Yesterday we celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary. In honor of that occasion, a few stories from the past came to mind that I probably should share. Here is the first one.
It was late July 1971. I would graduate with my B.S. in Education in a couple of weeks. I had landed my first teaching job and would start teaching August 28. Roger had been farming the home farm for several years and had a part time job at a local factory. Our wedding would take place on August 14. Things looked good except for one minor detail… we did not have a place to live.
I’m pretty sure Roger thought we would move in with his parents at the farm. They had purchased a house in town and we were to move into the farmhouse after we married. But his parents did not get possession of their new home until October 1.
In fact, my mother-in-law-to-be said to me, “You could move in with us. It will just be for six weeks. But I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” Her words were not as ominous as the look she gave me after speaking them.
She and I immediately went searching for an apartment. Something close by, that would give us a short term lease. Luckily, we found an upstairs apartment on W. Franklin Street which was available and the landlords were willing to let us sign a lease until October 1. It had a kitchen, bath, living room and bedroom. Perfect for a short term arrangement. We didn’t have any furniture yet anyway.
A week before the wedding we went shopping at Rexins Furniture and Appliance store, bought a Harvest Gold side-by-side refrigerator and matching stove, and a lime green recliner. (What was I thinking!! Roger was color blind so he had no clue.) Roger’s oldest brother and his wife sold us their hand-me-down couch and chair for twenty bucks. I had refinished an old bed and dresser which my parents started out with in 1945. An old wooden table and two chairs were hauled out of Roger’s parents basement to use in the kitchen and we were set. Oh, of course we had a TV set. The old Admiral TV I had hauled back and forth to college with me for a couple of years. It was bulky and big and black-and-white and it took up the entire front seat of the 1963 Chevy Bel Air my parents had given me.
Somehow things fell into place. We got married on a hot, August day, took a two day honeymoon, and moved into the apartment. I graduated with my degree, and the first day of school found me ready to teach. I honestly don’t know how we pulled it off. But we did.
I should have been a little more aware of how things happened during that crazy summer.
source: unknown
“The Last Minute” became a recurring theme throughout my life. Wait until I tell you about moving out of the apartment and into the farmhouse….
