Tag: memory
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Train dreams
Every Christmas when I was small Dad would get out his American Flyer train set. I was permitted to participate to an extent, but Dad made it clear to me that this was no mere toy. The train was special, and I was not allowed to touch it without his supervision. Watching Dad tinker with…
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Notes from the heartland (Part 3: Texas)
Happy Rudesgiving! I can’t remember when Rudesgiving originated, but with such a geographically dispersed family — and with each of my brothers having their own families and in-laws — we needed to come up with our own convenient time to gather. So, for several years we’ve been finding an off-peak weekend to meet up. This…
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O Christmas Tree
Christmas trees look even more out of place in Costa Rica than I do. Michael and I don’t have one at the AirBnB that we’ve rented, and it’s probably for the best. Christmas itself seems slightly out of place here. Back in our Minnesota living room, our own Christmas tree is undoubtedly bone dry by…
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The greats
During my formative years (i.e., the early 1980s), I recall a flurry of genealogical interest on multiple sides of the family. My paternal grandpa’s sister Carol (Rude) Luiso had been interviewing her father John Rude and other older relatives about the family’s early years in the US. She and her cousin Judi collected a wealth…
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An early memory
When I was four or five, I asked my mom about her “mommy and daddy”. She explained that this is who “grandma” and “grandpa” were. Then I asked her about grandma and grandpa’s mommy and daddy. She patiently explained that too. And their parents, and their parents’ parents…? Where did it end? I wanted to…
Deep Roots 