Gypsies Tramps & Thieves

Last night during my usual 1 A.M. bout with insomnia, I thought I would write up a little more about my history egotist that I am : )  Seriously speaking, I have been trying to research my ancestors and have been running into dead ends everywhere. I do know that my maternal grandfather came to the U.S. some time during WWI. He was married at the time but my grandmother didn't come until several years later. My grandfather was born in the Russian sector of Poland. Legend has it that his father bought my great-grandmother. It turns out that he was a gypsy, from where I think I will never know. My grandfather made his residence here in Northeastern Ohio and opened several taverns. He was known as "Gypsy John". He became a bootlegger during Prohibition. I've heard some hilarious stories on how they hid their whiskey under grandma's skirts! You can double-click on the picture to enlarge it. Grandfather is the handsome one with the moustache behind the bar (also, note the spittoons LOL!)  I never knew my grandfather. He died when my mother was 12. She was the youngest and dearest to him.

I was always fascinated by my Mom. Although she spoke Polish fluently, she didn't look Polish, with her dark hair and dark eyes.  She enjoyed dressing in peasant blouses and flared skirts. She said she was a gypsy but never learned any of their arts. I was fascinated by palmistry and card reading and began reading everything I could on those subjects (very little back then!!)  Once when I was about thirteen, we were walking home in the dark from a Church carnival. The moon was full. She told me we were witches but she never mentioned it again.

When I first moved to Mexico, I learned to read cards. They were not the typical Tarot as we know them. They were picture cards much like the minor arcana. In other words, they were the Tarot without the major arcana. You read the deck by spreading the cards out in rows of ten. You would find the card most resembling the querent and count every seventh card, reading off what you thought to be the meaning (all by rote). You would then repeat the process using the Aces of each suit. One card signified "en la puerta de tu casa" - at the door to your house. We always laughed because that card always came up.

I've learned a lot since then. Tarot, Runes, you name it, I've tried it. I always wondered if any of my children (I have four) would inherit any of this. My oldest daughter is a Scorpio and she is very into Astrology. She always warns me ahead of time when Mercury is going retrograde. Problems with communications aka phones, computers, email!!!  and people.  I know my son knew when 'Hawk sent some dragons here one year. He was already in college then. He told me there were some "things" outside his door the night before. I really laughed at that. Our Christmas Tree fell over that night. We all seem to have some sort of psychic link. We finish each other's sentences, and most often feel when something is wrong.  My oldest grandson (3 years old) is always talking about dragons. The other day, he was sitting in the kitchen, looked up and said "don't go that way, the bad dragon is there". He's always talking about *his* dragon. Then, this week, my daughter brought me some pictures that her husband took of my GrandGirl. Hmmm....maybe these things skip a generation!!!  You be the judge!

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