Sunday, May 30, 2004
THE FIRST HALF OF 1958
After the New Year in 1958 we lined up for the string of birthdays and special occasions to come. George’s birthday was on January 31st, John followed with his March 2nd, next was my mom and dad’s wedding anniversary on the 16th ……then came Becky’s birthday which was also our wedding anniversary on the 27th. After just having Georgie’s birthday right before Christmas it kept us hopping. I usually made the gifts I could because I’ve always considered it special to give something that took time and effort to make. With the children it was easy because they weren’t used to much. Anything was “as good as it gets.” We weren’t cheap, we just didn’t have the money. In those days we had to save for doctor and dentist appointments…..insurance as well because we figured fixing it before it got broke was a good idea.
On “daddy’s” birthday I always made a nice cake and it was one of the few times we would go out to eat or else I would invite friends in for dinner. When we married he told me he had never had a real birthday cake. In their family it was just “another day.” He likewise had never had a Christmas tree for the same reason. I couldn’t believe it. Mom made our special birthday cake and somehow managed to make our day really spectacular….it was never “just another day.” George and I had some pretty rough times, for sure. I remember one Christmas we had a small skeleton of a tree stuck in a juice can full of sand. We hung bulbs on it and a little star…..it was placed on the end table and stood proudly as our family tree for that year. I never decorate a tree that I don’t think of doing so with my brother. He was very artistic and wanted the tree arrayed in good form. I was set on making the paper chains out of red and green construction paper. He would have to argue me down several years until I outgrew the idea.
That year was a big birthday for John. He was one year old in 1958. I’ll have to say he was a cute little guy and a very good baby. I had a few of my friends in who had children of like age for a party. One little candle on his cake and sitting in his high-chair he had no idea what was going on. Actually he was fascinated with the flame more than anything. Our wedding anniversary usually took back seat because of Becky’s birthday being the same day. She was four the March that John was one and Georgie was seven. I always awarded the menu planning and kind of cake to the honoree. It was fun to see the seriousness with the decision making. No matter what “kind” of cake they wanted I did my best to come up with it. We had some pretty individual birthday dinners over the years and some just plain weird….but it was always birthday “choice.”
That summer we drove down to the grandparents for two weeks. It was usually the same every year, give or take a little. We would drive down after George got off work on Friday’s and because the trip was long for the children I always packed a lunch. There was a little rest stop near Clinton where we could eat on picnic tables. I never pass that place without remembering those times and how much fun it was. Life was good and we always found a way to do and go where we wanted without the excesses that some people insist on today.
We stayed in Cabool the first several days with grandma and grandpa Strain, as I’ve mentioned before. I’m sure our yearly visit’s were the high-light of the year for them. They lived on a meager income and I admired their simple and uncomplicated life. Once a year or so grandma would come on the train to visit and stay with us a few weeks. One time grampa came and stayed a few days. Visiting in our household with three energetic children and the shows on TV that he thought “silly” were pretty trying on him. He was used to walking up town and hob-nobbing with some of his old pals every day or walking to the store for grandma. When we took him to catch the train he said his good-byes and then remarked to the children…. “don’t take any wooden nickels” which were usually his last words. He never made the trip again. He preferred the hometown life-style he had known for most of his life. I totally understood.
The remainder of our time was spent with my parents at Norfolk Lake where the children could play in the water all day and listen to campfire stories at night. In the first years of going we had no where to sleep. One year my dad devised a “bed” for Georgie and Becky in the trunk of our car. We made a cushion under them and hung mosquito netting over the raised door to the trunk. They slept like little logs. George and I slept in the front and back seat of the car. This was before John was born. After he came along we opted for a white Chevy station-wagon which worked for a few years……..but one day we were given the means to buy ourselves a “wheel-camper” for such times. However, that’s a story for another day. Tomorrow we’ll talk about the rest of 1958...
Until then,
Essentially Esther
On “daddy’s” birthday I always made a nice cake and it was one of the few times we would go out to eat or else I would invite friends in for dinner. When we married he told me he had never had a real birthday cake. In their family it was just “another day.” He likewise had never had a Christmas tree for the same reason. I couldn’t believe it. Mom made our special birthday cake and somehow managed to make our day really spectacular….it was never “just another day.” George and I had some pretty rough times, for sure. I remember one Christmas we had a small skeleton of a tree stuck in a juice can full of sand. We hung bulbs on it and a little star…..it was placed on the end table and stood proudly as our family tree for that year. I never decorate a tree that I don’t think of doing so with my brother. He was very artistic and wanted the tree arrayed in good form. I was set on making the paper chains out of red and green construction paper. He would have to argue me down several years until I outgrew the idea.
That year was a big birthday for John. He was one year old in 1958. I’ll have to say he was a cute little guy and a very good baby. I had a few of my friends in who had children of like age for a party. One little candle on his cake and sitting in his high-chair he had no idea what was going on. Actually he was fascinated with the flame more than anything. Our wedding anniversary usually took back seat because of Becky’s birthday being the same day. She was four the March that John was one and Georgie was seven. I always awarded the menu planning and kind of cake to the honoree. It was fun to see the seriousness with the decision making. No matter what “kind” of cake they wanted I did my best to come up with it. We had some pretty individual birthday dinners over the years and some just plain weird….but it was always birthday “choice.”
That summer we drove down to the grandparents for two weeks. It was usually the same every year, give or take a little. We would drive down after George got off work on Friday’s and because the trip was long for the children I always packed a lunch. There was a little rest stop near Clinton where we could eat on picnic tables. I never pass that place without remembering those times and how much fun it was. Life was good and we always found a way to do and go where we wanted without the excesses that some people insist on today.
We stayed in Cabool the first several days with grandma and grandpa Strain, as I’ve mentioned before. I’m sure our yearly visit’s were the high-light of the year for them. They lived on a meager income and I admired their simple and uncomplicated life. Once a year or so grandma would come on the train to visit and stay with us a few weeks. One time grampa came and stayed a few days. Visiting in our household with three energetic children and the shows on TV that he thought “silly” were pretty trying on him. He was used to walking up town and hob-nobbing with some of his old pals every day or walking to the store for grandma. When we took him to catch the train he said his good-byes and then remarked to the children…. “don’t take any wooden nickels” which were usually his last words. He never made the trip again. He preferred the hometown life-style he had known for most of his life. I totally understood.
The remainder of our time was spent with my parents at Norfolk Lake where the children could play in the water all day and listen to campfire stories at night. In the first years of going we had no where to sleep. One year my dad devised a “bed” for Georgie and Becky in the trunk of our car. We made a cushion under them and hung mosquito netting over the raised door to the trunk. They slept like little logs. George and I slept in the front and back seat of the car. This was before John was born. After he came along we opted for a white Chevy station-wagon which worked for a few years……..but one day we were given the means to buy ourselves a “wheel-camper” for such times. However, that’s a story for another day. Tomorrow we’ll talk about the rest of 1958...
Until then,
Essentially Esther
