| Biographical Non-Fiction posted October 10, 2020 | Chapters: |
...66 67 -68- 69... 
|
  |
More things that happen in 1973
A chapter in the book Remembering Yesterday
Job Solution and Country Days
by BethShelby
| Background New job for me, and things the family enjoys about the the country place we own in Mississippi, as well as other memories in 1973. |
Just before the Jordan Printing Company officially relocated to Memphis, I had a call from one of the pressmen from the printing company where I’d worked before Connie was born. He was going out on his own and opening a new company, and he asked if I would come and work for him.
The timing was ideal since my company was moving to Memphis. Even better was the fact that his company would be just four blocks from where we lived. Klevey and Bob were happy that I wouldn’t be without work, and that I would be able to change jobs without a loss of salary. The Williams Printing Company would be mainly family members except for me. To began with there would be only five of us, but Charles already had quite a few customers lined up. There would be plenty of work to keep us busy.
*****
The thing you found more fulfilling than your job at Chevron was spending time at our farm in Mississippi. You were especially pleased when you felt that we were enjoying being there as well. You and I would walk over the 143 acres of woods and pastureland, and occasionally the children would walk with us. Once I asked you what was one of your favorite memories, and you reminded me of the time when you and I walked to the back of our place and I found trillium plants blooming. I’d never seen that kind of flower before, and I got excited and insisted on digging some up to bring back to plant in our yard.
I think you were hoping that we would all live there one day. It wasn’t something the children and I wanted. It was too far into the country. Most of the people around us lived in small houses or double wide trailers on small tracts of land. Most worked in one of the small towns nearby, or those on bigger acreage grew cotton for a living. The place had an old-fashion country store and a few churches. Traveling into Jackson took nearly an hour on blacktop roads, but because you loved being there so much, I went out of my way to make the house look as nice as possible without spending much money.
We had paid off the mortgage on the land, and the money we’d spent on the house we paid for as the work was completed, so there was no debt other than taxes, insurance and utilities. With the help of Don, you had gotten the inside walls and ceilings up. You hired some guys to come over and tape the sheetrock, finish it out, and paint it. We had furnished the place with furniture that we no longer used. I had gone to flea markets and garage sales and bought curtains and light fixtures. When we had holiday or vacation days, it was a nice spot to spend time, even though the children weren’t always happy about it.
In the winter, we always had a warm fire going in the den. We'd pop popcorn and make hot chocolate. I kept packaged and canned food there and we brought fresh produce from home. We had an old refrigerator and a new stovetop and oven. Once we were there when it snowed, and the children made a snowman in the front yard. I always took pictures of these special times.
For several years now our family had gone there each Christmas before going to visit our parents. We made an annual trek into the woods and dug up a young cedar tree and brought it back to the house to decorate. We would make our own decorations and trim the tree. We'd have a small celebration with each child having a gift they could open. For you, this was a memory, which would always be one of your favorites. I’m not sure the children felt as strongly about it as you did, but they went along because it was important to you. After we had our Christmas ritual, we always took down the tree and planted it in the yard. We soon had large cedars scattered over a big front yard.
Don had been pleading with us to buy him a motorcycle for his twelfth birthday. We both felt he was too young but we did start looking for a smaller dirt bike for sale. We found a Kawasaki combination motorcycle and dirt bike for sale and decided to get it with the understanding that it would be left for him to ride in the country only. You had to be fourteen to even get a permit to ride in the city. Once he had the bike, he was happy enough to spend time in the country. We all learned to ride it except Connie who was too young. The girls and I took it very slow.
Naturally, going slow wasn’t something that appealed to Don, and he was soon gunning it and trying to jump ditches with it. He fell off a few times and bruised himself. During Christmas holidays, we let Don stay behind in Newton to spend a week with Mother and Dad. She called me after a couple of days and told me she had to take Don to the doctor because he was hurting all over, and his neck was stiff. The doctor checked him out and thought he might have encephalitis.
Mom was extremely worried about him and wanted to know if she should put him on a plane and fly him home. He hadn’t bothered to tell the doctor or her that his muscle and neck was sore from riding the dirt bike. We told her not to worry, but to send him home on the bus as we’d planned. Don was fine. He just needed some time to heal. I was shocked that a doctor would suggest something so scary without further tests.
******
Just after the School session ended for the summer, The Pathfinders had another camping trip. This time we went to a park across the lake, and we only spent one night. I took Connie with me, and my friend, Betty, brought her granddaughter she was raising along. Michele was a little older and larger than Connie. She was an unpredictable child and tended to have a jealous streak involving any other child Betty paid attention to.
Christi and some of her friends were supposed to be watching Connie. They brought her back to me, red faced and sobbing. She had hand prints and scratch marks on her neck where Michele had attempted to choke her. Michele followed behind them saying, “She was upset. I was trying to comfort her." I realized for the rest of the trip, I would have to keep a sharp eye out for Michele.
Another thing that happened on that trip that caught me by surprise was that the club director awarded Christi the first annual Pathfinder of the Year award. He said all of the group had voted on it. I had been left out of the voting because she was my daughter. I was proud she had an engraved plaque to hang on her wall, but I was unsure what she had done to deserve the honor.
*****
During the summer, we decided to send the kids to public school during the fall semester. If it didn’t go well we could always put them back in Church school. All three of them seemed worried about going to a bigger school where they didn’t know anyone. Changes always made them nervous, but life is all about change, and it is something we can’t always control. Sometimes change can be a good thing.
For Carol, who would be going into high school the change would be greater, because the high schools in Metairie weren’t co-ed. She would be going to an all girl school. This would be the first time since first grade that Don and Christi would not be in the same school with her. For one more year, the two of them would attend a middle school and be in the same class.
The timing was ideal since my company was moving to Memphis. Even better was the fact that his company would be just four blocks from where we lived. Klevey and Bob were happy that I wouldn’t be without work, and that I would be able to change jobs without a loss of salary. The Williams Printing Company would be mainly family members except for me. To began with there would be only five of us, but Charles already had quite a few customers lined up. There would be plenty of work to keep us busy.
*****
The thing you found more fulfilling than your job at Chevron was spending time at our farm in Mississippi. You were especially pleased when you felt that we were enjoying being there as well. You and I would walk over the 143 acres of woods and pastureland, and occasionally the children would walk with us. Once I asked you what was one of your favorite memories, and you reminded me of the time when you and I walked to the back of our place and I found trillium plants blooming. I’d never seen that kind of flower before, and I got excited and insisted on digging some up to bring back to plant in our yard.
I think you were hoping that we would all live there one day. It wasn’t something the children and I wanted. It was too far into the country. Most of the people around us lived in small houses or double wide trailers on small tracts of land. Most worked in one of the small towns nearby, or those on bigger acreage grew cotton for a living. The place had an old-fashion country store and a few churches. Traveling into Jackson took nearly an hour on blacktop roads, but because you loved being there so much, I went out of my way to make the house look as nice as possible without spending much money.
We had paid off the mortgage on the land, and the money we’d spent on the house we paid for as the work was completed, so there was no debt other than taxes, insurance and utilities. With the help of Don, you had gotten the inside walls and ceilings up. You hired some guys to come over and tape the sheetrock, finish it out, and paint it. We had furnished the place with furniture that we no longer used. I had gone to flea markets and garage sales and bought curtains and light fixtures. When we had holiday or vacation days, it was a nice spot to spend time, even though the children weren’t always happy about it.
In the winter, we always had a warm fire going in the den. We'd pop popcorn and make hot chocolate. I kept packaged and canned food there and we brought fresh produce from home. We had an old refrigerator and a new stovetop and oven. Once we were there when it snowed, and the children made a snowman in the front yard. I always took pictures of these special times.
For several years now our family had gone there each Christmas before going to visit our parents. We made an annual trek into the woods and dug up a young cedar tree and brought it back to the house to decorate. We would make our own decorations and trim the tree. We'd have a small celebration with each child having a gift they could open. For you, this was a memory, which would always be one of your favorites. I’m not sure the children felt as strongly about it as you did, but they went along because it was important to you. After we had our Christmas ritual, we always took down the tree and planted it in the yard. We soon had large cedars scattered over a big front yard.
Don had been pleading with us to buy him a motorcycle for his twelfth birthday. We both felt he was too young but we did start looking for a smaller dirt bike for sale. We found a Kawasaki combination motorcycle and dirt bike for sale and decided to get it with the understanding that it would be left for him to ride in the country only. You had to be fourteen to even get a permit to ride in the city. Once he had the bike, he was happy enough to spend time in the country. We all learned to ride it except Connie who was too young. The girls and I took it very slow.
Naturally, going slow wasn’t something that appealed to Don, and he was soon gunning it and trying to jump ditches with it. He fell off a few times and bruised himself. During Christmas holidays, we let Don stay behind in Newton to spend a week with Mother and Dad. She called me after a couple of days and told me she had to take Don to the doctor because he was hurting all over, and his neck was stiff. The doctor checked him out and thought he might have encephalitis.
Mom was extremely worried about him and wanted to know if she should put him on a plane and fly him home. He hadn’t bothered to tell the doctor or her that his muscle and neck was sore from riding the dirt bike. We told her not to worry, but to send him home on the bus as we’d planned. Don was fine. He just needed some time to heal. I was shocked that a doctor would suggest something so scary without further tests.
******
Just after the School session ended for the summer, The Pathfinders had another camping trip. This time we went to a park across the lake, and we only spent one night. I took Connie with me, and my friend, Betty, brought her granddaughter she was raising along. Michele was a little older and larger than Connie. She was an unpredictable child and tended to have a jealous streak involving any other child Betty paid attention to.
Christi and some of her friends were supposed to be watching Connie. They brought her back to me, red faced and sobbing. She had hand prints and scratch marks on her neck where Michele had attempted to choke her. Michele followed behind them saying, “She was upset. I was trying to comfort her." I realized for the rest of the trip, I would have to keep a sharp eye out for Michele.
Another thing that happened on that trip that caught me by surprise was that the club director awarded Christi the first annual Pathfinder of the Year award. He said all of the group had voted on it. I had been left out of the voting because she was my daughter. I was proud she had an engraved plaque to hang on her wall, but I was unsure what she had done to deserve the honor.
*****
During the summer, we decided to send the kids to public school during the fall semester. If it didn’t go well we could always put them back in Church school. All three of them seemed worried about going to a bigger school where they didn’t know anyone. Changes always made them nervous, but life is all about change, and it is something we can’t always control. Sometimes change can be a good thing.
For Carol, who would be going into high school the change would be greater, because the high schools in Metairie weren’t co-ed. She would be going to an all girl school. This would be the first time since first grade that Don and Christi would not be in the same school with her. For one more year, the two of them would attend a middle school and be in the same class.
I'm continuing to recall memories of life with my deceased husband as if I am talking aloud to him. I'm doing this because I want my children to know us as we knew each other and not just as their parents.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. 
You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.
© Copyright 2024. BethShelby All rights reserved.
BethShelby has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
