day 34

Ever notice how 1 song can trigger a memory?

     I have been listening to the 50s channel on Sirius lately.  I like the raw sound of early rock and roll, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Freddie Cannon, Chuck Berry....it was loud and pounding.
     But then something like Dean Martin comes on with "That's Amore."  You know:   when the moon hits your eye like a big a pizza pie, that's amore. 
     I always think of Uncle Ernie.
     Ernie was my dad's brother.  He was a fun loving, carefree guy.  At least that is my memory.  His wife was Nora, and she was from Ireland and spoke with a thick Irish accent.
    They lived on the "west end" of Chicago, and he owned a couple of apartment buildings.  I don't remember his job, but he might have been a custodian/handyman for some apartments.
     What I do remember is their basement.  The house was an old brick house with a huge porch and a side yard. 
     But it was the basement that always appealed to me.
     Uncle Ernie had a Wurlitzer jute box AND a nickle slot machine! 
     The Wurlitzer was filled with 45s, but the one that I always remember playing when I went there was Dean Martin's "That's Amore."  There were also about 20 versions of "Oh Danny Boy, " but I always went for "That's Amore."  "And When the Saints Go Marching In" was my second favorite.
     Whenever I knew we were going to west end for a visit, I would gather up all the nickels I could for the slot.  I'd put a nickle in, pull that silver handle with the black ball on the end and listen as the figures popped into place.  If I remember , there were only three columns and the big winner was cherry, cherry, cherry.
     But I neve hit the big winner, and in fact, probably never hit a winner in all the times I played.
     My dad's side of the family would be there...Ernie, Nora, Diane, Noreen, and Edmund, the youngest child and one with special needs.  They vowed never to institutionalize him and they never did.  Eddie was probably 48 or so when Nora died, and  Ernie weas already gone, so there was no one to care for Eddie,  At that point he was sent to a home. 
     Aunt Betty, Aunt Gert and Uncle Frank and Grandma...but the only ones with kids were my dad and Ernie. 
     With Nora and Ernie gone, I lost track of Diane and Noreen,  Of course, they were older and hung around with my older brothers, who kept in touch with them until the girls passed, at ages too young.
     Funny how one song can bring me back to when I was nine on the west end.
     Stay healthy.  Stay safe.  Stay home.
Peace and Love

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