Sunday, April 25

April 25, Sunday - Took care of Greg today. He was fussy in the morning, but did fine afternoon. Mickey stayed for supper. Maxine was here, Mom Simpson came and stayed all night. Gladys was worse.

April 26, Monday - Went to see Gladys first thing. She's better. She had a case of nerves. Went with Marv to pick up stuff. He treats his mother shamefully. Bud was pooped this morning, but went to school anyway.

April 27, Tuesday - Took our laundry over to Mom's and helped her do her laundry, too. Stopped and got a hamburger and donuts for lunch.

Greg was the infant son of mom's coworker Mickey. Mickey was, as I remember her, entirely mom's opposite - a loose cannon, prone to cocktails and misadventure. She drove a British sports car - an MGB, I think, that mom described as riding like a "lumber wagon". The process of getting my mom in and out of an MG would have been something to see.

When my pal Vic went to Coast Guard Basic Training in 1970, I took care of and regularly exercised his Triumph Spitfire while he was gone. Horrible little car. I shoehorned mom into it for a road trip Leavenworth County, Kansas to see the family reserve one day. It was comical, at least for me. She never screamed once.

Maxine was our longtime family friend. My dad never said as much, but Maxine was our lesbian friend. Dad the Baptist showed remarkable restraint in not bringing that up.

My aunt Gladys had a case of nerves. I don't know what that means, nor did I know had dad mistreated his mother.

I was recovering from a weekend at the lake with Ron and his dad. Beer, water, boats, mosquitoes. I went to school because that's where Patty was.

Dad's supply runs could be anything - paper containers, plastic wrap, flavorings - almost anything. See the next post on April 28 for more on that.

Hamburger and donuts for lunch. That's my mom!

Thursday, April 22

Click to enlarge

April 22, Thursday - Went with Marv to buy paper, and then tried to get to St. Luke's hospital. Never did make it. Came home and went to bed. Had to take Bud to library. 90°

April 23, Friday - Got Bud all ready to go to Ozarks with Ron. Went fishing (sigh) with Marv and Sandy. Mom went to Topeka for convention. 90°

April 24, Saturday - Had quiet day.

Remember libraries?

Dad buying paper is shorthand for buying packaging supplies for the bait business. Usually at Wayne Paper and Cordage on Prospect Avenue.

This Lake of the Ozarks trip was a real adventure for me. Ron lived up the street from me, and we ran around a lot together. He was a couple of years older, and had a car, so he was my escape mechanism when I really needed one. He also had a half-sister, the doe-eyed Linda, who was, in my mind, the most beautiful girl I had even seen, so I turned up at Ron's every chance I had. So, anyway, off to the Ozarks. Ron's dad and step-mom had a cabin on a cove somewhere near Sunrise Beach, and they kept their boat there for shits, giggles, and water skiing.

Ron's dad drove trucks for a living, and was a decent man with a wry sense of humor. The trip to the lake was an adventure because Ron's dad always kept a beer between his legs all the way down. He was good for five or six beers for the duration of the trip. This was amazing for a kid like me from a family of absolute teetotalers. By the way, beer doesn't smell or taste like that any more.

The weather late in April in Kansas City is unsettled. We were having a heat wave - temps in the 90s, and the idea of hitting the lake seemed like a good idea. Friday night we got out the boat and headed to the marina for gas and beer, and looked forward to some serious water time on Saturday.

I've never been much of a swimmer, and Ron's dad didn't want to take any chances, so he got me a ski belt, and Ron and I headed for the dock on the opposite side of the cove. We jumped in, and as I plummeted into the thirty-foot deep water, I realized that it was still April, and the water was probably forty-five degrees. About halfway down, I gasped, and filled my lungs halfway with green Ozark lake water. When the ski belt's bouyancy kicked in, I bobbed back to the surface. I was quite sure I was drowning, and flailed like a carp on a stringer, until Ron's dad reached down and pulled me out. The rest of the weekend was spent on dry land, or lounging in the stern seat of the boat. I know when I'm out of my element.

Grandma went to a convention, it was probably for The Navy Mothers

Mom got rid of everyone and had some time to chill.