Sept 2, 1966
It had been a busy and bumpy week from August 26 to September 2. Every day had a new slant, a new uplift and/or a new let-down. I’ll cover the actual day of September 2 first and then go back and plug in a few events that happened in the interim. Even with having written several lines or paragraphs almost daily, it is hard to reconstruct this complicated epoch. In one more week, it seemed as if I might have died and been reborn. Very few events in the whole eight decades of my life were quite so abrupt and complete in bringing a change tome and my life.
Sept 2, 1966
Came and went it did. Just like any other day. I kept busy, of course. Rode Buzz, Lyno and Leo. Made soup for Alex and myself for lunch and then did the washing. I was exhausted when I finished. I did the home chores while Mom and Charlie Mike went out. I got cleaned up when I got finished. Mom drove me up. Now the infamous occasion is over. I ate steak and Jim, being a good Catholic, had fish on Friday. We had a rather pleasant chat and I got a ride in the four-on-the-floor green Merc. No money yet, but I am hopeful. And he has Cindy Walker, chapter one and my resume, which he is to return to me after awhile, with comments. As good as could be expected, probably. The future remains to be seen.
I mentioned last week Mom had started a job on August 15, in a new small factory in Cottonwood that made some kind of garments. This did not last too long and I am not sure why she was let go. About the 14th we had gone to the races in Prescott (Quarter Horse track there had races every weekend all summer.) A mare broke her right foreleg right in front of the stands. It was hard to watch; she was a four year old like ours… The track was muddy and she lit wrong, I think. It was right in front of us so we saw and heard the bone snap. A few days later I learned she had been put down and felt so sad. I’d hoped they could save her for a brood mare.
August 29 I got a telegram from Linda Tellington: if I could get to her place she’d hire me on a trial basis. Oh, that put me in a quandary!! I did consider trying to do it yet the developing goal of college, knowing a lot of people had worked very hard on that for me made an obligation I had to see through. I though of recommending Maureen and told her but do not think she went. That started a chain of eventful days.
Charlie Mike and I went out to the pasture twice that day and the folks went to Prescott.. The next day I heard from Mr McLarney (who I soon was calling Jim since we were much closer to equals now I was no longer a student! He was only eight years older than me.) I was invited to dinner on Friday to discuss the college matter. It also rained and washed my long lost Man ‘O War medal out of the litter in the back yard. I had lost it early in the spring, even before B&B 6 left town. With that, I felt as if I had my luck back. On Aug 31, I learned I had been accepted for admission to NAU and sent a check to reserve a room in the dorm. I was still concerned about funds but trusted something to come through if it was meant to be.
In case readers have forgotten, Jim McLarney had been my English teacher for two years at Mingus and we got along well then. He helped me with my Valedictorian speech and I guess I was slightly a teacher’s pet. I had hardly seen him since though and was a bit surprised he remembered me. “Cindy Walker” was my girl-and-horse novel I had been working on for several years by this time Suddenly it was September, a month that had often been significant for me the last few years. Would it be so this time? The next week could reveal the next chapter of the story...
Pictures are hard to come by. First, here is a car that is about the color (it was dark metallic green) and style of Jim M's that we later called "The Green Hornet". And a very imaginary 'fairy godmother" such as I wished for but doubted existed. Might I have one after all?
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