Frankie and Porky

Let me tell you about Frankie and Porky...

For some reason, which I don't remember, I was in the hospital with Marcia again. I know I was there getting my tonsils out, but I have no idea why Marcia was there. She was in the bed next to me, in the same room. It was Manitowoc Hospital, really old looking, with the metal beds and rails. I was so excited because Mom and Auntie Gen came to see us. I was so happy to see Auntie Gen that I sat up. But then my stomach felt sick and I pucked up blood all over my bed. I was scared when I saw all the blood, but then the nuns came and made me lay back down. They cleaned up the mess while I rested and Mom and Auntie Gen sat down. I guess the blood made them a little queasy because the nuns kept asking them if they were OK too.

After everything got all cleaned up, Mom and Auntie Gen gave Marcia a stuffed pink pig with a blue hat, and they gave me a stuffed monkey. He was brown with a yellow vest on and he held a banana. If you put the banana in his mouth he would hold it there because there was a hole cut out to let it fit in his mouth. We decided to name the pig Porky, after the cartoon character, and we named the monkey Frankie. I don't know why we picked that name, but it stuck. I know we still had Frankie when we moved to Menomonee Falls, years later. We even had him when w moved in to Appleton Avenue in the Falls.

I know we had a lot of tea parties with Frankie and Porky. We would eat cheerios on my grey and yellow tea set dishes. I even had grey plastic silverware with the tea set. We used to play "communion" with Starks candy. Even Frankie and Porky got communion. I know all you Catholics will remember this as you probably played the same thing as kids. Koolaid was our wine!