Diary April 2, 1960: Time to Pick a Confirmation Name

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"Dear Diary--

Bondsville today. Fun. Stephie has a new sewing machine, so Kathy can keep her old one. We're working on a mystery about that house. Kathy and I had loads of fun with the machine--it's the kind with the pedal you work back and forth--an old-fashioned Singer.

Uncle Eddie came--Rockport doesn't sound so bad any more--we called California.--everything's fine out there, it's Sandy's birthday. They're painting their bedroom lavendar, it's already been started.

I can't think of a good mystery, darn.

No test in Catechism. Confirmation this year, pretty soon, what for my name?"

Bondsville was the rural town where some of my best friend Kathy's relatives lived: a nearly deaf granny and some aunts in an old farmhouse, if I remember rightly. They were Polish immigrants who spoke little English. Between that and the deafness, communication was nearly nil. My own grandmother was also a Polish immigrant, though, so I was used to it.

Rockport, MA was the beach town where my Uncle Eddie had decided we would begin vacationing, instead of Harwichport, MA. Every year Cape Cod was getting more crowded, and he wanted to move operations northward. It was a good decision. Some of my happiest memories are of Rockport. I used to fantasize about living there; at one point in my life, I had the means to do it, but somehow thought for such a magical place I needed special dispensation. Now I've got the nerve but not the money.

My confrmation name ended up being Margaret Mary. I'm ashamed to report that I picked it (although I made up a plausible story to tell the sisters of St. Joseph) purely so that my initials would be CMMMC.