Marilyn's Musings

Right now, besides being a wife, mom, grandma etc., I am a mystery writer and speaker, and I do program plans and designs for people starting new residential facilities and I've also done supported living programs. I began working as a baby sitter a the early age of ten. Yep, 10 years old. Babysat babies, kids and even a girl with developmental disabilities who was the same age as me. Once did inventory at May Company in downtown L.A. Worked at the phone company there too as a file clerk, then became an information operator. Was an information and long distance operator off and on for several years in Oxnard. Taught for 10 years in a pre-school for kids with developmental disabilities. Also taught in day cares and other pre-schools. Became an administrator for my own residential facility for women with developmental disabilities and did that for 23 years. At the same time I developed a training program for administrators to become licensed, and later continuing educ...

My most important job for many years and one that's continued on is being a wife, mother, grandmother and now greatgrandmother. I began in the working world--meaning that I got paid for what I did as a babysitter at the age of 10. Yes,, 10. I took care of a girl with developmental disabilites who was the same age. Quite an experience--and I earned a whopping 50 cents. I never went back. The next baby sitting job I was nearly 12 and took care of 5 little ones one evening. We did okay though I don't remember changing any diapers--and also don't remember what I was paid. I continued babysitting all through my teens, earned the money to buy clothes my mom throught were too expensive. (And I'm sure she was right.) I did housework also for one of the women I babysat for--didn't like that at all. When I was a senior in highschool, I did inventory one night at a big deparment store in downtown L.A. I also worked for a time in a hot-rod store. After I was...

My sis sent me this photo of my husband and I way back when we were young and slim. Hubby was still in the Navy and we only had three children at the time, ended up with five. We're standing in my parents' front yard, the home I grew up in--Los Angeles CA. The house is no longer there, replaced by the Glendale Freeway. Our eldest daughter, Dana, is now the mother of two and grandmother of five. The next little girl, Lisa, is the mother of two and grandmother of four. The baby in my arms, Mark, died from cancer in his early forties. He had one son, and three step-children, and two grandkids. We had two other children, Lori, who has four children and no grandkids, and the baby, Matthew, who has three children, one step-daughter, and three grandkids. It's hard to remember being that young. I do remember working hard. Until we had our fifth child, I hung all the laundry outside. My grandfather felt sorry for me and bought me a dryer. We seldom went out to eat which meant I cook...

Today I received an email from youngest daughter asking me if I remembered a friend of my eldest son's from long ago when both were in grammar school and Cub Scouts named Lydell. I not only remember Lydell, I also remembered his last name, Marsh. As it happens, this now grown-up man plays keyboard for a Christian Rock Band that's been playing at my daughter's church. He told the pastor he thought he knew her, called her the carrot-top (she has red hair) and said he played at our house all the time when he was growing up. Lydell was a skinny black kid. We lived in this marvelous mixed racial neighborhood during the 60s and 70s. I ate chitterlings for the first time at his house when visiting his mom. Of course we were all poor, but we'd all managed to buy houses for little down. I was PTA president at the grammar school for two years. I remember one of the black mom's telling me, "All you white PTA ladies look alike." Made me laugh. Our kids didn't see ...