REMEMBERING WHEN...

I thought I would end with this one. I told you earlier that I never smiled in my pictures but as you can see from this one and the one below shows a big smile. Maybe meeting Billy J. brought the smile out.

This picture was taken the first year of our marriage. Billy had been in the Army. during my senior year. I was able to join him in Fort Leonardwood, MO. We were there for two years and then went to Henderson State Teacher's College. His major was PE and mine was Elementary Education. He dropped out when he started practice teaching. He wanted to coach not teach in the classroom. We returned to Dierks after I graduated.

I thought I would give you a glimpse of the basketball shorts back in the day. They were short compared to the shorts the kids wear today. My mom frowned when she saw them but I convinced her that that was the style and it was required.

This is my mom, Thomas, Ronnie and me. We lived in this old dilapidated house until we moved to Hot Springs. (I was in the 5th grade.)We stayed there for one year and all of us loved it but my mom. She threw a fit to return to the good life. In Hot Springs we lived in a nice two bedroom house with inside plumbing. It was located on a private lake and Thomas and I learned to swim with my dad's employer's (the mayor of Hot Springs) children. We lived a great life but my mom was not happy with us having all of the fun and she was stuck at home. Finally Dad gave in and we returned to this lovely house.

We lived in this three room house until I was in the 10th grade and Dad finally decided to build a new house. Finally we had a three bedroom house with indoor plumbing, electricity and everything.

My sweet husband at age 22.

June 5, 1954 was our BIG wedding day. I think I remember that the fabric for my dress cost $3 and my mom made it. In 1954 with three brothers and one on the way there was not much money floating around. My dad worked at the saw mill and my mom worked at home.

My senior year and I almost smiled.

This is my grandmother, my brother and me. I was five years old and Thomas was three. You can tell from this photo that my grandparents lived in a mansion. It was a shack of a house but there was always plenty of good food, clean clothes and much love.

The back of this picture said I was two year old but I think I look older. This is the first studio photo I ever had made and didn't have another until I was in high school. If you will notice...I never smiled when my picture was taken. I usually cried...I didn't like cameras. Still don't!!

This is a letter I received from my husband back in 1955. He was stationed at Ft. Leonardwood, MO and I was back home in Dierks. Look at the price of stamps in 1955.

This has taken me back many years and gives you a glimpse of my earlier life. My family was hard working people and we had very little but we still had a great life. Mother canned, sewed, grew most of our vegetables and made our butter from the milk that my dad milked each morning. In the earlier days she used a rub board to do her laundry and eventually got her first gas engine washing machine. My dad worked for Dierks Lumber Company until they sold out to Weyerhaeuser. He continued to work for them and retired after 42 years. When he started work he made fifteen cents per hour. (I could write all day about the early days but will not continue this story for I fear that it will not be of interest to anyone but me.)

Living in 2010 all of this seems like a dream. Times were hard and now it seems that we are so blessed to have so much. I think my generation could go back to hard times but I fear that the younger generation might not be able to bear it. Take away their cars, computers, electricity, i pods, cell phones (any kind of phone), television, air conditioning, running water, inside plumbing, name brand clothing, and the list goes on. How would they ever survive? Ohhhh, we have it so good and fail to count our blessings for our freedom and the privileged of living in a country such as ours. We complain and gripe about the government but we still are so richly blessed.