And life gets busy.

As I said a couple of weeks ago, we got married September 1, 1962 after a  six month "courtship". Needless to say, there were adjustments to make for both of us. We have had our ups and downs, don’t all married couples, but we have managed to survive. Our first daughter was born in August of 1963, our second, September of 1964. Very busy years. We were living in a one bedroom apartment above hubby’s folks. It was time for a bigger place to live before our third daughter was born. One day, a fellow came into my father-in- law’s place of business, he owned the local locker. He always had coffee on so it also was a place for people to stop and chat a minute. Anyway, we had been looking at houses but nothing to our liking was available in our small town. Taxes had just gone up on property and this fellow was very upset about the amount the state had raised his. He said to John” for two cents I would sell our house and move to the retirement home in Walnut.” Well, John said he knew just the right couple for the place. We went up to see it the very next evening. It was just what we wanted. Not perfect but large. It had four bedrooms up, one possible bedroom down, two full baths, a eat in kitchen, a dining room and a large living room. It also set on four lots. Big yard for a growing family. Hubby and I knew we had to buy this place that night or we would lose out. We were in the basement checking the furnace and hot water heater and trying to figure out what we should offer. We had decided on 5000 dollars. Doesn’t sound like much but you got to remember this was over 50 years ago and a very old house in need of some work. Well, the fellow says to my hubby, “Would 2500 be too much”. Oh my goodness. We both were shocked. Hubby managed to say we would take it. Then the fellow says if we wanted he would leave all of the bedroom furniture, linens, pots and pans, dishes and almost of the things in the detached garage ,including the lawn mower, for an additional 200 dollars. We were coming from a one bedroom apartment and didn’t own much. We jumped at that offer. We moved into our house in June, 1965 and our third daughter was born October, 1965. Very busy time in my life.  In the spring of 1966, the pork plant where hubby worked went on strike. So now we had a house, three kids and no income. Lucky for us, the interstate was going in a mile outside our town and hubby was able to get a job helping put the interstate in. He worked till the weather got cold and was once again laid off. Now what? The local tavern was in need of a bartender, so he took that job. The owner wanted to retire and asked my hubby if he would like to buy the tavern. My hubby said yes but I wasn’t so sure. So, we rented the tavern for a year with the option to buy. On January 1, 1968 we became the official owners of the Corner Tavern.  And in July, 1968 daughter number 4 was born. So now I was a wife,  the mother of four girls under the age of 5, a business owner/bartender.  Now you talk about busy, that we were.

Have a good week,

Rose