HAPPY EASTER TO ALL

[marie-elena (ferracano) r]

hello Old & new friends,
Just wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter. I don't know about the rest of you "Stratton Park". but i have a lot to be greatful for. Easter is the rising & new beginning. Maybe some of us starting starting something new.
just need to take a step back and realize, how lucky we all are. A very dear childhood friend, has a wife in I.C.U. after having major heart surgery. so while we are complaining about the price of gas, where we have to go for dinner this sunday and let's not forget the traffic! how about just being thankful, we have families and friends to go share Easter dinner with. Some of us will be thinking about our good buddy Todd Frenchman and his lovely wife Dina. Also for their 3 kids, Matthew, Ariel and Jacob who are taking turns, sitting w/ their dad, at their mom's bedside. Or many of our other friends, who have lost loved ones, in the last year. I always put out an extra place setting at my holiday meals. i do it for a good friend of my family's son. Joey is serving his 4th tour in Iraq. I save the place, for when he will return and have a holiday meal with us again. How many of you can name at least 1 person away from home this Easter? i also want to give a "shout out", to my friend Kenny Doyle. Who is always teasing me that i use only upper case letters in my emails. Hope this is o.k. by you? To everyone, no matter what religion, you may practice at your home. May you be blessed always, with loving family and friends. Marie-Elena

[Laura.G.]

Easter Greetings to all from the gulfcoast of Florida
Sidenote: to Marie-elena...Is your Mom Antonette?..Is she still alive?...My Mom Veronica was asking about her.

[marie-elena (ferracano) r]

hi laura,
so nice to see your reply. yes, my mom was Antoinette. sorry to say, she passed away May 2006. would like to know who your mom is and how she knew my mom? hardly anybody refers to my mom as Antoinette. so could you please email me and fill me in. my email is butterflyqueen213@yahoo.com

to the rest of my old and new friends,
hope you all have a happy & healthy Easter. eat drink and be merry. we have over 2 months until another big food related holiday (Memorial Day) so the 2-5 pounds you put on eating all that Easter candy, next week. will come off before May. so get on those sneakers and start walking off those Easter pounds.

[Marion Farrell Cronin]

Marie-elena - a very Happy Easter to you and your family. We will certainly be making merry on Sunday! There is so much to be grateful for.

I think it's going to be little cool but at least no rain. When we were little it did not matter what the weather was like on Easter. We were determined to wear that new hat, coat and shoes even if it was 20 degrees and snowing. These days I am not so brave and will stick to the winter wear a while longer. Do little girls still get all dressed up on Easter Sunday? I have boys so I am out of the loop.

Happy Easter to all!!!!!

[marie-elena (ferracano) r]

Hello Dear Marion and all my other Stratton Park Buddies,
Since it is Good Frdiay & we are all out doing last minute Easter shopping. thought I would bring back a childhood memory for some of the "KIDS" from the old neighborhood. Marion mentioned getting dressed. How many of us can recall the Easter Outfit contest at the Oval in Parkchester? We would walk around on the side of the water fountain, until you were tapped to stop walking around or you were picked to win for your age group. Since my mom was a seamstress, I always had the new dress, coat, shoes, hat & pocketbook. I never won, but would always tell mom it was fixed. so that she wasn't disappointed that some outfit,she worked so hard at, didn't at least take 3rd place. Of course, she never could come with me. because she was busy cooking. My sister use to bring me, when I was little. I remember looking in Cornelle's windows & Lerner's store too. feeling really sad, because I always wanted a "store bought" outfit.
How I miss those homemade now.

[Marion Farrell Cronin]

Marie-elena - how fortunate you were to have a mother who was an accomplished seamstress. My mother also made many of my clothes - she decided when I was in about fourth grade to learn how to sew and she did very well. She bought a used sewing machine from the Singer store and would buy the material from the fabric store between D'agostinos and the post office in Parkchester. I remember the woman who ran the store had really long hair in a braid, which was kind of ironic because that's how my mother wore her hair too and everyone called my mother Pocahontas.

My mother made me a really neat pantsuit when I was in the sixth grade. I thought it was great until my best friend made a disparaging remark. Then I would never wear it again. Now I think back on how silly that was. The fabric was vintage late sixties early seventies and was fabulous. When I see TV shows from that era I see people wearing something similar. Peer pressure is such a drag!