Knock Em Down

Speaking of my aunties taking me to the "Wee Store" for a glass bottle of flavored soda, I remember this "cheer" my aunties taught me (I think it was mostly Dawn)!

Pepsi-cola
Coca-cola
Royal Crown
We're going to
hip-no-tize em
boom-er-ize em
Knock em down!

Dawn also taught me how to tie my shoes, how to make a belt out of gum wrappers (like juicy fruit wrappers), and how to make a blanket using the hairpin lace crochet. She was a lot like a big sister that way!

Miss Mady Turns Two

A great celebration was held at Gamma and Popa Cronin's house on Sat., Sept 22 for Miss Mady's 2nd Birthday (actual birthday is the 23rd). In addition to Gamma and Popa Cronin, Mommy and Daddy, and Auntie Becka, also attending were (figure this one out) second cousin once removed Louka and first cousin once removed Tammy and Louie, Great Aunts Sue, Bev, Linda, Judy and Great Uncle Bobby.

Dennisons, do you remember your childhood birthday celebrations? How did you mark the day? Did you have cake and ice cream? What were your favorite gifts?

Day with Grandma

Kali, April and Louka (and Tammy) had a great day visiting Grandma Linda on Sunday, Sept. 9. Olivia, Lindsey, Grace and Jon came over too, and we all had a great time, with the boys rough-housing and the girls talking about school and stuff. We all went for a walk for ice cream, but the shoppe was closed, so we all got treats at the gas station. Several kids had dibs (ice cream bits coated with chocolate), Kali had capacchino, Louka had popcorn.

Dennisons, do any of you remember the "Wee Store" I think it was called, on the corner of Main and Madison? Tammy remembers her aunties walking her down there for a cold glass bottle of flavored soda (grape, etc.). Tammy kept a collection of bottle caps for a long time, but threw them out as a young adult (what a shame).

Other snacks Tammy recalls her aunties and Grandma Anna Dennison giving her were saltine crackers (always), bananas and Oreos and white bread with sugar sprinkled on it. White bread with sugar sprinkled on it? Yuck. But as I recall the Dennison girls loved it. At Grandpa Harry Dennison's house, he used to make frosting out of confectioners sugar and water and spread it on graham crackers for a treat. What other foods/treats did you eat as kids that we wouldn't consider eating now? Louie recalls eating potatoes right out of his garden and eating lard sandwiches for lunch. Double yuck! My, how "treats" and our eating habits have changed.

Pleasant Prairie School

Here's a pic of the Pleasant Prairie School, which has been converted into a single family house. How many of the Dennison attended school here? What are your memories of the school, of the teachers, of what you learned, of getting there? PLEASE add anything you remember.

Little House in the Country

I happened to go to Brooklyn the other day and took the back roads, since Lou and I love going on country rides. I snapped a pic of the farm house the Dennison's grew up in. Was the shed by the house when you were growing up? How about the addition on the back? What color was the house then? How many bedrooms did it have for the nine children? Describe the house, the floors, the colors of the wall, the furniture, anything.

PLEASE add your memories about growing up in the Little House in the Country.

September Celebrations and Memories

Here's a list of this month's birthdays, anniversaries and other. Please add anyone I have missed, or info I don't have (middle names).

Sept. 3, 1988 Jeff and Lisa Weber anniv.
Sept. 11, 1909 Harry Sylvester Dennison born
Sept. 13, 2001 Emily Mae Boettcher
Sept. 14, 1974 David Jay Boettcher
Sept. 15, 1965 Tracy Dee (Lambert) Bailey
Sept. 19, 1965 Lisa Renee (Babler) Weber
Sept. 20, 1960 Chris _____Cronin
Sept. 20, 2001 Anna Lavelle (Cole) Dennison died
Sept. 22, 1990 Judy and Bobbie Anniversary
Sept. 23, 2005 Madlyn Ann Cronin
Sept. 28, 1985 Joyce _____Cole

Diets and Global Warming

I recently read a very interesting article in the Reader's Digest, which I find to be a credible source. In the August 2007 issue, on page 17, it says, "...agricultural animals produce more greenhouse gases than all the world's cars and trucks combined... According to a study at the University of Chicago, adopting a vegan diet does more to reduce global warming than switching to a Toyota Prius."

So here it is, another very good reason to give up meat.

Tammy has been a lacto-ova (meaning we eat dairy products and eggs but not seafood or chicken) vegetarian since 1976. Rose and April are both vegetarians as well. Rose does not drink milk. I understand Judy eats very little meat, especially red meat. Anyone else vegetarian?

Animals, animals, animals

We've had a veritable zoo in the Pomplun household, mostly because of April. Some of the pets we have owned include:

-Anna Belle (a cat Tammy had from a kitten in 1982 to the cat's death of old age in the late 90s);
-Sylvester (a wild cat we tried unsuccessfully to tame while living in the Fellows Trailer Court on Highway 14, Evansville) -- get it? Anna and Sylvester (Harry Dennison's middle name);
-A black cocker spaniel given to them by the Boettchers, but with three little kids (and Louie :) Tammy couldn't care for them all, and gave him back to the Boettchers;
-Buddy, a collie that bit a kid playing at our house so we gave him to a friend who gave him a good home, until he spooked when walking with his owner in a rainstorm and ran in front of a car;
-April (aka Fatcat) and May Basket - two cats Louie brought home - April disappeared, we still have May;
-Spice and Sport, brother and sister border collie dogs we got as puppies in 1998 and still have. Spice suffered a back injury this spring and became paralyzed in her back legs. She has been on steroids and antiinflamatories, painkillers since then and is regaining some use (she doesn't seem to be in any pain);
-Rabbits, a white one (can't remember his name) and Jasmine had a brown lap-eared one she called Aladdin (get it, Jasmine and Aladdin?)
-Three parakeets, a loving green/blue pair - the male died and we got a new one that was VERY noisy and messy, so we gave them to a friend;
-A salamander;
-Spike, a hedgehog that was given to us;
-Chilly, a chinchilla we found in the neighbor's driveway, seriously, another single neighbor had a fire in his home and died in the fire, we found out he had chinchillas;
-Three Russian Dwarf Hamsters - one the ferret got (see next entry), one died of wet-tail (diarrhea TMI), the other, named Dasher, aka Booger, lived a long life only after the cat got it and we spent $200 to have it's injured leg amputated (yep, really);
-Two ferrets, both given to us separately, Tabby and Josie. Josie died of old age. Tabby April still has;
-Two horses, Sugar, who threw April and caused innumerable medical costs (to the insurance company), and Melody, both of whom she still has, but may sell Melody, now that she's getting ready for college;
-A rat that Rose is having us "temporarily babysit" (yah, right);
-A cluster (prob. not the right word) of hermit crabs;
-A frenzy of sea monkeys -- yes those old novelty pets from the 70s are still around and going strong (although all of ours died);
-A goldfish that Louka won at the Rock County 4-H fair.

Anyone have any pets we haven't had? How about a monkey? No? Raccoon? Squirrel?

Tammy grew up around animals and has had many since. In college, Tammy found a baby squirrel she hand raised and let go and a baby owl that she gave to an animal rescue center. She had two beautiful Irish Setters she couldn't possibly care for but was so sad to give away, Ashley and Autumn. About this same time, she found Anna Belle (see above reference), a kitten that she found in the parking lot of the All N One, a gas station in Evansville.

She recalls that when she was a kid, her dad, as a police officer, was often sent to "get rid" of the pests, but he didn't have the heart for it, and would bring them home and later release them, including raccoons. Say what you will about Chuck, he had a very soft heart for animals. As much as he liked guns, he wasn't really a hunter, although he did do some pheasant hunting, if I recall correctly. He often told about raising a skunk as a kid. One of Tammy's best memories (as an adult, with her father and Louie and Char) was when they went boating and Chuck was so excited about a family of ducks.
The Babler family also hand raised some sparrows, Corky and Crackers when Tammy and Lisa were young. Uncle Gary Babler had pet raccoons, Gunky and Wally, that he would bring along when he visited the family.
The Babler family also had a dog when Tammy was a baby, Tupper, a German shepherd; two dogs, Tammy, a border collie named before the dog was given to us, and Tiger, a pomeranian and I think a cat. Later, Lisa got two cats, Rufus and Renee, who Linda kept and loved after Tammy and Lisa moved out. Not really a cat person, Linda sure love those cats and was so sad when they died. Linda now has a cat, who we call Great-Grandma Anna Dennison incarnate. She treats that cat, "The" Prince, with the emphasis on "The," better than us (well almost, no really!) but like he is Grandma and she must take care of him. We even joke that we (Lisa and I) have been excluded from the will and all of it is going to "The" Prince!

Here's a quote for Linda: "Dogs have masters, cats have staff." Linda actually has a door-hanger on her front door, given to her by the Webers, that says, "The cat and his servant live here."

As I recall some saying, Linda had a pet cow growing up, but he ended up on the dinner table. Please tell us more about this "pet" and any other pets the Dennison's may have had (or even imagined they had) as kids.