Random Thoughts

 So Sammy and Ethan are registering for their classes for spring semester. If you were in school when I was, you remember standing in line, after line, after line to register. I’m not kidding. Nothing was computerized, so you had to stand in one line to add a class, another line to drop a class, and all of the lines were LONG! One could spend hours in line trying to register and getting into the classes you wanted was often a pipe dream because by the time you got to the front of the line, your desired classes were often full. So it was on to another line.

Sammy and Ethan have it so easy. They enter information into the computer such as their available days and times for classes and what classes are desired. Presto! The computer spits out a long list of options for them. They can be registered in minutes.

Am I jealous? Yes…

Stay groovy…

–Susie

(Copyright 2019 Susie Krivacic)

So Floridians don’t have much use for the traditional fireplace. The closest we tend to get is outdoor fire pits that we enjoy when the weather gets nippy outside. This morning, I woke up to the first hint of autumn in Florida, and it got me thinking about my younger days living up north.

There was nothing nicer than Dad building a fire on a cold, snowy day. It wasn’t just the warmth that made the fireplace so lovely. Remembering the smell of burning wood and the popping sound of the fire just makes me feel cozy, even today.

Close your eyes and think about Sunday football and crackling embers. Ahhh, memories…

Stay groovy…

–Susie

(Copyright 2019 Susie Krivacic)

Ahhhh…Halloween! I remember it well from my childhood. You see, Halloween was very different when I was a kid.

Back in the day, we didn’t buy costumes, and we came up with them on our own. It was always easy to create a pirate, gypsy, ghost, or vampire costume without having to make a trip to the store. We loved raiding Mom and Dad’s closets for accessories to complete our spooky look. Once adorned, we would set out for fun with our friends.

We didn’t even go out trick or treating until it was dark, and we went everywhere! We weren’t limited to staying in our own neighborhood, and adults didn’t need to accompany us. We felt safe exploring new areas and were comfortable accepting homemade treats: candied or caramel apples, Rice Krispies treats, brownies, or cookies…Some residences had hot apple cider waiting and makeshift haunted houses. It was safe to go in and hear the scary music and squeals from our friends. We stayed out late and felt free to sample some of our goodies before reaching home. When the evening ended we were exhausted but full of stories to share.

I know kids today enjoy Halloween, but there was something extra special about the event before times changed and everyone had to be so cautious. I’m not recommending that kids do Halloween the way we did. Those days of total freedom on October 31st are long gone. It’s fun to reflect back on it though…

Happy Halloween, and be safe out there!

Stay groovy…

–Susie

(Copyright 2019 Susie Krivacic)

So this story takes place in, you guessed it, Indiana during the middle of winter. Steve and John were outside playing two man football. When Steve gave John a cross body block, trouble ensued. John’s leg broke in seven places.

Watching John hobble around on crutches with a full leg cast was an experience. This is because John got tired of using his crutches, so whenever possible he ditched them in favor of hopping.

And John wasn’t a slacker. Most kids with a broken leg would use it to get out of chores, but not John. It was so funny watching him hop around the kitchen unloading the dishwasher. I kid you not. John unloaded the dishwasher, loaded it, and even wiped down the kitchen table all with a broken leg and no crutches.

He set a high standard for contributing around the house even when injured. In fact, he did more chores with a cast than most kids did unencumbered…

Stay groovy…

–Susie

(Copyright 2019 Susie Krivacic)

Now you may be wondering why I would be writing about carpet. It’s not so much about what it is, but where it was…In our house in Indiana, we had carpet in the kitchen. Now perhaps I’ve led a sheltered life, but I don’t know of any other house that had carpet in the kitchen. Linoleum, tile, or maybe wood, but not carpet.

It was easier to just have to vacuum the surface rather than sweep and mop, but what about spills? When I consulted with Mom on this one, she said that the carpet was like the professional grade, tightly woven carpet you might find in an office building. It was therefore ideal for the high traffic and spills that were common in a kitchen.

But I still wonder about it. If that carpet was pulled up years later, would a lifetime of stains be visible on the underside? Perhaps I should contact the current owners to see how it held up…

Stay groovy…

–Susie

(Copyright 2019 Susie Krivacic)

So growing up, Tammy was quite the baker. She was the antithesis of me. You see, I would bake brownies that were known as “hockey pucks”, and Tammy was Duff Goldman from Food Network’s Ace of Cakes. She bakes to this day, and her homemade chocolates featured over the winter holidays are legendary.

Our family dinners were even more exciting if we knew Tammy had baked that day. We eagerly awaited her cookies, cakes, puddings, or whatever other creation she had come up with. The desserts were so yummy, we could get rather rowdy in anticipation with encouragement from Uncle David.

Whenever Dad and Mom went out of town, Uncle David always came to stay with us. He was a gregarious man, and we always enjoyed his visits. On one such visit, I don’t recall what Tammy had made, but Uncle David was ready for his dessert. He pounded on the table and loudly chanted, “We want de-ssert. We want de-ssert. We want de-ssert. Dessert, dessert, dessert, dessert. Dessert, dessert, dessert, dessert. We want de-ssert,…” The rest of us joined in and the chanting continued until dessert was served.

Even after Uncle David went back to New York, the chant was a regular part of our mealtime silliness. We’ve even been known to do it as adults…

“We want de-ssert…”

Stay groovy…

–Susie

(Copyright 2019 Susie Krivacic)

So I figured I’d keep going with the breakfast theme from the past few days…

Growing up, cereal was a staple for breakfast. In the 70’s, the sugary cereals were starting to come out. Let’s face it…They were fun! So we had a policy that we could eat the sugary cereals on the weekend. We referred to those as “good” cereals. On the other end, the non-sweetened cereals were deemed “bad” cereals and were eaten during the week.

Now we were a cleaver group of kids. I’m not sure who thought of it (perhaps Steve), but there came to be a thing we called “sprinkles”. We would take the unsweetened cereals and add a handful of the sweetened kind to the top of our bowl. A bowl of Rice Krispies was far more tasty with a bit of Corn Pops (called Sugar Pops back in the day) floating over it.

Well it just gets better from there. You see, Steve and Tammy were up earlier than all of us during the week, and they took sprinkles to a whole new level. They would take a box of maybe Froot Loops and open it from the bottom, so we were unaware the cereal was in use. They would then increase their quantity of sprinkles and the contents of the box would disappear before any of us were the wiser. When the four younger siblings discovered this trickery, a virtual scandal ensued.

Ahhh…Breakfast shenanigans…

Stay groovy…

–Susie

(Copyright 2019 Susie Krivacic)