Meals with Gonka

By my cousin, Chip Arpin

Let's look at a little bit more of Gonk’s funny dinner time sayings. When presented with pork or ham for dinner he would ask if it had been "blessed by the Rabbi". He was't Jewish or anything; he just like to say that.  But if he did eat something that gave him a little "touch of the pip" he could fix most anything with a good dose of "rough-on-rats", his special recipe. This was brandy ("mild brandy" of course) lemon, and honey (water optional).  Heat to desired temperature for the season. This cured many an ailment for Gonk...especially if enough brandy was in the equation!

Of course he also had some funny things to say about restaurants. My favorite was when he was served a bad steak...he would say..."I think if we call the vet we can still save this one"! Or finish up "Mr. Chippelheimer, that'll put hair on yer chest"!  If he ever saw anyone in real trouble, like someone trying to change a flat tire in the pouring rain, or getting a speeding ticket, his favorite saying for this was "That'll make a Christian out of him"!

Gonka in WWI

"High Barometer"!

Traveling With Gonka
By my cousin,Chip Arpin

It was quite a TRIP to travel with Gonka. I was his official driver down south every winter. We expected to leave Wisconsin for Montgomery, Alabama, sometime after Christmas, but the actual day and hour depended on several important factors. Most important of these was the reading on the all-powerful...BAROMETER! We all learned to go into full alert at Gonka's forceful declaration of "HIGH BAROMETER"! This meant that the skies would be clear long enough for us to make our getaway.... provided of course that we left RIGHT NOW!   For such a kind, wise, and loving old gent, Gonka could get a little hyper at times.... especially during High Barometer periods! Of course he also got a bit edgy on certain occasions once we hit the road as well.

Once we left, it was important for the driver to obey the navigator down to the letter (driver = me......navigator commander in chief = Gonka!) "I usually take this route out of town" was translated by the smart driver as "Take this route out of town!!" If you didn't, and got stopped by a train, you were in for a long and tense wait!!  Now it was also important to drive the correct speed...not fast enough to get a ticket or an accident, but faster than everyone else!!....especially "those d___ trucks!!" Nothing upset Gonka more than diving in the "truck lane" (translation: the right lane) except of course actually getting PASSED by a truck. This was a very grave sin and could be punished in any number of ways, but was sure to earn his highest form of disrespect...the dreaded pronouncement: "This beats walkin’...but NOT BY MUCH!!!" Getting passed by too many cars, or a truck, or waiting for a train...getting caught in traffic.... especially after taking the wrong (not his) route, could all earn this bitter pronouncement.

I remember being in the right lane in heavy traffic once and FEELING Gonka's blood gradually coming to a full boil. What he didn’t know was that there was an exit on the right coming up and I needed to be in the right lane early due to all the traffic. It was hard to explain all these details to Gonka due to hearing and impatience problems. I really think he heard MUCH better if you were telling him what he wanted to hear.... but I digress. After about a mile of this right lane business Gonka just couldn't take getting passed by one more of those d___ trucks so he hit me on the leg and was commencing to chew me out good just as our exit finally came up. When he realized why I was in the truck lane I could tell he felt kinda bad...although he didn't really say so...he didn't have to. We were really connected that way. However, if he were driving, he would have just stayed in the passing lane until the exit came up, and then exited anyway with the expectation that everyone else get the heck out of his way! If they didn't it was probably because:

A) They were a bunch of farmers or worse yet midgets (please don’t let me forget the infamous midget story) or

B) They were just out driving around "looking for an accident".

Next I am going to go into the sacred process of picking a hotel, and the curious dance that would occur between check in and check out!

My Grandfather, "Gonka"

Remembering Gonka

“The Old Gent”

This writing about our grandfather is by my cousin, Chip Arpin.   Chip and Gonka have the same name: Edmund P. Arpin.  Gonka is the II and Chip is the IV.  Gonka was a WWI veteran and was called "The Old Gent" because he almost always wore a coat (usually red plaid) and tie.  For some reason, he called the red plaid coat his "maternity jacket"!  

Gonka (in the back) with our cousins:
John, Lisa, Chip, and JoAnn Arpin about 1966

Gonka and Chris (me) 1970

My baby, Janet Garland Caponi, in the sink, 
with her grandmother, Helen Till,
and great-grandfather, Gonka, in 1978.
Gonka called washing babies "squaw work".

Vocabulary

Gonka had funny names for everything.  His overnight bag was his "turkey".  His favorite exclamation for soup was "nourishing, very nourishing".  Every time he saw a child swimming it was, "swims just like a little pollywog". When he'd get caught off guard it would be "whoof.... that’s a joke on me"! You had to be sure to get up on time for the latest excursion or you would be sure to be "nothin' but a lazy lunker" or maybe even a "highbinder"! Anything that was well made, usually made in this country, was considered "high grade"... unless it was a firearm... like a German Luger...or a German automobile.  In these rare cases something could even be deemed...."VERY high grade". It was most important to use "high grade" motor oil in a "very high grade" automobile.  But be very careful when fishing, never to use Jap line (very low grade)!

A knife was a "toad-stabber" and a $5 bill was a "toad-skin". Eggs were "hen-fruit", cereal was "brain-food" and if you boiled an egg longer than 2 minutes you "just plain CRUCIFIED it"!! (Not recommended.... especially if you expected HIM to eat it.) 

Just about every time Gonk was involved in one of his famous collisions it was either because some "farmer" didn't know how to drive, or someone else was just plain "out drivin around, lookin for an accident"! If he ever saw someone else getting a traffic ticket, the police officer was "talkin to him like a "Dutch-uncle" (very sternly). We won't talk about our dear departed grandfather's reaction to actually receiving a ticket himself!  More to follow on the subject of motor vehicles.....this will constitute a chapter with considerable "ballast"....Gonk's word for bulk (example: he would add ketchup—he called it “cat soup”— to tomato soup to add ballast.)

Madame Alexander Dolls

I found out I don't have to actually collect dolls to enjoy them.  I just collect pictures of them off the Internet for free!

I do have four of them now and I consider my collection complete.  One of them I bought in 1956 for $5.00.  Of course I played with her, washed her dress, ironed it, played with her hair and slept with her.  However, if I had left her in her box and didn't touch her, she would be worth $675.00 today!  But what kind of life is that for such a sweet doll?  

My 1956 doll is in the yellow-green pinafore.  The Irish doll behind her was given to me by my sister, Janet Blair.   I bought the Dutch doll at the Webster Flea Market and I ordered the doll
 with the green & pink sundress on line.

This is what my doll looked like brand new.

I found all the rest of these dolls on line at www.liasargent.com

I have always loved the bride dolls.  My friend Martha Ramsey's mother used to sew dresses (even bride dresses) for her Madame Alexander dolls!

Words 1-4

Words That Make Me Happy

In Order of

How Many There Are

By

Christine Till Garland

One Word

Alive

Delicious

Turquoise
Orange 
Forgive 
Integrity

Kindness 

True

Asparagus
Cozy

Ambiance

Fragrance

Soothe
Saute 

Comfort 

Nurture

Dote

Special

Book 

Present

Loyal

Fruitcake

Brownies

No. 

Yes!

Two Words

Old photos

Tea things

Post cards

Blue green

Coming home

Family history

Good seats

Porch swing

No casualties

Narrowly averted

Free tickets 

Nails done

Hair washed

Charm bracelet

Rainy morning

Library card

Living Bible

Morning prayers

Balmy night

Apron pattern

New baby

Baby smell

Cook book

Full pantry

Favorite author

Psalm 107

New recipe
White Out 

Old house

Tea time

Firm cushion

Full tank

Ukulele music

Vintage tablecloth

Hot tea

Almost there

Erasable pen 

Lotion Kleenex 

Not allergic

Instant rebate

Full moon

No bugs

School play

Sleeping baby

Everlasting life

Steadily improving

Much better

Fully recovered

Deep sigh
Long nap

Comfortable shoes

Dear friend

On time

Clean sheets

Free shipping

Play games

Sharp memory

Fresh breath

New computer

Three Words

Power back on

Good as new

Very nicely done

Coming home soon

Home at last

Soft but strong

Last car payment

Last house payment!

Baby neck sweat

New car smell

Free gift wrap

Who wants cake?

Cream of wheat

Vintage Christmas ornaments
Now I understand 

I forgive you 

Four Words

I found my keys

You got a letter

Your tea is ready

A piece of cake

A slice of pie

A cup of tea

I always wanted that

Will you forgive me?
Is this your camera?
The dance of joy

Love at first sight

Love at long last

Give me a hug

Travel by Train With Postcards

Train Interiors

"Coaches exclusively for women and children and registered nurse-stewardess service are two reasons for
the popularity of The Challenger."

This is a sleeping car on The Challenger with the 
beds overhead and below with curtains for privacy.

Mamma's First E-mail

I copied Mamma's first two e-mails sent in 1998.

(Mamma was 76 and just gotten her first computer.  Her first e-mails started coming through. Adam was 11, Janet was 19, and Rebecca was 23.)

Dear Chris and Family,
I am still trying to get a message to you.  I always forget  something but maybe this time I"ll get it right/  I still can*t find the apostrophe.  Beautiful day here.   the azaleas and dogwood are in full bloon and the temp. is like summer.   What*s the news on Janet ?   Haven*t heard anything about her lately.  I  have to take Nean (86) to buy some new shoes today. Write me/ 
  Love,  Mamma

(the next day:)
Dear Chris,  I got your message--just had to wait a little while like you said.  It came in about 5 minutes after we talked.   I knew that apostrophe had to be there somewhere.  I don't think it's in the same place on a regular typewriter, do you?  That was good news about Janet going to stay in Blowing Rock for the summer--I hope my friend Joyce will invite me to go up there with her again, and I can see Janet's new place.  
       The morning with Nean was a killer.   We went to her favorite store  K Mart  and, as usual, tried on everything they had and came away empty handed.  She did fing a pair of navy pants for summer but  i  IMAGINE  they will have to be returned if things go as they usually do.   We also bought $10  worth of  Ginkosen to improve her memory.  I told her to be sure to let me know if it works.   By that time we didn't  have any more time so  we came back here for some turkey soup I made out of some frozen bones I had from Thankskgiving '96.   It actually was pretty good.   I took Nean home and went on to play bridge at Joan's.   However, we stopped playing early because her grandaughter who is Rebecca's age  came in from Mercer Law School in Macon, Ga. on her way to the coast for spring break.   She said she just wanted to use the bathroom, but we thought if it was our grandaughter we would like a little visit, so we went  home.
 That' all for now.    Wish I could see Adam as Hamlet in the school play!    
 Love,  Mamma
  
 P.S/  I don't spellcheck.

Travel by Postcard to the Far East!

These are some of my Asian postcards.

This postcard was mailed in 1910.  I bought it for $3.00.

This is a hand painted postcard and I love the colors the artist chose.

I didn't have to buy this one at all, I got it on the Internet for free! I just googled vintage Chinese postcard.

I can't read the date on this one, but I bought it for $3.00 at least 20 years ago

I bought this postcard for 50 cents at Webster, FL about 20 years ago.  It is dated Dec. 22, 1904 and it is hand painted!

Exquisite!

These are Japanese tea tags.

Anyone in There?

A conversation with Adam age 4--

Adam: "Mom, is there anyone else in there?
Me: "In where?"
Adam: "In your tummy.  I thought maybe my brother was in there."

...then later on he reflected on his past:

"Mom," he said, "when Rebecca was in your tummy, Janet and I used to play with her in there.  We all used to play together before we were born."

(Drawing by Chris)

Our Family

I should have introduced you to my family back at the beginning!  

This is my Mama, Helen Till, age 91.  She lives at home in Montgomery, Alabama

Frank and I live here in Orlando, FL

These are our two grandchildren:

Jack age 9

Ian age 4

Our daughter, Rebecca (39), lives in Austin, TX
with her two boys 
Jack and Ian.  She is a mortgage processor.

Our daughter, Janet (34), is married to Michael Caponi. She is an interior designer for an architecture firm. They live in
Charlotte, NC.  She is the one who taught me how to make a blog and encouraged (threatened) me to get going on it!

Our son, Adam (26), is married to Diana and they live in
Austin, TX.  They are in graduate school at the U. of TX
and are both working on PhD's in chemistry.

Medical update from our son, Adam

(Drawing by Chris)

Love Me, Love My Postcards!

I just love old postcards and I have a huge collection of them.  I am not really collecting them anymore because I figure I have enough (over 300).  Now I am scanning my favorites so I can share them.  I especially love postcards of Dutch children!

See the little word "Marken" at the top of the postcard?  Marken is a peninsula off the Northern coast of Holland.  It used to be an island but they made it into a peninsula--that sounds like a lot of work!  They are somewhat isolated from the mainland and still have the traditional clothing and customs of years ago. 

How is this for a great peek inside a vintage Dutch home?  I like the old Dutch bed closet!

I keep this card on a little stand in the living room.

This is an advertising postcard

This is a style of men's pants that just never caught on elsewhere.  I guess bellbottom pants would be the opposite of these.  Look closely and you will see the little girl is holding a bubble pipe.

This reminds me of the Disney movie,
"Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates".

Ernie dreams that he is a KING.

 (drawing by Adam, age 6)

Another Dose of Culture From Artist Adam Till Garland

Here are some more of Adam's drawings.  The first one is refers to when he dug himself under a big thing of playground equipment and got stuck.