Rambling with L’Empress

Thu., January 22, 11:42 AM

More than fifty years ago, a man named John B. Gambling had a morning radio program on WOR in New York, called "Rambling with Gambling." When he retired, his son, John A. Gambling took over the show. And a third John (don’t know his initial) was doing it until recently. But John A. died a couple of weeks ago – just one more era passing.

My cousin Shirley died this week. Her dad and mine were brothers, which made us first cousins and made her a first cousin once removed to my kids.

This intergenerational nomenclature became important to us because my dad was so much younger than his siblings that some of his nieces and nephews – my first cousins – were closer to my mother’s age than to mine. My cousins on mother’s side, on the other hand, are all much younger than I. Dad’s baby was like a toy to the cousins, including Shirley, who was about five years old when I was born.

Shirley’s brother (the only cousin on that side who is younger than I am) is a rabbi. At the funeral, he recounted a story told to him many years ago by an old Stamfordite. Before there were funeral parlors, the custom was that the dead were laid out in their own homes until burial. But when a child died of diphtheria, the mother refused to let the “powers that were” put the dead child in her house. She was afraid that her other children might become infected and, even if that didn’t happen, her young children would certainly be too frightened.

So another young mother sent her own children to relatives and took the dead child into her home until the funeral. And that young mother was our grandmother. As Sister points out, the story may be apocryphal, but it demonstrates the personalities of both my gramma and my cousin Shirley. May she rest in peace.

I spent yesterday morning running errands, including some of the tests ordered after last week’s physical. Up at the crack of dawn to have my blood drawn (no breakfast, of course) and to have my chest X-rayed. Then home for breakfast and back to the lab for a mammogram. (Haven’t had some of that stuff in years, because my old insurance didn’t cover it.) In between, I got to the bank, the pharmacy, the gas station. (You know you’ve been sequestered when you only fill the gas tank once a month!)

I had just gotten back home when the phone rang. It was Bosslawyer. “Could you look at my e-mail? I think we made a mistake yesterday.” Whaddya mean, we? I sent what you told me. Anyway, I told him I could get into his mail, but I’d have to hang up; I use ordinary dial-up. I would call him on my cell after I got it open. He only had one mail pertaining to the one we sent; he had made a mistake. Would I please send a correction? So I did, and it will cost him half an hour’s pay, because he’s too lazy to learn how to do it himself. It must be worth it to him.

Then I rewarded myself for the busy morning by having lunch with SE, a woman I worked with many years ago. Having just found my letter of appointment to the first place we worked together, I realize that we’ve known each other for more than eighteen years. We had a great time catching up on all the people we both know and just generally the world.

I hate “hat hair.” As you may remember, I don’t have enough hair to keep me warm, so I haven’t got a lot of choice. I was up early today to drive M.D. to work. (It was so gray that I was a most tentative driver; I hope I didn’t freak her out.) When I got home, my hair was the worst it has been this century. Maybe, having been up and out two days in a row, I can drag myself to the barber tomorrow. It wouldn’t be quite so bad if it wasn’t so long…did I mention how I hate hat hair?

I first saw this in Trinity63's diary and, while I was still mulling it over, on dichroic’s page. Should be at least as much fun as the Friday Five – and I’ll keep it on my own page because I don’t think I can answer all the questions. The assumption is that I recommend something you haven’t seen before.

Recommend to me:

  1. A movie.
    Although I have a few movie favorites, none is unusual. I’m sure you’ve seen them all. In general, most of the movies I’ve seen are completely forgettable, and I would just as soon read the story. I can go at my own speed, back up if necessary, use my imagination to know how things look.

    On second thought, if you get a chance to see A&E’s “Pride and Prejudice,” it’s worth watching; I think it’s five tapes. It is a charming rendition of the book.

  2. A book.
    Hmmmm. A good, if obscure, novel is American Beauty by Edna Ferber. I found it in the college library many years ago, set aside for students who were taking a class on the American novel. What I remember best is that it made me feel good. And when I mentioned it to another librarian, she said, “Isn’t that a lovely book!” You may think so too.
  3. A musical artist, song, or album.
    I have a (vinyl) album by John Denver and Placido Domingo, entitled “Perhaps Love.” It must have come out in the mid-1980’s; I think it was a gift from the kids. I love the mixture of styles. I thought that the title song got played on the radio a lot, but I can’t see any indication that it ever charted.
  4. A diaryland user not on my favorites list.
    This one is completely impossible. The best diaries I’ve ever found were recommended by someone else – maybe even your favorites list!



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