Perry L. Gardner: Private Journal #34
Sunday, June 16, 1991
Again it has been a long time since I wrote herein. Why am I so reluctant to mess up clean pages with pen marks? I have been writing little notes to myself elsewhere when I remember some little incident. So I will transcribe a few thoughts to my journal.
One thought was when I remembered the name of Betty Hersey. Her mother and mine were old friends who met from time to time. One of my earliest memories was of sharing a crib or some such with her in an apartment. It must have been in Westchester or Long Island. And later when I was a teenager, visiting my mom, we went on a date by bus to a movie in Stamford from Riverside. She wore a dirndl dress, I remember, and she was tall, but I can’t remember much else.
Another memory was the realization that I did a lot of drawing in my school days and years afterward. I was always drawing small pictures of what was on my mind. Maybe I was bored in study hall or at work, and I would doodle designs or faces. Cars, boats, houses, airplanes, depending on the current interest, including girls. Not anyone in particular, but ideals. In my house phase, I designed houses until this one was built, and even afterward there were dream additions. I drew boat designs based on dad’s Gardner Tri-Plane streamlined cruiser. I drew airplane designs in the Thirties. I always worked small pictures for some reason, on scraps of paper or in margins. One specific site was in study hall in Meriden High School and another was gazing across the Hudson to the hills of Watervliet or Cohoes from a room with a view at RPI. Just some random memories.
Father’s day, with cards from all except Barb, and including Kari. Wendy and Dave also called on the phone—it was nice to be remembered and feel those who mean the most to me care. Barbie is traveling—she dropped Philip off at Camp in N.C. today, and I talked to her and P.J. last weekend.
I’m feeling pretty well these days. I have been having back problems, but it’s getting better—sciatic nerve and sacroiliac. Dr. Canceliers [?] is my chiropractor, and I feel he is doing good by me, and teaching me how to exercise and allow my body to heal itself.
It seems like this spring has been very busy, with the lovely vacation trip to Orlando, and the special trip home by the Great Smokies, the UUFH, and Renaissance Faire. We’ve only gone sailing twice so far and the back problem has inhibited that. The garden is well started. It has been too hot for springtime since late April. I hope the summer will not be hotter. There are things I want to do, but scheduling has to be done, and now I’ve volunteered to do a Summer Sunday service on July 21. I still have to do income tax and clean up this room. I want to go to Mystic, and visit P.J., and Wendy, and build some models, etc.