Growing old

My writing class this month reminded me of things to write about and one was growing old. I cannot do that anymore as I have already arrived at that at 87 years but I thought back at what I got to do while I was growing old. I got to meet my five wonderful children,my 13 wonderful grandchildren and even a couple of great grandchildren. My sister has remained my best friends and lets me call her everyday. I live in a nice house with heat and air condition, I have had great dogs and cats and have a delightful one at the moment who I hope likes me as much as I do him.

I have gone around the world, I have had wonderful exchange students live with me, I would like to mention my husband whom I met in Topeka High School but did not like me bust learned to. I have seen that Mars is really red, I have been bitten by a llama, chased by lions and crocodiles, I have been spied on in Russia and they let me out, I have knitted almost 2000 Christmas socks and can still knit so I knit hats for babies in Honduras, I have met movie stars, even have John Wayne and Shirley Temple's autographs, my kids have great spouses and they all still speak to me so I have not irritated them too much, I have a great many lawyers and writers. I watch TV now and see it in color,I have read all the Louis Lamour, Dick Francis and Harry Potter books.

When you are old people are more patient with you and I need that. I seldom feel lonesome because I always go back to memories of some many great things that are in this world and I have got to see them. I have met presidents and seen them inaugurated. I still do not like bears or snakes in my camping tent and will never like spinach and cauliflower but will cling to the may good things that I can eat. How many people have their initials on candy like M&Ms. It would have been nice if they had stood for Hershey or Russell Stover.

Thanks for letting me remember some of the great things that have gone on and not remember that the President says I will not get a social security this month so I may be back in my tent if I could find away to walk and put it up.

Pocket money=Baby Sitting

I reread my blog and thought about how I got money as my parents did not believe in an allowance. My first paying job was baby sitting with the boy across the street in Topeka. He and I got long well as there were not many playmates in our neighborhood. His father used to call him General Nuisance. I even played with him when I was not baby sitting. I think his parents let me because they knew my mother always kept an eye on me so she did on the boy.

I generally used the money to go to the movies although sometimes I used it for candy at the local grocery store, which was only a block away. When I did get old enough to babysit, I was paid thirty five cents unless it went until midnight and then I got fifty cents. Sometimes my sister Helen would take me along and I would play with her charge while she read. I always liked it if they left snacks but they seldom did.

My parents were very careful who I babysat with. If they did not bring me home at the time they said she would come to the house where I was and she was waiting for them. They were very good at being on time as I think they were afraid of my mother. My sisters, Helen and Ethel, babysat also but I do not think my brother did. He was above such menial labor and probably got an allowance. Only rich girls got allowances but boys did.

Wages

Back in 1940 I kept track of my money and I came across the book. This was September 1940. Balance o6(clothes owe Mother $7.09, buttons ,19,Movie ,16,peanits .37. wages (I worked in the office of my father's business)6.00, Topeka Free Fair $1.26,notebook.10, wagesa $6.00.church.90cents,material .95,registration fee $2.00,coKe stained dress.94 SorOity pledge fee $5.00,notebook paper .10,wages $6.00.The pages go on like that went on until 1942 and then I got a raise. I know I had a savings account but guess I let the bank be charge of that. After I taught school I went to work for a bank and I kept better records after that. However the so I went to the telephone company which had great hours.workers in the bank had terrible hours sssssss

Things on my thumb

I have two new marks on my thumb that are caused by using my wheelchair to go forward and backwards but since I do not spell weell. I will try calasus. That sounds like a math class. I remeber my mother trying to help with spelling. I even had two spelling books, one at school and one at home. My sister, Helen was so smart she even got moved a grade ahead but not me. When we had spelling bees I was one of the last chosen then only because the teacher made them take everyone. I was smart in reading, did well in geography but was low in penmanship so it is well ZI never acpooomplished anything that I needed to sign autographs and banks do not care how you sign their checks. As a teacher I was very lienent to my pupils. But I wanted people to know it is hardwork doing a wheelchair when you have uneven floors like I do and too narrow doorways so you have to go backward through them but I am making it and it does mean I get around in my house so I can watch the birds at my birdbath, the many marigolds I have and see the sky. I do not recommend people having to use wheelchairs but it is nicer than laying in bed all the time so am glad wheelchairs were invented.

Forth of July

Now the day has past and I remember one fourth we celebrated a week or so after. On the third my 3 oldest children had a thing you put a cap in and hit and something flew. Sally did one that went on the roof and Ray got out the ladder to get it. He got it but the ladder slipped and he fell. Our doctor was out of town so we called the one who took care of his patients when he was out of town. TYhe ambulance came and they took Ray to St. Marys hospital in Missouri. My father in law and I followed the ambulance. Ray had broken his leg. The fireworkss stayed in their carton and we shot them after Ray returned home. The 4th was a little confused that year.

Another fourth

I guess the most exciting thing on the fourth was i became engaged to get married.I had been engaged to Ray 3 times and something always happened so I told him we are getting married in 3 weeks. So we were married July 21. My 2 sisters and brother were married at home but Ray had too many relatives and we did not want to leave anyone out. That year they decided to forgo the annual gathering known as the McClenny reunion and came to the wedding. The other one that was exciting was when they had a fireworks display at the Prairie Village swimming pool and the first fireworks shot off fell into the waiting fireworks and everything was shot off at once.

Fourth of July

When I was growing up my uncle got the fireworks for us. I am not sure if it was Percy or Fred. We always went to the park for breakfast and my mother scrambled eggs. We shot fireworks in our own yard. It was not easy to unwind the fireworks and when we traveled in China, I saw a young girl putting them together. I took a movie and thought when I got home I would run it backwards and see the easy way to get them apart. My sister, Ethel, had a roman candle break when she was shooting it so it kind of scared us after that.