IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 43

Well I am a year older and wiser and still learning that I have much to learn. But also learned I have much to give. I am so blessed to be in a church family that wants me there. I know it is hard to fit in when there is not much you can help with because of not being able to move about easily and running out of steam quickly. They accept me in spite of all my shortcomings.

My sister and I played pinochle one evening and I lost all three games but enjoyed it immensely. My DIL has been very busy with her nie
ces this weekend. She took them to the River Market and walked herself tired. She picked up some sugarless wheat bread with flax seed for me and of course I had to taste it before supper. It was delicious.

I will get back to my story about my life with Carl. The first 25 years we moved about to so many places that home was, where we were at the present time. We lived in so many homes that the mortgage companies owned. We never stayed long enough to end up owning it because we always had to sell it to use as our down payment on the next house in a different place. At one point my oldest sister told me she wished could able to travel about living in different places. And I told her to be satisfied you and your husband own your home and no matter what inflation does you have your own place and no one can end your lease on short notice and you actually own it lock stock and barrel. Why is it the other side of the fence always looks greener. I just wanted her to know what she had was a blessing a lot of people wished they had in their later years. She and her husband are 88.

Carl did quite a bit of traveling in our military life and he always had extra jobs to supply funds for what our kids needed. The governments’ pay scale was always lower than civilian pay especially way back he received $99 dollars a month and room and board
But looking back I can say that kept us closer together. We never were bored with each other. He told me one day one of the things he thoroughly enjoyed was that when he came home the kids were bathed and clean up running up to him and screaming daddy. He also knew supper was ready and on the table. After we ate he always helped clean up the mess in which I was thankful for.

Our children always had their jobs to do around the house. As they got older it went from picking up their toys to keeping their rooms clean to really helping with other chores of cleaning. They got an allowance according to job and their age. It is interesting to me how the personality of children, are different in the same family. We had one thrifty and neat and willing to please; one happy go lucky and not wanting to work and always looking for ways to get out of it leaving work undone most of the time and at times having a balance of the two different personalities before becoming capable to handle anything that comes their way. I continue to pray for my children as they face some of the hard choices in life that has yet to come that they respond according to the Lords teaching.

When we celebrated our 25th anniversary in 1974 our kids were not at home and Carl was working for Glidden paint doing all sorts of jobs. This is a picture of how we looked then.Shortly after that he took a job working as a representative for Strasenburg that required him to wear a suit and tie because he had to call on doctors to sell his wares. Eventually this company was bought by Pennwalt and then merged with a French company and all through these changes Carl climbed up the ladder of responsibility of having others working for him. This required him to travel out of the state managing his men calling on doctors and making out repor
ts to turn in to the home office. He had the responsibility of hiring and firing in his territory. Eventually he became National Sales Manager of the Eastern half of the U.S.



Remember I mentioned this was the orphan boy that was thrown out with the dishwater because money ruled the roost, in the male household where the money belonged to the grandmother who told everyone what they can or can’t do.

Any job Carl had he excelled to the highest limit in spite of the odds against him. I was, extremely blessed having been married to him.

As my sister and I sit and reminisce about both our husbands having passed on and wonder at this age what is left beside sitting around not really doing any thing.

So, what we do is count our blessings. I am Immigrant Daughter.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 42

When we lived in Muncie Carl and I did quite a bit if volunteer work with collecting food from the various churches to give away at the Food Center. This created a job offer to set up and run a Food Pantry that would screen families in immediate need. The city had an item in their budget with a paid employee trying to combine how to spend the money allotted to new comers that needed immediate help.

We were asked to open and organize the collection of food and stock a pantry for immediate distribution as needed, and we call it the “Food Pantry”. We had to buy fresh items like meat, bread and eggs that required the center to have its’ own building with refrigerators and freezer so that we could lock the center when we were closed. Carl and I had full control of the food pantry and answered to Sally who was paid by the county. She one girl working for her that screened the families in need. It is amazing just how many free loaders show up to get food they don’t have to work for. That is why the screening was necessary because they had to realize they couldn’t be on the constant take. After so many days the source would dry up and theycouldn’t get any more free food until a month had passed. Sally trusted us and gave us lots of leeway. Once we were set up it was easier to arrange donations of food and monies from individuals and organizations. The Council of Churches in the area was a big help.

This was something Carl and I could work at together because we really were not ready to retire. The churches did a great job of collecting food in their congregations on a monthly schedule. This was rewarding in many ways while it was also work.
Every year a Crop Walk was scheduled. This was a 5K walk thru the city from 9am to 4pm and anyone can sign up to walk by paying an entry fee to compete for the prizes donated by business in the area. How this worked was walking the required route in the best time after you signed in. Of course there was an entry fee. This was fun and good exercise. I have several pictures of Carl and I in our German outfits, knickers and knee socks that were wool. Muncie weather was definitely cold enough to wear these. We did this pantry work for five years always giving back the small fee they gave us.

This article and picture was in the local newspaper and it was the last time we were involved in this project.
There is always a time to step down and let someone else come in with new ideas. We always said no one is irreplaceable and it best you learn that in any endeavor. It is always the better when you choose the time to step down and leave on good terms. No hard feelings that way.

At church this past Sunday for coffee time they surprised me by helping me celebrate my birthday, which was the 15th. For refreshments they had 80 cupcakes stacked up in a tier. The kids loved it because it was easier to take one and eat it on the spot.


Holland America sent me this wonderful card. I thought it was pretty enough to share.

The last two days have been outstanding. Since my sister Electra arrived we haven’t stopped talking except to sleep. She has filled in many of the different times of my childhood. It is something special about being the baby of the family. There are many stories I was involved in and have no knowledge of that my sister kept hearing that I looked like my mother more than any of the children. We both had dark hair like moms, my oldest sister had light two-tone hair, with one eye dark and one light. The way girls color their hair today with a mixture of shades Sophia’ would have been be in style. My next sister Marie had auburn hair with brown eyes. My two brothers had dark curly hair and my sister Electra and I had dark brown straight hair that looked black. But when I was younger as a little girl I had light brown hair. It’s amazing how our growth changes in intervals. Once we pass puberty we really change constantly.

In our immediate family the children are all with different color hair and complexions . After my family I am not surprised. In the summer I just get dark and Carl had to cover up because he burned easily. When he was aboard ship he told me that he was a constantly burned sailor even with a shirt on all the time. And as he grew older that didn’t change so he just suffered with sunburn and being red all the time.

I see I am near the signing off point, so until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 41

There was a time when it didn’t matter to me what day it was or the hour. But I have to mention I want time to pass quickly these first two weeks in June. My sister Electra is coming to stay a month and I am excited because June is our month and this will be the first time in a long time that we will be together with no schedule to rush us anywhere. I am so looking forward to her visit. She will arrive on the 14th of June any stay until July 21st. Someone asked won’t you get tired of having company that long. I said you don’t tire of family. Because if something is not quite right you can say so and correct it before feelings are hurt. There is nothing like a bond between sisters. I am truly blessed having a sister like Electra.

I want to add here that it still doesn’t matter what day or time it is I just know that I am older and really don’t have any one to worry about but me and sometimes that scares me a little. My DIL calls me every morning to make sure I am awake and more often than not I am. Sometimes I wish I could sleep later but my body just doesn’t let me. My daughters call often one of them at least every other day in the evening.

I have a picture of my two sisters that are living and they are seven and eight years older than I am. Out of six of us three of us are left. My oldest sister and her husband live close by my sister who is coming to visit this month and she called me the other day sounding down in the dumps. She told me she calls me because she knows I won’t let her stay that way because I won’t listen to her complaining. I keep telling her she has lots to be thankful for she and her husband are alive these many years together. They have two boys one living in the same town and the other a couple hours away. The one takes such good care of them and is always putting them first even though his mother gives him a hard time. I call him often to get the scoop on my sister. Her personality is hyper all the time and sometimes it causes problems because she can’t remember what she has said.

I miss not being able to cut my grass I will be happy when I can move about more freely. My hip is healed but balance is still beyond my reach. I can drive well enough and have the sense to stay off the streets at the busiest times. I hope the car wash will be open today when I am in town because my car is so dirty on the outside. That’s another thing my honey use to keep up by taking it through the car wash regularly. You know the more I talk about life in general the more I realize how many things we did together. I then realize I need to wake up and take charge of my day because if I don’t life will just pass me by and I will get nothing done.

I am trying to arrange some projects my sister and I can do together. I love to do puzzles and can pick one for us. It has to fit on a card table 30 x 30 otherwise I won’t be able to leave it up. Usually 1000 piece will fit. My granddaughter bought me one that I couldn’t keep because it was bigger than any place I had. Does anyone else like to do puzzles? I did take a picture or two of the ones I finished. Carl and I took a trip to Lake Powell and I purchased a puzzle and after I patiently struggled putting it together 2 pieces were missing. That can be frustrating when I wrote the makers of the puzzle they just sent me a new one. It’s been long enough in time so I can now attempt to start that one. It will bring back many fond memories of the trip and places we went.

It is 92 degrees today and there is a nice breeze. When I got back from going to the doctor to pick up a script for this cough and whatever is making noises in my chest the dogs were waiting under the porch just to come in where it is cool on my floor. They are both stretched out right by my feet in the passageway where I couldn’t make a move without them knowing about. I am always amazed at the size of the small dog’s bladder. When I move to get up or the next room I have to make a bathroom stop. I use to imagine the dogs had to go too. I put them outside and they sit near the door never getting off the porch just looking at the door and just waiting to come back in. Animals are amazing.

We always tried to have the family together for Thanksgiving whenever we lived close enough to the kids. Carl and I never insisted they spend Christmas with us because they have another side to consider. So it may it easier if they could spend Thanksgiving with us. The last one they spent with us was while we stilled lived in Indiana. I had them all together and we made a trip to the mall and had a picture taken. The photographer said He never took a group picture of 15 and said we willbe scrunched together and I said that is okay just as long as we are all in it. The only goof was I wanted a blue background and trying to get us all to fit the backdrop turned the dark falling down over the blue curtain.
But I can see all the faces and that is what was important. I enjoy looking at that picture often and remember what a good time we had. I never had another opportunity to have them all together again.

Later I will tell you of our 25th and 50th anniversaries but there was always someone missing. Until then I am Immigrant Daughter.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 40

Here is another new day and with each one I am thankful. I left you in the last publication talking about my second daughter and family. I will try to pick up more stories about their growth into a busy family. I didn’t get a chance to continue and here it is after Memorial Day and I will try to get this part of my story down so that I can post.

Oh my, it’s starting to rain and I have a metal roof on my porch that is attached to my Mobile home and I love to hear the sound of the rain. We have had our share of rain. I watched the Indy 500 race off and on until the end. I always am amazed when I see a race car crash and disintegrate before my eyes and then the driver gets out alive. I am still in awe. They are all good drivers that’s for sure.

Kim ‘s family, were debaters in the home school circuit and were good quite. There is only one left at home now and he just completed finals. I haven’t heard the results of the past weekend. The next few pictures show the their kids at different ages.

The twins graduated from high school last June and I had an opportunity to attend the Home School graduation. It’s interesting how the graduation was held and there were about 16 seniors in their group.

I must tell you my life really has changed since Carl died. I get remorseful at times and have to work hard at shrugging it off. We did so many things together that it’s very hard sometimes to be alone. I can’t imagine all the cases that Cindy has that have so much turmoil going on between spouses. There just isn’t enough respect and consideration for couples to make the marriage last. My son is an example of not honoring his marriage vows, as he should. We all have to make the choice between right and wrong for ourselves and I am sad to say his choice was not the right one.

Television and access to the Internet has really hurt the family togetherness. There aren’t any family rules and the parents fail in their responsibility in raising their children according to the ten commandants but I guess I just lived too long because my family was raised by Godly rules and still my son made the wrong choice and he turned 60 Memorial Day, I cried for him. As an adult he is a juvenile delinquent.

His son my first grandson is a joy to be around, just listening to him talk about nature and tracking the wild life. I am fascinated of all the things that the earth reveals that I never noticed before. This is a picture of him and my sister. He is building a wigwam in the woods that he could stay in to be protected from the elements. He is trying to learn all he can about living off the land. It’s not something his mother or I would rough it to sleep in unless we absolute had to. Our idea of camping out is a Holiday Inn that serves breakfast.

I am enjoying the warmer weather. They predict it will be in the 90s this next few days. The thing that bothers me the most is spiders and just now as I am typing at spider ran across the table behind the computer but I try to keep things that I need close so I just reached for my fly swatter hanging close by and got him before he got away. Is there anyone else who does not like spiders? I guess I will have to go buy that Ortho Defense spray that you put along the outside windows and base board inside to keep bugs out. There again is another thing I never had to worry about because my better half used to take care of that for me. I can see I was spoiled being loved and cared for.


I am trying to get back to oil painting again. I started to do another lighthouse on the waterline to nowhere in particular. I seems as though I forgot quite a bit about painting with oils. I gave all my paintings to my girls when I moved here to asmaller space and they took pictures of them for me and here is one I did many years ago.

I will keep you posted as to how I am doing, so until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter.