Teller of Tales This tale is a history, a fable, a prayer of those gone before me, now gathered with care. The diaries and pictures and letters enclosed deciphered my kin and what they supposed. Those who are living—their stories intact, Those gone before us—who knows what was fact? I met not the … [Read more...]
4.10 Larry’s Later Life
Gordon Lawrence "Larry" Clemens 1st of 5 children of Carl John Clemens and Noreen Ellen "Babe" Chatfield Born: Jan 14, 1934, Chico, California Married: Jun 16, 1956, Marian Louise McLellan, Upland, California Two children Gordon (Larry) and Marian, by Marian Clemens ~ In 1952 Gordon Lawrence … [Read more...]
4.09 Lore, Libel and Lies
Larry, Marian, and Catherine (me), 2006 ~ My brother, his wife, and I just returned from our fifth road trip of gathering family history: searching through county records, newspaper archives, and historical museums hunting for birth and death records, local articles, pictures, deeds, wills and old … [Read more...]
4.08 Cutty Sark and Carleen
Carleen Barbara Clemens 2nd of 5 children of Carl John Clemens and Noreen Ellen "Babe" Chatfield Born: Mar 13, 1935, Watsonville, California Married: Mar 15, 1953 (at age 18), Charles Evans "Chuck" Albertson, Sonora, California Three children Carleen and Chuck ~ Chuck died in 1996, … [Read more...]
4.07 Final Migration
Elizabeth Ann "Betty/Liz" (Clemens) Duchi 1939 - 2004 My sister Liz knew everything about everything—and what she didn’t know—she made up. Her library was lined with books from architecture, antique lamps and art nouveau to tomes on history, the human body and Henry VIII. She also had every … [Read more...]
4.06 I Must Have Lied
Liz and Catherine ~ When I finished writing the first half of this book, I sent copies to my family and had a few friends read it. They all liked it enough that I wondered if I actually had a “book,” so I ran it by Andy at my bookstore and he referred me to a retired New York editor living in … [Read more...]
4.05 My Sister Liz
Elizabeth Ann "Betty/Liz" Clemens 3rd of 5 children of Carl John Clemens and Noreen Ellen "Babe" Chatfield Born: Dec 3, 1939, Watsonville, California Died: Oct 8, 2004 (age 64), Sacramento, California; lung cancer Married: Feb 1, 1958 (at age 19), Anthony Leo "Tony" Duchi, Jr., Whittier, … [Read more...]
4.04 Elegy to My Father
Carl John Clemens (my father) 8th of 13 children of Mathew Sylvester Clemens & Barbara Nigon Born: Sep 25, 1905, Rochester, Minnesota Died: Sep 16, 1986 (age 80), Santa Rosa, California; prostate/bone cancer Occupation: Farmer, construction laborer, iceman, record store owner, dime … [Read more...]
4.03 Letter from Liz
My Sister Liz (Betty) ~ A letter from Liz (Betty) to Lorna Harrington, her childhood friend: 4-12-2003 Dear Lorna, It is so great to connect with you. We have lived (more or less) in Fallbrook since 1985. Before that we lived in San Clemente, before that in Vista, before that in Huntington Beach and … [Read more...]
4.02 Letters From Claudia
Claudia Clemens 4th of 5 children of Carl John Clemens and Noreen Ellen "Babe" Chatfield Born: Mar 28, 1942, Vallejo, Solano Co., California Died: Aug 21, 2011 (age 69), Escondido, San Diego Co., California; lung cancer Married: Sep 16, 1956 (at age 14), Bobby Milton McDaniel, Sparks, Washoe … [Read more...]
4.01 Unleashing the Flying Monkeys
Through Any Given Door ~ I imagine it’s no coincidence that my writing began when I was 53, the same age my mother was when she called it a day. Nor that it took me five years to write our chronicles, the same amount of time I lived with her when I was a kid. I have a suspicion she’s had a hand in … [Read more...]
3.46 Sin and Prayer
Epilogue ~ My parents were like black and white, oil and water, sin and prayer. My father, not one to boil over, married a kettle of emotions. If he could have loosened his grip and if my mother hadn’t completely unraveled, perhaps my childhood would have been different. But it was what it was. … [Read more...]
3.45 A Kind of Holiness
Full Circle ~ Over the decades my mother has been following me around, showing up in my stomach, my bones, and my dreams. She used to be a dull ache inside me, but not so much anymore. She wasn’t cruel or abusive—there was no sliver to take out, no bullet to remove, no thorn to pluck. In the five … [Read more...]
3.44 No Flowers
November 1968 • La Habra ~ When my mother died, what remained of her life was packed in her small Hillman, now parked in Carleen’s driveway. The front bench-seat held her clothes, small feather pillow, and jewelry; the back bench, her black and gold Singer, button collection, and sewing box. In the … [Read more...]
3.43 Rainbows and Red Devils
Fall of 1968 • Whittier ~ Over the years Mom managed to get along. She worked for room and board with a small monthly salary for clothes, her car, doctor bills, and prescriptions. By the end, she couldn’t hold a job, couldn’t care for herself, the hospitals wouldn’t keep her anymore, and family … [Read more...]
3.42 Positively Haight Street
Haight Street ~ 1968 was the year to spread my wings. Dad couldn’t pay me more than he paid the girls (who were all making $2.00 an hour) so after seven summers and five Easter and Christmas vacations working in his store, I flew across the street and got a teller job at Great Western Bank for … [Read more...]
3.41 Killing Time
1968 • Northern California ~ In April of 1968, Mom found herself, along with everything she owned in her car, on the doorstep of a niece. Surprised, her sister's daughter not seen or heard from my mother in two decades. She sensed Mother had no place to go and graciously gave her a place to stay. … [Read more...]
3.40 A Full Mass
October 7, 1967 • San Francisco ~ Five months later, on a crisp October day, my father slowly escorts me down the tiled aisle of Holy Name of Jesus, our church in the Sunset. I look like a princess dressed in the white wedding dress that my stepsister Janet wore when she married. It fits like a … [Read more...]
3.39 “Oh Yeah?”
San Francisco ~ In May, towards the end of my first year of college, Bob proposed to me. I hadn’t had a boyfriend whom I loved. Yes, in my junior year I had a crush on Forrest and in my senior year Dave had a crush on me, but with Bob, it was different. He courted me and made me special. He … [Read more...]
3.38 Homesick
Fall 1966 • San Jose ~ In September I started my freshman year at San Jose State, majoring in Humanities with a minor in English. I went there because Sallie was, and I suppose, because my brother had. Scott Wardlaw, a fellow high school classmate, also attended. Because our SAT scores were high, he … [Read more...]
3.37 Summer in Europe
Summer 1966 • Europe ~ Boarding a plane for two nights in New York and then a second flight to London, Laura and I, along with our classmate Patty Corb, were off to visit cathedrals, castles, and crypts. I loved Europe. I loved the art, the museums, and the stunning architecture. We were … [Read more...]
3.36 Leaving the Hive
June 1966 • La Habra ~ In 1966, Orange County was a bastion for the John Birch Society, LBJ was President, and Ronald Reagan won the Republican nomination for governor. Opposition to our involvement in the Viet Nam war was growing. Sex, drugs, and rock n' roll were making inroads, but had not yet … [Read more...]
3.35 Riverside Campground, Big Sur
January 1964 • Bug Sur ~ Written by brother's wife, Marian Clemens ... So the adventure began. The property was a campground and cabin business in Big Sur. Dressed in jeans and warm jackets, we met the realtor that Saturday in December 1963, and he showed us some old cabins in a forest of redwoods, … [Read more...]
3.34 La Habra High (part 2)
1964-1966 • La Habra High School ~ In my senior year I had my second high school romance with another boy in my class, Dave Sheldon. He was a nice guy with a streak of worldliness, but had a neediness about him that kept me at arm's length. He wrote in my yearbook, "Cathy, I wanted to find a space … [Read more...]
3.33 La Habra High 1961-1966 (part 1)
1961-1966 • La Habra High School ~ Four years of high school blended together, neither the low nor high point of my life. My first year afforded me little self-assurance; the second tallest girl in my freshman grade, I tripped up and down the long halls between classes praying to be invisible, … [Read more...]
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