Knives and Stitches

The year was 1946 when I was a young bride. I migrated out to the Northwest state of Washington from Oklahoma with my husband. It was when the WW11 had just ended and so many veterans were returning to their homes and getting married. We were living with my new inlaws and looking for something to live in.  Housing was extremely scarce with so many looking for rentals.

They lived in the middle of a fruit ranch on Garretson's grade where other ranch workers lived. My brother-in-law and wife, Darrell and Dorothy were visiting them and they are the ones we came with to make our home out here. I'm still here but he got up and left in 2010. Well, not on purpose but he passed away from medical problems. I said all that to say this:

One day they all packed up and went to Spokane and the Hub, Grandpa and I stayed behind so the men could pick apples. So I was the chief cook and bottle washer. Well, the very first day I was washing the dishes after lunch, the men had returned to the orchard. I am all alone and was washing the dishes and put a glass in the cupboard when I accidentally tipped a glass over and they tumbled out and I was trying to keep out of trouble and tried to catch the glasses. They broke against each other and my hand caught the broken glass in my left hand and across my little finger. We found out there is a main artery in your little finger and the glass cut across it and severed it, blood begin to surge out of ot with every heart beat and I was soon covered with blood, I found a huge bath towel and wrapped it up and went outside to see if I could find someone. They didn't have a phone. As I remember there were three or four houses in the area. Someone just happened, to drive in to one of the homes, I think my guardian angel had something to do with that. You know we all have one. The young men were driving a brand new car and they told me to get in which I did and we drove down into the orchard and found Bud. We took off for Yakima, this area was several miles from a hospital. We arrived at the hospital and I was drenched in blood and so weak Bud had to carry me in there and this is the part that is so unbelievable you may not believe me, but a nurse said , " Well, it's just a cut finger, you can take her to one of those doctors in the Larson building", so that is where we went and I was carried in there and up an elevator and the Dr was livid, he sewed it up but said if I was in the hospital he would have ordered a blood transfusion. I wish he would have ordered it anyway because I was so weak and sick the rest of the summer. 

Sorry this is such a long drawn out story but I get carried away!

My Rolling Life

Life rolls right along at a snail's pace when you reach this age. I sometimes reminisce about my younger age. I went to bed around nine and went to sleep within five minutes and slept the entire night and was not interrupted by potty calls. Woke up in the morning by the annoying alarm clock. Crawled out of bed and into the shower. Come rain or shine it was a shower every morning. I put a slice of bread in the toaster and went to the corner of our property to get the newspaper out of the box and the toast had popped up by the time I came back in.That was my breakfast most mornings. I could read the paper without the magnifying glass. Then I worked the crossword puzzle. I always worked the crossword puzzle and still do. It's the only reason I take the paper these days and I have decided to discontinue the paper when the subscription runs out. I can't justify paying so much for a puzzle when I can go to the dollar store and buy a whole book of them. 

I had a husband during those years and his job was always earlier than mine so he would get up and eat his breakfast and make his lunch and be gone by the time I got up. He read the paper at night. He read every word in the paper. I can only imagine how much he would have loved the Internet and the world wide web. He passed away at age 70 from heart problems and diabetes. Back in those days you only went to a doctor when you were sick. So one day he had a heart attack. A nurse was giving me a bad time because I didn't tell them that my husband had diabetes so I told her I didn't know he had diabetes. He had open heart surgery and was one the first to have it. We had to fly to Portland, Oregon to have it done. It was very new at that time and Portland was the nearest place to us. Seattle wasn't even doing it.

Well, now it's past my bedtime.

So goodnight!!

A couple years ago

More Wind (sorry, I just need to vent)

It's another day in the rocking chair, my hearing is going, the eyesight is fixing to leave, (that is redneck speech) My back is fixing to quit on me. I'm fixing to pull the curtain myself. Don't get alarmed! I would never do that. I sit around and think about things a lot. The other day I remembered the time I was about 15 and it was different then, your parents knew you would be safe roaming the streets down town and my bestie friend and I went to the bowling alley and played some games. We ran into some friends there and were having a great time so we decided to go to another place to see what was happening and decided to use the restroom first. I was thinking this is so much fun and was happy as could be and when I came out of the restroom my so-called friends had ran out and left me on purpose.  My heart sank to my feet, sudden despair. I cried all the way home and I am not kidding snot and tears running down my face. Met other people on the sidewalk and I didn't care. It was the most hurtful thing that has ever happened to me to this day. I still remember it vividly, but I haven't even thought of for years until recently.

One of the closer friends finally got in touch later and apologised and said she didn't want to and wished she wouldn't have been a part of it. We ended up being friends. We even corresponded until her death several years ago. Her name was Elsie. 

I think this is the first time I have ever told anyone about it and now the whole world can know it for all I care. 

I guess I'll peddle on outta here! Till next time.