RECENT POSTS
Sisters AND Friends! August 04, 2021
Treasured Memories of Farm Life in Ohio… July 28, 2021
In 1963, I Started Teaching Third Grade July 22, 2021
A Career Change - After 20 Years of Nursing! July 14, 2021
Sisters AND Friends!
"I was the youngest of five children – four girls and one boy – with my brother Charles being right in the middle! My two older sisters and Charles were too old to be my playmates, but my sister, Mary, and I played together often."
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Treasured Memories of Farm Life in Ohio…
“I was born in 1943, and at the age of two, my family and I moved to a 50-acre farm in Fowler, Ohio. Our family of six lived in a large farmhouse, and along the U-turn gravel drive there was a big barn, corn crib, and a chicken house. Upstairs there were three bedrooms. My older brothers shared one room, and so did my younger sister and me. We had to walk through Mom and Dad’s room to get to our room. There was no heat in our bedroom until Grandpa and Dad put a small radiator in the room. Boy, was that a great addition! In our playroom, I vividly recall a wall that had been papered using nothing but old calendar pictures.
In 1963, I Started Teaching Third Grade
“In 1963, I started teaching third grade at Sacred Heart School in Lombard, Illinois. At that time, you did not need a teaching degree in a Parochial School (I had begun pursuing my teaching degree, but I had not finished yet). My first class had 54 students.
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A Career Change - After 20 Years of Nursing!
As a child, I vacillated between wanting to be a teacher like my grandmother and wanting to be a nurse because of the cool uniforms. Nursing won out after I read the Sue Barton and Cherry Ames novels.
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Sowing Seeds
For as long as I can remember my parents have grown apple and pear trees. I grew up in Ohio, and the blooming pear trees each year showed that spring had sprung. When I was younger, I was trepid around the bees the blooms attracted. In the summer, the trees provided great shade for a young girl to sit under and read. By the fall, the fruit was ready to be picked and eaten. It was worth the time spent helping my father gather the pears and apples, as I knew it meant my mother would use some to make apple crisp.
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"You can do anything by hard work, honesty, and love!"
"I’ve gone from no electricity or running water to knowing how to use Facebook and text on a cell phone!"
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Mourning the Losses in the "Hap, Happiest Season of All"
Today a song came on the radio and I wasn't prepared for how it would make me feel. It was Andy Williams singing, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." I love to sing! I launched into the song at the top of my lungs, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I kept singing, but I was singing through loads of big, fat tears. I was crying a LOT as I kept singing, "It's the hap, happiest season of all!"
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In 1960, Bill's Dad Took Him to Enlist
“When I turned 18, my dad asked me which branch of the military I wanted to join. He took me to enlist in the Air Force in 1960, and I was discharged in 1969. I served all over the world. My boot camp was at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. I did data processing during my time in the military, with additional assignments.
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The Day After Graduation
I enlisted a day after I graduated from high school. I chose the Army because I knew if I went in the Navy, I would get seasick, so the Navy was not a good choice for me. My vision wasn't good, so flying was not for me either. I believed enlisting was the responsibility of anyone physically able to serve their country.
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Seeing Things She Didn’t Think She Would See
“I was born in Talladega, Alabama, where I was raised on my grandfather's cotton farm. I enjoyed living there, and we were never bored! We had a lot of freedom and plenty of space to run around and play. We grew our own vegetables and raised our own cattle, and my grandfather was well-respected as a businessman. He was a Native American, so it was impressive at that time in the South that he owned his own farm. We never had to worry about anything.
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