Manners, Grammar, & Posture

March 28, 2010
Sunday, 8:54 P.M.
Home

I maintained my status as baby of the family for all of eleven months and five days. Gail Eileen came into the world, on November 8, 1952, five days late, allowing me to retain my very own Birthday. Jim, Jill, Colleen, Robin, and Tracey followed in fairly rapid succession behind us and we were a family to behold. People we would meet would always say, " One is prettier than the next." I always took this to mean that I was the least attractive of the bunch because I was the oldest. It was okay though, 'cause I really loved my siblings and they were all beautiful.

My memory is fuzzy on early homes. I was born in Queens Memorial Hospital in Jamaica, New York, so it's safe to assume we lived in that vicinity but I'm not sure. As a very little girl, I remember living in Levittown, apparently in a rental home. My parents bought their first house in Massapequa Park, a four bedroom ranch with a basement for five thousand dollars. Imagine that! I started kindergarten in this town, so the year was around 1955. I was one of those kids who had a late birthday, so started school at four years old. Life was good, Jill and Colleen were born in 1956 and 1957, respectively. My dad worked at Republic Aviation Corporation in Farmingdale and my stay at home mom kept a beautiful home with very well behaved, polite children. We were the only kids on the block who addressed our neighbors as Mr. and Mrs. So and So, rather than Aunt and Uncle. Our manners, grammar, and posture were very important to my mother back in those days. All of those have served me well to this day.