Monday Memoir, July 10, 1965

By this point apparently the summer rains had begun. It sounds like showers rather than downpours this day and since Charlie Mike and I had to ride twice I am sure we were glad of that!

July 10, 1965 Sat

 Got up at 6:00 and spent quite a busy day. Did the home chores and decided who would go--Mom and Alex. So they drove me out and I did the chores and then rode Ginger home. Tied her up and rested until noon. Rode out again and turned Ginger loose. Just barely beat the rain. It was then 2:00 so I made cookies, did the dishes and fixed us a tuna salad for lunch. The afternoon passed quickly. We rode out about 5:00 after watering and did the chores, beating the rain again. The folks still weren’t back so we did the home chores and then cleaned ourselves up some. They finally arrived about 8:00. Ruth is surely a chatterbox. I can sort of imagine five Morgans all at once. No news on the outfit moving etc. but a motorcar came in today. No local though. Maybe I’ll hear from Dusty on Monday. Sometimes I really feel like this is unreal and all awry but then I look again and it is back in shape. I don’t think I am wrong. It’s 11:00 now and I am dead weary. No nap today and 6:00 to 11:00--17 hours, too long and too much. It has really been rough lately and I feel drawn down to a thin catgut thread, like a violin string, ready to break. But I won’t.

Who would go referred to a trip to Flagstaff. I suppose it was partly business but Aunt Ruth Morgan was taking a class or seminar at NAU--still ASC then--and wanted to come down and visit over the weekend.  Given the work went on, I suppose it  made sense for both of us 'kids' to stay home. At any rate we did. For the most part chores went easy that way as I was ostensibly in charge and by now Charlie Mike and I got along with few spats and cooperated on the work. Why they were so late getting back I cannot recall. We were waiting with everything done when they came.

Aunt Ruth was the sister immediately older than Dad by about three years. At times I have described her as a 'fashionista' who had dozens of pairs of shoes and loved good clothes, taught art and drama at the high school level and was a bit artsy and a drama queen herself! She was fun and exciting but not a restful person and very voluble.  I do not recall but she probably slept with me in the double bed in my room. And it was probably a short night as I am sure we talked late. The next day was mostly visiting and Dad drove her back to Flagstaff in the evening. She invited me to come for a visit before school started in Sacramento; I was enthused about a possible train ride but of course was not allowed to do it.

I had still not heard from Dusty and was ever more on pins and needles as to when  or even if B&B 6 would return to Clarkdale that summer. My nerves were getting pretty frayed and stretched tight as I tried to be outwardly calm while I was in a constant fever of anxiety. Work and the overall family situation were not going all that well which certainly did not help. 

I am sure Dad was trying to convince his I think favorite sister that we were on the brink of wonderful success and just needed the four siblings to give us a bit more support and assistance.  I was not really on board with that but what could I do?  Enmeshed family was a Morgan trait for sure; the other four siblings all lived near each other, now in Sacramento, CA for some time, and hardly did anything significant without mutual consultation. Of course our branch was by now a virtual fortress of Us vs The World and merely expanded to encompass a not-quite-real-outsider at times when it seemed advantageous. Yes, my sarcasm is intentional!!

Other than Ginger, who was now in her second week of training I don't mention any of the animals. I think we had Prez home and probably rode Buzzie at least some that day. Photos are thus mostly not pertinent. I will drop one or two in just to add eye candy! The first is not new but around this general time. We got a huge batch of hay, mostly grass, delivered and stacked in the yard. I made the dress and Mom snapped a photo for me. Next is Aunt Ruth about 1948. She was teaching in Covina, CA at that time when we went over for a visit during the polio epidemic in Jerome. She would have been about 40. Last was a few years earlier in Kansas City, about when Mom and Dad got married in 1942. This is just to prove my "fashionista" label!