Cindy's Blog

My home on the web since 1995

recent posts

  • Mother’s Day 2026

    Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms. Here is a photo of my Mom taken sometime in the late 1950s. She was around 17 years old in this photo. Joan Doucette Winterkorn (1938-2024).

    While looking for a photo of my mom to post to Facebook for Mother’s Day, I stumbled upon what is probably a better or more realistic Mother’s Day photo. Those early days with the twins were pretty much a blur of stress and sleep deprivation. Twins are hard enough, but medical fragility adds a whole new level of exhaustion. It’s hard to tell which twin this is (they are identical), but I’m guessing this is Aaron because he had a tracheostomy for four years, and we used a pulse oximeter on his foot at night. That would be why one foot is cut out of his feetsie pajamas. You can see his portable suction machine and nebulizer on the coffee table. And Aaron was the easier of the two. Eric was and still is the more difficult of my kids. He is charming but challenging.

  • National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day

    March 25, 2026, is National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day. CP is a common lifelong motor disability that requires resilience, uniqueness, and support for individuals living with CP. 

    This is a particularly difficult time for people with disabilities because of the current administration’s proposals, such as the Save America Act, which would create barriers for people with disabilities through strict voter ID and mail-in rules. In addition to the planned dismantling of the US Department of Education, current lawmakers are talking about moving the Office of Special Education Programs out of the Department of Education! They are also debating reductions in Medicaid, housing insecurity, transportation, and disability services by trying to shift towards block grants, which caps funding for social, health, and rehabilitation services.

    When considering some of our most vulnerable citizens, the 2026 midterm elections are extremely important and will impact the future of Medicaid and disability supports. Children and adults with CP and their families already have enough challenges without having to constantly fight for needed supports and health care. Remember, we are all just an illness or accident away from a disability.

    In addition to the Epstein files, tariffs, the war in Iran, tax breaks for the wealthy, ICE, the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, and the daily stress and distractions from you-know-who, here is just one more reason to vote blue in November.

  • Easy-Bake Ovens

    Easy-Bake Oven
    Easy-Bake Oven

    The photo below was taken about 1965. As I recall, this was an Easy-Bake Oven tea party. I wish the oven were in the photo. But we are eating whatever it was we baked with a light bulb! This was taken at the old Winterkorn homestead at 175 Lake Street, Waltham, MA. The old gas stove in the background had to be lit with a match. You can see an old matchstick holder in the upper right corner.

    left to right: Cousin Sandy, Cindy and Sue

  • Santa Claus

    I think this photo is from Christmas 1959, because I look to be around 2 years old. This photo was taken at the famous Grover Cronin’s Department store.  This was THE place to shop in Waltham, MA, back in the early to mid-1900s. “Cronin’s,” as we called it, had the REAL Santa Claus, who would fly in by helicopter, and he was the main event for the annual Christmas Parade on Moody Street.  Most kids who grew up in Waltham at that time had one of these photos.
    Sadly, Cronin’s went out of business in 1989, mostly because of large shopping malls.  Ironically, the shopping malls are now going out of business.  Who would have thought? The sight of the old Grover Cronin’s is now condominiums.

  • A Day That Will Live in Infamy

    December 7th, 1941, is a day that will live in infamy. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to visit Oahu this year. My great-uncle was there that day and witnessed the attack from Ford Island. His family still lives in Honolulu and invited us to visit.

    Of course, the one question people ask when you visit Hawaii is, “Did you go to Pearl Harbor?” Yes, we did. Here is a photo of the USS Arizona Memorial, the most poignant symbol of the attack and the greatest loss of life.

    Post about Pearl Harbor Day from December 7, 2021.

    More photos from our trip to Hawaii.