I come from a strong background ...on both sides I had wonderful glorious grandmothers and one greatgrandmother. And my mom who supported me and still does in almost everything I have done.
When I was 13 I was babysitting and taking care of munchkins...I started making them stuffed toys and that led me to my collectable Teddy Bear business. I have to expalin Patterns and recipes and I have never gotten along. I was a home ec class dropout ...but because I thought and probably did knew more than the teacher. I had to throw away a batch of chocolate chip cookies because everyone in my group told the teacher I never measured the ingredients. Lets not even getting into how I sew and how she thought it was suppose to be done. I started designing stuffies , a blue kangaroo for one of my babysitting charges, a jousting woodchuck for a friend of my dad who had impaled a firefighting jeep on a log sticking out from a creek bank, and claimed he was jousting a woodchuck and lost. A lime green platypus for a friend who thought they were great animals. At this time I was also cutting lawns, doing yard work helping my parents with their antique business, and eventually buying and selling my own antiques....and through it all absorbing every bit of knowledge and information I could. I also spent part of one summer as teacher assistant to a fabulous art teacher Mrs. Bragman (GRYS).
So as you can see I have never backed down from a challenge...and that is because the above named women instilled in me a courage and want of independence that I will attempt to create and survive in any manner possible.
So you can live a life that is safe and protected or you can chose to go forward with Gusto and make your life what you want it to be.
Not saying in between you don't have to encounter and endure things not to your liking but that will only make you smarter and stronger.
In 1971 my mother had been caretakers for a old couple who had no one else..and she inherited their estate ...well we ended up in the antique business working flea markets with their things. From there my father who always loved antiques started dealing in old glass bottles ( I will post stories of some of those endeavors later)
but after awhile we got tired of the weight of the product and aggravating wrapping and unwrapping and wrapping to go to the shows. So we got into Antique books, magazines and Paper Ephemera...We would drive all over the east coast to find our stock sometimes cleaning out entire homes. In 1973 Dad decided it was time to open a store and FROM OUT OF THE PAST was born, and survived in a store front until 1995 when we closed it because of my dad's health. Before this store no one ever sold antique magazines like we did. Looking at them I enjoyed all the amazing art of Rockerfeller, and Lydendecker and Wyeth and so much more. I was intrigued. here again there is so much more and I will do that at another time.
I spent 9 years at a independent Pharmacy in old town Alexandria after Graduating from HS...in that Job I was a counter clerk, pharmacy tech, orthopaedic tech, office manager and delivery person. I started in 1976 and retired in 1985 ...hahahaha was that ever a joke...I wanted to retire to raise my daughter Laureta Leigh who was 2, and continue my teddy bear artist business. Which I did...along with a graphics business, assisting my then husband in his printing company,and a few other things.
Oh guess I really need to add this ...in 1976 to 1978 worked for the Little Theater of Alexandria , in set construction, costuming etc,,,and I discovered there was a professional clown course being offered and I took it( Nov 78) ...and Gizzy was born and well I met my first husband and father of my 3 kids Louis/Lano. We had a clown wedding on April 1, 1979 in the senior center where we took our classes officiated by Fashoo Wisniewski our instructor. We were the hit of the papers and the area for weeks to come. We were married in real people form on April 7th to honor my grandparents Simms.
Ok so are you tired yet .. do you see or are you getting a idea of why I am a Bohemian woman ...
More tomorrow
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