Category: Family History
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Remembering My ‘Papi’: My Dad Died a Hero, But He Shouldn’t Have…..
Yesterday – Monday, October 4, 2021 – was my father’s 102nd birthday. I never had a chance to say “Happy birthday, Papi” to Jeronimo Diaz-Granados before he died. At least, not at an age in which I could say it uncoached by my mother Beatriz. I was less than seven months old when he celebrated…
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Papi, I Hardly Knew Ye….
Today would have been my father’s 102nd birthday. Had Jeronimo Diaz-Granados not been killed in a plane crash on the morning of February 13, 1965, who knows how many birthdays he would have celebrated with Mom, my older half-sister Vicky, and me. Would Dad – or Papi – have lived to be 102? I doubt…
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Tempus Fugit…Again, or: My ‘Colombian Childhood’ is a Half-Century in the Past
Hey, there, Dear Reader. Welcome to another nostalgia-filled post in my occasional series, Tempus Fugit, in which I look back at certain periods of my so-called life, usually to remark that half-a-century has elapsed between Then and Present Day. Last night, while I was attempting to watch the first disc of Zack Snyder’s Justice League…
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On Family History: Rainy Days & Mondays Bring Back Weird Memories
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s early afternoon here in my corner of Florida on Monday, September 6, 2021. It is a rainy early fall day here. Currently, the temperature is 85˚F (30˚C) under cloudy skies. With the wind blowing from the west-northwest at 5 MPH (8 KM/H) and humidity at 61%, the heat index is…
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Musings for Friday, August 27, 2021, or: Bad Weather Brings Back Unpleasant Memories of Family Trauma, Drama
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s early afternoon here in New Hometown, Florida on Friday, August 27, 2021. It’s gray and gloomy outside, as well as hot and humid. Currently, the temperature is 89˚F under mostly cloudy skies. With the wind blowing from the east-southeast at 9 MPH (14 KM/H), the feels-like temperature is 101˚F (38˚C).…
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Movie Watcher Memories: ‘The Star Wars Trilogy’ DVD Box Set…and Why I Won’t Part With It
Hello, there. It is late morning here in New Hometown, Florida on Monday, August 16, 2021. It is a warm, humid day; the current temperature is 82˚F (28˚C) under partly sunny skies. With humidity at 67% and the wind blowing from the south-southeast at 8 MPH (10 KM/H), the heat index is 88˚F (32˚C). Today’s…
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On Family Relationships: Some Things You Can’t Just ‘Forgive and Forget’
“A sibling in full spate is always frightening, their anger a surprising powerful defense, their deeper impotence equally powerful, absurd.”― Will Eaves, Murmur It’s been over six years since I last saw my older half-sister Vicky in the townhouse that I inherited and briefly owned after our mother, Beatriz Diaz-Granados, died. I really did not…
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Musings & Thoughts for Saturday, July 24, 2021, or: Music, Mom, and Memories
Hi, there, Dear Reader. It’s early afternoon here in New Hometown, Florida on Saturday, July 24, 2021. The current temperature is 89˚F (31˚C). With humidity at 53% and a north-northeasterly breeze blowing at 7 MPH (12 KM/H), the heat index is 98˚F (37˚C). The forecast for today is basically a repeat of yesterday’s: we can…
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Musings & Thoughts for Tuesday, July 20, 2021, or: Coping with Yesterday
Hi, there, Dear Reader. It is midday here in New Hometown, Florida, on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. The present temperature is 88˚F (31˚C) under sunny skies. With humidity at 54% and the wind blowing from the southeast at 4 MPH (6 KM/H), the heat index is 98˚F (36˚C). Today’s forecast calls for scattered rain showers…
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Musings & Thoughts for Monday, July 19, 2021, or: The Burden of Grief, Regret, and Memory
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s late mid-morning here in New Hometown, Florida on Monday, July 19, 2021. Currently, the temperature is 80˚F (27˚C ) under skies. With humidity at 57% and the wind blowing from the south-southeast at 6 MPH (9 KM/H), the feels-like factor is 79˚F (26˚C). Today’s forecast calls for thunderstorms to move…
A Certain Point of View, Too 