Mad Macedonian

30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #20: K & F Burger, a Pomona Institution

I lived in the Inland Empire area of Southern California for the first 40+ yrs. of my life, and while the area has much to recommend it, there is very little about this one city that I will miss.

One of the things I am most grateful to have experienced there was K & F Burger restaurant on Holt Ave., between Towne Ave. & San Antonio Ave.

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K & F has been in its location since the 1950's, from what I understand, when the original Pomona High School was next door. I was introduced to the place in 1984, when I began working at Pomona Newsstand/Newsboy Books & Video, in a shopping strip where the high school used to be, and fell immediately in love with the dining choices.

From Saints to Sinners, from cops to crooks, from pimps & their whores to their customers, from the homeless to the rich, from the citizen to the ones they elect, EVERYONE comes to K & F, and they keep on coming.

30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #19: Boy, Have I Got a Deal For You!

I am grateful for the Yard Sales, Garage Sales and Farmer's Markets of my childhood and youth.

As I've mentioned before Mom took us shopping for clothes and other things, at various thirft stores in Pomona and other nearby cities in the 70's and 80's.

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Another thing she used to do was take on shopping expeditions, on weekends, to any yard sale, and garage sale we might come across.

Like the thrifts, we would find all sorts of things we could use at home.

As for Farmer's Markets, there were very few in the area back then, but one of the first was on Garey Avenue, in the 1st Baptist Church parking lot, just north of Holt Ave., in Pomona.

Walking from home, maybe 7 miles away, we'd bring our red wagon, used on grocery trips, and fill paper bags full of fruit and veggies, then head home.

In later years there was a Farmer's Market in Claremont, near the Village, as well.

Farmer's Markets have evolved in 40 years into an industry,  with such events hosting people selling far more than just food.

I just discovered, today, that there are at least 8 known such events in the Houston area.

They'll serve as possible regular places to shop, as well as maybe provide fodder for future blog posts. :-D

30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #20: K & F Burger, a Pomona Institution

30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #18: What Makes A Grandmother?

On April 23, 2001, I lost someone very special to me, and wrote about it on an old Message Board Community I belonged to then reposted the story for the Thanksgiving Season, my 2^nd year as a blogger, in 2003.

As Thanksgiving and Christmas come around again memories of this person bring a smile to my face.

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I am grateful for Granma Leona, and wish to share why once again.

What follows is an edited version of a much longer piece….

What makes a Grandmother? Is it blood-ties? Not always, and I should know...

I just lost the best damn Grandmother a man could ever have.

I just found out an hour ago, and the funeral is in a little over 2 hours...

What makes a Grandmother?

I had the pleasure of knowing only one of my Blood Grandmothers, but she got old & senile and died, before I, in my teens & early 20's got to really know her.

30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #17: Must See TV of the 50's, 60's and 70's

Does ANYONE remember a time before Sesame Street?

A time when Men were clowns, and women were hobos, little Mischief Makers dreamed of being seen in a Magic Mirror, having a moose for a pet, riding in the Bozobile, and were people, too...wacka-doo, wacka-doo, wacka-doo! :-D

I am grateful for a childhood that included Romper Room, Bozo the Clown, Capt. Kangaroo, Hobo Kelly, and Wonderama.

No wonder I turned out the way I have, peculiar sense of humor, creative writing talent, and all. :-D

Sit back, relax, and remember your childhood, or that of your children, watching these shows, having good old fashioned fun and learning so much that a classroom education couldn't teach, including, in my case a love of books, among so many other things.

Next up: 30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #18: What Makes A Grandmother?

30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #16: Hostess

What a day!

In the morning I found a bank where I may be able to move my IRA to from CA. I talked with a young Asst. VP/ Lobby Mgr. who took my info and will set me up to chat with a financial advisor.

We had a nice chat about my situation and he gave me advice on how to network locally and how temp jobs for the season are a big thing in Houston as well.

He took my cards...Oh and we chatted about our immigrant heritage...He was born in Iran, and his family came here when he was a child.

In the evening I had technical issues with my computer to resolve from the other day, and it won't be until tomorrow that I can learn more.

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Meanwhile, inbetween, I learned that legendary Hostess, of Irving TX., is no more after 80+ yrs.

30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #15: Oh, Brother

I'm Grateful for the makers of Brother Typewriters and, more recently, Brother 4 in 1 Printers. :-D

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A long time ago, in a decade far away, at Palomares Jr. High, in Pomona, Ca., I took a typing class, in 8th grade that, by rights I should have flunked.

I was so far behind the rest of the class, so unable to type the way I was being taught, it wasn't even funny.

But, I kept plugging along and, for that, my teacher took pity on me, and gave me a D- grade instead. :-D

Over that summer I bought my first typewriter, and began to self-teach myself to type, in a way that was comfortable to me and got the job done.

Brother still makes 6 models of typewriters, if you can believe it. :-D

It's funny but, when I bought my first computer, in 1998, using a keyboard, in my own way of typing, came easy for me, and I left the typewriter behind for good.

My new printer, a Brother, is a way to re-connect with my school days writer self.

30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #14: Mass Transit

I am grateful for the influence of Mass Transit in my life.

In the early 1950's my parents found themselves in the Pomona, Claremont, Montclair, Chino, and Ontario, area, centered along the east end of Los Angeles County, the west end of San Bernardino County, and north of Riverside and Orange Counties, and neither of them drove cars.

Before and after they met, dated, then married (1955-57) thru 1964, they relied on the Red Line trolley, and the precursor to LA’s RTD, as well as the local transit in Pomona into the early 70’s when RTD took it over, to get around.

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As a kid in the 60’s, before the Old Train/Bus Depot closed for 20 years (Foothill Transit refurbished the station and site, as a transit hub) I have vague memories of us eating at the lunch counter inside the station, where people also bought train tickets, and then catching busses outside.

The café was run by a lady my parents knew, though I only remember her name as being Rosie.

The 60G, and 60F, among other busses, that traveled between LA and San Bernardino and Riverside, would line up in rows and passengers would walk to and from the busses.

The old Continental Trailways Station was across the street.

30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #13: My New Computer Didn't Die

Like yesterday, today didn't go the way I hoped it would.

My computer has had what I thought were a couple of small issues, for a few days since I accidendally hit the start button twice, and had to do a re-boot.

I couldn't try to solve the problem until this afternoon.

(This series begins here.)

It turns out that the warranty that came with my computer doesn't cover software issues, and it cost me $159,, I couldn't afford to get tech help (2 more incidents over the next year, included).

5 hours later all seems normal again.

I'm grateful Toshiba Tech Support was able to solve the issues, even though it took all afternoon.

I had spent the morning reading some local free magazine to get a feel for Houston, and had planned to add some links, this afternoon, to my Houston/Texas Lists in Musings sidebar...Maybe tomorrow, I'm too tired, and still a little worried.

Next up: 30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #14: Mass Transit

30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #12: Still Awake

It's 1030pm, and I'm grateful I'm still awake after a busy day. :-D

A day filled with writing, creative inspiration, failed attempts to reach tech support for my laptop, bus rides, and discovering a local used book store chain's branch in my beighborhood.

I'm tired, time to go to bed! :-D

(This series begins here.)

30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #13: My New Computer Didn't Die

30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #11: Thank You Thrift Stores

Growing up as one of 3 children in a household with only one parent, a parent who did not work, in the 70's & 80's, I learned to love the 4 biggest Thrift Stores in Pomona, Ca.

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My Mom hadn’t worked since I was born, I think. Raising her children was her fulltime job, even more so after my Father became mentally ill in 1969.

Her income, over the next 21 years, came from Govt. Social Security Disability checks for all of us, and money made on the side helping the neighbors, especially Granma Leona, and Joyce Tolbert, who ran Foster Homes for Mentally Disabled (Retarded Girls/women).

She quickly learned the value of shopping for clothes and other things at the thrift stores.

Goodwill was on the east end of the 2^nd St. Mall, House of Ruth on the west end. To the south, below Mission Blvd.  was the Veteran’s Thrift Store, and somewhere around there was also a Salvation Army, I just don’t remember where, maybe on Mission. :-D

There were other such stores, not to mention yard sales and garage sales galore, all over Pomona, Claremont, La Verne, Montclair, and Ontario, and we either walked to and from, or took the bus..

I am grateful to all of them, not just for the necessities of life they enabled Mom to buy, but for something else, integral to who I am today.

It was in the Goodwill store, in 1970 that my love of reading began to take off.

I met Frank and Joe Hardy, Nancy Drew and all their assorted friends and family. :-D

I discovered horror novels, history books and more, all for anywhere from a quarter to a dollar, a pop.

My imagination was stirred, and my creative writing talent began to emerge in my teens.

From book reports, and letters to the editor, bits of creative fiction to an essay that found its way to being published in a Trek Fanzine, then a book, in 1990, it all began with shopping expeditions to these stores.

Finding clothes for me was easy, but you know women…they can take forever just contemplating whether or not the pair of panties they want to buy will make them look too fat, too skinny, or just right. :-D

So, if I didn’t have a book or magazine in hand, to read, I would wander off to the book section while the women in my life sorted things out elsewhere in the store. :-D

Those were the days. :-D

 30 Days of Gratitude Writing Challenge #12: Still Awake