June 7th, start of the first full week of the month

 TERRY

Terry had a difficult day yesterday.  She did not feel well for much of the day as she had pain in her stomach and back.  We did get it settled down and with a pain pill she slept for a couple of hours.  She is back to her normal self today so that is good.  

I do need to call the doctor's office where she is scheduled to have some tests done in August.  They said they would call me back the next day, Thursday, but I did not receive a call.  I also have to call the pool guy as the salt box is not working in the pool.  Making phone calls is NOT my favorite thing to do but!

I think I have tennis tomorrow but there is nothing on the court sheet so maybe I am wrong.  No tennis today as most Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays Karl would set up but he is leaving today for north.  My goodness I need to get on the stick and make some things happen as friends have been so good to get things scheduled for me like tennis and golf.

I think I do not even need to look at the weather anymore as it seems most weeks show low 90s daily and a chance of rain most days!  

June 30th, 1957

As I woke up on this Sunday morning I realized we had church today.  It was church every other Sunday but this Sunday was the 5th of the month so we would have church for the 3rd time in June.  I admit at the age of 10 church was NOT my favorite thing BUT the one thing that was good was now that I was 10 I was not required by  Mom and Dad to sit with them during church.  That meant Chuckie and I could sit by ourselves and play the game of seeing who could come the closest to opening the hymn book to the song that we would be singing.  Anyway my mind was not on church, the Lord or singing as Dad had told Dave and I that he would take us gopher shooting in the afternoon.  I use the word "shooting" instead of hunting because there is no hunting when you are among 100's of those little critters.  So by early afternoon church was history, dinner was finished and we were ready to go.  Dad would drive the car into Bert's pasture and then he would shut it off and we would sit.  Dad would have his super Winchester 52C 22 long rifle which was a wonderful firearm.  Later in life I searched for one after the fire destroyed our farm and IF you could find one the cost was $600+.  Dave had his 22 that brother Ronald had given him and I had my 22 that I had gotten from Ronald.  Ronald had given me the rifle a short time ago and of the few things I owned it was my favorite.  Ronald had found a target rifle and had cut the barrel down and shortened the stock for me.  Later in life Ronald would teach Dave how to checker his.  Anyway back to the gophers.  As we sat in the car in the middle of the pasture Dad was in the driver's seat, Dave in the front passenger seat and I was in the back seat behind Dad.  So there we were probably looking like a army battalion ready for battle!  With the car turned off and NO talking Dad would give a low whistle and almost immediately a gopher would pop out of the hole.  After a few seconds a shot would ring out and the was all for that gopher!!!  We sat in the same spot for about 45 minutes and I do not know how many dead gophers there were but for sure there were many!  After that we drove to Uncle Obert's and did the same thing.  We arrived home about 3:00 and I had this faint hope that Dad would then hit fly balls to us but NO that was not in the cards.  Instead he took is usual Sunday nap.  Dave and I did wander out to the trees back of the house and were able to shot a couple of blackbirds which were food for the cats.  

As the sun set in the west we were pretty much done for the day.  I did need to do one thing.  I climbed the light pole by the barn and sat on the west side watching the pale glow of daylight disappear.  I always loved to to that as it gave me thoughts about what the big wide world out there was really like!  When I got in the house Dave convinced me to have a game of Touring Cards before bedtime.  As I drifted off asleep I thought to myself, "I wonder what life will be like ten years from now?"  Little did I know that as one grows up life often brings failures, heartaches, disappointments but also accomplishments and victories as well.  Growing up in a VERY rural area with a lake near by and a family that is loving one has NO idea of REAL life as an adult.  In spite of the many imperfections of my childhood it gave me a strong foundation for later.

Here it is only 7:30 and breakfast is over, the FP is finished and I promise myself to get some calls made today and get some work done.