The first 18 years of my life, I had depended on my parents to help me make decisions in reality to make them for me.  For more than 50 years Earl had been in control.  I felt that in Earl's mind I never grew any older than the 19 year old girl he had married.  When he realized the time was fast approaching when he would no longer be able to play the role of my protector he began easing me into the business and responsibilities he had always taken care of.  After his death I tried unsuccessfully to pass the role to my son.  When I asked him to make a decision for me he always wisely responded, "You know how to handle it, Mom."  In time I gained the confidence to carry on alone.

Sonny and Enfys were now both teaching at IHCC; Johnny was in the 6th grade.  Each morning they brought him to me to wait for the bus to Seymour.  Each evening he got off the bus and waited for them to pick him up on their way home.  They will never know how great a lift that was to my spirits.  I now had something to look forward to each morning and evening.  Had it not been for this lovely grandson my days would have been without meaning those lonesome months.

The house needed remodeling if it was to be a comfortable home.  While Earl was ill the work could not be done.  It would have been too upsetting to him.  He could not tolerate the dust and commotion that would be involved.  In March 1980 Bill Lammers and his crew, including Wayne Steele, began the work.  The ceilings were lowered and tiles were installed.  New windows replaced the old ones that rattled when the wind blew and allowed the cold to come in.  The kitchen floor was evened up it had slanted noticeably to the west.  A full bathroom was made in the back bedroom.  All that had resembled a bath was a stool in a partitioned off section in the kitchen.  A new room was added on the south to replace the bedroom.  In the kitchen a stainless steel sink and cabinets were added to make-work more enjoyable.  New doors replaced the battered old ones that probably had been there since the house was built many years ago.  A new front porch was built shutting out the north wind that blew in when we moved here.  I carpeted all the rooms and bought a washer/drier.  That was quite an improvement from a tub of water and wash board I had used early in my housekeeping days.  A storm window in the large north window served two purposes it kept out the cold and prevented the window from becoming frosted over.

The foundation was in bad condition and that was corrected.  The stucco walls were painted white which improved the appearance of the building a great deal.  Other small repairs were made.  This work was not all done at once but over the next few years.

The last building I had done was a garage built in the fall of 1989.  I had owned two Toyotas a 1984 and a 1988 model.  Each had been parked either on the street or on the driveway, which I had rocked in 1987.

Now I have a comfortable home, Earl had anticipated this could be accomplished and I would be in town near friendly neighbors, when he bought the place before we retired.  I had not seen much hopes of it becoming the kind of place I wanted but again he was more farsighted than I.

Just a note about the house.  It was not built in Promise City.  Audrey Kinser told me that her father owned it when it was on a farm near Plano and he had it moved here years ago.  Lessie Morris told me of many people who lived in it for short periods of time.  My opinion is the renters had abused it but now I'm very comfortable and happy to be its owner.

In 1984 Norma Brinkley, the Postmistress at Promise City, asked me to be her assistant.  I hesitated to accept the offer because I was 75 years old at the time.  Still it sounded inviting.  It would be an opportunity to work with the public as I had done as a teacher for 29 years.  I didn't really have enough to do at home to keep me from becoming bored, so after considering I decided to take the job.  She had offered it to me a few years previously but Blanche was very ill at the time and I wanted to be free to spend time with her.  Now Blanche was gone.

At first I was very unsure of myself.  It was entirely different from any work I had ever done.  The complicated way of book keeping which had to be done every day really confused me.  Sorting the mail wasn't too difficult after a couple of days.  I ruined several postal money orders until I learned how to operate the machine properly.

As I became more used to the routine I really enjoyed it.  Norma and Ed. Huston (the rural carrier) were wonderful to work with.  Meeting all the patrons with their different wants was interesting.  This pleasant job came to an abrupt end in Dec. 1987 when a heart attack laid me low.

The job was kept open for me but after a year I knew I could never again do the work and reluctantly handed in my resignation as clerk.  I had enjoyed the work for nearly four years.

A significant thing happened in December of that first year without Earl.  A young dog came to the farm.  The family tried to discourage him from staying, thinking he was someone's pet.  He refused to leave and for the next ten years Gally was a member of the family.  Johnny told me of the dog that had appeared from out of nowhere.  I went to the farm to see him and immediately fell in love with this friendly, brown and white collie dog whose legs were too short for his body.  That only added to his charm.  He soon adopted me as a member of his family and learned the way into Promise City.  When he was left alone I often found him sitting on my door step.  He was included in all family activities.  He tolerated the bow around his neck to be able to attend our Christmas Eve activities.  He had one habit very unlike a dog.  When food was put in his dish he pretended to be uninterested until left alone.  He loved to grab a plastic can in his mouth and run in circles around the yard expecting some one to chase him. 

Gally was almost human, he could do everything except talk and he did talk with his eyes, his actions and the sounds he made.  We understood him perfectly.

I often went to the farm and we walked for miles.  As soon as he heard me coming he became excited anticipating a long walk where he would explore every bush, every hole in the road and every sound he heard.  He usually ran ahead of me and would sit on top of a hill and wait patiently for me to catch up.

As he got older it was no longer wise to leave him outside at the farm nor to shut him in the house while the family was gone long hours to school, so he came in to spend the day with me.  His favorite place to sleep was on my bed or the davenport.  Any other dog we ever owned would not have been allowed that privilege, but Gally could sleep anywhere he chose!  I was fond of other dogs we had owned, Brownie, Mug, Peg, & Terry but I adored Gally.  We didn't own him, he owned us!

On April 28, 1989, he disappeared as mysteriously as he had appeared at the farm 10 years before.  Sonny let him out of the house that morning after giving him his morning pill and he was never seen again.  I've always thought he started to come into town to see me and someone picked him up.  He loved to ride in a car.  We drove for miles looking for him.  I drove back roads where I never would have driven alone searching for him.  I advertised and offered a reward in three papers, had KCOG in Centerville announce a lost dog but to no avail.  Tears still come to my eyes as I write this a year after he disappeared.  It is not good to get so attached to a pat but Gally filled a special spot in my life and I'm grateful to him.

Johnny came to my home every school morning from the 6th grade until he graduated from high school.  These years of close contact as I watched him develop from a little boy into a young man are priceless to me.

He became interested in track and qualified in the 1600 and 3200-meter runs at the Drake Relays and at the state meet all four years of high school.  As a junior he was state champion in both the 1600 and 3200-meter runs.  In his senior year he placed second in both events.  We attended many track meets and watched with pride as he won most contests.  He also ran in cross-country events and did very well.  His father started running after not training since his high school days and we attended many 10K races where both competed.

He completed requirements for becoming an Eagle Scout the night before his 18th birthday the dead line.  An Eagle Scout Court of Honor and reception were held for him at the Corydon Methodist Church on Feb 23rd.

In May 1986 he graduated from high school and then spent the next two years at Indian Hills Community College.  He was elected class president in his sophomore year and also Valentine King that year.