A VERY HAPPY ENDING

My first child was due October 26th and his Father, Bill and I were thrilled about the impending arrival.   In the meantime, My ankles swelled  along with the rest of my body. I mentioned this to my doctor the head of obstetrics and gynecology at the White Plains Hospital in New York. He pooh poohed it all and the result was that on October 29, 1963 I delivered the placenta at home (placenta previa) and went into shock (it turned out that I had toxemia}. Bill drove me to the hospital and upon our arrival the nurses administered to me. My Parents arrived (Bill's Parent were living in Tehran,  Iran) to give us moral support. A while later Dr. Montgomery arrived, dressed in a tuxedo and after an exam said to  Bill and I directly quote "I see no reason to cut her open to haul out a dead baby". Maybe he had one cocktail too many since he left the room to sleep until it was delivery time. So I went into labour, knowing something was dreadfully wrong but not aware of what. Gregory William Hankinson was born, they rushed him to an incubator and worked on him. A dear friend of mine, Gloria Donati (Hart) came to visit me at the hospital and just burst into tears. Her presence met the world to me.

It was a wait and see game. I was very weak, frightened and so worried about my precious child. Bill and I had to leave him at the hospital and that was a moment in time I will never forget. We got a prognosis that he would be a "vegetable (from lack of oxegen) and when we finally took him home that was all we could think about as we fed and cuddled our little one. For some reason they could not get a heart beat and when he was born everyone was astonished when he was revived. Can you imagine how we watched over him? At my six week visit to Dr. Montgomery he said (and again I quote verbatim) "Well wasn't that the dammest thing". I  learned later that I had high blood pressure which he apparently never picked up on. After five years we were told he would probably have learning difficulties. But our Gregory thrived and except for two eye operations for crossed eyes he flourished. He is my hero. God stepped in and decided he had future plans for our special gift. Gregory has turned out to be  the best Son anyone could ask for. He is a college graduate and a bright and kind man. He had a Father who adored him (Bill passed away at the young age of 56 and now Leland has his first Son and loves him as his own.]

Bill and I were in our early twenties and at that time, so grateful to have Gregory that it never occurred to us that we had a case for a law suit. But then again, we were so grateful to have our baby that it truly didn't seem to matter. And, he was a joy to raise. He met each goal that was expected of him at all age levels. How very wrong the doctors' prognosis was, thankfully. He's 6'2" and not only does he make us proud but he makes us laugh and is ALWAYS here for us. He also knows how to talk his Mom out of the blues.

Then, in 1984 Greg was gifted with his little Sister, Laura.  I am so very proud of my children and they have been such staunch supporters for me and their Dad through my illness.

Years before we moved to Berlin, Leland, Greg, Laura and I  visited Chuck and Diana James in Berlin never realizing that we would one day move there. We also took Greg, Andrea and Laura to Paris and Norway. What fun!

Gregory, Mom loves you with all her heart, thank you for all you do and remember Dad and I are always on your side.

I just finished reading "THE CINDERELLA MURDER by MARY HIGGINS CLARK" WOW!

CRAB SPREAD (another recipe from the Pan Am cookbook)

16 oz cream cheese at room temp
1 T Worcesteshire sauce
1 1/2 t lemon juice
3 T mayo
1T dried chives
Mix above ingredients and spread in pie size dish. Refrigerate over night.Spread 1/2 of 12 oz bottle of Heinz chilli sauce over top Refrigerate for a short time until sauce is firmish. Sprinkle 12 oz can of drained crab over chilli sauce. decorate with fresh parsley. Refigerate at least an hour before serving. Serve with crackers. Garnish with lemon slices

BERLIN

Leland, Laura and I were living in Brookfield, Connecticut and Leland was flying out of JFK Airport on European flights. Leland was asked if he would like to relocate to Berlin, West Germany where Pan Am had a base. We discussed it and quickly decided it was a marvelous opportunity. We flew first class to Berlin and it turned out to be a fortuitous flight as we met a dentist and his ex Lufthansa flight attendant wife. They owned an apartment in the Zelendorf section of Berlin and they invited us to look at it as a potential rental. Long story short, we loved it and rented it. We were the only non-Germans but that didn't matter as we met some lovely people dwelling there. It was a wonderful location because Laura and I could be in the town in under ten minutes. Woolworth's was the big attraction. We were also able to shop on the Army base at the PX.

Laura entered kindergarten at the German-American school and thrived there. It was a little eerie being surrounded by the Berlin Wall but we got along beautifully by car, bus and train. We passed through check point Charlie to get to East Berlin which can only be described as going from technicolor to black and white. From smiling faces to sullen faces. A big contrast!

The Pan Amers gravitated to one another and we had a blast! During our two year stay we made some lasting friendships and for a country girl I quickly adapted to city living. We entertained out of town guests, including my Mom on more then one occasion. What a trouper she was as we traveled throughout Germany, Czechoslovachia, Yugoslavia, Austria etc. She was so adventurous and eager to see everything.

Laura flourished in school but like her Mother and Dad did not have an "ear" for the German language. But fortunately most Germans' spoke excellent English.

I was given a surprise 50th birthday party there and in general had a great experience. Then, President Reagan proclaimed "tear down this wall", newscasters descended on Berlin, and bad stuff was happening. We had a security alert from terrorism and school buses had armed guards on them, China had severe problems etc. and people were fleeing into West Germany from Communist countries. Leland made the decision That Laura and I should head home and eventually Pan Am closed the Berlin base and all Pan Amers headed home. But, what a glorious time we had there while it lasted.

"AUF WIEDERSEHEN  - Will the last one out please turn off the oven" A collection of recipes from Pan Amers!

CHICKEN GRUYERE (SERVES 4)

4 boneless chicken breast, pounded to 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup flour
6 T butter
8 green onions, thinly sliced
12-16 fresh mushroom, sliced
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
6 oz gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Salt and pepper and lightly flour cutlets. Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. When bubbly, add chicken and brown quickly on each side. Meanwhile slice mushrooms and onions. Remove cutlets when brown, put in baking dish. Add onions and mushrooms to skillet, saute about 2 minutes. Add wine and cream. Cook 2 minutes while stirring. Pour mixture over over cutlets, grate cheese over cutlets. Bake in preheated oven 5-10 minutes. Serve with rice and a nice roasted veggie.\

It is so nice to think about all the adventures we had but frankly folks we are enjoying our peaceful life and living in this lovely community. It is wonderful to look at pictures depicting our stay in Toulouse, France (Laura took her first steps there) our trip to Norway with Laura, Andrea and Greg and many more adventures Now we sit back in our new "perfect sleep recliners" and let our thoughts take us to exotic places. But, really folks, there is no place like HOME! Love to all, Arlene

HAPPY HOLIDAYS'

If some of my previous blogs have brought a little humor, reflection, nostalgia, and inspiration into your life then I am truly happy that I have used this venue in a good way.  It's been awhile in between blogs and I really don't have a good excuse for the lapse of time. I think it is just called laziness and a lack of a good topic. But, folks it is the holiday season and what better time to reflect on the past.

When I was younger and we were living at my Grandparents' house Christmas was always celebrated there. I also knew that I would ALWAYS receive underwear from my Grandmother!  For a very talented and creative person she certainly lacked imagination in the gift giving department. We could, however,  always depend on the traditional Christmas dinner: roast beef, yorkshire pudding etc and that was a good thing. Then my four boy cousins and I would go outside and play in the snow. My little Sister was too young to join in the fun. Growing up in the forties and fifties was a no brainer, school, church, the Y, Junior League, Eastern Star etc. All innocent and fun things. I look back now and realize we survived very well without cell phones, computers and all the gadgets that are available now. We learned cursive writing and took pride in our penmanship. We communicated with our friends verbally. I don't remember life being complex at all. Family and friends were and are still important and life seemed so much more simpler and serene. Of course, we weren't Parents then so we didn't worry about our offspring. All that worrying came along with our offspring. But, how grateful we are for them. Along with the worry comes the pride and joys of being a parent.

This year has flown by much too quickly. I reached what I consider a milestone this year; seventy-five! Wow! Leland is now seventy-nine and in June will be eighty. I guess we are considered elderly now but that's okay.

We got the most fabulous news on Thanksgiving Day. Our "baby", Laura got engaged to Joe Galloway and we are so delighted he will become a member of our family and we of his. Life goes on! They will start their own traditions and I hope that Laura will record for her family the history of the Wood and Larson families. She never met either of her Grandfathers but I hope through pictures and the written word she will get a sense of what wonderful men they were. I am not sad writing this - I take that back as I am now teary but in a good way.

There will be no recipe today because I struggled to make a turtle cake today to take to a function tonight and it was exhausting to make, the oven is a mess from overflowing stuff and I realize that baking is no longer fun.

But I can tell you that I just finished reading "THE ESCAPE" BY DAVID BALDACCI  and LOVED IT!

Next time there will be a recipe when I get over the post traumatic stress from todays' creation and the oven gets clean!

Love to all! Arlene