Remembering Armen Sahakian

Photo from Internet

Marash Girl remembers the first day she learned of you, Armen.  Her good friend Judith told her about a very handsome young Armenian man who was studying in the Graduate School at Harvard University, living in a private apartment complex on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge. You were a roommate of Judith's friend (although Marash Girl doesn't remember the friend's name).  Judith said she wanted me to meet you because you were a good-looking, intelligent young Armenian man, and therefore was inviting you and her friend to the Jolly-Up -- a dance/mixer for young Radcliffe women to meet young Harvard men.

Judith introduced us.  You were so handsome with dark, wavy hair.  You asked me to dance, and I accepted, and as we danced, I learned that you were Tashnak.  Naive as I was in those days, I remember saying to you, "I'm so sorry, Armen, but I won't be able to date you because you're Tashnak." . . . not that you had given me any hint that you would ever want to invite me out on a date.

Years later, I learned that you had been very good friends with my husband, Levon.  And still later, you and your family visited us at our summer cabin in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, and at Mt. Tom Greenhouse in Holyoke, Massachusetts, and more recently, you came to Boston on business and visited our family in Newton, Massachusetts.  I think that was the last time we were together.  It was then that I took you to visit the editors of the Armenian Weekly and the Armenian Mirror Spectator.  I knew they would be interested in writing about your visit to the United States, and they were.

                                                                                                   Photo by Marash Girl                                                                                            

Asdvadz kezi louysavoreh, Armen Sahakian.

Armen . . . May the Lord our God welcome you into His Kingdom.

STORMING THE BASTILLE: BASTILLE DAY ON WILBRAHAM MOUNTAIN

"The French National Day is the anniversary of Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, a turning point of the French Revolution, as well as the Fête de la Fédération which celebrated the unity of the French people on 14 July 1790." (From the Internet)

Karoun: I love the brie cheese memories, so sweet!  Here's what I remember of the theatrics, I think I was really young because I was watching. Uncle George and a woman (who was only there that time, I don't remember who she was, but I think she was a friend of Mum's not of Uncle George) were sitting under the bastille -- large sticks laid against the tree that's at the corner of the woods closest to the cabin porch, where the flags are raised. They were sharing bits of french bread (that was supposed to be stale). Then all of you guys came running at the bastille yelling and screaming and knocked the sticks down and freed them. I think it was a little scary for me lolll.

Lorig: That's right. We leaned a bunch of big sticks against the tree and then we knocked them down.

I think it was probably one of Uncle George's girlfriends, but I am sure she never came back again after that. LOL

I think we did it a few times. One time I think Uncle George got knocked on the head with one of the large sticks. I remember him being a really good sport about it. I felt really bad. Because I am pretty sure I organized the entire dramatic scene. It is the kind of thing I would have done. :)

Karoun:  I don't remember Uncle George getting hit! You probably did direct it. I have vague fond memories of being in your "plays" with the cabin's porch as the stage.

Deron: I recall hanging the French flag next to the American flag. I also recall NOT wanting the Brie cheese.

Nisha:  I think Lorig and I liked the Brie but we kept leaving bits of the skin around because we only liked the creamy inside part 😄.  Of course, Papa would say “but that’s the best part!” And also tell us not to leave the skin bits on the cheese board 😂.  And practicing whatever French we could remember!

Marash Girl:  Juillet Quatorze was the only day we took the Armenian flag down to hang the French flag next to the American Flag!

Lee Powell, Cows, and Thunder & Lightning on Wilbraham Mountain

This photo (borrowed from the internet) brought to mind Wilbraham neighbor Lee Powell's personal memory of having narrowly escaped death by lightning on her farm as she ran for cover, her cows hit by lightning falling behind her  . . .  and the day Marash Boy and Marash Girl just made it back from their run along Ridge Road to their mountain cabin, as furious bolts of lightning struck behind them   . . . one of the most ferocious thunder and lightning storms that the couple had ever encountered on Wilbraham Mountain.  The experience, of course, was worsened by having heard Lee Powell's memory!  Are you still up there on Wilbraham Mountain, Lee Powell?

"çok iyi ama bir daha yapma!"

"çok iyi ama bir daha yapma . . ." said Levon's Grandmother Turvant Sanjian to his mother Azniv after consuming a meal that she did not care for. (Both Marash Boy's father, mother and grandmothers were born in Marash. . . )  Marash Girl thinks his grandmother is the person from whom Marash Boy inherited his political prowess!!!!

n.b.  Translation of Armeno-Turkish quotation above:  "It's very good but don't make it again."

Love Conquereth All

    

     Lawn sign in Newton Corner . . . words are not needed . . . 

"Fear not!" saith the Lord, Shakespeare, Roosevelt, Grandpa Peter, and Karoun

in the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 41, Verse10, God is quoted as saying, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God . . ."
William Shakespeare in his 1599 play, Julius Caesar. Act II, Scene 2, Shakespeare's original lines, “Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once,” are often quoted as follows: “A coward dies many times, a hero dies but once.”  Peter Bilezikian often admonished, "Cowards die many times, brave men die but once!"  And more contemporaneously, Marash Girl's Karoun admonishes, "You attract what you fear!!!"

Marash Girl believes that the above quotations could certainly apply to the present day pandemic!

"Malın gibi ye!"

Armenians from Marash (today's Kahramanmaraş) and Aintab (Today's Gaziaintab) would often use irony when they suggested, "Malın gibi ye!"

"Malın gibi ye!" . . . "Eat it as if it were your own . . . ," suggesting that the person being addressed was very selfish and barely shared anything,  especially food, if you were to visit them on a Sunday afternoon .  . . or any time!!!

Uncle Jack Cotton and the Watermelon Seed

Uncle Jack Cotton, a large and boisterously funny man, was married to Auntie Mary, a sweet, petite lady who went to church with us every Sunday.  Uncle Jack went to a different church and got a ride to that church in a different car.  But every Sunday, Auntie Mary and Uncle Jack would join Marash Girl and her family for Sunday dinner.  The children were fascinated with Uncle Jack because they had never seen anyone with such a large "tummy".    One day they asked their Uncle Jack why his tummy was as big as a watermelon.  His answer?  "I swallowed a watermelon seed!"

Ever after that day, whenever the children ate watermelon, they did so with the fear that one day, unbeknownst to them, they would swallow a watermelon seed and end up with a tummy as large as their Uncle Jack's!

Big Brother Bob Emery and the Lowell Avenue Kids

 Big Brother's photo from the internet

One of our favorite TV shows as kids (television had just come into our homes) was Big Brother Bob Emery's FAMILY FUN!  And even more fun was the fact that Big Brother Bob Emery lived in Newton, Massachusetts, within a 10 minute bike ride from our houses on Lowell Avenue in Newtonville!!!  One summer's day, we kids decided to take advantage of that fact and all of us, cousins and young neighbors, gathered and headed to Newton Highlands in a cavalcade of bikes.  We had an idea: we wanted to be on Big Brother's television show and we had an exciting plan for the show, "Family Fun".  We kids used to make our own puppets, fashioning the heads with paper mâché which we painted when dry, and creating the outfits from roughly sewn cloth cut from our outgrown clothing.   We would then put on puppet shows of our own creation.  The puppet shows themselves were not of interest to Big Brother, but he loved the idea of three families gathering to create the puppets used for the kids' puppet shows.  And so it was.  Our three families, moms included, appeared on his show, all lined up from the beginning of the process. . . clipping newspaper into small bits to be used in creating the heads of the puppets with home-made paste from flour and water,  drying the heads, painting the dried heads of the puppets,  and cutting and fashioning the puppet clothing from our no longer wearable hand-me-downs!  The show was a big success and we kids never got over the fact that we had been on Big Brother Bob Emery's FAMILY FUN television program for all to see!

A New Tree on Maple Avenue?

This morning, Marash Girl spoke at some length with Mark Welch, Newton’s Deputy Commissioner of Parks, Recreation, and Culture, regarding the planting of a Maple Tree on Maple Avenue, a tree to replace the tree that was taken down yesterday.

Deputy Commissioner Welch assured Marash Girl by telephone that Newton will “schedule a planting of a new tree in the fall planting season which will typically be in November 2020".  

He said that the City of Newton will be asking us all . . .  neighbors to the new tree on Maple Avenue . . .  to water the tree once a week from Patriot’s Day and Columbus Day for two years.

Please email Newton’s Deputy Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Culture Mark Welch  at the following email address —   MWelch@newtonma.gov — to thank him for his attention to this matter . . . for caring about our trees on Maple Avenue in Newton Corner!!!

Marash Girl Grieves The Passing of the 100 Year Old Maple Tree on Maple Avenue

                                                                 Photo by Grieving Marash Girl

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Marash Girl Meets Eleanor Roosevelt at Harvard University, August 11, 1960

Working for Henry Kissinger at the Harvard International Seminar during  vacations from her college studies, Marash Girl was honored to make the acquaintance of Eleanor Roosevelt who had been invited to speak to the Seminar participants.  Marash Girl was charged with helping Eleanor Roosevelt become acclimated to Harvard University and Harvard Square.  "Mrs. Roosevelt had traditionally visited the members of the International Seminar each summer, meeting in informal session and making brief remarks, reported the Harvard Crimson of August 11, 1960," though that was not the case for the next few summers that Marash Girl was on the staff.  The summer of 1960 was the only summer  that Eleanor Roosevelt visited during the four summers that Marash Girl worked for Henry Kissinger at the Harvard International Seminar. 

From the internet comes the following. 

Mrs. Roosevelt Speaks

NO WRITER ATTRIBUTED

August 11, 1960

Eleanor Roosevelt made a quick visit to the University last week unnoticed by almost every student. Speaking informally to 48 members of the International Seminar. Mrs. Roosevelt commented on "The Values of Democracy." Her 40-minute speech, followed by a brief question-and-answer session, was all off the record. Boston newspapers, bearing of her visit, attempted to cover the closed seminar session. Only the Boston Globe succeeded in interviewing the former first lady, as she indicated she would "probably" make a few speeches on behalf of Democratic nominee Senator John F. Kennedy '40.

n.b. Eleanor Roosevelt passed away on November 7, 1962.

Fourth of July in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts

Shirley Tashjian, God rest her soul, was the heart of the Fourth of July in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts.  As every year, the Fourth of July Parade paraded directly by her house, she would celebrate the occasion, setting out food and drink for all her friends and the random passerby who caught her eye!!! All Marash Girl's children loved the Fourth of July Parade in East Longmeadow, as did all kids!  Not only was it colorful and musical with popular tunes played by bands from the many towns in and about East Longmeadow, but most of the folks marching in the parade carried pocketfuls of candy that they would toss to the kids that had gathered along the side of the parade route to cheer the paraders on.    Deron remembers numerous local politicians marching in the parade, leaving the parade for a moment to walk over and shake hands with Marash Boy who, at that time, was employed by Gralia Construction in East Longmeadow.  The politicians (Brian Lees, Richie Neal, and the last two or three Mayors of Springfield, Massachusetts) would greet Marash Boy by name. leaving the parade for a moment to walk over to the side of the road and shake Marash Boy's hand!!!

But that was years ago.  Marash Girl wonders if the Fourth of July is still the same without Shirley Tashjian in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts.

Coffee on the Front Porch

 Coffee on the Front Porch - "Vote For More Women!"                    
      Photo by Marash Girl

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"Don't Let Old Age In The Door!"

Advice from Peter Bilezikian:  "Don't Let Old Age In The Door!"

"When all else fails, go shopping!"

"When all else fails, go shopping!" . . . or so suggested a well-known "shrink" to his patient who was feeling down. And guess what!  The patient reported to Marash Girl that the shrink's  suggestion worked!  Between the change of venue, the exercise, the interaction with other folks, and the excitement of possibly finding a "bargain", her problems took a back seat to the "adventure" of the moment.  Unfortunately, in this day and age, neither the change of venue nor the exercise play into the solution. . . Marash Girl wonders what the shrinks are suggesting today . . .

"Ayağını yorganına göre uzat."

"Ayağını yorganına göre uzat."  

"Stretch your feet to the length of your yorgan." (yorgan = quilt in Armeno-Turkish)

So stated Marash Girl's father.  Not quite sure if her father meant to restrict Marash Girl's efforts or to extend her efforts in whatever she endeavored. Since Marash Girl was a small child when he began advising her to stretch those feet as far as she could, Marash Girl has always assumed he meant for her to extend her efforts as best she could in whatever she endeavored.  And she did!!!

With Marash Girl's thanks to Murat for help with the Turkish translation.

Şiş gibi geliyor!

Whenever it thundered and lightninged and the heavens opened up, from Marash Girl's childhood comes this little ditty:
"It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring!"

And as Grandma Jennie used to exclaim as she looked out the dining room window,
"It's raining cats and dogs!"

Or, as Medzmama would state assertively in her native language of Armeno-Turkish,
"Şiş gibi geliyor!!!"

"No adults except in the company of a child."

           It takes New York City to figure this one out!!!                        
Photo by Marash Girl

                        "No adults except in the company of a child."  www.nyc.govparks

Want To Keep Your Guests Guessing?

Want to keep your guests guessing? Make banana bread for them, but add a secret ingredient to the batter . . . A dollop of your favorite (seedless) jam!  The conversation will be going for a while as your guests attempt to identify that unexpected boost to the flavor of your delicious banana bread!

n.b. Try this "trick" with any cake or muffin recipe . . . you'll be surprised at how the flavor will confound your guests!

Can I Have The Recipe?

Years ago, Marash Girl worked with a woman who loved Marash Girl's baked goods; said woman always asked for the recipes of the tasty treats that Marash Girl prepared and often shared with the teaching staff at their place of work.  Marash Girl was as pleased to share those recipes as she was to share the treats.  But one day, said woman brought in a delicious cake reputedly of her own making.  When Marash Girl asked the woman for the recipe, the woman replied, "Oh, no!  I never share my recipes!"

"Enough Is Enough!"

                                     Black Lives Matter on Church Street in Newton Corner
                                                               Photo by Marash Girl

Remembering Aunty Lucy Daghlian and licking the chocolate off mixing spoon

also remembering aunty mogie putting the choereg into the oven just as we walked in the door.  she had obviously arranged it so we would smell the aroma of the choereg cooking!!!

Here's a Secret for Successful Baking

Here's a secret for successful baking.  This may seem obvious, but we typically have so much going on, that we may not take the time to plan ahead!!!!  So here goes with the advice.

First, check your recipe to be sure that you have all the ingredients required.  Next, make sure that all ingredients are at room temperature. That means that if you don't plan ahead, you'll have to use your stove top or microwave oven to slightly heat milk and eggs before adding to the flour mixture.  Try it.  You'll see the difference. . .  and let me know of the results!

I'm a little teapot, short and stout!!!!

I'm a little teapot, short and stout!

Here is my handle, here is my spout.

When I get all steamed up, then I shout!

"Just tip me over, pour me out!"

They taught well in kindergarten in the old days!!! 

All these years later, Marash Girl can still sing the song and dance the dance!!!!

How Jesus Saved Marash Girl From the Drug Culture

Marash Girl knew no one in Cambridge who was not doing drugs.  "Fools," she thought to

to herself.  "Why would anyone want to get hooked on drugs?"  Cigarettes were bad enough!!!  (Although by the grace of God, Marash Girl had managed to avoid tobacco cigarettes as well.) When consistently pressed by those around her, folks who insisted, "But you don't know what a great high you're missing!" . . .   she finally reverted to her faith:  "I get my high from Jesus.  Wanna hear about it?"  And that, as they say, was that!  They never bothered her again!  Apparently they did NOT want to hear about Jesus!!!

"Jesus loves the little children . . . "

Marash Girl's favorite hymn in Sunday School at the United Armenian Brethren Evangelical Church in Watertown, Massachusetts, was taught her by her Sunday School teacher who was a student at Gordon College.  This is how it goes:

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world . . .
Red and yellow, black and white,
They are precious in his sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world!

The chorus did not go on to explain that Jesus loves the grownups as well . . . red and yellow, black and white . . . although we kids were able to figure that out . . .  Marash Girl's guess is that many grownups could not. . .

Gather Ye Cherries While Ye May!

 l. to r. John and Nisha gather the cherries while they may.  
Photo by Marash Girl

An apple tree purchased in Monson, Massachusetts, 

many years ago grew to be a tall, strong cherry tree!

So . . . What is everybody's least favorite jam?

What is everybody's least favorite jam?  Give up?

A traffic jam!!!!

Riddle again!

Of all the jams in the world . . . strawberry, raspberry, blueberry . . . what is, without a doubt, everybody's LEAST favorite?  A prize for the first best answer!!!!  Give up?  Check in tomorrow!!!

A Light Riddle . . .

Why was the Lighthouse Keeper Crying?

The Lighthouse Keeper was crying because he heard that heavy winds were coming and he knew he lived in a light house!!!

Deep Sea Fishing With Dad in Newburyport

Third grader that she was, Marash Girl tugged very hard on her fishing line, so excited was she that she had a caught a fish; as she tugged, the line with the mackerel on the end of it swung behind her and smacked another fisherman . . . a man fishing on the opposite side of the boat . . . a cold wet smack right on the back of his neck.  The "injured" fisherman came roaring across the boat seeking to punch out his attacker.  Marash Girl's father (toughly muscled and fearless as he was) tried to calmed the fellow, giving him the eye and saying, "She's only a little girl . . . she didn't mean to hurt you.  She just didn't know how hard to pull!"  The man backed off, moved to a different spot on the other side of the large fishing boat . . . far enough away from Marash Girl so that he wouldn't have to feel another wet smack on the back of his neck . . . or have to deal with Marash Girl's father, iron-fisted Peter.  And that, as they say, was that!!!!

Happiness?

"Happiness is an empty dishwasher!" Marion Charkoudian, 1966

Why was the young dandelion crying?

     Why was the young dandelion crying? Because he heard someone calling him yellow!

                                                     Photo by Marash Girl

The old dandelion just looked on wisely.

One of Marash Girl's Favorite Poems . . .One Poem Left from the Old Days

When I Was One-and-Twenty

                          by A.E HOUSMAN                

When I was one-and-twentyI heard a wise man say,

“Give crowns and pounds and guineas

       But not your heart away;

Give pearls away and rubies

       But keep your fancy free.”

But I was one-and-twenty,

       No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty

       I heard him say again,

“The heart out of the bosom

       Was never given in vain;

’Tis paid with sighs a plenty

       And sold for endless rue.”

And I am two-and-twenty,

       And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.

Planting Bulbs???

Planting flower bulbs in your garden?  You'd better sprinkle some hot red pepper in the bottom of every declivity that you dig for your bulb (and cover the red pepper with a light sprinkling of soil), or you'll have no flowers coming up.  Why?  Squirrels and chipmunks, though they love to chew on flower bulbs, don't like hot red pepper!!!

Stuff

"Don't you just love 'stuff'?" chuckled Chuck Bilezikian (Christmas Tree Shop Entrepreneur) one day to his cousin, Marash Girl, as Marash Girl grinned back at him.

Black Lives Matter on Maple Avenue

                                                           Photo by Marash Girl

Newton Corner resident heading for rally in support of Black Lives Matter demonstration day before yesterday on Tremont Street Between Park Street and Waverly Avenue.

Black Lives Matter, Washington, D.C.

                                                                                      Photo Credit: Lorig Charkoudian

                                                                        Photo Credit: Lorig Charkoudian                                                                         

                                                Photo Credit: Lorig Charkoudian

Black Lives Matter, Newton Corner, Massachusetts

                                                       BLACK LIVES MATTER                       
                                      Underwood School, Newton Corner, Massachusetts
                                                           Photo by Marash Girl

No Shoes

Shoes and Socks Abandoned Yesterday
 On Newton Corner Church Steps
Photo by Marash Girl

Marash Girl remembers her dad,  Peter Bilezikian, quoting an old saying . . . don't know if it was from his life in Brighton, Massachusetts, or from his life in Marash, Ottoman Empire.  It went something like this . . . but it was in his native tongue of Armeno-Turkish . . . and not just a saying, but all too real for him.

"I wept that I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet."

"I'm not movin' the truck!"

What is this world coming to?  Little old Marash Girl walked up to the end of her short dead end street to ask a construction worker (one with no company name on his truck) if he would please move  his vehicle from in front of her front porch, the porch on which Marash Girl sits and knits in the sun every afternoon that she has a chance.  She asked as sweetly as she knew how.  His answer, without hesitation: "I'm not movin' the truck!"

What is our world coming to?

#BLM on Maple Avenue

Armenians Continue to Stand for Freedom for All!

ARMENIANS FOR FREEDOM FOR ALL

           
   Marash Girl on right holds sign reading, "Armenians for Freedom for All!"                                       (Boston Common, Martin Luther King Rally, 1965)

       "Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose."

       Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, 19th century French Writer and Critic

                                       "The more things change, the more things stay the same. . ."

#BLM . . . "I CAN'T BREATHE!"

                      Farlow Park, Newton Corner, Massachusetts - "I CAN'T BREATHE!!!"    Photo by Marash Girl

It's been many, many years since Marash Girl demonstrated with Martin Luther King on the Boston Common, Marash Girl carrying a sign which read, "Armenians for Freedom for All"  . . . and yet . . . "The more things change, the more things stay the same????"

Don't Drink the Koolaid!!!

Received a package of Koolaid with my yarn, Koolaid meant to dye my white yarn red, but Koolaid that is sold for a young child to imbibe.  Sadly, the ingredients include citric acid, calcium phosphate, Red Dye # 40, Salt, Artificial Flavor, Artificial Color Blue 1, BHT preservative!!!!  A drink meant for kids?  A dye  for the beautiful white yarn made from bamboo?  There's something wrong with this picture!!!!

Going Fishing in Foxboro

In the spring, all minds turn to fishing, at least the minds of Marash Girl and her dad! On this particular spring Sunday afternoon, we were driving to Foxboro to attempt to catch some pickerel at the Heatons, where we could rent a flat-bottomed rowboat with a small motor. Much to our surprise, a policeman hiding behind a large sign came roaring out from the side of the road on his motorcycle, siren blaring, and pulled Dad over. Dad got out of the car to talk to the policeman, and little Marash Girl followed. The policeman accused Dad of going over the speed limit. Dad respectfully replied that he had been going at the speed limit, which I believe was 50 mph. The two adults got into a little argument at which point the policeman said, "You're a liar!" Little Marash Girl piped up, "My daddy is not a liar!!!" The policeman and Daddy burst out laughing, and that, as they say, was the end of that!!!!

A Rise in Domestics????

Chatting with a local police officer several days ago, Marash Girl asked how things were going.
The police officer answered that there had been a large rise in domestics.  As Marash Girl pondered his response, the officer continued, "Folks aren't used to living together every moment of the day."

No Roses, Please!!!

Hint for a long-lasting floral bouquet . . .

If and when you are ordering a floral bouquet to be sent to a friend/colleague/loved one, request that there be no roses included in the bouquet.

What?  No roses?

Yes, no roses.  

Why?

Roses are the first flowers to wilt and dry/die in most floral bouquets (unless, of course, the bouquet is made up of nothing but roses, and then death comes quickly to the whole bouquet).

If you are fortunate enough to receive a floral bouquet, don't throw the whole bouquet out because it begins to look faded.  Chances are, the fading is due to the roses that are wilting and coming to an early death!  Just remove the drooping roses (or whatever flowers are fading), and your bouquet will look as fresh as a . . . daisy?  Well, certainly not as fresh as a freshly picked rose.

And another tip . . . Water the bouquet just as you would water your plants.  The cut flowers get just as thirsty as any plant.  

You'll see how much longer your roses will last!!!

Oh, and yet another tip . . .  If you cut flowers to bring inside, recut the tips of them under running water and put the flowers, tips down, of course, immediately into a vase of water, a vase that has had a teaspoon of sugar placed in its bottom before the water has been added. You'll be amazed at the difference it will make in the life of your flowers . . . how much fresher your flowers will stay, albeit cut and placed into a vase.

Do I hear a tuna fish can being opened?

So thought Pudd . . . so thought Marash Girl.  Marash Girl would walk to Grandma Jennie's and Grandpa Peter's  house to visit after her stint for the day as Guidance Counselor at Newton North High School had ended.  Marash Girl walked up Lowell Avenue, past the high school field, past the 'new houses' which had been built where once trees stood, where once a spring ran with fresh spring water . . . As soon as Grandma Jennie (Marash Girl's mom, then known as Grandma Jennie since she  had been blessed with grandchildren) heard the cellar door opening, she would open a can of tuna fish that had been cooling in the refrigerator . . . tuna fish with no preservatives, of course . . .  drain the liquid from the can, spoon the tuna into a bowl, chop up some celery, add all natural mayo, stir it all up, and by the time Marash Girl arrived at the top of the cellar stairs and entered Grandma Jennie's kitchen, there would be a beautiful whole wheat tuna fish sandwich waiting for Marash Girl on the breakfast nook table.  Oh, how Marash Girl remembers the day . . .

Grandma Jennie Whistled to the Cardinals

And today, the cardinals whistled to Marash Girl, Marash Girl whistled back, and so it went.  They had a lovely conversation on this lovely morning in May, just as Marash Girl's mother used to have many years ago when she would whistle to the cardinals, and they would be delighted to answer!

Borrowing a Book from the Library

With all due credit to Benjamin Franklin, I still wonder why anyone would want to snuggle up in bed with a book that someone else has gone to bed with . . .

Robin Redbreast Greets Passersby on Maple Avenue This Week!!!!

                                                                          Photo by Marash Girl 2020

How Well I Remember the Day!!!

Back yard of 474/476 Lowell Avenue, Newtonville, Massachusetts
L.toR. Dr. Hrair Atikian, Martha Atikian, Rev. Ian MacDonald, Lucille (Jennie) Bilezikian, Peter Bilezikian
Unkown photographer, but possibly Marash Girl!!!

Thanks to Martha Bilezikian McCool for the above photo!!!

Remembering Mommy's Lilacs

                                                                                                 Photo by Marash Girl
                                           Remembering Mommy Jennie Bilezikian's Lilacs
                                                     

Jennie (née Lucille Mae Vartanian) Bilezikian, better known as Mommy to Marash Girl, loved lilacs, especially the lilacs that were on the lilac bush in front of our house on Lowell Avenue in Newtonville.  As soon as they were in bloom, she would carefully cut them from the bush . . .  (she knew that if she didn't cut the blooms, they would not return the following year, or if they did return, they would return in far smaller numbers. . . ) and gathering them into her arms, carry them into the house.  With great joy she put them into vases which she arranged throughout the living room and dining room.  The wonderful aroma of lilacs filled the house for days.  Marash Girl misses those days, the lilacs, but especially her Mommy!

HELP!!! Close the Gap in the Fence Allowing Entrance to the Massachusetts Turnpike!!!

Gap in Fence Opposite Entrance to YMCA
Photo Credit:  Marash Girl 2020

Above is a photograph taken today, a photograph of the fence separating the Massachusetts Turnpike from the YMCA in Newton Corner.  The gaping gate shown above is directly opposite the front entrance to the YMCA, and abuts the YMCA's parking lot, where the school bus that transports kids to and from the YMCA is parked.  An "attractive nuisance", the gate's gap is large enough even for Marash Girl to crawl through.  How about all the young boys and girls who might want to visit the YMCA, even if only to learn that is closed because of Covid?

Marash Girl has called attention to this gap both by calling the YMCA as well as calling the Newton Police.  The Newton Police, Marash Girl is most pleased to report, came immediately to scope out the problem.  The police called the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, as did the YMCA.  That was a week ago.  The photo above shows the gap in the gate next to the parking lot as it exists today.

If any of you reading this post have any suasion with the powers that be, please use it.  Your influence may save young lives!!!

Kindness Rocks!

"Take one for Inspiration!

Share one for Motivation!

Leave one to help our garden grow!

Beware . . . Kindness Rocks!!!

Kindess Rocks!"

Happy Birthday, Raffi!

What a wonderful day to celebrate a wonderful boy!!!  A little story about Raffi.  One day, more than several years ago, we were at the Farmer's Market in Takoma Park, Maryland.  We stopped to chat with a man who was selling goat cheese, made from the milk of his goats.  Little Raffi was so excited, he asked the man if we could visit his goats.  The man proclaimed a loud, "No!" in the meanest, gruffest manner you can imagine!!!  Raffi, unabashed, wanting to make the man feel better, said, "That's okay.    Don't feel bad.  I can always visit the goats at my grandma's summer home."

Anoushig boy!!! Always caring for others!  "Kindness Rocks!"

Murat is Amazing!!!!

If you ever feel at your wit's end, just call him!!!  He knows the answers!!!!

Wild Turkey Visits Maple Avenue

                                                           Photo Credit:  Marash Girl 2020

Remembering Leo Kricorian

Leo Kricorian  c. 1962
Photo by Ed Kricorian

I have been thinking about you, Leo . . . wanting to record memories of our fun times together at (then known as)  the United Armenian Brethren Church on Arsenal Street in Watertown, Massachusetts. And this morning I went to the internet, looking to see how we might get together and chat about the old days, when I learned of your passing!!! Oh, no!!! You were such a wonderful person, and so much fun!!! I can still see you and hear your voice singing God's praises as you stand at the front of the church sanctuary to the right of the pulpit singing and playing your guitar. I remember when you and I acted out the parts of Joseph and Mary in the Manger Scene at the front of the church at Christmas Time for all the congregation to enjoy . . . that was so special!!! Then today, wanting to catch up with you, I went to the internet to learn of your whereabouts . . . only to learn of your passing and the little bit that followed about your life. I am brokenhearted, but I know I shouldn't be. I know how much you loved the Lord Jesus Christ, how, from the pulpit, your voice and guitar rang out singing God's praises, how you are now with the Lord Our God!!! We shall meet again, dear friend!!! And let me sing again, as we used to sing and shout from the pulpit when we were kids,

                             

When we all get to heaven, 

What a day of rejoicing that will be! 

When we all see Jesus, 

We'll sing and SHOUT the victory! 

Martha Mae (Bilezikian) McCool writes from California, "I grew up in Newtonville, Massachusetts, and attended the same church that Leo attended from the time we were toddlers until we became young adults . . . those who stayed in the Boston area, continued to attend. Since I had moved out of state, I lost touch with many of my friends and relatives who attended and were original members of that church. My great uncle (The Reverend Vartan Bilezikian) was the first pastor of this church which at that time was called The Watertown United Armenian Evangelical Church. I understand that the name of our church was later changed. It was truly a "family church" where most of the parishioners were genocide survivors who pooled their meager resources to build the church . . . a place where they could worship freely. As kids, we would race around the church's basement where the Sunday School teacher tried to quiet us down . . . keep us better behaved . . . but it was so much fun to reunite with all the kids every Sunday. Leo was a good friend, and about the same age as most of us kids (born around1940-1945) . . . Leo was a blast . . . very talented musically, and we always looked forward to that moment in the service when the "children's choir" (aka us unruly kids) would assemble to sing a cute song (giggling, singing, and laughing all at the same time) while accompanied by our very talented friend, Leo, playing the guitar. Leo, you will be missed, but I know you are making beautiful music up there with our loved ones."

Well-known author Nancy Kricorian (Leo Kricorian's niece) write, "Music was the passion of Leo’s life, and in his youth he was the front man for the bands Leo and The Thunderbirds and Leo and the Rhythm Rockers. He wrote music and lyrics, and recorded several songs under the name Leo Scott. He was the lead guitarist for the Andy Healy Band starting in the late 70’s. Andy Healy said of Leo, “He truly loved the Irish music scene, and he was front and center with our band. He was always very dependable, and he was never late for a gig in the 37 years he played with us.”Of note, as well, is that Leo was a guitar teacher, and one of his early students was well-known guitarist, composer, and educator John Baboian. We shall miss you, Leo. We DO miss you, Leo!! But even as we are missing you, we'll keep singing, just as we did with you, Leo, and as I have remembered above: "When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and SHOUT the victory!"

John Harutunian writes, “Leo Kricorian and his family were very much part of what was then known as the Armenian Brethren Evangelical Church of Watertown. His mother and my grandmother, Agavnie Harutunian, were good friends. I remember that Leo made his outward, public commitment to Christ at a Billy Graham crusade held at Boston University’s Nickerson Field in 1982; and subsequently commented on it in an article in the Boston Globe! Though I didn’t get to know him too well, I do remember Leo as a friendly and likable person -- as, doubtless, do all who knew him at the Watertown church.”                                                 

Life abounds!

Have you heard the silence of the bunny rabbits who sit and stare solemnly into your eyes?

A New Doorway to the Massachusetts Turnpike via the YMCA in Newton Corner!!!

Even Marash Girl could have slipped through easily, if she so wished...which she did not!

                     Photo by Marash Girl

No Cars Bring New Life to Maple Avenue

Bunny Rabbit on Maple Avenue Last Wednesday - Photo by Marash Girl

Marash Girl's Soup of the Day

When you think you have nothing for supper, just take a peek into your vegetable drawer and you'll find a lot of veggies that are sad and lonely:  a single celery stalk, a single carrot, a very ripe tomato, aa few leaves of lettuce, a half a lemon, etc., etc.  With a little bit of love, you have the makings of soup for supper!!! If you have no vegetable broth or chicken broth, simply open a bottle of tomato juice or a can of V-8 Juice, add several cans of water, a bit of hot sauce, and the cleaned, peeled, chopped vegetables.  Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, simmer for about 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and just before serving, add a dash or two of all natural Tamari Sauce, some freshly squeezed lemon juice (and, if you happen to have it, some freshly washed and chopped parsley to sprinkle on top of each serving).  Your family will love you for it!!!

Çok Teshekur Ederim

To my Turkish son, Murat, Çok teshekur ederim.  Thank you so much for spending the time to reeducate Marash Girl on the skill of posting blogs!!!  "Sirem kezi!"

Check out my daily blogposts at MarashGirl.blogspot.com!

Riddle for the Day

Why did the tree drop its leaves?

A prize awaits on my porch table for the first best answer!!!

I am back online! Hooray!

Thank You to My Turkish Son Murat for helping me get back online!!!  Murat, you are the best!

Quick and easy ice cream soda without the ice cream and without the calories!!!

Celebrate the first day of June with all the joys of an ice cream soda, without the guilt!!!  Just fill a glass with all natural (no preservatives) gingerale, add a dollop of cream or milk and a dash of all natural vanilla flavoring!!!  There you have it!!! Enjoy!

Yapan Yemez!

Yapan yemez!  The person who makes it doesn't eat it!!!! The vicissitudes of the Armeno-Turkish language/idiomatic expressions, expressions Marash Girl grew up with, are boundless!!! The person who makes/bakes/cooks it doesn't eat it?  Really?  Why? Because she knows what distasteful ingredients she used up to prepare the meal?  Because she knows there's not enough for everyone?  Because she's tasted so much of it as she prepared the meal that her appetite has been sated?

If you think you know the answer, dear reader, please make note of it in the reply section below.  Or if it's easier, just email me.  The best answer to this real life riddle wins a prize!!!!

Loaf of Bread/Loaf of Cake

Below is one of the stories Grandpa Peter would love to tell . . .

I was working in a grocery store in Brighton, and every day I would see a woman walking by hitting her son over the head with a loaf of bread.  But one day, she walked by hitting her son over the head with a loaf of cake.

I rushed out of the store.

"Lady," I said. "Every day you walk by this store hitting your son over the head with a loaf of bread.  But today, you're hitting him over the head with a loaf of cake.  How come?"

"Oh," answered the lady.  "It's his birthday."

Family Artist In The Making

Zarouhi: Eastham or the Island in Maine

Many, many years ago, Marash Girl's Auntie Zarouhi who lived in West Newton in an apartment above where West Newton's CVS now resides, decided she wanted to buy a stretch of land for her family along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Eastham, Massachusetts, land which was (unknown to Zarouhi or her family) the future site of the United States Federally owned beach in Eastham.  Her parents complained because the land was a vast wasteland, as they saw it, with not a tree in sight.  So rather than Eastham, the family settled on a small wooded island off the coast of Maine, building a wooden bridge in order to access the property by automobile, as none of them were seafaring, nor did they own a boat.   Not sure who owns that island today, but keeping the bridge in good repair soon became more expensive than the island itself, thus forcing the family to sell their dream.

When We All Get To Heaven

Remembering singing this wonderful chorus when we were kids growing up in the United Armenian Bretheren Evangelical Church of Watertown, Massachusetts.  When we got to the words SHOUT in the last line, we loved it, because we SHOUTED out that word as loud as we could, and right in the middle of church!

When we all get to heaven,
What a wonderful moment that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and SHOUT the victory!

The congregation loved our singing, of course!

Happy Anniversary, Anoushig!

Marash Girl remembers the very day she and Marash Boy tied the knot at St. Gregory's Armenian Apostolic Church in Indian Orchard! And Medzmama (Azniv), Marash Boy's mom, (an Armenian woman who had survived the genocide of the Armenian people . . . but that's another story to tell later,) thanks to her freezer and her unending energy, had prepared 1,000 delicious lamejun which were served at the garden wedding reception in the orchard behind the church . . . served by (not Medzmama) the caterers who made and served the punch and the wedding cake.  It was a beautiful day for the orchard wedding, and a beautiful day which forecast a lifetime of happiness!  Thanks be to God!

Overheard

We were having coffee sitting in front of a coffee shop by the side of a busy road when we noticed two fellows approach each other, neither speaking to the other, one handed over a thick packet of dollar bills (denomination of the bills could not be seen from where we were sitting), the other handed over what appeared to be a chain of gold clutched in his right hand.  They walked away from each other without speaking.  A few minutes later a policeman walked by with his son in hand. . . Which group was "saved by the bell"?  All answers will be considered by Marash Girl!

And Speaking of Butterflies . . .

One of the favorite jokes the six kids in the house used to share was the following:
Question:  Why did the little boy throw the butter out of the window?
Answer:     Because he wanted to see a butterfly (the butter fly)!
The kids would rock with laughter any time one of them would tell the joke . . .

A Monarch Butterfly Visits the Shores of the Charles River

                                       Photo by Marash Girl

          A Monarch Butterfly Visits the Shores of the Charles River in Watertown, Massachusetts

Porchside in Newton Corner

Bargaining in Isfahan

Remembering my friend Rostom (rahmetli olsun Rostom) who accompanied Gail and Marash Girl south of Tehran to the Armenian stronghold (Isfahan) where Armenians fled and were welcomed after the genocide of the Armenian people by the Ottomans (1912-1915).   Rostom took us into an antique shop in Isfahan owned and operated by an Armenian man.  Walking into the shop, Marash Girl spied an interesting small metal dish with Armenian script around its edge.  It was priced at $25.00.  Marash Girl had been warned that in the Middle East, one should always bargain, as it was expected, and so Marash Girl did so, offering $20 for the interesting piece.  The salesperson immediately called for the owner, who came out, looked Marash Girl up and down, and asked, "How much did you say that dish was priced?"  "$25.00," replied Marash Girl.  The owner replied without pause, "Oh, no.  That dish should have been priced at $35.00, but you can have it for $30!"