As I was growing up, the first weeks of school consisted of wearing our newly purchased dresses and having our picture taken in front of mom’s rosebush. In our front yard, my sister and I stood, with one hand outreached towards a single rose. My sister on one side of the bush, while I was on the other. We smiled with our eyes squinting from the sun that shone on our face. Mom was so proud of her rose bushes, after all it was not easy growing anything in the desert sands of Las Vegas. However, my sister and I complied, as we were anxious to get to school and see our friends that we have not seen since Spring. … I bought a house six months after Jonny died. This was a new adventure after almost 20 years of renting. The garden was overgrown from lack of maintenance. I was working full time as well as obtaining a master’s degree but had unexplainable driving force to put the yard back in shape. The rose bush in the back yard looked parched, dull and lifeles...
I remember when postage stamps were only 5 cents. On July 13, 2025 the cost of stamps went from 75 cents to 78 cents… wow 75 cents since I was a kid. I knew the cost of stamps at such a young age because I was always at the post office buying them. I had several pen pals from all over the world, England, Japan, Canada, Ireland and more. I always wanted to travel and meet new people. Having pen pals was the next best thing. I corresponded with some pen pals all the time, while others just occasionally or just for a few months. I did have one pen pal who lived in Hamworthy, Poole, Dorset England. Her name was Leslie and we started writing to each other when I was 12 or 13 years old. I enjoyed receiving Leslie’s letters and learning about her, her family and her country. We would write about our interests, our hobbies, or favorite songs, etc. Leslie was such a good letter writer and I was always looked forward to checking the mailbox and hoping there was...