Mombo’s Blog

Hello Family,  Claremce called me this morning.  He is absolutely an amazing person. He sounded just great.  He said he is fine and is looking forward to the big one, 100.  He enjoyed his 99th birthday and many of the family were there.  He talked about many of them and always asked about all of you.  He was happy to hear about Jerome and Janet and their new baby, and then talked abut Duane Gels and Tim Thompson’s adopted children. I filled him in on me and other family happenings.  He always mentions he would like me to come up and stay there for they have a room I could use.  I told him maybe this summer Joan and I can make a trip up to visit him.   He sure enjoys his free csll on the computer.  He said there are 32000 games and he has done 29005 so far.  I believe he intends to do everyone of them.  He said he keeps on each one until he gets it.  Now that is deterination.  He does persevere.  It is always great to hear from him.  He ia a man to be admired.  He has done so many things in his life.  Well, just wanted to let you know about Uncle Clarence.     Love, Mombo

Dear Clan,  Molina is theirs.  Jerome called about 2:30 p.m. today.  They are in the Hotel,  have a cell phone and have Molina with them.  They got her at 9 this morning..  She is doing fine,  takes the bottle ok,  checked her,  thought she might have a temp, checked that,  probably just teething.  He said she is playing and  has her own personality.  He put the phone up to her ear and I talked to her and I could hear her babble at the other end.  Jerome said  she kept looking at the phone.   They have a cell phone and he gave me the # if we need it for an emergency.  He said it would be very expensive to call there.  Better for them to use the phone they got down there.  I asked about her name and Janet said they had it down to 3 and will decide by tomorrow.  Ha, first he said 2 and Janet said 3.  Connie is a very big help for she use to work at a care center and knows how to quiet babies down.  He said they got some video but lighting not good.  They are both very happy and excited.  What a wonderful Valentine’s Day for them and for all of us.  Thank you Lord Jesus for this special day.  Love to all.  Mombo/Grammo

It is late and I must get to bed for I am going with Joan to her school tomorrow and then to our doctor appointments at Dr.Jerome’s and then to Janet and Jerry after that. This will be short but wanted to thank John for his entry about St. Henty. I never saw those pictires and loved seeing them. I’ll need some help but would like to post on this blog the picture I have from Jack of our house taken back in the 1930’s. Thanks John. Now to bed. Up at 5, Wow.

Today this is the feast of the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. I was watching Mass on EWTN, and that got me thinking about my own baptism. I was born in St. Henry, at home, in the house on Main Street. I’m not sure when I was baptized, but I do know that Mom often said that Rita Bruns, who lived also in St. Henry, was born on the day after me. We both had home births by the same doctor, Dr. Otis. Mom would say he recorded births whenever he got to Celina courthouse, and that he messed up on the dates. Regina, Rita’s mother, agreed with her. I believe Rita was born on Columbus Street where we moved to when Mom and Pop moved back to St. Henry before the Depression that Pop foresaw coming. I was a little tot, I think about four years old.

I do know that my godparents were Aunt Stella Steinbrunner and Uncle Herman Lefeld. Stella was the wife of Mom’s brother John, and Herman was the husband of Pop’s sister, Anna Seitz. The house where I was born still stands in St. Henry and is still a very nice home. My sister-in-law Ruth Bernard (Buff), brother Bob’s wife, lived in that same house when we lived on the corner of Columbus Street and Sycamore Street. Our house is still there, too. I do have a picture of our house as I remembered it as a child. My brother, Uncle Jack, gave me copy of this old photo. Certainly a special day in my beginning when I was baptized in 1925 in St. Henry Church. Thank you, Lord, for the blessing. Father Pavone, who had the Mass today, said, “You have three days to celebrate–your birthdate, your date of baptism, and your conception day, when your life began. Also know that you are nine months older than you thought.” Ha! Ha!

Really did not intend to write something today but I just read John’s Blog. It touched me and then again it made me chuckle. How little we know about ourselves until someone hits you with something that makes you think… It has been a great day. Many cards and phone calls, kids stopping in, a great-grandson running in saying “Happy Birthday”. A call from Jack and Betty who are at Myrtle Beach. What a life flowing with blessings. Thank you Lord, it is great to be 81…..

Well, I’ll give it a try. Not exactly sure what I am doing. Maybe if I start, I surely will or should improve.
Was thinking of a game we had as kids the other day. Need to ask Jack if he remembers a game we had that was called “Big Banker”. We had to write checks, make deposits etc, and the cover stood up so it was like a teller window. Funny how thoughts go back so often. This was in childhood days, St. Henry days, in the 30’s. Quite a good learning game. Not sure where we got it. Most likely from Alma. Esther or Helen at Christmas time. One of the times Pop stopped teaching and tried it in the business world, he was a banker but always went back to his calling, being a teacher.
The other day, Josh was asking me about dominoes. He said they played it a lot in their spare time in Iraq. It is challenging if you keep track of what is still out and keep score. Told him “Yes, we played dominoes”. He wondered if any of the Clan plays dominoes. Let him know. He is taking it easy and checking out Northen Ky University, thinking of going back to school. Hope he does.

Today’s the day to start. Joan is forcing me. John and Brendan have been anxious for me to get this started and put down some memories that I have. So here we go.

Joan was reading her WRITERS’ ALMANAC and was into some Charles Schulz material. I told her about a big poster of Snoopy done by Charles Schulz when he was at a newspaper convention with Esther and Boozy years ago. Charles Schulz had sketched this big poster and as part of the program they decided to give away the poster as a door prize. Esther won it. Of course, she was real hesitant to go up in front of the crowd to get it, but Boozy got her to go. Then she and Boozy got to know Charles Schulz pretty well. I remember seeing that big poster in Boozy’s office many a time when I went out there, and I’m sure that Jerry, their son, prizes that poster today. I can’t give you a date, but I know it happened back in the ’40’s or ’50’s.

This made me think of Milton Caniff who Boozy and Derby both knew when he went to Stivers High School in Dayton, Ohio, where they went. If I remember it right, they both thought he was quite a character. He was the creator of the comic strip TERRY AND THE PIRATES which we read every day when we received the DAYTON JOURNAL up in St. Henry as kids. Later on he created the STEVE CANYON strip.
I wonder if I ever told John and Brendan this.