The First Guy in My Life

I suppose the first boys in my life were my three brothers. I've already written about them. I want to write about the guys in my life who were not related to me.

The first guy in my life was my neighbor, Jim. We spent lots of time together from the time I was two until I was about 12. Then he and his family moved to a bigger house in town.

He would wait on the porch until I finished my piano practice. He knew I couldn't come outside until the practicing was done. We climbed a big tree beside our driveway - even got on the roof of his home. Of course, we got in trouble for that!

Daddy almost ruined our friendship when he had a load of rocks put on our driveway. Now, this wasn't gravel - but rocks! When we'd get mad at each other, we would throw rocks across the driveway at each other. I think I hit him more than once! He claims he still has the bumps on his head to prove it!

We also listened to his victrola - we would crank it and then listen to "Hallelujah! I'm a Bum!" It is the song we liked best. We would laugh and laugh about this guy singing he was a bum.

Then there is the story of the two of us "swimming" in the big pickle barrel his Dad brought home from their grocery store. We probably smelled like dill pickles!

We lived at the north edge of town. There was a draw across the street north of us. We always took our sleds there. It was a perfect place to sled. We were told not to go there if it had rained heavily. I remember we went over there once after a heavy rain and got really wet. We also got in plenty of trouble for doing this.

We played together nearly every day - in the summer, we played together from morning to night. We always had a good time together. We liked to look for four leaf clovers in the grass, lay on our backs looking up at the clouds and deciding what they looked like, and play marbles.

We went all the way through school together and have remained friends.

"The Men in My Little Girl's Life"

This is a song Mike Douglas, the singer and talk show host, sang that I like a lot. It was written by Gloria Shayne Baker, Mary Candy and Eddie Deane. This song is the story of a child, an adolescent, a young lady, a wife and a mother. The words follow:
The men in my little girl's life
The men in my little girl's life

It seems like only yesterday
When I heard my little girl say
Daddy, there's a boy outside, his name is Rod
He wants to play in our backyard
Can he, Daddy?
Oh, please, Daddy.

Is it really so long ago
She'd come to me and wanna know
Dad, there's a boy outside, his name is Lee
He wants to carry my books for me
Can he, Daddy?
Is it alright, Dad?
He's got freckles, Dad.

The men in my little girl's life
The men in my little girl's life

Then came pony tails and jeans
And my little girl was in her teens
Popsie, there's a boy outside
His name is Tom
He wants to take me to the prom
OK, Popsie
We'll be home early, Popsie

Before I knew it time had flown
And how my little girl had grown
Now it was, Father, there's a boy outside
His name is Eddie
He wants to know if we can go steady
Can we, Father?
Yes, Father
Oh, can we borrow the car, Pop?

Yes, it seems only yesterday
I heard my lovely daughter say,
Dad, there's a boy outside
His name is Jim
He asked me if I'd marry him
I said yes, Dad
Got something in your eye, Dad?
I love him, Dad

The men in my little girl's life
The men in my little girl's life
A child, an adolescent, a young lady, a wife
And oh, yes
there's another man in my little girl's life
Hi, Dad, there's a boy outside
His name is Tim
I told him Grampa was gonna babysit him
Thanks, Dad
Bless you, Dad
Good night, Dad

The men in my little girl's life
The men in my little girl's life

xxx

I'll write now and then about the guys in my life.

Christmas When I Was Growing Up

Growing up in the 40s and 50s was a good time to grow up. My little hometown was a good place to live and grow up. Celebrating Christmas was much different than it is today.

The stores didn't put up Christmas displays until after Thanksgiving - giving people a chance to celebrate and be thankful in November. The stores didn't put out the advertising the way they do now. As far as I can remember, there were no artificial Christmas trees nor white lights.

We always had a small four to five foot tree that we decorated with a few ornaments and one string of colored lights. There was a small white church that was always placed under the tree. One of the colored lights went in the back of the church to light up the windows. There was also a 3-4" ceramic Santa Claus under the tree. That same Santa Claus has been under every Christmas tree every year since I was a child. - It will be under our tree this year, too. It is a little beat up and some paint is missing but it connects me with people who have gone on ahead and simpler times.

I don't remember any specific Christmas. I think I probably got an orange or an apple, some candy and one or two gifts. I didn't feel deprived because it was the same way in most homes back then. I did get a doll that could open and close its eyes; a baby buggy and a doll house with tiny furniture. Of course, those didn't all come the same Christmas.

Mother cooked Christmas dinner - it was probably a roast chicken with dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn or green beans. There would be cake or pie for dessert. My three brothers would have been there with Mother, Daddy and me.

I don't remember sending and receiving lots of Christmas cards. We probably sent them to relatives and a few old friends - all who lived far away. People didn't write long letters detailing what they had done all year.

As I said, it was a simpler time back then.

Sunflower Girls' State

The summer between my junior and senior year in high school, the American Legion Auxillary chose me and one of my classmates to attend Girls' State. It was a week-long experience held on the Kansas University campus in Lawrence.

Small towns could send two girls and the larger places were able to send more - probably in relation to the size of the American Legion in the town or city. The big city girls were so much better prepared than those of us from small towns.

The purpose of Girls' State was to show girls how city, county, state and national governments worked including the politics of running for office. We studied the responsibilities of the various offices at all levels of government.

Late in the week we had elections for the offices from county sheriff to the state governor and everything in between. The candidates ran a campaign prior to the election. I ran for county sheriff and was elected.

We toured the state capitol, the governor's mansion, the state house and state senate in Topeka. It was all very interesting. This was all crammed into one day.

We also had a mock trial. I was the bailiff and had to say, "Oyez, Oyez, court is now in session. Please rise for the honorable Judge Jane Doe." The mock trial was very interesting because I had never been in a court room nor seen a trial.

At the end of the week, we were presented with pins in the shape of the state of Kansas with gold lettering across the top that said Sunflower; on the left it said Girls' and on the right it said State. The American Legion logo was in the center.

At the end of the week we chose two girls to represent Kansas at Girls' Nation which was held in Washington, D.C.

My classmate and I presented an oral report about our week at Girls' State to the American Legion Auxillary at one of the meetings later in the summer. All in all, it was a very good experience.

Junior Year

I am not sure why I didn't have my glasses on for this school photo but I didn't. (My current driver's license photo is also without glasses - I haven't figured that out either - the person taking the photo asked me to take off my glasses!)

The sumer before my junior year, I worked full time at the Rexall Drugstore. It helped me earn some money. I always saved half of my wages. This money, along with $12/month check I got as long as I was in school, helped pay for my college expenses. I think the $12 was because Daddy was a WWI veteran and I got this as his survivor. I continued working during the school year also.

The classes I took my junior year were English III, Typing I, bookkeeping, civics and phys ed.

NCHS had a new commerce teacher. She taught typing, shorthand and bookkeeping. Many times when we asked how to do something, she would reply, "Use your ingenuity!" I didn't know for sure what that meant until I looked it up! She was a real stickler who wanted us to do the best we could all the time!

We welcomed four new classmates and one moved away. By the end of the year there were 49 of us.

We were conference football champs. Twelve of my classmates were on the team with nine in the starting lineup. Our classmates were active in academics, basketball, baseball, track, band, glee club, mixed chorus and drama. Four juniors were cheerleaders - one guy and three girls (I was one).

We were excited to order our classrings. When they were delivered, everyone loved showing off our classrings to anyone who wanted to see.

Our Junior play was "Strictly Formal." I always tried out for bit parts like the bratty little sister - and I usually got the part. (Do you suppose this was type casting??) Stage fright kept me from trying out for anything else!

We were hosts for the seniors at the Junior-Senior Prom. We offered the seniors Hawaiian entertainment and decorated the high school gym for the festivities. The girls all dressed up in formals and the guys wore suits. My dress was pale blue and I wore silver brocade heels. I got to sit with my sweetie. :)

Small Town Kansas

Growing up in a small town in the 40s and 50s was very different than growing up in an urban area in the same time period. I'm not sure what the popultion was back then but high school classes in the upper 40s to 50 plus were large classes!

Our small town had 3 grocery stores, a dairy, 2 drugstores, a grain elevator, furniture store, 3 car dealerships, a lumber yard, dry cleaners, a libary,2 dry goods stores, a ladies' dress shop, an appliance store, Ben Franklin (5 and dime), 2 farm machinery dealers, 2 hotels, a local weekly newspaper, several service stations, a doctor or two, a full complement of attorneys, about 6 protestant churchs, a Catholic Church, a couple cafes, a beer joint or two, a poolhall, and the County Courthouse. We had a movie theater, and later, a drive-in theater. A branch of the Santa Fe Railroad went through town. There were wedding dances and dances at the American Legion Hall. A swimming pool was built about 1952.

The larger towns were about 50-60 miles north and south of Ness. The nearest small city was about 125 miles away. We probably went to one of the nearer towns once a month. Then we drove the 125 miles to the small city about once every three or four months. We didn't do as much traveling to distant places back then. We could go by car, bus, or train.

It always amazes me when people here (and now) complain about having nothing to do. There are so many interesting things to do and places to go. There is always something to do in a large city.

I had never seen a black person until I went away to college in 1953. I believe many of the towns had "blue laws" that stated a black person had to leave town before sundown. It was a different time back then. Many people were prejudiced against people who were "different" - i.e. color, belief, etc.

Joe Louis, a black man, was the heavy weight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. As I recall, my family was for his opponent. I was always for the underdog so, while I said nothing, I quietly rooted for Joe Louis.

My Sophomore Year

The classes I took as a sophomore were English II, Latin II, geometry, biology and phys ed.

I was in geometry class when my brother, Bill, came to get me so he, Mom and I could drive to Hutchinson where Daddy was in the hospital. I think I probably did ok in geometry because I got Bs in the class. The trauma of being called out of class and Daddy's death made geometry not my favorite class the rest of the year.

My teachers were Mrs. Linn, Mr. Brown and Mr. Durst. I think Mrs. Linn taught both English II and Latin II. The Latin class had shrunk to five girls - sophomores, junioes and one senior. It was one of my favorite classes.

I was elected class secretary this year. Coach Goldsmith was our class sponsor. I don't remember exactly how it came about but we purchased a heifer to help with financing our week-long senior sneak trip. We started with 47 classmates. We added three new classmates and one moved away. Then in April we were saddened by the death of our classmate, Aldon Debes.

Each school year was a busy time. Our football team was conference champ; the basketball team lost some games and pal Sandy was elected Yearbook Queen.

Biology class was just before lunch. When we were dissecting frogs in class - and I went home for lunch I couldn't eat at all. Ugh! I didn't like that part of biology but I was fascinated with genetics. Besides the dissecting business, Mr. Durst would tease me by making remarkds about "B.Jo and Joe." I didn't think it was appropriate and it probably embarrassed me. More about this in a later post.

The class I forgot for my freshman year was a literature class. We read lots of different books; some Shakespear, Silas Marner, and probably some poetry. Somewhere along the line, I became fascinated with Edgar Allan Poe's writing.

Music continued to be part of the school day with band, glee club and mixed chorus. It seems that music has been part of my life since I was small. I enjoyed playing in band and singing in chorus and glee club.

School Days

My school days began in a two-and-a-half story brick building that held all grades from first through 12th. I think I spent 1st and 2nd grade there. Then we moved to a new elementary building that was really nice.

My high school years were spent in the same brick building where I started. It seemed strange to have a different teacher for each class.

My freshman classes were English I, Latin I, algebra, a science class I cannot remember, and phys ed. You should have seen the bloomers we wore in Phys Ed. Fortunately, none exists, as far as I know. I had the same teacher for English I and Latin I. There were three men teachers and one woman teacher for me that year.

Every year the seniors got to initiate the freshies. We had to dress as comic strip characters for that one day. One boy was Popeye, a girl was a gypsy, two guys were L'il Abner. My good pal and I were Hans and Fritz from the Katzenjammer Kids. One of the boys was the Captain from the same comic strip as Hans and Fritz. My good pal drew pictures of Hans and Fritz and we pinned them on our backs.

Some of the time we wore jeans, oversized (men's) white shirts, a scarf tied at the throat and saddle shoes or penny loafers. We were allowed to wear jeans and slacks to school by our freshman year.

All the activities in a small school like NCHS were done by most of the same people. The old 20/80 principle - 20% of the people did 80% of the work. I played clarinet in the concert band, pep band and in a clarinet quartet. I always played the 4th part (it was nice and low and I really liked that!) I sang alto in girls' glee club and mixed chorus; played 6-girl basketball - not well, however; was active in Y-Teens, a Christian organization; and worked on The Eagle yearbook staff.

I liked school and usually had the assignments done before the school day was over so I didn't have much home work. I really liked my Latin class. There were only nine of us, all girls, in class. It was a mixture of freshmen, sophomores and juniors with no seniors.

I did not take any home ec classes in school. My Mom was my sewing teacher. I made a blouse or two. I didn't really want to sew. I think Mom saw I was just this side of hopeless where sewing was concerned, at that point in time, so she just let it go. We had an old treadle sewing machine that I always treadled backwards and broke the thread. She may have just run out of patience with me!

Not many of us dated in our freshmen year. We would meet the boys at the movies and hold hands. That's about as daring as we got. It was a different time. I was somewhat bashful and very naive.

After my freshman year in school, I went to Ft. Hays State Teachers' College to a band camp that lasted a week. It was my first time away from home. I think I got along ok because I made it through the week. I played in the "A" band which was the most advanced of the three bands. I was thrilled to be chosen to play in the "A" band. We had college band instructors there directing us.

There were 8-10 girls who sort of hung out together at school and after school. Sometimes there were more and sometimes less. We had slumber(less) parties that were sometimes at the principal's home because his daughter was in our class; and sometimes they were at one of the hotels in town because one of the gang's parents owned the hotel. These parties were a real blast!

More Pot Pourri

Border print skirts became fashionable when I was in high school. A border print is fabric that has a pattern around the bottom of the skirt. Mom made me one with a border print of a piano keyboard. I don't remember the skirt color except for the piano keyboard - black and white, of course. I really liked it.

My favorite shoes were a pair of white buck oxfords. They had a sort of red rubber sole. I had these when I was a freshman in college. I was home on vacation when Mom told me I should go outside and wring a chicken's neck - so she could cook it. There was no way I could do this! So she came out and wrong the chicken's neck - that darned thing bled all over my white bucks! Boy, was I upset! Those shoes were never the same.

I was never very tall - about 5'4" and weighed 100 pounds when I was in high school. I think probably I was conceited about my tiny waist! My mother always said she was 5'2" but I'd almost bet she was just about 5'!

You have probably heard people talk about delayed gratification. If you haven't heard of it, it simply means delaying buying something one wants until that person can pay for it. I learned that when I was pretty young. Mom made this great chocolate cake with brown sugar frosting (yum!!). I always ate the cake part first, leaving maybe half an inch of cake with the frosting. I saved the best for last! Then I ate the frosting with just a little bit of cake! Growing up in the 40s and 50s, people didn't buy things they couldn't afford. They took out a loan to buy a house and seldom charged things.

More about Mom

My Mama was, sometimes, a funny lady. One time when my kids were little we were visiting her from Iowa. It was summertime and the windows were open to get some air circulating.

We had gone to bed early. There was a yappy little black dog on the block. That dog was outside yapping and keeping us awake. Mama grabbed her duster (robe) and the broom and headed outside. It was so funny to see this little, plump lady in her robe and her pink hairnet chasing that little dog down the sidewalk with the broom! She didn't catch the dog but the dog did go home - and also shut up!

An interesting thing happened at Mama's funeral. There was a dog outside barking. It reminded me of Mama chasing that yappy little black dog. It felt like my Mama was saying, "Remember?"

I think my family was/is filled with people who were sure they were right about things - any thing. Mama would always say, "I'll bet you a $500 dollar bill!" No one ever collected when he or she was correct. However, betting that $500 dollar bill has continued through two more generations of ladies - and we don't pay off, either!

Our Family Cars

I don't remember all the cars my family had but I do remember some of them. The first one I remember was a 4-door Chevy (year unknown). Then we had a 4-door Plymouth with a push button starter. I think it may have been black. It is probably the first car I was able to drive. I remember a picture of me sitting in the driver's seat. The last car that Mother had while I still lived at home was a 1951 black 4-door Ford with a big sunvisor - this sunvisor made it look like the car was wearing a visor like the ones we see in pictures of the old-time gamblers! I drove this car a lot!

Mom and I left one early morning to drive about 120 miles to Hutchison to find a prom dress for Senior Prom. I was driving and hit a patch of black ice. The car spun 180 degrees, took out the mile marker with the passenger side front quarter panel, and set the car down in the ditch facing the way we came! Scared the heck out of me! Mom said I was white as a sheet. Mom calmly told me to move over. She got in and, with the help from a man who stopped, drove us out of the ditch and straight on home! No more shopping that day (and it was a school day, too!)

I don't know how long it was before we made the trip to Hutchinson to buy the prom dress - but when we did go, there was no ice on the highway!

Daddy

This photo was taken long ago - probably about 82 years ago! One of my nieces had it and made a copy for me. I have no idea who is who. I just know those are my brothers and my Daddy. He always wore a hat when he was outside. I like this picture a lot. I had another one I scanned today. It had been a marker in a book - and I hadn't seen it for a long time until today. It is "corrupted" so I can't upload it.

Entertainment

We lived in a small town with a movie theater. We didn't have TV, iPods, cell phones, etc. Our entertainment was listening to the radio after supper. We would gather in the living room around the radio. Mom sat in her rocking chair that was a wedding gift in 1917. So it was an old chair that squeaked. The rest of us sat on the sofa or the big chair - or on the floor. We listened to Red Skelton; Baby Snooks; Fibber McGee and Molly - with Digger O'dell, the friendly undertaker; the Lux Radio Theater; Amos and Andy; Allen's Alley; Jack Benny; Bob Hope; Inner Sanctum with the scary squeaky door at the beginning of the show.

After school I listened to Jack Armstrong, the All American Boy; the Lone Ranger; Captain Midnight;and some others I don't recall. I never had a decoder ring because Mom wouldn't let me send in for one!

We had Saturday movie matinees - cost 15 cents. It was a double feature. There was a cowboy movie with Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger or Gene Autry and his horse Champion or Lash LaRue or Johnny Mack Brown or the Cisco Kid and his partner (there were other cowboys, too). Then there was Movietone News, a serial ending up with a cliff-hanger, and another movie. I always ate sunflower seeds at the movie - a package cost 5 cents, I think - and I put the hulls in my jeans pocket and threw them away at home instead of throwing them on the floor at the theater.

It was a safer time and place where everyone in town knew everyone else. If a kid did anything wrong, their mama knew it before they ever got home! The kids never really figured that out! It was a good time and place to grow up.

Pot Pourri #1

This post will be about unrelated things that I have remembered. There is not enough about any subject to rate a post all on its own.

I've written about clothing styles but left out some things that may be of interest. We wore beaded angora collars with crew-necked sweaters. The collar was tied in front. It dressed up the sweaters in much the same way as scarves did.

My favorite skirt was a red flannel straight skirt with about 8 kick pleats at the bottom. These pleats started below the knee and went to the bottom of the skirt. They made walking easier than some of the straight skirts did.

My first pair of high heels were black platform - the very latest style. I was excited to have a pair of heels but I didn't like the platforms much. I believe I was a freshman in high school when I got them.

I was very near-sighted and had to sit in the front of the classroom so I could see the blackboard. Several of my girl classmates got glasses and my folks thought I just wanted the glasses because they had them. I got my glasses finally about the summer between 8th grade and my freshman year in high school. I was amazed to be able to reconize people sitting across the gym from me. It was great to be able to see better.

I had an overbite and one "eye" tooth that was sideways. Mom and I drove to a dentist about 30 miles from Ness to another little town. He put braces on my upper teeth. We would do a little grocery shopping so we could have cheese, bologna and crackers on the way home. Whenever the dentist tightened my braces, my mouth would be so tender by suppertime that I couldn't even eat soup. The braces came off before 8th grade graduation. They were supposed to go back on afterwards - but we never went back! Hooray!! The tooth was straight and the overbite was corrected.

My chores around the house were to dust the hardwood floor with the dust mop and to dust the knickknacks on the shelves. Sometimes I ran the vacuum cleaner. I also dried the dishes when Mom washed them. She would let me get out of drying the dishes - if I would go practice the piano. So I practiced!

My piano lessons started when I was in 3rd grade, I think. My teacher was a talented lady in Ness. I took from her until about 7th grade. I don't remember why I quit. My next teacher lived in a small town 12 miles from Ness. She taught two of us together until I quit. Mom made sure I always practiced my lesson. The other girl, a classmate of mine, did not practice. So we would have to take the same lesson again with the very same songs. I got tired of this, eventually, and quit. We did have fun playing music for two pianos!

Mom was good about seeing that I practiced the piano. I had to do it before I could go out to play. My neighbor Jim would come over and stand on the porch looking in the door waiting for me to be finished. Sometimes, I would be practicing when Mom went outside to hang the clothes. I would stop playing, run to the kitchen and set the timer on the kitchen stove for less time. I didn't know for many years that Mom would come in the house and set the time for more! So I acutally practed as long as I was supposed to - even though I thought I was getting away with something!

Little Girl with a curl

"There was a little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. When she was good, she was very, very good - but when she was bad, she was horrid!"

This little 3-year-old also had freckles across her nose and cheekbones. I did not like them at all! My Uncle Mike liked them and told me so. I didn't hate those freckles quite as much after that. The gene for freckles came down from my dad who was sandy haired, light complected with lots of freckles!

The Stalker

I never heard of a "stalker" when I was growing up. Mom warned me that there were people who did "bad" things but I never felt that I knew anyone who was like that. That changed, however.

I had seen a very tall, very skinny boy who was a year or two ahead of me in school. I saw him at school but never anywhere else. I noticed him because he was so very tall. He dropped out of school, probably after 8th grade.

Mom was baby sitting across the street sometime after I began working at Rexall. It was evening. I was home alone so I pulled the shades in all the rooms of the house. (This is what families did at night - pulled the shades and closes the curtains.) I was reading in the living room when, suddenly, I heard someone scratch on the screen. It realy started me. I didn't know what to do.

I got up and walked into the front bedroom. I turned on the light and picked up a hairbrush from the dresser. I brushed my hair while I thought about what I should do. I was alone and afraid and we did not have a telephone. I finally decided I would go open the front door.

I turned on the porch light and yanked the door open! Then I heard these running footsteps beside the house. Can you imagine how it sounds when a very tall person runs? It is a sound I can still remember in my mind. I did catch a glimpse of the boy as he ran away. I did go across the street and stayed with Mom until she could come home.

Several weeks later I worked the Sunday evening shift at the Rexall. Mom came to pick me up. When we got to our kitchen door - it was open! Every burner on the gas range was turned on. We checked each room in the house. We found all the dresser drawers in the front bedroom were dumped on the floor! It was very scary.

I don't remember whether he bothered again. We did talk to the county attorney. He came over and we stood on the porch to talk - it was summertime. I really don't know what happened after that. The boy may have been sent away.

The rest of the story - as Paul Harvey always said - Many years later this boy was living with his aunt in my little hometown. For some reason, he got angry at his aunt and stabbed her to death. Then he did spend a number of years locked up.

I remembered my fear for many years. His obituary in the hometown paper freed me from my fear of him.

Clothes from the 50s

These are some of the clothes I wore when I was in High School. The only things Mother did not make were the sweaters and the pleated skirt. The first picture is of the pleated skirt and sweater - Mom did not make this. Note the "waist cincher" that was style then. The second picture is of black velvet blouse with a plaid satin skirt - Mom did make this. The third photo is a straight skirt she made of a pair of Dad's pants - She was ahead of her time using menswear fabric! The fourth photo is a 2 piece corduroy skirt and "weskit" - this is like a vest. Note the scarves we wore at the neckline of blouses and with sweaters.We also wore penny loafers and anklets. Hemlines were about 4" above the ankle.

We also wore corduroy jumpers with long-sleeved blouses. I loved sraight skirts with kick pleats in back. Most straight skirts had a split in the back up to about the knee so we could walk in them.

Mom once bought me a neon green sweater with white printing on the front. I don't think she read the printing because it said, "Sharp curves ahead!" I do not know what she was thinking when she bought this. I guess she just liked the colors! i did not wear it very often!!!

We wore our jeans rolled up about three rolls - so only about 4" was between the bottom of the jeans and the top of the anklets!

These were the stlyes I wore when I was in high school. The poodle skirts came later!

My First Job

Things are never the same after a death in the family. We know things will be different. Suddenly there were two people who lived in our home, instead of three.

After Daddy died, I went to both drugstores to ask for a job. The one, where I thought I wanted to work, was not hiring. So I applied at the Rexall Drugstore. They hired me to be a "soda jerk" and paid me 35 cents an hour.

The schedule was 4-6:30 p.m. three days a week; 6-10 p.m. two days a week; Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The next week it was two days a week 4-6:30 p.m.; three days 6-10 p.m.; and Saturday noon til 10:30 p.m. I may not have the rotation exactly correct but you get the idea.

I couldn't drive alone at night because I was only 15 years old. Mom would usually take me to work and pick me up when I worked the evening shifts.

The first day I worked some guy came in and asked for condoms - I had no idea what he wanted. The senior high school girl, who worked with me, took over and really laughed at my naivete'.

My main responsibility was to work at the fountain but I could also help out elsewhere in the store, if the fountain wasn't busy.

We served cokes and rootbeers from machines - and oh, how I hated to clean the insides of those machines! We made milk shakes, malts, ice cream sodas, chocolate milk called a "400". If we made an ice cream float with the chocolate milk, it was called and "800." The "400" came in a small coke glass while the "800" was in a large glass. We also made coke and rootbeer floats, limeades, and we served coffee.

We sold sweet rolls, donuts, sandwiches made with ham salad, chicken salad plus toasted cheese sandwiches.

My least favorite customer came in with her young daughter at 10:25 on Saturday evenings. Every machine and the grill would be cleaned up for the next day. This lady always ordered shakes and toasted sandwiches! So we would have to clean up the grill and the milk shake machine again! Of course, we were anxious to get finished so we could go to the dance at the American Legion Hall.

The clerks all learned to make shakes, ham or chicken salad. We also made "simple syrup" - water and suger - which we used to sweeten the limeades. We made it in a five gallon container. One time I dropped this glass container on the floor in the back room. Oh, my! What a sticky, ugly mess! I had the pleasure of cleaning it up! Yuck!

A married couple owned the store. The man was easy going but we hated to see his wife come in. It was like the "good" cop and the "bad" cop. He let us get away with some goofing off - but when she came in, she certainly didn't let us get away with anything!

The man would often put a scoop or two of chocolate ice cream in a coke glass and then put carmel sauce on top. I tried it out. Yum! Delicious!

I worked at the Rexall for three years in high school. I was a cheerleader the last two years. Two other clerks from my class were also cheerleaders and worked there. The store would close during the games so we were free to go. However, if we were scheduled to work Friday evenings, we would return to the store after the game and wait on customers for an hour or so before we could go to the Friday night teen-age dance at the Legion Hall. Of course, we didn't change out of our cheer leading uniforms and worked in them.

Working at the Rexall was a good experience. When the man who hired me and his wife sold out, we got a new boss. He was one of the good guys. He expected us to work but he also allowed us to have some fun.

The Aftermath

A death in the family is a shock to all concerned whether it is expected or not.
Most of the next days are a blur for me. I remember some things and other things were shared with me by family members.

I was so afraid Mom would want to have Daddy's body at home. However, she did not and I was so thankful she didn't.

Our next door neighbor lady was among the first to stop by. Others came including some of my classmates. I was saddened later when I overheard one of my classmates telling another that she "was the first one who had come to see me."

I was insistent that I was not going to the mortuary to "view the body." My brothers were equally insistent that I would do this. Of course, there were three of them and they were bigger than I so I went. "The body" was in a burgundy robe - my Daddy did not own a burgundy robe! I think probably "the body" wasn't really ready for "viewing."

A fly lit on Daddy's ear - and I knew he could not ever brush away a fly again. that is when I walked out.

Inez, my sister-in-law, tells me the funeral was on a misty, rainy, gray day. I do not remember this at all.

Sometime before the funeral, Daddy's brother Claude arrived. I heard his voice when he came in the back door. He sounded just like Daddy. He looked so much like Daddy only he was slighter in build. It was good that he was there.

The morning of the funeral, September 13, brother Bill and I were in the chapel look at all the flower arrangements that were placed at the end of each pew. He read one card and I would read the next. I got along just fine until I read the card from the sophomore class, my class. Then I started to cry. That was the end of reading the cards on the flowers.

Later our family was seated in a side room. I could look out the open front door. I was quite surprised to see Don and his friend Duane walk up the front steps. I guess I didn't even think about classmates and school friends coming to the funeral.

A men's quartet sang. My band director played "Taps" at the cemetery. He missed the last high note. When I said something to him about it later, I think I made him feel bad. It was one of the things that I have always remembered.

Our preacher was a man who immigrated to the US from Holland after WWII and he had quite an accent. He was a very nice, caring man.

The chapel at the mortuary was full. Daddy knew so many people from his job in the post office and I think most people liked him.

I know my mother grieved. No one told me it was important to grieve any loss, whether it would be putting away a teddy bear because one was too old to carry around a bear any longer or the loss of someone we loved. So I didn't know how to grieve.

A dear friend asked me many years later why I never talked about my Dad. I told her there was nothing to talk about because he was dead.

Forty years later I did my grieving, sitting in a chair in the Ness City Cemetery, writing a dialog with my Dad. There were about a dozen pages of writing. Grief is hard work but it is necessary so a person can get back to living life.

September 7-10, 1951

Some memories have been fun to relive and think about. Others are painful but healing comes with the remembering.

September 10, 1950, is a melancholy date for me. A few days earlier, Dad made an appointment with a doctor in Hutchinson for a checkup. The day of the appointment, Daddy told Mom that she needed to stay home with me because he could go down alone and come back the next day.

Daddy set out for Hutch and got about 40 miles from home where he had a heart attack. He picked up a hitchhiker who drove him to Daddy's sister's home. I'm not sure who drove him on the Grace Hospital in Hutch. Perhaps it was one of his nieces.

That afternoon brother Bill came to school to pick me up. I was in Geometry class. He didn't tell me much - mainly that he was driving Mom and me to Hutch where Daddy was in the hospital.

We stayed with some good friends there. The first day we all went to the hospital. Daddy had an oxygen tent on him (much different from the way oxygen is given now). It made a strange sound.

I said over and over that I knew Daddy was going to be fine and we would all be able to go home again.

I think Daddy lived two or three days but I am not exactly sure. The last evening I went to Warren and Zella's (our friends). When bedtime came, I went to bed.

Mom came back to the house about 2 a.m. and woke me up to tell me my Daddy died. I remember I smiled and felt guilty for many years because I smiled. It took someone to remind me many years later that by smiling I was being a good girl and doing what Mom always told me to do - smile.

The memories of this time in my life were many. So I have divided them in two parts. This is part one.

My Classmates

Twelve of us started in first grade together; eight boys and four girls. Ten of us went all the way through school together; six of the boys and all four girls. My neighbor and good friend Jim joined us in second grade and stayed through graduation.

Other boys and girls joined us as we progressed. Some were new in town and others moved to town from the farm. Our little home town had public and parochial elementary schools. The children from both elementary schools were funneled into the public high school. Forty-four of forty-eight students in the class of 1953 graduated.

We moved to a new elementary school when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade. I liked all my teachers and I admit to being teacher's pet in 3rd and 4th grades. Both of those teachers had husbands serving in WWII.

All of my elementary teachers were ladies except for the sixth and eighth grades. It was different having male teachers in elementary school. I liked school, my teachers and I made good grades.

We started band lessons about 4th grade. So my poor Mom had to listen to me practice (and squawk) the clarinet. Later I got paid back because both of my kids played clarinet!

The eight years are rather dim memories now. My classmates are wonderful friends. The class of '53 were always close knit and we have grown closer as the years have passed.

One little sidelight, I got my first kiss in the hallway in 2nd grade from another 2nd grader. I was quite incensed about it! If you look at the photo carefully, the boy wearing the suspenders was the guilty party!

And, oh yes - do you kow whilch little girl is me???

My Big Brother

My brother Bill graduated from High School in 1939. He left home to go to Business Colege and later worked in the oilfields in Oklahoma. I was about four years old when he left home.

His high school senior picture was on the library table in the living room. Mom told me that I would put my elbows on the edge of the table to hold myself up and talk to "Billie" asking where he was and, especially, when he was coming home. I really missed him. Bill was an important figure in my life. He always had a book in hand so I learned to love reading and going to the library.

He offered me advice on how to behave. "Do as I say, not as I do." He smoked heavily after WWII but he didn't want me to. Sometimes he drank a little too much. He was an outgoing guy who never met a stranger. He had the gift of gab so necessary to be a salesman.

Whenever he came home to visit, he always slept in the bedroom in the basement. He snored really loud! Mom and I always wanted to get to sleep before he went to bed because you could hear him upstairs. He had sleep apnea, I am sure.

He took me to my piano lessons in Ransom. We would listen to Spike Jones and his orchestra in the car. If you don't know Spike Jones' music, you might want to seek it out. He was a good musician but made his money by playing crazy songs! The songs were funny and we laughed and laughed.

The summer before I went to college, he mixed me a drink. He wanted me to know how alcohol tasted so I would know if the punch was spiked. Yuck! I did not like it! (It was pretty strong!)

He came to Manhattan in December 1953 to bring me home for Christmas. I was stuck in "Student Death" - Student Health - with strep throat. He made all kinds of promises to the doctor so I could go home. The doctor did release me, requesting that I take it very easy and get lots of rest.

Of course, I went to Kansas State because that is where Bill graduated in January 1950. He served in the Army from 1942 to 1946. He attended K-State on the GI Bill and finished up in 3 years.

He became a Farm Bureau agent and lived and plied his trade in Jetmore, another small town about 25-30 miles away.

He bought a brand new Chevy Bel Air in 1954. That summer after I finished classes, I came home but I worked for him in Jetmore as his secretary. He gave me his 1954 Chevy to drive back and forth from Ness to Jetmore. I made it a practice to never tell him what time I left Ness nor did I tell Mom what time I left Jetmore because I drove very fast. I didn't break any laws because, at that time, the speed limit was what was "right and proper" for the condition of the road the the weather. You could probably call me "Lead foot!" I would roll down all the windows and turn the radio on full blast and away I would go!

Bill was the communicator of the family. He would call the twins, Mom and me and share all the family news.

He moved to Colorado sometime in the late 50s. He worked as a State Farm agent for about 37 years. He was very good at it. He served parents, then their children and grandchildren in those years.

The photo of Bill and me was taken in 1945. Mom always told me that I was a bit bashful. Can you see it in the photo? The hat with the "braids" was one of my favorites. Note the muff in one hand.

I loved my brother Bill. He was a very special part of my life for nearly 60 years. I still miss him today.

My Twin Brothers

My twin brothers were born 3 1/2 years after my oldest brother. The twins are ten years older than I. Robert Charles was the oldest by about 15 minutes. I think he was probably named Robert after Mom's dad and the Charles probably after her youngest brother. He was also the dominant twin. The second twin was Richard Henry -Henry was after Daddy's dad. Where the Richard came from, I don't know. We called them Bob and Dick. They were identical but I could always tell them apart. Even on the telephone when one would insist he was the other one!

Mom always said what one didn't think of, the other one did! I cannot imagine having twins! (Thank goodness I didn't!}

One of the stories Mom told me about what happened when I was a toddler. She would wax the lineoleum floor in the kitchen. Then the twins would get an old sweatshirt, get me to sit on it - and they would buff the floor! Of course, they pulled it too fast and I would go rolling off!

When they were in high school, I can remember them filling the bathroom sink with water. Then they would stick their heads in it (at separate times, of course!) so they could comb the waves out of their hair. The waves came back as soon as their hair dried!

The picture of them in the swing is a favorite - especially because Daddy is holding on the the swing. Daddy always wore a hat like that one.

The picture of them with the same number football jersey was taken when they were in school at Ft. Hays State Teachers College after WWII. They both went out for football. Bob got more playing time than Dick. So at half time of one game, they decided to switch jerseys. When the second half started, the coach sent in #42 (who was now Dick wearing Bob's jersey) for a series of plays. After the series of plays, the coach decided that he should give the other twin some playing tine. So Dick wearing Bob's jersey came out of the game - and Bob wearing Dick's jersey played the remainder of the game! The coach discovered what they had done and had their picture taken for the college yearbook, both wearing #42!

They were athletes in high school. They played football, basketball and were pretty speedy runners in track. They thought they were pretty good so they challenged Daddy to a 100 yard dash! Daddy was also an athlete. they ran the race in the street in front of our house. And Daddy won! (He was in his mid to late 40s at that time.)

There are probably lots more I could say about them but it doesn't come to mind today. So maybe there will be another post about my twin brothers.

Our Floor Furnace

Our home was heated with a floor furnace. The heating unit hung down from the floor into the basement space. The part that hung down was probably about 4'x5'x4'. Whenever anyone went downstairs, someone upstairs in the kitchen would hollar, "Look out for the...." BONK! "floor furnace!" Even though we all knew it was there, all of us "bonked" our heads more than once on the floor furnace. Ow! It hurt, too!

I always stood on the floor register in the winter after I got ready for school. When the furnace was on, it would cause my skirt to flare out - and I liked that! It would also singe the leather soles of my shoes - and Mom didn't like that! (Just a side note, until I was about a junior in high school, girls could not wear jeans or slacks to school.) So standing on the register to get warm felt really good!

Mom always put her cinnamon rolls in a pan, covered with a tea towel, on the floor furnace to raise. She did make yummy cinnamon rolls! When the rolls were raising, and Mom was not in the living room, I would stick my finger in the butter/sugar mixture - Mom didn't like that - but I did! Yum!!

My Daddy

Before he was my Daddy, he was a "medium height" (5'6") "medium weight" fellow with light brown wavy hair, blue eyes and freckles. He came from a large family with 5 brothers and two sisters.

He was good at baseball and track. The fall after he graduated from high school, he was hired to teach grade school in his hometown. After one year of teaching, he decided he would attend Ft. Hays Kansas State Teachers College so he could learn how to teach! He taught school for about 12 years and at one school, he was the principal.

He was drafted into WW I and served for a short period of time. His discharge says that he was honest and faithful and in good health when he was discharged

I think I was probably Daddy's girl. He came home for lunch each day. After we ate, he sat down on the sofa and read the "funnies" to me. I still read the "funnies" every day.

When he came home from work in the evening he would ask me if I had been good. Of course, I always answered, "Yes." The next question would be, "What have you been good for?" I would always say, "Nothing." Then he would tease me about being "good for nothing."

Summer evenings would often find my pal Jim and I playing out in our front yard. sometimes we would play "Statues." Then Jim would turn cartwheels and I would turn sommersaults. Then Daddy would come outside and show us how he could stand on his yead. Jim and I would giggle to see it. After all, this was my Daddy and he was "old" - and old people didn't stand on their heads!

He was a good daddy and he loved me. He just wasn't in my life as long as I would have like.

The photo above was dated 1916.

My Mother

These two photos are my favorites. The one was taken when she was about 18 and the other was taken when she was in her early 50s.

Before she was my mother, she was a lovely, slender, dark curly-haired, brown-eyed young woman who came from a large family. She married my father and they had three sons. Ten years later they had a baby girl - me!

My mother could always walk faster than I. Even when I went to college and learned to really hustle, she could still out-walk me!

The slender young woman turned into my mother who was short and plump. She said she was 5'2" but I think she was probably a little over 5'. She was always interested in hearing about everything I did, the clothes I wore, etc.

When I was growing up, she was forward looking - as much or more so that my friends' mothers - and she was about ten years older than most of them.

She wrote a weekly letter to me from the time I went away to school until she moved to Colorado to live with Bill - that was probably about 1990. I always looked forward to those letters. She always took great pride in her spelling. I began to notice in her later years that she mispelled words she never would have mispelled when she was younger.

She attended high school one year. The next year she couldn't attend because she was bed-ridden with rheumatoid arthritis. So she never went back to school. I didn't know this until I was 35 years old. She was really amazing. She read magazines more than books and taught herself many things just by reading.

She was a tough little old survivor. She was widowed at 53, never dated or remarried even though she had the opportunity. She raised me alone from the time I was nearly 15. I think she did a pretty good job of it. Bill helped her after Daddy died.

How lucky I was to have this kind of lady for my mother. She always told me how proud she was of me. She told one story that I just loved to hear. When I was born, she was in Grace Hospital in Hutchinson. She would come out of the anesthetic (or whatever they gave her) and she'd ask Daddy, "Was the baby a girl?" Daddy would tell her that the baby was a girl. Then Mother would say, "Oh, I am so glad!" Evidently, this happened each time she came out of the fog. So I always knew how much I was wanted and loved. What a blessing!

Games, Card Games and Books

We played lots of indoor games - card games, Monopoly, Chinese Checkers (with marbles) and regular Checkers. The card games were Slap Jack, Old Maid, Crazy 8s, Authors (how I learned who the famous authors were and what they wrote), Rook, Hearts, 10 point pitch, Auction Bridge (Mom called it country bridge to differentiate it from Contract Bridge),and Cribbage.

Growing up my brothers were nearly 15 years older and ten years older than I. So by the time I was eight, they had all left home. When Bill came home for a visit, Mom, Daddy and Bill always played cards - so they needed a fourth to play Bridge. I was available and, while I would rather read a book, I got drafted. That is how I learned Contract Bridge. We also played pitch with four of us. Bob and Dick also played cards. The two of them plus Bill taught me how to play Cribbage.

Daddy would sometimes get upset with me because when I had the "dummy" hand in Bridge, I always had a book on my lap and wanted to read. That was not acceptable when we played Bridge.

I think Mom and Daddy had always played cards - when they were young marrieds, they played with a preacher and his wife (not in Ness City). They had to pull the blinds because playing cards was not acceptable to the congregation where this pastor worked.

Mom and Daddy played Bridge with several other couples. Until I got old enough to stay by myself, I always took a book along so I could read.

My brother Bill always had his nose in a book and I learned to love reading from him. I would walk to the library every other day in the summertime. We could only check out two books at a time - this frustrated me. I was a fast reader; therefore I walked to the library about every other day. I read books about animals, cowboy stories, science fiction, and detective stories. The Nancy Drew books were fun and so were the books about "Cherry Ames" - if I recall, Cherry was a nurse. I still love to read.

1937 Smith Family Group

This is one of the very few photos of me with all my family. I know of only one other. It was taken in Santa Monica, California, in 1937, when we visited Mom's parents and several of her siblings and their families.

The twins had each other and when I came along, suddenly there was someone for Bill. He carried me around long after I was able to walk. I adored him. When he left home after high school, his senior picture was on the library table. I would hang on to the edge of the table and talk to "Billie" and wonder when he would be home again.

The twins wanted to trade this baby girl for an old sway-backed nag. (Several years ago, Dick told me he was glad they hadn't traded me because I lasted lots longer than that old nag!)

Mother intended to name me Betty Jean. Daddy's youngest (and very spoiled)sister told Mother that Betty Jean sounded like a boy's name. So Mother named me Betty Jo! (Do you get a hint of how my Mom felt toward her young sister-in-law?)

Mom always called me Betty Jo, never just Betty. So, to this day, if someone calls me Betty either I don't hear it or it irritates me. That's a bit silly, I guess, but that is the way it is!

Family Photo 1930

This is the only professionally-taken photo of the Smith family. It was taken in Sharon Springs, KS, where my dad taught. This was shortly before the family moved to Ness City where Daddy worked in the post office. Left to right: Bill, Daddy, Mother, Bob seated and Dick standing.

My Dad was 36, Mom was 33, Bill was 9 and Bob and Dick were 5. Daddy and Mother went by their middle names; Daddy so he wasn't confused with his father; and Mother - because she hated her first name.

William was a family name. My grandfather was William Henry Smith - called Henry; my father was William Hays Smith called Hays; Bill was William Hays Smith, Jr., called Bill by family and Smitty by everyone else. The twins were Robert Charles called Bob and Richard Henry called Dick. Mother had brothers named Robert and Charles. Henry came from Grandfather Smith - but I have no idea where the name Richard came from.

Bill had all the attention of our parents until he was about 4 1/2 years old when he was presented with twin brothers. I am sure Mother and Daddy were really busy with the twins. As they grew, they had each other and Bill didn't have anyone.

Short Hair

This is the result of the haircut after I got to K-State.

Long Hair Photo

This is the long hair at the time of my senior picture. This was taken in a studio in Dodge City.

Long Hair

My Mom always wanted me to look my very best. So when I got my "pigtails" cut off, I tried to pincurl my hair but I was very awkward at it. So Mom would pin up my hair. We would use the hair dryer to dry it.

Can you picture the dryer with a "hose" connected to a plastic hood? The dryer blew hot air through the "hose" to the plastic hood I would put on my head. Sometimes I would hum just a bit below the sound of the dryer. Mom would think something was wrong with the dryer. Of course, that was the purpose of the humming!

A few years later, girls rolled their hair on foam rollers. I wasn't good at that either. (Maybe I was just lazy?!) So Mom continued fixing my hair all through high school - and it always looked really nice.

I went off to college at K-State in Manhattan with shoulder-length hair. I got very frustrated trying to roll it up and dry it each time I washed my hair. By the end of the first month, my hair was no longer shoulder-length! It was cut so that it would hang down to my chin. - And I was able to take care of it. It probably didn't look as nice as when Mom did it - but she didn't go to college with me! She did want to know why I had it cut! I wore it about the same length until 1984.

My Favorite Photo of my Dad

This is my favorite photo of my Dad. He is in his WWI uniform. I think he is very handsome but, of course, I am prejudiced. He served in the army a short time.

He grew up on a farm in Kansas and was quite a baseball player according to some of the newspaper articles I read. If my memory serves me right, he tried teaching in the little home town school the year after he graduated. He decided he needed to go to College and then teach. So he attended Ft. Hays State College in Hays, KS. Then he did teach school in Alden, Sharon Springs, Chase and another eastern Kansas town, the name of that town escapes me right now. He also served as a principal in one school.

In 1930, he took a test to become a clerk in the Ness City Post Office. He got the job because his service as a veteran gave him the needed "points" to get the job.

Daddy's "Case Exam"

My Dad worked in the Ness City Post Office from 1930-1950. Each year he had to take and pass a "case exam." This consisted of having a case with pigeonholes and 500 plus cards to put in the right pigeonhole. The cards contained the names of all the cities/towns in Kansas that had post offices and were about the size of a regular business card. The back of the card had the routing -essentially, the answer to whether Daddy put it in the right pigeonhole.

He came home for lunch each day. He would practice the case exam after he ate. When he did this, he would quietly say the name of each town or city. So I knew how to pronounce all the city/town names in Kansas when I was pretty little.

It was my job to check his practice exams to see how well he did. I did this from the time I was able to read.

Daddy always passed these "case exam" and was able to keep his job in the post office. I don't know whether he would have lost his job if he failed, but I think maybe that is the way it was.

8th Grade Graduation

Back in the "olden days" when I went to school, elementary school was grades 1 through 8 and high school were freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. There was a graduation ceremony when we completed 8th grade. It was fun and exciting. The girls usually got new dresses. The one in the photo was one Mom made me. It was lavendar with white trim and I loved it. It was very stylish.

The best part about 8th grade graduation was that I got my braces off my teeth for that event - and I was supposed to go back and have them put on again. That didn't happen.

Braces back them were somewhat different from the way they are now. The dentist put "anchors" on the one tooth each side the front teeth and one each on one of the back teeth. When the dentist tightened the wire, it was really painful.

We drove to LaCrosse to see the dentist. I don't remember how far that was - 30 miles or so probably. Mom would drive me there and back home. Usually we would have soup for supper that night because it hurt too much to bite into anything.

The picture is one of the last ones taken without my glasses. I started wearing glasses the summer before high school. This picture also shows how I wore my hair all through high school. (My hair is a story for a later time!)

The infamous pigtails

This picture shows the infamous pigtails. You can see how thick they are but not how long. Mom always tied a ribbon around the pigtail to cover up the rubberband that held the braids. The ribbon was about 2 inches above the end of my hair.

1946 - new hairdo

"Pigtails"

When I was little I had short blond hair. You can see that in the 1942 photo even though I am wearing a hat. Somewhere along the line, my hair got to be brown with auburn highlights. It must have been after the California trip that I started growing my hair longer. That is when the "pigtails" came into being. My mother would part my hair down the middle and again down to my ear. Then she would braid the front part. When she got to the ear she would divide the rest of the hair in half, using the front braid for the third part of the braid. My hair is thick so the braid was thick, too. In the summertime, I could take the "pigtail" and tuck it under the first part of the braid so I didn't have hair hanging on my neck.

Some of my classmates also wore "pigtails" but they often got to wear their hair down on their shoulders. I would beg and beg to wear mine down. Once in a great while my mother would let me got to school with my hair down.

Of course, there were those days when whatever boy sat behind me in class would pull my "pigtails" and upset me.

I think I must have worn "pigtails" until I was about eleven. Finally, Mom let me get my hair cut - and I still have the end of one of those braids in a Creative Memories photo album.

"Tomboy"

I looked up the word "tomboy" this morning. The definition is a girl who behaves in a manner considered boyish, hoyden. So I looked up hoyden - a girl of saucy, boisterous, carefree behavior. That gave me something to think about because I have always considered myself as a "tomboy" but never a hoyden. However, I'll leave it up to you to figure out whether either definition is accurate for me.

There was a large vacant lot with an old barn on it behind our house. It was actually down the street and behind the houses at the other end of our block. The barn was torn down early on. The vacant lot was wonderful. We played baseball there. Yes, baseball. None of us owned a softball! Those who most often played there were Jim, Jigger, Harry, Dick (a neighbor a couple years younger), Jeanette and me. When we chose up sides to play a game, Jeannette and I were often chosen before some of the boys - and always before the other girls.

There were a couple other girls who were more interested in playing dolls or dress up. I played with them sometimes but I would rather be out with the gang playing baseball.

We also played Punch the Pig, Red Rover and Hide and Seek. All of us played these games.

Several years ago, Jim asked me if I ever had a doll. "Of course I had a doll!" His comment made me laugh - he said it must have been in "pristine" condition. Could be, I guess. It is long gone, given away or something.

I think I was probably a "tomboy" because I had 3 older brothers. They were so much older that we didn't play together. Mostly, they teased me.

California trip, photo

California Trip 1942

In 1942, Mom and I went to California to visit her parents, brothers, and one sister. I didn't want to go. What I really wanted to do was stay home with Daddy. All the way out, I was hot so I would take off my sweater. Then I would be cold, so I would put the sweater back on. The outcome of this was a bad case of pneumonia. My Aunt Verda called a pediatrician who made a house call. He decided I didn't need to go to the hospital but I could stay with Aunt Verda and Uncle Mike. I was a pretty sick little girl.

When I finally got so I could eat or drink something, they gave me orange juice mixed with half water. Yuck! It was a long time before I wanted to drink OJ! Then I graduated to mashed potatoes. Mother spent some time thinking she might not bring her little girl home again unless it was in a casket! Finally,I was strong enough to come home.

For several years after that, I had to wear ugly tan, long stockings. I hated them!

My Childhood Home

This little house is the only home I remember. It was discribed in the local paper when it was being built as a "five room efficiency home." It had a living room, an eat-in kitchen, two bedrooms, a full bath upstairs, a full basement with a laundry room, one bedroom, a large room that was the full length of the house, and a 1/4 bath.

There were about five steps up to the front porch. The front porch was a vital part of our home. That is where the family gathered to sit and watch the world go by. We would bring Mama's rocking chair (used to rock all of the babies)outside on the porch plus various straight backed chairs. The adults would sit in the chairs and we kids sat on the steps.

When people drove or walked by, they would often stop and come sit on the porch to visit. It was a much simpler time then when everyone knew their neighbors and most of the other folks in our small town.

My parents, my three older brothers and I lived in this "five room efficiency home." It would be considered a "starter" home now. While we didn't even think about it, we probably grew up poor but in a house that was filled with love.

That house no longer exists but I can see it in my mind's eye and recognize it as the home I grew up in!

Hand-sewn clothes

Growing up in the 40s and 50s in a small town was really pretty nice. Our friends knew our parents and we knew our friends' parents.

My mother made most of my clothes from the early days right on through my high school years, I guess. In the early years, flour came in printed material sacks. When the flour was gone, the sacks were washed. Then Mom would make blouses or skirts out of them. The sacks were quite often flower prints so the blouses were colorful and pretty.

She made sure that I always had clothes to wear. She had a sense of style that was ingrained in me. The clothes she made were "in style" and not a much different from what the other girls wore. I am sure other moms sewed for their daughters back then, too. There were girls who never had anything made for them by their moms. We did buy sweaters and coats but nearly everything else, she made. My Mom was a very talented seamstress.

Once in a while, there would be a "store-bought" dress or skirt but not too often. This happened more when I was in high school.

General Dwight D Eisenhower made the "Eisenhower" jacket popular during WW II. For you younger folks who don't know what an "Eisenhower" jacket is - it is a short jacket that actually had a band on the bottom that buttoned at the waist. It looked very nice with slacks. My jacket was checked wool in brown, light aqua and yellow if my memory serves me right. I really liked wearing that. I wore a sweather under the jacket.

"Squaw" skirts were popular when I was in high school. So Mom made me a white one, an aqua one and a red one with matching blouses. I even had those when I went to college. So they stayed in style. This style skirt is similar to the "broomstick" skirts that are popular now. They were fun to wear because they would twirl when I danced.

Darkness

This is something I wrote in January, 1992. It has some thoughts I would like to share.

I have seen the darkness before the dawn. It is a deep lonely darkness. Out of the darkness of our lives comes the lessons that enable us to walk our pathway - the experiences that give us strength to continue.

Our lives have degrees of darkness and light from the blackest time when we think the sun will never shine again to the most brilliant - almost blinding - light that comes to us.

I have walked in darkness when the light was only a dim memory - almost a dream. Then at some unexpected moment the light suddenly reaapeared to shine all about me.

Looking back I often can see the turning point when the darkness started to recede. Sometimes it is so gradual that I missed the beginning of the change. So it only seems the change is sudden. When the dawn comes and defeats the darkness, my spirit rises like a bird on the wing.

Darkness may come again into my life. As long as I remember that the light always vanquishes the darkness, I can continue walking through the darkness because I know the light will shine again.

Spectator heels

Recently my high school classmate and friend sent me a photo of her younger sister and me. We were all dressed up, sitting on the piano bench. We both were wearing spectator heels. Mine were brown and white but I don't remember what color her heels were. They might have been like mine or navy and white. These heels came in a variety of colors.

If you don't know what spectator heels look like, the heel and toe would be brown and the rest of the shoe white.

This photo reminded me that when I taught school many years ago, I wore these same spectator heels. The skirt styles were tight and the hem was about mid-calf. I taught 4th grade at Ft. Riley. I loved this age kid because they were still too young to be really smart alecky. When recess came around, I would go outside with the kids. They loved to play ball and I grew up being a tomboy. So I enjoyed playing ball with them. As Sophia on the Golden Girls always said, "Picture this...." Picture this, a neatly dressed teacher in a straight skirt playing softball with the kids! I usually had a pair of sneakers under my desk and I wore these at recess.

Isn't it amazing what memories a photo will bring back?