I grew up hearing stories about WWII from my dad. His stories were always funny and never centered on the horrors that he lived through. Once, as he checked out a building, he turned to see a scraggly man holding a gun standing in his path. He shot. It turned out he had seen his own image in a mirror, which he had then blasted to smithereens.
He never told his daughters how he as a young man had gone through hell and came home again.
On this Memorial Day I honor him for his service.
When Antiques Roadshow came to Green Bay in 2017, I tried for tickets, but when I didn’t win any, I volunteered. I knew that volunteers were allowed to have two items appraised, too.
I took two toys from my childhood: a doll handed down to me from my Aunt Mary Ann. (All three of us: me, my aunt, and the doll had the same color hair.) The other treasured doll from my youth was a Howdy Doody marionette.
I knew my dolls weren’t worth much. I just really wanted to know a bit about the fancy-dressed doll.
Marshall Thomas Martin, the doll appraiser, gave me a great gift. He told me that my doll was made after WWII. She was a plastic American Character doll. The best part was her name. She’s called Sweet Sue!
My Sweet Sue is only worth $45, but that’s okay. To me she’s priceless. My 1950s Howdy Doody marionette is only worth $20. Howdy is made from composite materials, which is why he has so many cracks.
I just thought I’d share them with you today.
Bob has gotten all kinds of get-well cards, but one could not be stuffed in an envelope. It had to be hand-delivered.
This card arrived a couple weeks ago, but I just never got around to photographing it. Finally, I took the time today.
This card is from our son, Rob, his wife Tara and our grandchildren: Ethan, Seth, Aryana.
Here’s what it says:
“Hey Mr. Goodbar! We wanted to Take5 to tell you how Extra special you are with this Whopper of a card! With Mounds of luck we Scored bigger than 100Grand Payday as you Crunch and Munch on these Whatchamacallits. We hope our card brings you Snickers and Almond Joy. We love you… as tall as the Andes as big as the MilkyWay and more than all the Skittles in the rainbow! Hugs ‘n Kisses from Rob, Tara, Ethan, Seth, Caleb, and Aryana. We love you!
I’m pretty sure the creativity behind this card was from our daughter-in-law, Tara, but the love came from everyone. I hope I transcribed it correctly
I still haven’t had the heart to cut off any of the candy. Bob and I don’t need the extra sugar. Maybe we’ll have to have a party to share it all.
I was outside a lot today and didn’t think much about my blog. Tonight I thought I’d share more photos Rachel took yesterday.
As I post this, the sun is setting on our farm. I’m tired, but at least I put something on my blog. I’ll try to do better tomorrow, but I’m not making any promises.
Today our daughter Rachel drove up from Sun Prairie to go with us to Bob’s monthly oncology appointment. Along with Rachel came her youngest, five-year-old Wyatt. Both had put aside work and school to be with us.
Bob’s appointment went well. The results of his blood test were all positive. The doctors (one we knew for years who we met in the hallway) thought Bob looked great. Their positive comments made us smile.
Yes, Wyatt came into the appointment, too. He said he wants his grandpa to get better.
Besides the short appointment, we had fun spending the day with Rachel and Wyatt. Here are some photos Rachel took today.
All around, this day was a good one. Thanks Rachel and Wyatt for adding smiles to our day.