ANOTHER DWELLING

I CANNOT EVEN COUNT---WELL GUESS I REALLY COULD --THE NUMBER OF PLACES I HAVE LIVED SINCE MY FOLKS SEPARATED. THIS ONE REALLY COUNTS AS "BARBARA LEAVES HOME".
I NEEDED A PLACE TO LIVE IF I WAS GOING TO WORK---AND I WANTED TO, AT LEAST FOR A YEAR. THEN I HOPED TO GO TO NURSING SCHOOL. THE HOUSE WAS BEAUTIFUL AND THE LADY OWNING IT WAS VERRRRRRY INTERESTING. SHE WAS FRENCH AND SPOKE RATHER BROKEN ENGLISH. WELL, NOT BROKEN, BUT SHE PRONOUNCED MANY WORDS IN A WAY YOU HAD TO STOP AND THINK ABOUT WHAT SHE HAD SAID. LIKE WHEN I TOLD HER I HAD BEEN TO A SERBIAN WEDDING WHERE THEY CALLED OUT HOW MUCH EACH GUEST HAD GIVEN IN MONEY---AND SOME GAVE LOTS---SHE SAID SHE WISHED SHE COULD FIND A RICH SIR-RIBI-ON.

MY "ROOM" WAS IN THE BASEMENT. AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE HOUSE WAS, THE BASEMENT WAS A BASEMENT. IT SMELLED LIKE A BASEMENT AND FELT LIKE A BASEMENT. I SPENT AS LITTLE TIME IN IT AS I COULD MANAGE.

LIFE IN THE COUNTRY

IT WAS REALLY NOT FOR ME---LIFE IN THE COUNTRY THAT IS. THE HOUSE, THOUGH NICE WAS ABOUT 8 MILES FROM THE TOWN I HAD LIVED IN BEFORE. MY STEPFATHER USED TO DRIVE ME INTO CHURCH ON SUNDAY MORNINGS, BUT SUDDENLY HE DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT ANY MORE----SO I OFTEN WALKED!!!ONE DAY A LADY WHO LIVED A FEW MILES FURTHER THAN THE "FOLKS" TOLD ME SHE WOULD PICK ME UP ON SUNDAYS. I ALWAYS HAD A RIDE HOME WITH ONE OF THE BOYS AT CHURCH. THAT WAS GREAT AND THE KIDS FOUND OUT JUST WHERE I LIVED SO ONE OR ANOTHER WOULD OFTEN COME OUT TO SEE ME. WITH NO PHONE, SOMETIMES TWO WOULD COME---BUT THAT WAS OKAY. WE WERE MORE OF A GROUP OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND NOT SINGLE DATES.

AS SOON AS MOTHER GOT BACK ON HER FEET AFTER BABY---SHE WAS OVER FORTY---YA KNOW!!! AN OLD LADY, I GOT A JOB IN TOWN AND A ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF A WIDOW LADY'S HOUSE.

TO BE CONT










1

HELP

I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO EDIT MY POSTS AND CORRECT SOME SPELLING ERRORS. I HAVE TROUBLE TYPING WITH LEFT HAND AND MAKE ALL SORTS OF MISTAKES---BUT I CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT!!

THE JOURNEY

MOTHER AND MY TWO BROTHERS LIVED ABOUT 6 MILES OUT IN THE COUNTRY WITH MY STEPFATHER AND BABY HALF SISTER. THE HOUE WAS A BIG OLD HOUSE THAT HAD BEEN MOVED THERE FROM ONE OF THE "MINE SITES". IN THE OLDEN DAYS WHEN THE MINES WERE JUST STARTING THE COMPANY PROVIDED HOUSES OR THE EMPLOYEES. I THINK THEY ALSO HAD A STORE WHERE THE MINERS WERE SUPPOSE TO BUY WHAT THEY NEEDED. THE SONG ,"SIXTEEN TONS" KINDA REMINDS ME OF THE STORIES I HAVE BEEN TOLD. ANYHOW, IT WAS A NICE HOUSE. THREE BEDROOMS UPSTAIRS, A LARGE DINING ROOM AND GOOD SIZED LIVING ROOM. NICE KITCHEN WITH ENOUGH SPACE FOR A TABLE AND CHAIRS. OVER THE YEARS SF ADDED A NICE SCREENED IN PORCH AND A A BIG LAUNDRY ROOM AND HALF BATH ON THE BACK. HE WAS GOOD AT BUILDING THINGS. HE MADE A UTE WISHING WELL FOR THE FRONT YARD---AND HE AND MOTHER AWAYS HAD A FANTATIC GARDEN AND LOTS OF FLOWERS.THEY DIDN'T HAVE A PHONE FOR A LONG TIME , AND WHEN THEY DID IT WAS ONE YOU CRANKED TO GET THE OPERATOR, AN EVERYONE ON THE PARTY LINE HAD A DIFFERENT NUMBER OF RINGS.

TO BE CONT.

THE JOURNEY/CHILD OF DIVORCE

GRRRRRRR---I JUST GOT STARTED WITH A NEW POST AND ZIPPO THE SCREEN WENT BLACK AND HAD ONE HECK OF A TIME FINDING ME AGAIN.

AS I WAS SAYING, IT SEEMS TO BE TIME TO GET BACK TO THE JOURNEY BEFORE I FORGET EVERYTHING. IT IS STRANGE HOW I CAN REMEMBER WORD FOR WORD OF CONVERSATIONS 70 YEARS AGO BUT FORGET THE NAME OF MY BEST FRIEND.

I WAS TRYING TO THINK OF A FANCY WAY OF SAYING HOW FAST TIME FLIES. HOW ABOUT " AS FAST OF A GLOB OF BUTTER MELTS IN A HOT FRYING PAN"?

I LEFT OFF SOME TIME AGO LIVING IN THE BIG HOUSE IN CALIFORNIA AND WORKING FOR MY DAD. I LOVED IT AND HAD PLANS TO GO TO UCLA IN THE FALL. MY MOTHER IN MINNESOTA WROTE ME AND WANTED ME TO COME BACK AS SHE WAS GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER BABY AND NEEDED MY HELP TO TAKE CARE OD MY 15 MONTH OLD HALF SISTER AND COOK FOR THE FAMILY WHEN SHE WAS GONE . TO TELL THE TRUTH I CANNOT REMEMBER HOW I FELT ABOUT THIS. I HAD LOTS OF FRIENDS BACK IN MINNESOTA AND NEVER LACKED FOR FUN WITH THE CHURCH YOUNG PEOPLE ETC. SO I PACKED UP WHAT I COULD, LEAVING MUCH BEHIND AND LEFT MY BEAUTIFUL ROOM THAT MY DAD HAD CREATED FOR ME. I DIDN'T GET TO USE IT EVEN TWO YEARS. I STILL MISS THAT BIG DESK AND MY NOISEY OLD TYPEWRITER.
WITH THE NEW BABY COMING AND MY BROTHERS IN ONE BEDROOM IN BUNK BEDS, I INHERITED BABY SISTER AND HER CRIB. SHE WAS A CUTE LITTLE THING, BUT HAD A SCAREY BAD HABIT. IF SHE DIDN'T GET WHAT SHE WANTED, OR EVEN IF SHE CRIED FOR ANY REASON SHE WOULD HOLD HER BREATH TIL SHE WAS UNCONSCIOUS. THE DOCTOR SAID SHE WAS FINE AND TO GIVE HER A WACK ON THE BOTTOM WHEN SHE STARTED TO HOLD HER BREATH. IT WORKED!!
NEW BABY BROTHER WAS BORN MAY 1ST.