John’s eighth birthday was pretty special to him. He got to go to his first Cub Scout meeting and sported a brand new shirt and neckerchief. I was still involved with the Campfire Girls but my friend, Betty Bryant, had a ‘den’ up the street so he opted to go there. She became involved when her oldest, Frank, went into Cub’s the year before. Our two families had been friends since our move to Shawnee and “Frankie and Johnny” were buddies from the cradle roll days at church.

Because the meeting was on his birthday his cake was celebrated with the group at Betty’s. For this occasion the cake was a Cub Scout cap and frosted in blue and gold which replicated the colors as well as the shape. It was pretty neat, actually. When he came home we had a family birthday party and gift opening. His brother, George, had wrapped his old Cub pocket knife in lots of paper and put it in a large box. Of course it was fun to watch the suspense mount as John kept unwrapping the layers of newspaper. Having his brother’s knife was something he coveted so once it was unwrapped he set upon pulling the blades up and down, putting it in his pocket, then the series would start all over.

Later that month we celebrated Becky’s eleventh birthday. Normally Becky enjoyed going to the movies for her birthday treat. I’m thinking this was the year we went out for a nice family dinner at the Plaza (which we did occasionally to teach them some social skills.) Later we took them to the Uptown theatre to see the “Snow Queen. The ‘dinner’ part was for our anniversary and the movie was for Becky’s birthday. At this age Becky thought the greatest treat in the whole world was a ‘Coke.’ Because she had birthday money when we passed by the concession stand she stopped to order one. She asked for the large size and that ended up being the size of a gallon bucket. The boys wanted some but she wouldn’t ‘share.’ She sipped on her Coke all through the movie until she just couldn’t hold any more….at which time her brothers got to finish off the bounty. It has been one of those family memories that surfaces ever so often when we’re all together.

In April we went ‘home’ to see the grandparents. Easter provided a few days so we could make the visit. Dad had retired and moved their mobile home to it’s permanent place in a corner of Bob Crudgington’s field. He had worked hard on a lawn and had a garage built. Mom and dad did a lot of traveling and fishing so we weren’t surprised to see a new boat and motor on this trip. Dad had been busy making bird houses, a picnic table with benches, a brick outdoor grille for the Crudgington family and a brick structure for himself to burn trash in.

The Crudgington’s had a calf in their pasture that was a real pet. The kids rode him around like a horse and so John and Becky had to try the fun. He was a pretty little calf and gentle as a lamb. There was always something going on when we made our visits back home and we all enjoyed getting away from our schedules to a slower pace.

It was sad going to see grandma Strain now because grampa died a couple of years ago. He fell when taking food to his beloved old dog, Tip, and broke his hip. He was taken to the hospital in Springfield and was recuperating. Grampa was over eighty years old and had been a very devoted Christian….he was anxious to get this life over with and go on to heaven. When gramma found him in the yard he said, “I don’t know why this couldn’t have happened sooner.” George Sr. took some time off and drove down to see him several times and although he was doing well with the therapy and almost able to walk again, he refused to eat. George Sr. tried feeding him and grampa knocked the spoon out of his hand. It was clear he didn’t intend eating. No mistaking grampa’s wishes.

Some days later on the Fourth of July, we were sitting in the yard with some neighbors visiting. The phone rang and George Sr. went to answer. As he disappeared through the front door we all heard an ambulance siren close by and it continued for some time. It gave me a funny feeling and I said, “I bet grampa is gone.”…..when George Sr. came back outside he told us grampa died a few minutes ago. It was confirmation of news we had been expecting.

Since grandma was alone now she came to visit oftener and stayed longer. I taught her to knit as she thought the knitted afghans I made were so pretty. She worked tirelessly on one and finished it, but didn’t want to start another one. Her eyes were bothering her a great deal and worsened with every passing year.

July Fourth was usually a neighborhood time to get together. We all had young children and putting our fireworks together made for more enjoyment for everybody. We would have a picnic meal in the back yard and watch the kids play and roam around until dark…then the dad’s would get busy setting up their fireworks. Our dog, Oakie, enjoyed the Fourth more than anybody. She would run up to the fountains and grab and bite, barking all the time….her antics made all of us laugh till our sides hurt. She never tired but rather continued her aggravated assault until her facial hair was burned off along with her whiskers. Oakie was just a special kind of dog and added so much pleasure to our family…….long gone now, we miss her still.

Until tomorrow,

Essentially Esther