Friday, September 4, 2015

Oh my goodness! Where do the days go? They just keep slipping away...

Diane and Doug playing a game of 'football'... trying out Doug's Christmas football, I'm guessing.

Here the kids get to use the nice stereo, and play a record they like. (Ever notice what cute little noses kids have...and often some very long eyelashes...sweet little creations...how lucky I've been!)

 Don't you just love kiddie 'thermal' jammies? What did people do before these two-piece footed pajamas were invented? I'm thinking there were a lot of cold little kids back then...

 Yup...she's got a broken arm! We were at church one evening...may have been during Lent or something. Anyway, she was wearing her Sunday shoes...little black patent leather Mary Janes, with slick soles. The church had tile floors that were kept at a blinding shine, and were very slippery. Of course, little kids tend to run rather than walk some of the time, and little Diane went running down the hall (ever after being told not to run...), and she slipped and fell. Well, of course, she cried, but she looked fine, so we went on home and I got the kids into their pajamas, and we spent a fairly quiet evening. Diane had fallen asleep, and I just let her sleep, since she had sort of worn herself out with all the excitement. About 10:30 p.m., I woke her up to put her into her bed, and she looked sleepily up at me and said, "My arm feels like a giant arm on an ant!" (OMG! I knew there was something wrong with that statement, so we took her up to the emergency room at Sartori Hospital, and had them x-ray her arm. Well, there was a hairline crack in her wrist, so she ended up with a cast, and of course, felt a whole lot better once that arm was stabilized. I would have not known anything was wrong if she had not been so very able to express her pain. "Our of the mouths of babes!"

 All dressed up...I made Diane's dress, and maybe Dave's jump-suit.

Pretty nice kids...such sweet smiles!

Yup...there we are again...all set for church! I made Diane's outfit...and in this shot, she is still wearing the cast on her arm! (...and, I made my outfit, too...I was sure a busy seamstress!)



One of the fun side trips when we were in Minnesota was a visit to see Paul Bunyan and his big, blue ox, Babe. Here I am with Diane and Doug, near Lake Bemidji and the amusement park there. (I wore a whole lot more dresses back then...hardly ever put one on anymore...)

Here's a shot of us crossing the street to get to the gigantic Paul Bunyan and Babe statues.

Doug posing with the huge bison at Itaska State Park. Glad there is a fence there!

Here I am (wearing another of the home-made tops...) and I have no idea who is standing with me. Maybe some gal from my former life, but I can't remember her at all.... anybody have any idea?

 Same day, I'm thinking...same top, slacks and purse (I see I still have that huge white purse!)

 Doug posed outside the Native American teepee at Itaska, with Diane sitting inside. The slide  with both of them standing with the Indian man is not good...we seemed to have trouble with slides being split in odd ways. I'm going to try to improve them with my computer, but not sure if I'll be successful.

I am standing on a hillside next to Lake Itaska.....still wearing the top I made...

 Yep! I made this dress. It was fairly flattering, don't you think? I'm standing just inside our front door on West 7th Street.  (Looking rather pensive...)

Here's the oil painting I made of Doug (from his school picture). But, the 'real' Doug is so very handsome...no way I could duplicate what nature made... (I should try again, using this photo with his sweet face to work from...)

Funny thing...there are no photos of any time when I was pregnant, even though I spent 36 months of my life (that's 3 years total) in a condition of pregnancy. Perhaps some photos were taken when I was not showing much, but I can't pick those out...  I do remember that Vern once said I looked like 'I had swallowed a watermelon,' so maybe he didn't like my 'pregnant' look.... (part of our marriage problems came from the fact that I did not feel respected after all I personally 'gave up' to stay home with our kids. Back in that time, many guys had no idea at all how to not offend their wives. Plus, we were in the first years of our marriage at the 'cusp of the sexual revolution,' and a lot of husbands (maybe some wives too), believed the cultural idea that it was okay for men to have affairs. That idea ruined plenty of the marriages in my generation. When women finally decided to go to work, establish their own careers, and build their own security... marriage was in trouble. And, my generation simply was not prepared to deal with those conflicts of ideas. (Another case of 'learning by experience.')

Well, that's enough for today. I'm going to get some groceries, and I shop in Waterloo or Cedar Falls most of the time (big selection, especially of organic foods), and that will take me a good part of the day. Just as well, 'cause it's hotter than sin lately, and David doesn't care for air-conditioning, so we leave the house open most of the time. Right now, it's not too bad, but wait until the sun gets around to the west! I will like being in a store with air-conditioning, and in the car (with air-conditioning!) 

See you later...

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