View Betsy Pfau's profile
<< Older posts
Newer posts >>
Cultural Triple Threat
Prompted By Hobbies
/ Stories
I love art, music (mostly singing, but listening as well) and now spend much of my time writing for Retrospect; a cultural triple threat. I have written over 250 stories on everything from my first job; Posing in 3-D, to the harrowing story of my grandparents’ escape from the 1906 Russian pogroms to their trip across the…
Read More
Wedding Memories
Prompted By Anniversaries
/ Stories
As an officer of our temple, Dad set my wedding day as June 16, 1974. “Really?” I queried, ” That will be your 28th anniversary. Do you want to share yours with me?” He responded affirmatively and the date was set. My parents were a post-war couple. They barely knew one another and married in…
Read More
Nippon
Prompted By Family Trips
/ Stories
In June of 2007, David graduated from Stanford and Jeffrey moved up from 8th to 9th grade; a full-fledged high schooler. We felt a family trip was an appropriate way to celebrate and asked Jeffrey where he’d like to go. “Japan”. “Where else?”, we queried, just in case that didn’t work out. “No where; just…
Read More
Bearing Arms
Prompted By Guns Then and Now
/ Stories
The Second Amendment to our Constitution allowed for a well-regulated militia to keep and bear arms to protect the State. In 2008, a court case ruled that individuals could keep guns at home for self protection. They were no longer just to be used for hunting or protection against an enemy of the government. Of…
Read More
Carolina Herrera
Prompted By Can't Leave Home Without It
/ Stories
Some thirty years ago, I searched for a signature fragrance. My mother wore Chanel No. 5. I wanted something more modern, subtle. I tried Ungaro, Issey Miyake, Creed (the scent of Jackie O and Princess Grace). All seemed too strong for me. I smelled something wonderful on a friend and inquired what she wore. Of…
Read More
Jeopardy
Prompted By Quiz and Game Shows
/ Stories
We enjoyed watching gameshows in our household: “What’s My Line?”, “Truth or Consequences”, “Password”, and a few others, but none captured my heart like “Jeopardy”, the original one with Art Fleming as the host. I’d watch when I was home sick, which wasn’t too often. Still, I really enjoyed that show. My senior year at…
Read More
Full Plate
Prompted By Cliques and Clubs
/ Stories
Moving from Detroit to neighboring Huntington Woods in October, 1963 was a traumatic event for me. Due to the quirks of the Detroit school system, I skipped the second half of 5th grade. This made me the youngest in my 6th grade class at the Washington Elementary School, a K-6 school, where everyone had been…
Read More
Recycle as a Way of Life
Prompted By Recycling
/ Stories
I am lucky to live in Newton, which is a very progressive city of about 200,000 people. They have good schools and services. They began a curbside recycling program of newsprint in 1971, just a year after the first Earth Day, followed in 1975 by adding glass and cans to their bi-monthly curbside pick-ups. That…
Read More
Penny’s Puppy
Prompted By Naming Pets
/ Stories
My mother was terrified of dogs. Dogs had been used during the 1906 pogroms against my grandparents in Russia. My grandmother would cross to the other side of the street to avoid coming close to a dog. She instilled that fear in my mother as well. I guess I understood, but I LOVED them and…
Read More
Billie Jean
Prompted By Separating the Art from the Artist
/ Stories
I’ve always loved to dance and grew up in and with Motown and the Jackson 5. Little Michael was a phenom. Great voice, dancing whiz; he could do everything and captivated us. We loved to sing along to those early songs and imitate the dance moves. He outgrew his brothers and became the biggest show…
Read More