I remember in the Summer of '77, Aunt Felicia was complaining that her long hair was giving her headaches. (It was down to her butt, I mean really long, well, not Crystal Gayle long, but long.)
Gramma and Mom took her to get it cut, and she came back with the new (in 1977) feathered hair style. It was still a little below her shoulders in the back.
All of our friends and her friend Carol thought it was really pretty on her. As for me? Yup, Aunt Felicia was stylin'! (And her singing reminded me a bit of Crystal Gayle...) As a matter of fact, I used to tease her that she looked like Crystal Gayle...lol.
Dan
Crystal Gayle - Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - 1977 Hit - Intro by Andy Gibb:
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
A Couple Of Things From Aunt Felicia That Never Left Me
Back in my high school days, Aunt Felicia and Gramma Enid came to live with us for six or eight months in Madison, WI. It was Autumn 1976, Winter and Summer 1977. I was a Freshman that year.
I was horribly shy around girls back then, (Some leftover PTSD from a couple of early childhood incidents) and I had a bad crush on Aunt Felicia's friend Carol. Aunt Felicia used to try to give me tips on how to be more appealing to gals - kind of like a big sister would do.
It was kind of funny, one day her and Carol and I were in my room, and she told me to "walk like I had something between my legs." LOL - I think she meant with confidence and a little swagger, but me being the comedic straight man I am, I took her literally, and started practicing walking around the room like I had a bowling ball in my crotch. The three of us laughed until our stomachs hurt!
But a couple of things we talked about seriously were hair styles and colognes. I'd tried one that smelled like fresh-cut grass, and also Jovan Sex Appeal, and I liked them both, but the one Aunt Felicia thought smelled best on me was Jovan Musk for men. She said "it works right with your body chemistry." I agreed with her, and the rest is history. I've worn it ever since, every day. I still think of her every time I put it on.
Feathered hair was just becoming the fashion then, and Aunt Felicia had long feathered hair with those cute little "fox ears" where it sticks up a little right in the front at your bangs. She was the one who taught me to do the guy version of feathered hair. By the time I was a Junior in high school, I had hair as long and feathered as Barry Gibb, and naturally about the same color, too. The Bee Gees were all over the top of the charts at the time, so it's a logical comparison. Of course, I went into the Air Force a little later in my Junior year, so you can guess what happened to the Barry Gibb look, but I've worn feathered hair ever since. Aunt Felicia was right though. I've tried other looks since, and none really work on me as well. Also, luckily for me, my hair is still present and still pretty much the same color, with just a hint of grey coming in. LOL
So in the end, I have her to thank for both the cologne and hair style I wear, and I've never forgotten who taught me those things.
Dan
I was horribly shy around girls back then, (Some leftover PTSD from a couple of early childhood incidents) and I had a bad crush on Aunt Felicia's friend Carol. Aunt Felicia used to try to give me tips on how to be more appealing to gals - kind of like a big sister would do.
It was kind of funny, one day her and Carol and I were in my room, and she told me to "walk like I had something between my legs." LOL - I think she meant with confidence and a little swagger, but me being the comedic straight man I am, I took her literally, and started practicing walking around the room like I had a bowling ball in my crotch. The three of us laughed until our stomachs hurt!
But a couple of things we talked about seriously were hair styles and colognes. I'd tried one that smelled like fresh-cut grass, and also Jovan Sex Appeal, and I liked them both, but the one Aunt Felicia thought smelled best on me was Jovan Musk for men. She said "it works right with your body chemistry." I agreed with her, and the rest is history. I've worn it ever since, every day. I still think of her every time I put it on.
Feathered hair was just becoming the fashion then, and Aunt Felicia had long feathered hair with those cute little "fox ears" where it sticks up a little right in the front at your bangs. She was the one who taught me to do the guy version of feathered hair. By the time I was a Junior in high school, I had hair as long and feathered as Barry Gibb, and naturally about the same color, too. The Bee Gees were all over the top of the charts at the time, so it's a logical comparison. Of course, I went into the Air Force a little later in my Junior year, so you can guess what happened to the Barry Gibb look, but I've worn feathered hair ever since. Aunt Felicia was right though. I've tried other looks since, and none really work on me as well. Also, luckily for me, my hair is still present and still pretty much the same color, with just a hint of grey coming in. LOL
So in the end, I have her to thank for both the cologne and hair style I wear, and I've never forgotten who taught me those things.
Dan
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Summer Night Ride At Lake Mendota, Madison, WI 1977
There was a night that Aunt Felicia and I had gone down by the beach at lake Mendota in the summer. I had ridden her down there (It was downhill from the house we lived in out on Troy Drive) on my Schwinn 10-speed. We were sitting down at the beach talking, I don't really remember what about.
Just as we'd gotten back on the bike to ride home, we heard someone running down at us from the railroad tracks at us. Aunt Felicia was yelling at me to pedal "faster, faster!" We were sure it was some hobo out to get us. Whoever it was, I was fast enough to get away from them. We never did see who the Boogie Man was, we just heard them running after us.
When we got home, we were laughing like idiots. The bike above is very much like the one I was riding that night, and I know for a fact it's the same year. (1975)
Dan
I received the call on March 5, 3:30 pm.
"Ms. Drotos, we need your consent to admit your mother to hospice."
It still doesn't seem real. At the time, I had no idea my mom had been admitted to the hospital. When the attending doc called me back he filled me in on what had been going on since she was admitted 7 days prior.
"Your mom has widespread cancer that has metastasized to her liver, spleen, kidneys, pancreas, and colon. We removed a mass from her back and she has tumors on her scalp also. At this point, it is not reasonable for us to recommend treatment. It is possible that this aggressive cancer started as breast cancer. Hospice would be best option for her."
Back In The Beginning...
When I first met Aunt Felicia, Mom had just found her biological mother. (My mother Judy was adopted by an Italian couple, Sadie & Gino Nofri.) My biological grandmother Enid Trammell had adopted Felicia later in life.
When we went to Detroit to visit Gramma Enid, they lived in a two-story house typical of the Detroit area. Aunt Felicia is a bit less than 11 months older than I, and I think I was about 12 years old at the time. My sister Lori and brother Jeff were also along for the trip. Being close in age, Lori and I hit it off with Aunt Felicia right away.
I remember distinctly on that first visit that Lori & I were up in Aunt Felicia's room talking with her while the adults were talking downstairs. Aunt Felicia sang Cher's "I Never Promised You A Rose Garden" for us. Her voice was very pretty, but she was a bit shy about it. I never quite understood why, but it was what it was. It's funny, but I think God must have sung that song to her just before she was sent to Earth to be born sometimes...sigh.
The rest of that visit was just getting to know each other, and getting to know our grandmother. We talked about the things young teens talk about - bands, TV shows, crushes, etc. It was a good visit, and I think we were all happy for it. After that, we returned home to Beloit, WI and our regular lives. There was no internet then, and long distance calls were very expensive, so we would only briefly say "hi" on the phone until our next visit, none of us being great letter writers at the time.
For that era, things were off to a good start.
Dan
When we went to Detroit to visit Gramma Enid, they lived in a two-story house typical of the Detroit area. Aunt Felicia is a bit less than 11 months older than I, and I think I was about 12 years old at the time. My sister Lori and brother Jeff were also along for the trip. Being close in age, Lori and I hit it off with Aunt Felicia right away.
I remember distinctly on that first visit that Lori & I were up in Aunt Felicia's room talking with her while the adults were talking downstairs. Aunt Felicia sang Cher's "I Never Promised You A Rose Garden" for us. Her voice was very pretty, but she was a bit shy about it. I never quite understood why, but it was what it was. It's funny, but I think God must have sung that song to her just before she was sent to Earth to be born sometimes...sigh.
The rest of that visit was just getting to know each other, and getting to know our grandmother. We talked about the things young teens talk about - bands, TV shows, crushes, etc. It was a good visit, and I think we were all happy for it. After that, we returned home to Beloit, WI and our regular lives. There was no internet then, and long distance calls were very expensive, so we would only briefly say "hi" on the phone until our next visit, none of us being great letter writers at the time.
For that era, things were off to a good start.
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| Lori-Felicia-Jeff-Dan 1976 Left-to-right |
Dan
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