Saturday, December 23, 2006

 

Christmas in Grosse Pointe

I'm back in the town in which I (and Tydwbleach) grew up. Most of it is frozen in time-- the same things, and the same people, in the same places where they always have been. I'm looking out the window of the coffee shop, and there is Notre Dame pharmacy. For most of my life I thought it was a Catholic pharmacy, but it is called that because it is near Notre Dame street.

My Dad and I went down to the Eastern Market in Detroit this morning, past some new places and some old places that had burned. The Market was full of people buying cider and flowers and corn. We bought some, too much, and then into the old ramshackle R. Hurt cheese store on the edge of the market. We nosed around, laughed, and pulled up our collars to walk back into the cold.

It's good to be back.

Comments:
Greetings to Oslers of all ages.
One year I bought all of my Christmas gifts at Notre Dame Pharmacy. Never trust an eleven-year-old with ten bucks.
 
I find the holiday season the most intricate and deep experience once you become a "grown up."

My parents are human, and faulted, and real (and struggling). My old friends have changed. My new friends don't understand.

That B-Ball, F-Ball or cheerleading uniform; or drama t-shirt, yearbook; even photos seem old and musty.

That old Taco place is gone. My sister/brother is different. Whoa-I'm different. When did it happen. Why so fast? I thought I would be 17 forever. Or 25. Or 40. Forever goes so quickly.
 
Maybe these "anonymouses" (anonymi?) should like NUMBER themselves...
Some write such nice things...

ANYWAY: If you do not like sappy sentimental Old Home Week stuff you will NOT like this....


ANYWAY! OSLER(S)!!! I am JEALOUS!!! You went to HIRT's!!!???!?!? OK NOW I want to go back to GP But the thing is, you know it would be the same for me but also not. I mean both of my parents are gone, many of my friends are gone from there. I guess I could visit some of my friend's parents... but to see it again... I have not been there in 8 years, not since my wedding on the back terrace of the GP War Memorial. But I did live there a very long time and so much of it does not change. I LOVED Eastern Market!!! Those crazy shops and all of those vendors sort of yelling, and all the the interesting things hanging from the ceiling. You HAVE to buy a hot dog from that weird stand in the middle with the guy in front playing the guitar and singing... and the lady with the live rabbits.. It only occurred to me WAY LATER that MAYBE people were not buying them as pets.... (A Michael Moore Moment) EEWWWW. I remember I went to some weird store around there and bought a can of HOUSE BLESSING SPRAY. Whatever that was.... I remember going to the Rocky Peanut candy place too, and seeing HUGE boxes of my favorite candy - Swedish Fish. I remember as a kid thinking "One day when I am older and I have a LOT of money I am going to come in here and buy one of those HUGE boxes of Swedish Fish, and my mom will not be able to say no." I wonder why I never did that when I got older?

I am glad to know that Eastern Market is still there, and Hirt's and The Village and The Hill... I remember doing so many neat things as a kid. I was in all of the plays of the Grosse Pointe Children's Theatre. I went to movies at the Punch & Judy and the Woods Theatre. All of that stuff to do at the War Memorial - the Santa breakfast, Ukranian Egg Decorating, all of those art classes and stuff in the summers. All of those days and hours at the pool. I can still remember the unique smell of all of the books at the GP Central Library. It was a neat place to grow up, really, in so many ways and in a lot of ways it never changes.

Things always change, though, in some ways. I remember I went to a really cool summer camp for eleven years. It was at a college (the one my parents went to - Albion) and staffed by a lot of students and faculty of the college and I got to know that college very well. I thought it would be a great place to go to college when I was older and I decided to do that. I turned out that it was not the right place for me, and though I knew everyone from summer camp and all of that when I got there, they no longer knew me. I was not the same person I had been, I had gone away to high school and had different experiences, and figured out that I wanted way different things than I thought for my life. It was a weird strange and difficult lesson, to be so SURE of what your life is going to be and then be thrown a total curve ball because I had changed, not them.

I don't know how it would be to go back there, but I do plan on it some day soon. There are a lot of good and bad ghosts there for me...

There is one thing that is VERY constant and that is that there are few towns as beautiful as GP in the world, especially in winter. I hope you and your family and all of the Oslers have a GREAT holiday! Say hi to your brother for me, but I know he does not remember me. You will probably be eating a fresh turkey from Village Market. I remember having to go over there on all of the holidays with my mom and stand in line forever waiting for the stupid fresh turkey she had ordered. Half of GP was there in line too at this teeny store. I am feeling EXTRA nostalgic now. I had better go eat some Stouffer's Spinach Souffle.
 
I too send season's greatings to the Oslers. I am also stomping around familiar scenery this morning, going to the meat market, getting together with the family. No matter how much things change, they often stay the same as well. Hope all goes well with the rest of your visit to Michigan. P
 
does the norte dame pharmacy sell the pill
 
Tyd--

Will came over yesterday and... of course he remembers you! Sheesh. He even mentioned you being in plays, which you hadn't mentioned here before.

We all leave longer and deeper trails in the snow than we imagine.
 
Osler,

Before you leave, will you please contact your old U.S. Attorney's office and tell them that I want a job?

Thanks,

-B
 
I sat next to him (your brother) in Civics class, and I think he and I were in some plays together maybe, in Middle and High school. I remember him TEACHING the drums in middle school. I remember we were on this field trip once - I have no idea to where... it ran late and he said that he had a drum lesson he would miss. and someone said you take extra drum lessons? and he said, "No I am teaching it." I was like HUH???? That is when I remember thinking WOW. He must be a really great musician if he is like TEACHING drums in like 7th grade.

He always wore plaid shirts, with corduroys, but then, that was like the UNIFORM of the GP middle school male. I remember him in beige a lot. I remember in HS, he was on the football team one year. I remember thinking... WHAT is HE doing on there? LIke I thought he was like too smart, or something to play football. Hey whatever happened to his partner in crime, Garrett Rice? OR as many of us girls used to call him "GayRat." Sigh. I think a lot of those girls had a cursh on him...

The only thing worse than middle school boys I think maybe are middle school girls hahahahaha
 
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