Goodbye Little Friend

In Memory of Theophilus Thistle.Furball.Tazzy Gilliland

June 12, 1994-December 3, 2009

The naming of cats is a difficult matter

It isn't just one of your holiday games

You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter

When I tell you a cat must have three different names

First of all, there's the name that the family use daily

Tazzy

There are fancy names if you think they sound sweeter

Furball

But I tell you a cat needs a name that's particular

A name that's peculiar, and more dignified

Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular

Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?

Theophilus Thistle.

Goodbye, Little Bear, I miss you.

Revised and plagiarized from 'The Naming of Cats' from the screenplay 'Cats'

Grandma and Grandpa's House

There are so many pictures of family taken on this porch. Grandpa and my uncles built this in the 40s. The current owners have maintained it nicely. My Aunt Gen and Uncle Reuben bought this one when Grandpa finished the house next door. I get all teary when I remember the smell of Grandma's bread, Frontier Days, playing with Jolyn and Carol. Cousins, aunts and uncles sitting around the table eating pasties, flatbread and felia (sic). The adults ate the felia, yuck. So much laughter and love.

What a vacation. Thank you, Lord.

Memory Lane

This is my childhood home. My brother, Larry and I use to pretend the railings were horses. We always wanted the shorter one because it was sturdier. One time Larry ended up with two black eyes when I got overzealous and pushed him off my 'horse'. Bad me. Sorry, Lar. I have tons of happy memories at 2416 N 22nd St.

The neighborhood has changed and my house seems so much smaller than when I was a child.

Reminicin'

My Milwaukee Cousins

Mary, me, David, Eric and Carol. I'm so glad we got together (thank you, Joan) . Carol and her sis, Jolyn, were my special playmates when I was about 7 and they were babies. Oh, how I love those memories.

This is Joan's adorable house. She has lived in this house for 62 years!! Her daughter, Mary, lives upstairs.