Lisa Converse

We moved from Tennessee to our house, RR 1, Kokomo, Indiana. in 1936 when I was almost 2 years old. The barn was built in 1910 and the house was built in 1880’s It was 120 acres, it was laid out in a perfect square. We grew corn, beans, tomatoes. We raised mainly pigs, a cow for milk, two horses (Jim/Maude) for pulling cart, didn’t have tractor until after the war.

Growing up on the farm our house was very cold, it had 5 room with a screened in porch. It had electricity but only one light in each room. There was only a coal stove for heating house, and coal oil stove for cooking. We had register in bedroom where heat from stove was piped in which wasn’t that great.  Some mornings, it was cold and there would be snow inside the windows.  I would run downstairs to get dressed behind the stove. Later on we put a light in the barn and new floors in the house. There wasn’t a bathroom inside the house until 1952 when I was out of high school, 19 years old. If we had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night we would have a “slop jar”. We’d only “wash up” there was no showers or a bathtub. We had a wash tub where we would wash up. When I got to high school I could take a shower one day a week but it was at the YMCA so we’d walk back to school freezing. There was no telephone until I was a senior in high school.

At Christmas time I would get a small bag of treats from my bus driver. My sister Sissy would give me small presents. Dad would buy fruit; apples, oranges and tangerines. Mother would make banana pudding, with wafers (which Luke still loves). My Mom would  kill a fat hen, and make cornbread dressing for Christmas dinner. “We made due with what we had”

We had breakfast, dinner and supper. Big meal at noon because of the farm workers. Neighbors would help neighbors with farming. We always slept on a feather bed in the winter but in summer we would clean them outside.

My pets were Teddy, fuzzy balls, all sorts of cats. Teddy was a miniature collie, he just showed up one day to the farm. Teddy was with us while I was little in the 50’s. Then we had Laddie, yellow lab, our neighbor had puppies. He’d be so happy to see me after school. He ran off one day and never came back. Fuzzy balls our cat would come up and wake me up by meowing. Our dogs weren’t allowed inside. Fuzzy balls was the only animal that Mom would every let into the house.

My brother Russell played baseball, sportsman of the year. He was a pitcher for Clay High School and brought them to a championship. The Boston Red Soxs wanted to give him an offer but it was at the end of the war and he stayed to help with the farm. He got married in November right out of high school.

Herman -Crow , Mom -an Old wet setting Hen; Mother Hen gets frustrated and goes after whoever goes after her babies.

Converse Family: Lisa-Wren (Female), Mark -Wren (Male), Max-Red headed Woodpecker, Ian-Nuthatch (little woodpecker) goes up and down the tree, Ava-Hummingbird, tiny. and loves flowers.

Cissy-Robin

Marcy-Morning Dove , Anna-Black cap chickadee

Matt-Canadian Goose, Chris-Canadian Goose (female) Geese both take care of their babies , Luke-Eagle, Anna (Female Eagle), Chiara -Parakeet, Natalie- Bluebird (related to cardinal and live in apple orchards) Theresa Bluebird too, Josh-Barn Swallow, Megan-Female Barn Swallow

Mark- Cardinal, Jeanine-Cardinal (female), Nick-Wild canary (yellow), Tess-Wild Canary (female), Mia-Singing Canary, Joe-Mallard Duck (always quacking like a lawyer)

Vince-Barn Owl, Barn Owl (Female)-Because of Vincent’s big eyes when he was a baby and always saying “who”?

 

How Mom got started naming birds. When Mark was in kindergarten there was a nest of baby cardinals in the front bushes out of the main windows.

 

My advice to my Grandkids-

Luke-Be a good Father, be there when the kids need you.

Natalie-Stay strong

Josh-Be a good husband and Megan be a good wife. Be a good couple and take care of each other.

Nick-Be a good Father and husband. Be there when you need each other. Little things mean a lot.

Joe-Take care of each other and give everyone on the Hill a lashing. Straighten up that Congress.

Anna-Take care of your Momma and stay close to your family.

Maxie-Keep drilling holes. Stay safe and behave and be strong.  Happy days.

Ian-Keep running, flying with the angels.

Ava-My little Ava. Be strong, happy, get good grades. Keep on flying.

Grandma loves you all and will be watching over you always.

 

 

 

 

It’s just water under the bridge

Can’t stick you finger in your butt in a 20 acre field

“Pee or get off the Pot”

It’ll be what it will be

Such is life in the big city

Go with the flow

Little Buddy

 

 

 

 

Lisa-I went into labor in the afternoon, January 11th, Herman was home it was a Sunday. After Lisa was born they showed her to me and I said” looks like her Daddy”. Was born at 4:28pm. When you were born they couldn’t find the heart bid but they found it. Dad said to Grandma and Grandpa Z, I went through hell.

Cissy-Born on April 28th, Thursay, 1960 beautiful sunny day. Blossoms were blooming on Mrs. Weirs apple tree. After she was born, Fr. Cusateri blessed her at the hospital. She was born in the evening, 7 pm something and died at 7:20pm.  When I brought her home Joanie fixed the bed it was all fresh. Took Lisa to stay with Grandma Z.

Marcy-Born on October 17th, 1961 the night she was born the moon was bright and beautiful it was a warm fall night. We got there and I couldn’t believe I had another girl. It wasn’t disappointed but another girl. She wouldn’t nurse so I had to put her on the bottle. It was so hot, but when they wheeled me out of delivery a window was open and there was a cool breeze.

Matt-Born on September 28, 1962, and I walked into the delivery room, got myself onto the table. delivered baby. Dad was waiting in delivery room and a nurse rolled Matt by Dad and he said “wait, is that mine?” He saw Matt for first time. Matt had a lot of black hair, then went blond later. I said when they told me it was a boy “finally we got Matthew Joseph”. If it wasn’t Matthew Joseph I’d change the name.

Mark, Born on August 31st, 1964, the year my dad (Grandpa Stiner) died and missed his birthday by one hour. Well got out in the front yard by the tree. Dad brought the car around and he kept saying “get in the car” but I couldn’t get in cause I had a pain/labor. Mark was the first one I got to hold right after delivery. One day the nurse came into my room and said “can you come down to nurse your baby” he was crying. He was a good nurser. Marcy was anxious and Cissy would spit it up while nursing.

Vince, Born January 1, 1966, Grandpa Z brought Leonard over to watch kids. He said I better get going before the fireworks go off. Dr. Harold delivered him and his son who was also a doctor, came in and jumped on me to push Vince out. He wasn’t coming out due to his broad shoulders. I told Dad on intercom “we even upped the odds”. 3 and 3 .Everyone was awed by how we had 3 girls then 3 boys. It must have been in the stars. We get what we get and we love them. It didn’t matter what I got, as long as it was healthy.

Mrs. Freeman said girls were easier to raise than boys but I didn’t see it, they weren’t hard. Only thing was Matt was a tease, he liked to tease Mark. I’d have to get him with my shoe. I’d say get over here-“behave yourself”.

18 years: I started having pain in my right side and they put my in the hospital with hepatitis. I was in the hospital for a month.

28 years: After Matt was born, I started feeling bad, couldn’t function. Had double vision, changed doctors went with Dr. Brooks. He diagnosed insufficient adrenal glands, which is addison’s disease and hypothyroidism.  I went on cortisone and felt so much better. I have been on cortisone since then.

I would get stomach flus and couldn’t stop vomiting. I would need to go to the hospital because I would get dehydrated. After a while Herman would give me shots to stop the vomiting so I wouldn’t get dehydrated. This happened often in my life.

Mom’s Family, the Stiner’s had Mom skin cancer, Paul and Russell had prostate cancer that went into the bone, Norma Jean had dementia starting when she was in her 80’s, Firman died at 63 years old of heart disease. At the time if he wanted to have open heart surgery he’d would have had to go to Texas. Dad died of a stroke in 1965. My brother Tip was killed in a train accident with his wife.

 

 

 

 

As a kid my jobs around the farm were whatever Mom wanted me to do. Go to the garden get vegetables for dinner. gather the eggs. Help to drive chickens into coops for winter. When Dad would let me, I’d drive the horses to pick up tomato baskets in the field.

My first paying job was as switchboard receptionist at 18 years old. I was taught by AT&T  to answer the switchboard at Kingston products in Kokomo which made roller skates. I got fired fired from that job on Valentines Day. I had hepatitis and when I got out of the hospital, my doctor didn’t want me to go back to work right away. While I was out on leave, my friend’s Grandmas asked me if I’d be in a fashion show at Turners Department store. They put my picture in the paper and my boss saw it. He fired me when I returned to work on Valentines Day. After I was fired I went to my doctors to get a B12 shot and told him the story and he hired me to be his receptionist . This is how I got to Chicago, a nurse I worked with Annie was moving to Chicago and they needed a roommate. I got a job with Taylor instruments as a receptionist and would walk to work. I made more money in Chicago.

I then met Herman and my career became being a Mom. During our marriage I would do the store’s bank at night and fix his wallet with change for the next day. I would make sure he had clothes and everything he needed to get to work.  On the 50th Anniversary he wrote in a card, “thanks for everything you’ve done”.

In my early years we didn’t take vacations with my family. I did go to see my sister, Sissy who lived in Indianapolis every summer for 10 years for a month.

I went on a field trip to Washington DC and New York City with my high school class in spring of 1952. Everything in Washington Dc looked so clean and white. I remember going to Bowery street and seeing the wineos. My friends and I went to Joe Louis” (boxer) restaurant for dinner and bought souvenir boxing gloves.

Our family took the kids to Kokomo almost every summer for a week to see “Granny”. Mother always had a good meal for us when we arrived. Two of the kids had to go to Firmans to sleep because there wasn’t enough room at her house. Her garage was always clean so kids could play in it.

Herman won a milk contest trip to Colorado Springs in 1971 or 72. We took a train and there was another man and his family who had also won the trip. Dad got to see his friend,  Johnny Mattach who was in the Olympics. It was nice not having to pay for anything.

Went to St Croix  with Norma Jean my sister, her husband Al, and Herman. My brother Paul had a place there. We went shopping and there were strawberries everywhere. I spend a lot of time talking with my brother Paul. We bought a beef tenderloin and before we left I cooked it.

I went with Dad to see Grandma Z and Grandpa Z in Pompano Beach, FL in 75′ or 76′. I bought Dad a leisure suit which was in style; a green, blue and white from Littons in Oak Park. It was a nice trip. We went to the ocean and Grandma Z liked to ride the waves. Two weeks later after our trip,  Grandpa Z died of a heart attack. While there were there we established him with a doctor which was good otherwise he would have had to have an autopsy.

I went to San Francisco, four times, once when Lisa got married and then 3 times later when she had Max, Ian and Ava. San Francisco is windy, and I remember the fog horns on the Bay. Remember taking care of the babies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My husband, Herman Joseph Zanoni.

We met July 1957 at a softball game with Sylvia his sister but he didn’t ask me out until January 1958. He said though he thought about me. His parents had gone to Italy so he had to manage the store. Our first date was ice skating, that winter we did a lot of ice skating. The thing that attracted her to him was his ears which I noticed when I sat behind him.

My wedding day was a beautiful day, very sunny and just perfect. Mom, Norma Jean, Jerry, and Firman came up for the wedding. Fr. Silvio walked us through the wedding. Fr. John kept talking to everyone about the service, then I went in. Music started so I started down the aisle but no Fr. Silvio had to start over. Lino drove the car to reception/lunch. Herman was 27 years old and I was 23 years, our anniversary date is July 12, 1958. We were married for 52 years.

I admired him because he was down to earth, honest, and hard working. Good family man, helped with the children. I had one husband and the only one I wanted. We got along.

He loved to rock and sing to the babies and one day I came up from the basement and he was singing to Lisa ” Nenne Nenne Nonne” he wasn’t sure what it meant.

He always threw his clothes in the corner and would pick it up but I’d have to tell him. He would dunk his sweets into his coffee. He would like to go to the basement and watch hockey.

One night he was downstairs watching the hockey game and he came to bed and he was so cold. I would always lay on his shoulder until he got warm.

Herman died on December 8th, 2010. He was visiting Marcy because she was having gallbladder surgery. Marcy called me and said Dad had an accident, he fell down the stairs. I didn’t know at the time but he broke his 3rd vertebrae in his neck. Mark flew to Indy. I drove down to Indy with Vince. When I saw him his eyes weren’t as black, he was in a self induced coma. It was a week before we took off life support because neurologist said there was no hope.  When he died I told him to go Nenne Nonne and that he was my honey and he shook his head.

 

My favorite foods: Grandma’s (Harriets) peach cobbler, green beans (southern style) with bacon, cornbread dressing, pickled beets, we used to can them and fried potatoes.

Pickled Beets:

1. Wash the cans and this was my job. Sterilize them by pouring hot water over them 2. Wash beets cut tails off 3. Boil beets until they soft, approx 15 minutes, depends on size 4. Let them cool, take the skin off 5. cut up beets and put them in the can 6. vinegar and water. So good with beans and corn bread.

My favorite foods to cook: What every Dad brought home. Beef stew, Chili, fried potatoes, I really like to cook.

My favorite foods to bake: Pies; Pumpkin, Apple (Dad liked), Chocolate Cake (15 minutes)

I said “I cook for two legged, four legged, no legged.