When Mom gave birth to my brother Dennis at Georgetown Hospital, Dad ran all the way up 37th Street to tell Connie, their two-year old Scottie. Connie was named after the baseball player, Cornelius McGillicuddy, better known as Connie Mack, who had played for the Washington Nationals in the late 1800s and was a managerContinue reading “23. Every Dog Must Have His Day”
Category Archives: recent post
22. Nuts from the Same Tree
My sister Missy has always been the gold standard for beauty in our family. Even today, nearly eighty, she is a beautiful woman. Carrying the same genes as Missy could be difficult for Maureen and me. We were always comparing ourselves to her and feeling as though we came up short. With her hair perfectlyContinue reading “22. Nuts from the Same Tree”
21. Things that go bump in the night
Whenever a thunderstorm came to our little patch of earth, my mother gathered up her little ones. We would run upstairs to the sleeping porch at the back of the second floor to watch the sky. Every time we saw lightning tear across the sky, she’d say, Okay, start counting. Here it comes! Several secondsContinue reading “21. Things that go bump in the night”
14. Lawyers, Guns, & Money
Sneaking out of the house on Jocelyn Street was easy; sneaking back in required strength and agility. Joe, Kevin, and Brian agree that getting out the third floor window and dropping down to the porch roof wasn’t too difficult. The house was built in 1910, and the wooden gutters were built into the roof itself.Continue reading “14. Lawyers, Guns, & Money”
13. The Man Who Loved My Mother
My father was eight years old in the 1918 influenza pandemic. His father died in the second wave that hit the U.S. in the autumn of that year. On Armistice Day, Annie Reilly and her five children were headed to Peter Reilly’s funeral. Crowds filled the streets of Pittsburgh to celebrate the end of theContinue reading “13. The Man Who Loved My Mother”
12. If you’re going to San Francisco…
When I was ten, my parents sent me to visit my sister Maureen in San Francisco. In my lavender Easter dress, matching jacket, and white patent leather shoes, I flew across the country. My uncle, who was general counsel for United Airlines, had secured a first class seat for me. The stewardess brought me aContinue reading “12. If you’re going to San Francisco…”
9. Christmas Eve
When we were young, my mother perpetuated the myth that, along with all the toys, Santa Claus brought the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. If you have celebrated Christmas as a parent, you undoubtedly agree that this is a sure-fire way to ruin Christmas for parents. Nevertheless, Mom persisted. She had no doubt in theContinue reading “9. Christmas Eve”
8. BFFs, Pt. 2
Although I am no endocrinologist, I am certain there is a direct link between pubescent girls’ estrogen-producing ovaries and the area in the frontal lobe where laughter is stimulated. Often this laughter has nothing to do with anything humorous. Just as often this connection can lead to a critical lack of judgment. Once Carol andContinue reading “8. BFFs, Pt. 2”
7. BFFs, Pt. 1
I met Carol Prentice in the sixth grade through our mutual friend Lulu. She had a wicked laugh and a tiny toenail on each of her little toes. She had read all the Nancy Drew books. She also had a window air conditioner in her room, which was pure luxury in my book. Carol wentContinue reading “7. BFFs, Pt. 1”
6. An Irish Wedding
When my brother Dennis married Geraldine O’Mahony, I was eight. Dennis, like many other Georgetown alums, had found his way into the bar business, in his case, after teaching English at St. John’s High School. He met his beautiful bride at Matt Kane’s on 13th Street. She and her family had left Waterford, Ireland whenContinue reading “6. An Irish Wedding”
Life of Reillys 