VICTOR BORGE ~ I'M IN A HERTZ AD ~ NO SMOKING?

August 31, 1963

Dear Mother,

     I had a date with Bernie last night and we saw Victor Borge at Starlight Theater. I wore the black dress I bought at I. Magnum in SFO. Bernie is so nice. He brought me a jar of his mother's home made grape jelly, and a single white rose. That's the first boy that ever brought me flowers on a date.                                                 

September 2, 1963

Dear Mother, 

     My trip was routine except for a substitute of equipment: a Boeing 707 for our Convair 880 out of SFO to ABQ. I hadn't been on a 707 since January and felt like I was working for a different airline. They sure are spacious compared to the Convair. We kept it the next day until we got to LAX and then we got a Convair again.

     A funny thing happened in LAX. While we were preparing the aircraft for passengers, we saw all kinds of men with movie cameras on the ramp. One of the men climbed up the steps outside the Jet-Way to chat with us. They were filming a commercial for Hertz and had filmed our airplane being directed and parking into the ramp. So, when you see that commercial on T.V. you can say, "Tishie was on that plane." Boy, I'm bound to get discovered sooner or later!

September 11, 1963 

Dear Mother,

    On Saturday, some girl dropped the axle of her car and the whole front fell to the ground on the street in front of our apartment. She asked to use our phone to call someone to come get her and they just left the car there, It was on the hill and a curve and we were sure someone would crash into it. I was gone all day Sunday and when I came home at 6:00 there was a policeman sitting at our kitchen table. He had found the car and had it towed away. Anna had been out front washing her car and this policeman got friendly and so she invited him in for coffee. He came back after he got off work and stayed for dinner and didn't leave until 8:00. We all played cards after that.

     My supervisor called today and asked me to do some publicity work on Sunday. Its for a Restaurant deal at the Municipal Auditorium from 2 to 8.We pass out samples of bread and wear some type of pinafore. The good deal is I get paid $25! (Yes, that would be $4 an hour.)

P.S. My "no smoking" is going along fine for me. I know it is time for to stop the Pall Malls. Besides they have gone up to 35 cents a pack. Isn't that ridiculous?

The Journey Continues

July 22, 2016

Letters to My Mother....the journey continues

What took me so long? I do not have the answer. Thankfully, the "spark" hit me again and I know I must finish. I owe it to myself and I owe it to my mother who saved every letter.

My Mother, Ardelle Elizabeth Cosley Rellihan, was a remarkable woman. Not only was she a mother of three daughters, she was a successful business woman in an era of "housewives". Forced to work when she was widowed at the age of 39, she raised her girls by herself. Fiercely independent, we grew up in the shadow of a woman who did it all. She worked hard and her hard work paid off with several promotions. She taught us, through her example of hard work, how to be successful in our own right.

It wasn't all work and no play for Ardelle. Even though she was at her office six days a week, she always made time for family fun and vacations. We celebrated every special event: birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Graduations, in grand style. She taught us the importance of entertaining with warm hospitality, a gift which she inherited from the Cosley family. Her attention to detail in her table settings, with candles and flowers are just one example.

Other examples of her influence on us were: a meal was never served without a table cloth or place mat. A celebration was never celebrated without a cake. A Sunday was never a Sunday without church. A Saturday was never a Saturday without her girls cleaning the house. A night never ended without kisses and hugs.

We were taught to have respect for ourselves and for others. Through her example and great personal style, we learned the importance of dressing well and looking our best. She would be proud. My two older sisters defy their ages of 80 and 80+. They are the epitome of aging gracefully, just as our mother did until the day of her passing at the age of 90...with hot pink nail polish on her toes.

So, let's take off again. Let's continue the journey. The road is long and takes us many places, and, as we know, "It's not about the destination....it's about the journey to get there".