Now that I'm basically housebound, full-time caregiver for Bill, I'm having time to review some old videos for digitization.
This little blip of a video is of an old film that was converted to VHS and then I recorded with my iPhone. Needless to say, some of the video quality is lost but you can get a feel for the time and place.
This video was taken on New Year's Day 1976 (give or take a year, it was the 70's), when Bill and I live in a quaint townhouse in center city Philadelphia. It was always my dream to live in center city Philly, where I could walk to work and the bars.
When we lived on Naudain Street (between Lombard and South Street, 2400 block), we had two male Pomeranian dogs, Hamburger (the orange sable) and Sparky (the cream colored Pom). I feel bad now thinking about how we left them alone all day when both of us went to work but they were always delighted to see us when we were home. We could take them out on the street and they wouldn't run away. They always stayed with us.
Every year I used to look forward with great anticipation to New Year's and especially New Year's Day. I would dress up in my butchest outfit, leather or western and head for Broad Street where the Mummers would be marching all day. Oh those were the times.
Back then it was quite scandalous to see female impersonators in the parade, which of course the TV coverage never showed.
My friend Don McK. who still lives in center city Philly, says the Mummers parades aren't what they used to be. Back then in then 70's it was a joyous time. Inhibitions were tossed aside for that one celebratory day of the year. And the best part (for this young gay guy) was the "interactions" when I would slip into one of the gay bars along the parade route to "warm up." Lots of loose hands folks. Got to "meet" a lot of guys I wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity to meet during the rest of the year when inhibitions and fear of rejection were rampant.
I have three more tapes to review before I send them off to Washington State to be digitized on a flash drive that I can upload to YouTube for history after I'm long gone. I've already digitized about one hundred tapes that I've uploaded. Only about half of them are public. I have to review the rest before I make them public. I hope I live lone enough to do that.
Back here in the present time, today one have been one of my work days at the hotel. I sorely miss going to work but I have to be here for Bill. I am glad Bill is home so I can make his remaining days comfortable and pleasant. Now that the home health aides aren't calling every day and coming in with their blood pressure measuring devices, telling us to go immediately to the Emergency Room, Bill and I are settling into a routine. He's getting around much better but still very weak. He can go to the bathroom by himself with is a huge relief for me. I have enough trouble managing my own bathroom needs, I don't need to manage someone else's. For that I am very thankful because I know all care givers don't have that option. I still have to help him shower, dress and undress, administer his medications, change his dressings on his right leg where he has weeping edema. I can manage that. We go out for a ride at least once a day. Both of us need to get out of the house. Lately it's been so cold and rainy but thank goodness no snow.
He got his repaired hearing aid in the mail last Friday. That takes a big load off of both of us. Now he can hear. Tomorrow I have my annual eye examination appointment. He wants to go with me but I see where they are only allowing patients in the building. Bill says he can wait in the car but I don't think that's going to work because I have to get my eyes dilated and that takes time. Another hurdle to jump. I'll have to see if I can talk him into staying home alone, the first time since he came home from the rehab facility where he was for two weeks recovering from his fall.
Thinking back to those halcyon days when were were carefree and young living in center city Philly. Oh how quickly that time went by. But I have to say, we had our time and I am so appreciative that we did. We're coming to the end of our lives now, someone else is having their time. And the cycle continues.
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| Bill at our townhouse (our blue car) on Naudain Street, Center City, Philadelphia 1972 |
