioned air conditioning for a dime. No radio, no TV, no online, just the bible, loads of conversation, love, family, neighbors, poverty and ingenuity! Great huh?

 

Sincerely,

Claire B.

 

DATELINE: Hoboken, NJ, USA “CLOTHESLINES” (2013)

Filed under: MEMORIES — bogdanosclaire @ 12:05 pm
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May I share with you? But what shall it be? Big decision, the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, I’m not sure where to begin as each era is shouting my name! I remember my daddy making “bathtub gin” and the horse and cart peddlers who sold ice by the piece. And stirring a pot as big as myself set on a black iron coal stove with a huge wooden paddle, boiling my baby sister’s diapers, on a homemade stool built just for me. Of course every yard had a huge wooden clothespole that reached for the sky with giant iron hooks where the clotheslines were tied. But the hooks didn’t start close to the ground for security’s sake, you needed a ladder at least ten feet tall. Yes, there were laundry thieves who could shinney hand over fist up that pole to steal sheets off the line. Those wash lines would occasionally fray and it took a juggler to replace them. My daddy taught me how, I was his only “son”, haha, for nine years which is why I am adept at “hammer and nails”. You listened in bed for the squeal of the pulley in case your neighbors were the victims! All pulleys made a noise, no way to silence them, no silicone to spray them. Most stores and homes had little jingle bells suspended on their entrance doors that welcomed all who came. Old habits die hard, I kept those bells on my doors until I moved to Florida to retire. I have a feeling that perhaps a return to the bell system might inhibit some burglars! Do you think it’s worth a try? Keep tuned, there’s more to follow!

 

Sincerely,

Claire B.

 

DATELINE: Hoboken, NJ, USA ” ORANGE PEELS ” ( 2013 ) 2013/06/14

Filed under: MEMORIES — bogdanosclaire @ 4:55 pm
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Are you familiar with the term ” hand-me-downs ” ?  For those of us who are , it epitomizes a way of life that seems to have faded into a form of casual oblivion !  However, with this disappearance we lose a huge chunk of the basic tenets of our American heritage, our raison d’ etre.  I’ve been wearing ” castoffs ” for the better part of my life, which is why and how I learned early to boldly ” cut and sew ” or to turn used sweaters into vests and ” bobby sox “.  I was taught to knit and crochet by the age of eight and to weave by ten.  It was ” disgraceful ” to discard any object that displayed even the faintest signs of  ” resurrection “.  Recently, I was thrilled to watch a TV program about the recycling of orange peels into feed for cattle ( chock full of vitamins ).  Bravo !  When I was first married, my favorite place to shop was called, the ” Salvation Army ” ,  and every item chosen became a labor of love !  Each eventually made its way into a ” family heirloom ”  or a garage sale, thats American ingenuity and entrepreneurship !  I must admit that as my sons entered grade school,  I ceased ” making ” their clothing but they did wear  ” hand-me-downs ” for an extensive time after.  The result of which is that the youngest of four remains to this day a vision of sartorial splendor !  Hmm, I wonder why?

 

Sincerely,

Claire B.

 

DATELINE : Hoboken, NJ, USA ” MAGIC WORDS ” ( 2013 ) 2013/06/10

Filed under: MEMORIES — bogdanosclaire @ 12:24 am
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Do I have your attention?  Oh good, because today I’d like to introduce you to 5  ” magic words “, the keys to the kingdom.  I promised my children that these words, used properly,  would guarantee them success in life,  not in terms financial,  but in terms of peace and joy,commodities in short supply .  These words are:  ” PLEASE “, ” THANK YOU “,  ” SORRY”,” MA’AM “, and ” SIR ”  ( as in ” no ma’am”  or  ” yes sir ” ). ” Please ” and ” Thank you ” stand on their own merits and need no instructions !  However my family had difficulty accepting the responsibility of  ” Sorry “, does this sound familiar?  “Why?” you ask. ” Sorry ” does not signify your guilt. It simply reinforces your concern for others.  You should be sorry when you observe someone in stress or pain,  don’t you agree ? Therefore,   this word connotes genuine empathy in a world which appears to have lost its ” humanity “! If I do not agree with you on an issue,   I apologize and doesn’t that help you to experience less antagonism?    Now as regards the use of ” Ma’am ” and ” Sir “,   these words are a show of respect, another disappearing ” nuance ” of our fading society  ( with the exception of the military ). Structure plays a larger role in achieving personal success in as much as it utilizes our best qualities when necessary and these words form a part of that ! They indicate that we do care and will make an effort to listen with respect.   Am I mistaken?

 

Sincerely,

Claire B.

 

DATELINE: Hoboken, New Jersey, USA” HOBOKENITES ” ( 2013 ) 2013/05/21

Filed under: MEMORIES — bogdanosclaire @ 2:23 pm
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Did you know that besides Frank Sinatra, Hoboken was home to Stephen Foster AND Edgar Allan Poe?  Lillian Russell was married here in the 1800’s, and my family arrived from Germany in 1846.  My grandpa George Eugene Sipple played for the Knickerbocker baseball team.  Remember this town is only one mile square!  Can you imagine?  So much history!

Sincerely,

Claire B.

 

DATELINE : Hoboken, New Jersey, USA ” HERO ” ( 2013 )

Filed under: MEMORIES — bogdanosclaire @ 1:16 am
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Am I correct in believing that Brokaw called my era the “ Greatest Generation” ?  ( My mother bought me that book.)  I spent more than 76 years of my life in “ incredibly “ close proximity to my mom, she was my “hero” !  I miss her everyday and live by the simple rules she valued.  In German it was : Kirche, Kinder, Kochin, “loosely”  translated into … God, family, duty !  Not a bad goal.

Sincerely,

Claire B.