Memoir Monday, March 25, 1966

 A short calm before the next round of storm which was a many-day tornado or hurricane throughout  April. That was a month I struggled to get through. My 23rd birthday passed with little notice; by the month's end, I think exhaustion just brought it all down to a slow almost-stop. From then on it was better and worse in fits and starts.  Four more months to complete my "sentence"...

March 25, 1966 Friday

A week passed already. This was a cool, damp and sweet smelling morning and it was a pleasure to go out. Mom and I drove out early so The Boss could get a good start to Prescott. But he didn’t leave til 12:30. Ha--shows you how worthwhile it is to hurry. It looked like rain all day and did shower a time or two so I didn’t ride. Chief was quite lame on his right foreleg --it’s not clear what is the matter with it. Hope it is not serious. I rode up with the Boss when he left and got the mail. I got all sorts of plunder but nothing too valuable. You have to sign up for four years with the Air Force. That is too long.  And they are real tough on testing etc. I spent the afternoon sorting my sewing  stuff and got it consolidated quite nicely. That helps. I’ve planned a skirt and blouse with the butterfly material now. The blouse will be beige with trim of the other. We got all our chores done okay. After supper I wrote to Tee and Shirl just to get it out of the way. I really don’t enjoy writing letters anymore. If they didn’t beg me, I’d drop all my pen pals except Judy and Linda. I may yet just sort of gradually like.  Kathy, Laura and Shirl wouldn’t miss me much. Mary never writes and I guess I could find time for Tee. That only leaves Carol, Maureen and Evelyn who are very “sometimes.” And Dusty, of course.

It was almost a novelty to have a quiet and 'routine' day anymore. I appreciated them when one came along. Having "the Boss" away helped!  I still had a lot of the fabric Aunt Roxie had bought for me and I kept changing ideas of what I'd make. My shirts for Dusty and me were done and I had made some pieces of an outfit in the blue print, a peasant style blouse and full gathered skirt as I remember. 

I had been thinking about joining the military and had sent away for info on all the services then open to women. I guess mainly Army, Air Force and Navy. The Air Force seemed the nicest or most interesting but minimum enlistment was four years and I was not ready to commit to that long. Not sure why I thought three years was doable but four was not. I was sending off for info from a number of colleges and universities and a few other things as well. That took stamps but I think I still had a little cash left over from my California trip. My desire and determination to manage some way to get out of the Verde Valley and the immediate family mess was gaining strength as overall conditions continued to deteriorate.

I'd now been doing pen pals since late 1959 so a good six years. Many had come and gone. I slowly got rid of all the guys including some that had made 'handsome hero' ranks or a more recent version of that status, but a few girls still wrote, at least sporadically. Kathy lived in the northern midwest and had recently gotten married. Laura was in the Appalachians somewhere--West Virginia?  Tee was in Louisiana and her family had Quarter Horses, Shirl was in Colorado and had come down with her folks to visit once. She also had a horse. I hardly recollect Mary. Carol was Mrs Ordiway--she who wasn't upset I'd had a crush on her then hubby. Maureen and Evelyn were school friends. Actually I kept in touch with Judy until summer 1971, with Linda to the present and at least Christmas cards with Shirl to the last year or two. Her health was failing as was Linda's in recent years.  We are all old!

So March 'marched' out of the picture and April knocked at the door. It was maybe not quite my absolute worst month ever but came close. Once it had passed, there were only four more but I did not know that yet.  What a strange trip it had been and still continued to be...

Photos? Darn, what can I drag up now?  A hodgepodge! Okay a sample of the blue fabric I mentioned, scraps used in a quilt square. Then three shots, the color in September 2021 and the b&w in about 1960 along the same general area in the Verde River bottom south of Clarkdale. It has sure changed! Last another quilt square. Why did I call this "butterfly fabric" ?  Well there are some in the print but it is an almost oriental looking design. Eventually it did make a special dress which may show up later. I wish I had kept it.