HITCHIN' ON - Rockford

Well, many families encounter at least one member who is the finicky eater/ food tester. I earned this title quite easily by being a guinea pig for a few concoctions devised by RJ and DJ. Remember the commercial that had the line" Let Mickey try it." Well, in the early 1950's, Mickey was KJ. Enough about how I developed the superior refined palate I enjoy today, but what I developed and that evolved to became the nuance of foodie compartmentalization- Hitchin' On.

At times, we were not always really sure what was set before us at dinner. In the plating process, items got lost in another. I still suspect, to this day, that this practice was to confuse the eater and distort what may actually have been in the food. I, for one, was taking no chances. Even at a young age, I refused to eat any food group on the plate that appeared to co mingle with any other- AKA "Hitchin On." Hey, even the juices from green beans oozing over into the mashed potatoes sent me into a tizz. I refused to eat. First, dad would rationalize that it all goes to the same place. Didn't help- only made matters worse thinking about that. Second, brute force. Sometimes successful, but usually a messy affair and lots of post effort clean up. Third, and the most effective- no TV- go to bed. This became time well spent examining the pros and cons of blending foods- now called FUSION. Your welcome....................................

Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# Minor

Mom played the piano quite well, and when the spirit moved her, she would play great classical pieces such as Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# Minor…..Dum….Dum….Dum….three chords in low octaves to start the piece. All of us could hum the first bars to this piece in our sleep. I think this was her concession to being a secret “pinko” given that he was a Russian composer. I was going to do my 5th grade composition on Rachmaninoff’s life, but switched at the last moment to Felix Mendelssohn, for whom I found a nice reference in the World Book Encyclopedia. It was a time when I was flexing my literary muscle.

Mom also played more "contemporary" tunes (and I use the term loosely) whenever uncles Harold or Derald came over. They would sing and she would accompany them on the piano. Most of these were church tunes or show tunes from the 40s. Her mastery of the keyboard was an inspiration to Ron who, after 3 years of technical lessons, was able to master “Old Black Joe” for a recital….nowadays quite politically incorrect! I think that was the pinnacle of Ron’s musical career. What a pity! Such talent lost.

Springfield- Summer-Illinois State Fair

What would summer in Springfield be without a trip to the Illinois State Fair. Dad, being raised on a farm, had a natural attraction. As kids, we would pile in the car on a weekend day and head about 10 miles to the fairgrounds.

After parking, we would all just hang around with mom and dad for a while visiting the various stables, crafts, food exhibits and then go to watch the prime entertainment at the racecourse. After this, we would break up and go out own way..... usually to the Midway!!!!

The Midway was fascinating. No, no, not just your routine fair rides, but they had exotic shows! Hey, I mean, really exotic..... As you passed by the siamese twin boys, they brought them out and here were two young boys conjoined at the hip...awesome. Then there was the bearded lady, but I always doubted that one. And, of course, the guy that turned into an ape, but you had to pay to go into the tent to see him transform.

But the best was all the way at the end of the Midway... the burlesque show. As young boys, we only went down that far if we were with our buddies on a day trip to the fair. The barker would bring a lady out on stage in front of the tent and she would shake a bit then go back in. All the time the music "WIPEOUT" was blaring as she wiggled and paraded in front of us.

To this day, when I hear that song, I don't think of some surfer boys in Hawaii, but the Illinois State Fair and that great Midway.

Nana's Glasses

Nana's Glasses

Growing up we did not get to see our grandparents on my dad's side very often because they lived in California and we were planted in Illinois. California, in the pre-interstate days, was a very long, hot, crowded car trip away and plane rides were really not an option. My grandparents did come to visit us in Illinois on a few occasions. They would travel by train and we would pick them up in Galesburg for their week stay. Mom would always be in a cleaning frenzy the week before and we were all expected to be on our very best behavior while they were visiting. There was a lot of pressure not to bicker with your siblings and mind your manners and act like the "Father Knows Best" family, not our family. There was always a list of Illinois tourist hotspots to take them. Lincoln's Tomb, Lincoln's House, and New Salem were the Springfield favorites.

We had a guest room in our house in Springfield and my Bob Bob and Nana would spend time away from the chaos of the house relaxing in their room. My bedroom was next to theirs, so I used to wander into their room and yak their ears off. The main reason I would wander in was to see Nana's jewelry and her case with her extra glasses pieces. She had frames that had removable top pieces. She could change the color of her frames to match her dress. THIS WAS COOL. The frames top piece was a hard plastic in blue or green or black with little flecks of silver glitter. I loved watching her change the color by snapping on and off the top piece. The color of her glasses frame was the first thing I focused on every time I saw my grandmother. Unlike today where people get new frames every few years, I never remember seeing my Nana with any other glasses the entire time I knew her. My fascination with her glasses was the glue to my relationship with my grandmother. She taught me some Danish, the name for your fingers (Tumble Tot, Schlik-a-pot, Long mon, Gulda bron, and Lille pate spille mon) and knit us wonderful slippers or sweaters for Christmas, but the glasses, for me, was what was special. Her glasses were the constant, the one thing that did not change and the one thing that we connected on that brought us together.

Halloween- Minneapolis Surprise!!!

DJ hit the nail on the head.. Halloween ranked right up there with birthdays, Christmas and the last day of school as a "look forward" date.

I recall one year that mom and dad asked us if we would like to go to Minneapolis and trick or treat. Minneapolis, home to Auntie Nell, Auntie Mae and "Uncle" Bud. We loved going to Minneapolis because it was where we always went for Christmas, so how could Halloween not be awesome. However, there was one thing tied to this trip, it was to be a surprise. the aunties did not know we were coming.

Dad timed the 9 hour or so trip from Rockford to Minneapolis to get us there just in time for normal trick or treating. We were very excited to pull one over on the aunties.

It was already dark by the time we parked a house away from 4608 Ewing. Hastily, we put on our costumes and yanked out our paper/pillow case bags and the four of us clambered up the walkway to the door. We rang the familiar doorbell while singing out, "trick or treat!". Auntie Mae came to the door and gave each of the four masked young people a treat and graciously closed the door. Hmm, she didn't recognize us, so moments later, we rang the bell again. Auntie Mae came back to the door and was obviously perplexed and a bit "put out", from the stern expression, that we were back. That is when we said ( in unison),"We get better treats than this in Rockford!" It took a moment, but as we removed our masks and screamed "trick or treat" again, Nellie came running to the door. Both were shocked and overwhelmed. It was great and we all laughed over the prank as Uncle Bud unloaded and put his WWI carbine back in the closet muttering something about how much he wanted to use it again and this was a missed opportunity. This was truly the beginning of many more Jensen kid pranks to come.

Halloween in Rockford circa 1957

Booo! Ah yes, memories of Halloween in Rockford.....where to start? Costumes were always homemade and a bit cheesy as we got older. Being a "Bum" was a popular outfit....old, torn clothes, cork-blackened face, and an old broom handle over the shoulder with a bag on the end. A "ghost" was another easy costume...sheet over head with holes cut for eyes...voila! Soldiers and sailors were also popular since everyone's dad had an old uniform...a bit baggy, but who cared?

In those days we didn't have any fancy-schmancy bags or pails for our loot, just sturdy paper grocery bags. We'd put our name on it just in case.....but we never really had to worry as it was never out of sight. RJ and I would be running from house to house....no walking, not time....we were on a mission to collect the most candy we could in the 3-4 hours allotted. Heck, we would still be trick or treating at midnight if we could. In addition to the usual candy bars, we'd get the occasional popcorn ball, apple or orange (yuk!), or homemade cookie. No one worried about peanut allergies, razor blades or poisoned food, and we never heard of anyone having problems like that. The candy would last for days....neigh, weeks if properly rationed and if mom didn't raid it while we were at school.....hmmm

As we got older, we did less treating and more "tricking".....soaping car windows, throwing eggs at houses, and my personal favorite: the bag of dog poop on the porch, then lit on fire, ring the doorbell, and run like hell! Beautifully creative and it always worked like a charm!

Ahhhh, today's kids don't know what they missed......

Brookfield Zoo

Donna and I went to Brookfield Zoo today – a gorgeous warm October Sunday without a Bears game. Everyone else within a 3 state area must have had the same idea. It has been 2 years since we last went there and there have been changes…..mostly for the better, but we reminisced about what is no longer there.
THE BAD:
• Long gone is the great steam train that used to run a circuit around the park
• The Reptile House is now the Swamp House, but still has the crocs and alligators and same pungent aroma
THE GOOD:
• More and better food concessions and picnic areas. This is a big plus.
• Moving the polar bears and grizzlies to their own more spacious area (Bear Wilderness)
• A new nature trail around Indian Lake near the Salt Creek
• The carousel is still there and is beautiful……. By the way, who are the people that wait to get on a carousel and then ride in the stationary seats or the horses that don’t go up and down? I never could understand that. It’s one of the first things you learn as a kid: look for the horse with the pole that goes up and down and race like hell to get there first.