Flashback II

In Irene’s mind, removing the possibility of having another baby, and seeing her 4 month old perfectly healthy worked.  She also began to do some things that weren’t kid related after this, including joining the annual Variety Show Cast of the Lordship Father’s Club.  Little and cute, with a good voice, she was welcomed to the cast, and began her annual January through April Friday night out.  Rehearsals, followed by beer and pizza at Skippers meant someone had to be with us…since Dad was usually working.  Judi was taught to babysit, after a year of different Rooney kids (big family in the area).

Irene also resumed attendance at school events and supported her kids.  Kenny was typically working (it was the 60’s and that’s what good men did), so she did it all.  We saw Dad lots because he worked at Pop’s down at the Wall.  The guys called us the curtain climbers and bought us soda, peanuts, pistachios (the red ones!).  One guy even taught me to read – daily racing info so I could read it to him!

This was really great for Irene, and she came a bit into her own – tough for a suburban stay at home mom in the 1960’s.  Her circle of friends greatly expanded, she loved the camaraderie of the group, which was very different from the softball wife set (which she also loved, but I think she may have felt stifled – she was really such a great athlete).

The 3 teams Ken played on were a big part of life for Irene, also.  Two Sunday leagues along with a Thursday night industrial league put her and the kids in a few different social groups – the local Lordship set, the SNET set, and then a whole town group.  There were no Saturday nights at home – always on the go to various fundraising dances, dinners out, card nights.

The medium sized house in the Bricks quickly became too small, with 3 girls.  Always hard working, Kenny and Irene saved enough to buy “up”, down the road, close to Russian Beach.  The yard was huge, and you could see the water if you stood at the edge of the front yard.  2 big bedrooms upstairs with a full dining room, a den, a master bedroom, living room and kitchen downstairs.  Pretty sun porch and a full concrete basement were other important features.  Still just one bathroom…this house gave Kenny and Irene room to entertain, and put them into a different societal place.

Annual parties she and Kenny gave included bar picnics, softball picnics, and their annual post-Thanksgiving parties.  They were popular, fun, and reached out to new folks who came into the neighborhood. 

As Amy got older, Kenny earned enough from SNET to slowly retire from his bartender and cook gig at Pop’s.  He also reduced his softball team membership so he could coach Little League so Amy could play (that was in the 70’s, when girls in Stratford were first allowed into Little League).  Irene went to every single game and cheered and screamed, so proud of both her daughter and her husband.

Everyone loved Irene, including her kids’ friends.  She was “Mrs. P” to all of them.  She told raunchy jokes to the teenagers (mouse…for those in the know, and if you don’t know, you’ll have to reach out to me for the story!), showed the younger kids cool bugs and creatures down the beach and in the swamps, and was always nice to them all.  In other words, she believed in treating kids and adults like adults – as real people.  Since most of the kids went to the Variety Show every year, they knew her as her characters as well.  

A favorite “kid” of hers was the quintessential kid – Greg.  Mentally disabled, he was older than we were, but with about a third or fourth grade social and mental capability.  The first person we knew well with this “disability”, he had a great relationship with Irene, and always spoke to her, teasing her and laughing with her whenever they met.  Usually this was at the Stores, where Greg hung out, and where we usually all went daily for penny candy.  His other spot, Rose Park, was across from Our Lady of Peace Church, and we always beeped when we drove by.  Now, the Park is named for Greg, appropriately so.

Irene taught us the value of treating all with respect and as individuals.  Without a doubt, she had her share of being treated as “less than”, because of her height. 

In the Show, Mom always had great parts.  She had a booming voice and great presence on stage.  Over the years, she played Wonder Woman, Miss Piggy, Orphan Annie.  She sang solos and tap danced, had her own costumes made for her because of her size (4 foot 10 inches and that’s stretching it…size 2 shoes). 

When her eldest was in seventh grade, Irene got a job from 9 till 3, typing for Dictaphone to Go.  She loved it and loved that she was no longer a “housewife”.  Now, take out dinners and frozen food could be purchased.  Irene HATED planning, purchasing and cooking food daily. 

Moving to the larger home also gave Irene the ability to finally get a dog to replace long gone Punch.  Peanuts, a toy fox terrier (the “little bastard” was a more frequently used name).  A yapper and a malicious pooper, he was another male for Kenny to pal around with.  We still had one of many cats (Denny at this time – a tiger, if I remember correctly).

Within a year, her mother had to come and live with us.  Florentine got our “den” as her bedroom.  It must have been very hard for Irene and Kenny to do this, and to live with this, yet her mother had no where else to go.  She had lost her home years earlier, then lived with Irene’s sister while Irene’s brother-in-law was in Thailand and Viet Nam (Airforce).  When her son-in-law came back to the States, Florentine had to leave. 

Florentine was not a happy person, but put on a good show for those outside of the house to see and hear, and for her son-in-law, Kenny.  She washed Irene and Kenny’s clothes and occasionally cooked dinner.  Unbeknownst to Irene and Kenny, she abused their middle child, Nancy, favoring Amy and ignoring Judi.  It took years before this information became known to them. 

So we are around 1970 or 71 here….good spot to stop…