We Work All Our Lives and What Do We Get?: A True Account
 | Amazon, 2007, Digital |
|---|
After writing the story of my Mom's bakery start up in The Malt Shop in Florence, Colorado in the 50's, I had been nagged by my sense of fairness to write a parallel story about my Mom's sister, my aunt Annie Rocchio, who had been the trusted employed of the Florence Creamery in 1943 when the owner and his wife needed to sell the creamery and offered it to Annie, saying, “We know you can do it; we've seen how hard you work.” As was the case with each of my true stories of individuals of quiet grit, this one took off on its own into a theme rooted into Annie's life from her perspective of telling it to me, when she was a cherished, contented resident of St. Joseph's Manor, a clean, pleasant nursing home in Florence, located several blocks away, around the curve of the Main Street bend, from where The Malt Shop had been when owned by Annie and her two sisters, Mary and Margie. The title of this story was taken from Annie's sad question, which she had repeated to me more than once as she attempted to understand her life and its final chapter accompanied by aging's painful limitations. I believe you'll find that the story comes through with a finished jig saw puzzle of a type of fountain of youth, in reverie. “Where's the Beef?” (Meaning both the craved juicy flavor of charred beef, and the “beef” as in complaint?) “It's in there!” I plan to offer several more of my story collection which is loosely connected (geographically and otherwise) to “Coal & Coca-Cola” and this second one about Annie Rocchio. Each story stands alone, yet each also works into the others, and into the themes developed in my novel, THE ROSE AND THE PYRAMID. It might seem strange that a far-fetched, science-fiction-fantasy could be connected somehow to true stories told from current day cultural situations. The link has to do with HISTORY, as a concept as well as a reality. I'll attempt to explain later, after readers have had a chance to sample a few of the Shorts similar to “Coal & Coca-Cola” and this one, at which point, what I say about the connections will have more opportunity to make sense.
Title: We Work All Our Lives and What Do We Get?: A True Account
Sales Rank: 1536147 in Books
Author: Linda G. Shelnutt
Publisher: Amazon, 2007-04-29, Digital, 15 pages
- Puzzling Over Life
- This saga, a portion of a family history, takes us down a road of memory, traditions, and heart-felt wisdom coined by someone whose family values include hard work and family connections.
Ms. Shelnutt's stories depicting portions of family history through the eyes of family members are compelling and heart-felt. From the first sentence, the reader is drawn into the… More reviews
- ANNIE ROCCHIO'S MOMENT
- >>>>Doing anything like Annie required that it be done simply, thoroughly, and correctly,using the best, fresh ingredients and never selling "old" stuff. And doing anything like Annie required a daily routine of diligence.<<<<<<
How do you sum up a long and productive life....so as to ensure it is given the meaning it deserves? This is likely too complex an issue for a short concise… More reviews
- "We laughed at that."
- Linda Shelnutt has written a wonderful story of family here. It is obvious where her heart lies. She uses such simple and tender words to guide her readers through personal adventures. The importance of family so evident and the short sentence I used as a title from the middle of this story shows me clearly the ease in which her family communicated. This… More reviews
- What do we get?
- In this tale of Florence Colorado Miss Shelnutt introduces us to her aunts. These are the women who ran the Malt Shop above her mother's bakery. We get another glance at the sheer determination of our ancestors who made this country great. She also gives us a glance at what happens when these people are put aside. Thankfully Miss Shelnutt… More reviews
- Beautiful, Heartwarming Story
- This lovely story is a tribute to Annie. She was a hard worker all her life. Annie, along with the support of her two sisters, ran a bakery. The mouth-watering treats sound absolutely scrumptous. I admire the way this family loves and supports each other, bringing one another up rather than tearing them down.
This story of Linda's… More reviews
