| |
As a child, my first whiff of clean, lined notebook paper brought a keen desire to write stories on it. I also loved the taste of the minty white paste, but never figured out what to do with this talent. If kitchen tables were transparent, mine would reveal reams of paper on which I wrote my soul in words.
I am in Youth, Part II. In other words, I’ve been ‘round the bend a few times, have heard every expletive known to man, and an expert in the how’s and why’s of wifeology and motherhood. I can look at my four adult children and think, ”how in the world did I grow these people and why am I not in the nut house?” I can look at my husband of 50 years and think, “and the reason I married you was?” But I look back and think of the life, love and laughter that has followed me into my golden years, and I am glad I lasted the course.
I grew up in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, a secret city built for the purpose of making parts for the atomic bomb during World War II (yeah, we bragged we won the war, but I’m not proud of how we had to do it). It was both a sad and wonderful era. Married to an engineer who was transferred often, our family toured the country. It would have been a wonderful learning experience for the children if, when traveling across the U.S., I could have kept them from around my neck, asking, “are we there yet?” From the hills of Tennessee, we ventured to Montgomery, Alabama, Bay Minette, Alabama, back to Montgomery, on to Titusville, Florida. From there we lived in Malden, Missouri, Sikeston, Missouri, and back to Tennessee…then to Wheatland, Wyoming, Grants, New Mexico, back to Sikeston, Missouri, on to New Albany, Indiana, then to Augusta, Georgia, and from there Ft. Wayne, Indiana…..and that’s where we left the kids. On our own, we transferred to Atlanta, Georgia. Whew…then we retired. We came back to Oak Ridge, Tennessee to spend our golden years – and guess who showed up? Our kids! What a life! |
