Author Archives: Paul

About Paul

Just an old retired guy trying to finish out my last years on this planet. I lost my best friend and wife in early 2020. I was blessed again by reconnecting with Dr. Mary Côté, a long-time friend. Mary and I got married July 28th, 2021, and are enjoying life together and plan to spend the rest of our lives being a blessing to our friends and family.

The INTERCOMM

Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2025 by Paul

When I was in Junior High School, I took “Electric Shop,” where we learned Ohm’s law, how to use meters, and the proper way to run power plugs.  For the last project, we built an Intercom from a five-vacuum-tube radio. … Continue reading →

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Christmas Eve Flood Of 1955

Posted on Friday, December 19, 2025 by Paul

This day was going normally at Christmas 1955 until that call came from Stockton.   My Aunt Kaye called Mom and said Stockton had flooded, and her home was sitting in 7 feet of water from the overflow of the levee … Continue reading →

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I Was At Work Christmas Eve In 1968!

Posted on Thursday, December 18, 2025 by Paul

I was lucky enough to work on the Apollo Program and knew these folks (at least to talk to and work with while they were in Downey).  I worked on their space machine (Apollo Command and Service Modules).  I was … Continue reading →

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Talk To Me!

Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 by Paul

As I had mentioned previously, Ralph Lebowitz, my Dad’s boss, was an amazingly generous man.  He was aware that I loved American Flyer trains and came to see the layout at our home.  One Christmas Eve, our family went to … Continue reading →

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Happy Birthday Paul, 81 Today!

Posted on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 by Paul

As I grew older and was given more responsibilities, I learned to love the incinerator, especially at Christmas.  Feeding this beast with Christmas boxes and wrapping paper was fun, but the real thrill was cutting off branches from a “dead” … Continue reading →

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Hang It High!

Posted on Monday, December 15, 2025 by Paul

In about 1989, I lived in a home in Los Alamitos that had a vaulted ceiling, perfect for a tall Christmas tree!  So we selected a twelve-foot tree and brought it home.  I laid it in the driveway and hosed … Continue reading →

Posted in Gym, Holidays, Working Around House | Leave a comment

A Day Of Almost Rest!

Posted on Sunday, December 14, 2025 by Paul

Contrary to popular opinion, I was NOT the only one to receive Christmas presents.  Dad listened to Mom most of the time, and on Christmas morning, Mom got up to find a LARGE package in the living room addressed to … Continue reading →

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Wake Up, It Is Later Than You Think!

Posted on Saturday, December 13, 2025 by Paul

This memory may not be easy to explain, but here goes.  Rose Bauer lived across the street with her husband, George.  George fixed TVs in his shop and also had a shop at home; I learned a lot about electronics … Continue reading →

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I Know You!

Posted on Friday, December 12, 2025 by Paul

For many years, as a child, I remember that on Christmas Eve, around 8:00 pm, the phone would ring.  Mom always answered the phone and announced that Santa had been spotted by one of the neighbors on our street.  A … Continue reading →

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Call The Fire Department!

Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2025 by Paul

Christmas Memories: Dad was the General Manager of a 13-store dime-store chain called “Ralph’s  5, 10, and 25 Cent Stores”.  Dad and the boss, Ralph David Lebowitz, shared the chain’s buying responsibilities.   They went to wholesalers’ warehouses to make their … Continue reading →

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