Reflections in My Mirror–Sunday..Worship..Singing..Eating

We agreed to attend Basil’s home church since it was close to where we lived.  The Ivydale Baptist Church has been known for years for having wonderful singers and an excellent choir.  It has always been said, “If you are a Hudson…you can sing”.  Even the small children knew how to sing on key and harmonize in a group.  The singing was a ministry in itself and still is 57 years later.

Mr. Basil is from a family of nine kids and most of them lived near the church at that time.  Mawmaw Hudson would always have dinner after church and sometimes there were 30 people for Sunday Dinner.  I can still smell the rump roast with dark brown gravy, green beans, mashed potatoes, big garden salad and rolls.  The men usually ate at the dining room table and the kids in the kitchen.  The women all ate together after the men finished. (Boy has this changed).  There was always enough to go around!

Mawmaw was famous for using every dish and pan in the kitchen and all us girls had to wash the dishes.  She didn’t have an electric dishwasher, but several people with two arms and hands.  Washing the dishes would take over an hour, but it was a fun time of laughing and talking about our week.

The meal is over and the dishes are washed.  It is time to sit on the porch and just socialize.  The men are talking about their cars, ballgames and their jobs.  The women are talking about the kids, a recipe or a old memory. 

All the bigger kids are in the yard playing softball and the little ones are playing tag.  Sooner or later one of them run’s in crying with a scraped knee.  Mawmaw gives the knee a big kiss and it is all better.

These were such fun filled and memorable Sunday’s.  I would love to experience one more day at mawmaw and pawpaw’s house on Sunday. 

Reflections in My Mirror–Beginning the Journey

The journey of a lifetime now begins!  Toot the horns and do the drum roll.  We were two people doing impromptu as we took on the new roles and wife and husband.  Are we supposed to now be grown up and not act 18 and 20?  There is still that teen spirit and one that says “settle down”.  Can we have both?

It is hard to believe that we are now married and have our own life to develop and many roads to travel.  I am ready to explore and see what is around the corner.  Basil is more of a here and now person and feels faith takes care of everything.  Together we will need to blend these outlooks of life.

You just never forget your first apartment and will think of it for years to come.  You would have loved the laundry room.  It was complete with a wonderful Magtag agitator…wringer washer.  It was electric.  You would separate your dirty clothes into a white pile, dark color pile and towels.  Simple.  You just put them in the washer turned it on and let the washer agitate for ten minutes.  The you lifted them out of the water and ran each piece of clothing through the wringer and dropped them in the basket.  The dryer was out on the back porch.  He He Ha.  The dryer was not electric, but was a clothesline that had been strung between the porch post and a tree. 

Next week I am going to the laundermat!  No kidding.

Reflections in My Mirror–Honeymoon in Dunbar

Well, all of my blog fans want the rest of this story.  They have been knocking on the door and sending email requesting to hear more.  I left you hanging on the cliff,  didn’t I.

We jumped in that old Ford and headed out for our lifetime journey.  If you had friends, they pulled silly tricks on the newly weds and we had lots of friends.  The first trick was pulled when we tried to cross the Coal River bridge.  One friend got there before we arrived and blocked the end with his car and of course another got behind us and blocked us back off.  This little game was played until Mr. McClure, who didn’t know us, started honking his horn and yelling move those cars.

We finally arrive at our beautiful little apartment in Dunbar, WV.  We were so excited and totally ready to do what newly wed do (got the drift).  We go in the front door and here is “our home” and our place to taste freedom, adventure and who knows what. 

I bought a beautiful white gown at the Diamond Dept. Store for my wedding night.  I went to the drawer and got out my gown and someone had sewn up the neck and arms of the gown.  Oh, well, I didn’t need it anyway.

Eventually, we pull down the bedspread and start to get in the bed, but something seems wrong.  Someone had “double-sheeted” the bed.  They had pulled the bottom portion of the top sheet up half way and tucked it in.  There was no way you feet would go to the bottom of the bed.  Who had been in my house??  And………they had sprinkled rice in the bed too.

Things are progressing and we hear something rattling and the bed feels unstable.  After the other bed problem…we better check this out.  The eager groom will take charge of this task.  We look under the bed and some of the slats were gone and there was a string of metal items strung up.  There were measuring spoons, metal cups and silverware.  So, that is what we heard rattling!  Someone was trying to be funny, but we could not figure out how anyone got in the apartment.

The groom has to go to the bathroom and the tp is missing.  This is bad, but we make do.

We find the slats and put them back in the bed and it is around 3pm and we are now sleeping sound.  It has been a long day and we were tired.  All at once, we hear an alarm go off in the apartment.  We jump up startled and think the Monsanto plant must be evacuating the town.  We keep listening and it is in our kitchen.  It is not the stove, but it keeping going off.  We listen and it is under the cabinet.  Guess what…..someone had put a big alarm clock in a kettle and set it to go off at 3am.  Someone, somewhere must be up at 3am laughing right now.

I had to report to work at the State House on Monday and I sort of dreaded it.  I go in and all my friends are grinning.  Mary was really grinning and almost laughing.  I told them what happened at the apartment and Mary burst out laughing and admitted to getting the key from the landlord (they were friends) and rigging the apartment.  She gave me something to laugh about 47 years later.  It is nice to have friends that love you enough to care.

 

Life in the Coal Camp-”Found My Friend

If you have been reading my blog, you know I spent the first 8 years of my life in a coal camp at Mammoth, WV.  Review my blog and you will see I had a next door neighbor by the name of Lynn Hudnall.  For the past 60 years I have wondered if Lynn was still alive, where did he live and was it in WV. 

 My daughter made a sales contact to a business concerning their yellow pages.   After she got off the phone she came in my office and was telling me about her conversation with a man by the name of Lynn Hudnall.  I said, “Lynn Hudnall”.  I immediately wondered if this could be the person I had wondered about for 60 years. I asked Teresa to email him and ask if he used to live in Mammoth, WV.  Sure enough, this was Lynn and I just couldn’t believe it.

Lynn’s mom gave me a little oil lamp that is just about 3 inchs high.  She told me to remember her with this little lamp.  I have kept that little lamp in a “special place” for over 60 years and hope to show it to Lynn.

I have not met him face to face yet, but hope to meet he and his wife soon.  I am sure we will have some good memories to discuss.

Reflection in My Mirror-I Am Smothering……….

In this road of life we have super highways, detours, off roads and many bumps.  It would be nice to be on a super highway from the beginning to the end, but friend that just doesn’t happen.  I have learned so much about my life journey during the detours and off roads.  These routes were not on my AAA life journey map, but I had to go through them to get to May 25, 2008.  Many times I complained and said I just wished I hadn’t taken this route, but destiny leads the train.

Within the last few weeks I have been on a journey that is not really exciting.  I seem to be driving on my life journey and going in circles.  I am planning a succession plan for the business, heading toward semi or complete retirement and I have never traveled this route before.  I don’t see any familiar landmarks along the way and this bothers me.  Many things are uncertain and will effect my future.

There are days when I really don’t want any responsibility for anything.  I would just like to sleep until my body wants to get up, drink coffee on my deck, have all the grand-kids over for a sleep out, go to every yard sale in the area and work on my paintings.  Will I be able to do these things soon?  Will retirement be a good dream or a nightmare?

I have been busy talking to God and praying for comfort and wisdom as I move through some big bumps in the road of life.  I want to find an inner peace and wisdom that only He can give me.  God has never failed to give me direction in the past and I just need to remember His faithfullness.

Perhaps you are reading this blog right now and have experienced some situations of “bumps” in the road of life.  Please feel free to leave your comments.

 

Reflections in My Mirror-I Hear Wedding Bells

We were so in love and crazy with adventure for the unknown.  I was 18 and he was 20 (such kids) and we wanted to spend the rest of our life together.  As the old saying goes, “We didn’t have a pot to pee in”, but that didn’t seem to matter.  We had faith, adventure and love!

We found an apartment in Dunbar and needed to get that ready before we got married.  This was truly a beautiful apartment with hardwood floors, cute kitchen nook, huge living room and the rent was $60.00 a month.  My uncle Bill co-signed for our furniture at Kyle Furniture and we selected about $3,000.00 in furniture for the entire apartment. That was a bedroom suite, stove, refrigerator, table and chairs and livingroom furniture.  LIke I said……..we had faith.

We set the date of the wedding to April 21, 1961.  I had to pay for my own gown, flowers and gifts for attendants.  No one offered to do a reception……so I had no reception and no wedding cake. 

Pastor Jack would conduct the wedding ceremony, Karen was my maid of honor and Gary was best man.  I can still remember standing at the back of the church and getting ready to enter.  I could see Mr. B standing up front and our eyes met for the first time that day.  It was magic and I knew we loved each other.   The ceremony began and the vows began.  I was to repeat after the minister and I did okay until we go to …and obey….he had to repeat that line twice before I said it.

The ceremony was over, the boquet was tossed and we jumped in our FORD.  Basil started the engine, put it in gear and it wouldn’t go anywhere.  He said, Oh, no…something must be wrong with the transmission.  Little did we know…..someone had slipped a jack under the car and propped it up.  It ended up being so funny.

We did go on a honeymoon, but we headed to Dunbar and our new cute little apartment.

To be continued:  There is a big surprise in the apartment……….really.

Reflections in My Mirror-First Political Job

I was just finishing up business college and wondering what direction my career would go.  Women didn’t have fairness in the job market in the 60’s.  Both could do the same work and the man would make substantially more money. 

My aunt, Lena was the Director of The Safety Responsibility Division of State Govt and she had an opening in her department.  I just had to not say she was my aunt and come in for the interview.  Well, needless to say, I did get the job and I loved it.  This department revoked drivers license for drunken driving and accidents.  I had to type the orders for revoking the license and copies of the orders were sent to the police department to advise of the the person losing their license.

Remember, this is in the sixty’s.  There was only one electric typewriter in an office of 24 women and one man. Yes, he made more money.  I had a manual typewriter and I had to type the order and make six copies.  One mistakes and you had to erase the original and six copies.  There was no spell check or saving a document for future use.  Bang, bang, click, space and erase. Old files were copied to microfilm and there were offices full of file cabinets of hard copies of documents. 

I will never forget someone coming through the office and asking us to contribute to “The Flower Fund”.  I thought this must be a fund to buy flowers with employees were sick or in the hospital.  Wrong!  This was a secretive way the politicans forced employees to contribute to various political campaigns. 

If you made a certain salary someone would come to the office and let you know you were expected to buy a ticket to the Lincoln Day Dinner.  These tickets were $25.00 each and that was huge in the 60’s.  Well I was told I had to buy a ticket and it just didn’t set to well and I refused.  I was a rebel even then. 

Well, I wanted an electric typewriter.  I found out early you have to ask to receive.  I finally got the typewriter and my job was so much easier.  About 20 other people were jealous.

All jobs at that time were very political.  I got this job under the Republican administration.  An election year just happened and the Democrates took over the administration of state jobs.  I had been ask to train Mary for a job and little did I know that she would be taking my Republican job.

Well, Basil’s dad was a strong Democrate and he immediately made a few contacts and three weeks later I got my job back.  It was all so crazy to see well trained people have to leave a job simply because the politics had changed.  A few years later the Civil Services jobs came about and protected this type of situation.

I could see at an early age that I loved management, thinking of better ways to do things and being my own boss.  The latter was not always good.

 

Reflections in My Mirror-Then and Now

I am looking back.  I am looking forward and all around.  Looking, thinking and wondering.  I wonder if I knew then what I know now…..how would my life be different?  I can see in 2008 that many choices made in the past 40 to 50 years have made an impact on my life in 2008.  Choices that made my life wonderful and are still giving me joy.  Some choices have given me heartache and pain.

I don’t regret making the decision to accept Christ as My Savior at age 16.  That decision I would not change.  I have had a battery pack inside me that has never failed, ….but does need to be recharged once in a while.  I am happy with this decision.

I am finding that our lifestyle decisions for 40 years makes an impact that you don’t really see coming around the bend.  My MRI this morning reveals extensive arthritis in my right back knee and a shot of cortisone is supposed to help.  Decision not made to exercise and diet during a lifetime make essential parts play out.  If I knew then what I know now would I have made better choices?

How many people would I have avoided in my lifetime….if I knew then what I know now?  How many times would I not have been hurt with deceit and evil….if I knew then what I know now?  Looking back and looking forward makes us think and ask ourselves questions. 

I didn’t know then what I know now.  I had the opportunity in my lifetime to go through very trying times and come out of it really knowing life is not always fair, but joy comes to those who wait.  If I knew then what I know now….would I have used my faith as much?

If I knew then what I know now…would I have made immediate choice to avoid disaster down the road?  Or, would I have procrastinated and wait a year, or five years or 50 years to make a better choice?

I suppose we could beat ourselves to death with the “what if’s”, but life is what it is and I have to “get my big girl panties on and deal with it”.  I am really glad I didn’t know then what I know now.

Reflections in My Mirror-Getting the Rock

Mr. B’s dad worked at Carbide and the company always had a huge Christmas party for the employees at the Charleston Auditorium and I was invited to go along.  Boy, have things changed.  Companies don’t even give you a bag of oranges now.  Anyway…..we went to the event and had a wonderful time. 

During intermission Mr. B suggested we go to Bass Jewelers and look at some engagement rings.  Oh, how exciting.  We really didn’t tell anyone where we were going and just let them wonder.  The jeweler began showing us rings and some were really….really expensive.  We finally settled on a single gold band with a solitaire diamond.  The ring had to be downsized and would be ready in a few days.

The two smiling kids headed back to the Christmas party after making their exciting selection.  I am sure everyone wondered where we went and our faces must have been really showing our excitement.  I think I remember telling Mr. B’s little sister that we looked at some rings.  She said, Oh, boy am I ever glad.

My ring was ready and Mr. B presented it to me on Christmas Day 1959.  In love.  Unsure. New direction.  Life is changing.  What will happen next?

Reflections in My Mirror-It is Time to Face the Future

School was a wonderful whirlwind, but the Senior year was coming to an end soon.  I loved everything about school and all my wonderful friends (many are still friends).  I had done well with my grades and was offered a full teaching scholarship to Marshall University.  I was also awarded the Leadership and Achievement award at graduation.

I really wanted to take advantage of the teaching scholarship and needed some support from my parents. You have to remember this was an era when most women didn’t go to college, but were expected to marry and have children.  Many of my friends were heading to Capital City Commerical College, some to jobs and a few to college.  I got zero support from my family  to go to Marshall and I had to turn down the scholarship and I regret it to this day.  However, I did enroll at Capital City Commercial College and completed my studies there.

We lived about 25 miles from Charleston, WV and I didn’t have a car.  My girlfriend, Carolyn and I got a ride with Mr. Prunty into Charleston each day.  We both got jobs at Silver Brand Clothes and worked there a few days a week and went to school three days a week.  My first job was typing addresses on a little silver stamping plate that was used to send out mailings to customers.  It was loud and I hated it, but I was expected to have a job.

We would usually stop off at the Imperial Diner for a sandwich and Coke between school and work.  This was truly a Charleston landmark and they had the best cream pie in the area.

I went to commercial college and passed the courses with flying colors, but I just couldn’t think I would be a secretary the rest of my life.  Not that there is anything wrong with being a secretary, but something just didn’t click for me.  I could see myself in more of a leadership role or planner.  I thought….what have I gotten my self into…………

My special someone, Basil was always waiting for me after class or after work.  This gave us an opportunity to see each other more and I had a way to get home from school.  In looking back, I am sure this must have been an expensive date to drive me home each week.  We were young, adventuresome, and we did care if it snowed oats.  We were in love.