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Rob Riley's avatar

that was nice, at 65 I STILL have treasures in my pockets but my wife finds them and decides their fate, lol. Great story.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you, Rob, I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Ahhh, you were and are a pocket lover! I like that. Some of the nicest, kindest people I know are pocket lovers.

🎄🎄🤶🎅

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Rob Riley's avatar

well thanks CJ...IDK about the whole abundance of pockets thing, I guess it's true, I like having them NOW. Anyway, cheers!

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Cheer to you, too, Rob, and Happy Holidays!

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎅🤶

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Simone Senisin's avatar

How wonderful that your mum collected those treasures for him to sort through later 😊❤️

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C.J. Heck's avatar

She was a good sport. When my daughters were little, she would say, “Kids are kids for such a short time. It’s important to step back and enjoy them.”

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Simone Senisin's avatar

Now, there’s a wisdom keeper… you must be a chip off her block ❤️😊

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C.J. Heck's avatar

(laughing) I learned by watching and picked up a lot of her wisdom. I miss her.

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Simone Senisin's avatar

Yes they are, Xmas was at my parents place well into adulthood, up to 2004. The had an open house, l loved Xmas.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

That sounds like it was a warm and fuzzy Christmas full of love and celebration.

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Simone Senisin's avatar

Hi C.J, just come in from my chores - the hottest part of the day now, so I can write for a couple of hours before Susie gets here. Yes, Xmas was alot of fun back then. It would start at 7am when the neighbours would come in for breakfast, friends and family would start to arrive by 10 ... Mum just kept the platters coming, dad would be at the BBQ. There was no set lunch so to speak ... it was constant grazing. My old school friends continued coming each year, on there way through to their families and even when they had kids. Lots of fun memories. Our Xmas was largely seafood and salads, being Summer. It was over by 2pm, John and I would then head to a friend's place and she had an open house as well, for all her waif friends who didn't have family around. people have the traditional roast turkey etc, but not in our household. I would cook John roast pork on Xmas Eve as when he was growing up, they had traditional food.❤️

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C.J. Heck's avatar

WOW, your Christmases were packed full! That sounded like fun.

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Simone Senisin's avatar

❤️ l miss my mum too

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C.J. Heck's avatar

The holidays are hardest ❤️

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Rod Bluhm's avatar

They grow up so fast.

Your stories are always a pleasure to read, C.J. Somehow, I read about your past while thinking about my own. That's a gift.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

I’m glad I was able to touch your heart, Rod. Thank you. That makes me happy —it’s exactly what keeps me writing. Thank you for being so supportive and a good friend.

Christmas hugs and joy.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

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Rod Bluhm's avatar

Anytime, C.J. 😊

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Kathleen Hobbs's avatar

When my first daughter was born, she had hardly any hair light very light blonde hair. When my second daughter was born, she had a thick head of dark hair with a little bit of what I called baby fuzz going down her back. I called her my little monkey for a while.

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Kathleen Hobbs's avatar

Yes, it did. And my oldest daughter when she was younger didn’t have hardly any hair until she was around two also. And she has naturally medium blonde hair, but she has recently colored it, a light auburn very pretty and she has green eyes. My other daughter has brown eyes like her father and I. A funny story when my oldest daughter with the blonde hair and green eyes was in college one of her professors Was talking about DNA and genetics and she approached him and said hey I don’t get it my mom and dad both have brown eyes and brown hair. What’s up with me? He said you need to talk to your mother about that. I can laugh now but at the time I didn’t think it was funny I didn’t like what he was implying. I reminded her that her grandfather had light hair and green eyes, and that was common from the part of Italy that his relatives were from.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Wouldn’t you just love to tie someone like that in a whole body knot? Just trying to cause trouble —there’s no excuse for it. His own home life must be horrible and he wants everyone to suffer with him.

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Kathleen Hobbs's avatar

That's pretty much what I thought. He did not need to put that impression in her mind. I had to get real personal with her because she was believing him more than me at one point I tried to explain to her listen, mom was raised in a Catholic orphanage with nuns for 14 years. I was definitely a virgin when I married your father. End of story.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

End of Story is right. Things like that are what make you stronger, Kathleen. You remained compassionate, but they knew you aren’t going to take their crap.

I wish you love!

❤️❤️❤️

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C.J. Heck's avatar

That’s so adorable! Did her hair stay dark and thick?

I always find it interesting, Kathleen, how our children all come out of the same oven and yet they can look so different! My youngest was petite and still almost bald at 2 ½ … the cashier in a grocery asked how old my baby was and my youngest spoke up, “I’m not a baby. I’m almost 3 and mommy is 31.”

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Dave Karpowicz's avatar

Hey CJ, Great job. What a coincidence - I was just thinking about requesting human I Teresa stories to be included in The Zest of the Lemon. I hope you submit this one. D

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C.J. Heck's avatar

You’ve requested stories about Spring, Dave. Were you thinking about Human Interest stories for a future issue?

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Dave Karpowicz's avatar

CJ, I am learning as I go. The issue is coming out in Spring, so any stories with a seasonality should reference Spring.

The publication will have 4 segments Nature, Daily Life/People, and Growing ( pieces dealing with internal growth), and back pages - more on these later. The request for human interest stories does not need to reference Spring, but it would fit nicely in the Daily Life/People section. Thanks for the question I will be sure to clarify it in the post. D

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Okay, thank you, Dave. I am interested.

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C.J. Heck's avatar

Thank you, Dave, but this is the first I’ve heard about it. Could you please be more specific?

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