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"Vacation" Snippet 3
Jun. 22nd, 2021 11:13 pmMonday was a day of errands for mom and I.
First we cleaned up the back office, removing the legs from the big heavy lounge chair and lugging it out to the living room.
We swept and vacuumed and brought in a child-sized bed for Elliotte (my sister Kayle's toddler).
We took down the sheer curtains in the room and put up some heavier ones to block more light so Elliotte can sleep better.
And we took lots of quilts and pillows down to the basement to wash so that everyone can use them.
Then we went to Big Lots for a kiddie pool, but go figure, even though the section had been full just a few days ago it was now almost empty. I guess a sign that July 4th is getting closer. We bought another less awesome pool instead, then went to Walmart to check for pools there and pick up some other necessities: outlet safety caps, hand wipes, lint rollers, baby detergent, other stuff I can't remember. I was patient and didn't rush my mom. Also, I want to point out that she lives in a VERY rural area and "going to Walmart" means a 15 minute drive on the highway out of town.
After Walmart mom took me to a factory outlet store that she knew of, on the outside it looks like an unassuming warehouse but inside it's actually a kitchen store! I had mentioned that I needed a few small things for the kitchen--a dough scraper, tongs with silicone grips, and a metal ladle--but I haven't been able to find all three in the same store back in Orlando and had hesitated to order them because they're so cheap for the shipping. As it turned out, this place had all three! The ladle I mostly wanted so I can more easily skim fat off pot roasts and soups (chilling the ladle and then skimming it on the surface of soups/liquids solidifies the fats so you can just lift them right out) and the tongs I wanted because we only have one pair, and we use them so frequently that I often find myself washing them multiple times throughout the day so we can use them again. But I was mainly excited about the dough scraper, which only cost $1.50 and will make handling and shaping bread dough much easier.
Bonus: I found an opaque straight-sided container with measurement markings on the sides and a lid, perfect for letting dough rise because it will rise straight up and you can see exactly when it has doubled in size. When it's rising in a metal or ceramic bowl you have to guesstimate. Very excited for these simple tools that'll help with lots of things :)
Then we had lunch at Applebee's and went to a popcorn-and-ice cream-and-candy store, where I picked up a container of "buffalo bleu" popcorn for Jameson and a few scoops of Hershey's Ice Cream for us! Mom got dark chocolate raspberry and Almond Joy, I had banana pudding. We both agreed that the banana pudding was excellent.
Back home we put everything away, and I dug through some dusty family photo albums as I sometimes do when home for a visit.
I found two pictures of my grandfather and posted them online. I've seen these pictures before, but didn't have much info on them and our family is not close for me to ask.
In this photo my grandfather is clearly posing for a boxing photo. I knew he was a boxer but didn't know at what skill level or for how long or anything like that. Shortly after posting this photo my Uncle Mark chimed in to tell me that yes, this was my grandpa Bill O'Malley, and he had been a boxer for the U.S. Army (had no idea they had a military boxing program?!), and that the picture was taken in Panama.
In this photo my grandfather is wearing his military uniform, standing outside a church.
My dad says that he wasn't a fighting soldier, but rather a radar and/or radio installation personnel of some sort who eventually ended up training others to assemble and disassemble radio/radar equipment in short periods of time.
My uncle says the photo was taken in Newark, NJ, but I've been unable to find out what church this was.
After asking around online, a friend who is a military buff told me that the patch on his uniform indicates he was part of the Armed Air Forces, which interestingly predated the USAF.
The Army Air Force (AAF) is actually a pretty interesting and unique military division...it's not what you think, that's for sure.
According to Wikipedia:
Unfortunately, my grandpa died long before I ever got to meet him. In his mid-30s he had an aneurism, and that was that.
My dad was only eleven years old at the time, so it was surely traumatic for him. He rarely talks about family, but my uncle Mark is usually more willing to fill in details when he notices I'm asking questions. We also once had an "O'Malley family reunion", in which those of us who are directly related got together and someone painstakingly pieced together a family tree that actually goes pretty far back. After discussing these photos today, uncle Mark offered to send my sister and I a copy of that family tree. I'll look forward to seeing that!
A family history is something that I wish I could get from the Japanese side of my family, but that's never going to happen. I wouldn't even know how to begin researching those connections; the only thing I know for sure is that my Obaa-chan lived in Hokkaido, was bullied and abused (potentially for having strongly Ainu features), and became a war bride in order to get out of Japan and start a new life in the US. My aunt once mentioned that her father (my great-grandfather) was some sort of skilled surgeon or doctor, and that his surname was "Akaoka" or something similar, but I've been unable to find a thing about any of it. Language barriers and whatnot.
Anyway, it's always fun to learn about your ancestors and appreciate their lives, and how they're connected, past to present.
In the evening I had steno class, my first one since going on this vacation. Internet service is a little iffy out here, so there were times when my audio dropped out, but I was able to fully participate for the two hours. I did ok, but am still just maintaining a holding pattern. Go figure, next week is summer break and I won't be able to turn in any more work because I'll be driving back to Florida, returning on the final day before the school closes for the break. Welp...guess I'm stuck in 100wpm for the next round. I'll just have to do my best and hope two attempts at this is all I'll need.
Tuesday, the reality began to sink in that my visit is almost over.
Mom and I took care of some things around the house, then I paid my sisters and newborn nephew a final visit.
I brought them bagel sandwiches made at a local bagel shop, they were delicious and we enjoyed them while talking about all sorts of random things together. Poor Kate has had it rough with little Declan, he has been ravenous and is either feeding or crying or needing his diaper changed every ten minutes. Hopefully he'll fall into a routine soon so Kate can catch a break.
Meanwhile though it was good to catch up, while distracting her from her sore boobs.
We actually ended up talking about bread a lot, partially because I've been baking bread and so has Kate's husband and he wanted to pick my brain about it because he's had struggles, and partly because bread (and pastries) are fun to talk about, and partly because our mother was trying to become a baker in her last years before cancer ended her life. My sisters were very encouraging of my "Dough-Malley" idea, and found it pretty funny, as well as a potential moneymaker if I can come up with my own recipes based around my sourdough starter. Homemade sourdough bread is pretty difficult to find in Orlando, and also in my hometown. I have no intention of monetizing when I've just now learned how to make bread, but did appreciate their input and will keep it in mind if somehow my bread turns out good enough to sell, YEARS from now.
Partway through the visit I excused myself outside to try and dig up a common milkweed plant or two.
It turned out to be much harder than expected not only because the taproot was so dang deep, but also because there were loads of large rocks mixed in with the soil and digging them up was torture, plus the taproot was wound between them so tightly that it was impossible to dig it out without breaking it. It was very quickly clear that this was a fool's errand, but I dug up two anyway and stuck them in a pot with native dirt and potting soil. Tomorrow we will see how they're doing and decide whether I'm dragging them all the way to Florida (I suspect not).
Back inside I realized a bit too late that I probably couldn't hold Declan now because I'd been digging in who-knows-what. But that's ok, I'm not good with babies. After a bit more good conversation with my sisters I said my goodbyes and drove back to my parents' house. There I packed up most of my belongings, wiped down my vintage folding bike and stashed it in the car, worked on some steno homework so I can at least submit SOMETHING, and then sat outside with my parents for a bit admiring the ceiling fans that my dad finished installing today.
My 1970s solid steel folding bike with chrome accents, purchased while with the circus to help lug my groceries back to the train.
Now I'm spending my final night in the guest bedroom.
Tomorrow mom and I will go get groceries for Kayle and her family, and do some last-minute cleaning, then dad and I will drive to Philly to get them from the airport. We'll bring hoagies for dinner for them and us, and when we get home Kayle and her husband will get the guest bedroom, Elliotte will have the back room, and I'll sleep on the couch (it's a VERY comfortable couch, I don't mind at all). Then early in the morning on Thursday I'll leave to begin my long trek back to Florida.
Wish us all safe travels.
First we cleaned up the back office, removing the legs from the big heavy lounge chair and lugging it out to the living room.
We swept and vacuumed and brought in a child-sized bed for Elliotte (my sister Kayle's toddler).
We took down the sheer curtains in the room and put up some heavier ones to block more light so Elliotte can sleep better.
And we took lots of quilts and pillows down to the basement to wash so that everyone can use them.
Then we went to Big Lots for a kiddie pool, but go figure, even though the section had been full just a few days ago it was now almost empty. I guess a sign that July 4th is getting closer. We bought another less awesome pool instead, then went to Walmart to check for pools there and pick up some other necessities: outlet safety caps, hand wipes, lint rollers, baby detergent, other stuff I can't remember. I was patient and didn't rush my mom. Also, I want to point out that she lives in a VERY rural area and "going to Walmart" means a 15 minute drive on the highway out of town.
After Walmart mom took me to a factory outlet store that she knew of, on the outside it looks like an unassuming warehouse but inside it's actually a kitchen store! I had mentioned that I needed a few small things for the kitchen--a dough scraper, tongs with silicone grips, and a metal ladle--but I haven't been able to find all three in the same store back in Orlando and had hesitated to order them because they're so cheap for the shipping. As it turned out, this place had all three! The ladle I mostly wanted so I can more easily skim fat off pot roasts and soups (chilling the ladle and then skimming it on the surface of soups/liquids solidifies the fats so you can just lift them right out) and the tongs I wanted because we only have one pair, and we use them so frequently that I often find myself washing them multiple times throughout the day so we can use them again. But I was mainly excited about the dough scraper, which only cost $1.50 and will make handling and shaping bread dough much easier.
Bonus: I found an opaque straight-sided container with measurement markings on the sides and a lid, perfect for letting dough rise because it will rise straight up and you can see exactly when it has doubled in size. When it's rising in a metal or ceramic bowl you have to guesstimate. Very excited for these simple tools that'll help with lots of things :)
Then we had lunch at Applebee's and went to a popcorn-and-ice cream-and-candy store, where I picked up a container of "buffalo bleu" popcorn for Jameson and a few scoops of Hershey's Ice Cream for us! Mom got dark chocolate raspberry and Almond Joy, I had banana pudding. We both agreed that the banana pudding was excellent.
Back home we put everything away, and I dug through some dusty family photo albums as I sometimes do when home for a visit.
I found two pictures of my grandfather and posted them online. I've seen these pictures before, but didn't have much info on them and our family is not close for me to ask.
In this photo my grandfather is clearly posing for a boxing photo. I knew he was a boxer but didn't know at what skill level or for how long or anything like that. Shortly after posting this photo my Uncle Mark chimed in to tell me that yes, this was my grandpa Bill O'Malley, and he had been a boxer for the U.S. Army (had no idea they had a military boxing program?!), and that the picture was taken in Panama.
In this photo my grandfather is wearing his military uniform, standing outside a church.
My dad says that he wasn't a fighting soldier, but rather a radar and/or radio installation personnel of some sort who eventually ended up training others to assemble and disassemble radio/radar equipment in short periods of time.
My uncle says the photo was taken in Newark, NJ, but I've been unable to find out what church this was.
After asking around online, a friend who is a military buff told me that the patch on his uniform indicates he was part of the Armed Air Forces, which interestingly predated the USAF.
The Army Air Force (AAF) is actually a pretty interesting and unique military division...it's not what you think, that's for sure.
According to Wikipedia:
"In its expansion and conduct of the war, the AAF became more than just an arm of the greater organization. By the end of World War II, the Army Air Forces had become virtually an independent service. By regulation and executive order, it was a subordinate agency of the United States Department of War (as were the Army Ground Forces and the Army Service Forces) tasked only with organizing, training, and equipping combat units, and limited in responsibility to the continental United States. In reality, Headquarters AAF controlled the conduct of all aspects of the air war in every part of the world, determining air policy and issuing orders without transmitting them through the Army Chief of Staff."See? Interesting.
Unfortunately, my grandpa died long before I ever got to meet him. In his mid-30s he had an aneurism, and that was that.
My dad was only eleven years old at the time, so it was surely traumatic for him. He rarely talks about family, but my uncle Mark is usually more willing to fill in details when he notices I'm asking questions. We also once had an "O'Malley family reunion", in which those of us who are directly related got together and someone painstakingly pieced together a family tree that actually goes pretty far back. After discussing these photos today, uncle Mark offered to send my sister and I a copy of that family tree. I'll look forward to seeing that!
A family history is something that I wish I could get from the Japanese side of my family, but that's never going to happen. I wouldn't even know how to begin researching those connections; the only thing I know for sure is that my Obaa-chan lived in Hokkaido, was bullied and abused (potentially for having strongly Ainu features), and became a war bride in order to get out of Japan and start a new life in the US. My aunt once mentioned that her father (my great-grandfather) was some sort of skilled surgeon or doctor, and that his surname was "Akaoka" or something similar, but I've been unable to find a thing about any of it. Language barriers and whatnot.
Anyway, it's always fun to learn about your ancestors and appreciate their lives, and how they're connected, past to present.
In the evening I had steno class, my first one since going on this vacation. Internet service is a little iffy out here, so there were times when my audio dropped out, but I was able to fully participate for the two hours. I did ok, but am still just maintaining a holding pattern. Go figure, next week is summer break and I won't be able to turn in any more work because I'll be driving back to Florida, returning on the final day before the school closes for the break. Welp...guess I'm stuck in 100wpm for the next round. I'll just have to do my best and hope two attempts at this is all I'll need.
Tuesday, the reality began to sink in that my visit is almost over.
Mom and I took care of some things around the house, then I paid my sisters and newborn nephew a final visit.
I brought them bagel sandwiches made at a local bagel shop, they were delicious and we enjoyed them while talking about all sorts of random things together. Poor Kate has had it rough with little Declan, he has been ravenous and is either feeding or crying or needing his diaper changed every ten minutes. Hopefully he'll fall into a routine soon so Kate can catch a break.
Meanwhile though it was good to catch up, while distracting her from her sore boobs.
We actually ended up talking about bread a lot, partially because I've been baking bread and so has Kate's husband and he wanted to pick my brain about it because he's had struggles, and partly because bread (and pastries) are fun to talk about, and partly because our mother was trying to become a baker in her last years before cancer ended her life. My sisters were very encouraging of my "Dough-Malley" idea, and found it pretty funny, as well as a potential moneymaker if I can come up with my own recipes based around my sourdough starter. Homemade sourdough bread is pretty difficult to find in Orlando, and also in my hometown. I have no intention of monetizing when I've just now learned how to make bread, but did appreciate their input and will keep it in mind if somehow my bread turns out good enough to sell, YEARS from now.
Partway through the visit I excused myself outside to try and dig up a common milkweed plant or two.
It turned out to be much harder than expected not only because the taproot was so dang deep, but also because there were loads of large rocks mixed in with the soil and digging them up was torture, plus the taproot was wound between them so tightly that it was impossible to dig it out without breaking it. It was very quickly clear that this was a fool's errand, but I dug up two anyway and stuck them in a pot with native dirt and potting soil. Tomorrow we will see how they're doing and decide whether I'm dragging them all the way to Florida (I suspect not).
Back inside I realized a bit too late that I probably couldn't hold Declan now because I'd been digging in who-knows-what. But that's ok, I'm not good with babies. After a bit more good conversation with my sisters I said my goodbyes and drove back to my parents' house. There I packed up most of my belongings, wiped down my vintage folding bike and stashed it in the car, worked on some steno homework so I can at least submit SOMETHING, and then sat outside with my parents for a bit admiring the ceiling fans that my dad finished installing today.
My 1970s solid steel folding bike with chrome accents, purchased while with the circus to help lug my groceries back to the train.
Now I'm spending my final night in the guest bedroom.
Tomorrow mom and I will go get groceries for Kayle and her family, and do some last-minute cleaning, then dad and I will drive to Philly to get them from the airport. We'll bring hoagies for dinner for them and us, and when we get home Kayle and her husband will get the guest bedroom, Elliotte will have the back room, and I'll sleep on the couch (it's a VERY comfortable couch, I don't mind at all). Then early in the morning on Thursday I'll leave to begin my long trek back to Florida.
Wish us all safe travels.
