One thing I remember about mom was that whenever she talked on the phone for business, she always said that she was “Mrs. Carl Forche”. I bet no one knew she had a first name.
I saw dad write these things called checks. Evidently they were just like money. Why didn’t he just write one for a million dollars. My dad was so honest he only took what we needed.
A vivid memory of winter I have is one night we were having a blizzard. It was really coming down fast and for some reason the chickens were not in the chicken coop.
You could hardly see anything and it was freezing, but we were out there running around trying to get the stupid chickens to go in the coop. we couldn’t go in until all 20 of they were accounted for. That is the coldest I have ever been and to this day when I am out in really cold weather I still think of that night.
When we were growing up, I don’t remember ever talking about finances. We always knew we would have a home, food, clothing and work to do. All summer we spent every day in the field hoeing the sugar beets. Dad kept track of the number of rows we completed and right before the county fair he would pay us – 50 cents a row. I remember doing this until we were in high school.
We went to Grama Forche’s lake every Sunday. Mom cooked chicken and potato salad to take with us. All the cousins were there and we played all day in the lake. Dad had the only boat and we ski-ed and wake boarded. He made a wake board out of a painted 1/2 sheet of plywood. Grampa was a very quiet person, he listed to the baseball game in his chair next to the radio. When we were finished at the lake, Grama got out her purse and gave us each a couple pennies or a nickel to walk down to the corner store to but candy or ice cream. At supper time Grama broiled hot dogs and made Koolaid for everyone. After we were all packed up in the car we would all yell “bye” as we left. She really like that. We usually stopped 1/2 way home somewhere and got ice cream. By the time we got home most of us (7 or 8) were sleeping. It was a rare occasion that mom and dad got in the lake and a rarer occasion for Grama & Grampa.
When I was 7 and just finished 2nd grade I had my appendix out. It was the first day of summer vacation. I felt sick and laid on the couch all morning, (which was unusual- we always had to be outside) we finally went to the doctor’s office and then right to the hospital. I had surgery right away. I remember crying that night “I wanted my mom”, but they wouldn’t call her, I was so sad. I remember Grama and Grampa Forche coming to visit me with some presents the next day, and I had jello and ice cream. I think there were 5 or 6 kids my age in the same room. We didn’t talk or anything I just knew they were there. Then after a few days I got my own room. I didn’t know why. Then only dad came to visit and he wore a gown, hat and mask. I heard someone say , “German measles”. I didn’t know what that meant only the measles part. After a week I went home. It was weird at home- dark and I had to sleep in mom and dad’s bed with the shades down and in the living room. Someone said it had to be dark or I could go blind. Who knows if that was true. Ronald teased me about being sick. He was always mean to us, the Shithead.
In reality – mom was pregnant with Sharon and she had to stay away from me because of the measles. It was a really hard time for this little kid.
1.
Brenda Sometime while I was sick, some new people moved in across the street. The Kapnicks. The dad was the son of the old people ( Mr and Mrs Kapnick) who lived there before. Evidently they traded houses. Mr & Mrs K had just opened a new business, a farm store, in Tecumseh. Brenda’s mom and dad already lived in Tecumseh. It was more convenient for the older K’s to live close to the business.
Anyway, by the time I was able to come out of the house Mar had already made friends with Brenda. I felt leftout.
The accident September 1970. The day of Michael Baird’s baptism. I don’t know why we didn’t have to go the baptism at church but somehow we- and I don’t know who- stayed home to get ready for his party at home. Pat and I were on our way to get a couple things from the grocery store- it must have been in Blissfield. I don’t know what car we drove but I remember it was blue. I remember turning the knob on the radio and the next thing I remember was walking home in the rain. Everyone said it was a beautiful sunny day and what I thought was rain was really blood on my face. The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital 3 days later. I could feel my face was kind of crusty and asked for a mirror to see what was on it but the nurses wouldn’t give me one. I didn’t know why I was there, I didn’t feel sick. Mom and Dad were there and mom told me that Pat and I had been in an accident. Huh? I didn’t think so. When? Where’s Pat? I don’t remember much else from the hospital. I remember pulling little shards of glass from under my nose for a couple months.
The story as explained to me: Pat and I were driving somewhere and ran into a ditch on Deerfield Road, close to Janice’s house. ( she didn’t live there yet). My head went through the windshield and came back through, almost cutting off my nose. We started walking home and An older couple saw us walking and took us home, then seeing no one was home, took us to the emergency room.
(It was before the new shatterproof windshields) The only thing that saved my eye was I was wearing glasses. That is why I have scars above my left eye and under my nose.
We went over to meet the people that picked us up. They were glad we were ok. I don’t remember what happened to Pat. Nobody ever really talked about it and I don’t remember anything else.
