Family History Articles

Swedish Death cleaning — Dostadning

I'm knee-deep in Dostadning -- Swedish death cleaning. Not my house, not my stuff. But my parent's house of 70-plus years. My mom kept everything. And she waited to hand things out until it was too late. She passed on. She left everything for me and...

The summer I began collecting “The Beatles” cards

I secretly began collecting The Beatles cards in the summer of 1964 and 1965. In February 1964, the Beatles landed at New York City, Kennedy Airport for a whirlwind tour which included their famous debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. A record 73 million people watched...

Lessons on the value of money

I can't even remember the year, but I think it was 1972, when I had mononucleosis. My dad had a good sense of humor. And really, he had good taste in clothes. Well, maybe this wasn't his best example, but come on the glasses are totally cool. He didn't dress like he...

Elementary School Cafeteria Lunches in the 1960s

I do not have fond memories of school cafeteria lunches -- though they were memorable. For a few years, I never bought the school lunch, priced at 35 cents, because the "noon-aide" forced everyone to stay at the table until his/her plate was clean. Kids tried to hide...