David had this crazy idea recently to start telling our kids stories before bed. As an English teacher I am BIG on reading to our kids and literacy but had not really considered telling stories, even though I love the idea. David has incredible oral traditions in his family and many nights I have been tempted to capture and put on paper. But the next best thing and maybe the better thing is to pass them on to our children, so that they know who they are. Still, I couldn’t help but write mine up as I pondered them and share them with you all. I hope you enjoy…
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| https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-kelly-blanchard/14813162 |
When I was just starting elementary school my mom got a job a secretary for Michael Kelly Blanchard, the musician He was a folk singer songwriters whose music we adored and my mom was looking for a job with flexible hours, preferably one she could bring Anne to. (Stop now and buy all his songs on iTunes!!! Be prepared to cry. Winter Babies and She Knows have special meaning to me.) The plan was for Anne to nap while mom worked. My mom was a great worker. She had graduated the top of her class at Katherine Gibbs Secretarial school in NYC. She was really what we now refer to as “an administrative assistant.” She did everything but write and sing the songs. She and my dad even helped produce them if needed. The Blanchard’s house in Torrington had a loft sort of attic that they had turned into a recording studio. Mrs. Blanchard was a teacher at my school so either she or my dad would often bring me home, along with her daughter Esther and her son Reuben. Reuben had bright, flaming red hair and the Blanchards called him, “Copper Top battery boy.” (also a song) No-one at school dared call him that. He was way too cool. In fact, I barely had the nerve to talk to him at school, despite the fact that our school boasted only a couple hundred kids K-12. He was just that far above my social station at school. But at home he was like a brother, a best friend. He introduced me to Tale Spin followed by Dark-wing Duck. He knew every word or the McDonald’s Big Mac song. He would play it on his mini record player that only played plastic records. The player was yellow and red; I think he might have gotten it from a happy meal or as a mail in prize from a cereal company. The prizes back then were SO much better.
Anyway, Reuben was super cool and super nice. He was two years ahead of me in school. Esther was amazing too, she was four years older than us and since she was in middle school she rarely had time to watch cartoons. She mostly had to work on homework when we got back from school. But sometimes on Saturdays like the one when Hurricane Grace hit, she’d take care of all of us, plan something fun. Hurricane Grace was not the biggest hurricane to visit the east coast, but it became the most notorious. It was pulled into a storm that was never named, and has lived in infamy as the No-Name storm among New Englanders. To the rest of the world, it is known as “The Perfect Storm.” The storm where a boat full of men was lost at sea never to be found again. A storm that inspired a book, that inspired a movie that put Gloucester, Massachusetts on the map. Famous for the tragedies of that very storm.
We had no idea about any of this however, Saturday morning my parents were planning on recording with the Blanchards. I believe it was the album “Heartguard.” I loved that album, mostly because of the cover of the Vinyl it was a lock that was shaped like a heart. A lock that was actually given to me by my godfather. It was old and rusty but it still worked.
We were not allowed to be anywhere around when they were recording so we had to go out which meant we needed Esther. She let us play hide and seek in the backyard, and ride bikes up and down the street. Eventually, we even convinced her to take us to the bakery downtown for cupcakes. The Blanchard’s had an old Coca-Cola machine in the garage. So old, the sign said a coke was only ten cents. It didn’t really work anymore so Mrs. Blanchard used it like an icebox or refrigerator and Reuben used it as his piggy bank. We got enough out for a cupcake or two and started downtown. It had been raining on all morning. I’d heard on the news driving over that there might be a hurricane but it didn’t seem particularly threatening. I only remember it was eerily warm and wet all day. At noon, just before we headed out to the bakery, the fire station siren went off. It was a town wide bad weather warning. That happened a lot. We figured unless we saw lightening we were okay.
Then the wind started. It would be still as a lake in the morning and then blast against us like an ocean wave. The wind was so strong it actually knocked Anne down several times. In fact, one time in knocked her down and she rolled into the street. She scraped up her hands and knees and so we headed back to get band aides.
Our parents were frantic when we got back; Where had we gone? What were we thinking? Didn’t we know we were in the middle of a hurricane? Still, once they realized we were alright, we all decided to do the most foolish thing possible and sit on the front porch watching the wind and the rain. The sky was orange, a strange ominous color like the heat was coming from the wind itself. The raindrops were huge. We put on rain coats and played and splashed in the puddles. They had a radio out on the porch and played music for us to dance interrupted only by storm updates. When the music played, I turned my head up to the sky and danced and laughed. I loved the rain I would laugh with it and dance with it. I would not be afraid. But soon, the radio was warned everyone the Governor Dukakis and Governor Weiker had both issued a state of emergency. That meant we had to get inside.
Fortunately, boring just wasn't part of the Blanchard's vocabulary. Reuben would play along as Anne and I would reenact The Star Wars Episodes IV, V and VI with Mrs. Blanchard’s trivets (see below...so galactic). Then, we would all gather around, even the adults and we would play board games and laugh until our sides ached. Our two favorites not even when the power went out. Mrs. Blanchard would get out the old school Narnia board games and we would fight like cats and dogs to be the valiant mouse Reapacheep. Next, we’d move on to Encore where we had to ban Mr. Blanchard for using his own songs, especially those still in progress. Finally, when the power went out, we would sing old folk songs and the parents would take turns reading out loud until we fell asleep. And while we slept the storm passes. That is what I remember about the Blanchard’s house. Thought the tumultuous years of growing up they were a safe haven my sister and I could always count on and not many people have that. 
