January 4, 2025 Dearest Tammy, I was a freshman in college at California State College, now called Pennsylvania Western University, California, in 1965 when I first heard the exciting news! I had a baby sister! I remember that day as if it were a minute ago. To quote the Irish novelist, John Banville, “The past beats inside me like a second heart.” (Just a few fun facts about my friend, John. He grew up in Wexford, Ireland and was born on 12/8/45.) I was living in the Green Street dorm on the second floor. This was before the existence of cell phones, so when we got a phone call or wanted to make one, we had to go down to the lobby. Nothing like having to make or receive calls while any number of dorm residents and their guests might be lounging there on couches and chairs. The phone was mounted on the wall right outside of the resident hall director’s (warden’s) office. On a side note, there was also a campus wide curfew of 10:00 PM. A piercing whistle would sound all over campus to w...
Plan An Adventure Birthdays have a habit of coming every year, whether or not you are grieving. September 13, 2024 marked the fourth birthday without my beloved, Ed. Family was going to celebrate with me on the 15th, but I did not want to be alone on my actual day. I made reservations for a one night stay at the beautiful Courtyard Erie Bayfront Hotel by Marriott. Note to my readers: Tell people when it is your birthday. The hotel staff gifted me with a free dinner and free breakfast the next morning. At the last minute, I decided to invite my sister, Tammy Warholic Comino to join me on this trip. She graciously accepted and even did the driving. Her superpower has always been driving a manual shift transmission vehicle (a stick shift), and she does so very smoothly! So I was going on an adventure with my sister in a fun car. Our hotel even provided a free ($25 value) breakfast for her, too. We visited the lighthouses on Presque Isle, but the highlight of the trip for...