Monday, June 29, 2009
Have Truck Will Travel
Once I had Pat (our new neighbor) to run around with, we went and did a lot of things. We only had one car and Dave needed it to go back and forth to work. If I needed the car to go shopping or appointments I would get up early and take him to work and then have to go pick him back up. Well, Pat and Dick had two vehicles. Dick drove his motorcycle to work and Pat had a pickup with a camper on the back. We loaded our kids in there and went lots of places. Even in the summertime, we had a lot of low clouds or high fog what ever you want to call it. In other words we didn't have as much sunny weather as people farther from the ocean did. We would pack up the kids and a picnic lunch and go across the Golden Gate Bridge to a beach near Sausalito. Our housing area was pretty close to the bridge and by the way it is not gold it is a brick red. The prettiest and most impressive bridge over there is the Bay Bridge. It is a double decker bridge, the upper part goes one way and the lower part the other way. It is the bridge that connects San Francisco to Oakland. The kids would play in the sand and run in the surf. Pat and I would just soak up some sun and enjoy the peace and quiet. It was just beautiful and we would spend the day there.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Training Course in Ft. Benning Georgia
Dave came down on orders for a special training school in Ft. Benning Georgia and would be gone several months. While he was gone I was going to take the kids and fly into Springfield Missouri and stay with my mom and dad until his school was over. Dave would then pick us up on the way back home to California,after his school was finished. Mom and dad were so excited about this, they hadn't been able to see our kids that much since we were in Germany for three years and then in California for three years. They did come see us right after Laura was born in Ft. Ord California.
Then Dave had a change of mind, and he called and said he wanted me and the kids to come to Benning and be with him for the few more months he had left. I told him no, that I would just be sitting in some hotel room all day with the kids while he was at school and then for his few drinks at the NCO club. I also told him that my parents would be so disappointed if we didn't go to their house.
I finally gave in though because he rented a small apartment in Columbus and they had a swimming pool for us to use while Dave would be working. Mom and Dad were disappointed of course but they came to Georgia to our little apartment with us for a nice visit. They went to the pool with us every day and watched the kids swim.
One afternoon Laura and Danny were out on the front porch when there was a very loud crack of lightening. It scared mom, dad and me inside the apartment and terrified the kids especially Laura. She screamed when it cracked and my folks and I both jumped up and ran to her. She was okay, just very very scared. The next day at the pool it started getting cloudy and she started getting so scared that we had to cut our swim short and take her home. To Laura, a cloudy sky meant a large scarey noise. She was two and a half and it was hard to make her understand that it wasn't going to lightening while we were swimming. She was afraid of a cloudy sky for quite some time after that.
Then Dave had a change of mind, and he called and said he wanted me and the kids to come to Benning and be with him for the few more months he had left. I told him no, that I would just be sitting in some hotel room all day with the kids while he was at school and then for his few drinks at the NCO club. I also told him that my parents would be so disappointed if we didn't go to their house.
I finally gave in though because he rented a small apartment in Columbus and they had a swimming pool for us to use while Dave would be working. Mom and Dad were disappointed of course but they came to Georgia to our little apartment with us for a nice visit. They went to the pool with us every day and watched the kids swim.
One afternoon Laura and Danny were out on the front porch when there was a very loud crack of lightening. It scared mom, dad and me inside the apartment and terrified the kids especially Laura. She screamed when it cracked and my folks and I both jumped up and ran to her. She was okay, just very very scared. The next day at the pool it started getting cloudy and she started getting so scared that we had to cut our swim short and take her home. To Laura, a cloudy sky meant a large scarey noise. She was two and a half and it was hard to make her understand that it wasn't going to lightening while we were swimming. She was afraid of a cloudy sky for quite some time after that.
A Little About Laura
Laura was a very friendly and outgoing little girl. She made friends very easily and warmed up to just about everyone. She always had a bunch of friends. She was a very happy little baby, hardlly ever cried. My dad had even commented upon leaving from a week's visit that he had not heard her cry at all in the whole week he was there. Her needs were taken care of and she was very contented. As she got older she would approach anyone and everyone, there was no such thing as a stranger to her. She did seem to prefer men when we were in a setting that she was exposed to both men and women. I didn't like the "approaching strangers" part of her personality and really had to keep an eye on her when we were out in public or she would be sitting on someone's lap. She learned that this wasn't a good thing to do as she got older of course.
Her favorite things to play with were her doll George and the baby buggy. We lived in a six plex and had carports across from us and we were also at a dead end. This was ideal for little kids to play because anyone driving up there was going real slow. I would prop our front door open so she could come in if she wanted to. She would push George up and down the sidewalk in the buggy. She also had a good selection of trikes and tyke bikes and assorted ride on toys and wagons ect.
When she was inside she would sit for a very long time playing with her "little people". I had bought her a couple of the Fisher Price L'il People playsets. Each set came with a few little people and a few pieces of furniture or other accessories. She loved them so much that I got her the Fisher Price Dollhouse for her next birthday. There was a lock on our bedroom door that would let the door open a few inches but not all the way. I was in the bedroom wrapping her dollhouse when she opened the door that few inches. I thought I had jumped up and blocked her view of the gift, however the next day on her birthday she asked me if she could open her dollhouse. lol
We didn't have Barney like the kids of today have. We had Sesame Street and the Electric Company and Laura just loved them. When they were on she was just mesmerized. She would sing along with all the songs and particularly liked Big Bird. She also liked a show called the Banana Splits. (I think that was the name of it.) Danny liked this one too.
I would often go next door and get Monica to come play with her. They played so nice together and I preferred having them in our house. Laura was a year and a half younger than Monica and I just needed my baby girl close by.
Now this one might surprise someone, from a very young age she already loved babies. She just couldn't keep her hands off of them. This did eventually become a little problem. As she got older she would try carrying the little kids around. She wasn't big enough to do this safely. One mother in particular would get very upset when she saw Laura picking up her little one and would come knocking on our door to let me know about it. This is actually the only thing that I can remember that she ever did that I had to punish her for (between the ages of two and six).
She simply could not resist loving and holding these little kids. She told me when she grew up she was going to have lots of kids.
Her favorite things to play with were her doll George and the baby buggy. We lived in a six plex and had carports across from us and we were also at a dead end. This was ideal for little kids to play because anyone driving up there was going real slow. I would prop our front door open so she could come in if she wanted to. She would push George up and down the sidewalk in the buggy. She also had a good selection of trikes and tyke bikes and assorted ride on toys and wagons ect.
When she was inside she would sit for a very long time playing with her "little people". I had bought her a couple of the Fisher Price L'il People playsets. Each set came with a few little people and a few pieces of furniture or other accessories. She loved them so much that I got her the Fisher Price Dollhouse for her next birthday. There was a lock on our bedroom door that would let the door open a few inches but not all the way. I was in the bedroom wrapping her dollhouse when she opened the door that few inches. I thought I had jumped up and blocked her view of the gift, however the next day on her birthday she asked me if she could open her dollhouse. lol
We didn't have Barney like the kids of today have. We had Sesame Street and the Electric Company and Laura just loved them. When they were on she was just mesmerized. She would sing along with all the songs and particularly liked Big Bird. She also liked a show called the Banana Splits. (I think that was the name of it.) Danny liked this one too.
I would often go next door and get Monica to come play with her. They played so nice together and I preferred having them in our house. Laura was a year and a half younger than Monica and I just needed my baby girl close by.
Now this one might surprise someone, from a very young age she already loved babies. She just couldn't keep her hands off of them. This did eventually become a little problem. As she got older she would try carrying the little kids around. She wasn't big enough to do this safely. One mother in particular would get very upset when she saw Laura picking up her little one and would come knocking on our door to let me know about it. This is actually the only thing that I can remember that she ever did that I had to punish her for (between the ages of two and six).
She simply could not resist loving and holding these little kids. She told me when she grew up she was going to have lots of kids.
A Little About Danny
Danny was a fairly quiet little boy. He played sports as he got older (he started with baseball at age seven I think) and when he was in a game he would play hard and put everything he could into it. When he was in normal play outside, he went to it with all the gusto he could muster. However, in a crowd, he was more comfortable to be quiet in the background. He was very slow to warm up to anyone, and made friends cautiously. Throughout his whole childhood, he never had more than two or three good friends at any one time.Keep in mind that we moved a lot and he had to readjust to new schools and new kids every few years. This is difficult for anyone to do, and it was harder for him because he took a long time to pick his friends He was very uncomfortable in a group.
I am just writing about when he was under eight or so for now. This is difficult to do because so very many things happen in a childhood, but I am for now trying to pick out some of the highlights about his young personality. My mind is really racing trying to do this.
His favorite things to play between ages two and eight were with his tonka trucks, hot wheels, little army men. He loved to be outside on the run, he played a lot in the woods beside our home at the base in San Francisco. They had forts and clubhouses and who know what all stems in a child's imagination. He had two very good friends and they were kind of like the three musketeers. Their names were Anthony and Lee. Funny that I would remember this. For his birthday party he just wanted to invite those two boys, he did not want a group of kids to come.
He and the "guys" thought they were Evil Knevil. They built ramps and jumped their bikes. I didn't really like this because I was afraid he was going to get hurt (remember all the stitches he has had already) and because it was bending the rims on his front wheel. It is one of those things he shouldn't have been doing and he knew it, but that I just chose to ignore. Picked my battles I guess. It just wasn't all that important.
When I started this I was going to write a little bit about Danny's personality and then about Laura's. However this is getting a lot longer than I intended so will write some about Laura in another blog.
I am just writing about when he was under eight or so for now. This is difficult to do because so very many things happen in a childhood, but I am for now trying to pick out some of the highlights about his young personality. My mind is really racing trying to do this.
His favorite things to play between ages two and eight were with his tonka trucks, hot wheels, little army men. He loved to be outside on the run, he played a lot in the woods beside our home at the base in San Francisco. They had forts and clubhouses and who know what all stems in a child's imagination. He had two very good friends and they were kind of like the three musketeers. Their names were Anthony and Lee. Funny that I would remember this. For his birthday party he just wanted to invite those two boys, he did not want a group of kids to come.
He and the "guys" thought they were Evil Knevil. They built ramps and jumped their bikes. I didn't really like this because I was afraid he was going to get hurt (remember all the stitches he has had already) and because it was bending the rims on his front wheel. It is one of those things he shouldn't have been doing and he knew it, but that I just chose to ignore. Picked my battles I guess. It just wasn't all that important.
When I started this I was going to write a little bit about Danny's personality and then about Laura's. However this is getting a lot longer than I intended so will write some about Laura in another blog.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Seventies Fashions
The seventies were a lot of fun in the fashion world. It was full of bell bottoms, mini skirts, short shorts and go-go boots. I, of course, was always in style and enjoyed this decade for a lot of reasons. I had all of the before mentioned items and especially loved my white vinyl knee high go-go boots. I was really quite amused when I found my little two year old Laura a pair of white boots also. She was so cute in them and got a lot of comments.
I did a lot of sewing in the early seventies (well actually I did a lot of sewing longer than that). I enjoyed sewing and was quite good at it. I made most of Laura's clothes when she was little, mostly little dresses and short sets. I made her and I dresses out of the same material once and we really looked sharp although my son still teases me about this. I made him one shirt to match a play set of Laura's but found that button holes were too hard with the old machine I had so I didn't make him anymore shirts. I think Danny was glad about this. lol I did make Laura and I skirts and tops to match some years later to wear when we went to Germany again. It was a seventies thing---what else can I say.
The guys wore a lot of plaid polyester jackets and solid colored leisure suits and the boys had hush puppies for dress shoes. They also sometimes wore white belts and shoes. Danny and Dave both had the white belts but no white shoes. Dave wore his white belt with his light blue leisure suit. Danny's dressy outfit was solid colored pants and a houndstooth sport jacket. The jacket was big enough on him he was able to wear it a couple of years. He only dressed up so seldom that I felt it would be a waste of money to buy him more dressy clothes.
It was fun to be fashionable in the seventies.
I did a lot of sewing in the early seventies (well actually I did a lot of sewing longer than that). I enjoyed sewing and was quite good at it. I made most of Laura's clothes when she was little, mostly little dresses and short sets. I made her and I dresses out of the same material once and we really looked sharp although my son still teases me about this. I made him one shirt to match a play set of Laura's but found that button holes were too hard with the old machine I had so I didn't make him anymore shirts. I think Danny was glad about this. lol I did make Laura and I skirts and tops to match some years later to wear when we went to Germany again. It was a seventies thing---what else can I say.
The guys wore a lot of plaid polyester jackets and solid colored leisure suits and the boys had hush puppies for dress shoes. They also sometimes wore white belts and shoes. Danny and Dave both had the white belts but no white shoes. Dave wore his white belt with his light blue leisure suit. Danny's dressy outfit was solid colored pants and a houndstooth sport jacket. The jacket was big enough on him he was able to wear it a couple of years. He only dressed up so seldom that I felt it would be a waste of money to buy him more dressy clothes.
It was fun to be fashionable in the seventies.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Long Walks And The Smith Family
Our new home on the San Francisco base was right on the edge of the housing area. We could cut through on a path between the tennis courts and the woods and be in the outskirts of the city. In fact Danny's school was very near that area. We quite often took long walks through that area just looking everything over and enjoying the sights. We also did a lot of talking on these walks. We just strolled along slowly, we weren't in any hurry because we were going nowhere in particular. Walking slowly also gave Laura's short little legs a chance to keep up, afterall she had to take a lot more steps than we did. We would usually stop at a little diner and have a soda or an ice cream cone. After the refreshments and the rest, we were all ready to head toward home.
About six to eight months after we moved in we got new neighbors. The Smith family moved in next door to us. The couple was Pat and Dick and they had two little girls named Shannon and Monica. Shannon was Danny's age and Monica was about a year and a half older than Laura. Danny would have liked it a whole lot better if Shannon had been a boy because we ended up being very close friends with Pat and Dick. The four kids were together many times because us four adults would be playing pinochle at the house. Pat and the girls also became part of our walks and other outings we would take. Monica and Laura played real nice together and there was rarely a problem out of any of them.
About six to eight months after we moved in we got new neighbors. The Smith family moved in next door to us. The couple was Pat and Dick and they had two little girls named Shannon and Monica. Shannon was Danny's age and Monica was about a year and a half older than Laura. Danny would have liked it a whole lot better if Shannon had been a boy because we ended up being very close friends with Pat and Dick. The four kids were together many times because us four adults would be playing pinochle at the house. Pat and the girls also became part of our walks and other outings we would take. Monica and Laura played real nice together and there was rarely a problem out of any of them.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Childhood illness's
To tell this story I have to date back to '66. When Danny was only a few months old we had to put him into the hospital with bronchitis, the hospital was in Frankfort Germany. So to visit him, I would take a military bus that had a route up and back to the hospital every day. He was in there for just a few days but it seemed like an eternity to me.
Then one day I was sitting in the infirmary (military doctor's office) with my baby boy on my lap. Danny was probably about six or seven months old at the most. I was in the infirmary for me, I had an appointment to talk to the doctor or something. I know it couldn't have been for a check-up or I wouldn't have brought Danny with me. As I was waiting I was watching Danny break out in little red dots. I noticed it at first on his little neck so I thought it was just an irritation from something. But the longer I sat there the more that rash spread. By the time I went in to the doctor's office it was pretty much all over his body. It was the measles--thankfully not the more serious kind.
Then one day I was sitting in the infirmary (military doctor's office) with my baby boy on my lap. Danny was probably about six or seven months old at the most. I was in the infirmary for me, I had an appointment to talk to the doctor or something. I know it couldn't have been for a check-up or I wouldn't have brought Danny with me. As I was waiting I was watching Danny break out in little red dots. I noticed it at first on his little neck so I thought it was just an irritation from something. But the longer I sat there the more that rash spread. By the time I went in to the doctor's office it was pretty much all over his body. It was the measles--thankfully not the more serious kind.
When I was seven or eight months pregnant with Laura, Danny caught the mumps. The doctor was a little more worried that I might catch them since I could not remember if I have had them. I did not catch them and Danny got a lot of tlc (tender loving care) and ice cream to help him recover.
Then when he was in the first grade, his school mates shared the chicken pox with him and he shared them with his baby sister. It is nice to share and quite frankly it was good to get them over with for both of them. Laura caught a "better" case of them than her brother did, really quite pitiful because her body was so little and the breakout seemed even worse .
Whenever my kids got sick (colds and flu) Danny would get strep throat and Laura would get serious ear infections. When I say serious, I mean that if we didn't catch it in time and get her on an antibiotic, her eardrums would perforate. This is an excruciating pain that no one except hardened criminals, especially child predators, should have to experience. (opinion of the author) . It was here while we were living in San Francisco that Laura got tubes put in her ears. This made a world of difference in her health even though she did continue to have problems throughout her childhood. Danny got his tonsils removed while we were in San Francisco also and it did cut down on the throat infections.
I think this brings us up to date on most of the accidents and health problems up until and including 1972.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Pinewood Derby and the Cubmobile
It was about the second grade that Danny joined the cub scouts. One of the first projects he did was to make a race car with his dad for the pinewood derby (racing against the other boys cars.) He was given a kit for this that included a block of balsa wood, sandpaper and I think it must have included the axles and wheels. The two of them put a lot of work in to this, it had a lot of carving and sanding to be done. Danny painted it red and put a number on it---I can't recall the number but I wouldn't be surprised if it was #1. The cars were raced on a real cool track at a Pack meeting (this is when all the dens of scouts get together). He didn't win, but didn't expect to. His reward was the memories he made with his dad making it.
A few years later all the dens of scouts made a cubmobile with the dad's. This was a regular size go cart. Danny really liked working on that and was looking forward to race day. He was in Den #1 and they won all the races that day. It was so exciting. Each scout in the den would ride it down the ramp and into a haybale placed in a designated spot. We all had a good time that day.
A few years later all the dens of scouts made a cubmobile with the dad's. This was a regular size go cart. Danny really liked working on that and was looking forward to race day. He was in Den #1 and they won all the races that day. It was so exciting. Each scout in the den would ride it down the ramp and into a haybale placed in a designated spot. We all had a good time that day.
Allergies
It was around this time that Danny came in from playing outside with a swollen face. You couldn't see his nose at all except the nostrils. Under his eyes and across his upper face were all puffed up as if he had been beaten on. Keep in mind now that this is after three sets of stitches and having a t-shirt torn off of him at school (and he was only six or seven years old). My first response was "who has been beating on your face!" When the answer was no-one, I loaded him up and took him to the emergency room. It was an allergy reaction and he was given some medication that helped a lot. We had him tested and he was allergic to just about all grasses and weeds---with the real culprit being fresh mowed grass.Even though he wasn't tested for it, he was/is allergic to cats also. He would mess with and play with any and all cats or kittens his friends might have. He would come home with his face all swollen up again. I still can't imagine that the pleasure of playing with a cat is worth having your face swell up. I never have liked cats anyway
Monday, June 8, 2009
George
Laura's first baby doll was a little rubber doll, with arms, legs and a head that would move. There was no added hair---it was of the rubber also. This little doll came with a diaper, and was wrapped in a pretty little pink blanket--it even came with a bottle to feed the baby with. No it did not really drink anything and didn't go potty. She just loved this doll so much. When asked what she was going to name her dolly she said "his" name is "George". She had decided right off that if the doll had no hair it must be a boy. I don't know where or how she came up with that name because we didn't know anyone named George except my dad. She may have heard my mom call my dad George and just remembered it. Who knows, doesn't matter, his name is George. lol
Through the years she received several more dolls, but George remained her favorite. She got a Raggedy Ann doll that she didn't necessarily want, in fact she didn't even like it. "I" liked it and thought she should have one. She did have one ragdoll similar to Raggedy Ann that was a blonde with a blue dress on. She played with this one okay but not Raggedy. She did get another doll she just loved also, it was her Baby Crissy. Baby Crissy was a beautiful redhead (baby doll) and you could make her hair grow and put it back short. However, George remained her all time favorite.
Through the years she received several more dolls, but George remained her favorite. She got a Raggedy Ann doll that she didn't necessarily want, in fact she didn't even like it. "I" liked it and thought she should have one. She did have one ragdoll similar to Raggedy Ann that was a blonde with a blue dress on. She played with this one okay but not Raggedy. She did get another doll she just loved also, it was her Baby Crissy. Baby Crissy was a beautiful redhead (baby doll) and you could make her hair grow and put it back short. However, George remained her all time favorite.
Bedtime and the Orange Crayon
When we were moving to San Francisco from Minot we decided not to take Laura's crib. We figured that it wouldn't be long before she would be going into a big girl bed anyway. Dave's folks put the crib up in their attic, awaiting any future nieces or nephews.
Danny had some bunkbeds that we bought for him in Minot. Laura used her crib through that year. We bought her a bed when we got to San Francisco. Most people would have bought the nearly two year old a youth bed or a single bed. We decided to get her a double bed so if she wanted to have a friend sleep over (in the future) there would be enough room. We also had a bed for any overnight guests we may have.
Laura was so little she couldn't even get up into her bed. We had to lift her up on it when we went to tuck her in. One night when Dave and I were going to bed, we found her sleeping on the rug beside her bed. She was so darned cute. She obviously had gotten out of bed for something and then couldn't get back up.
Whenever it was Laura's naptime, I would put the safety gate across her bedroom door. She would just call me when she was finished napping. One day she seemed to be "sleeping" quite a bit longer than usual so I went up to check on her. She was a very busy baby girl, she had an orange crayon and had colored lots and lots of squiggles and loops all over the back of her bedroom door. This artwork was from as high as she could reach, clear on down to the floor. I had her help me clean it up and she never colored on anything she wasn't suppose to again. It seems to me that I also put her crayons up a little higher. lol
Danny had some bunkbeds that we bought for him in Minot. Laura used her crib through that year. We bought her a bed when we got to San Francisco. Most people would have bought the nearly two year old a youth bed or a single bed. We decided to get her a double bed so if she wanted to have a friend sleep over (in the future) there would be enough room. We also had a bed for any overnight guests we may have.
Laura was so little she couldn't even get up into her bed. We had to lift her up on it when we went to tuck her in. One night when Dave and I were going to bed, we found her sleeping on the rug beside her bed. She was so darned cute. She obviously had gotten out of bed for something and then couldn't get back up.
Whenever it was Laura's naptime, I would put the safety gate across her bedroom door. She would just call me when she was finished napping. One day she seemed to be "sleeping" quite a bit longer than usual so I went up to check on her. She was a very busy baby girl, she had an orange crayon and had colored lots and lots of squiggles and loops all over the back of her bedroom door. This artwork was from as high as she could reach, clear on down to the floor. I had her help me clean it up and she never colored on anything she wasn't suppose to again. It seems to me that I also put her crayons up a little higher. lol
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Danny's Second Set of Stitches
I had to go back and re-title a post in May that I had said was his second set of stitches. The one with the cut on the knee in his pool was his third set of stitches. This is the second set--- a cut above his left eyebrow while we were living with Kathy in St. Louis. We had taken Darren for a checkup to his pediatrician. Danny was sitting and playing around at a little table and chair set in the waiting room. He slipped off of the chair and hit his head on the edge of the table. Now one would think that since it happened in a pediatrician's office, that he could fix it right? Wrong!! He wasn't equipped to do stitches so we had to take him to a nearby hospital emergency room.
So my little fellow had three sets of stitches by the age of five. I was within a few feet of him for two of the accidents above his eyes (the first set was up close to his hairline). There is just no way you can prevent an accident like that from happening. When he got the cut to the knee, I was inside the house with Laura but could see the kids playing in the water.
So now the saga of Danny's stitches has been straightened out. Maybe these three accidents were a premonition to future accidents---ya' think?
So my little fellow had three sets of stitches by the age of five. I was within a few feet of him for two of the accidents above his eyes (the first set was up close to his hairline). There is just no way you can prevent an accident like that from happening. When he got the cut to the knee, I was inside the house with Laura but could see the kids playing in the water.
So now the saga of Danny's stitches has been straightened out. Maybe these three accidents were a premonition to future accidents---ya' think?
Friday, June 5, 2009
First Grade and the Peach
Shortly after moving to San Francisco, the kids had their 2nd and 6th summer birthdays. We celebrated both birthdays with cake and ice cream and a few gifts. We just had a family party, just the four of us. The only gift I can remember is Danny's Snoopy lunchbox because he would be starting school in a few weeks.
Yes, in just a few weeks I was to put this small 6 year old boy on a bus to go off of the base to a public San Francisco school and trust that somehow he was going to return to me. I wanted to keep him home all safe and warm under my care. This is the first time in my parenting days that I was traumatized. There were to be several more through the years, but this was devastating to me. When the dreaded day came I walked him down to the bus stop a few blocks away. Now this was a walk that he was quite capable of doing himself, but not today!!! lol I did put him on that school bus that day, and I asked the bus driver how in the world was he going to get him home. He assured me that they have been doing this for many years and they never lost a child yet. Of course I worried and stewed about it most of the day and I was at that bus stop to meet him when and if he ever got home. It was nothing short of a miracle to me that he did return home.
One day Danny came home from school with a large bulge in his pocket. I asked him what it was and he pulled his ripped tee shirt out of the pocket. When I asked him what happened he said that a peach boy ripped it off of him at recess. I inquired what a peach boy was and he replied that he wasn't black and he wasn't white, he was a peach.
Yes, in just a few weeks I was to put this small 6 year old boy on a bus to go off of the base to a public San Francisco school and trust that somehow he was going to return to me. I wanted to keep him home all safe and warm under my care. This is the first time in my parenting days that I was traumatized. There were to be several more through the years, but this was devastating to me. When the dreaded day came I walked him down to the bus stop a few blocks away. Now this was a walk that he was quite capable of doing himself, but not today!!! lol I did put him on that school bus that day, and I asked the bus driver how in the world was he going to get him home. He assured me that they have been doing this for many years and they never lost a child yet. Of course I worried and stewed about it most of the day and I was at that bus stop to meet him when and if he ever got home. It was nothing short of a miracle to me that he did return home.
One day Danny came home from school with a large bulge in his pocket. I asked him what it was and he pulled his ripped tee shirt out of the pocket. When I asked him what happened he said that a peach boy ripped it off of him at recess. I inquired what a peach boy was and he replied that he wasn't black and he wasn't white, he was a peach.
Move to San Francisco and the Oakland Zoo
Dave come back from his second tour in Viet Nam in early summer of '72. Our next assignment was in the Presidio of San Francisco. We had a little time to get everything ready for the packers and for Dave to see his extended family before we headed west again.We had to give our dog away, it broke our hearts but we felt it was the best decision for the dog. Dave had heard that there was little to no yards in San Francisco and that he wouldn't have anyplace to run around and no place for us to walk him to do his "thing". As it turned out, we did have a yard but he would have had to be on a chain because it wasn't fenced. We had a large woods right out beside us.
Our quarters were very nice. It was two story with the bathroom and three bedrooms upstairs and the living & dining rooms and the kitchen downstairs. If I had to pick something wrong with it, it would be that the only bathroom was upstairs. One of my first purchases was a safety gate to put across the top of the stairs at night. I was afraid that one of the kids, and in particular the baby, would get up in the middle of the night and turn the wrong way and fall down the stairs. She navigated them pretty well during the day, afterall she was going on two years old. lol Most of the time she was downstairs with me.
The first family fun thing we did together was to go to the Oakland Zoo, across the double decker Bay Bridge. They had a small amusement park so we put the kids on a few rides before going to look at the animals. The first ride we saw was the carousel (merry-go- round). So the kids and I got on, Danny of course was a big boy and was able to get on his horse with just a small boost to get his foot in the stirrup. I lifted Laura on her horse of choice and stayed there to be sure she didn't fall off. When the ride was over, Danny hopped off and was ready and eager for the next ride. Laura, however, hung on to that pole with all her might. She didn't want off and the only way she was going to come off was if I physically forced her to. I told Dave that she wasn't going to get off so give me a couple more tickets and he could go put Danny on a few more rides. After all the rides we went over to the petting zoo and had a great time. It was a wonderful day.
Our quarters were very nice. It was two story with the bathroom and three bedrooms upstairs and the living & dining rooms and the kitchen downstairs. If I had to pick something wrong with it, it would be that the only bathroom was upstairs. One of my first purchases was a safety gate to put across the top of the stairs at night. I was afraid that one of the kids, and in particular the baby, would get up in the middle of the night and turn the wrong way and fall down the stairs. She navigated them pretty well during the day, afterall she was going on two years old. lol Most of the time she was downstairs with me.
The first family fun thing we did together was to go to the Oakland Zoo, across the double decker Bay Bridge. They had a small amusement park so we put the kids on a few rides before going to look at the animals. The first ride we saw was the carousel (merry-go- round). So the kids and I got on, Danny of course was a big boy and was able to get on his horse with just a small boost to get his foot in the stirrup. I lifted Laura on her horse of choice and stayed there to be sure she didn't fall off. When the ride was over, Danny hopped off and was ready and eager for the next ride. Laura, however, hung on to that pole with all her might. She didn't want off and the only way she was going to come off was if I physically forced her to. I told Dave that she wasn't going to get off so give me a couple more tickets and he could go put Danny on a few more rides. After all the rides we went over to the petting zoo and had a great time. It was a wonderful day.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Triangle Trips and the Traveling Playpen
Since we lived in California for two different three year assignments (Ft. Ord near Monterey and the Presidio of San Francisco) we did a lot of traveling when we took a vacation (military leave). We would go from California to North Dakota and to southern Missouri) It made for a very long trip and a lot of driving. This started when Laura was not quite a year old and Danny was going on five. We built up the floorboards in the back so they were level with the seat. Then I put quilt over the top of all of it. They had a "traveling playpen" to move around in and weren't as cramped up as they would have been just sitting in the seat. This was a very long time before the seatbelts came out. Some of these trips were across the deserts of California, Arizona and New Mexico. This was also long before the cars had air conditioners. When we left Fort Ord, we had a car seat for Laura. This carseat was similar to a booster seat, it was just a small chair that hooked up over the back of the seat. It had a low back and very little padding. Laura would sit in it so nice and never fussed at all, she wasn't a fussy baby anytime. She would fall asleep and her little head would just hang down and bob around and it looked pitiful to me. When I would take her out of the seat to lay her down more comfortable, she wouldn't sleep at all. I even switched places with Danny and got in the back with her. She was so tired and I thought that if I layed down back there with her she would sleep. She layed so sweetly beside me but never did go to sleep. When she eventually got put back in her seat she would go to sleep, and even though it looked pitiful to me---she must have been comfortable or she wouldn't be sleeping.
Monday, June 1, 2009
The Rabbit and the Dart gun
Danny had received the "coolest" toy from his Aunt Sandy for his 5th birthday in August of '71. At first I thought how ignorant this was to give a small boy a dart gun especially with a baby girl toddling around the house. There were definitely some house rules set down about it. I explained to him that although it is a toy, it could seriously injure someone if one of the darts would hit a person---especially if it would hit them in the eye. He could only play with it when Laura was taking a nap or was put to bed at night. He was very careful when playing with it and never aimed it at anything but the rabbit. The rabbit is the cool part. It was a brown wind up rabbit that would run (slowly) around in a circle and you were suppose to try to hit it by shooting the darts at it. It was about the size of a real medium sized rabbit. I don't know why I thought this was "blog worthy" but there must be an underlying reason I suppose.
His other favorite toys were hot wheels, Tonka trucks and Jeep, and a small train set he had received for Christmas. He loved his little two wheel bicycle (with training wheels). In the spring the man down the street took the training wheels off of it for him. He knew that Danny's dad was in Viet Nam.
His other favorite toys were hot wheels, Tonka trucks and Jeep, and a small train set he had received for Christmas. He loved his little two wheel bicycle (with training wheels). In the spring the man down the street took the training wheels off of it for him. He knew that Danny's dad was in Viet Nam.
North Dakota Winter& Laura's Ears
We had a lot of snow that year the kids and I stayed in Minot, North Dakota. It was very very cold. I had to have a tank heater installed on my car and had to plug it in whenever I was not using it, or else it would freeze up. I had an extention cord stuck out our front bedroom window to plug it in to. By pulling the car up far enough to plug in the car, left a lot more driveway to shovel. This was a very strenuous job--that snow is heavy. Danny came outside with me a few times to help me shovel. He had a small shovel to use and he worked just as hard as I did. It was so cute to watch him because at least half of the snow he shoveled fell back where it had been when he went to dump it out. My brother in laws (two of them) came over a couple of times but mostly I was on my own with it. I kept some of it cleared by driving back and forth over it when I was coming and going.
Danny went to Kindergarten every afternoon Monday thru Friday. Laura and I would drive him down there (it was seven or eight blocks). Then we'd go back home and she would take a little nap and I just had some nice quiet time. Then we would drive back down and pick him up from school. I learned to drive fairly well in the snow and made it around town alright. There were only a few days that I wouldn't go out and drive in it because I thought the roads were too bad.
We had quite a time that year with Laura's ears. She would get ear infections so bad that pressure would build up behind her eardrum and it would pop. This is extemely painful. Every time she got a cold it would go to her ears. Doctors started just putting her on an antibiotic whenever she got the cold, to ward it off before it got so bad. Many of nights I sat and rocked her while she cried in pain from her ears. I would cry some too because I couldn't do anything to help her--it just took time for the medicine to start working. In months to come, we had to put her in the hospital to have tubes put in her ears. This was a fairly new procedure at the time, and the doctor had to do some talking before I would put my baby girl in the hospital to have this operation done. I'm glad they talked me in to it because she was so much better after that.
Danny went to Kindergarten every afternoon Monday thru Friday. Laura and I would drive him down there (it was seven or eight blocks). Then we'd go back home and she would take a little nap and I just had some nice quiet time. Then we would drive back down and pick him up from school. I learned to drive fairly well in the snow and made it around town alright. There were only a few days that I wouldn't go out and drive in it because I thought the roads were too bad.
We had quite a time that year with Laura's ears. She would get ear infections so bad that pressure would build up behind her eardrum and it would pop. This is extemely painful. Every time she got a cold it would go to her ears. Doctors started just putting her on an antibiotic whenever she got the cold, to ward it off before it got so bad. Many of nights I sat and rocked her while she cried in pain from her ears. I would cry some too because I couldn't do anything to help her--it just took time for the medicine to start working. In months to come, we had to put her in the hospital to have tubes put in her ears. This was a fairly new procedure at the time, and the doctor had to do some talking before I would put my baby girl in the hospital to have this operation done. I'm glad they talked me in to it because she was so much better after that.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Christmas of 1971 & the R&R
Sometime in the fall, we found out that Dave would be coming home from Viet Nam on R&R (rest and relaxation) for Christmas. We were all so happy and excited about that because we missed him a lot. The missing is 10 times harder when it is on a holiday, especially Christmas. Dave had shipped my Christmas present to Vi's house because he thought I might peak at it. lol
I might have peaked. I did all of the Santa shopping and got everything all wrapped and ready. By the time he got home the tree was up, the house was decorated and gifts were under the tree. Danny was so excited because he missed his dad so much, he could hardly wait! Laura didn't care one way or another because she was still a one year old baby. We didn't know exactly when he would get in because he was going to try to get a military hop (military take priority if there is an empty seat). Keep in mind there were no cell phones in the seventies. He was going to call me when he got to the Minot airport. However, he got there the middle of the night and he didn't want me to get the kids out of their warm beds and take them out in the cold to come get him. He said he would just take a cab. It seemed like it took forever for that taxi to get him home to us, but he finally made it. It was going to be a great Christmas!
Christmas morning was so much fun, it always is when you have a small child who still believes in Santa Clause. Danny was ecstatic, Santa had brought him exactly what he wanted (Santa is very smart that way) and quite a few other gifts as well. And it was so nice that Dave was home to enjoy it with us.
My gift that year was my set of Noritake China. I got it all washed up and we used them for our turkey dinner that afternoon. Everyone was coming to our house for dinner because we had so much more room than his parents. Vi did the turkey and dressing and brought it over when it had about an hour more to cook---got the house all "smelly" that way. Grandma Widmayer was able to join us that year also. They had brought her into town from Granville. Grandma Widmayer was Vi's mother, Dave's grandmother, Danny and Laura's great grandma.
Overall everything went great and it was a wondeful Christmas. Everything was good in our world!
I might have peaked. I did all of the Santa shopping and got everything all wrapped and ready. By the time he got home the tree was up, the house was decorated and gifts were under the tree. Danny was so excited because he missed his dad so much, he could hardly wait! Laura didn't care one way or another because she was still a one year old baby. We didn't know exactly when he would get in because he was going to try to get a military hop (military take priority if there is an empty seat). Keep in mind there were no cell phones in the seventies. He was going to call me when he got to the Minot airport. However, he got there the middle of the night and he didn't want me to get the kids out of their warm beds and take them out in the cold to come get him. He said he would just take a cab. It seemed like it took forever for that taxi to get him home to us, but he finally made it. It was going to be a great Christmas!
Christmas morning was so much fun, it always is when you have a small child who still believes in Santa Clause. Danny was ecstatic, Santa had brought him exactly what he wanted (Santa is very smart that way) and quite a few other gifts as well. And it was so nice that Dave was home to enjoy it with us.
My gift that year was my set of Noritake China. I got it all washed up and we used them for our turkey dinner that afternoon. Everyone was coming to our house for dinner because we had so much more room than his parents. Vi did the turkey and dressing and brought it over when it had about an hour more to cook---got the house all "smelly" that way. Grandma Widmayer was able to join us that year also. They had brought her into town from Granville. Grandma Widmayer was Vi's mother, Dave's grandmother, Danny and Laura's great grandma.
Overall everything went great and it was a wondeful Christmas. Everything was good in our world!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Third Set Of Stitches
During the summer, we went to my in-laws cabin on Lake Metigoshe. We would go with Dave's parents (Dick and Vi) and his sister Sandy and her husband Rick. They had a little boy the same age as Danny, his name was Ricky. When we weren't cooking or cleaning up, we spent most of our time by the dock swimming and sunbathing. We also liked sitting in lounge chairs reading or talking. Danny was a regular little waterduck, had been since he was a toddler. Ricky was scared to death of the water and wouldn't go in past his ankles.
Danny got his third set of stitches that year we stayed in Minot while Dave was in Viet Nam. I had bought an inflatable swimming pool for Danny and Ricky to "swim" in. We set it up in the front yard and they started having a great time.Danny ran and jumped into the pool on his knees and split his knee open on a sharp bone that was under the pool. I had checked the area before I put the pool there, but I obviously missed that bone. I called Sandy to see if she could come over and stay with Ricky and Laura while I took Danny to the emergency room for stitches.
Danny got his third set of stitches that year we stayed in Minot while Dave was in Viet Nam. I had bought an inflatable swimming pool for Danny and Ricky to "swim" in. We set it up in the front yard and they started having a great time.Danny ran and jumped into the pool on his knees and split his knee open on a sharp bone that was under the pool. I had checked the area before I put the pool there, but I obviously missed that bone. I called Sandy to see if she could come over and stay with Ricky and Laura while I took Danny to the emergency room for stitches.
My Fashion Model & Kindergarten
One afternoon I had been busy in the kitchen and not paying a lot of attention to Laura.I knew she was okay because she wasn't crying. We kept all of the rooms closed off that she could either get hurt in or get into something we didn't want her in. She had the full run of the huge living room and her bedroom. It was a lot of territory for a little one year old to explore. When I finished up what I was doing, I went to see what she was up to. She was being so quiet so she must be fully engrossed in some fun activity. She was just sitting in her room with a dresser drawer open putting on shirts. She had put on seven or eight shirts. She just put her head through the neck holes, she didn't do the arms, afterall she was only one year old. When she saw me she gave me the sweetest smile.
Minot did not have kindergarten in their public school system. I wanted Danny to have kindergarten because most of the kids in his first grade class would have had it. I sure didn't want him to start out his school years already behind. I enrolled him in a private kindergarten that was about five or six blocks down our street. I put him in an afternoon class for a couple reasons. Number one--I am not a morning person. Secondly, I could drive him to school, then bring Laura home to take a nap and I could have my quiet alone time that I treasure. It all worked out real well and all were happy.
Minot did not have kindergarten in their public school system. I wanted Danny to have kindergarten because most of the kids in his first grade class would have had it. I sure didn't want him to start out his school years already behind. I enrolled him in a private kindergarten that was about five or six blocks down our street. I put him in an afternoon class for a couple reasons. Number one--I am not a morning person. Secondly, I could drive him to school, then bring Laura home to take a nap and I could have my quiet alone time that I treasure. It all worked out real well and all were happy.
My Mouse
One night after the kids were asleep, I kept hearing a noise out in the entryway. We had an area in between our kitchen door and the outside door that was similar to a closet.The stairs to go down to the basement were right there also. This noise sounded like the rustling of papers, which seemed strange because I didn't have any papers out there. I thought someone was out there so I took ahold of Ringo's collar and we went towards the door. I opened it and then realized what was rustling. There was a mouse inside this extra large bag of dogfood. The dogfood was over half gone so the little mouse had it's work cut out for it to get up and out of that bag.
I'm not sure why, but I called (Vi) my mother-in-law and told her about this frightening experience. She was trying to talk me into closing up the top of the dogfood bag and just putting the bag on outside. While she was still on the phone, I opened up that kitchen door again--but this time I could see him right near the top of the bag!! I started screaming and slammed that door back shut. I could hear her voice on the phone, but I just kept screaming and by this time I was up on the kitchen table. I finally heard Vi say that they would be over in a little bit. Now my father -in-law (Dick) had to get up out of bed and come too because Vi didn't drive. While waiting for them to get there, I heard a little thump and I knew that the mouse had made it out of the bag. I knew if the mouse turned right it could come right under the kitchen door.
When Dick and Vi got there, Vi went out into the entryway and picked up the broom. She told me that if she jumps it wouldn't be because she was afraid of the mouse, it would be because he would run out of there so fast. She didn't find the mouse, he had obviously gone down the stairs to the basement.
The following morning the kids and I went with my brother-in-law (Rick) out for breakfast and then stopped at a store and got some traps and d-con. He set the traps for me in the basement and put a couple boxes of the d-con around as a back-up. It wasn't but about an hour until I heard a "snap" and knew we got him. Okay, now I had a dead squashed mouse in a trap in my basement! I then called another brother in law (Kenny) and asked him if he would come over for a spaghetti supper and then take my mouse out of trap.
So this mouse turned into quite a family affair.
I'm not sure why, but I called (Vi) my mother-in-law and told her about this frightening experience. She was trying to talk me into closing up the top of the dogfood bag and just putting the bag on outside. While she was still on the phone, I opened up that kitchen door again--but this time I could see him right near the top of the bag!! I started screaming and slammed that door back shut. I could hear her voice on the phone, but I just kept screaming and by this time I was up on the kitchen table. I finally heard Vi say that they would be over in a little bit. Now my father -in-law (Dick) had to get up out of bed and come too because Vi didn't drive. While waiting for them to get there, I heard a little thump and I knew that the mouse had made it out of the bag. I knew if the mouse turned right it could come right under the kitchen door.
When Dick and Vi got there, Vi went out into the entryway and picked up the broom. She told me that if she jumps it wouldn't be because she was afraid of the mouse, it would be because he would run out of there so fast. She didn't find the mouse, he had obviously gone down the stairs to the basement.
The following morning the kids and I went with my brother-in-law (Rick) out for breakfast and then stopped at a store and got some traps and d-con. He set the traps for me in the basement and put a couple boxes of the d-con around as a back-up. It wasn't but about an hour until I heard a "snap" and knew we got him. Okay, now I had a dead squashed mouse in a trap in my basement! I then called another brother in law (Kenny) and asked him if he would come over for a spaghetti supper and then take my mouse out of trap.
So this mouse turned into quite a family affair.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Family Barbecue & Laura'a First Birthday
Soon after we moved into our house in Minot, we had a big barbecue in our backyard. Dave and his brother had gone to get a load of sand to put inside a large tractor tire and the kids were having fun in the sandbox. Dave's parents and both brothers and their wives, his sister and her husband and a few little ones were there. We cooked up some hamburgers and hot dogs and had all the trimmings. A few days later, his sister Sandy and I took Dave to the airport in Bismark to fly out on his first plane to go to Viet Nam.
A couple of weeks after that we had a little birthday party for Laura. Her grandma and grandpa, Rick and Sandy and Ricky came over to the house and we had a hot dog lunch and some cake and ice cream. I made Laura her own little cake and she sure went to town on it, she squished it up real good. It was a strawberry cake and pink icing and strawberry ice cream. She liked the balloons. She kept squeezing and biting them and thought that was funny.
A couple of weeks after that we had a little birthday party for Laura. Her grandma and grandpa, Rick and Sandy and Ricky came over to the house and we had a hot dog lunch and some cake and ice cream. I made Laura her own little cake and she sure went to town on it, she squished it up real good. It was a strawberry cake and pink icing and strawberry ice cream. She liked the balloons. She kept squeezing and biting them and thought that was funny.
Knotts Berry Farm/Disneylalnd Part 2
The next morning we got up and went to Disneyland. Wow, were we ever excited. There is nothing like the way you feel when you are experiencing a place like this, through a four year old's eyes. Of course the first thing we had to ride on was the flying Dumbo elephants. He caught on very quickly that if you pull and push that stick you can make him go up and then back down.
Since we were enjoying the park with a four year old, we spent a good portion of the day in fantasy land. Adventure land was pretty cool too, with the island and the tree houses. The ride on the paddle boat was fun, but the very best attention getter of the day is the boat ride that had alligators and hippos popping up out of the water right beside you!! This is the ride that scared me so much as a child and had me trying to climb out on the other side of the boat. Even though Danny would jump a little when they popped up, he really loved the ride. Afterall he was a little boy!
Throughout the day we took time out to have hot dogs, sodas and ice cream cones. On the way out of the park, we bought Danny a blue Mickey Mouse helium filled balloon. When we got back to the motel Danny let go of the balloon so he could take off his jacket and the balloon popped when it hit the textured ceiling. We were a little sad but were so tired that we had our bath and bedtime story and went sound asleep. It had been a great day!!
Since we were enjoying the park with a four year old, we spent a good portion of the day in fantasy land. Adventure land was pretty cool too, with the island and the tree houses. The ride on the paddle boat was fun, but the very best attention getter of the day is the boat ride that had alligators and hippos popping up out of the water right beside you!! This is the ride that scared me so much as a child and had me trying to climb out on the other side of the boat. Even though Danny would jump a little when they popped up, he really loved the ride. Afterall he was a little boy!
Throughout the day we took time out to have hot dogs, sodas and ice cream cones. On the way out of the park, we bought Danny a blue Mickey Mouse helium filled balloon. When we got back to the motel Danny let go of the balloon so he could take off his jacket and the balloon popped when it hit the textured ceiling. We were a little sad but were so tired that we had our bath and bedtime story and went sound asleep. It had been a great day!!
Knotts Berry Farm/Disneyland Trip Part 1
Before moving to North Dakota we decided to take Danny to Disneyland. Laura was only ten months old so we left her with some very good friends of ours. Being by Monterrey, Disneyland wasn't far at all. When we got to Anaheim and got checked into our motel, we went to Knotts Berry Farm. We figured we could do all we wanted to at this smaller park, and then go to Disneyland in the morning. I don't remember too many specifics of this park. I know we went on a lot of rides and it seems that they had a seal and dolphin show. We rode on the train all around the park and it got raided by some Indians. Danny's eyes got so big as he sidled up closer to his dad. When we got off of the train there was one big Indian chief with a large feathered headdress standing nearby. When he saw Danny he started coming towards him to say hello or something. Danny hid half way behind his dad, and just stuck out his head enough that he could look at the Indian. He finally did come out and shook his hand but was very apprehensive.
This memory resurfaced a few years ago, when my granddaughter Whitney and I were riding the train at Silver Dollar City in Branson. It got held up by some gun shooting cowboys, and she pushed up against me so hard because she was on the side of the train the bandits were on (this was no accident). She also very quickly gave me her souvenir cup so they couldn't steal it. It was really so cute and reminded me so much of her dad.
To be continued.......
This memory resurfaced a few years ago, when my granddaughter Whitney and I were riding the train at Silver Dollar City in Branson. It got held up by some gun shooting cowboys, and she pushed up against me so hard because she was on the side of the train the bandits were on (this was no accident). She also very quickly gave me her souvenir cup so they couldn't steal it. It was really so cute and reminded me so much of her dad.
To be continued.......
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Second Tour In Viet Nam
Before our baby girl was even one year old, Dave came down on orders to go to Viet Nam again.I made the decision for the kids and I to stay in Minot, North Dakota during this tour, since I stayed near my parents the first time.I thought it was only fair to do this. Little did I know how harsh the winter can be. I had to plug in my car every night to keep it from freezing up. I had never heard of such a thing and we had winter in Wichita Kansas as well as in southern Misssouri. Shoveling snow wasn't fun either, even though my brothers-in-law came over and helped out some. We rented a three bedroom home with a real big living room. The washer and dryer hook-ups were in this huge unfinished concrete basement.
The second night after Dave left, we had a serious tornado warning. Vi even called me to make sure I heard it. The kids were asleep in their beds, so I ran down with the playpen and then got an armload of blankets. The basement floor was dirty and so cold. I got both kids down there. Laura just played in her playpen and had a good time and Danny just kept sleeping. I felt a bit sorry for myself that I had to go through all of this by myself, especially this close to his leaving for yet another tour in Viet Nam. So I cried a little and then I was alright. I think we were down there about an hour because there were several storms in the area.
The second night after Dave left, we had a serious tornado warning. Vi even called me to make sure I heard it. The kids were asleep in their beds, so I ran down with the playpen and then got an armload of blankets. The basement floor was dirty and so cold. I got both kids down there. Laura just played in her playpen and had a good time and Danny just kept sleeping. I felt a bit sorry for myself that I had to go through all of this by myself, especially this close to his leaving for yet another tour in Viet Nam. So I cried a little and then I was alright. I think we were down there about an hour because there were several storms in the area.
My Cherry Pie
That same week that mom and dad were there I asked mom, "do you know what sounds good?" She asked what and I told her a cherry pie sounded good. She agreed it did. I said, "I tell you what, if you will make the crust then I will make the filling." So she went out in the kitchen and got out the flour and crisco and started making her crust. A little while later she said that I probably should get started with my filling because the crust was just about done. I went out into the kitchen and reached up into a cupboard and pulled out two cans of cherry pie filling!! I had duped her good!!! We all had quite a laugh about this one, even for years to come we would talk about our cherry pie. It tasted great by the way.
The Mountain Lion
It felt so great to have my mom and dad at our house for Christmas. Part of being in the military means living in places away from your family. Army life had a lot of ups and downs. To quote a book----"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times". That pretty well sums it up in a nutshell. Oh well, now about the mountain lion.
We were sitting at our dining room table eating a fantastic holiday turkey with all the trimmings. Our table was right up next to a window. All of a sudden dad said "what kind of animals do you have around here?" We all got up and moved over by my dad to see what he was talking about. Well, we had that dirt road that I talked about in another post that the soldiers marched by on, and beyond that was a grassy area with a few trees. Beyond that there was a paved road and then the woods. The woods had a nice grassy area in front of it also, and this is where there was a mountain lion laying in the sun as if he didn't have a care in the world!! We couldn't believe our eyes---we got out the binoculars, Danny got out his little binoculars. Yes, that is what it was alright, a mountain lion (cougar).
Dave called the military police and reported it, this was very dangerous especially this close to a housing area. It took them forever to get there, I think they thought it was a prank. When he finally did show up, he was alone and only had a little hand gun. By then the mountain lion had woke up and disappeared into the woods. Dave took our German Shepard, Ringo, and went with the MP (military police) over to where the mountain lion had been laying. They did find some large cougar tracks in the woods nearby and decided to get out of there since all they had to fight against it was a handgun. At least the MP knew it was not Christmas Day prank!
We were sitting at our dining room table eating a fantastic holiday turkey with all the trimmings. Our table was right up next to a window. All of a sudden dad said "what kind of animals do you have around here?" We all got up and moved over by my dad to see what he was talking about. Well, we had that dirt road that I talked about in another post that the soldiers marched by on, and beyond that was a grassy area with a few trees. Beyond that there was a paved road and then the woods. The woods had a nice grassy area in front of it also, and this is where there was a mountain lion laying in the sun as if he didn't have a care in the world!! We couldn't believe our eyes---we got out the binoculars, Danny got out his little binoculars. Yes, that is what it was alright, a mountain lion (cougar).
Dave called the military police and reported it, this was very dangerous especially this close to a housing area. It took them forever to get there, I think they thought it was a prank. When he finally did show up, he was alone and only had a little hand gun. By then the mountain lion had woke up and disappeared into the woods. Dave took our German Shepard, Ringo, and went with the MP (military police) over to where the mountain lion had been laying. They did find some large cougar tracks in the woods nearby and decided to get out of there since all they had to fight against it was a handgun. At least the MP knew it was not Christmas Day prank!
Christmas of 1970
My parents (George and Lu Younge) came out to spend the Christmas of 1970 with us. This is the visit that they got to see our new baby girl for the first time. Mom got so tickled at the baby as she was trying to feed her some carrots. Mom would put it in and Laura would spit most of it out. Mom would scrape it up off of her chin and put it in again, and out some more would come. Each time though, some did stay in and go down. Another one that mom thought was funny was when she went to change her messy diaper. As she was taking it off, Laura squinched up her face and said "kxxxxxxxx"! It is a hard word to spell, but it was the sound I always made when changing her messy diaper. This goes to show you how smart she was, already talking when she was only 5 months old. Mom and dad were both amazed that their whole visit they did not hear her cry even once. She was such a happy and contented little baby and all her needs were met to her satisfaction. lol
They really had fun with Danny because he was at such a fun age. Mom played games with him, and of course Danny showed off the best he could. On Sunday we were getting ready to go to church and Danny went out and asked his grandpa if he was going "dressy or sporty". Dad chuckled and then said "why don't we just go sporty?" This meant they didn't have to wear a tie.
Danny also had to show his grandparents that he knew all about Jesus and the nativity set. He was pointing to each character and telling them who they all were. This is Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the shepards and these are the three wise guys!!
They really had fun with Danny because he was at such a fun age. Mom played games with him, and of course Danny showed off the best he could. On Sunday we were getting ready to go to church and Danny went out and asked his grandpa if he was going "dressy or sporty". Dad chuckled and then said "why don't we just go sporty?" This meant they didn't have to wear a tie.
Danny also had to show his grandparents that he knew all about Jesus and the nativity set. He was pointing to each character and telling them who they all were. This is Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the shepards and these are the three wise guys!!
The Fishing Rod
When Laura was around two months old, Dave's parents (Dick and Vi) came out to visit us in Fort Ord California. One of the first things Dick did, was he grabbed Danny and tossed him up over his shoulders and Danny just squealed with laughter. Ringo lunged at Dick with his teeth barred, I'm so glad I was standing right there and was able to grab him. After that, Dick never did like that dog.
Dave had bought Danny a little rod and reel and he just loved it. It had a little weight on the end so he could practice casting. Dave told him not to take it outside (why I'm not sure because that is where it should be used) , I'm sure he had his reasons. Danny couldn't resist, he wanted to show it off to his little friends in the neighborhood. He snuck it out of the house without any of us seeing him. Then he was afraid he would be caught if he tried bringing it back in ---so he hid it under our car in the open carport. The next day, Dave pulled out of the carport and there layed the rod and reel. Danny was busted!! He didn't get in much trouble though because he was still such a little guy.
Dave had bought Danny a little rod and reel and he just loved it. It had a little weight on the end so he could practice casting. Dave told him not to take it outside (why I'm not sure because that is where it should be used) , I'm sure he had his reasons. Danny couldn't resist, he wanted to show it off to his little friends in the neighborhood. He snuck it out of the house without any of us seeing him. Then he was afraid he would be caught if he tried bringing it back in ---so he hid it under our car in the open carport. The next day, Dave pulled out of the carport and there layed the rod and reel. Danny was busted!! He didn't get in much trouble though because he was still such a little guy.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Our Baby Girl
It wasn't long after we got settled in at Fort Ord, that we wanted to have our second child. Afterall, Dave had requested a boy first and then a girl. lol Since I was such an obedient and loving wife (right!) I was getting close to my due date. We were blessed with a beautiful and precious little baby girl on July 11,1970. She weighed 7lbs.14oz. We named her Laura Lee Reinke. She had such a sweet little face and once again I was amazed, that from a couple of microscopic cells this new little person was created. The wonderment that these cells developed into all the intricate parts of the human body---all the organs and the nervous,circulatory, muscular and skeletal systems. It is nothing short of miraculous.
Danny just adored his new little baby sister and was so good with her. He liked to hold her but knew not to pick her up by himself because he wasn't quite four yet. He brought in all the little neighbor kids to see "his" baby.
Danny just adored his new little baby sister and was so good with her. He liked to hold her but knew not to pick her up by himself because he wasn't quite four yet. He brought in all the little neighbor kids to see "his" baby.
Monday, May 18, 2009
No Flowers, Just Good Dirt
I wasn't much for planting flowers in the flower beds because I learned quite early that if I did that I would be the one that had to keep it weeded. I didn't like yardwork and didn't like digging in the dirt! So Danny had good sifty dirt to play in---it was a funny kind of dirt out there, it was similar to sand but was dirt. Not only did he have the flowerbeds, he also had a dirt road that soldiers marched by on twice a day. He loved watching them much the same way that my grandsons like watching the garbage trucks.
His favorite things to play with were his bag of little soldiers, he would spend a lot of time setting them all up just right, then they would have a "war" and he would knock all of them down. When he wasn't doing that he loved to play with his big Tonka trucks and his Tonka army jeep. He was a very busy little fellow.
His favorite things to play with were his bag of little soldiers, he would spend a lot of time setting them all up just right, then they would have a "war" and he would knock all of them down. When he wasn't doing that he loved to play with his big Tonka trucks and his Tonka army jeep. He was a very busy little fellow.
Fort Ord California & Ringo
When Dave got back home from Viet Nam, the three of us moved to Fort Ord California.
It was a beautiful part of the state near Carmel and Monterey. It had real easy access to the ocean and the beaches. Our quarters were quite large for just us three. We had a three bedroom (which did come in handy later) and a very large living room/dining room. We had a bath and a half and a kitchen with hookups for a washer and dryer.
This is where we were living when we got our first black puppy. He must have had a hard first few weeks of his life because he was nervous and skiddish---something I didn't notice much when we got him. He started biting Danny, not hard enough to break the skin, but enough to hurt and scare a little fellow. So he had to go!! Some time later (like a few months) Dave came home with a little shepard mix puppy. He was so cute and housebroke the first day we had him. He was really smart and was the best dog we ever had. We named him Ringo. He played so nice with Danny and as he got older, he became very protective of him and us. He was protective of any little kids that were playing with Danny too. One time there was a little boy out in a field behind out sliding door that had been playing with Danny. Danny had come in to get something so he wasn't out there at the time. Well a daddy came by in his car and picked him up while scolding him, the dog hit that sliding door so hard it flew open and he was after him. Thank goodness the man got in his car before the Ringo got to him.
It was a beautiful part of the state near Carmel and Monterey. It had real easy access to the ocean and the beaches. Our quarters were quite large for just us three. We had a three bedroom (which did come in handy later) and a very large living room/dining room. We had a bath and a half and a kitchen with hookups for a washer and dryer.
This is where we were living when we got our first black puppy. He must have had a hard first few weeks of his life because he was nervous and skiddish---something I didn't notice much when we got him. He started biting Danny, not hard enough to break the skin, but enough to hurt and scare a little fellow. So he had to go!! Some time later (like a few months) Dave came home with a little shepard mix puppy. He was so cute and housebroke the first day we had him. He was really smart and was the best dog we ever had. We named him Ringo. He played so nice with Danny and as he got older, he became very protective of him and us. He was protective of any little kids that were playing with Danny too. One time there was a little boy out in a field behind out sliding door that had been playing with Danny. Danny had come in to get something so he wasn't out there at the time. Well a daddy came by in his car and picked him up while scolding him, the dog hit that sliding door so hard it flew open and he was after him. Thank goodness the man got in his car before the Ringo got to him.
Danny's Second Birthday
I have no intention of writing about all of Danny's birthdays and all the cute and not so cute things he did. lol However this one needs to be told. We were going to go down to the lake and spend Danny's second birthday with mom and dad. Mom was going to make him a little cake. Before driving down there, I stopped at a hardware store and had Danny sit on several tricycles to check for size. Then I took Danny around the store a while looking at some of the other toys and stuff. I had secretly given my keys to the salesman and he was putting the trike in the trunk of my car. Danny fell in love with a little stuffed monkey so I got it for him too. Well I drove us on down to mom's, feeling quite clever and pleased with my purchase.
Mom and dad came out of the house when they heard us pull in. After the hugs, Danny ran back to the trunk of the car and put his hand on it. I asked him what he was doing and he said "bike, bike, bike". I looked at mom and said quietly, "well, what do I do now". She said "you might as well go ahead and give it to him, he knows it is in there." Of course by then we were both laughing because he was just so darn cute standing there tapping on the trunk. So that is the year that he got a pretty little purple tricycle for his birthday.
Mom and dad came out of the house when they heard us pull in. After the hugs, Danny ran back to the trunk of the car and put his hand on it. I asked him what he was doing and he said "bike, bike, bike". I looked at mom and said quietly, "well, what do I do now". She said "you might as well go ahead and give it to him, he knows it is in there." Of course by then we were both laughing because he was just so darn cute standing there tapping on the trunk. So that is the year that he got a pretty little purple tricycle for his birthday.
First Tour In Viet Nam
Dave came down on orders for Viet Nam during the winter of 1967. We caught a flight to the states shortly after that. We went to North Dakota first, bought a car and then went to southern Missouri to see my family. We rented an apartment for Danny and I to live in while he was away for a year. Danny was a year and a half when Dave left. Danny got his first set of stitches before Dave went overseas. He ran up from the bottom of the bed and flopped himself down and hit his forehead on the headboard.
We spent quite a bit of time that year down at my mom and dad's place on the lake. Mom especially got such a kick out of the little one. One that tickled her the most was when he would sneak out of bed and lay down on his tummy in the hall with his hands under his chin, watching what we were doing.
When we were at our place in Springfield we spent a lot of the summer days at the pool. Danny was a fearless little waterduck. He would come running and jump in to me and go completely under water before I would pull him up. He loved this and did it over and over.
In the fall Danny and I moved to St.Louis to stay with my sister Kathy and her husband Gib and son Darren.She was having a problem pregnancy and I went there to help her out. She was good company to me too while Dave was gone. He came back in February I think and the three of us moved to Fort Ord California.
We spent quite a bit of time that year down at my mom and dad's place on the lake. Mom especially got such a kick out of the little one. One that tickled her the most was when he would sneak out of bed and lay down on his tummy in the hall with his hands under his chin, watching what we were doing.
When we were at our place in Springfield we spent a lot of the summer days at the pool. Danny was a fearless little waterduck. He would come running and jump in to me and go completely under water before I would pull him up. He loved this and did it over and over.
In the fall Danny and I moved to St.Louis to stay with my sister Kathy and her husband Gib and son Darren.She was having a problem pregnancy and I went there to help her out. She was good company to me too while Dave was gone. He came back in February I think and the three of us moved to Fort Ord California.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Paris, France
One time while Dave was in the field, I got a friend to keep Danny for a few days and Michelle and I took a bus tour to Paris. We had so much fun and saw so many of the sights. We went to the Louvre (art museum) and checked out the art. We didn't really even care about the art, we just walked through it looking for the Mona Lisa, Whistler's Mother, Blue Boy and the statue of Venus De Milo. We found all of them and then we were out of there. We went to the Eiffel Tower and went to the top of it. We went to a couple of old cathedrals and a flea market. We took a bus tour out to the Palace of Versailles. We walked along the river and saw the Arch De Triumph. It was all so beautiful and we had a great time.
Michelle Comes To Germany
Mom and dad gave Michelle a trip to Germany to visit us for her graduation present. I was so excited, I had not seen any of my family for a year and a half. She came in the fall and we had a great time together. She was great company for me when Dave would work such long hours or go to the field. Danny adored her, he was all over her whenever she would sit down. She just ate that up, she loved it. If she was sitting in the easy chair with a sandwich, he would shinny up her leg with his little mouth open for a bite.
It was around this time that Danny started getting out of his crib with a thud. I would put him back to bed and no more get to the living room and we would hear another thud. After a few times, I handed him to Michelle and had her keep him out in the living room while I hid in his room, so I could see how in the world he was getting out. She brought him in and put him in the crib, went out the door and he was at it again. What he was doing is using tiptoes on the bumper pad, bending over the side of the rail at the waist and falling on his head---thud!!! Michelle and I unstacked the bunkbeds and he started sleeping in a twin bed with side rails. He didn't stay in bed then either but at least he didn't have so far to fall on his little head. He soon learned to turn his body around and come out feet first.
It was around this time that Danny started getting out of his crib with a thud. I would put him back to bed and no more get to the living room and we would hear another thud. After a few times, I handed him to Michelle and had her keep him out in the living room while I hid in his room, so I could see how in the world he was getting out. She brought him in and put him in the crib, went out the door and he was at it again. What he was doing is using tiptoes on the bumper pad, bending over the side of the rail at the waist and falling on his head---thud!!! Michelle and I unstacked the bunkbeds and he started sleeping in a twin bed with side rails. He didn't stay in bed then either but at least he didn't have so far to fall on his little head. He soon learned to turn his body around and come out feet first.
Our Son
We had a small infirmary on our base for our routine medical care. Our hospital was an hour or so away in Frankfurt,Germany. My monthly pregnancy check ups were done at the infirmary. When I got closer to my due date, I had to take a military bus up to Frankfurt for my appointments. There is nothing like being 8 months pregnant and riding a military bus over the cobblestones! We still did not have a car, but we had friends that would take me to Frankfurt when I went into labor.
I went into labor the morning of August the 13th, 1966 and called the neighbor that was to give us a ride up to the hospital. Luckily he was still home and had to go to Frankfurt that morning anyway. It worked out just right, the timing was impeccable. I gave birth to our son that day shortly after noon, I think it was 12:13 p.m. He weighed 8lbs.10 1/4oz and was beautiful. We named him Daniel David Reinke. He had the cutest little nose and the tiniest little hands and feet. I was really in awe, that he had been nestled all safe and warm inside of me and that Dave and I had created this precious little life. It still is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me.
I went into labor the morning of August the 13th, 1966 and called the neighbor that was to give us a ride up to the hospital. Luckily he was still home and had to go to Frankfurt that morning anyway. It worked out just right, the timing was impeccable. I gave birth to our son that day shortly after noon, I think it was 12:13 p.m. He weighed 8lbs.10 1/4oz and was beautiful. We named him Daniel David Reinke. He had the cutest little nose and the tiniest little hands and feet. I was really in awe, that he had been nestled all safe and warm inside of me and that Dave and I had created this precious little life. It still is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me.
Requisition For a Son
It was long about this time that we found out that we were going to be blessed with our first baby. We were very happy about this. I had been wanting to get pregnant. Dave right away put in his request for a son. He really wanted a son for this first child and then I was to have a girl if there was a second baby. He of course knew it didn't work that way, but would not admit that whether it is a boy or girl was up to the male partner. He would have loved a little girl baby just as much, he just had to "blow his horn". lol
Shortly thereafter, we found out that we had to move into quarters (military housing) because they had so many available. If we chose to stay in our apartment again we would lose our housing allowance, money paid to us to cover our rent. We couldn't afford that so we moved in the spring. The quarters were so nice, but then I knew they would be. I did miss living in my little town though. I walked down to it every now and then, but it just wasn't the same. Most of my friends had moved in to quarters also, so they were close by.
Shortly thereafter, we found out that we had to move into quarters (military housing) because they had so many available. If we chose to stay in our apartment again we would lose our housing allowance, money paid to us to cover our rent. We couldn't afford that so we moved in the spring. The quarters were so nice, but then I knew they would be. I did miss living in my little town though. I walked down to it every now and then, but it just wasn't the same. Most of my friends had moved in to quarters also, so they were close by.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Our First Thanksgiving Turkey
Just because a woman is old enough to get married, does not necessarily mean that she knows how to cook.Up until now I was doing pretty good, holding my own so to
speak. And I will say that Dave never once complained about anything I cooked. I had done a little cooking at home with mom, but it was very little.
Well, Thanksgiving comes around and I have a little turkey and dressing to cook. I don't think I had a cookbook at the time. I knew that mom always tore up some bread the night before and let it dry out over night. I boiled the giblets and got them all cut up and kept the broth. I got this all put together with some sage,salt and pepper, oh I also put a few raw eggs in it (I don't know why, I guess I thought it was a good idea at the time). I put the dresssing inside the turkey and put it in our very small oven. After it was in there a couple hours it started smelling so good. I decided it was time to check on the bird! I opened the oven door, pulled the rack out, and the back of the rack flipped up. The roasting pan fell to the floor bird, dressing and all!!! I put my hands on my hips, looked at Dave and said, "well, what am I suppose to do now?" He was laughing as he walked across the room, picked up the roaster, picked up the turkey (with his hands) and put it back in the oven. It was a very delicious meal and we enjoyed every bite. And even though our memories fade as we get older, this is one Thanksgiving we will never forget.
speak. And I will say that Dave never once complained about anything I cooked. I had done a little cooking at home with mom, but it was very little.
Well, Thanksgiving comes around and I have a little turkey and dressing to cook. I don't think I had a cookbook at the time. I knew that mom always tore up some bread the night before and let it dry out over night. I boiled the giblets and got them all cut up and kept the broth. I got this all put together with some sage,salt and pepper, oh I also put a few raw eggs in it (I don't know why, I guess I thought it was a good idea at the time). I put the dresssing inside the turkey and put it in our very small oven. After it was in there a couple hours it started smelling so good. I decided it was time to check on the bird! I opened the oven door, pulled the rack out, and the back of the rack flipped up. The roasting pan fell to the floor bird, dressing and all!!! I put my hands on my hips, looked at Dave and said, "well, what am I suppose to do now?" He was laughing as he walked across the room, picked up the roaster, picked up the turkey (with his hands) and put it back in the oven. It was a very delicious meal and we enjoyed every bite. And even though our memories fade as we get older, this is one Thanksgiving we will never forget.
The Hot Water Apartment!
We didn't stay in this first apartment very long at all when a friend of mine told me that an apartment was available up by where she lived. It was just a few blocks up the street. This apartment had hot water!! Needless to say,we moved.It was a similar set-up with two rooms. The only hitch was that we had to share the bathroom with Opa. Opa is German for grandpa. However, since we were sharing it with Opa, the landlady cleaned our bathroom every day. He was so quiet, his room was right next door to ours and I never heard him. We really liked this place better. We liked it so much that when housing became available to us on post, we turned it down and stayed where we were. I loved living "amongst'um", being a part of the german community.
I realy liked being around friends when Dave would go to the field for a month. This is a month of training and staying in tents. One friend of mine named Rita had a car and an international license!! We were good to go! lol We went to a few of the other towns when they would be having their festivals. It was so much fun.
I realy liked being around friends when Dave would go to the field for a month. This is a month of training and staying in tents. One friend of mine named Rita had a car and an international license!! We were good to go! lol We went to a few of the other towns when they would be having their festivals. It was so much fun.
Cobblestones and Architecture
All the streets in the small German towns were cobblestone, I thought that was so neat. I loved the cobblestones and I also liked the architecture of their houses. They were mostly white stucco with brown board trim. They all had flower boxes in the windows on the front of their homes. If it was a two story house, and most of them were, they would have flower boxes on those windows too. They also had flower beds in their yards and most of the flowers in the boxes were red. The windows in the back of their homes were used to air out their pillows, thin mattressses and other linens and rugs. They would drape them over the window sill during the day.
I loved to go for walks down the cobblestone streets and just take in the sites. Once in awhile you would see a small shop with an open front, similar to our fireworks stands. They sold assorted candies and trinkets. You would see these elderly ladies going to the store to get a loaf of bread or other grocery item that they need to fix dinner.
The Germans always had their biggest meal at noon and then had more of a light lunch at our suppertime. They ate a lot of bread (brochen) and they liked their noodles. They drank their beer warm.
I made a lot of friends in this little town. Our husbands went to work early and came home late, so the wives realy stuck together. I had a couple of German friends who had married a soldier so if I had a language problem I could get help.
I liked it here a lot and was very happy. Us "girls" would get together for coffee or tea and just talk and laugh for hours.
I would walk to the base if I needed to go to the PX or commissary (grocery store). We didn't have a car. If I bought more than I could carry home I would take a taxi.
Everything worked out just great.
I loved to go for walks down the cobblestone streets and just take in the sites. Once in awhile you would see a small shop with an open front, similar to our fireworks stands. They sold assorted candies and trinkets. You would see these elderly ladies going to the store to get a loaf of bread or other grocery item that they need to fix dinner.
The Germans always had their biggest meal at noon and then had more of a light lunch at our suppertime. They ate a lot of bread (brochen) and they liked their noodles. They drank their beer warm.
I made a lot of friends in this little town. Our husbands went to work early and came home late, so the wives realy stuck together. I had a couple of German friends who had married a soldier so if I had a language problem I could get help.
I liked it here a lot and was very happy. Us "girls" would get together for coffee or tea and just talk and laugh for hours.
I would walk to the base if I needed to go to the PX or commissary (grocery store). We didn't have a car. If I bought more than I could carry home I would take a taxi.
Everything worked out just great.
Our First German Apartment
We were going to have to wait anywhere from six months to a year for quarters (military housing) so we rented an apartment in the nearby town. Our first apartment in Gelnhausen Germany was half way in the basement. When we opened our windows--they swung to the inside and the window was level with the ground. We didn't have any hot water, we had to heat it on the stove and carry it to the tub. Needless to say we didn't use very deep bathwater. There was a hot water heater in there but you had to build a fire in it to heat the water.
We had two large rooms, one was a bedroom and the other was a kitchen/living room combo. The closets over there were large pieces of furniture. There was a place to hang your clothes and shelves for the folded things. The refrigerators were about the size as the ones we have in our motels, and our stoves were more like hot plates with a small oven.
I liked to sit in the large window sill and just watch whatever was going on. You could see these little German ladies walk past with an empty bag on their way to a little corner market, and shortly after that they would come back by with it full.
This is something my grandchildren will think is funny.There were a couple teenage boys that lived across the street, and when they would see me sitting in the windowsill, they would call out to me "Ich Liebe Dich" (sounds like Eesh Lee Buh Deesh). It means "I love you". They were flirting with me, afterall we were near the same age. It was flattering, but mostly it was funny.
We had two large rooms, one was a bedroom and the other was a kitchen/living room combo. The closets over there were large pieces of furniture. There was a place to hang your clothes and shelves for the folded things. The refrigerators were about the size as the ones we have in our motels, and our stoves were more like hot plates with a small oven.
I liked to sit in the large window sill and just watch whatever was going on. You could see these little German ladies walk past with an empty bag on their way to a little corner market, and shortly after that they would come back by with it full.
This is something my grandchildren will think is funny.There were a couple teenage boys that lived across the street, and when they would see me sitting in the windowsill, they would call out to me "Ich Liebe Dich" (sounds like Eesh Lee Buh Deesh). It means "I love you". They were flirting with me, afterall we were near the same age. It was flattering, but mostly it was funny.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
My Arrival in Germany
The time finally came when I could fly to Germany to be with Dave. I was so excited to get to see him again and to be in Europe. My flights went off without a hitch and it was a great trip. However when I got to the Frankfurt airport, Dave was nowhere to be found. I waited and waited and he did not show up. Someone had already called his unit and he was supposedly on his way. This is when I started thinking that I had definitely made a big mistake. Here I was, a nineteen year old girl in a strange and foreign country and he didn't care enough to be on time to pick me up! He said he got the times mixed up between stateside time and Germany time. One might ask, maybe he should have believed that I knew exactly what time I was getting in and told him several times. He finally did show up, and by the time he did I really had mixed feelings about it. I was glad that someone was there to pick me up, but being reunited with him was not as exciting as it should have been. This was not a good way to start our life together. We got my luggage and drove to Gelnhausen, Germany to our new apartment.
Monday, May 11, 2009
My Car Mishaps
We were back in Springfield for a couple weeks before Dave had to go to Germany. I would be able to join him in about six months or so. I missed him a lot while he was gone and was really excited about being able to go to Germany (my adventurous spirit again). While he was gone I had this pretty white car with red interior to drive. There was a couple mishaps with the car though.
We had a snow and ice storm one night, so it was a little treacherous driving to work the next morning. Employees had to park way out back of the parking lot to leave the close ones for the customers. When I pulled in to the parking lot, there was only one car in the whole parking area. It was my friend and co-worker named Eileen. She had just pulled in to a spot and was starting to get out of her car. I started pulling in to the spot next to her and my car just started sliding sideways.I started motioning to her to get back in her car and she finally did as she saw what was happening, otherwise she could have been pinned between our cars. The damage to the cars was minimal, but she was so afraid that her dad would "kill her". We took her car to a body shop and got it fixed the very same day.
My other little mishap was that I pulled in too close to the house one night when I got home. When I went to back out the next morning, I ripped the side mirror off of the door. It was just dangling there! I got it fixed the same day it happened also.
We had a snow and ice storm one night, so it was a little treacherous driving to work the next morning. Employees had to park way out back of the parking lot to leave the close ones for the customers. When I pulled in to the parking lot, there was only one car in the whole parking area. It was my friend and co-worker named Eileen. She had just pulled in to a spot and was starting to get out of her car. I started pulling in to the spot next to her and my car just started sliding sideways.I started motioning to her to get back in her car and she finally did as she saw what was happening, otherwise she could have been pinned between our cars. The damage to the cars was minimal, but she was so afraid that her dad would "kill her". We took her car to a body shop and got it fixed the very same day.
My other little mishap was that I pulled in too close to the house one night when I got home. When I went to back out the next morning, I ripped the side mirror off of the door. It was just dangling there! I got it fixed the same day it happened also.
My Bridal Shower
One afternoon while we were at his parents house, Vi said that there would be a few people coming over to visit that evening. I said something like "I think before they get here I will clean up a little bit". I meant, touch up my make-up and change clothes. So, as time went on and I wasn't "cleaning up" yet, she said "I thought you were going to clean up". The way she said it I thought--well my,my,my and quite frankly at the time I thought she was very rude. But of course I let it go because she was my new mother-in-law and it just wasn't that big a deal.
A little later people started coming to the door. We'd get one or two, and then a few more and pretty soon we had quite a house full of people I didn't know and they all brought a gift. It was a shower for us. Then I knew why Vi was so persistant about me getting ready. It was a very nice shower and we got a lot of nice gifts, to include a few more towels. lol Our refreshment was cake with strawberries. Delicious!
A little later people started coming to the door. We'd get one or two, and then a few more and pretty soon we had quite a house full of people I didn't know and they all brought a gift. It was a shower for us. Then I knew why Vi was so persistant about me getting ready. It was a very nice shower and we got a lot of nice gifts, to include a few more towels. lol Our refreshment was cake with strawberries. Delicious!
Honeymoon With In-Laws
The morning after our wedding we were off on a trip to Minot, North Dakota. We were following his parents and vice versa. Let's just say we were traveling together. Dave wanted to see his family before going to Germany for three years. There is nothing like going on your honeymoon with your in-laws!!!
We were headed north just outside of Kansas City, Mo. when his parents car was in an accident. What a horrible feeling it is to see this happen to your parents. The few seconds it took Dave to get out of our car to see if they were alright, must have seemed to take forever. They were alright, Vi's arm was a little tender from it slamming into the inside of the door. The car had to be left in Kansas City, so they ended up riding in our backseat the rest of the trip up north.
As one would suspect, driving north the end of January can be a bit treacherous. We ran into a blizzard and had to stop and check in to a motel. It was almost the time we would have been stopping anyway. We continued our journey the next day. We stopped in South Dakota and picked up Dave's little nieces Susan and Shae. They were his older brother Rollie's kids. We took them on to Minot with us also. We made it on into Minot that day.
We were headed north just outside of Kansas City, Mo. when his parents car was in an accident. What a horrible feeling it is to see this happen to your parents. The few seconds it took Dave to get out of our car to see if they were alright, must have seemed to take forever. They were alright, Vi's arm was a little tender from it slamming into the inside of the door. The car had to be left in Kansas City, so they ended up riding in our backseat the rest of the trip up north.
As one would suspect, driving north the end of January can be a bit treacherous. We ran into a blizzard and had to stop and check in to a motel. It was almost the time we would have been stopping anyway. We continued our journey the next day. We stopped in South Dakota and picked up Dave's little nieces Susan and Shae. They were his older brother Rollie's kids. We took them on to Minot with us also. We made it on into Minot that day.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Laundromat
This story is out of sequence because it happened before I got married, while I was living in the apartment with Jane. Her and I both put off laundry as long as we could, because it was a real pain to do since we didn't have a car. Usually one or the other of us were going home to our parents house and would take all of the laundry from both of us.
After I started working at Clayton's, doing the laundry was much easier. The salon was in a strip mall and there was a laundromat right next door. No busier than I was, it was very easy for me to put them in to wash, go back to the shop till it was time to put them in the dryer and so forth. Well, this one time I came out of the salon to get our clothes out of the dryer and they were on fire. I don't mean a little smoke, I mean flames!! The fire department was there and had it almost put out by the time I got there. The clothes had all burned up.
When I called and talked to the proprieter, I asked him what he was going to do about my clothes. He asked me what I was going to do about his dryer!!He said I had put things in the dryer that I was not suppose to, and I was responsible. The conversation went on like that for awhile and we ended the call. I assumed he was going to get in touch with me to find out how much he owed us. I didn't hear from him for a few days, so I called him again. He kept insisting that it was my fault and that I had to pay for his dryer. I was so upset that I was near tears. Clayton talked to me about it and said the man was trying to intimidate me becasue I was young and naive. He told me to call him and tell him that if he didn't do something about my clothes that he would be dealing with my lawyer. Soon after that he contacted me and told me to make an itemized list of what all was in there and that he would pay me for it. Of course we didn't get full replacement money for them, but we got a fairly good size check.
After I started working at Clayton's, doing the laundry was much easier. The salon was in a strip mall and there was a laundromat right next door. No busier than I was, it was very easy for me to put them in to wash, go back to the shop till it was time to put them in the dryer and so forth. Well, this one time I came out of the salon to get our clothes out of the dryer and they were on fire. I don't mean a little smoke, I mean flames!! The fire department was there and had it almost put out by the time I got there. The clothes had all burned up.
When I called and talked to the proprieter, I asked him what he was going to do about my clothes. He asked me what I was going to do about his dryer!!He said I had put things in the dryer that I was not suppose to, and I was responsible. The conversation went on like that for awhile and we ended the call. I assumed he was going to get in touch with me to find out how much he owed us. I didn't hear from him for a few days, so I called him again. He kept insisting that it was my fault and that I had to pay for his dryer. I was so upset that I was near tears. Clayton talked to me about it and said the man was trying to intimidate me becasue I was young and naive. He told me to call him and tell him that if he didn't do something about my clothes that he would be dealing with my lawyer. Soon after that he contacted me and told me to make an itemized list of what all was in there and that he would pay me for it. Of course we didn't get full replacement money for them, but we got a fairly good size check.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
The Wedding
We got married on January 24, 1965 in the St. Agnes Cathedral in Springfield Missouri. My dad walked me down the aisle and my mother wept. I couldn't look at her because I would cry too. We had somewhere around 15 to 20 guests. We had his parents, who had driven down from Minot, North Dakota, my parents, my two sisters, one brother-in-law and one nephew. Then we had a half a dozen or so friends. Mrs Gilmmore and Mrs. Hall from the USO came too. My sister Kathy was my matron of honor, and Dave's best man was Mike Hern,a friend of his from the army base.
We had a small reception at our new apartment, We had some cake and punch thanks to mom and a few friends. It was these friends that also served it all up. I opened some gifts, most of which were towels. We needed towels!! lol And by the way, Dave carried me across the threshold. (I was a lot smaller then.) lol
We had a small reception at our new apartment, We had some cake and punch thanks to mom and a few friends. It was these friends that also served it all up. I opened some gifts, most of which were towels. We needed towels!! lol And by the way, Dave carried me across the threshold. (I was a lot smaller then.) lol
Wedding Preparations
We had about three weeks to get ready for the wedding. To get married in the church I had to have parental permission because I was only 19. You have to be 21 to get married in the catholic church without permission. Dad was working in St. Louis for awhile so I called mom to get the permission. She then got ahold of dad to get his permission for me. The first thing mom said when I told her I wanted to get married was "I was afraid of that." Dad was at Kathy's at the time mom called and he started raising cane and saying I would not get his permission ect, Kathy finally tod him if he wanted me to get married in the church and if he would like to walk me down the aisle, he probably should sign the paper. When Dave called his mother, he told her he was calling to invite her to his wedding. They talked a little bit, mostly about me and she said "can't you find someone your own religion?" We were off to a good start!! lol
Dave and I both had to take some pre-marital counseling. Dave had to do his at the base. He also had to sign a paper that our children would be baptized catholic. Dave did not like this at all but he didn't have much choice if he wanted to marry me.
I bought a beautiful white suit and a pillbox hat that had a short veil on it. We bought carnation corsages and boutinieres. Dave got me a set of rings from a friend of his whose wedding plans fell through. They fit perefectly. Mom had asked me if she could get the wedding cake. I told her we didn't need one, but she talked me into it. I hadn't even thought about any kind of reception. A couple girls at work brought the punch. The only thing missing that I wish I had was a white tablecloth to cover the canary yellow table. We did have a little reception at the apartment that Dave and I had rented, because of mom and a few friends. lol
Dave and I both had to take some pre-marital counseling. Dave had to do his at the base. He also had to sign a paper that our children would be baptized catholic. Dave did not like this at all but he didn't have much choice if he wanted to marry me.
I bought a beautiful white suit and a pillbox hat that had a short veil on it. We bought carnation corsages and boutinieres. Dave got me a set of rings from a friend of his whose wedding plans fell through. They fit perefectly. Mom had asked me if she could get the wedding cake. I told her we didn't need one, but she talked me into it. I hadn't even thought about any kind of reception. A couple girls at work brought the punch. The only thing missing that I wish I had was a white tablecloth to cover the canary yellow table. We did have a little reception at the apartment that Dave and I had rented, because of mom and a few friends. lol
The Silver Tongued Devil's Proposal
While we were sitting in the car after a date, Dave kinda-sorta proposed to me. He simply said "what would you say if I asked you to marry me". I replied, "I'd say I have to think about it awhile". No more was said about it as he walked me to the door. He then went to his hotel room.
We met at the USO the next afternooon before he headed back to Fort Leonard Wood. He loved to play rummy with Mrs. Gilmore. They were fun to watch because they were really a pair!No more was said that weekend about the so-called proposal.
The following Friday night he picked me up for a date. We hadn't been out very long at all until he asked me if I had thought about his question. I said "if you asked me to marry you I would probably say I had to think about it." He never did come right out and say "will you marry me". It was something like "well, will you." I accepted that as a proposal and said yes.
He was on orders to go to Germany in February,so we knew if we were going to get married before he left, it would have to be real soon.
We met at the USO the next afternooon before he headed back to Fort Leonard Wood. He loved to play rummy with Mrs. Gilmore. They were fun to watch because they were really a pair!No more was said that weekend about the so-called proposal.
The following Friday night he picked me up for a date. We hadn't been out very long at all until he asked me if I had thought about his question. I said "if you asked me to marry you I would probably say I had to think about it." He never did come right out and say "will you marry me". It was something like "well, will you." I accepted that as a proposal and said yes.
He was on orders to go to Germany in February,so we knew if we were going to get married before he left, it would have to be real soon.
Christmas of '64
Dave returned to Fort Leanard Wood where he was stationed. I was casualy dating other guys and Dave was going out with other girls. Afterall we had only had one date. We weren't seriously, exclusively dating until around the first part of December.
I took him "home" with me to the lake to have Christmas with my family. They let him stay in cabin #2 for the night. That is the year he gave me a beautiful red v-necked sweater with a red turtleneck dickey. He liked it when I wore red because that is the color that has always looked the best on me.I happened to already have a pair of red patton leather three inch high heels and a red skirt to go with it. The match was great.
Oh, did I mention that he had a gorgeous car. I think it was a Chevy, I know it was white with red interior. Besides his smile and charm, he was also more mature than the guys I had been dating.
And the plot thickens.....
I took him "home" with me to the lake to have Christmas with my family. They let him stay in cabin #2 for the night. That is the year he gave me a beautiful red v-necked sweater with a red turtleneck dickey. He liked it when I wore red because that is the color that has always looked the best on me.I happened to already have a pair of red patton leather three inch high heels and a red skirt to go with it. The match was great.
Oh, did I mention that he had a gorgeous car. I think it was a Chevy, I know it was white with red interior. Besides his smile and charm, he was also more mature than the guys I had been dating.
And the plot thickens.....
Friday, May 8, 2009
Our First Date
I was thrown for a loop by the fact that Mrs. Hall and Mrs. Gilmore gave this soldier, Dave, permission to take me out. After all, it was against the rules and I would rather get to know him better before actually dating him. They were my excuse for not goiing out with him!! However, the smile on his face was hard to refuse. He saw humor in the situation and his eyes were just sparklilng with orneriness. He wore me down with his charm, and I quite reluctantly decided to go with him.
We left shortly after that and went to Steak and Shake to get something to eat. Steak and Shake is a drive-in similar to Sonic. You pulled into a spot beside a speaker and ordered your food. Your food would be brought to you on a tray and attached to your window. I am adding these details for my great grandchildren that some day may not know about these kind of places.
After we ate we went to the Cactus Club. It was one of my favorite places to go. They had a great band on the weekends and a nice dance floor. There was a bar attached to it but was completely separate from where we were. We could get in because we were at least 18. The band catered to our age group and played all the newest hits, plus music from the past couple years. We had a good time dancing and talking and I was glad I went out with him.
We left shortly after that and went to Steak and Shake to get something to eat. Steak and Shake is a drive-in similar to Sonic. You pulled into a spot beside a speaker and ordered your food. Your food would be brought to you on a tray and attached to your window. I am adding these details for my great grandchildren that some day may not know about these kind of places.
After we ate we went to the Cactus Club. It was one of my favorite places to go. They had a great band on the weekends and a nice dance floor. There was a bar attached to it but was completely separate from where we were. We could get in because we were at least 18. The band catered to our age group and played all the newest hits, plus music from the past couple years. We had a good time dancing and talking and I was glad I went out with him.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Armed Forces Day Parade
It was early May of '64 that Mrs. Hall and Mrs. Gilmore, the older ladies in charge at the USO, were going to go to Fort Leonardwood, Missouri for the Armed Forces Day Parade. They invited all the hostesses to go along if they wanted to. I decided to go---I had never been to an army base and I was curious plus I wanted to see the parade. It seems to me that there were only about three or four of us hostesses went. I really enjoyed the parade, all the men in uniform marching in unison and really liked the army band.
After the parade, a soldier came up to our group and it was quite obvious that they knew him real well. He invited us all to go to the NCO Club with him for lunch. I was sitting at the opposite end of the table and was taking in the sights. It was a very nice club and of course it was full of soldiers in their dress uniforms. This is when I knew that I really liked a man in uniform if they were easy on the eyes and wore the uniform well. (I loved Harmon Rabb on Jag, WOW!)
Afterwards we headed on back to Springfield, and the USO. We weren't back long at all when this same soldier came into the club. He sat down at the table that I was sitting at and we just made some small talk and we played a few songs on the jukebox. He asked me out on a date and I thought (gosh, I don't even really know him). So I thought I had a perfect out---I told him that we were not allowed to leave with or date any of the soldiers. He excused himself from the table and was only gone a short time. When he came back he had a big grin on his face and said that I had permission to go out with him. This soldier was David Reinke, known to some of you as dad, grandpa and eventually great grandpa.
After the parade, a soldier came up to our group and it was quite obvious that they knew him real well. He invited us all to go to the NCO Club with him for lunch. I was sitting at the opposite end of the table and was taking in the sights. It was a very nice club and of course it was full of soldiers in their dress uniforms. This is when I knew that I really liked a man in uniform if they were easy on the eyes and wore the uniform well. (I loved Harmon Rabb on Jag, WOW!)
Afterwards we headed on back to Springfield, and the USO. We weren't back long at all when this same soldier came into the club. He sat down at the table that I was sitting at and we just made some small talk and we played a few songs on the jukebox. He asked me out on a date and I thought (gosh, I don't even really know him). So I thought I had a perfect out---I told him that we were not allowed to leave with or date any of the soldiers. He excused himself from the table and was only gone a short time. When he came back he had a big grin on his face and said that I had permission to go out with him. This soldier was David Reinke, known to some of you as dad, grandpa and eventually great grandpa.
The USO
It was the spring of '64 that my roommate Jane and I heard about the USO club.
We decided to check it out one weekend night that we didn't have other plans, which was rare. A Friday evening did come up that neither one of us had something else to do, so we went on down there. It was a club for military service members. They could come in there and play cards, board games or play the jukebox. If we decided to do this, we would be the hostesses. We would serve refreshments and play cards with them or sometimes one of them would want to dance to a song on the jukebox.There were two elderly ladies in charge of the place. The only real rule was that we were not to leave with or otherwise date these guys. We decided to go ahead and do this, it was a new experience and if we didn't like it we could just quit, it was voluntary. I found out I really liked these men in uniform. They were fun to be around and interesting to talk to.
We decided to check it out one weekend night that we didn't have other plans, which was rare. A Friday evening did come up that neither one of us had something else to do, so we went on down there. It was a club for military service members. They could come in there and play cards, board games or play the jukebox. If we decided to do this, we would be the hostesses. We would serve refreshments and play cards with them or sometimes one of them would want to dance to a song on the jukebox.There were two elderly ladies in charge of the place. The only real rule was that we were not to leave with or otherwise date these guys. We decided to go ahead and do this, it was a new experience and if we didn't like it we could just quit, it was voluntary. I found out I really liked these men in uniform. They were fun to be around and interesting to talk to.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Green Hair
After I had worked at Clayton's quite awhile, I did build up a few good customers. One of my customers had real short hair and was trying to grow out a black dye job. Her roots were white and about an inch grown out. I was giving her a black rinse (temporary, it will wash out) to her roots to cover all the white. She then decided that this rinse was messy, it rubs off a little on collars or pillowcases ect. She also told me the over the counter product she wanted me to put on her hair. I told her that this wouldn't work, that it would turn her hair green. She argued on and on and was so adament that I use this product on her. She finally got so frustrated with me that she threatened to go to another shop if I wouldn't do it. So, what the heck, I had warned her right??
So the next week she brought in this product she had bought in a store, so I could put it on for her. Once more I advised against it, but she stood her ground. I applied the product and when it was done I put her hair in curlers and put her under the dryer. During the comb out, I just chatted normally with her, but she had to do it---she asked me how the color looked. I said, "oh I guess it's okay if you like green hair!!!" Well, I shouldn't have said that because it cost me a very good customer and usually she was a very sweet lady. She never returned to the shop.
So the next week she brought in this product she had bought in a store, so I could put it on for her. Once more I advised against it, but she stood her ground. I applied the product and when it was done I put her hair in curlers and put her under the dryer. During the comb out, I just chatted normally with her, but she had to do it---she asked me how the color looked. I said, "oh I guess it's okay if you like green hair!!!" Well, I shouldn't have said that because it cost me a very good customer and usually she was a very sweet lady. She never returned to the shop.
Clayton's Beauty Salon
Well, my little job in the neighborhood beauty shop didn't last long at all. Nobody wanted me to fix their hair. Even the owner wasn't all that busy. Then I saw the ad in the newspaper, Clayton's Beauty Salon way out on the south side of town was hiring. Even though I didn't have a car to get out there, I called and responded to the want ad. He practically hired me right over the phone and said he would like to meet me in person, and would like to take me out to see the salon. He asked if we could do that and I said okay. He told me what kind of car he would be driving so I would know it's him before I got in the car. ( If I heard of a young girl doing that now I would be horrified!) It never even occurred to me that this could be dangerous. Times were just different and I was invincible, not to mention naive.
The shop was fairly new and was beautiful. It had a water fountain in the middle with all the booths around it. He hired me and arranged for my transportation. One of the girls that was already working there had a car and she would be picking me up.
So I had a better job in a beautiful new Salon, but I still didn't have any customers. I would get a drop in once in awhile but most of the time I did nothing. Mom told me to stick with it (she knew I had very little patience) She said it would just take time to build up my own customers so I stuck it out.
The shop was fairly new and was beautiful. It had a water fountain in the middle with all the booths around it. He hired me and arranged for my transportation. One of the girls that was already working there had a car and she would be picking me up.
So I had a better job in a beautiful new Salon, but I still didn't have any customers. I would get a drop in once in awhile but most of the time I did nothing. Mom told me to stick with it (she knew I had very little patience) She said it would just take time to build up my own customers so I stuck it out.
All The Fish In The Sea!
My boyfriend and I had broken up right before I moved to Springfield. I wasn't planning to come back home every weekend, and it would be ridiculous to keep going steady with someone you would see so seldom. Boys always manage to hang out in the same places that the girls hang out. One of our best hangouts was just a little diner next door to the Y. We'd go in there, order a soda and fries or chips, play the jukebox and just visit and have a good time. Fun can be found just about anywhere, you just need to allow it to happen.
I wasn't up there (in Springfield) but a couple months when Elmer moved up and into the YMCA which was conveniently right across the street and down about a block. He had enrolled in a business college. Although I still liked him, he really started cramping my style. He was very immature and also very jealous. I knew this from when we were home too, if he saw me with someone else he would really pitch a fit and sometimes do something stupid or dangerous. I went out with him once in awhile, but mostly I was dating some of the "other fish in the sea". Most of these "fish" were more mature, very nice and easy on the eyes.
I wasn't up there (in Springfield) but a couple months when Elmer moved up and into the YMCA which was conveniently right across the street and down about a block. He had enrolled in a business college. Although I still liked him, he really started cramping my style. He was very immature and also very jealous. I knew this from when we were home too, if he saw me with someone else he would really pitch a fit and sometimes do something stupid or dangerous. I went out with him once in awhile, but mostly I was dating some of the "other fish in the sea". Most of these "fish" were more mature, very nice and easy on the eyes.
Monday, May 4, 2009
The State Board
The course I took at beauty school only took six months. Then I had to go to Jefferson City to take the state board test for my license. I chose mom to be my model for two reasons. First of all I needed her to take me up there and secondly I had worked with her hair before and it was fairly easy to manage.
The first part of the test was a written one. The second part was when I worked on mom's hair with their scrutinizing eyes watching me like a hawk. (It felt like it but they probably really weren't). I gave mom the required haircut, she had been letting it grow a little bit so I would have something to cut. What a mom! Then I had to do some finger waves, that is waves down the back of the head like old ladies use to wear. After that I set it and put her under the dryer. Of course she came out of it looking lovely. I passed the test and just had to wait a few weeks to get my license.
While waiting for my license I started to look for a job in a beauty shop. One of my main problems is that I didn't have a car. I did find a small shop within walking distance. It was just a very small one that only the owner worked in. It only had two shampoo bowls and a couple dryers. She hired me so that I could take any walk-ins and overflow. Problem is I would sit there all day and there was no drop-ins or overflow. Back then, a beautician earned no base pay. We worked for commission only, we made 50% of the cost of the service. In other words, if you didn't have a customer all day you made nothing!!
The first part of the test was a written one. The second part was when I worked on mom's hair with their scrutinizing eyes watching me like a hawk. (It felt like it but they probably really weren't). I gave mom the required haircut, she had been letting it grow a little bit so I would have something to cut. What a mom! Then I had to do some finger waves, that is waves down the back of the head like old ladies use to wear. After that I set it and put her under the dryer. Of course she came out of it looking lovely. I passed the test and just had to wait a few weeks to get my license.
While waiting for my license I started to look for a job in a beauty shop. One of my main problems is that I didn't have a car. I did find a small shop within walking distance. It was just a very small one that only the owner worked in. It only had two shampoo bowls and a couple dryers. She hired me so that I could take any walk-ins and overflow. Problem is I would sit there all day and there was no drop-ins or overflow. Back then, a beautician earned no base pay. We worked for commission only, we made 50% of the cost of the service. In other words, if you didn't have a customer all day you made nothing!!
TGIF--It's Hair-do-Day
Friday was our favorite day at beauty school. On Fridays us students got to do each other's hair. We would get and give a shampoo, set and style. It was great to get your hair done every week and it was fun giving the hair style to your partner. We sometimes gave each other manicures too, but we didn't do pedicures. My friend and I often put velvet ribbons in our hair because of the hit song at the time was "Blue Velvet". It was one of the "Bobbys" that sang it, I think it was Bobby Vinton.
The classes were set up in two levels. T he beginners were called juniors and the advanced students were called seniors. There were certain hours we were open to the public and "patrons" could come in and request either a junior or senior to do their hair. The students were supervised closely, especially for a haircut. I was so nervous the first few haircuts. If you screw up you can't put it back. lol
After we got our hair done and school let out, my friends and I would go to Woolworths dime store and get our pictures taken in the photo booth. It was a small booth with curtains. I think it cost a quarter and you got a strip of four small black and white pictures. Sometimes we would pose nice for them, and other times we would make silly faces. I know these booths are still around because I've seen strips of pictures of my granddaughters.
The classes were set up in two levels. T he beginners were called juniors and the advanced students were called seniors. There were certain hours we were open to the public and "patrons" could come in and request either a junior or senior to do their hair. The students were supervised closely, especially for a haircut. I was so nervous the first few haircuts. If you screw up you can't put it back. lol
After we got our hair done and school let out, my friends and I would go to Woolworths dime store and get our pictures taken in the photo booth. It was a small booth with curtains. I think it cost a quarter and you got a strip of four small black and white pictures. Sometimes we would pose nice for them, and other times we would make silly faces. I know these booths are still around because I've seen strips of pictures of my granddaughters.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Blue Bonnet Beauty Academy
On the first day, while I was walking to school, I was a bit nervous and apprehensive. I think most people are their first day of a new experience. I was walking with a small group of girls that were going for their first day also so that helped a lot. When I got there, I was given a small blue suitcase full of supplies that I would need to fix hair and give manicures. I was also given a book to use during classes.
I would have preferred just hands on learning, just being shown how to do it. Well it does not work that way and I knew it wouldn't, but I could still prefer it. We would have a few hours of class studies and then we would practice doing hair on "dummy heads". They were like rubber mannequins like you see in stores except it was just the head. They were attached to a clamp that would hook right on to our desks. We curled and styled these heads just as we would do people except we couldn't give them a haircut. We would put their hair in rollers and put their heads on a shelf under a dryer. I much preferred this to the book. The book was boring and had so much stuff in there that we would never use. The chapters I particularly didn't like were on electricity and chemicals. I learned it okay, I just didn't like it!
I would have preferred just hands on learning, just being shown how to do it. Well it does not work that way and I knew it wouldn't, but I could still prefer it. We would have a few hours of class studies and then we would practice doing hair on "dummy heads". They were like rubber mannequins like you see in stores except it was just the head. They were attached to a clamp that would hook right on to our desks. We curled and styled these heads just as we would do people except we couldn't give them a haircut. We would put their hair in rollers and put their heads on a shelf under a dryer. I much preferred this to the book. The book was boring and had so much stuff in there that we would never use. The chapters I particularly didn't like were on electricity and chemicals. I learned it okay, I just didn't like it!
School Preparation And The Neighborhood
Mom and I had gone shopping and got me some white uniforms and some white support shoes like nurses wear. I was dreading getting the shoes because I thought they would look like "old lady support shoes". The ones I got were not bad at all, a litle stylish if you could call any support shoe stylish. We had to wear the uniforms and shoes to the school everyday.
The Blue Bonnet Beauty Academy was only a few blocks from the Y where I lived. This was part of the reason we chose for me to live there. So every school morning, all of us girls in white uniforms would walk to classes together. Some of the girls went to another beauty academy that was also within walking distance. We had a little rivalry going on with them and would tease each other back and forth. My roommate, Jane, was going to a business college.
Blue Bonnet was right on the city square so we were real close to the large shopping district. I think there was a Sears, Penney's and Montgomery Wards there, plus Woolworths ( a dimestore). There were also grocery stores in the area. I thought it was such a good and convenient set-up. I thought to myself, "I think I am going to like it here!"
The Blue Bonnet Beauty Academy was only a few blocks from the Y where I lived. This was part of the reason we chose for me to live there. So every school morning, all of us girls in white uniforms would walk to classes together. Some of the girls went to another beauty academy that was also within walking distance. We had a little rivalry going on with them and would tease each other back and forth. My roommate, Jane, was going to a business college.
Blue Bonnet was right on the city square so we were real close to the large shopping district. I think there was a Sears, Penney's and Montgomery Wards there, plus Woolworths ( a dimestore). There were also grocery stores in the area. I thought it was such a good and convenient set-up. I thought to myself, "I think I am going to like it here!"
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Moving into the YWCA
I had about a month of summer before I moved to Springfield Missouri to attend the beauty college. Mom drove me and my "stuff" up there, it is about an hour's drive. I was moving into the YWCA. It had a real nice common use lobby and there was a desk for the lady in charge to sit at. She answered the phone and called us on the intercom to tell us we had a phone call. The only phones were downstairs. in the middle of the hallway. We would hear our name on the intercom and then we would go out in the hall and holler "yes" to let her know we were up there. Then she would tell us we had a call. When I first moved in I had a room on the third floor. All the rooms were for two girls. I, of course, didn't know any of the girls including my roommate. She was nice enough but was so quiet and timid. As I got to know some of the other girls I moved to a couple other rooms. The first move was to a room in the basement with a girl named Gloria. She was nice and kind of funny, but she would wear my clothes sometimes and stretch them because she was a bit larger then I was. Then I moved in with a girl on the second floor and that one worked out just fine. I stayed there all the rest of the time that I was at the Y. When we would have a visitor, the lady would tell us so over the intercom . No boys or men were allowed past the lobby. Whenever we went out for the evening we would have to be back "home" by midnight because that is when they locked up the doors and there would be no getting in.
This was a good place for me to live in between leaving home and living in an apartment. I was not immature, but I was still very young. This arrangement worked out just great for quite a while, and then Jane and I decided to move into an apartment. This was about a year later.
This was a good place for me to live in between leaving home and living in an apartment. I was not immature, but I was still very young. This arrangement worked out just great for quite a while, and then Jane and I decided to move into an apartment. This was about a year later.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Graduation
My high school graduation was on May 14,1963 from Reeds Spring High School in Reeds Spring Missouri. It was held in the high school gymnasium/auditorium. Besides my diploma, I received an Art Award, a Secretarial Practice Award and a scholarship to Blue Bonnet Beauty Acacdemy in Springfield Missouri. There were 22 kids in my graduation class.
Favorite Songs and Movies
While looking through my "Memories of my senior days" book I came across some entries I made about favorite songs. Most of them I know, but there are two songs I listed that I don't even remember the words, tune or who sang them. These are the songs that I listed that I liked so well:
Don't be afraid little darlin'
Twenty miles
He's so fine
The end of the world
Puff the magic dragon
You belong to me
It is the firtst two that I can't remember. It didn't surprise me at all that there were no Elvis songs on my favorite list because I didn't like his music that well back then. It did surprise me that there were no Beach Boys, Bobby Vee, Bobby Vinton, Bobby Rydell----you know, all the Bobby's. This was the spring of 1963.
I listed my favorite movies as "Blue Hawaii" and "Gidget goes Hawaiian".
Don't be afraid little darlin'
Twenty miles
He's so fine
The end of the world
Puff the magic dragon
You belong to me
It is the firtst two that I can't remember. It didn't surprise me at all that there were no Elvis songs on my favorite list because I didn't like his music that well back then. It did surprise me that there were no Beach Boys, Bobby Vee, Bobby Vinton, Bobby Rydell----you know, all the Bobby's. This was the spring of 1963.
I listed my favorite movies as "Blue Hawaii" and "Gidget goes Hawaiian".
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Junior-Senior Proms
Small as our school was, we didn't have just a senior prom like the kids in larger schools now do. We had a joint junior and senior prom. The juniors would do all the planning and raise the money for the prom.
When I was a junior we chose Hawaiian for our theme. We raised the money by the usual ways---bake sales , cake walks and car washes. We hired the local DJ Dick Biondi to play the music for the dance. My date of course was Elmer (or as Laura would say, Kenickie) for both proms. For the junior prom I had a light blue knee length formal and white and silver high heel shoes. It is the same ensemble I wore the following year when I was homecoming queen candidate. I had a corsage of white carnations with light blue tips and a blue ribbon.
For the senior prom, the juniors chose "graduation" as the theme. We had the same disc jockey as before (you guessed it, the only one in the area!) lol I had a white dotted swiss spaghetti strap knee length formal . My corsage was red carnations with white ribbons.
I don't remember the place we had the proms but it wasn't at the school. We all met at the school and rode to the prom in a school bus!! Ain't that a hoot!!! No limousines (wow, had to get spell checker for that one, lol ) were available in the whole area. Now can you believe that? Maybe this is part of the reason I just don't care all that much about protocol. So much fun can be had in the simplest ways.
When I was a junior we chose Hawaiian for our theme. We raised the money by the usual ways---bake sales , cake walks and car washes. We hired the local DJ Dick Biondi to play the music for the dance. My date of course was Elmer (or as Laura would say, Kenickie) for both proms. For the junior prom I had a light blue knee length formal and white and silver high heel shoes. It is the same ensemble I wore the following year when I was homecoming queen candidate. I had a corsage of white carnations with light blue tips and a blue ribbon.
For the senior prom, the juniors chose "graduation" as the theme. We had the same disc jockey as before (you guessed it, the only one in the area!) lol I had a white dotted swiss spaghetti strap knee length formal . My corsage was red carnations with white ribbons.
I don't remember the place we had the proms but it wasn't at the school. We all met at the school and rode to the prom in a school bus!! Ain't that a hoot!!! No limousines (wow, had to get spell checker for that one, lol ) were available in the whole area. Now can you believe that? Maybe this is part of the reason I just don't care all that much about protocol. So much fun can be had in the simplest ways.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
My Senior Trip---Part 2
Most of us bought souveniours while we were in Biloxi . After being in Biloxi all afternoon and all the sightseeing we did, we didn't get back to our hotel until 11:00 p.m. Part of our sightseeing was driving across the Lake Ponchatrain Causeway. It is 24 miles long and is the longest bridge in the world. A group of us went out to eat even though it was pretty late. We didn't get back to our rooms until about 12:30. We were sure worn out, it had been a fun and very busy day.
The next morning we checked out of our hotel and headed out of town on our way to Vicksburg, Mississippi. We toured the Vicksburg battlegrounds, and then went on to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. We checked in to the Pine Bluff motel, which was the prettiest place we stayed. We headed on home the folowing morning and got to Reeds Spring around 4:30. We all had a wonderful time but sure were tired. We all called our parents to tell them we were back and to please come get us. They were on "stand-by" to come get us, but there was no way we could've projected what time. This was several decades before the cell phones. A group of us sat at the counter in the drugstore and had a coke while we waited for them.
The next morning we checked out of our hotel and headed out of town on our way to Vicksburg, Mississippi. We toured the Vicksburg battlegrounds, and then went on to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. We checked in to the Pine Bluff motel, which was the prettiest place we stayed. We headed on home the folowing morning and got to Reeds Spring around 4:30. We all had a wonderful time but sure were tired. We all called our parents to tell them we were back and to please come get us. They were on "stand-by" to come get us, but there was no way we could've projected what time. This was several decades before the cell phones. A group of us sat at the counter in the drugstore and had a coke while we waited for them.
My Senior Trip---Part 1
O n April 29, 1963, 18 of us seniors and our chaperones all met in the school parking lot. We all boarded a school bus and we were off. Our final destination was New Orleans, La. The first night we stayed at the Pelican Motel in Alexandria, Louisiana. We went to the bowling alley for awhile and then we just walked around and enjoyed ourselves.
We got up the next morning at 6:30 and went on in to New Orleans. We stayed at the DeSoto Hotel and our rooms were on the 4th floor. I shared a room with my best friend Barbara Shaw and two other girls. A group of about 7 or 8 of us went out to eat together and then walked around Canal and Bourbon St. for awhile. We went to a movie and saw "The Critics Choice" with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball. When we got back to the hotel, us girls stayed up talking and laughing till around 3:30 in the morning.
The next morning we took a side trip to Biloxi, Mississippi. This is where the clutch went out on the bus. We didn't care a bit because we got to spend all afternoon on the beach!! However, a few of the kids that went into the "Gulf of Mexico" cut their feet on sharp rocks and seashells. The rest of us knew at their expense, not to go in the water barefooted.
The bus driver picked us up after the clutch was fixed and we headed back to New Orleans. We did some sightseeing and then went back to our hotel.
To be continued
We got up the next morning at 6:30 and went on in to New Orleans. We stayed at the DeSoto Hotel and our rooms were on the 4th floor. I shared a room with my best friend Barbara Shaw and two other girls. A group of about 7 or 8 of us went out to eat together and then walked around Canal and Bourbon St. for awhile. We went to a movie and saw "The Critics Choice" with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball. When we got back to the hotel, us girls stayed up talking and laughing till around 3:30 in the morning.
The next morning we took a side trip to Biloxi, Mississippi. This is where the clutch went out on the bus. We didn't care a bit because we got to spend all afternoon on the beach!! However, a few of the kids that went into the "Gulf of Mexico" cut their feet on sharp rocks and seashells. The rest of us knew at their expense, not to go in the water barefooted.
The bus driver picked us up after the clutch was fixed and we headed back to New Orleans. We did some sightseeing and then went back to our hotel.
To be continued
Senior Sneak Day
This event was originally called skip or sneak day because all of the students in the senior class would skip school on the same day. No one in the senior class would show up for school. It evolved quite a bit by the time we would have done it. Not only did the school and faculty know about it, but they even let us use one of our old yellow school busses and a driver for the day.
We went to the bowling alley in Hollister first. We had a lot of fun there and then we headed out for Rockaway. It is (or was) a recreation area with a few rides and concession stands. It had a huge ferris wheel. That is one ride that kind of scares me, let's say it makes me very uneasy. Yeah I know, the fearless roller coaster rider afraid of the ferris wheel! Kind of ironic huh? I was goaded and talked in to going on it anyway, and I was right---I didn't like it at all! I hate that feeling of being dropped and always felt like I was going to get "flung" right out of that seat. I don't like any ride that drops me. We had a great time while we were there. We ate our share of the junk food that they sell at these places.Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the school.We had to get the school bus back so it could take some kids home, and of course catch our own busses.
Sure glad I didn't get "flung" anywhere, or all of you would't be around to read this! lol
We went to the bowling alley in Hollister first. We had a lot of fun there and then we headed out for Rockaway. It is (or was) a recreation area with a few rides and concession stands. It had a huge ferris wheel. That is one ride that kind of scares me, let's say it makes me very uneasy. Yeah I know, the fearless roller coaster rider afraid of the ferris wheel! Kind of ironic huh? I was goaded and talked in to going on it anyway, and I was right---I didn't like it at all! I hate that feeling of being dropped and always felt like I was going to get "flung" right out of that seat. I don't like any ride that drops me. We had a great time while we were there. We ate our share of the junk food that they sell at these places.Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the school.We had to get the school bus back so it could take some kids home, and of course catch our own busses.
Sure glad I didn't get "flung" anywhere, or all of you would't be around to read this! lol
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Homecoming 1962-63
Our homecoming my senior year started with a pep squad assembly at 3:00. We all took our busses home and came back to the school before the A-team started playing a 7:00. The A-team beat Galena 74 to 62. Later the B-team played and won their game 41 to 36 over Galena.
The coronation of the homecoming queen was done between the games. I was the homecoming queen candidate for the senior class. I wore my light blue knee length formal and my white and silver sparkley shoes (three inch spikes). All of the candidates were given white corsages. The junior class candidate won the title of homecoming queen and was crowned by the captain of the basketball team. She also received a bouquet of red roses. The theme for our homecoming was Christmas, so we had red, white and silver decorations on a midnight blue background. It was beautiful.
Afterwards, when I ran into mom and dad out in the hallway of the school, dad was mumbling and grumbling about something but I didn't pay much attention to it. My boyfriend drove me home that night. Mom told me the next day that what dad was grumbling about was that he thought I was the prettiest girl up there and I should have won. Gotta love daddies!!!
The coronation of the homecoming queen was done between the games. I was the homecoming queen candidate for the senior class. I wore my light blue knee length formal and my white and silver sparkley shoes (three inch spikes). All of the candidates were given white corsages. The junior class candidate won the title of homecoming queen and was crowned by the captain of the basketball team. She also received a bouquet of red roses. The theme for our homecoming was Christmas, so we had red, white and silver decorations on a midnight blue background. It was beautiful.
Afterwards, when I ran into mom and dad out in the hallway of the school, dad was mumbling and grumbling about something but I didn't pay much attention to it. My boyfriend drove me home that night. Mom told me the next day that what dad was grumbling about was that he thought I was the prettiest girl up there and I should have won. Gotta love daddies!!!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Junior and Senior Plays
I "starred" in both the junior and the senior plays. The junior play was "The spooky tavern". I played the part of Lucy Hacker, a spiritualistic medium. I wore a floor length, long sleeved black dress and I opened the show. It was completely dark on the stage, and I come out with a candle. I hold the candle out in front of my chest so the glow lit up my face in a haunting way, kind of like holding a flashlight under your chin. My opening dialogue was very long and was quite a challenge to memorize. I, of course, rose to the challenge and did superbly. lol Once that opening was finished, I had it pretty easy. I came back on stage several times, but just for a few sentences each time.
The senior play was "Me and my shadow". I played the part of Arlene Harrington, a married woman that owned the house the play took place in. Even though I had the lead female part in this play, it was much easier to learn and perform than the junior play. I had more back and forth dialogue with this one, more feedback from other "stars".
The senior play was "Me and my shadow". I played the part of Arlene Harrington, a married woman that owned the house the play took place in. Even though I had the lead female part in this play, it was much easier to learn and perform than the junior play. I had more back and forth dialogue with this one, more feedback from other "stars".
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