Doctor Berger, besides being one of three local Loveland doctors; Forty-nine year old Doctor Douglas Berger was somewhat of a self proclaimed Rabbi to the other four... Now that Sarah and Murray Kaminsky had arrived, there were now six identified Jewish families in Loveland, without a place to hold their Friday evening Sabbath Service.
A New Road To Woodstock '69
Snippet Nine
Woodstock: The iconic American rock festival of the twentieth century
Authors Notation: Other than those that were actually a participating member or members of the Woodstock Festival, all others are fictitious characters and situations created for dramatic effect, and especially at this author’s whim.
Further Notation: I have no intention of repeating my nineteen part Woodstock series as first submitted on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, but digging further into the earlier lives of Sharon and Clyde and her Polish immigrant parents: 'Murray and Sarah Kandinsky and his Irish immigrant parents, Malcolm and Ellen Murphy.
Twelve wooden picnic tables scattered about the picnic area of the four ache grassy region of Loveland community park along with dozens of spread blankets most occupied by anxiously waiting families. However, none so anxious as the children awaiting the first high flying, multiple coloured burst of glittering star-like flashes.
Their table still cluttered with paper dishes holding the remnants of this evenings free BBQ dinners.
Malcolm, Murray, Tomas, Lester and his son, Barry, along with Barry's wife, Mildy, whom, after coaxing the men, was allowed to join in their soft ball game played at the parks far western side baseball field where Mildy — not her husband's team— became her teams hardest hitting, fastest base runner running, and most agile outfield catcher.
Aware that Sarah and Ellen were in a somewhat private conversation— so Oliva perceived— remained at the far end of the table giving them a little privacy while keeping watch over Clyde whom. considering himself the 'big brother', obviously was keeping a close watch over Sharon, as whenever she would toddle a bit astray, the little boy would rush to, and holding her hand, steer the two year old back to their table.
"You told her his... uh, pee-pee's not a toy."
"Sarah, I was so... So surprised seeing her doing what she, uh, was doingt hat first I had to keep from laughing, then the words just came out."
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"Your Clyde, he have a, uh...." holding her thumb and forefinger about an
inch apart "....you know!"
Strange thing: These two mid-thirties aged women, each a mother, one an achieved artist in her own right. The other knowledgeable enough to organise and control her own now multi faceted business. Sex never a spoken topic between the two couples, or individually. However neither knowing the, or at least willing to say words such as 'penis' or 'sexual'.
"Yeah. I think... Last time I saw that I was changing a diaper and it was straight up..." holding her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart "... and then he peed."
Both more amused than actually upset by this.
"Clyde was laughing."
Giggling herself. "Yes.." Ellen said "...like when we'd tickle him."
Not wanting to say it. "And he did have a...?"
Coming from Belfast, Ireland as opposed to a ghetto in Poland, but
giving in, "... 'Boner'. Yes. Surprised seeing it on my little boy, but yes! Clyde did."
"Sharon? You think she had any idea?"
"No. Of course not!" Ellen said. " Looked like she just thought she was just playing with something she'd never played with before."
Catching a non intended double meaning. Giggling. " I'd guess not."
The mothers attention once again drawn to Sharron, laughing her baby laugh; with arms akimbo, running on shaky legs, obviously expecting Clyde would run to catch her...
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Which— grabbing onto the suspenders of her now grass stained blue jeans— the boy did.
"Think it's time we stop giving those two baths together?"
"You think!" Sarah replied.
8:20 PM
The, Pop-pop-pop-pop-p0p, of firecrackers from somewhere on the far side of town.
Closer to the 'Community Park' field: Pop-pop-pop-pop-p0p
From the far side of town: Pop-pop... pop-pop-p0p,
8:29 PM
All returned now. All 'pink's' married people sitting side by side, on either side of the wooden picnic table.
The one individual person, Tomas Bellingham, on the blanket alongside Clyde— sitting with legs stretched forward— Sharon declining the invitation to sit on her father's lap, sat closely alongside.
All facing westerly, where from the driveway of the fire station, a half mile distance to the west...
Poom!
In the darkness of the night …Poom! ... came the heart felt reverberation of a red, white, and blue skyrocket.
Pop-pop-pop-pop-p0p!
9:12 PM
Pop-pop-pop-pop-p0p-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop
A dozen silver streaks rocketing upward... upward into the black night.
Clyde's arm protectively about Sharon's shoulder. Sharon's hand tightly clutching Clyde's hand.
Mouths open. Widely opened eyes reflecting the silver threaded sky...
As...
Twelve silver streaks splintering into exploding pistils of —one after another— clusters of red, white and blue heart felt echoes of sparkling far off floral type explosions.
Muttered "ohs" and "ews" of adults and delighted screams of children heard throughout the field with each breath-taking outburst of sight and sound as the echoed pounding intensified to a breathtaking crescendo.
9:23 PM
The Harris family— along with Thomas, who lived in their general direction— on the way back to their individual homes by way of Lester's 1929 Chevrolet sedan.
Walking the five blocks from Loveland Park— Sharon soundly asleep held within her fathers arms, her head cradled on his left shoulder, her warm breath tickling his ear.
Walking to the right of Murray, they also walked hand in hand.
Clyde having a near five year old boys hidden reserve of energy skip-walking a few paces ahead of his hand holding mother and father.
Timed from this July night in 1939...
Sarah Kaminsky would be thirty-three in four days, on the eighth of July. Her husband, Murray's birthday on August twenty-third would bring him to age thirty-six.
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Clyde Murphy's birthday on the fifteenth of October would add one more candle to his chocolate birthday cake bringing the candle count to five... With one more, of course, for good luck.
Malcolm Murphy would be thirty-seven on October Thirty, and his wife, Ellen will be thirty-five on the Twelfth of December.
From Mid May of this year, from the time Loveland, Ohio became their home, from the day 'Pink's— Now 'Pink's Hardware & Associates, Inc.' became their livelihood life had become — when one thought about it — more a dream than reality.
Near everything the families would need within walking distance. Even, as Sarah discovered, Doctor Berger, whom Oliva Harris had suggested to be their family doctor, lived two houses down and ran his practice directly from his home.
And further more...
Doctor Berger, besides being one of three local Loveland doctors; Forty-nine year old Doctor Douglas Berger was somewhat of a self proclaimed Rabbi to the other four... Now that Sarah and Murray Kaminsky had arrived, there were now six identified Jewish families in Loveland, without a place to hold their Friday evening Sabbath Service.
So, every Friday, and on the High Holidays, exchanging his 'doctor' hat for a yarmulke, Doctor Douglas Berger would hold a reform... 'very reformed' Sabbath service with— go figure — 'Johansson' a Jewish name? The baker, Viktor Johansson, one of the five other Jewish families would supply a freshly made 'challa' — the Jewish twisted egg bread— to each of the families.
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Murray and Sarah — completely non religious— as of yet had not decided whether or not to attend Doctor Berger's Sabbath Service, Viktor had hand delivered a freshly made, still warm 'challa' to Sarah each Friday morning.
'However'! When considering that ' when one thought about life for the Murphy and Kaminsky families, had become more a dream than reality.
"Everything is so good now..." Sarah had said to Murray "...maybe we should go to Doc Berger's 'Sabbath' to give thanks to God!"
This posed as not a suggestion.
Murray shrugged his shoulders.
This not a sign of indifference, but of surrender.
Next Friday, on the sixth of July, Sarah and Murray Kaminsky did attend Doctor Douglas Berger's sabbath Service, and did, indeed, give 'thanks to God'.
As for Ellen and Malcolm, deciding to renew their faith, as there was not a Catholic church in Loveland, early each Sunday morning, they would dress Clyde in his new, as of yet clean clothes and drive the Hudson ten mikes to the city of Montgomery that did have a Catholic church, where they, too, gave thanks to Jesus.
You've given us another short slice of small-town living in 1939. How Jewish people either had to drive some distance to find a synagogue and rabbi or get creative. In this case, Ellen and Malcolm had to drive to another town.
You reminded me of my first fireworks experience. We were at our uncle and aunt's farm for the 4th of July. Uncle Don's parents had a hardware store in town, so they had the best fireworks to show us after it got dark. Unfortunately, hot summer days in Wisconsin often turned into a thunderstorm at night.
I recall Dad driving us out into the field with the wipers on in the rain while they set off fireworks that were hard to see or hear. But I had many, many more fireworks displays over the years. Perhaps the most memorable, the one on the point in Santa Cruz with fireworks from the boardwalk over the Pacific. And, a night out on Grant Street in San Francisco during the Chinese New Year with firecrackers pop-pop-popping dangerously all around us.
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The One Week Writing Workshop shows you how to write a book step by step through a series of motivating writing activities. Working with your own creative ideas, you’ll learn a 7-step novel writing method to use now and on your future novel projects.
