Winky brings a treasured memory.

If you keep reading the blog you’ll find out a lot about my family and history. My mom was VERY frugal. She used to say that for every nickel she saved Daddy spent a quarter. That’s the worst thing she ever said about my dad who left her for many years. (Daddy came home once to try to talk Mom into a divorce and she seduced him; I was the result of that seduction. They were separated before that and until I was 6, so they were separated over 7 years.), and all those years he didn’t contribute to her income to rear 3 children so if she hadn’t already known how to be frugal she sure learned it. Having said that, when we were at Itazuke it was all the rage among all the 12 and 13 year olds to have a Winky. My Winky is pictured on the blog today. I found him a few months ago and told Ruthie about finding him yesterday and she didn’t remember him. I didn’t usually have what was all the rage to have because it usually didn’t fit into Mom’s budget; if it was something I needed and then she always found a way for me to have it. How could anyone NEED a Winky, though? I rode my bicycle to the base pool almost daily. One day on my way home I let my front wheel drop off a sidewalk that stood about 3 inches above the ground and lost control and crashed. I skinned the outside of my ankle on that sidewalk and came home pale and bleeding. Daddy was touched that I was so hurt but not crying; he cleaned up my ankle and then went off base and brought home my Winky. That’s one of my sweet memories of my dad.

I used to take the Winky to all our Itazuke reunions, but several years ago I couldn’t find him to take. I figured I’d taken him to a reunion and he’d gotten thrown away with the packing of our memorabilia. I hated that, but I still had my treasured memories. A couple of months ago, when we were looking for a suitcase to take to Houston I dug out one we hadn’t used for years and there was Winky in one of the side pockets! You can imagine how thrilled I was. I put him on the blog, thinking he might nudge the memories of some of the Itazuke girls and to nudge Ruthie’s memory, especially. Maybe Phil will remember the Winkie’s too.

The other picture on the blog today is me headed to breakfast this morning. We met the Rules and the Meiers at the Kozy Diner, as has become our habit. I take my prunes with me. 15 a day keep the chemo from constipating me. I’m tired of prunes, but so glad something so simple works.

Today has been a better day. I had more energy than yesterday and the neuropathy is about 7 today. I had gotten down to 6, but I think wearing tennis shoes irritated my toes today. (It was 50 degrees this morning, so I wore the shoes.) I’m just going to have to give up on closed toed shoes for a while. Maybe I’ll have to stay at home; that’s probably a good idea to avoid germs, too. I did 3 loads of laundry today and got some clothes altered and repaired. My fingers weren’t happy about that, but I got it done.

I’m thanking God for better days and precious memories. There is so much more for which to be grateful and I am, but those are uppermost in my mind as I write. I hope you are having good days and will take a moment to think of a treasured memory to relish.