by LibbyAtwater | Nov 23, 2015 | Blog, Memories, What Lies Within
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday because it’s filled with two things I love most: family and food. I remember childhood Thanksgivings when my mother Ruth spent days preparing the meal, starting with fresh giblet gravy, homemade blueberry and apple pies, cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes, and Waldorf salad. These all led up to Thanksgiving morning, when she arose early to make fresh stuffing to bake inside the large turkey. The smells filled our kitchen all day, making my stomach growl and causing me to check often to see if Mommy needed my help as her “official taster.” (more…)
by LibbyAtwater | Oct 19, 2015 | Blog, Memories
In 1968 I turned 20 during my second year at UCLA, where I studied English literature because I loved to write. As a naïve 20-year-old, I lived alone, read and wrote volumes because of my chosen major, and hoped that I could help change the world. The previous five years had challenged my hopes and dreams with the premature deaths of both parents and the uncertainty of who would care for me.
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by LibbyAtwater | Oct 8, 2015 | Blog, Memories, What Lies Within
An excerpt from “What Lies Within”;
I greeted my first flight, a trip to Miami with my mother and sister, with nervous anticipation as the three of us boarded an Eastern Airlines four-engine propeller plane in Newark, N.J. Mommy calmed me by explaining, “Now, Libby, sit down and buckle your seat belt,” she said. “In a few minutes, we’ll start to go really fast down the runway and then the plane will take off into the sky.”
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by LibbyAtwater | Sep 24, 2015 | Blog, Memories, What Lies Within
As December approached, I could not contain myself, anticipating the arrival of my unknown uncle. I moved my clothes and books into my sister Blanche’s room, where I carved out a corner.
Blanche was living at Roosevelt State Hospital in Menlo Park in December 1959. She had been committed there in September. My Saturdays that fall were filled with trips to the hospital near Princeton, while my friends played and went to movies. I hated visiting her there. (more…)
by LibbyAtwater | Sep 20, 2015 | Memories, What Lies Within
An excerpt from ‘What Lies Within’:
After dinner at Lindy’s in New York City, my uncle and I browsed the stores in the theater district. My uncle discovered a record store and said, “My favorite pastimes are to read and listen to my records. I have about 1,000 albums back in California. I love the tenors, especially Caruso. When I play his recordings, I turn the volume up on my HiFi until my trailer shakes.”
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by LibbyAtwater | Sep 15, 2015 | Blog, Memories, What Lies Within
As we ate dinner after his arrival, my newfound uncle from California dabbed at his mustache and said, “Ruth, I’d like to take you to some Broadway shows, go to Radio City Music Hall, and see the sights of New York. It’s been so long since I was in New York.”
My mother demurred. “I’d love to go with you, but I don’t have that much freedom. Libby will be on vacation in a few days. Why don’t you take her to New York? I’ll join you on days that I can.” (more…)
