I'm 84 years young and have plenty to say. Pay attention.
My best valentine was given to me by my husband, Von, in 1991 after 48 years of marriage. Today I found it and was reminiscing. I also found all of his love letters written in 1943. We met Dec. 1942 and were married on September 4,1943. We had 57 wonderful years together before he passed away in 2000.
Von was a large man physically—6 ft. 3inches tall and 220 lbs.But he was a real “teddy bear.” He wasn’t afraid to show his emotions by crying and he was so tender-hearted he wouldn’t go deer hunting. But—he was all man! He wasn’t afraid to show his affection for me or my kids(even in public). He never fired but one person who worked for him and he agonized over that.
I have just finished reading his love letters and he avowed his love for me in each one. But here is my favorite 1991 valentine.It was written on Valentine Day and he read it before about 40 people at a Valentine party.
My Valentine
Proverbsl 18: 22 says:”He that findeth a good wife findeth a good thing.” When I see something I really want I try to get it.The first time I saw you I said,’that’s for me.’ I proposed on our first date. I think I proposed on every other date but you would never say yes.I finally bought a ring and put it on your finger and told you we were going to get married. I must have really been in love because I sold my 28 Chevy to buy that ring.
One week before we married I quit my job.I was always real smart and you had to loan me 30 dollars to get married. I never paid you back but I have tried to keep the interest paid.
When you were asked if you would marry me again you said, yes, but you wanted to change the part of the wedding vows concerning POORER!
You have been a good mother to our children and a wonderful companion to me. I just want you to know I do not regret the decision I made over 48 years go—to chase you til you caught me!
You were my valentine then, and you are my valentine now.
Precious Memories—how they linger!
Maybe! I thought I had learned my lesson when I pieced together the love letter of my sister, Fae’s, boyfriend. But that little imp kept creeping up.
We had a neighbor who lived 1/4 mile from us and we did not like her because we thought she killed our cat,”Pretty Sang.” So Norma and I vowed to get even.
Fae, our beauty queen, held a mirror too close to our Alladin lamp and it broke. Norma and I quickly confiscated a couple of pieces. Mrs. Duncan sat on her front porch in the summer to do her sewing. We took those pieces of mirror and held them to the sun and flashed them in her eyes. It took her a while to know what was going on. She gave us a good tongue-lashing but it didn’t phase us.
So that little imp kept creeping up again. My sister, Lois, was scared of everything, and as a result she got lots of teasing.She would scream at a cotton worm. My dad raised cotton and corn and sometimes potatoes to eat and to sell. He came along with the plow and dug the potatoes and we picked them up and put them in bushel baskets. One day as he was plowing a tiny little field mouse ran out from under the plant and I saw my opportunity. I was going to catch him and put him on Lois. So I grabbed him and he bit my thumb and it hurt so bad I turned him loose. My thumb started swelling and Mama took me to the house and soaked it in warm turpentine water. She said,”Will your ever learn to quit playing pranks?” I told her I had but I am sure that after 65 years I will still think of something else the little imp wanted me to do. Will I ever learn? Once a prankster, always a prankster!
My husband, Von, always loved cars. When we were dating he had a 1926 Chev. that he named Geneva. It was a boxy car but very nice. He sold it to buy my wedding rings. He loved me more than the car.
Our next car was a 1938 Ford that he bought from his brother. It was so dilapidated but we drove it from Amarillo to Houston. He was taking a job as an announcer for KTHT.
Our first apartment in Houston we shared a bath with another couple and I did not like that, so we took a small garage apartment in the Heights. It was so small I was constantly afraid Von would fall down the stairs if he sat on the sofa.
I was in the kitchen in the apt. one afternoon when I heard a honk and I looked down and there he was in a 1939 La Salle convertible—with no fenders! I nearly had a heart attack. But not to worry! He found fenders at a junk yard, had them mounted and had it painted a bright yellow! Everywhere we went people waved at us and I was embarrassed. People just didn’t buy bright colored cars then. If we had that car now it would be worth a fortune.
The last 18 years of his life we had antique and classic car auctions in several states. It was a good business but we retired in 1991.
Von loved cars all his life and decided since he was so tall that he would buy only Cadillacs to drive. I inherited his love for Cadillacs and I am driving a 1991—the last of the big ones. I am sure if there are cars in Heaven Von is driving a 2008 Cadillac.
This lizard has good taste. He obviously likes cut glass, so he must be kin to us.
It had been 38 years since I had moved and I had no idea what would transpire. The kids convinced me we all needed to move in together and now was the time.
Two huge trucks pulled up in our driveways and started loading at 9 AM in the morning. They finished at 6:30. Then they told us the news: We can’t really get everything in today so we will have to come back tomorrow. They did unload 2 beds and a sofa at the new house. The next morning they started to unload and it was like a grade B movie. We were trying to tell them where to put things. We ended up with a 3 car gargage full of boxes. We cannot park our cars in there as of now.
That night I could not find any of my undies as I had marked everything! We called our friend Sonya and she came out and we still could not find them. Fortunately, I had packed a few things in my little suitcase. But the next day I was at WalMart bright and early to get unmentionables. That was a week ago and I just found them last night. Whew! I could envision finding them in 5 years out in the garage and that I had lost weight and could no longer wear them. Well. Jockey’s do last a long time!
The first thing that greeted me in the new house was a little Billy Martin lizard. Thank the Lord I am not afraid of them and will probably be okay with the co-habitation ! I don’t think they will get in bed with you.
Today we are still unpacking and will likely be doing that for a long, long, time. We have met 2 neighbors and they seem really nice.
Thank God for our friends at church who have helped us move. People who need people are the luckiest people in the world!
Our Mama and Daddy taught us to be good. We went to church every Sunday. In fact, our Presbyterian pastor told us we were only allowed to miss if we were sick or out of town. It was during the depression and we certainly did not go out of town often.
We were good girls but you know how the youth love to experiment. This was an experiment gone awry. At the time we had moved to another farming community and the schools weren’t as good as our hometown one—so my Dad felt sorry for us and decided we would go back to our old school.
There were two spinsters( Miss Haattie and Miss Bertha) who had a large old two-story house they made into a boarding house with rooms or small apartments. He rented us a large room w/ 2 double beds, a couple of chairs, a table and a hot plate. We thought we were really cool. Our own place away from Mom and Dad—just the four of us.
My older sisters, Lois and Fae, had read in a magazine how to make wine. So they got a jug and filled it with grape juice, water, sugar, and I don’t know what else. They set it in the corner of the room out of sight—to “age”. After a couple of weeks it had not aged.
One afternoon a knock on the door and our Presbyterian Pastor, Bro. Joe Everhart said:”Girls, I have come to check on you.” You should have seen all the scrambling. They pushed that jug under the bed post haste. Fortunately those old iron bedsteads were tall and the bedspreads touched the floor. They were saved! No wine in sight. God must having been smiling!
A couple of weeks later they thought the wine was ready. The took a sip and nearly threw up. It was bitter and vinegary. All that trouble for nothing.
There’s a lesson in here somewhere—oh yes,”Be sure your sins will find you out.” We were still good girls—although older and wiser.
