I often think of my sister, Katherine Elizabeth Baldwin. I guess that's a little strange because I never met her. She was born prematurely around 1950, and the methods for saving preemies that saved my grandson, Niko, were not available back then.
She was buried in St. John's cemetary in Warrington, Florida, in an unmarked grave, because my parents could not afford a headstone at that time.
I remember visiting the grave a few times with my parents. At first it was easy to find the small, child-sized mound of dirt which marked the spot where she was buried. With time, we had to search the area where we knew the grave to be to find vestiges of her resting place.
Eventually, nature took care of that and her grave could no longer be found.
I have often wondered what it would have meant to have a younger sister.
Being the only boy between two girls might have been a bother, but having someone else to take the heat of being the youngest kid in the family might have had some positive effect. On the other hand, middle kids often feel neglected.
Who's to say.
Anyway, at the age of 65, I miss this sister I never knew who would be about 60 years old herself. It would have been fun to watch her grow up and, at least for a while, be the older brother.
Oh well. Life does not always answer our desires.
However, if she could not live her own life and make her own friends, at least perhaps a few people might read this and know she passed this way. I'm sure she would have been a good sister.
Showing posts with label donovan baldwin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label donovan baldwin. Show all posts
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
I never have been to Kenya in my life!
My wife has been after me to write my memoirs, and this is my feeble attempt to comply with her wishes. She thinks I tell funny, entertaining, and enlightning stories about places I have been, people I have known, and things I have done.
However, I contend that while these stories can be fun, they are best for spur-of-the-moment situations where they can be used to liven up the conversation, offer a different insight, or just, as mentioned above, entertain the listener.
In fact, I cannot normally produce these things from memory...they just pop out when some receptor in my brain recognizes a link which can be exploited. Thus, friends and family, and a few total strangers, are usually warned by one of these phrases: "I know a story about that..." or "You know, that reminds me..." or something similar.
I guess it's a touch of the Irish in me that likes to tell a story. I always harken back to that "dear little priest", Father Cunningham, who used to both amuse and upset the nuns by telling us mystery stories or old Irish folk tales, when he was supposed to be teaching us religion. He often told us stories about amteur detective Father Brown, a character created by Gilbert Keith Chesterton, in that lovely Irish brogue when I was in grade school at St. John's elementary in Warrington, Florida in the 50's. It was probably those very stories which prompted me to spend hour after hour reading mystery stories, western tales, and science fiction books checked out of the Pensacola Public Library.
You see, talking about telling stories reminded me about Father Cunningham, which reminded me about "The Quiet Man" with John Wayne, which reminded me about the time John Wayne filmed part of "The Wings of Eagles" near my home in Pensacola and onboard Pensacola Naval Air Station, where my father worked for 30+ years, which reminded me of all the times I was onboard NAS Pensacola myself as man and boy, including the very spots where some of the scenes were filmed....which reminds me of my own career in the U. S. Army....
You see how it goes!
As mentioned in the title of this post, I have never been to Kenya in my life, so why the title?
In the great British comedy, "As Time Goes By", one of the lead characters, Lionel Hardcastle (Geoffrey Palmer), has written an autobiography with the uninspiring title, "My Life in Kenya". When asked in one episode what the book is about, he responds, "My life in Kenya"!
In the show, all who read the book, even those who love him the most agree that the book, about things which matter to him and which have made him the man he is, are really boring to read.
That's how this blog will probably wind up.
It will be boring for the most part, interesting or funny at some points (I hope), frightening or enlightning at others. It will allow me to write down, in some vaguely autobiographical manner, the things that have happened to me or which I have learned in my 64 years on this planet.
Well, that's enough for the first installment. I hope to add to this daily, but am sure, based on past performances, that there will be lapses in that plan.
However whichever day you choose to happen by, I will always wish you....
Have a great day!
Donovan Baldwin
==================
Over 40 or getting there? Check out my other blog, Fitness after 40.
However, I contend that while these stories can be fun, they are best for spur-of-the-moment situations where they can be used to liven up the conversation, offer a different insight, or just, as mentioned above, entertain the listener.
In fact, I cannot normally produce these things from memory...they just pop out when some receptor in my brain recognizes a link which can be exploited. Thus, friends and family, and a few total strangers, are usually warned by one of these phrases: "I know a story about that..." or "You know, that reminds me..." or something similar.
I guess it's a touch of the Irish in me that likes to tell a story. I always harken back to that "dear little priest", Father Cunningham, who used to both amuse and upset the nuns by telling us mystery stories or old Irish folk tales, when he was supposed to be teaching us religion. He often told us stories about amteur detective Father Brown, a character created by Gilbert Keith Chesterton, in that lovely Irish brogue when I was in grade school at St. John's elementary in Warrington, Florida in the 50's. It was probably those very stories which prompted me to spend hour after hour reading mystery stories, western tales, and science fiction books checked out of the Pensacola Public Library.
You see, talking about telling stories reminded me about Father Cunningham, which reminded me about "The Quiet Man" with John Wayne, which reminded me about the time John Wayne filmed part of "The Wings of Eagles" near my home in Pensacola and onboard Pensacola Naval Air Station, where my father worked for 30+ years, which reminded me of all the times I was onboard NAS Pensacola myself as man and boy, including the very spots where some of the scenes were filmed....which reminds me of my own career in the U. S. Army....
You see how it goes!
As mentioned in the title of this post, I have never been to Kenya in my life, so why the title?
In the great British comedy, "As Time Goes By", one of the lead characters, Lionel Hardcastle (Geoffrey Palmer), has written an autobiography with the uninspiring title, "My Life in Kenya". When asked in one episode what the book is about, he responds, "My life in Kenya"!
In the show, all who read the book, even those who love him the most agree that the book, about things which matter to him and which have made him the man he is, are really boring to read.
That's how this blog will probably wind up.
It will be boring for the most part, interesting or funny at some points (I hope), frightening or enlightning at others. It will allow me to write down, in some vaguely autobiographical manner, the things that have happened to me or which I have learned in my 64 years on this planet.
Well, that's enough for the first installment. I hope to add to this daily, but am sure, based on past performances, that there will be lapses in that plan.
However whichever day you choose to happen by, I will always wish you....
Have a great day!
Donovan Baldwin
==================
Over 40 or getting there? Check out my other blog, Fitness after 40.
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