Category: Sep

Memories:

Dad used to say, “A knife and a fork and a bottle and a cork…that’s the way you spell New York!

As a kid I couldn’t figure out what he was talking about.😂

Last modified June 18, 2020

Softball.  Dad liked to play softball.  He was on in an amatuer softball league.  Many a time my brothers and I would go down to “Sham” park and watch dad play.   I don’t know what position he played, but I think it was in the outfield.  I think he was a pretty good hitter, and I do recall several home runs.  Since I was a kid, and he was my dad, I thought he was great.

Bowling.  As far back as I can remember he was a bowler.  Among other things, he was on a team from the Lyceum in a traveling league.   One day every week during bowling season he was off bowling somewhere.  Bob, Joe, and Rusty  were included on  the team when they were old enough.  They were all good bowlers.  Once, when I was home, Dad arranged for me to be included in the 5 man team for one game so that he could get an official score sheet with all our names on it.  (I was never  good at sports).  Beside the all-male bowling teams, there was a couples league at the Lyceum, and yes Dad and Mom off to the Lyceum one night a week in season.

Last updated  March 29, 2022

Drinking.  Dad, like many other working class men at the time drank a lot of alcoholic beverages.  Dad was known to stop at the “corner” on his way home from work.  The “corner” was usually Meyerl’s Saloon on the corner of East Street and Royal Street.  The only times that Mom worried about that stop was on payday.  Dad was known to buy a few rounds and the family budget didn’t allow for that.

Although the shot and a beer were his favorite combination, I remember the occasion when Ozzie and Mary were at the house early in the day, probably on a holiday.  For some reason they decided to have Bloody Mary’s.  It turned out that there was no vodka, gin or tomato juice.  No problem, Seagram 7 and V8 would suffice.  They said it was terrible but drank it anyway.  I think they cleansed their pallets with an Iron City.

Boxing.   Sometime in the fifties, I remember sitting out in front of the house when Dad came out with a brand new black Emerson radio.  He told us that he bought the radio so that he could listen to the Joe Louis – Ezzard Charles fight.  One or two others showed up and they listened fight together.  Why it was important I don’t know. Ezzard Charles won.

Things he said.  During  the summer I often heard him say. ” Roe, this food is too hot, maybe you should have cooked it in the refrigerator.”

“Jesus Kee-Riist!!”  (Must be a Pittsburgh thing.  I learned later that Judi’s dad used the same exclamation.)

Couch Sleeping Who can forget Dad lying on the couch sleeping with the newspaper held out to the side as if he were reading it.  At the same time the  Zenith TV with the  12 inch round screen would be on some news program.  Should one of us dare to change the channel or adjust the volume, he’d say “Hey I’m watching that” ?

Phillips Pea Soup  Dad had picked up several cases of Phillips Pea Soup from the railroad salvage yard.  They must have been pretty cheap.  We had pea soup almost every day for what must have been months.

Garbage  Dad would often treat the garbage men with a case of beer.  He’d put it in a burlap sack and place it beside the cans.   Perhaps he did it to make sure they never complained about having to lug so much to the street below.   Besides the standard trash cans, we had barrels that we used to burn excess trash.