I consider myself an average, perhaps slightly eccentric, aging Jewish woman. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, the eldest of three. Growing up, I had no doubt whatsoever that I’d live in the “Queen City” my entire life. We did have a brief two-year detour to Detroit, Michigan when I was about eight years old. It was there that my youngest brother Scotty (Alan Scott) was born. However, we grew very homesick and when the opportunity came to move back to Cincy that’s exactly what we did. From then on, we were Cincinnati tried and true and I proclaimed my intention to stay forever. Life, however, leads us on unexpected paths. Mine eventually led me to Houston, Texas. Despite the fact that I’ve been in Texas for the last twenty plus years, I will always have a bit of that muddy Ohio River running through my veins. To this day, I still require a couple of hometown visits a year to indulge in Skyline Chili, Frische’s Big Boy, White Castles and Graeters Ice Cream!
I remember my childhood as being mostly carefree. We never did very well financially but were provided for in every way. We had a stay at home Mom that was the “coolest” of all our friends. She was smart and extremely creative with the sharpest wit I’ve ever run across. She was involved in every aspect of our lives. As an adult I would finally realize that she was always my “BFF” (best friend forever), a term that would be not be created until many decades later. We grew up knowing she always had our back. That was a special gift that would keep on giving.
Daddy was funny, loud, and friendly to all. He was a “music man” and worked in the industry all of his life as a record salesman and distributer. Everyone knew “Kip”! He made an impact on anyone that ever met him. I saw a sign once that read “you’re a stranger here but once”. That truly described my Dad. Our home was always filled with music, noisy chaos, friends, loud voices and lots of sports, but especially baseball! Ours was the house that all the kids came to hang out in. One stayed forever and became our unofficially adopted son and brother, Ed. He remains that way to this day. We learned values by example. We had great parents, a close family, and we were happy.
I remember my childhood as being mostly carefree. We never did very well financially but were provided for in every way. We had a stay at home Mom that was the “coolest” of all our friends. She was smart and extremely creative with the sharpest wit I’ve ever run across. She was involved in every aspect of our lives. As an adult I would finally realize that she was always my “BFF” (best friend forever), a term that would be not be created until many decades later. We grew up knowing she always had our back. That was a special gift that would keep on giving.
Daddy was funny, loud, and friendly to all. He was a “music man” and worked in the industry all of his life as a record salesman and distributer. Everyone knew “Kip”! He made an impact on anyone that ever met him. I saw a sign once that read “you’re a stranger here but once”. That truly described my Dad. Our home was always filled with music, noisy chaos, friends, loud voices and lots of sports, but especially baseball! Ours was the house that all the kids came to hang out in. One stayed forever and became our unofficially adopted son and brother, Ed. He remains that way to this day. We learned values by example. We had great parents, a close family, and we were happy.