Process Note–Little Lolo Stories

I think I might know where the Little Lolo stories might be heading–and it all goes back to the death of the Jefe or the death of my Grandfather in the late 90’s. I might have to jump ahead that much because when the Grandfather died there was a funeral and mourning but not like a lot of people I knew–there was more of a dash for things because the Grandfather had no will. He had some life insurance left to some cousins of mine but nothing else. And because the boys got along so poorly there was no real coming together of the family–only bad feelings.

The Tios changed the locks on the house and then soldthe house–they found the Jefito’s treasures–some coinc and an old army sidearms the Jefe was supposed to of had. They went through his tools and his belongings–old saddles and things like that.

What I have left–the only thing I have left and probably the oldest possession I can remember having is a Korean era canteen–the holster is dated 1949 and the actual metal container is dated 1918. I read it last night for the first time in years. I imagined as a kid it was the Jefe’s from WW II but it might have been thebrothers from Korea. I remember the Jefita used to poor baking soda inside to clean it and D says it probably has lead in it–pewter(sp?) I guess–and D says that has lead in it.

I remember wearing it on fishing trips and wearing it around the old house on Spruce. I thought it was what men wore–men like the Jefe. Men who smoked and had tattoos.

Oh when the Jefe died there was a much famed little black book of money owed and expenses never recouped (sp?). My sister was in it for an extension cord is what the Tios said. And I wonder if I was in it for a box of baseball cards–the car lock I busted or the tape measure I broke.

Anyway, long story short, I want to return closer to the present and the house on Spruce being locked up and sold apart and then finally sold. I also have an image of the Tios busting the back of an antique dresser because the Jefe had a lock on one of the draers where he kept his army documents and coinc and the antique sidearm. It seems sad they did that but the Jefe was such a hard man–such a tough disciplinarian and old time man as my sister put it–they had noproblem busting it up with an axe for what they felt to be rightfully theres. SO the tools and the guns are gone–the saddles are out in Denver or in CO SPrings now with the boys–but I have the stories and I have the will to vision everything. To deal with it in words the boys didn’t have.