a "gothlic" photo friday

One of the many things I enjoy about my niece, Katie, is the fact that she has a slight dark side like me. As a four year-old, her favorite game for a brief time was to pretend that she was dying from a long, dreadful disease. "I have . . . a-larr-ium . . . (malaria) . . . " she'd breathlessly announce, flopping around dramatically while clutching her forehead, and then collapse on the floor with her tongue hanging out. I'd have to frantically bring her back to life while begging her to hold on. She loved it. Most kids enjoy playing with Barbies or coloring books. Katie? A rousing game of "Malaria" made her very happy.

When she was nine, a 14 year-old cousin of hers went through a goth phase. Katie was not sure about the whole thing, and arrived at my parents' house to say exasperatedly, "Well. It happened. Alisha turned Catholic." 

We all stood there puzzled, not sure what she meant. Why would a 14 year-old Methodist decide on her own to choose another religion?

"Catholic?" my mom tentatively asked her.

"Yeah, you know, when you're Catholic you wear black clothes and have white skin and black makeup and you walk around mad all the time."

"You mean GOTHIC."

"Yeah, gothlic."

That afternoon, she disappeared for awhile and came out dressed completely in black. Handing me a tube of liquid black eyeliner , she asked that I take her picture as a "gothlic." And so I painted her lips black and off we went. This is my favorite photo from that shoot.

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Yep, my grandma is making yet another appearance. But look! She brought my grandpa and two unknown friends with her!

My grandparents are the couple on the right; I have no idea who the people on the left are, but they seem fun enough. Just look at them pretend to fill a glass with a cold beverage! Nonstop frivolity, I'm telling you.

This photo was taken shortly after they were married, maybe on a day trip to Boblo Island (note the faint sign above my grandma's head). I love the fake ship background, the cheesy signs, and the up-to-no-good expression on my grandpa's face. Maybe his bottle was filled with the real stuff.

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My grandma, age 18, 1944.

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Above, once again, is my great-grandma. Written on the back is "Laura, age about 13 years. Taken up home behind the house. That is the granery fence posts for her garden." So it would be around 1919.

I don't exactly know what that means. Up home? Wouldn't you just say "taken behind the house?" Granery posts? She must mean "granary", and maybe the family tore down the granary building and used the wood for fence posts? I wonder why that fact was noted. Did my great-grandma have her own garden at age 13? So many questions. This is when I wish I could just reach through time and ask her what was going on.

Here's another puzzler. There's nothing written on the back of this one. At first glance, it looks like my great-grandma is hanging out in the yard with a cigarette. But no, she's reading a card or letter. What is it? Is it important? Why is she she dressed up? Why is the chair in the middle of the yard? Is this posed? Why did someone take a photo of it in the first place?

Sadly, we will never know. But it's fun to wonder.

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Just a quickie post here today as I get organized - unpacking from my business trip, packing for a weekend with the family, finishing Easter gifts for my nieces, wrapping shower gifts for my future sister-in-law, and miscellaneous cleaning and madcap frivolity.

Above are Katie and Ellen in 2001 or so at the Midland County fair, in one of those booths where you dress up in vintage clothes and have an old style photo taken. Afterward, I remember Katie and I got on some ride that I thought would scare her, but instead she just kept yelling "Yeah! Faster! GO!" Ellen sat in her stroller next to her mom, watching us go around and around while clutching a mountain of cotton candy. It was a fun day.

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I love this photo so much that I enlarged it to 11 x 17 and am framing it to hang on my wall. This is my great-grandma (on my mom's side) and her three brothers and one sister hanging out on the family farm, less than a mile from where I grew up. I estimate it was taken around 1918 or so.

My great-grandma (who appeared in last week's photos) is the one in back with the bonnet on. Her sister is on the lower right - and you know what? She's still alive! Her 101st birthday is in May. Although she needs a scooter to get around, she's still sharp as a tack, funny, and blunt, and enjoys every day she has. I would love to make it to 100 if I could be just like her.