Memoir Monday, Oct 21, 1966

 Approaching another weekend to spend in Flagstaff. After the last one in Clarkdale, it was a welcome relief. to stay!  I was glad I'd had some distractions after I got back from that one. First, the entry for the day. 

Oct 21, 1966  Friday

 TGIF. Got up a bit reluctantly and trotted off obediently to accounting 157. When I got back I sketched fashion ideas for awhile . I barely made it to class in time after hemming up my green jumper. Thought I’d go uptown but didn’t. After lunch it was off to History and then freedom at last. I changed and went to town to cash a check. I bought some tape and green eye shadow and then stopped at the Goodwill Store. I got a little Kodak camera for Charlie Mike--like mine--and sorted through the dresses for myself. Finally picked out two nice ones, a pretty striped one for 60 cents and one neat black corduroy for 80. I thought they were pretty sharp bargains. There are two more totaling 70 cents that I wanted too.  Maybe later. Got back about 4:00 and fixed our door decoration panel. Had dinner and then came back to study like a good girl. I worked on the big accounting assignment for over two hours and got it all right except the final trial balance. Carol went out so I visited up and down the hall with the other girls who were decorating for Parent's Weekend and hemmed up the new black dress and pressed them both. By then it was a late bedtime. 

Now time to go back and fill in the week a bit. The weekend of Oct 15 and 16 was memorable but not in a pleasant way. Charlie Mike and I rode Saturday morning. Buzzie did not look good so I rode Chief and he rode Lyno. Later we went to look for Prez and Peachy--belatedly --since we were told they were back in the dairy. We found Prez, just outside the old pasture corral. He had a bullet hole in his side and had come back looking for help. We put him inside and went to look for the law. Sam Slaughter came and saw him but there was no proof... as to who had done it.  We went back twice later but there was nothing we could do for him now. We bade him farewell about 11:30. Then next day we went out and did a messy autopsy. There were two wounds, small caliber like a .22 long rifle. One had torn his intestines and the other had clipped an artery in the chest. I was kind if numb but also deeply pained. We had failed him and it should never have gone that way. I wanted to scream "mule murderer" at my father  but did not. Yet he had neglected trying to find them. This cut a final strand in me; Prez had been a good mule and I had ridden him many hours. It was an ugly way to die. We never did find Peachy but assumed she had died somewhere and was never found. I didn't care greatly about her as I had not worked with her much, but it was still wrong.

Back to Flag on Monday feeling a bit broken, I stumbled through a couple of days. Made my classes and studied haphazardly. By Wednesday I had basically found my footing again and Thursday I rearranged our room. Moving furniture around was another outlet for my excess energy off and on for a long time. Carol did not mind although it was a bit strange. She was always such a sweet, docile person, really.  I sure lucked out. I actually wore capris to a class--Science--that afternoon. Before long I was wearing dressy pants a lot. I had some nice riders in several colors with the wide flare legs in style then and plenty of tops to go with them..Glad they did not have a dress code! That evening I went to see "The Music Man" with some of the other girls. It was put on by the Music and Drama Departments and was cute if a bit amateurish. And then it was Friday again. I 'd planned to stay up that weekend. and did although it was a bit of a zoo with people coming and going. 

Pictures. All I can do this time is commemorate and remember Prez. He was a good mule, really a noble beast and served me well. Sadly I only have one photo of me with him and none of riding him. Not sure how or why that happened. Anyway, here in the spring of 1962, one that was almost part of my "modern style senior photo spread." Odd to be holding the big guy in my school clothes. He really was a big animal--see the size of his head! Then I do have photos of him with Charlie Mike and also with Dusty aboard. We all loved him. He was not over-friendly but enjoyed a good scratch and a treat now and then, like a carrot, apple or just a clean flake of alfalfa. Green pastures, old boy, until we meet again. I hope you knew you were loved.