Age And Forgetting

Sometimes I forget that I am old.  In fact most times I forget that I am old. My left knee is my only constant reminder that I am old, or at least it is old.  Sometimes I walk by a mirror and wonder for a second who that is. Lately I have been forcing my mind back as far as I can. The 2nd World War ended when I was six.  The only memory I have that is clear is the Nickel Plant whistle blowing and blowing and blowing.  We were living in Port Colborne and the Nickle Plant whistle blew every day at noon and 5:00p.m. or so I have been told.  That day in June it blew off schedule and for a long, long time.  I asked someone, probably my mother why the whistle was blowing and she said "The War is Over" that was the first time I knew there was a war and it was over.  Later maybe a year or more later I found some little books in a drawer, the only reason that I paid any attention to them was because one of them had my name on it.  Again I didn't know what they were.  Turns out they were ration books and I guess that everyone got books of rations with their name on them.  That may have been the first time that I seem name in print.  I wish I remembered more about the war but I don't; just the whistle blowing when it was over and a little book of coupons that had my name on it.  There were 7 children in the house at the time and autonomy was practically non existant.  I remember the phrase "You Kids" a lot; like you kids shut up and you kids get out of my site  On the rare occasion that I was called by name it usually meant that I was in trouble.  Perhaps that is why I never liked my name, somehow there was pain attached to my name; and lets face it my step sisters name was Betty, my sisters name was Peggy, I had a friend named Jeannie; compared to those names Dayle was different, no one else I knew had that name.  I had to grow into my name; for many years now I have liked my name and strangely enough for all the same reasons that I disliked it then.  Dayle Amelia, it is a strong name.  There is no way to make a nickname out of it.  Now and for most, if not all of my life when I am in a group of people and someone says Dayle there are not 3 or 4 people who look up.  When I was at cards Monday night someone called Barb and 3 women looked up, that never happens to me.  We had our first real snow fall today, (at my age you are allowed to change conversation direction whenever you want or get uncomfortable.....bonus).  It is December and I feel the onset of winter and that is o.k. I really don't have to be anywhere; even my pet/house sitting clients won't go anywhere if the weather is to bad and those who do know they would have to pick me up and get to their house or I will call Harold and if he can he will help me.
I have been forgetting my gratitude list and I don't want to do that.  So tonight I am grateful tonight for the warm, comfortable, loving home I live and sleep in, and for my daughter and my son in law who both work hard to make it that way.  Now off to my favorite Solitary Indulgence.

December 1st, 2010............11:13p.m.