by Danielle Scroggins

Created on: August 17, 2009

She was Irish-born in Ireland Irish. She came to America on a boat when she was just 13. She couldn't swim. She settled in northern Ohio with her brother and sister in an Irish Catholic Community. She attended Catholic Schools. Once, she skipped school and took the train to New York City for the day. New York City! The nuns were none too happy upon her return. She joined The Service as a young woman. She felt called to serve this country in a time of war and need. She prayed everyday. She married and became a mother. Two boys and a girl. One of those boys was my dad. Danny Boy. She would sing it to him as a baby, and to be truthful, as an adult. She always called him Danny. Danny Boy the Marine Fighterpilot. "You be careful on those planes Danny." She drank hot tea. Only hot tea. She drank hot tea in August at the Fort Worth Stockyards. She drank hot tea at Disneyland. She drank hot tea in our home. She drank hot tea with her own mother and pet bird everyday. That bird spoke with an Irish Brogue. Noone understood it. She taught me to crochet when I was 11 years old. We picked out needles and yarn, and cussed at scissors that "wouldn't cut butter." I made my dad a scarf. a very long, uneven scarf. I think he even wore it. She took me to work with her in downtown Columbus. We ate lunch at Lazarus. We even rode the bus. To me, it was so fancy and sophisticated. We saw E.T.'s phone. Once, we came for a visit and my sister commented that "all the trees had leaves back home in our country." Ohio seemed like that-another country. I always wished our lives could be more intertwined. I always longed for our visits to be endless. There are already so many goodbyes etched in my mind...

She would bake sugar cookies and send them in the mail to us for holidays. She always had jello pudding pops. I must have watched The Wizard of Oz 500 times on her disc player-the huge disc players before there were even VCRs. They had a pet swan named Charlie. He lived in their garage in the winter. I think he was mean. She took me to church with her. She always went to huge Cathedral Churches. I thought they were beautiful. She sang so loud, and already knew all the words. She was always looking for a sale, and always knew the best places to find one. She had to alter all her own clothes because she was only 5 feet tall. She had purses and shoes to match every outfit. She loved jewelry-especially home shopping jewelry. She gave me her Claudaugh. They always had pets. Molly, Ricky and Simon

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