Encyclopedia of Your Ordinary Life - J

A few years ago I had the opportunity to complete this extraordinary scrapbook album designed by CathyZ and based on the book, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Rosenthal. While I still haven't read the book, I love the concept of this album - a random sampling of those ordinary facts about your life [my life.] The homework involves keeping a list, A to Z, of random memories for several weeks and then gathering photos [or not] to support these memories. Love it. The album is really very simple [a la Cathy Z] and easy to put together with only two square photos per page and two to four 'definitions.' Have I said I love this album? And I want to share some of my life with you so I've committed to do just that in 2009 [keep in mind this was completed during the summer of 2007.] I'm going backwards and today I present:J

JUICY FRUIT CHEWING GUM
This was our favorite gum that was given to us during church services – to keep us quiet, I assume. I can remember Mama always had some in her purse along with Certs [breath mints.] We were given only a couple if we would sit still during worship. Even Mrs. Duke [pastor’s wife] gave them to Johanna and me when we would sit together on Sunday evenings.

JEWELRY
Baubles and gems – I don’t wear jewelry much [other than my wedding rings, blue diamond ring, and hoop earrings,] but I am particular about having the real thing – and I LOVE my Sweet Baboo! [Sabu]

JUNE BUGS
I’ve since learned these are called Japanese Beetles and many people HATE them, but during my childhood they were a special treat to play with. On warm summer days when all the cousins were sent outside to play at Mama Moland’s we would catch June Bugs and the uncles [who were also banned to the outdoors] would tie strings to their legs so we could hold onto them while they flew.

JOE
Our father, who has never been called that, or Daddy, or Dad. Everyone in the family says they tried to get Lorna to call him “Daddy” when she first began to talk, but I think she must have spent so much time with Joes’ brothers and sisters when she was a baby and toddler that “Joe” is all she ever heard. So, Joe – it’s always been.