MY GRANDMOTHER AND HER 100TH BIRTHDAY

I can not believe it but today would have been my Grandmother's 100th birthday. My grandmother was born Rose Cichoski on October 26, 1923 in the Polish Hill section of Pittsburgh. My grandmother was the oldest of five children. In addition to my grandmother there was: Louis (1926-1996), Florence (1928-2011), Josephine (1930-1985), and Maryann (1943-1946). My Grandmother had a hard upbringing, and she suffered from a few mental breakdowns and even went to live at a convent for awhile.

On May 3, 1944 she married Michael Hornack. The marriage was not successful, and was later anulled. The marriage did produce my mother Donna in 1950, but the couple divorced on March 30, 1955.

Luckily, my grandmother met the love of her life, my "grandfather" John Wachter Jr, and they were married on July 2, 1955. Together, Rose and John raised three children. John was a policeman during the race riots of the late 1960s, so Rose was always stressed not knowing if John would come home or not. 

The years flew by, and Rose would be a devoted grandmother of four grandchildren (I would be the oldest). I did not always have happy memories of my childhood, but I did of my grandmother. Together her and John were the highlight of my happy years. I would go with them to flea markets to try to find the latest bargains. In college, I went to school near where they lived, and I missed many classes because I would go there in between classes for lunch. My grandmother would feed me so much that I would fall asleep on their couch and miss my classes. My grandmother was never the same after John died in 2002, and my grandmother would pass away in 2007.

My grandmother was always nervous and unsure of herself. In reality, I think she had crippling anxiety. I never knew of my biological grandfather until long after she died. Even something like when my wife and I took her out to dinner would cause her to be nervous and not really enjoy herself. In her last few months of life I would call her once a week, and what many people did not know, and maybe she didn't know was that she was a smart, beautiful, and wonderful woman. I honestly do not know if she ever relaxed to enjoy life, but everyone she met enjoyed her. I really miss her...

MY GRANDMOTHER AND THE CHARLESTON

As you get older time just feels like it is speeding up. It seems like only yesterday I was going to grade school or learning to drive. Here I am with children of my own now, and I realize time waits for no one.

Today would be my Grandmother's 100th birthday. It is hard to imagine. My Grandmother was born on October 26, 1915 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Being of 100% Irish descent, she also came from a large Catholic family. She had two brothers and four sisters, and she was the youngest of them. My Grandmother was more reserve, even shy, as compared to her other siblings. Two of her sisters used to sell bathtub gin and were arrested during Prohibition!

My Grandmother met my Grandfather, who was 100% Sicilian at the age of 17. He was eight years older than her, but it didn't matter, and they were married in 1933. For years they tried to have a child, and were just about ready to give up when my Father was born in 1946. The pregnancy was a difficult one, and my Father would be an only child.

My Grandfather provided well for the family, but he died suddenly of a heart attack in 1969 at the age of 62. My Grandmother worked as a care giver at a nursing home. Being 100% Irish, I feel at times my Grandmother was cold and distant, but she was old school. I was a pretty wild child, and I remember her watching me once, and I broke her glasses and gave her a couple of nasty bruises.

What I will always remember about my Grandmother is that she taught me how to do the Charleston. Surprisingly I remember that dance to this day. Like I said, she was usually reserved and quiet, but when she was teaching me the dance (it was probably around 1980ish) it was like my Grandmother was back in the 1920s and 1930s. I will always remember that.

Sadly my Parents divorced, and my Father died in 1991. After that I really didn't see my Grandmother much. Losing her only child must have been painful for her, because she pretty much withdrew from the world as far as I could tell. She died of pneumonia in 1998.

So as I commemorate what would have been my Grandmother's 100th birthday, I wish I would have gotten to know her more...especially in her later years. However, I always have fond memories of dancing the Charleston with her!

HISTORY OF A SONG: IT'S MAGIC

On July 2, 2013 it marks what would have been my Grandparent's 65th anniversary. Their love was the love that movies are made of and love songs are written for. They never had much money, but the love they shared between each other was enough that they felt like millionaires. My Grandfather died at the age of 74 on July 6, 2002, and my Grandmother was reunited with him on January 5, 2007. Their wedding song was the beautiful "It's Magic".

The music was written by Jule Styne, the lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was introduced by Doris Day in her film debut, Romance on the High Seas, and was published in 1947. Versions which made the Billboard magazine charts in 1948 were recorded by Doris Day, Tony Martin, Dick Haymes, Gordon MacRae, and Sarah Vaughan.

The Doris Day recording was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 38188. The recording spent 21 weeks on the Billboard chart, peaking at position #2.

The Tony Martin recording was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-2862. The recording spent 13 weeks on the Billboard chart, peaking at position #11.

The Dick Haymes recording was released by Decca Records as catalog number 23826. The recording spent 18 weeks on the Billboard chart, peaking at position #9.

The Gordon MacRae recording was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 15072. The recording spent 17 weeks on the Billboard chart, peaking at position #9.

The Sarah Vaughan recording was released by Musicraft Records as catalog number 557. The recording spent 2 weeks on the Billboard chart, peaking at position #29.
Other versions include the Dinah Washington version. Dinah Washington recorded the song in 1959 for her album "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes!" Keely Smith recorded it in 1959 for her Capital album, Swingin’ Pretty, arranged and conducted by Nelson. Shirley Bassey recorded the song in 1963 for her EP "In Other Words...". As late as 2010, Australian singer Melinda Schneider recorded the song for her Doris Day tribute album "Melinda Does Doris".

The song is absolutely beautiful, just as the 65 year long marriage of my Grandparents were. What they had was definitely "magic". I miss them still...

You sigh, the song begins;
You speak, and I hear violins --
It's magic.
The stars desert the skies,
And rush to nestle in your eyes --
It's magic.
Without a golden wand
Or mystic charms,
Fantastic things begin
When I am in your arms.
When we walk hand-in-hand,
The world becomes a wonderland --
It's magic.

How else can I explain
Those raindrops when there is no rain?
It's magic.
Why do I tell myself
These things that happen are all really true?
When, in my heart, I know the magic is
My love for you.

It's magic...
It's magic...
Why do I tell myself
These things that happen are all really true?
When, in my heart I know, the magic is
My love for you.