Sunday, February 13, 2011

Remembering Way Back

I read obituaries.  I have read obituaries for as long as I can remember.  Because I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area all my life, occasionally I run into names that mean something to me.  This week, the memory tweaker was James Morley.  I never knew James Morley, but his father, Professor Morley, was very important to my very small self.  Professor Morley was old when I was a little girl on Etna Street.  We moved to Russell Street when I was six, so that was a very long time ago.
Etna Street was a wonderful place in the early 50's.  Our block was crawling with kids our age.  Professor Morley lived four or five houses down the block, towards Derby Street.  Most afternoons (or so it seemed), Professor Morley would gather the neighborhood children on his front steps, like so many baby ducklings, and read Beatrix Potter stories to us.  He was already a retired professor then, with white hair.  He was everyone's grandfather.  What a lot of patience he must have had.  I suppose now, people would assume the worst about an old man and a bunch of children.  I liked the 50's.  We just grouped around this great old man and he read us stories.  It was a magical time.
So rest in peace, James Morley.  Don't know a thing about you, but you had a great dad, so you had a good start in life.
I'm doing as expected, healing slowly.  My skin really hates adhesives, so it is really looking forward to being bandage free.  If it's all the same with God, I'd prefer not to get an infection in the incision this time.  Looking forward to seeing Dr. Chee tomorrow to find out what is next.
xxooxx

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The fifties were kind of great. It was OK to walk many blocks to school ALONE and wander home stopping to hunt for four-leaf clovers and chomping sour grass. Such innocent freedom. I envy you your grand old man!!!

LLLove,
RRROZ