Tuesday, January 1, 2013

IT'S STILL CHRISTMAS - 8


Not eight ladies dancing maids a-milking, but six ladies all in a row.  My grandmother, Aimée, is in the center with her five daughters, from left to right, Eva, May (Aimée), Gladys, Irma, and Pearl (my mother).  Eva and Irma lived in Reno, Nevada, so they must have come to New Orleans for a visit.  My mother and my Aunt May look so young.  My grandmother always looked old to me, I'm sad to say, probably even before she  was old.  She dressed in the old-fashioned way with long dresses, lisle stockings, and sensible, lace-up shoes. 



The young lady pictured above is ready to dance.  My granddaughter was three or four years old in the picture and wears one of her costumes for her dancing school recital.  I sat through the recitals for my sister, my daughter, and my granddaughter.  As a child, I enjoyed my sister's dance recitals, but, as an adult, the recitals with performances by many youngsters seemed endless.  My sister was a talented dancer and danced through high school, but my daughter and granddaughter took dance lessons for only a few years.  Thank heaven for small mercies.

I'm running out of material for the twelve days of Christmas, with still more days to fill.  I should have stuck with the song.

UPDATE: My grandparents had seven children in all, five daughters and two sons. 

24 comments:

  1. I see what you mean about your grandma, Mimi, but it's a good-looking lineup of ladies :)

    Your granddaughter is very cute in her little dress. Is three or four quite young to be performing in dancing recitals? ... I'm sure I and my school friends never did anything like that at that age. :(

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    1. My grandmother loved me unconditionally, with godly love, and I loved her back. She was a great influence in my life as an example of a strong woman, and I probably owe a good deal of my self-esteem to her.

      Three or four is way too young for a dance recital. Some of the little girls were hilarious to watch; on one occasion, two got into a shoving match on the stage. Sadly, there was not enough hilarity to relieve the long stretches of tedium.

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  2. Well 9 lords could be lords spiritual aka bishops. Which 9 (either sex) would you like to see on your doorstep :-).

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  3. I see you in your Pearl's face, Mimi! It's a good look!!

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    1. susan s., people never said we looked alike, possibly because our coloring was very different, but now, with my grey hair, when I look in the mirror, I see my mother.

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    2. Me too!

      The year: mid-1950s, I'm guessing? (Based upon the car, and your rather-fashionable Aunt May).

      My grandmother always looked old to me, I'm sad to say, probably even before she was old. She dressed in the old-fashioned way

      It's like women of that period were DUTY-BOUND to appear sex-less after age 50 (40?), weren't they? TBTG for changed times!

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    3. JCF, I think you're probably right about the time. Folks told Aunt May she looked like Claudette Colbert, and she did. She was my godmother, and we were very close.

      My grandmother never wore a bra, either, only the all-in-one teddies. You can tell from the picture.

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    4. "Folks told Aunt May she looked like Claudette Colbert, and she did."

      Yes, I see it. I'm not surprised you two were close: I'm guessing you had some of her joi de vivre?

      "Eva and Irma lived in Reno, Nevada": that's an interesting coincidence [Louisiana to "the Biggest Little City in the World"]. Did they marry brothers, or something?

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    5. JCF, the reason why Irma and her husband moved to Reno is a story in itself. Everyone who would be embarrassed by the story is dead, so I might tell the tale one day.

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    6. May was full of life and always great fun to be with. Our trip to France with Pearl and May included many moments of hilarity. To start with, Pearl, May, and I were bumped up to Business Class with access to unlimited drinks, and the two of them had a few too many. When the lights went out, and everyone was trying to sleep, they were talking and laughing, and the flight attendant had to quiet them down. That's just the beginning.

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  4. Of course I started to say your Mother's face, changed my mind halfway thru and made her your Pearl! "I am old, Father William!"

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    1. Pearl is fine. Do you stand on your head, susan s.?

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    2. Not since I was about 18, almost 50 years ago!!

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    3. I never could stand on my head. I never could do cartwheels. I was fortunate to do a tumble set. The only sport I was ever good at was ping pong.

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  5. I thought it was "nine ladies dancing" but eight "maids a-milking".

    At least we've escaped all those birds!

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    1. Paul (A.), you're right, of course. My brain is fried with days of Christmas and observing the cliffhanger that is our present national governance. I shall correct my post. Thank you.

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  6. Can't wait to see how you conclude this series of posts. Perhaps something with animals?

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    1. Don't frighten me like that, whiteycat. I have no idea. ;-)

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    2. Or Senators or Representatives? We do have lords a-leaping coming up.

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    3. Prairie Soul, I still have nothing but I'm working on it. :-)

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  7. A wonderful picture. Seven children! This only child can't imagine the commotion and crowding in the house, but no doubt there were advantages, too.

    BTW, apropos of nothing, I just stumbled upon this website, Common Prayer for Ordinary Radicals, and thought you might find it interesting. See what you think:

    http://commonprayer.net/

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    1. In addition to caring for 7 children, my grandmother was a superb Creole cook. She cooked three big meals a day - breakfast, lunch and dinner. She was a concert caliber pianist, but gave up any idea of performing when she married and began having children.

      Thank you for the link to the prayer, Russ. It's lovely.

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