Christmas Past and Present

Well, Santa made an appearance on our Christmas tree again this year. If I could be sure when he appeared the first time under my Christmas tree when I was a little girl, I could tell you how old he is. However, I don't remember exactly but I figure it is safe to say he is probably 65 years old or older. It is nice to have this small Santa figurine to remind me of Christmases past right here in the present.

We lived in the house on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids until December 18, 1961, and that is when we moved into our new home in Marion on Starry Drive. Patti was nearly three years old and Tony was about ten months old.

I remember thinking it was more work to move across town than it was to move from Kansas to Iowa. I suppose it is that way because one makes many trips back and forth instead of having a moving van pull up to the first house, load everything and then deliver to the new home. Then you only have to unload the boxes. Moving across town one gets to do it all!

We tried to set up the house the way we wanted it - furniture, etc. Then we needed to get a Christmas tree and prepare for the fast-approaching holidays. Back then, we went to the Christmas tree lot and bought a real tree. We got it whenever Chuck decided we'd go get it. That was usually not as soon as I would like to have the tree.

We did get the tree decorated that first Christmas in our new home. It wasn't up very long before the toddler boy, Tony, went to investigate. However it happened, the tree fell over, scared Tony, broke glass decorations and generally upset everyone. Of course, the tree was set up again, some replacement decorations were added and all was well.

When Patti and Tony were older, we decided we would get styrofoam balls about 2-3" in diameter and wrap them in swiss straw. Now swiss straw came on a roll like a ribbon. It was quite narrow but one had to put it in water and then spread it out to about 1/2" to 3/4" wide. I wrapped the balls while the swiss straw was still wet. Then it was necessary to let it dry before doing anything else.

When the balls were dry, the kids and I added sequins and made designs on the balls. We added hangers and decorated the Christmas tree with these new made-them-ourselves ornaments. It was fun to do this.

As the years went by, we decided to buy an artificial tree. So when I wanted to put the tree up and get it decorated, I could just go down to the basement, get the box, bring it upstairs, put it together. Then we could decorate the tree. I liked that better than having to wait to buy the real tree.

I don't know where those decorations are but we enjoyed making them and putting them on the tree.

Christmas present has us with an "pre-lit with white lights" artificial tree about seven feet tall. Don brings it in from the garage, sets it up with a little help from me. Then I add about 600 colored lights, glass ornaments plus some other special ornaments - and dear old Santa.

While I am busy with the tree, Don is busy setting up his "Clouston-Kincaide" Christmas village. He has a sledding hill, skating rink, Christmas tree lot, farm, and lots of people and dogs for the village.

Jewelry photos

The bottom five are completed Russian Spiral bracelets. The next two Russian Spiral bracelets are currently incomplete. The top bracelet is a helix and it needs a clasp.

I love making these pretty things!

This Day Will Live in Infamy

Sixty eight years ago today, Japan launced a sneak attack, in the early morning hours, on the US Navy base in the Hawaiian Islands. "Remember Pearl Harbor" became our battle cry.

The USS Arizona was sunk in the harbor and became the tomb of 900 sailors. Seven other battleships were in the harbor and only the USS Nevada was able to get underway during the bombing. Those who died or missing that day numbered 2,600. It was this event that caused the USA to be drawn into WWII.

I was seven years old and didn't understand what it was all about. It affected everyone. Sons and brothers and husbands went off to war. My beloved big brother, Bill, joined the army. I couldn't understandwhere "Billie" was and why he didn't come home to see us.

My twin brothers, Bob and Dick, enlisted in 1943 after they graduated from high school. They enlisted in the Army Air Corps and were stationed at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. It was very dusty there and they marched a lot. Dick was given a medical discharge because of his asthma. He came back home, got a job and stayed with my parents and me.

There were war bond drives. Every kid bought savings stamps at school. Then when we had enough stamps on our card, we traded the card (booklet, maybe it was) in for a war bond. We kids also helped collect newspapers and scrap iron. I think we used Jim's wagon to collect stuff.

Food and gasoline were rationed. Families had ration books with coupons that they could use for different foods, like sugar. People didn't travel much because of the gas rationing. I was promised a bicycle but I didn't get it until after the war was over because rubber went into keeping our military supplied - no rubber for bike tires!

The Arizona Memorial was created over the sunken battleship in the harbor. It was created by the order of President Eisenhower in 1958.

All people were affected by WWII. It was a solemn and worrisome time, much like it was on September 11, 2001. These two things have changed our lives forever. Both were totally unexpected and totally shocking. The news coverage of WWII was much different than the coverage of 9/11 - we watched that as it happened! It is difficult for me to understand that when people shout "Death to the Infidels" - they are talking about you and me and everyone who doesn't believe as they do. This is very scary.

Life in Iowa

The photo of Tony was taken by his grandfather. Note all the hair! The snapshot of Patti and Tony was taken by me. You can tell she liked her little brother!

I had never seen so much snow in all my life until we moved to Iowa! I think 1960-61 winter set records for snowfall in the area. The parking lots had huge piles of snow and one had to be very careful driving because the snow blocked the view. My first purchase were new snow boots!!

The Iowa Department of Education would have honored my teaching certificate. I would still need 9 credit hours to renew it, just as in Kansas. We decided I would be a stay-at-home mom so I didn't accept a teaching certificate.

Mom gave me her mother's electric Singer sewing machine. So I began learning to sew for Patti. At first, I was not very good at sewing or picking out appropriate fabric for a little girl's clothes, but I did learn!

Patti was a quiet baby, even her cry was quiet. I used to lean over her crib to be sure she was breathing. Part of that had to do with the fact that I am asthmatic and I didn't want her to have asthma.

She was used to me going to work so she never cried when I left for work or went somewhere without her. She would just wave "bye-bye."

It was a long drive from Cedar Rapids to Coldwater and/or Ness City. So our visits with our parents were usually once or twice a year. I never thought much about how much Mother missed us until Lisa, my daughter-in-law, said how hard it must have been for Mom when we moved so far away, especially since she was alone.

Tony was born in February 1961, exactly 25 months after Patti. We named him Anthony after a professional singer his grandparents knew and Blake after the character in a book we read.

Tony's first bed was a dresser drawer for the first few days until Patti moved to a big girl's bed. Then he slept in the crib.

We called him Anthony until he decided he wanted to be called Tony - but that was after he went to school. My Mom called him "A.B. the baby!"

Tony had a rubber dog that could be used to prop his bottle when he was big enough. The dog had a bone that just fit in Tony's hand. He carried that bone all over!

Tony had so much hair, as you can see in the photo, that he needed a hair cut before he was three months old. His grandfather did the honors. Not only did he have lots of hair, but he had a double crown!

My mother-in-law came to help out when Anthony was born. She stayed for a couple weeks. I don't remember when my Mom first got to see him. Needless to say, I was a busy mom with the two little ones.

More Bracelets

These images are my blog this time. I am in the process of writing additional posts but they are incomplete at this time. So enjoy the jewelry! I love making it!

The top bracelet has a fancy button; 2 - uses magatoma beads; 3 - Edwardian Lace pattern; 4 - clasp is on top of wrist; 5 - dark caterpillar; 6 - 6-strand bracelet using some large "cane" beads.

1959-1960

I lacked self-esteem at this point in time and because of this I was very jealous. I knew I was a good teacher but I wasn't sure what I knew about myself. I think I probably suffered from post-natal depression but we didn't know there was such a thing back then.

We had been living in Junction City but decided to rent a small house in Ogden. It made us closer to the school. Our landlady was a young, attractive woman. My father-in-law bragged and bragged about how attractive she was and seemed to be pushing Chuck toward her.

Trust issues surfaced. When trust is broken - or even appears to be broken, that is the time to do some patching up or it will only get worse. It is easy to see this from my perspective in 2009.

Visits home to my Mom were very stressful because she expected so much of me. It was somewhat easier for me to visit my in-laws because they did not expect so much of me. Those visits were stressful, too.

When I received my wages for June, July and August, I rented an apartment in Junction City. Patti and I moved there and I signed my contract to teach 1959-1960. After we moved out, I saw more of Chuck than I did when we were living in the same house. Mom came to visit and took care of Patti for several weeks.

Patti was always at the window when it was time for me to come home. She would be all cleaned up and looking so cute. The photo is of Patti.

I was able to make this work even though I didn't have a car. I rode in the car pool to work and if I needed to run errands, there were a couple of friends who would take me.

Fall 1959 Chuck interviewed with Collins Radio in Wichita. He was hired to work in Cedar Rapids. He never asked me to move with him. It was just taken for granted.

I taught the first semester and subbed for a month or so before we left for Cedar Rapids. Chuck went on ahead and came back to pack everything. We moved to Cedar Rapids in February. The African violets even made the trip successfully. My class gave me the African violets.

Chuck had been working in a furniture store in Manhattan before he interviewed so he was able to get a really good deal on a new electric stove, washing machine and fridge.

He had rented a room with a family on 19th St. SE until we found a house to rent. The house was a story-and-a-half on the SW side. It was across the block from the grocery store.

I was very lonely then. I only knew the young family next door - mom, dad, and three little kids. We didn't attend church so it was hard to get acquainted.

Chuck worked the 3 to 11 shift as a test tech. I was afraid to stay alone but I did. In the evenings after Patti went to bed, I got out our pistol and kept it on the sofa by me.

I was a small town girl living in a new very large (to me) city. I didn't know how to drive any place. We had one car and unless I drove Chuck to work, he had the car. We lived in this house for about 18 months.

The Big Yellow Rope

Hopefully everyone knows what the big yellow rope looks like. this is a photo with some of the clowns holding on to the rope. There are also the places for others to hold. Now where do you suppose those clowns have gone!??

The other photo is "Joytoo" after she evolved from the shy 3 year old into a tomboy. Thus the bibbies and sneakers!

The Saga of "Joytoo"

This is aother story that is out of sequence. I ran into an old friend this past week and these memories surfaced so here they are.

I was sitting in the choir loft at church in late August 1991, listening to the sermon. The pastor was talking about a program that a local hospital had initiated. It was called The Clown Connection.

Little bells went off in my head, letting me know I should check out this program. I did check it out. The hospital had a new session beginning in September. So I signed up. We would be meeting weekily in the chapel at the hospital. The class was called "Introduction to Spiritual Growth and Hospital Visitation." The first part of the name is accurate but I am not sure about the last part. We would be receiving 100 hours of training over a two-year period.

The first class occurred at a very good time for me. It was the week after I was fired from my job.

The people who did most of the teaching/training were Tom, the head of the hospital chaplaincy (we referred to him as our clown "Papa,") and Kay was our clown "Mama." There was another person or two who also were active in our training.

We were told to visualize our clown in one class. Each one of us went to a different spot in the chapel. We closed our eyes to meditate on who our clown would be. When we came back together, we discussed our clowns. When I said my clown's name was "Joy," one of the other ladies looked so disappointed because her clown was named "Joy," also. I told her not to worry about it. Her clown could be "Joy" and my clown name would be "Joytoo." And that is the way it was.

I visualized a polka dot dress, white tights, lacy white anklets and black Mary Jane shoes. "Joytoo" is a redhead, wearing a red yard wig with a poolka dot ribbon in her hair. She is a bashful 3-year-old.

We were the second class to graduate with the 100 hours of training. We were trained to visit patients in the hospital. Then after the visit we were to write a "verbatim" - everything we said and the patient said. Then we'd talk about how the visit turned out and what could make it better. I never felt comfortable visiting patients and I hated writing the "verbatim."

We also marched in the Freedom Festival Parade, volunteered at Fun Fest, visited nursing homes, marched at the parade at Brandon Days, and helping with church services. We even went to Des Moines as a group where the hospital was going to talk about what the program was doing, etc. When we went places as a group, we were to hang on to a large yellow rope- just like pre-schoolers or kindergartners when they take a field trip. We behaved worse that the little kids. When we didn't hang on to the rope, we'd wander off to talk to people - and it was always hard to get us all back together!

It was interesting driving in clown makeup. Either people smiled and waved or else they quickly looked away. Sometimes it made me feel like I was invisible!

"Joytoo" evolved into a little older clown and so did her outfit. The second year she wore 3/4 length bibbie overalls made of jungle print material, sneakers with rainbow shoe laces, a gold Clown Connection tee shirt and gold "slouch" socks.

We all learned how to play again. We became more spontaneous. We were taught to be very careful with children - because everyone does not necessarily like clowns. If a child acted afraid, we learned to mirror their fear and take it slowly. Sometimes parents would shove their children at us and we knew to back away and respect the child's reaction.

"Joytoo" met some special children and she wrote weekly notes for a couple years to several of them.

Some of Joytoo's special friends were Smiley, Pansie, Cherish, Meoldee, Barnabeth, Music Man, Rountuit, Smedley, Joy, Snookie, Heppy, Tag Along, and Mopsy.

Clown Connection was disbanded several years later. It was a great learning experience. I refer to "Joytoo" as she and her - because she was an individual. When "Joytoo" went places, BJ was there but it was "Joytoo" who talked, etc. That may sound strange but it truly is the way it was. It was like I was two people - BJ when wearing regular clothes and "Joytoo" when in her clothes.

The photo of us in street clothes was our graduation photo. The one of "Joytoo" alone was taken by the hospital photographer and the other photo shows part of the group dressed as clowns.

Our Life

The first 3.5 years of our married life found the two of us doing everything together. We were inseparable. We went to movies, to the lake with some of the teachers and their hubbies, to "ham" radio fests, shot at tincans with the .22 under the bridge, and just generally spent the hours we weren't working together.

Chuck was an amatuer radio operator. So I began studying Morse code with the idea that I might get my own conditional license. However, other things intervened and I never went forward with it.

I found out in summer school that I was pregnant. Morning sickness was no fun! I continued taking night and Saturday classes to renew my teaching certificate. I took an astronomy class in the evenings during first semester of 1958. We went to the teacher's house one evening where we were able to use his telescope to look at the stars and planets. It happened that Sputnik took its death fall that night. I was the first of the class to spot it. Our final test in Astronomy was supposed to be January 21 and that was my due date. The prof told me if I was happy with my grade, I didn't need to take the final. I agreed!

Every year there were students who made it easy to get through the day. In the fall of 1958, there was a delightful little girl named Patty Jo. Whenever I looked at here, she always smiled at me.

I taught until Christmas vacation and came back to the classroom when our baby was 6 weeks old. When I brought Patti to school to show the kids, they all looked at Patty Jo when I told them the baby's name was Patti.

We went to the Junction City Hospital January 14. Our baby girst was born at 2:07 a.m. and weighed 5 pounds 16 ounces. She had peach fuzz hair!

Her daddy wanted to name her Bonnie Eileen (after two of his old friends) He compromised and we named her Patti Eileen. The name Patti came from the little 4th grade girl. We spent a week in the hospital - and then one extra day because there was a snow storm.

Our life changed in a major way with a new baby to take care of. I found myself at home taking care of Patti when Chuck went off to do other things. That was hard.

Some more Jewelry

The abalone shell pendant came from a pair of earrings. I didn't like the earrings very well but loved the abalone shell. So I paired it with crystals with the colors that showed up on the shell. I really liked the outcome. Then I took the other earring and made another necklace for Patti. Actually, her necklace was prettier than mine because it had a bit more black showing in the shell.

The bracelet is another "sidewinder" bracelet. It is one of my favorite bracelets to make. This one belongs to my daughter-in-law Lisa. It is the prettiest one I created. - And it is not a color that I wear. The matching earrings are fun, too.

However, I am very pleased with the way the necklace, the "sidewinder" bracelet and earrings turned out.

Teaching

The class pictures were taken each year in the fall, I think. The first photo with a shawl was taken as a joke by my father-in-law - this was supposed to represent the "old maid" school teacher. The second was 1959; the third 1957; the fourth - ? -; and the last was 1955. (sorry I didn't put them in order)

I really enjoyed teaching at Fort Riley. My contract for 1955-56 was $2,850; 1956-57 $3,050; 1957-58, $3,250; 1958-59, $3,450; and 1959-60, $4,050. We were paid once per month throughout the nine months of school. Then in June, we would receive a check for June, July and August.

My first year one of my students had epilepsy and his parents didn't see fit to advise the school nurse, the principal or me. It was very short-sighted of them because their son had a seizure in class and it was very traumatic for everyone. It turned out OK but it was wrong that I wasn't made aware of this so I could be prepared if anything happened.

The first two or three years, my principal was a lady. I really enjoyed working with her. The final years, we had a man principal at Fort Riley. He was a joy to work for. Both of them were very good at their job.

There were several sections of each grade. There were three of us teaching 4th grade. One lady was the wife of a Colonel stationed at Fort Riley. She was very helpful and encouraging to me. The other was an older local lady - her demeanor to everyone was very forbiding. She seemed to be "looking down her nose" at young teachers like me.

I was one of the younger teachers since I started teaching when I was 20. The age range included some teachers in the mid-20s right on up to those who were probably in their 50s. I am not sure because we never discussed age.

I don't know whether I was a good teacher or not. All I can say is the school district offered me a contract with a raise each of the four years after my first year.

We had an older lady, who was probably in her sixties, who acted as our supervising teacher. She would visit our classrooms two or three times a year. That could be a little nerve wracking but she was a gentle person who offered suggestions to help us become better teachers.

The students ranged from very bright to those who had low IQs. It made teaching every subject challenging. We had two or three reading sections. There were those who could do everything requested of them and do it very well and there were those who could do very little. They were all different. Some were a joy to have in class and some were problems. It kept me on my toes!

The Couple

This picture was taken around our first anniversary in August 1956. My mother continued to make clothes for me. The dress in the photo was pastel pink. Mom made a second dress like it in pastel blue. She really did a nice job.

Spring-Summer 1956

Chuck dropped out of college because he didn't like the required classes - English and such. He was only interested in the engineering courses. So he got a job for the summer as assistant swimming pool manager. He also taught kids swimming classes in the mornings. By summer's end, his hair was bleached blond!

I drove the '32 Chevy from Junction City to Manhattan for my summer classes, held in the mornings five days a week. When I came home, we'd grab a bite to eat and then both of us went to the pool.

All the high school girls had crushes on the life guard. They asked me about him and were not happy to learn that I was his wife!

I was at the pool every day except for five days when I had a light case of the mumps - someone in one of my classes exposed the whole class. Several of us had the mumps! I only missed two days of summer school - because I was sick over the fourth of July!

The summer classes were challenging because many of the students were long-time teachers and they knew what they were doing. It put some of us at a disadvantage - because we had only been teaching for a year or so.

The '32 Chevy had windshield wipers but the switch didn't work. One day, it started to rain on the way home so I pulled over, stopped the car, got out and did whatever it took under the hood to make the wipers work. A fellow stopped and asked if I needed help - and I told him "No, thanks," and hopped back in the car and drove merrily on home! (needless to say, my lead foot didn't make much difference with the '32 - top speed was about 45 mph!)

First Visit to the In-Laws

Our first visit, as a married couple, to Coldwater was at Thanksgiving.

I know my family was not rich in material things. However, we did have a toilet in the house. My in-laws had an outdoor "johnny." This was very different for me.

Chuck had a younger brother and two little sisters. Alan was 2 years younger; Gena was ten years younger than I; and Jane who was 12 years younger than I. Alan and Jane looked like their mother with dark hair and brown eyes. Chuck and Gena looked more like their father. It was obvious to me, that the mom's favorites were the two who looked like her.

His dad was a "jack of all trades," who could reupholster furniture, repair shoes, and was an award-winning photographer. He was born in Pendennis, Lane County, Kansas. He had a few years of formal education. Anytime he did anything "out of line," he used his lack of formal schooling as an excuse. He really didn't know how to treat a young daughter-in-law and he never did figure it out. His mother had a rather "put upon" attitude and heaved great sighs very often.

Adjusting to in-laws was a very real challenge. When it came time to visit at Christmastime, I cried because I didn't want to go. We went anyway.

Some of my Jewelry

The bracelet is called the "goddess" bracelet. I enlarged on the bracelet and made a choker necklace for Jessica. She had requested it. The choker used the same beads as my bracelet.

The other photo contains my (first) six-strand necklace, a pair of red "crystal ball" earrings, a crystal bracelet, a two-strand crystal bracelet, two other pairs of earrings and my first caterpillar bracelet. I started the caterpillar in class with Jeanne, my teacher. It is made with a base of seed beads and embellished on the top with a variety of beads.

I really enjoy working with beads. It is relaxing and sometimes quite challenging! Don does all the clasps except the button ones I do. So we both have a hand in making the jewelry we give for gifts.

Fall 1955 at Ft. Riley Elementary

We moved into a basement apartment in Junction City - which wasn't a good idea because of my asthma. We lived there about a month. Our landlady thought she could come downstairs into our apartment at any hour. That really didn't work, so we found a little house to rent. This worked out much better - no landlady coming to bother us.

Chuck returned to Kansas State as a sophomore. He hated the required classes and just wanted to get down to the nitty gritty in Engineering.

The teachers met for a couple of in service days before school started. One of the kindergarten teachers decided she wanted to get to know me. This was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. Her name was Betty and she is a dear friend.

My first day of teaching found me in my room - terrified! The first student to come in the room at Ft. Riley Elementary was a tiny little girl who was even more scared than I! I still remember her name!

The year started out with 22 students. This really helped me get "my feet wet" as a teacher. As the year progressed, the "Big Red One" returned from Germany. The class size at the end of the year was 36! That was really a challenge. Grading papers happened at home in the evenings.

One of students, a girl named Blair, was so smart she could have taught the class. The kids had traveled all over the world. I'd never been out of the US except for visiting Tiajuana, Mexico.

Back then teachers dressed up for school. I usually wore heels, straight skirts and blouses or sweaters. I don't ever remember teaching in slacks. I kept sneakers under the desk for recess because I played ball and other games with the kids.

One boy, Mike, was the orneriest I ever met - he could talk your arm off and did lots of talking during class.

With such a variety of learning abilities, teaching math and reading was really challenging. Some found learning so easy and others found it really difficult. There was one who had genius IQ and others with low IQs. It was hard for me to understand kids not being able to spell. Of course, I was a good speller and had to learn that not everyone could spell.

During the first six week of school the teachers had to visit each family in their homes. So we made the phone calls to set up the appointments and visited. Thank goodness for the 22 students at the beginning of the year! Some of the parents were very well-educated and others, not so much.

The children were "army brats." Their fathers were sargeants to Generals. The one exception was the fire chief, he was a civilian. His child was in my class.

My teaching certificate had to be renewed each year. I needed nine hours credit. So Saturdays, evenings and summer school classes were part of my year.

My friend Betty and I belonged to a car pool. I didn't have a car to drive so I paid to ride. I was the last one picked up and the first one dropped off. I hated to wait!

Betty and I usually had lunch together; sometimes in her room, sometimes at the PX with the other teachers.

The buses arrived with the kids shortly before 9 a.m. Then the students were picked up at ll:30 for lunch and came back shortly before 1 p.m. That 90 minute lunch hour was lovely! Then school was out between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m.

We were paid monthly. So quite often we took the pop bottles back to the store the night before payday. We'd have enough money to go to a movie. My annual wages for the 1955-56 school year were $2,850! Yep, you read right, I did say Annual!

Summer 1955

When school was out, I returned to Ness City. One of the first places I went was Grace Hospital in Hutchinson to have a tumor removed from my upper left side below the base of the neck and a couple inches from the spinal column. It was approximately 1.5-2" long but with no "fingers" of tissue growing down into the muscle. Best of all, it was benign. For many years, one could play tic-tac-toe on the scar. It is not so visible now but there is an indentation in that spot. My left arm was immobilized for the term of healing.

So when Old Settlers Reunion came around in early June, I could not dance because of the sling. That was always an important part of Old Settlers - meeting old friends and classmates - dancing - visiting and catching up with each other's lives.

During the summer months, I did my "Methods of Teaching" correspondence class. I passed it and was certified to teach in the fall.

Mom and Bill continues to pressure me to give up the idea of marriage and teaching and return to K-State for my junior year. I am sure Chuck's parents tried to cinvince him to change his mind, too. However, both of us had made up our minds that we would get married.

Friends in Ness were very generous with useful gifts even though there was no shower. We made arrangements with Rev. Henry Jongema in Cimmeron to officate at a small, private, family ceremony on Sunday, August 21, in the Cimmeron Methodist Church, before the early church service. Rev. Jongema had been the past at the Ness City Methodist Church when I was in high school.

Mom, Bill, Chuck's folks, brother and sisters were there. I believe Bob and Inez may have attended and Chuck's Aunt Doris. After the ceremony, we drove to Ness in the 1932 Chevy coupe Chuck's father gave us. We packed up all our worldly goods and headed to Junction City for life as Mr. and Mrs.

The photo was taken by Chuck's father in his Coldwater studio. I wanted it to be at the end of the blog - but I haven't figured out how to do that!!!!! :(

Jewelry Favorites

The six-strand necklace and earrings were a gift to Patti. These necklaces are made with seed beads, Swarovski crystals of many colors, and some little silver beads. I love this particular clasp. I have made seven of these six-strand necklaces; five belong to individuals and two were given for silent auctions. Of course, the first one I made is mine! Stringing the six strands takes about 3 hours. Then Don puts the finishing touches on by adding each strand to the clasp.

The bracelet is another "caterpillar" and belongs to me. The clasp is a button from my Mom's button box. The crystals are amethyst, violet, dark sapphire, chrysolite (pale green.) There are Czech fire polished beads, pale green and light amethyst pearls, and seed beads. These are the embellishments on the top of an amethyst seed bead base. This bracelet takes about 6 hours to make.

More Jewelry

The top bracelet is done in St. Petersburg weave. I found a pattern from the website Bead Daily and also in a magazine. I had viewed a video on-line about a month ago and figured I could do it.

The bottom bracelet is another "caterpillar" bracelet. I used some left over 3mm beads on the sides. They were hyacinth, aquamarine, moonlight, rose and light rose. There maybe another color or two. The "caterpillar" remains one of my two favorite bracelets to make and wear!

The other photo is a 5-strand necklace made with howlite chips (the poor girl's lapis lazuli), white seed beads, Czech firepolised beads, and Swarovski crystals. It is a favorite necklace to wear. I completed two more; one in rose quartz chips and the other in amethyst chips. The blue is still my favorite.

Returning to K-State, September 1954

I moved back to K-State for my second year. Van Zile Hall was the dorm for upperclassmen. I had two roommates. Three can be challenging because two get along and the third is on the "outs." It wasn't always the same two who were getting along. Both were nice gals. One seemed to be nearly "cut from the same cloth" as I.
Even so, we didn't always get along, especially if she was trying to tell me what I "should" do!

The first week of school we had an "hour dance" with the guys from West Stadium Dorm - some were athletes and some were regular guys. The first time I met Chuck, he told me I had beautiful brown eyes. I was quite indignant because I always thought my eyes were blue - they are actually hazel - often called "muckledun." However it took me quite a few years before I realized they weren't blue. Strange, huh?

He was a freshman and nearly a year younger than I. He was very different from the other guys I met. When we went out on a date, he always wore dress pants and a white shirt. The other guys didn't do that. He also knew exactly what he wanted to do in life - and that was very different from most students.

I announced to my roommates the night of the "hour dance" that I had met the guy I would marry. Of course, like so many lads and lasses who go away to college, there was a girlfriend back home in high school. I had done the same thing and left a boyfriend back home my first year - but that was all over by Christmastime.

Obviously, we didn't date exclusively for a number of months. I had one of those dream weekends one time when he went home for homecoming or some such thing. Friday evening I had a date with one of the guys I dated last year; Saturday evening I had a date with a helicopter pilot from Fort Riley; and Sunday I had a date with Chuck. One of my roommates did not approve at all!

After that we spent lots of time together and got engaged on Valentine's Day. We decided we'd get married before the next school year began.

My Mom and brother Bill were against it and promised me they'd pay for two more years of college if I did not get married.

I securied a teaching position with the Junction City School System, teaching 4th grade at Fort Riley. My contract for the first year was $2,850 spread over 10 months.

I had to take "Methods of teaching" that summer so I could become certified to teach with 60 hours. I took the course by correspondence.

Summer 1954

After a year of making my own decisions, I returned home. It wasn't the easiest thing to do. When I was home with Mom, my decisions were made with what she would want me to do. I was obedient, most of the time.

My brother Bill hired me to work as his secretary at his Farm Bureau office in Jetmore. He also traded cars with Mom so I drove his new 1954 Chevy BelAir to work and home.

Summer was hot and windy. So when I drove, I rolled all the windows down, turned the radio up full blast and drove fast - really fast. We called this "4x55" air conditioning.

I never told Mom what time I left Jetmore - and I never told Bill what time I arrived in Ness! They would have been upset by the speed I drove. (Being 18, I thought I was indestructible!)

At that time in Kansas, the speed limit was whatever was right and proper for the weather and the road conditions. Therefore, I was not breaking any law by driving fast! Of course, my air conditioning was more like "4x75"!!

Working at College Drugstone

I am not sure exactly when I got the job at College Drugstore in downtown Aggieville. I think it was probably second semester of my freshman year at K-State. My three years' experience as a "soda jerk" at Rexall Drugs in Ness City made it easy for me to get the job. Experience always helps. I worked there all my sophomore year also.

College Drugstore is located across the street from the campus and about five blocks from the dorms. The Campus Bookstore was next door and Palace Drugs (if I remember right) was across the street and down a little ways.

There were two pharmacists, Vern and Bob. Vern, the older, was very dapper with a nice mustache. Bob was somewhat heftier and younger. Two older (than I) ladies worked there; one was Edna and I don't remember the other lady's name. I still have photos of all four of them along with the local policeman who stopped in for coffee.


This part-time job helped me pay for some of my college expenses. I served many cups of coffee in the three semesters I worked there. It was a fun job working with nice people.

Letters from my Mama

Yesterday I read in Guidepost magazine about a lady who wrote letters to her daughter from the time her daughter went to camp until the lady died at 92. It reminded me of letters from my own Mama.

I'm sure I have written before that my mother did not finish high school. After her freshman year, she had rhuematoid arthritis and was bedridden for most of a year. She never went back to school.

She read lots of magazines and taught herself proper English and could spell almost any word that was in common usage.

She wrote letters to her mother and sisters - and maybe even to her brothers. She wrote letters to my brothers when they were in the service. She wrote letters to them and their wives when they got married. I guess I could say my mother was definitely a letter writer!

She began writing to me when I went away to college - a letter every week. I haunted my dorm mailbox waiting for those letters. She wrote about the things that were happening in my little home town and about the people I knew, keeping me up to date.

She continued writing those letters to me when I got married and moved to Ft. Riley. Several years later she continued writing letters when our little family moved to Iowa - where I knew only my husband and my daughter. It was a very lonely time for me. Mom's letters came regularly and helped me feel not so alone.

She wrote letters when we moved her out of her home in 1982. Then she spent time with my brother and his family in Kansas City and with my oldest brother in Castle Rock.

When she finally moved to Castle Rock permanently, the letters stopped because we spoke on the phone once a week. Somehow, talking on the phone really didn't take the place of those weekly letters. Now, I wish I had kept some of those letters so I could go back a revisit that simpler time of my life.

What I do When I am Not Blogging

My jewelry-making teacher tells me I should be publishing my jewelry items to the blog so you all can see what I am doing when I am not blogging. The top photo is of corona earrings; the middle is a "caterpillar" bracelet; and the bottom is a "sidewinder" bracelet. These two types of bracelets are my favorite ones to make. The sidewinder goes together in about 2 hours. The caterpillar bracelet has a base layer and then embellishments on the top. It takes about 8 hours to complete.
The ladies in our families get jewelry for gifts. I think they like that!

Of course, making jewelry is not the only thing I do when I am not blogging. I am also very involved in genealogy research. This is an addictive hobby just as working with beads is addictive. You can see, I need to limit the addictions in my life so I have time to do other things.

My memories have come to an important part of my life that needs more thought given to what I write. So that is happening also!

Time Out from College: Small Town Saturday Night

Our small hometown was thriving when we were growing up in the 40s and 50s. It is much different now because all the little towns are dying out.

Saturday night was a special night of the week. It was a social night. All the farmers cleaned up from work and came to town to bring their produce, to buy groceries, maybe to attend a wedding dance, and to visit with their friends and neighbors.

Daddy would park the car in front of one of the stores about 4:30 or 5 p.m. Then he would walk home. We would eat supper and afterwards walk uptown as a family. We sat in the car to watch the people walking by. It was also a night when we would get a 5-cent ice cream cone. (that was a single dip back then!) We also would get out of the car and "window shop." The stores stayed open until 10 p.m. (Now the streets are deserted by 6 p.m.)

Seeing all the folks we didn't see during the week was nice. My parents visited with friends, my brothers would try to take the local drunk's handkerchief out of his back pocket and my parents or my brothers would take me by the hand and walk with me.

Most people enjoyed Saturday night in our small town. That was a simpler time when everyone knew everyone else.

Phys Ed, Required Class in College

When I attended K-State, we were required to take four semesters of Phys Ed. It was always interesting to try to get clear across campus to the dorm in time for lunch. My phys ed classes always seemed to be at 11 a.m.

I remember one semester I took Tap Dance/Tennis. We had nine weeks of dance and nine weeks of tennis. I can still do a "time step" and a "step-ball-change." I might have to think really hard to do it. I can also make a train sound with taps. I think perhaps I did better at the tap dance than I did at tennis. I was never good at it and played just a few times with my kids when they were in their early teens.

Another semester I had field hockey and something else. The memorable thing about the field hockey class is that I hit the tallest/largest girl in the class and knocked her cold. Of course, she was not at all athletic nor competitive. I felt really bad about it. She was ok - but I still felt bad.

The other class I remember is swimming class. Walking across campus with wet hair in December was not the thing to do. Mom and Bill thought it would be a very good idea if I took a semester of swimming. I wasn't too excited about it because I was afraid of water - courtesy of one of my classmates walking into Cedar Bluff Dam carrying me - walked in over our heads! I'm still angry at him about that!

Anyway, Mom and Bill prevailed and I enrolled in beginning swimming. I can't remember whether we met two or three times a week for 16 weeks. I did learn to do the back stroke and also was learning the side stroke at the end of the class. We were required to jump in the deep end and swim to the shallow end to pass the class. This was difficult for me to even think about! However, on the last day I jumped in the deepend and did the crawl to the shallow end - without taking a breath or opening my eyes! I never did get so I could do the crawl and breathe. I did, however, get a passing grade! Hooray!!

I have no recollection of the other phys ed class I took. I did take the four semesters of Phys Ed, however.

Social Life at K-State

There were about a dozen girls living on 3rd floor at Northwest Hall who did things together. Some of us walked to class together. We ate meals together at the dorm. We hung out in each other's rooms, went to church together, had picnics in the fall and spring, and studied together. It was a diverse group from little towns and big cities across Kansas. This group included the five of us from Ness County.

There were several guys I dated: one was 6'4" and a great dancer. I don't remember where I met him. He came to Ness for New Year's Eve in 1953. I dated a blond-haired senior for a short while. I thought the world would end when he stood me up for a date to the dance when Ralph Flanagan and his orchestra were playing. He explained why later - and a 17 year old freshman really had no business dating a 21 year old senior because there was too much difference in experience. He was ready for a relationship for which I was too immature.

Second semester I dated one of Northwest Hall's houseboys. He was a nice guy from Pratt, Kansas.

I usually had a crush on someone - a 6'8" sophomore basketball player, a short compact gymnast who was one of our houseboys. I just had crushes and never dated these guys.

There were "hour dances" exchanged between our dorm and the guys at West Stadium; street dances; homecoming parades and pep rallies all held in downtown Aggieville.

I never understood why the Homecoming games were always scheduled with either Oklahoma or Nebraska - the powerhouse teams in the Big 7 (This was way before the Big 12!) K-State always lost those games.

At the beginning of the school year we could buy an activity ticket that got us in to the football and basketball games.

During my first year at K-State, I attended the Chi Omega Hay Hop - the hall was decorated with bales of hay. This nearly killed this asthmatic! I was invited because my roomie was a Chi O pledge.

Matt Betton and his orchestra often played on campus. This was a local band and we were always glad to see this group on the bandstand.

During the first two years when I was a full-time student, I danced to the Sauter-Finnegan orchestra and Woody Herman and the Third Herd (for those of you who don't know, Woody's first orchestra was called the Thundering Herd back in the late 30s and 40s.)

Jose Greco and his Spanish dancers performed on campus as did Agnes Moorhead in her one woman show (later she would play Endora on "Bewitched.") She was an elegant lady with red hair who appeared on stage in a lovely mauve long dress - very striking-looking. I also saw "Caine Mutiny Courtmartial" with John Hodiak, Lloyd Nolan and Henry Fonda. Marge and Gower Champion appeared there with a musical. She was quoted as making a catty remark about "hicks from the stick" and I guess that is probably what the folks in Hollywood thought of Midwesterners and maybe they still feel that way. Needless to say, she was never one of my favorites after that.

My Mom encouraged me to attend these concerts and shows "because you may never have another chance."

As with all experiences, those I had at K-State are part of why I am the person I am. I was blessed with good friends who were in my life for a season.

Back to 1951-52-53

When the cheerleaders were elected my junior year, all four of us were junior classmates and if memory serves me, we all worked at Rexall! There is another photo of the four of us but it seems to have disappeared. When I find it, I'll add it.

Music took up some of my time. I really enjoyed playing clarinet in the band. We had new band uniforms and they were really nice - also very warm because they were wool!

This graduating senior looks like she was very happy to be finished. Of course, it is a big change because some of my classmates and I went from first grade right up through high school graduation. Knowing that we wouldn't be seeing much of each other was sad. We have remained friends all through the years!

Changes and Challenges

All the incoming freshmen had to take apptitude tests within the first few days. Those are always an adventure!

My plan was to major in English and become an English teacher. I discovered that I had enough money to pay for two years of college. So I decided to major in elementary education because I could become certified to teach after two years.

There were several phone calls from home. Mom and Bill wanted to know what I was thinking. They agreed it was the smart thing to do after we discussed it calmly!

There were four general education classes that included 3 hours of lecture and one hour of classtime. Most students had to take three of the four classes. However, the lucky folks majoring in Elementary Education had to take all four!!! The classes were "Man in the Physical World," "Man in the Social World," "Man in the
Cultural World." I think the fourth one had to do with science.

My schedule always had one of these lecture courses at 8 a.m. three days a week. We all loved those 8 a.m. classes!! The classroom time would be on Tuesday or Thursday.

It was always nice to have no classes after 2 p.m. on Fridays - just in case one had a ride home for the weekend!

One of the challenges was going from a small school, being in the top ten of the class, was competing for good grades. I am not sure I really knew how to study or how to write a paper. I took US History before 1865 the first semester. It was really tough. At five weeks, I was failing and shocked! At mid-semester I was doing better. At the end of the semester I got a "B" on my final. My grade for that class ended up being a "C" - and I was glad to get it!

A little sidelight on that History before 1865 class: I sat by a football player who played in the line every week. When test papers were handed out, he would write his name in the proper place. When he handed the test in, all that was on the page was his name. Would you be surprised to know that I can still remember his name??

September 1953

I had the opportunity to attend band camp and Girls' State. So I had been away from home and family a couple times. However, it was different when I went to K-State at Manhattan.

Mom and Bill helped me move into Northeast Hall, one of two freshman girls' dorms. They took Jeanette, Ruth and me out to dinner. When that was over, they dropped us off at the dorm and drove away - whether Mom shed any tears or not, I don't know. It felt like I had been abandoned!

There were five guys, besides the 3 of us girls, from Ness City. There were two girls from Brownell. There may have been others from Ness Co but I don't remember.

My roommate was a great gal. She came from a very small town (yes, even smaller than Ness City!) not far from Manhattan. Her folks owned a cheese factory so we usually had a wheel of cheese in the closet. We had crackers, too.

Our room was on the third floor. So we tromped up and down the stairs a lot! There was a cafeteria in the dorm. We ate most of our meals there. Sunday evenings we were on our own because the cafeteria was closed. Then we usually hit the cafes in Aggieville.

I went home three times during the first 6 weeks at school - boyfriend in Ness, you understand. That third trip, Mother told me I had to stay at school until the Thanksgiving break which I did.

Music

I really enjoy playing the piano - not necessarily practicing! I bought my first piece of popular sheet music in 1949. I think it cost 35 cents! The name of the song was "My Happiness."

"String of Pearls" and "In the Mood" were two of my favorites to jitterbug to. Glenn Miller's musical arrangements were great.

Some of the popular songs by year were: 1947 "Near You" 1948 "Buttons and Bows" from the Bob Hope movie "The Paleface" was a big hit for Dinal Shore 1949 Vaughn Monroe and his orchestra had a huge hit with "Ghost Riders in the Sky" 1950 Patti Page had a hit with "The Tennessee Waltz" 1951 "Cry" A song written by an amateur songwriter was a hit for Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads. Johhnie Ray had a hearing problem so it was amazing that he would have a hit record. 1952 "You Belong to Me" sung by Jo Stafford was a No. 1 hit; Dean Martin and Patti Page also had hits with it. 1953 "Vaya Con Dios" was a hit for guitarist Les Paul and his wife songstress Mary Ford. He was an amazing guitarist. 1954 "Little Things Mean a Lot" was a big hit for Kitty Kallen. 1955 "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" was a hit for Cuban band leader Perez Prado.

The guys and gals who sang these songs were well-scrubbed and rather straigh-laced. When the veterans came home after WWII, they yearned for a simpler time and the world was becoming more complex.

Growing up back then, we listened to the radio program, "Your Hit Parade," where they played the top-ranked songs.

Many different singers recorded some of the same songs. Some were big hits for more than one singer. We always had favorites and our favorites weren't always the #1 hits.

Nowadays we play CDs. Back the we had 78 RPM records, 45 RPMs and later 33 1/3 RPM records. After that there were 8-track tapes but I don't know anything about them.

Time passes and new things come into being. It is interesting to know that some of the popular songs of the 50s had been popular many years before - and some of them came around to popularity again many years later. "What's old is new again."

Nostalgia from the Year I was Born

Some of the headlines from 1935 were: "New Nazi Law Bans Jews From Politics;" "Lawrence of Arabia Dies in Motorcycle Accident;" "Mussolini's Army Invades Ethiopia;" "Will Rogers and Wiley Post Die in Alaska Air Crash;" "Social Security Signed into Law;" Dust Storms Devastate the MidWest."

A Mickey Mouse wrist watch with a leather strap or metal bracelet sold in a gift box for $2.95. Watches for grown-ups were also $2.95.

The Academy Award for Best Picture went to "Mutiny on the Bounty;" best actor was Victor McLaglen for "The Informer;" and best actress was Bette Davis for "Dangerous."

Some of the music from that year was "I Feel a Song Coming On," "Begin the Beguine," Lullaby of Broadway." "Red Sails in the Sunset," and "I'm in the Mood for Love." Interestingly enough, all of these songs were popular again when I was a teenager.

In sports news back then the Stanley Cup Hockey team was the Montreal Maroons; the Heisman Trophy winner was Jay Berwanger from Chicago; the NFL champs, Detroit; the Indianapolis 500 winner was Kelly Petillo driving 106.240 mph; and the heaveyweight boxing champion was James Braddock who defeated Max Baer.

The average income in 1935 was $1,632. A new car cost $625. and a new house, $3,400.
A loaf of bread was .08, a gallon of milk .47, a gallon of gas .10. Gold per ounce was $20.67, silver was .38 per ounce and the Dow Jones Average was 120.

The President was Franklin Roosevelt and the vice president was John Garner.

Life expectancy was 59.7 years and I was born on a Monday!

Some people of note born in 1935 were entertainers Herb Alpert, Johnny Mathis, Phil Donahue, Little Richard, Woody Allen, Julie Andrews, Dudley Moore, Robert Conrad, Gene Wilder, Richard Chamberlain, and Rafer Johnson the Decathlete.

Some items advertised were the Westinghouse Precision Radio, Aqua Velva, Iodent toothpaste, the Coolerator Air Conditioned Refrigerator, Bromo Seltzer, Chrysler 70, Quaker Flour, and Exide batteries.

And no, I did not remember all this stuff. I had a handy, dandy little booklet that gave me the information.

Family Trips

We usually visited family whenever we went on trips. We visited Daddy's brother, Chan. He lived near Raymond, KS, on the farm where he and Daddy and all their siblings grew up.

We had to drive across a short, wooden bridge that rattled as the car drove over it. That rattle always scared me. So I think I always sat on the floorboards of the car so I couldn't see the bridge or the creek it spanned.

Usually there would be quite a family group who got together on the farm at Uncle Chan and Aunt Mae's. There would be my parents and brothers, Uncle Chan's kids, and other cousins with their parents.

We also visited Mom's sister, Ruby, in Wiley, CO. It was a very small town. I think it was smaller than Ness. There would be Aunt Ruby (my Mom's youngest living sister) and Uncle Darryl and their son and daughter and our family. One time we went there for the son's wedding. I am not sure I had ever been to a wedding unless it was my twin brothers' weddings.

We visited California where Mom's parents, brothers, and sister lived with their families. I remember the trip in 1942; I think we went out on the El Capitan streamliner. I know we went out in 1953. There may have been one other trip but I am not sure.

We didn't take family "vacations" where we went some place to see the sights. We always visited family. We saw what sights there were to see on these trips.

Society in a Small Town

I believe that most small towns had a "caste" system when I was growing up. Those who have money and/or social standing were the elite - my Mama referred to them as "the 400." The rest of the people were considered "common."

My family was not rich and, as far as social standing, - well, you could say we were members of the common folks. There were lots of folks in this group.

Sometimes a person could see that "the 400" and their kids were treated differently than the common folk and their kids.

Some school teachers were homegrown. They returned to teach in their hometown after they got their teaching credentials. Some were fair and square to all their students. Other teachers played "favorites" and their favorites came from "the 400." I can think of one elementary teacher in particular.

The only year Ness City High School didn't have a validictorian was the year I graduated. Those in "the 400" were not the very top students. So the school board (who were very aware of who was society and who was common) decided they would honor the "top ten" students in the class. The "top ten" were listed alphabetically on the graduation program.

This favored behavior often showed up in other areas, too. It sometimes happened with merchants who wanted to be sure that the common folk didn't have exactly the same "stuff" as "the 400." The more exclusive the store, the more it was visible. This behavior often caused bad feelings.

Even with the "caste" system, my little hometown was still a good place to grow up.

Friends

I have been thinking about friends lately. After Daddy died, I observed Mom and her friends. They were either married ladies or widows. They were all close in age to Mom.

I watched as she outlived each of her friends. It was then that I decided it would be wonderful and very wise to have friends of all ages.

People interest me. I like to get acquainted with many different people. I got acquainted with two ladies at the water department when I paid the bill. One lady became a friend and confidante. I believe she saw herself in me. I called her my Iowa Mom and spent many hours sitting on her sofa visiting with her. She enjoyed those visits and so did I.

I'm blessed with friends my age from my school days. It is fun to get together and talk about "old times."

Another lady and I taught school at Ft. Riley from 1955 through 1959. We often ate lunch together, played piano duets during lunch hour in her kindergarten room and sometimes went to movies. We have remained friends over all the years between then and now. She lives in Las Vegas; we have visited her there twice and she has been to our home.

Then there are those friends who were Patti and Tony's classmates. Some still call me "Mom Weber." They spent many hours in our home or else working with me in Band Boosters.

There is one more friend I'd like to mention. I've known him since high school. He had no sisters and I was very honored when he told me one day that if he had a sister, he'd want her to be just like me - and he calls me "Sis" to this day.

I am so blessed to have many friends. The younger ones help keep me young at heart and those my age keep me grounded. The ones older than I are a blessing still.

Friends come into our lives to fullfil specific reasons. Some walk beside us in the difficult times. They encourage us to hang in there and to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Some share joyful times with us. Some come into our lives and stay for a while and leave. Perhaps they move away and the connection is broken. Maybe I moved away, either emotionally or physically.

The blessing is that friends love us, pray for us, and offer wisdom that we may or may not heed. They don't get angry and give up on us because we disagree.

We have childhood friends, work friends, church friends. Some of these areas overlap. The best thing about friends is they accept us as we are and invite us to become better. They love us even when we stumble and fall. They give us a hand so we can stand up again.

Friends are blessings, indeed.

Things Were Different Back Then

Many changes occur from generation to generation! Things that folks take for granted in 2009 didn't even exist back when I was growing up. We didn't know what we were missing - or not!

I don't remember ever eating in a restaurant when I was growing up. There was no such thing as "fast food" places. Normally, we ate at home in the kitchen with all of the family sitting down together. Breakfast was the only meal we might not all eat together.

When I was really little, we took baths in a wash tub in front of the open oven door - the oven was turned on to take the chill off the air. The water wasn't changed after each person either! This was a Saturday night ritual.

My parents took out a loan to build our home. I remember the day Daddy came home with the mortgage papers marked "paid in full." That was worth celebrating!

My folks saved money until they had enough to buy what they wanted - a car, furniture, etc. There were no credit cards. They worked hard and saved. Daddy worked at the post office and Mom worked at home. He "brought home the bacon" and she fried it!

Working at home meant cooking, baking, cleaning, washing the clothes with a ringer washer, hanging the clothes outside on the clothes line to dry, roning those clothes and anything else that needed to be done.

We weren't allowed to wear slacks or jeans to school because they weren't considered ladylike. This changed when I was in high school. We didn't wear tee-shirts with stuff written on them. We didn't roll our skirts up at the waist to make them shorter - if we had done that, our skirts would probably have been a couple inches below the knee. So there was no point to it!

We learned to do math using our brains as there were no calculators back then - unless you counted on your fingers (and toes). We also learned to count change. Even with the cash register, we had to use our heads and not depend on the cash register to tell us that the customer should get 75 cents back or whatever amount it was. Now, when someone counts change back to me, I am always really pleased.

I think I saw my first TV set when I was a freshman at Kansas State in 1953. We gathered in the rec room and watched Fess Parker as Davy Crockett and other shows that were on TV then.

We had a phone until Daddy died. Our phone number was "one o" or 10. Mother had the phone service cut off because so many people called and she could not deal with it. So I never had an opportunity to talk for hours on the phone when I was growing up. Nor did I ever get asked out on a date by a phone call.

When we went to the "filling station," a man pumped the gas, checked the oil and water, and washed the windsheild. We paid about 25 cents a gallon for gas. The man did the other stuff for free - this was definitely "customer service."

We had an electric clock plugged in over the kitchen sink and an alarm clock in the bedroom. The alarm clock wasn't electric. We had to wind it to keep it running. There were no LCD clocks or LCD watches either. Daddy had a pocket watch on a chain that he kept in the watch pocked in his vest.

We didn't have "boom boxes" back then. There was a "console radio" in the living room with Mom's rocker setting in front of it. The radio was probably 3-4 feet tall. As I got older we also had a portable radio that we could plug into the wall outlet inother rooms or in the basement. We didn't have air conditioning so when it was hot in the summertime, we would go down to the basement where it was cooler. We did have an oscillating fan to move the air around.

I don't know that we had it hard back then. I just know that it was very different.

California Trip 1953

My brother Bob, his wife Inez, their son nearly two-year-old Richard, Mom and I drove to California to visit relatives. It was a long drive so we all had a turn at holding and/or keeping track of Richard - and keeping him entertained.

We spent time with Mom's mother Grandma Carrie, one of Mom's sisters, and several brothers and their families. Mom and I stayed with Uncle Charlie and his family. He took me sailing in the ocean in a very small boat. I don't remember being scared but I really got sunburned. Some vinegar helped take out the burn.

We spent time on the beach and at the Santa Monica pier. We went on some of the rides - the Log flume, bumper cars, and the carousel with Richard. I really liked the bumper cars but not the log flume so much because we all got very wet.

We saw Grauman's Chinese Theater and looked at all the hand prints and foot prints of the Hollywood stars on the Star Walk. We visited Forest Lawn Cemetery where many Hollywood stars were buried. If I remember correctly, they had a rendering of the Last Supper - a statue-type of thing. It was beautiful.

We also visited Catalina Island. We rode on a glass-bottomed tour boat there. It was interesting. We saw the ballroom there where Lawrence Welk and his orchestra often played.

I'm not sure whether it was this trip or not but we did visit Knott's Berry Farm. We enjoyed eating there. The berry jellies and jams were delicious!

I don't believe I recognized it them but I am a real flatlander! The ocean and the mountains are beautiful but all that water and the heights make me nervous.

It was a pleasant trip and the last time I saw Grandma Carrie. Grandpa Burt died in 1952 and Grandma Carrie died in 1957.

One of Life's Lessons

We always think it would be great to have everything in our lives go smoothly and remain on an even keel. We don't remember that to enjoy and appreciate the mountaintop view, we must first descend into the valley. I love rainbows but to truly see their beauty, it takes both the rain and the sun.

When I was 54 and single, I interviewed for a different job. The interview went well and I was offered the job. I started sometime in the early spring of 1989. It turned out the man who interviewed me was my boss' boss. This was not stated at the interview. My boss turned out to be fresh out of college and she seemed very immature to me. I won't go into detail about the job because that isn't the important part. Briefly, I was considered professional staff and so I had two years probation. At the end of 18 months, I was given the opportunity to resign - or be fired.

I have never been a quitter so I chose to be fired. I had never ever been fired. The dastardly deed was done Friday afternoon.

Monday morning arrived with rain. It rained inside, too, because I cried. I didn't know what I was going to do. I had purchased a condo after I got this job. So here I was in my lovely condo with no job to pay the bills.

When I finally quit crying, I walked from the bedroom down the hallway. The rain had stopped and the sun was shining. When I was even with the kitchen doorway, I saw rainbows reflected on the carpet. I went into the living room and there were rainboqws all around. The rainbows helped me know everything would be ok.

Now logic told me the rainbows came about because the butterfly with crystals in its wings was hanging in the kitchen window. I do understand about sun shining through crystals.

I had been living in the condo for about 18 months. The butterfly had been hanging in that window all that time - and I had never seen the rainbows reflected on the carpet, on the walls, reflecting off the mirror over the fire place. I know the sun had been shining on lots of those days I had lived there.

Isn't it interesting that when I needed to know everything would be all right, there were rainbows all around?

Senior Year 1952-1953

Forty-three of us returned to school, seniors at last. Our sponsors were Harry and Edith Linn. Four of our classmates chose to get married and did not finish school with us; five moved away; and we gained two new classmates.

My classes were English IV with Mrs. Linn, Typing II and shorthand with Miss Brungardt, and American History with Mr. Linn. We were required to take Phys Ed all four years. Classes were interesting and took a certain amount of effort to do all that was required. I liked school and was a good student.

Acitivites including band, clarinet quartet, mixed chorus, glee club, Y-Teens, yearbook staff selling advertising and cheerleading kept me busy. I continued working at Rexall Drugstore after school and on weekends.

The WKEA conference massed concert band clinic was held in Ness City and the WKEA massed chorus vocal clinic was held in Scott City. These were always fun because all the schools in the conference participated. The directors came to us from some of the Kansas colleges and universities.

I had a bit part in the senior play - the bratty tomboy little sister, of course. I always had stage fright. Eight of us presented a radio drama at speech contest; seven were seniors and one junior were in the cast. It was fun.

Freshman initiation was fun since we were the "distinguished" seniors. The boys had to dress like girls. I'm not sure what we forced upon the girls. It was a fun day for us.

The 1952 football team was undefeated in WKEA play. Only Dodge City defeated them. In ten games the team scored 320 points vs. 49 points for their opponents.

The basketball team took 3rd place in the WKEA tournament. The track team placed 2nd in the WKEA league meet. Dean Lyon, a senior, was undefeated in the 440.

The principal of 20% of the people do 80% of the "work" is very true in small schools. The guys who played football were also the ones on the basketball team, the baseball team and/or the track team. Many of the same guys and gals were involved in vocal and instrumental music, sports and drama. Some were more active than others and did it all. Others participated in a few things.

We sold our cow and what we made on the cow helped pay for our senior sneak trip to Rockaway Beach, Missouri. We chartered a bus and were gone about a week. Rockaway Beach was a fun place. Many schools went there for their senior trips. We swan, sunned, toured, danced and had a great time from the moment we set out until we returned home.

Graduation was held after we returned home. All in all, high school in that little town was a great experience. Many of my classmates are life-long friends.

The photo above was taken that spring in Dodge City. It is not the photo in our yearbook but Mom and I considered this my "senior" picture.