A Rainy June Morning in L.A. (or how it all began)

All of our stories have to begin somewhere. Mine started on a rainy Tuesday morning in late spring in Los Angeles. Yes. I know. LA is supposed to be the land of eternal sunshine. But for some reason Mother Nature decided that Tuesday would be cloudy and rainy. I was a preemie weighing only 3 lb 9 oz. While I weighed less than most cats that wouldn’t last for long!

I was raised in an all Italian home by my nonna (grandmother), my Zia (great aunt), my mother and my step-father.

Ahhh my grandmother..She was the best. In fact, until about the age of 6, I have very little recollection of my mother. One memory was a road trip to Albuquerque, NM with Mama and my step dad. I was only 4 and do have some pleasant memories of the drive. I remember playing games in the back seat and my step dad telling me he knew the man on the moon. This is one of the few, very few, fond memories I have of him. So you can probably guess that some sort of BS started very, very early in my life. Don't get me wrong. There were plenty of good, exciting and fun times...and you'll be hearing about those too.

Anyway back in LA, Mom would visit me... once in a while. You see I lived with my grandmother and great aunt in a separate apartment. My mother and my step dad - Mike - lived alone. I guess a little kid would cramp their newlywed lifestyle. With that said, I had more love from my grandmother than anyone could ever hope for. I loved when my dad would come over and give me the best hugs while singing me his favorite lullaby "Tura Lura Lura."  Mama divorced him when I was two, about the time she met Mike. Theirs would be a love affair that would last more than half a century, 53 years to be exact. Go figure. Although I'm happy she finally found the love of her life.

My Nonna, (grandmother in Italian) and Zia (aunt) only spoke Italian..In fact, I only heard English spoken outside the house. I picked up some English but never really fully learned it until the first grade.

I was terribly spoiled..more than anyone should be. This would go on until I was in my early 20s, much to my detriment.

Until next time...my life as a little Italian princess continues and wait 'til you hear about the grown up Italian princess.. Oh my.....

Mama & Me