tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post6211019481648070250..comments2024-03-28T03:40:29.423-04:00Comments on Passage des Perles: Judge Ned Fenlon, in memory of a great man and a good lifeDuchessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-59218676814769557822010-10-04T09:36:17.073-04:002010-10-04T09:36:17.073-04:00Anonymous @ 9:15: Yes, the hours and pressure. If ...Anonymous @ 9:15: Yes, the hours and pressure. If employers require overtime and create pressure (threat of layoff, under-resourcing), some of us will sacrifice years of life to our employers. Some companies give compensatory time off but I question the health benefits of an extra few off a run of 12-14 hour days.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-17416247963633368052010-10-04T09:15:38.444-04:002010-10-04T09:15:38.444-04:00These were simpler times, no 60 hour work weeks wi...These were simpler times, no 60 hour work weeks with long commutes and then being on-call 24-7. The women in particular lived a simple life; most did not work outside the home. I see a great difference in the work hours and extreme job pressure from when I started working in 1978 until today. Personally I do not think boomers will live longer than their parents; I know plenty fo 50+ women that have died of various cancers never having had any time to enjoy their life while their 85+ mothers are still alive and kicking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-27455710218433988052010-10-01T21:15:19.185-04:002010-10-01T21:15:19.185-04:00A beautiful and poignant description of that time ...A beautiful and poignant description of that time and culture. Thanks.diverchichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07753507927794435960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-36476608230490010242010-10-01T09:45:35.143-04:002010-10-01T09:45:35.143-04:00Maggie: Some decades ago I caught myself saying t...Maggie: Some decades ago I caught myself saying that "hit the gym" thing, then realized what a killjoy I was, bringing guilt to a table. Each of us takes her own lessons from how they lived, and for me it is about leisurely meals at a table, not carrying a BlackBerry and taking regular time off.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-4563302397328077182010-09-30T11:30:11.566-04:002010-09-30T11:30:11.566-04:00Duchesse, a beautiful and insightful post that res...Duchesse, a beautiful and insightful post that resonates loud and clear to all Baby Boomers out there. I was reminded of much the same feelings and musings recently when the grandson of my dad's closest friend ran for mayor of a local city. Reconnecting with the family ( a big, loud, fun loving, Irish clan) after many years recalled those same memories for me. Although our parents are gone now, they all lived well into the golden ages. As younger folks, they lived guilt free when it came to having fun. They knew how to enjoy life's pleasures both large and small. I'm getting tired of hearing someone at a dinner party announce that they'll have to, "hit the gym tommorrow to work off all the calories etc." <br />Artful Lawyer said it best...life in 2010 is not nearly as much fun as it used to be. Can we take a lesson from all of this?Maggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02395228631699632403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-80393794140782492622010-09-29T09:19:03.377-04:002010-09-29T09:19:03.377-04:00s: I'm doing my best to keep it going by enjoy...s: I'm doing my best to keep it going by enjoying the occasional martini or eclair.<br /><br />Anonymous: What a marvelous memorial. Gusto is the word. My Dad was quite puzzled about why people voluntarily gave up dessert, and he thought white wine spritzers were the weirdest thing one could drink.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-85999377115231484152010-09-29T08:39:18.255-04:002010-09-29T08:39:18.255-04:00What a wonderful post! Quite a tribute to that won...What a wonderful post! Quite a tribute to that wonderful generation and a way of life lives with gusto. My father in law passed away recently at the age of 90. At the wake, we had Manhattans, things with cream sauce and decadent deserts in his honor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-15433477719385716892010-09-28T22:35:30.620-04:002010-09-28T22:35:30.620-04:00How I miss that generation!sHow I miss that generation!ss.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04741062569246094417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-85136268927496497532010-09-28T19:17:32.966-04:002010-09-28T19:17:32.966-04:00Marguerite: I find the current culture of denial a...Marguerite: I find the current culture of denial and 'health consciousness' rather overdone. Unlike their steaks.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-51012069314224821652010-09-28T18:41:54.954-04:002010-09-28T18:41:54.954-04:00Beautifully written Duchesse. My parents were of ...Beautifully written Duchesse. My parents were of that generation as well. I think the major difference in their lives as compared to ours is stress. I blame technology and multitasking! Let's all relax with a cocktail and a steak and just let that phone ring. LOLMargueritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00235496900839925466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-15415716115937145132010-09-28T17:25:59.566-04:002010-09-28T17:25:59.566-04:00Artful: Oh- and also they could support a family o...Artful: Oh- and also they could support a family on one income. That makes a big difference.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-43144354825183179562010-09-28T17:24:53.893-04:002010-09-28T17:24:53.893-04:00Artful Lawyer: We hare some roots. One time after ...Artful Lawyer: We hare some roots. One time after she turned 90, my mother told me that they took the train from No. Michigan to New Orleans with friends, shortly after my Dad got out of the army. "Three days in the bar car", she said, "We felt we deserved it." I was amazed as I saw her as quite proper.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-8128353420309678232010-09-28T17:03:57.749-04:002010-09-28T17:03:57.749-04:00Love this post - I grew up in Michigan boating and...Love this post - I grew up in Michigan boating and watching my grandparents (even more than my parents) in the 1970s and 80s (when I was a kid and they were senior citizens) drinking, smoking, eating beef and butter, having parties and having a great time. And so many lived long - life for the professional class in 2010 isn't nearly as fun (all worry and not enough Scotch).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10207346299129996890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-13298871425710314972010-09-28T16:22:08.398-04:002010-09-28T16:22:08.398-04:00Jill-Ann: We never know what kind of old age we...Jill-Ann: We never know what kind of old age we'll have, if we get there. Both of my parents had long lives with sharp minds. We are learning more about dementia all the time, very sad to see a loved one afflicted with it.<br /><br />Frugal: Thank you, I was surprised to find how deeply his death affected me, and reflecting on why, I wrote the post. As long as he was alive, those people were.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-87303407000715301492010-09-28T16:12:57.314-04:002010-09-28T16:12:57.314-04:00Jane: They were really very kind people, who took ...Jane: They were really very kind people, who took time with children.<br />Rebecca: Thank you; Judge Fenlon always had a twinkle in his eye, and was a dashing man.<br />Mary: Since people stayed with their companies or practices, often for life, I think many of them took pride in a lifetime of tangible achievement.<br />LPC: Of course in the '60s I thought they were kind of stodgy, but now I admire that core of values.<br />materfamilias: Thanks; there were things less appealing about that era, certainly, but their world was placid once the war was over.<br />Demi-pointe: That's it exactly. Dad would say (quoting Thornton Wilder), "Enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate."<br />Belle: They knew what they had sacrificed, and why- and did not question its worth.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-49321908173550053872010-09-28T16:05:47.412-04:002010-09-28T16:05:47.412-04:00Duchesse--I was moved by the whole post. But when ...Duchesse--I was moved by the whole post. But when I reached the last bit, well, I was overcome. A lovely tribute. I feel that way with the death of all my German-speaking/accented relatives, none of whom my children ever knew.Frugal Scholarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12696815672500452503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-86875811911025723912010-09-28T14:46:49.101-04:002010-09-28T14:46:49.101-04:00What a beautifully written post. It is wonderful ...What a beautifully written post. It is wonderful to remember and respect this generation who saw so much and worked so hard.Belle de Villehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14045827018848979761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-80753573777353726092010-09-28T14:17:31.614-04:002010-09-28T14:17:31.614-04:00What a great story. As a native Michigander (now ...What a great story. As a native Michigander (now in exile in Texas) I found the obituary especially interesting.<br /><br />As a fifty-something woman now taking care of my 84 year old mother, who is frail and suffering from increasing dementia, I've been thinking a lot lately about aging; wondering what my old age will be like, and how I can be more like my lively, vital aunt and uncle, and not end up like my poor mom.<br /><br />Auntie and Uncle (he's 84, she's 78) have some health problems, but are mostly in good shape; they do love to party, enjoy a cocktail (or several), and both still work. She does volunteer work at a hospital and he does paid work occasionally at his son-in-law's business. They go to all their grandkids' and great-grandkids' games and recitals. <br /><br />Like Judge Fenlon, they are staying connected and active, and enjoy life. They are all good examples for us to follow...I wonder if I have the brains and discipline to follow it.Jill Annnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-81955325415371892202010-09-28T13:22:13.770-04:002010-09-28T13:22:13.770-04:00It is a pleasure to hear of someone who enjoyed hi...It is a pleasure to hear of someone who enjoyed his life. Perhaps that is why he lived to 107...because he enjoyed his life. Subsequent generations will live longer life times but will we/they have as much to live for and to enjoy. When a colleague tells me he cannot have an orange because of the diet he is on I wonder, really, an orange. Must we take joy and subtract so much from it. Even down to an orange.Demi-pointenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-70865265024209752462010-09-28T11:39:15.667-04:002010-09-28T11:39:15.667-04:00Your memories of those years are considerably diff...Your memories of those years are considerably different from my family's, but your evocation of an era is lovely. Imagine living to 107!materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-68067368904726304192010-09-28T11:35:26.479-04:002010-09-28T11:35:26.479-04:00Here's to his memory. Let's hope the thing...Here's to his memory. Let's hope the things they did so well stay part of our society.LPChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18209861350905135093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-48876052578081396172010-09-28T09:36:05.520-04:002010-09-28T09:36:05.520-04:00Duchesse, what a lovely post. It made me think lo...Duchesse, what a lovely post. It made me think lovingly to the threads that still exist tying me back to my parents generations. My dad was well known in his particular field and when I hear the occasional "I remember when ...", I am comforted to know he and his work are still valued.Maryhttp://www.marylogingdesigns.com/marylogingdesigns.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-38087136072678375012010-09-28T09:29:49.067-04:002010-09-28T09:29:49.067-04:00Beautiful summary of a great life...Invigorates me...Beautiful summary of a great life...Invigorates me to live out the rest of MY years well--AND to give thought and attention to the eternal part of me that will go on after MY "fourscore and twenty)!<br /><br />I like the word "bohomie"! Haven't heard it for a long, long time.Rebeccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08740950362293427086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-39092764553958520352010-09-28T08:41:14.147-04:002010-09-28T08:41:14.147-04:00It was a different world for that post-war generat...It was a different world for that post-war generation and you've summed it up wonderfully. Even though my parents are gone, there are still some lifelong friends of theirs around me. It's a connection to my childhood, feeling awe and wondering about being an adult. As long as they are in my life, it's easy to return to those times in my mind. I hope you have many happy memories of those years.Jane Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10236298438179825569noreply@blogger.com