La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
I MENTIONED TUESDAY THAT IN last week’s conversation with The Kid Brother when I asked if he had gotten any mail, he said he had received another postcard from David Travel Penguin (click here) from Washington, D.C. David has a postcard collection, so I asked, “What picture was on it?” There was a slight possibility I’d get a direct answer.
“An old lady.”
“An old lady?”
“Not an old lady,” he explained, “a lady not from these days.”
David clarified for me. The “lady not from these days” was the Mona Lisa!
I ASKED THIS WEEK if The Kid Brother had received any mail. “Yeah,” he said, “a card from you!”
“Which one?”
“I said you!”
“No, I mean which card?”
“A dog.” “A bulldog?” “Yeah.”
WE SPOKE FOR ANOTHER 10 minutes. He told me what I needed to include in the next care package. Hint. Hint. He liked the pretzels. “I need my nuts!” he announced. He meant cashews. One box of cereal would be fine. What I sent last time was perfect. And more bars (the flavours were good). Also, he reminded me it was time to send his annual desktop calendar. I already chose one. I told him in October after he received the first care package that I couldn’t afford to send one every month (along with paying his cable bill) and other things that come up. So, he waited a month and three days before reminding me and he sucked me right in!
FINALLY, BEFORE WE HUNG up, he said, “Oh, I got another card.” “Who was it from?” I asked. He told me he didn’t know but it had an envelope.
“Oh, so not a postcard.”
“No, a real one.”
I asked if he could get it and read me the letters of the name and the city. He was so happy that he willingly did so. He asked.“What do you want [waddayawan], the postmark?” I explained where to look for the return address. He spelled out the letters of the city and state and then read the name. M-A-R-Y! He was delighted. He said the card was “a really nice one with birds.” He loves birds.
Thank you for your kindness, Mary! And David! And Susan, who started all this. You’ve made The Kid Brother’s (and my) days so much better!
NOTE:
The photo at top (Sarasota, Florida, 1968) is of The Kid Brother already in the driver’s seat in front of what was originally Horn’s Cars of Yesterday, then Bellm Cars & Music of Yesterday, and now Sarasota Classic Car Museum. Behind him are more ladies not from these days.
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MENCIONÉ EL MARTES QUE EN la conversación de la semana pasada con El Hermanito cuando le pregunté si había recibido algún correo, dijo que había recibido otra postal de David Travel Penguin (haz clic aquí) de Washington, DC David tiene una colección de postales, así que preguntó: “¿Qué imagen tenía?” Había una pequeña posibilidad de que obtuviera una respuesta directa.
“Una dama vieja”.
“¿Una dama vieja?”
“No una dama vieja, una dama que no es de estos días”.
¡Aprendí de David que la “dama que no es de estos días” era la Mona Lisa!
PREGUNTÉ ESTA SEMANA SI El Hermanitohabía recibido algún correo. “Sí”, dijo, “¡una tarjeta tuya!”
“¿Cúal?”
“¡Dije tú!”
“No, me refiero a cúal tarjeta postal?”
“Un perro.” “¿Un buldog?”
HABLAMOS DURANTE OTROS 10 minutos. Me dijo lo que necesitaba incluir en el próximo paquete de cuidados que envíe. Insinuación. Insinuación. Le gustaron los pretzels. “¡Necesito mis nueces!” él anunció. Se refería a anacardos. Una caja de cereal estaría bien. Lo que envié la última vez fue perfecto. Y más barras (los sabores eran buenos). Además, me recordó que era hora de enviar su calendario anual de escritorio. Ya elegí uno. Le dije en octubre, después de que recibió el primer paquete de atención, que no podía permitirme enviar uno cada mes (además de pagar su factura de cable) y otras cosas que surgen. Entonces, esperó un mes y tres días antes de recordármelo y ¡me absorbió de inmediato!
FINALMENTE, ANTES DE COLGAR, antes de colgar, dijo: “Oh, tengo otra tarjeta”. “¿De quién era?“ Me dijo que no lo sabía pero que tenía un sobre.
“Oh, no es una postal”.
“No, una real”.
Le pregunté si podía conseguirlo y me leyó las letras del nombre y la ciudad. Estaba tan feliz de haberlo hecho de buena gana. Preguntó, “¿Qué quieres, el matasellos?” Le expliqué dónde buscar la dirección de devolución. Deletreó las letras de la ciudad y el estado y luego leyó el nombre. ¡M-A-R-Y! Estaba encantado. Dijo que la tarjeta era “muy bonita con pájaros”. Le encantan los pájaros.
¡Gracias por tu amabilidad, Mary! ¡Y David! Y Susan, quien empezó todo esto. ¡Has mejorado los días de El Hermanito (y los míos)!
NOTA:
La foto en la parte superior (Sarasota, Florida, 1968) es de El Hermanito ya en el asiento del conductor frente a lo que originalmente era Horn’s Cars of Yesterday (Coches de Ayer de Horn), luego Bellm Cars & Music of Yesterday (Coches y Musica de Ayer de Bellm) y ahora Sarasota Classic Car Museum (Museo de Coches Clásicos). Detrás de él hay más mujeres que no son de estos días.
Mi propia versión de la “dama que no es de estos días” de Washington D.C. (¿No es irónico que haya sido construido sobre un pantano?)
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Looks like Mona from Arkansas visiting DC.
David:
Yeah… maybe i should have done a bit more work on that.
I love the car from the Flintstone Collection!
Bob:
That was a bad day, seriously bad, with The Kid Brother. I got that fake smile out of him by telling him he was Fred Flintstone. It got a little better after that. I wanted to sit in the car myself, but I was too cool at 14.
You had to hear a lot of letters read out to you from just my city and state address (19). Lol. Happy Kid Brother received it. Will keep in mind that he loves birds.
Mary:
I was in amazed. He very carefully read them all to me. Not a common thing to get him to do, which just shows how happy we were. I wondered if you had read about our birding (bird watching) expeditions. SG and I used to be avid birders and Chuck took to it immediately. He had an amazing eye (and ear) and absolutely loved it. We bought him his own birding book and binoculars. So, yes, he really loves birds!
That’s great. We keep binoculars and birding book by our back kitchen door. Living within half mile of Chesapeake Bay, we get a fair variety of birds and keep multiple bird feeders in and around our yard. One regular visitor, we dubbed Henry the Hawk–Red Shouldered variety–who is sometimes joined by a Henrietta. Got a photo of him the other day. Will have to print it off, as well as other photos of various birds to send to him. 🙂
Mary:
So a lucky coincidence for Chuck. Check out this Kid Brother birding story (as if you have nothing better to do…): https://mitchellismoving.blogspot.com/2018/05/rare-spotted-pin-bird-raro-pajaro.html
I lived in Sarasota County for six years, so I recognized that place right away! I love your exchanges with your brother. He’s such a character.
Steve:
I thought of you when I pulled out that photo and hoped it would bring back memories for you as well. We were spending three weeks in Miami when we did that little drive.
what types of pretzels and cashews does chuck prefer? and I will keep birdies in mind.
anne marie:
You really are a sweetheart! Chuck loves pretzel sticks and other skinny sorts of pretzels and raw cashews. He’s watching for the flamingos!
What a special relationship you two have, but you know that already.
Could you send /pm me his address? I’d like to send him a postcard as well.
Jim:
Will do. And, of course, thank you from the bottom of my heart … and Chuck’s.
Hey – so that’s where my old car is! Chuck looks good in the driver’s seat. I wonder if Chuck thinks that if he knows something then surely you must know it too.
Wilma:
You hit that nail right on the head. He always makes that assumption. And, often when I ask him a question, he responds with “YOU know!” And I have to insist I don’t. The other response I get is “You should KNOW!”
So THAT’S the cars that were in fashion back in your days?
Mistress Maddie:
Smart ass! I don’t know why it crossed my mind when I noted the year on that photo that YOU wouldn’t even have been born yet.
I too would like to send him a postcard if you think he would like that and it isn’t presumptive.
Urspo:
I’ll send you his address. It would make us both so happy and so grateful.
Love that photo — what kid WOULDN’T want to drive the Flintstones car?
Debra:
Chuck had many bad days and that was one of them. He didn’t smile until I got him to pose in the Flintstone’s car and, as you can see, it was a fake smile. But it was so much better than the tempter tantrums he had been throwing all morning.