Children
This volume has gotten a little bigger than I thought it was going to be. There is even more. There could be a volume on just my cousins. But it would probably take two volumes to include my favorite stories of our six children. And who knows, some day you might find those two more volumes. But for now, here is a little about each, and then one more story. It may not be my favorite story of each, and it may not be the one that encapsulates my memories of each, but these are what wound up here.
I am proud that all of them have gone into business for themselves. I’m so impressed that all of them have gone into the food business in one way or the other. I’m envious that they are friends. I love it that they have gone into business together. That they travel together. I am so pleased that they are siblings, and they are friends.
Thea
Where do I start? I am so proud of her. I’m very proud of her ICE activism. A published author. A comedian. A movie extra.
Here is a favorite story from her childhood.
I wanted to believe that local schools are the best choice for children. As Lee St is only 2 blocks from Lorena St School, where I went for 5th and 6th grades, it seemed reasonable that Thea should go there for kindergarten.
Thea was a quiet child, and the class size was at the maximum. When the first parent conference came around, there was a surprise. The teacher said that Thea was rather slow, but was doing well. I sez, What do you mean she is slow? Teach sez, Well she isn’t performing up to her age level. ?? Can you show me an example? She doesn’t know her colors. ??? Can you show me? Here are the colors, and she can’t identify the color pink. ???? I call Thea over, show her the color cards. I pick up the color she can’t identify. What color is this? Thea hesitates, she looks back and forth at us. What color do you think this is? “Maybe magenta.” I say, You don’t know my kid. Even though she got more attention after that, and had a nice kindergarten experience, I started looking for other options. She had a much better 1st grade experience at The Arroyo Seco Magnet School.
Frannie
She was accomplished in her high school music career. I was so proud she was in the Los Angeles Junior Philharmonic.
A cherished time with her was the 5 days we spent together driving from her college in Oberlin, Ohio, back to Los Angeles. Sarah flew back to Los Angeles with other kids from Ohio, and Frannie and I drove back with all of her stuff in and on the car. All along the way, we were researching yarn stores. I set up our business banking on the steps of Saint Paul’s Cathedral in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
@ We had a great time. We saw so many things. We saw the Dakota badlands on the one day of the year it rained and we were privileged to see the wonderful colors in the rocks. We had an experience with bison in @Yellowstone. (take a look on page ). We had lots of good food, and adventures and incredible sights. We saw a tornado that didn’t fully form. We explored Deadwood. We wandered the town where Napoleon Dynamite took place. We posed with presidents at Mt. Rushmore. When we got to Missoula, Montana, we turned left and came South to Los Angeles. Missoula and Reno are slightly to the west of Los Angeles. South of Missoula we drove through an amazing canyon, I’ve never been able to find it again with Sarah.
Hana-Darby
She is so strong, she has such strength of character. She has set up herself in a solid business, she has a good business sense.
She was showing that sense early. She wanted to go to a comic book convention held at the Shrine Auditorium when she was about 10. She had some comic books, but she wanted better ones. And she didn’t have much of a budget. When we got there, she told me that she did not want me hanging out with her. I heard her and hesitantly slunk away. Out she went on the convention hall floor. There was a mezzanine above, and being a good father, I went up there and kept an eye on her. There were few children there, and she was the only kid who was circulating among the vendors alone. I watched her wheeling and dealing, trading, negotiating, with grown men. She turned her meager comics into valuable items she wanted. It was impressive that she knew what she was doing and I knew there was nothing to worry about.
Max
If we had phones back then, a video of a three year old Max, dancing in front of K. C. and The Sunshine Band, would be viral. He had a band in high school. So proud he was an organizer of an anti Iraq War protest.
And an Emmy winner!
Now he is the alpha of the family, and does it well.
An important thanksgiving story on page 80.
Max was most important in this important story.
Noah
What Noah has accomplished in the world of Zines is amazing. A person who had never met him, told me that he was the King of Zines.
This story is one of my favorite of many young Noah stories.
Fedco was a wonderful store. It was very bare bones. It was a co-op for government employees. This story takes place at the Fedco which is now the Target at Colorado and San Gabriel Blvd in Pasadena.
It had rained overnight, and one year-old Noah and I went shopping at Fedco. I was carrying Noah in the parking lot and slipped in a puddle of water. A man came rushing over. He said it was amazing how I protected the baby and my head while my feet were up in the air.
I was shaken, I shook myself off, and went to the store, which was only minutes away from opening. A membership card was needed to enter. An old man came up to me, (please supply an accent for this old man, he sounded like Bella Lugosi)
“Pardon me, but I have forgotten my membership card. May I accompany you as you enter the store?“
Sure, says I.
Looking at Noah the man says, “I see this young man in your arms. He has great light in his eyes."
Yes, he is very smart, sez I. Sometimes it scares me with how smart he is.
(do the accent)
“YES! INTELLIGENT CHILDREN ARE FRIGHTENING!”
O
The doors of the store opened, and in we went
Lily
An actor. A warrior. A brilliant baby.
Before she could really sit up on her own, I had her propped up in the kid seat in the shopping cart at Trader Joe’s. She was commenting on things and asking questions, and I was answering her. A woman came up to me and hit me in the shoulder and said, You understand what she is saying, don’t you.
Soon after learning to walk, Lily came up to us and demanded, Hogack!. We looked at each other and said what’s that? Hogack Hogack Hogack! She was getting frustrated. Who is that? We didn’t know what she meant. She went over to her books and rummaged through. She got out a picture book brought it to us and turned to the picture of a Rocking Horse.
I must mention that most nights I dream of our life when they were children.
A Happy Story
It was the first Christmas that Lily came home from college. Someone had put on a Ray Charles record. Sarah was happily in the kitchen, making apple pancakes, filling the house with an amazing aroma. All six grown kids, plus one, were on the floor playing a loud game of Monopoly. I was at my usual perch.
It was perhaps one of the most happiest moments I have ever experienced in my life.
My eyes had tears then, they have tears now in the memory of it.
And then there are the grandchildren, who are so bright and beautiful, that they shine, and when they shine, I believe the light comes from them.