Newlyweds
When we married in 1947, we moved into a one room apartment. We had a living room/bedroom combination, and they had put a partition up to make a kitchen on one side of the room...very small. The stove was two burners. I believe they called them hot plates. This little jewel had an oven that sat on one of the burners when I wanted to bake something, and could lift off when not in use. We had what was accurately referred to as an "ice box." It got the name because the top had a compartment for the ice that was delivered about twice a week. It really didn't set any record for keeping food cold cool was more like it. I even found ants in it at times. They had really found themselves a neat place to keep cool on those hot July days. We shared the bathroom with the landlord and his wife. This was not a bad place to live at all; it was a pretty house on the corner with trees and a pretty yard.
My mother had seen to it that I learned to cook a little, but to decide on what to cook was a problem, especially since I didn't know what my new husband liked to eat. We did have a limited budget, and while in the grocery store, I found that squash was very cheap, and I knew he liked pork and beans. I fixed that at one meal, and not wanting tell me that he didn't care for squash, he fibbed and said he liked squash and pork and beans...well, problem solved!!! I fixed that REAL often with the knowledge that he really was enjoying his meal. After several days of this, he just had to ask me, Wasn't there something else in the grocery store we could afford and give the squash a rest? One meal after that, I cooked some steak, a real treat. MY mistake was I fried three pieces. My plan was one for me and two for him. He wanted me to eat the second piece. I told him that I didn't want too. Well, he insisted, and the more I tried to get him to eat it, the more he tried to get me to. Yep, one heck of an argument got started. There was an interurban that ran right by our apartment. I guess at about the time I ran out the door, it was coming by, and I got on it and was going to Mother's not the smartest decision I ever made. I got as far as uptown, about seven blocks, and he caught up with me. I didn't go on to mother's. We went on back home, and when we got there the ants that weren't in the icebox were all over the steak. The thing I have wondered about many times is why in the world didn't we just cut that piece of steak in half and share it?
We moved from there in the fall of that year to South Texas, and that is when Leland got started in the oil field. In 1951, he went to work for Humble OilÉnow Exxon. This was a wonderful job with two days a week off. Previously, he worked seven days a week. Only if the rig closed down was he off, and this meant looking for another rig that was running.
Having this new job meant moving to a Humble camp called Kelsey Bass. It was located fifty miles from Rio Grande City and fifty miles from Falfurris. It was on the huge McGill ranch. Leland had gone down a few weeks before the children and I could until a place became available for us to live. He stayed in the bunkhouse and came home on his days off. Finally, a small trailer became available for us to move in to. This was small, but it was fine. He had a really good job, and the camp was pretty. I remember the first time we drove into it. We had come through fifty miles of mesquite bushes, wild hogs and a good chance of a rattlesnake stretched out across the road into this beautiful camp. As you entered across the cattle guards, you saw a median with palm trees lined on either side and beautiful lawns with St. Augustine grass. Our lawns were kept mowed for us with no cost. There was a swimming pool available for all. Only Humble employees lived here.
None of this made the trailer any larger, though. It was 19 feet long. This is not a misprint. That was the size. The couch made into a bed, which we had to make back into a couch before you could go to the kitchen. Wayne was a little over two years old, and Sharon was nine months. The kitchen table was a booth that you lowered the table and spread out the cushions to make a nice bed for them. Now, before breakfast, I had to get them up and make up the ÒtableÓ before we could eat. The table had a leg on the end to hold it up, and Sharon sat at the end in her high chair. I do believe her favorite pastime was to kick that leg down while we were eating. It certainly did shuffle plates and food around.
Bet you are wondering where the bathroom was? Well, it was outside, but not what you may think. It was right by the trailer. It was a nice room with a shower, commode and washing machine . We paid $400.00 for the trailer and $20.00 for the bathroom.
Actually, we only have fond memories of living there. You can get adjusted to living in a small area. The kiddos had a large beautiful yard to play in, and we could go swimming. We got acquainted with other employees...made lasting friends.
Hebrews 13:5 tells us to:
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be CONTENT with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you"
Esther |
