School Project

So, Little Sister messaged me on Facebook to let me know that our Grandniece Emma had a school project that involved her sending a notebook out into the world, to be passed from one relative or friend to another until it was full, and then returned to Emma.  Big responsibility. 

The objective was for each participant to provide a short biography about themselves, their family and  where they lived.  A passel of adults of her acquaintance in other states would have to keep the string going and see it through.  A little girl's extra credit hung in the balance.

Anyway, it arrived today from Cali, with biographies from Emma's cousins (Detroit), Great Aunt Jane - my Little Sister (Cali) and her daughters Laura (Cali) and Katie (New York).  Now it was my turn (Texas), and with luck it would be passed again and again, with a happy outcome for our Emma.  Anyway, I knocked out a first draft and sent it to my sister to review.  Still waiting for her response.  
 
Hi, my name is Pete, and I am Emma's Great Uncle.  I moved to Texas from Detroit in 1985.  When I got here, the first thing I read was a bumper sticker that said "will the last person leaving Michigan please turn out the lights".  Turns out a lot of us Michiganders were moving to Texas back then, and boy, for a while there they were pissed!  Last year, they finally took the probationary sticker off my driver's license, and I am now a full fledged Texan.  I am looking forward to the opportunity to vote for the first time in my adopted state, but I am bitter.  If I had just snuck across the border from Mexico, I could have voted right away, and also qualified for discounts on margaritas every Cinco de Mayo. 
 
When I got here, I was curious as to why there were so many Democrats in Michigan, and relatively few in Texas.  Turns out it's because most of the Republicans left Michigan, while the Democrats all stayed because they are not big on travelling.  In Houston there are a fair number of Democrats, and I have noticed that none of them like manual labor.  I have yet to meet a Democrat who cuts their own grass, for example.  Instead, they have Illegal Immigrants do it and pay them $3 per hour.  Man, Democrats sure do like servants.  They use Illegals for child care, lawn care, home care, hair care, car care and pet care.  Say what you will, but back in Michigan the Democrats would at least break a sweat.
 
When I left Detroit in 1985, it caused quite an uproar, coming as it did so soon after the shame I brought upon the family in 1977 by moving out of the house into an apartment before I was married.  Unbeknownst to me this was scandalous behavior that caused my grandparents, aunts and uncles much consternation, except for Grandma Smith, who spent her adult life playing piano and serving drinks in Speakeasies.  She declared that "Peter could damn well live on his own if he wanted to, and I said three fingers of whiskey Joanie, not two."  It only occurred to me later that when I moved out, Granny Smith got my room.  And even though I was the Black Sheep of the family, I was still spoiled when I came home to visit.
 
Our extended family is very culturally and ethnically diverse.  My Brother Tom married a purebred Italian girl named Marilyn Ancona, Sister Sue married a purebred Polish lad named John Malkowski, and Little Sister Jane married a purebred German boy named Mark Seidl.  Our Dad immediately nicknamed them "the Dago, the Polack and the Kraut", which would cause Mom to roll her eyes and say "Oh Thomas!"  My brother and sisters all got married shortly after graduating from high school, and they and their spouses got busy.  Soon we were awash in fourth generation crumb snatchers, which Grandma Smith used to shoo away from her feet with the back of her hands.....

Anyway, that's as far as I got, and I am now awaiting Little Sisters critique.  Stay tuned....