tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61880472192916425722024-03-13T13:12:30.414-07:00Journey's Told By RogerJourney's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-68973427873855273752012-11-28T13:19:00.002-08:002012-12-07T15:13:50.421-08:00THE DIVORCEEnough about Shorty for now. It's time to get back to my separation and Divorce from my first wife. She worked nights and I worked days. At that point we began going in separate directions. I went to the bar one evening and my wife's cousin was sitting with two girls. When he seen me come in, he motioned for me to come over. I almost didn't recognize him with the bars dark lighting. I was a little nervous going to a table that had two girls sitting at it, but I figured it was my wife's cousin so why not?<br />
When I got closer to the table, I recognized one of the girls. It was Louise!<br />
I hadn't seen her only once in the past four or five years. The last I had heard she was engaged to my old friend who was in the Army in Germany and she was pregnant. Then I heard he was out drinking and driving one super foggy night, was speeding through town and a car full of Cheerleaders from a neighboring school didn't see the caution light. They ran through it and he broadsided them( T boned) I believe it was three of the cheerleaders that died. And he went to court for vehicular manslaughter. He was only in prison for a few months before being released for a re-trial. His attorney told him if he wanted to stay out of prison, he'd better find a single girl with a child and marry her fast. He needed a ready made family. He found a girl and married her. Meanwhile, Louise was left out and then she lost the baby.<br />
She was more beautiful than ever! I'm sure her fiancee had to realize the great sacrifice he had made to stay out of prison. My wife's cousin asked his girlfriend to dance and left Louise and me at the table alone. I felt very uncomfortable. About that time, my wife's best friend walked into the bar and seen me sitting with Louise. I knew she would run back to my wife with a big story. And run with it she did!<br />
Her best friend managed to get things going. Several nights later I went driving around all night talking and drinking with a couple friends. We stopped at the bar and their sit my wife's cousin and his girlfriend again, plus, Louise. They invited me to sit with them. A while later, my wife walked in and dropped my wedding ring in my glass of beer, said nothing, turned around and walked out. <br />
I spent the rest of the evening dancing with Louise, going out parking with her, and then going with my two friends drinking and driving the rest of the night. When I got home that morning, my cloths were bagged up in trash bags on the back porch. I threw the bags in the back of my pickup and left.Then I drove to a friend of mine house and he told me I could stay there. His wife and him had recently separated.<br />
Seems a shame. We were teenagers trying hard to take on all the responsibilities of adults and raise our family. It seldom works out for teenagers. We were both good people, and we tried hard. I guess we just jumped into it all too fast.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-72064463095790766352012-11-25T12:17:00.000-08:002012-11-27T13:51:13.461-08:00"SHORTY"It didn't take long to realize Shorty had more personality than most people, and he had his own way of communicating. I guess it would be called "Pony Sign Language." Ears forward meant he was happy. one ear forward and one back meant he was a little displeased. If he was slightly pleased he would quietly whinny. Shorty would fight the bridles bit. He would clinch his teeth together. When the bit finally got past the teeth, he was fine with it. He didn't like the saddles cinch around his belly too tight. When cinching him he would bloat out his belly and I would have to gently knee him until he released the excess air.<br />
Shorty was quick to make Dad and Mom's farm his new home. In fact, we couldn't get him to leave it. We discovered he enjoyed following Dad around behind the tractor. And it seemed to be the only way I could get him to give me a ride. One day Dad was plowing the big field behind the house. He saddled up Shorty and put his bridle on. Dad lifted me up on Shorty's back. I was still only six and my feet wouldn't reach the stirrups.<br />
As Dad plowed, I got a nice pony ride. The fresh plowed ground was a little rough with the sod rolled over into furrows, but Shorty went slow. On occassion he'd put his head down and get a bite of grass that stuck up above the furrows and then he'd continue on. We were on the far side of the field and Shorty discovered a furrow that was only half turned over and had lots of lucious grass sticking out of it. He put his head down and began munching on the delicious grass. He spent quite a while eating on it as Dad and the tractor rolled on ahead. Suddenly, Shorty looked up and realized the tractor was 2/3s the way across the field. It was as though he paniced. He bolted into a full run, as fast as he could go across the plowed ground. I was bouncing from side to side in the saddle, hollering at the top of my voice, "Help Daddy! Help!!"<br />
Dad jumped off the tractor, and just as Shorty reached him, Dad leaped in front of him, waving his arms and yelling, "Whoa Shorty! Whoa!!"<br />
But Shorty didn't Whoa. He didn't even slow down. He zipped around Dad and ran all the way to the barnyard gate and came to an abrupt halt. I had been going from side to side all the way, but when Shorty stopped that suddenly at the gate, The saddle spun around to his belly with me still holding on tight. Dad came and got me.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-11824275239665400052012-11-24T15:44:00.000-08:002012-12-03T12:01:24.829-08:0010 Little, 9 Little,8 Little... One Little Indian BoyI thought it would be a good time to take a break from all the problems and troubles and tell about one of my childhood incidents.. Being born in 1950, by the time I was six years old my imagination was running wild playing Cowboys and Indians. I don't know why, but I seemed to prefer playing Indian. I ran around with no shirt on, war paint, and my Uncle had shot a rooster pheasant that Mom used the feathers to make me a headdress. She put the longest tail feathers in the front and they kind of drooped over.<br />
My Mom had gotten new livingroom furniture, Fifties style of course. She had two, small, glass topped end tables, and a small, glass topped coffee table. With my over-active, Indian imagination, I pictured the couch as a mountain, and the coffee table as a river. I had my rubber tomahawk in hand and decided to jump off the mountain, over the river, and attack the settlers on the other side.<br />
With a Mightly War Whoop I leaped off the mountain. Unfortunately, I didn't make it over the river, and crashed through Mom's glass top coffee table! Amazingly, I didn't get cut! Mom was in the kitchen and came running when she heard the crash. Within a couple minutes, my rear end was turning into a red skin!!!<br />
<br />
I remember begging my parents for a pony. They kept saying no, but I wouldn't give up, and not just any pony, I wanted an Indian pony. It had to be a paint with many spotted colors. My Mom yelled at me to quit teasing for a pony. Of course I didn't listen. They finally caved in to my constant begging and teasing. One day Dad put the stock racks on the pickup and we went after my pony. I was so excited!!!<br />
When we reached the farm he was located on, there he was. He was beautiful.The man had convinced Dad that he was very good with children, He was Shetland and Welch which made him seem a little out of proportion. He had the bigger body of a Welch, and shorter legs of a shetland. The man said his name was Shorty. Dad paid $210.00 for Shorty, a halter, bridle, and a Cuban made saddle. I didn't realize it back then, I was only 6, but that kind of money was the equivelent of $2000.00 now days!Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-74363941672392255572012-11-12T08:28:00.000-08:002012-11-17T11:58:35.850-08:00Marriage ProblemsI worked days, my wife worked until midnight. I'd go home after work and her beautiful sister would feed me and the kids. I started having feelings for her sister and she for me. So I'd leave and go to frriends houses, or the local bar. My wife would go to Becky and the gangs after work. Becky lived in a new mobile home next to her parents farm house. My wife was late getting home, so I drove out to Becky's a couple different times. They were laughing, drinking, and smoking weed. I couldn't believe it. My wife had always been so dead set against drugs!<br />
December 27, 1971 our second child, Holly,was born. She was another beautiful baby. I believe it was about then that our marriage started falling apart. Money problems seemed to lead from one thing to another. I began drinking heavier and my wife drank some, but mostly enjoyed smoking weed with her friends. As hard as we had tried to live the lives of adults, we began to fail miserably,<br />
While my wife worked the four to midnight shift, I worked the seven to 3:30 day shift. I liked my job. The pay was nothing like G.M.s pay and benefits. Between our two jobs we managed to get by. The problem was that we only seen each other on weekends and more often than not, one of us had to work Saturday. Our marriage slowly began to fall apart. <br />
One evening while she was working, I went to the bar. A friend of mine was sitting at a table with two girls, and he invited me to sit down. We were all sitting there talking and drinking beer when my wife's best friend walked in. She had a very suspicious look in her eyes, and I could tell she couldn't wait to get back to my wife and tell her I was with another woman at the bar.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-86379290836859992802012-10-27T18:07:00.003-07:002012-11-07T13:25:29.880-08:00December of 1971It's hard to remember exactly how everything went, but to the best of my recollection, I went to work for an insurance company.I had to be in the office, located in Lansing, which was over twenty miles from home, by 8:00 a.m. in the morning. I had to do my four debits with an old adding machine. We didn't have calculators, or computers in those days. The company did a lot of Direct Mailing back then by mail and magazines. People were asked to mail them in for more information on Life Insurance and Health Insurance. Little did they know they would be greeted at their front door by me, or salesmen like me. And we were taught to put the pressure on with canned speeches. Good thing gas was a lot cheaper back then because I covered three to four counties. How much I made depended on how much guts I had. I sold insurance for almost a year until I couldn't take the pressure anymore. Meanwhile, my wife worked at Burger Chef ( much like McDonalds). We managed to survive, but barely. By the Fall of 1972 we both quit our jobs and decided to move Up North to Alpena. We had friends that lived there, Sandy and Dan. Dan had moved to Charlotte and worked with me at General Motors, but he didn't like the hard work on the Asssembly line, or the heavily populated area. He got homesick for Alpena and they moved back. We contacted them, and they were excited to have us come and stay with them until we got settled up there. I got lucky and was hired into Abitibbe Paneling right away. The pay was comparable to General Motors. We drove back to Charlotte to give all our families the good news!My wife's family took it very hard. They yelled at us and carried on. They didn't want us moving that far away. My father-in-law offered me G.M. wages if we'd stay in Charlotte and I'd work for him in the Furnace and Air-conditioning business. We thought about it and decided it would be the best thing for all concerned. The first couple weeks went well, and then my wife's Dad approached me and informed me he couldn't afford to continue to pay me the high wages. The next thing I knew, I was making $2.50 an hour. I began to get behind on all my bills. My wife was lucky enough to hire into a factory that paid more than I was getting. The only problem was that she worked night shift and I worked days. Plus, her father was quite a drinker and couldn't always afford to pay me. After a while I had to quit him and hired into a Tent Camper Factory. I was still on days and she worked nights. Her sister babysitted for us. Sometimes I was there and sometimes not. Sometimes she came home after work, and sometimes not. She made friends with a girl named Becky and Becky's friends.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-52406247561986194142012-06-25T13:18:00.004-07:002012-10-27T18:02:54.768-07:00WHEN THE DUST SETTLEDI'd given up my good paying G.M. job. I had a wife, a child, one on the way, and Christmas just around the corner. I had house payments, phone bills, car payments, electric bills and everything else that goes with being an adult. And no money coming in.<br />
I felt very anxious and was experiencing panic attacks. I was young but regardless I had taken on all the duties of a father, husband, and a man. No thanks to my fellow workers, I had been teased and taunted until I couldn't take it any more, punched Dennis out, been moved to night shift on a different assembly line and quit.<br />
I had to find another job and do it fast! Just down the street I walked into the Morman Feeds office and applied for a job. They hired me on the spot. The thing I failed to realize was it was a minimum wage job where we worked twelve hours a day unloading box cars filled with bags of heavy feed. We had a couple ten minute brakes per day and a half an hour of unpaid lunch. By the end of the day I was so tired and sore that I could barely walk the two blocks home. I spent most of the evening soaking in a hot tub of water.<br />
I had farmed all my life. I'd thrown very heavy bales of hay around all day on hot days, butI had never worked this hard and steady. I managed to work there the rest of the week before quiting.<br />
Christmas was fast approacing. I had no money, no job, and was getting behind on all my bills. My wife was due anytime for our second child. My first daughter was young enough she didn't miss getting very little for presents.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-32504971211533303042012-05-30T14:28:00.002-07:002012-06-19T10:41:48.026-07:00THE FEUDDennis never spoke or looked my way after he got up and went back to his job. We silently worked as partners the rest of the day. I'm sure he felt my actions were not necessary, and I felt they not only were necessary, but long overdue. In fact, we worked together for the next week, never speaking, or so much as saying goodmorning at the start of the shift or good-bye at the end of the shift. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.<br />
I don't know who made the arrangements, whether it was the Union or Management, or both, or someone else. All I know is they told me I had been bumped to night shift bolting down front seats only on the small car line instead of the big car line. I was on a special job that only people that held my classification could bump me. A man named Chester bumped me and oddly enough he was a dedicated night shifter. I felt I had been set up so they could seperate us,and Dennis had more seniority. I was to report to nights that next Monday. And report to nights I did.<br />
I know I shouldn't have slugged out Dennis, but I had endured his constant picking and torment for as long as I could. And I came to a point where I just snapped! I don't think even with my actions that I deserved to be pulled from my job and placed on night shift on another line.<br />
I was very upset. I hated night shift. After working it for one week and stewing over being moved, I gave the supervisor my weeks notice. When I went on first break, I walked up to him again and told him I was all done. When my break is over he'd better have someone there to cover the job because "I quit." I walked down to the front offices and officialy quit. I carried over my health insurance because my wife was pregnant and due in about a month.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-42614507680739906092012-05-22T18:37:00.006-07:002012-05-30T14:06:18.065-07:00TIME CLOCKS & BOSSESTime marched on. Everyday was repeat of the day before. Get up at 5:30 a.m., drive to work, punch in at the time clock, go to my job, my partner, Dennis, and the rest of the gang. A day didn't pass that the boys didn't spend tormenting me; especially Dennis. Even my one supervisor joined in on the fun. Fortunately, the two of them switched shifts every other month.<br />
On December27,1971 my wife gave birth to another daughter, She was born so close to Christmas we decided to name her Holly. She was beautiful.<br />
I was still working for my father-in-law during most of my spare time. The furnace business slowed down in the Spring and I was able to help my Dad and brother get the crops planted. In the summer I helped install a few furnaces and set pumps for my well drilling friends. By Fall the furnace service calls picked up. I'd be out servicing furnaces until late hours and had to be up by 5:30 a.m.<br />
One day I went to work feeling totally exhausted. I told Dennis,"Don't mess with me today. I'm beat and I'm not up to any of your horse play."<br />
Dennis left me alone for a little while, and then he came with one of his sneak attacks. He grabbed my leg while growling like a mad dog. I jumped, but this time, without any thought or notice, I swung aroung and slugged him in the face as hard as I could. He stumbled backwards into a grey, metal cabinet and slid down it. I don't know as I knocked him out, but I certainly knocked him senseless! Blood was rushing out his nose. People were stepping over him as an extra man jumped on his side of the car body to keep the line going. As I mentioned before, Dennis was a very muscular character. His arms were bigger around than my legs. I figured as soon as he got his senses about him, he'd no doubt jump up and beat me half to death. Then I saw the Supervisor walking up the line toward me. I thought to myself, "Well...I'm fired!"<br />
Thank God it was Charlie and not the other one. He walked straight up to me, smiled and said,"Roger, I've been waiting for you to do that for the longest time!" He smiled again, tapped me on the shoulder and walked away.<br />
Dennis started coming around. He shook his head back and forth, reached up on the work bench behind him and grabbed a blue work rag, and began wiping the blood from his nose and face. He sat there, on the floor, for a while, and then got up and walked straight across the line to his job.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-33795153015694508452012-05-19T12:26:00.004-07:002012-05-21T08:35:19.019-07:00Our HouseI loved our home even though it was only a one bedroom. Within a year with Heather growing, we had outgrown it. Some how I had managed to put a new furnace in it during my spare time and redo the livingroom walls. I had only paid $6000.00 for it and sold it a year later for $8500.00. That was a good return in 1969 to 1970.Plus, with the down payment my loan only started at $4000.00 and with 6% interest, I was able to pay it down considerably within a year.<br />
We listed our house with a Realtor and began shopping for a bigger home. It didn't take long to sell ours to a retired couple and it didn't take us long to find the perfect home for us. It was a big, square house with a screened in, enclosed porch that went down one side and across the back. It had all hardwood floors, ten foot ceilings, and a working fireplace in the Livingroom. It had two big bedrooms downstairs and a large apartment upstairs that had the same older lady that had lived there for 11 years. And best of all, her rent paid 2/3 of the house payment. It also had a two car garage, but the tenant laid claim to that. It also had a big, open front porch.<br />
Mom and Dad had to come to the closing with us to sell our house and sign papers because we were under age. After paying the Realtors and all, we ended up with nearly $5000.00. We were in shock when Mom said the money was hers because it was their house and they had invested the $2000.00 when it was purchased. My wife and I well remembered when my parents gave us that money for all the help I had been on the farm. I guess because I was unable to remain being their farm boy, they were taking back their gift. We sure didn't need that kind of help!!<br />
I told my parents that if they took all the money, we wouldn't be able to buy the square house. After much pleading, they agreed to give us $3000 for the downpayment. Once again, we were still under the age of 21, so my parents had to sign with us on the land contract. And they were able to recover most of the original $2000.00 they gave us a year before.<br />
We bought the big, square house for $15000.00 with $3000.00 down on a land contract.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-81335258366138444752012-05-19T08:10:00.002-07:002012-05-19T12:20:42.938-07:00STRESSEDI hated my job on the assembly line, and quickly learned to dispise most of my fellow employees. With all the pressures and stress in my life it soon became unbearable. It seemed the only way I could hold on to my sanity while working was to daydream. My mind escaped back to those beautiful summer days swimming with my Texas Girl. I heard she had married and had a baby. And Louise was deeply involved in a relationship. I heard she was engaged.<br />
I was so very proud of my beautiful, baby girl, Heather. I usually got home just as her Mom had her in the highchair feeding her. I'd go up to her and say, "Hi Heather!"<br />
I remember how shocked, happy, and surprised the first time she responded with, "Hi Dad!"<br />
Usually, I'd grab a quick sandwich and head out to the job wherever my Father-in-law was working. I hated my life, and didn't have enough sense to realize I was the only one that could change it.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-33682192709802351812012-05-17T18:36:00.002-07:002012-05-18T10:41:05.961-07:00Working it OutI was a teenager living in what I thought was an adult world. Most of the men I worked on the assembly line with seemed to have a strange transition come over them the minute they entered the factory. These were men in their thirties, forties, and fifties, and yet they became childlike on the assembly line. I was married, had a wife and baby daughter, owned my home, and had bought a new car. As far as the men I worked with,I was a teenager; not yet grown up, and their sole daily purpose was to make my working life a living Hell. And my work partner, Dennis, was the ring leader!<br />
Dennis was supposed to be very religious, but you couldn't prove it to me. He was in his late twenties with a very muscular build, and could act goofy as a cookoo clock! Dennis and a couple other guys seemed to delight in tormenting me. I was usually very tired and sore. My Father-in-law would keep me out working on furnaces in the evenings and when he'd quit for the night, he'd head for the nearest bar and drink beers until closing. I wasn't old enough to drink beer so I'd sip on a cola. Often, we wouldn't get home until 2:00 or 2:30 a.m. in the morning and I had to be on the assembly line by 6:30 a.m.<br />
My body ached from flopping over the seats while looking under them and bolting them to the car floor. My partner, Dennis, would run off when we managed to work up the line, and he'd return as the air hoses stretched to the max that ran our air tools. Or, he'd sneak around to my side and take me by surprise, grabbing my leg and growling like a dog biting. I'd jump and more often then not I'd bang my head on the dashes mounting brackets. Then Dennis would do his crazy laugh as he pranced and hopped back to his side of the car. I quickly learned to hate this torment while trying to do my job.<br />
My Dad became very upset with me when I spent most of my spare time working for my wife's Dad when my own Father needed me on the farm and had to hire the neighbor boys. I did manage to help him on occassion, but my wife's Dad was very persistant. My parents resented me for my actions and as soon as my younger brother was old enough, they handed the management of the farm over to him.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-60297494020598625682012-05-17T17:10:00.000-07:002012-10-21T16:16:27.072-07:00Newly WedsMy Mom and Dad stopped by shortly after my marriage. They said they didn't like us renting and Dad said I had done so much for them on the farm over the years that they wanted to give me a couple thousand dollars to use for a down payment on a house. My wife and I were so impressed at their generosity! It didn't take us long to find a cute little house for sale on a land contract. Mom and Dad had to sign with us because we were under age.<br />
My younger brother was only thirteen. He was too young to be much help on the farm. I didn't realize it at the time, but by my parents helping me buy a house, they were making me feel committed to continue working like a boy on the farm.<br />
My new Father-in-law had three daughters and no sons. He had his own Heating and Air-Conditioning Business and I had married his oldest daughter. He intended for me to help with the business. Plus, friends of mine were starting a well drilling business and wanted me to go with their Dad on weekends, following behind them setting pumps. I was being pulled in all directions. And to add insult to injury, my job at GMC was nearly killing me. I was on the assembly line in the Body Plant on the Big Car Line. My job was to bolt down front seats. I worked the driver's side. After the seat was dropped in the car, my partner who worked the passenger side and I would pull the seat forward, tip it back, so I could hook up the wires for the power seats. After that, we would lower the seat, line up everything, lay over the seat and look under it so we could bolt it to the floor. And then go around to the back and bolt it down. It was also my job to stock the headrest which three men were building up on a table at the side of the line. In those days they could work us over nine hours per shift and most Saturdays. I would be so exhausted and just before quitting time the supervisor would come walking the line hollering,"Nine/four!"Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-71992566779268933152012-05-12T15:17:00.006-07:002012-05-17T16:15:22.780-07:00November 1968Life felt very empty to me in November of 68. I got a job in a factory. The work was boring, long and tedius. I didn't work there long because one of the girls that hired in with me got her hand in a press and lost all her fingers. After they carried her out, they moved my Dad onto her press to finish the order. Management didn't even wipe all the blood off the press.<br />
Everyday several of us boys went to a restaurant called, "The Copper Lantern," and had lunch. It was there that I got to know my first wife. Things moved very fast. By mid November we were dating, by late November we were living together with a married couple that were friends of ours. By January of 1969 she was pregnant. Soon we were engaged, and married by April. Then in October of 69 she gave birth to a beautiful, nine lb. seven oz. baby girl.<br />
We met as two eighteen year olds that thought we were all grown up. We had a lot to learn about life. In reality at 18 we were all grown up. Sure there were plenty of things in life we had yet to experience and learn, but overall we knew all the necessary things. It was the older people that looked down on us and thought we needed to learn so much. And it seemed as if the generation prior to ours delighted in finding faults with us.<br />
We moved into a small, one bedroom apartment. I had originally went to work in a small factory, but it had no insurance. I went to work for General Motors in June of 69 and my insurance paid for the baby being born.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-4806034245442661922012-05-08T15:12:00.001-07:002012-05-08T16:20:22.120-07:00FALL OF 1968It was the Fall of 1968 and it seemed like the Army Recruiting Officer was stalking me all over town. Louise was now going steady with her new boyfriend, and I had heard he was staying at her house most of the time. It wasn't long before I heard they were engaged. My Texas Girl also had a steady boyfriend.<br />
The Army was looking better and better to me. I enlisted in early November of 1968 with the agreement I didn't have to report to get on the bus at the VFW Post until January 2, 1969. I did have to go to Fort Wayne, Detroit for my Army physical and Swearing In. We spent the night in an old hotel. My Mother was completely against my enlisting and went to the Draft Board and my Recruiting officer with all my medical records. They looked like a Sears Roebuck Catalog!! My Recruiting Officer came up to me at a restaurant one afternoon and told me I'd be receiving new orders in the mail, and I did. I was reclassified 1y(not suited for military service). I guess the fact I had severe Migraine headaches was one of the main reasons. At any rate, I was rejected.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-44297776360545692292012-05-06T11:05:00.000-07:002012-05-06T11:05:59.530-07:00GUESS ALL'S FARE IN LOVE AND WARI didn't think of Louise much after she stood me up. My feelings were crushed, so I put her out of my mind. I met another girl that summer after graduation and we started going together. Once again, she was underage and her father took me aside and warned me about statutory rape and prison. When she tried and failed, she went out with what I had thought was one of my good friends and he deflowered her. Then she came back wanting to go with me. I was not impressed.<br />
Soon after that I met up with Louise again and we began going out together. All seemed to be going well. One night I went to a friend of mines party and who should come driving up to it, but one of my best friends with his date and in the backseat was a guy I had considered a good friend until then. They were double dating and Louise was all cuddled up with him in the backseat. I heard he had been bragging,"Guess who I'm going out with? Roger's girl friend!"<br />
I was furious!!! As I ran toward the car, they spun the tires and sped away.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-68453507772297776882012-04-30T14:29:00.003-07:002012-05-02T09:54:50.945-07:00AFTER THE FAIRSeems like after the 4H Fair I didn't happen across Louise, or my Texas Girl for days that turned into months. I had an ache deep inside to see them both. Then one day during a trip to town I saw Louise walking on the sidewalk toward me. In those past months she had grown more beautiful than ever. Her shiny, long, straight black hair was gently blowing in the breeze. She had the sexiest nose, eyes and face and a perfect body. During our months apart I had two short relationships with girls that ended with hard feelings.<br />
Louise and I talked a while, and then I got up the courage to ask her out on a date. I was thrilled when she said, "Yes!"<br />
I showed up at her front door at 6:00 p.m. on Friday night for our date. Her Mother answered the door and was very apologetic. "Oh Roger, I'm so sorry, but a young man Louise has been seeing from time to time stopped in a little while ago and talked her into going out with him tonight. I feel so bad that she stood you up."<br />
My head was hanging low. She's the only girl that ever stood me up. I thanked Louise's Mom for her honesty and kindness and left while feeling about as bad as anyone could feel.<br />
Back in those days(the late Sixties) Teenage dance halls were popping up all over. I drove out to one called, "The Village." I walked in, sit at a table, and ordered a cola. Then I looked out on the dance floor, and dancing up near the band was Louise and her date. I quietly slipped out the door.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-63420966768782423482012-04-30T09:15:00.000-07:002012-04-30T09:15:51.754-07:00APRIL 30, 2012I see it's the 30th and I haven't posted anything since the 9th of April. It's been a rough month for me, spending nearly half of it in the hospital, first with colitis (sp) and then with pnemonia. I have COPD and my lungs are about shot. I'm trying to tell my story while I still can. Please bare with me, and hopefully the Good Lord will let me finish. <br />
As a child my parents didn't attend church, so I rode with the neighbors every Sunday for Church and Sunday School, and Bible School in the summer. I rarely missed until after High School Graduation, and then my life veered away from church for several decades. I found that when the Good Lord wants a person back, He will drive you to your knees, out of Love. And I am so very glad He did!<br />
Praise God!! Look around you at His many complicated wonders and all the different Life forms. Only God could Create such miracles in our world and bring it all together, and make it work. Plus, creating the Universe. He truly is the Word!...The Alpha and the Omega!!!Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-31961765470617313832012-04-13T11:27:00.006-07:002012-04-15T09:52:37.208-07:00FIRECRACKERS AND DYNAMITEI thought I'd take a little break away from my young love life, and talk about my fascination for explosives as a boy. I hesitated writing this story for fear it would give kids bad ideas. It was a time in the Sixties when way too many boys were playing with anything that exploded. Television had lots of Public Service Announcements condemning such practices, giving warnings of boys losing hands and arms and even worse.<br />
David and I started with those little, Zebra and Black Cat firecrackers. Then we discovered the Big BOOM a homemade Carbide Cannon made. We took an empty paint can, hammered a nail hole into the bottom of it, dropped a couple chunks of minors carbide into it, poured a small amount of water in the can onto the carbide, and then hammered the lid on tight and got back. The water on the minors carbide started forming a gas, and we could see the side of the paint can expanding. Then, very cautiously, we lit a match and touched it to the nail hole in the bottom of the can. The explosion could be heard over a mile away as the paint cans lid blew off.<br />
I've already told you about horse shit hand grenades, so I'll move on to cherry bombs and M80s. I choose not to tell what we did with them. Ok, maybe one story. We were driving around in a friend of mines car. It was a 1953 Chevy he bought for $35.00. There were three of us boys in the car. I was in the middle. We drove around throwing M80s and Cherry bombs in friends yards one night. As we came upon a friends yard, I lit the M80 and from my middle of the seat position, I tossed it out the window. The only problem was, My friend had rolled the window up. The M80 bounced off the glass and back into the front seat between us somewhere. I don't believe an old car had ever slid to such a sudden stop with three boys piling out as fast as they could move. It exploded and left a big hole in the front seat!! I don't know this for sure, but I've often heard an M80 was the equivelant of a fifth of a stick of dynamite.<br />
You'd have thought by now we'd have learned our lessons, but we still liked explosives. I can't bring myself to tell you all our Big Bang Adventures, but I will mention that dynamite in a fish pond really does kill fish.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-78142979949207107942012-04-09T08:17:00.006-07:002012-04-11T12:38:15.393-07:00The 4H FAIRIn the days when I was growing up the County 4H Fair was later in the summer in August. This worked well for me, because it gave me the summer to bale hay for neighbors and save money to spend at the fair. Besides all the excitement with the rides, games, farm animals, grand stand events, and that wonderful fair food, it was a great place for all the teenagers to congregate and socialize.<br />
Although everything about the fair was great, at my age my main objective was to meet girls. I got there a little too early, and after walking the midway I walked under the Grandstand that led out to the 4H barns. As I came out the other side, I was excited to see my Texas girl and another girl standing there. She seemed as excited to see me as I was to see her. We talked a while and all while we were visiting, I wanted to ask her to walk the mid-way and ride some rides with me, but as usual, I couldn't get up the nerve. We talked a while and went our seperate ways.<br />
I went back under the grandstand, walked through to the other side and into the midway. As I walked passed the games the carneys hollered at me and tried to humiliate me into playing. It wasn't easy, but I learned to ignore their rude remarks as I walked by. While sauntering around watching the rides I noticed Louise, the beauty I met at the Shop Picnic. She was walking with a couple other girls. Not wanting to look to obvious, I walked at an angle that crossed in front of her. I heard, "Roger!"<br />
I turned around, trying to look surprised, "Well Hi Louise! How ya been?"<br />
We talked a few minutes and I asked her if she'd like to go on the rides with me? We had lots of fun riding the fair rides, and then we walked around talking to each other. Soon we were walking past the row of games as carneys yelled out at me, trying to coerce me into playing.<br />
I decided to win Louise a stuffed animal. Like I've said before, I was a better farmboy than a ball player. I tried and I tried, but I just couldn't win a stuffed animal. Bound and determined, I kept trying until I had gone through $40.00 of the money I made baling hay that summer. At last, Louise said,"Let me try."<br />
Her first try, she won a stuffed animal!! Needless to say, I felt slightly humiliated. It was getting time for me to head home and start doing my chores. I hated to leave, but I had to say my goodbyes. I wondered if I'd see her again.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-59596457278572290232012-04-05T14:17:00.003-07:002012-04-08T17:01:12.059-07:00SHOP PICNIC CONTINUEDThe three girls and I walked around the Amusement Park, rode rides, played games, and talked. It was a Great Day!! Somehow we got on the subject of ages, and I was in pure shock to find out Louise was 3 1/2 years younger than me. She looked so beautiful and mature for her age. All my thoughts of asking her out on dates were crushed. She lived in the town near our farm, so I made up my mind to keep track of her for a couple of years when our age differeces wouldn't seem so far apart.<br />
Soon the day was over and everyone was packing up to head back to their homes. The girls and I said our good byes and we were on our ways.<br />
My day at the amusement park with the three girls was over. It was back to the farm and settling back into the life of a farm boy baling hay. When we got all of Dad's hay baled, I hired out to the neighbors baling hay for $1.00 and hour. I had grown embarrased of my little motorcycle, so I bought a bigger Honda. One day while driving it around in the nearby town, I was driving around the boulevard in front of their High School when much to my surprise I seen my Texas Girl walking!! I was overwhelmed with excitment! I pulled up beside her and she said,"Roger, where've you been?"<br />
I replied, "Oh, I've been around. I thought you lived in Texas."<br />
"My parents decided to move to Michigan a few months ago and hear I am!"<br />
She seemed as happy to see me as I was to see her! We both had smiles from ear to ear. While we made small talk, and did some catching up, my mind was awhirl. I wanted to ask her out, but just couldn't get up the courage. Over the years, I had put her on a pedestal, and even though I had overcome my shiness with girls, she was the one exception. We talked a while longer and I was on my way.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-53768037086306286812012-04-02T15:31:00.005-07:002012-04-05T12:31:52.490-07:00SHOP PICNIC..Maybe it was my self-confidence, but as I entered my later teens I had no problems with girls. I was like a shark on a feeding frenzy! There were just so many cute girls and I had developed ways to get to know them and make out. I didn't get into any relationships, just a lot of kissing as I went from girl to girl. The girls liked me, but way to many jealous boys wanted to fight. I learned to take care of myself. I don't mean to sound like "God's Gift to Women" because I was a long, long way from that! I was merely a teenager testing his new found abilities.<br />
Then one Saturday my family went to the shop picnic put on from the factory where my Dad worked. The picnic tables were all full in the shaded park near the Lake Lansing Amusement Park entrance. The owners of the factory gave each kid a huge role of tickets for the rides and games. It was great! After eating and playing some of their games, I headed into the amusement park. It was much like a fair, only bigger and better. It had the usual rides, bumper cars, fairess wheels, merry-go-rounds,etc. Plus, a huge Roller Coaster!!<br />
I don't remember how I broke the ice with them, but the next thing I knew I was walking around, playing games and going on rides with three teenage girls. I was in my glory. The smells of popcorn, hot dogs, cotton candy and all the other fair type foods filled the air. Plus, the sounds of people laughing, talking, screaming, and the music from the Merry-Go-Round also could be heard.<br />
The three girls looked to be all about the same age, maybe about a year younger than me. One was a blonde, one a brunette, and the third was so beautiful, she was hard to describe. She had soft, shiny, long black hair, a perfect hour glass figure, and a face that would put most movie stars to shame. The other two girls were quite the talkers, but she had a sexy, quiet way about her, speaking only when necessary. This caused her to have a mysterious, but very attractive way about her. I couldn't help but be drawn toward her. Her name was Louise. The three girls each had a parent that worked at the same factory as my father.<br />
I tried to win them stuffed animals, but as always, the girls ended up winning their own. Then they wanted to ride the rides. I guess I made a fine target on the Bumper Cars. Next, after giving it considerable thought, they decided to go for a ride on the Roller Coaster! That drop down the first hill was a doozy! They took turns riding with me. I never knew girls could snuggle so tightly as each screamed and I wrapped my arms around them. Riding with a different girl each time, as I recall I rode the Coaster nine times in a row!!! The Merry-Go-Round was a much more peaceful ride.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-90700979794953689622012-03-30T13:38:00.002-07:002012-03-30T14:52:38.162-07:00SWING LIVELY!!Besides being in all the Plays, and Variety Shows and All, I was at a School dance my Junior year, and they had somehow gotten one of the Stars from a television show called, "Swing Lively" to D.J. our dance. Swing Lively was taped in Lansing in the Channel Six News Room. MoTown in Detroit was BIG at the time and not that far from Lansing. It was very similar to "American Bandstand." Swing Lively managed to get most of the Stars from MoTown Records to come. You must remember this was during the 66/67 school year, quite a while back. The Big Acts came to Lansing to sing on the show.<br />
I was dancing when Jay Stern called me over to him. He liked the way I danced and asked me if I'd like to be a dancer on his show? I was excited! He gave me a pass and said it would get me and one girl in every week.<br />
Swing Lively had Jay Stern and Dennis Day as host. It was sponsered by Yankee Department Stores (Owned by Debbie Reynolds). It was a syndicated show that was on in quite a few states. We'd show up for the dancer's meeting and the taping on Thursday nights and watch ourselves on television Saturday afternoons. They had singers such as Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, The Supremes, Ike and Tina Turner, etc.<br />
We didn't get to dance while they sang. They'd go in and tape their singing. I guess they didn't want distractions. After they sang, we,d be allowed in and dance to their music while those big, old style, t.v. cameras bumped us around as they taped us. Afterwards, we'd get to meet and visit with the singers.<br />
One night during the Dancer's Meeting Jay told me to shorten my sideburns. I told him I was growing them out for a play I was in, but he said they had to go. So I quit.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-76581246924846573342012-03-29T12:00:00.000-07:002012-03-29T12:00:29.756-07:00PLAYING WARI know this has little to do with my beginning life with girls, but it's a story involving David and me that I believe needs to be told. As young boys there were many war shows on the t.v. depicting WW11. And the neighbor boys and I would split up into teams and play war. We started out by shooting each other with toy guns and rifles, We would pretend we were hit, fall dead, count to ten, and jump up and continue playing.<br />
Then we got the idea to make it look more realistic we'd go out into the field and get dried clumps of dirt and throw them at each other. If they landed close they would turn into a bomb of dust. I don't know who had the original idea, it could even have been me, but I really don't feel right blaming this next idea on David. We walked into the pony lot, and as you may or may not be aware of, horse manure is round or oval and fist sized.<br />
From all the neighbor boys going out of state at one time or another, we had a near endless supply of those little, zebra and black Cat firecrackers. We walked around the pony lot looking for just right horse manure. We wanted it dry and crusty on the outside (so it wasn't messy to handle) and still nice and mushy on the inside. Then we'd bore one of those little firecrackers into its side. Walla! We had invented the horse shit hand-grenade!!! The idea was to light the fuse, throwing it over the other teams head before exploding. They were quite short fuses and on occassion one would blow up in our hands before we could let go.<br />
We were laughing, and exploding horse shit hand-grenades when my mother came out of the house to see what all the comotion was about. That was the end of horse shit hand-grenades. How green the grass grew, and how thick and plush it stayed.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-70352202153452622612012-03-28T18:54:00.000-07:002012-03-28T18:54:05.477-07:00Hopelessly Homely MeIt seems like lots of teenagers go through a period of low self-esteem at one point in their lives. I certainly was no exception. Every time I looked in a mirror, I began picking myself apart. My nose was too big. My lips were to big. I had zits on my face. My ears were too small, my hair was ugly, and I had a dimple on my chin.<br />
My low self-esteem lasted for several years and held me back from having relationships with girls, other than friendships. Afterall, who would want to go with the looks of me? My girlfriend broke up with me, and little did I know, my Texas girl was living within five or six miles of me.<br />
So it must have been around the tenth grade I went back to being a homely, but very dedicated farm boy, and during the winter I tried to play basketball. To tell the truth, I was better at pitching cow manure. The fast turns and pivots in basketball caused my knees to dislocate (Very Painful). And I found myself spending most of the winter on crutches. The following year, during practice before the first game, I jumped up while trying to intercept a pass and went over backwards with all my weight coming down on my wright wrist, breaking it up really bad.<br />
After that year I gave up basketball and ran track. Then I became involved in all the Senior, All School Plays, Junior Play,and managed to land the lead parts, Suddenly, I became very popular and didn't really know how to handle the girls actually chasing after me. I even wrote and directed the Varsity Club Variety Shows and played guitar in several Garage Type Bands. The problem was, I was over-doing and soon began having Severe Migrains. One complete side of me would go numb and then the blood vessels would open suddenly causing horrible pain for hours and hours. Mom took me to a Nerologist and I was pleased to find out it wasn't a brain tumor.My mentally impaired sister's room was next to mine. She talked to imaginary friends all night and sometimes she would scream, "Roger! There's a man in my room!!!!" She was going through a very difficult time, and the lack of sleep only added to my agony.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6188047219291642572.post-32234706090967151352012-03-25T13:32:00.001-07:002012-03-25T13:43:40.191-07:00The Worse BoyfriendThe rest of the summer past by quickly. I didn't make it to the lake. As before, I spent every afternoon at my girlfriend's house, in the livingroom, watching Soap Operas, sitting on the couch, and holding hands.Toward the end of summer, I guess my girlfriend had enough. Our relationship was going no place, and one afternoon she broke up with me.<br />
I was crushed! I hopped on my Honda and went straight to Lacey Lake. I knocked on my Texas Girls door, but no answer. One of the girls at the lake told me they had left back for Texas a few days before. With my head hanging low, I drove my little motorcycle back home.<br />
It was a long, cold, winter,but when the weather began to warm up, I rode my Honda back to the lake, only to find a gate across the Resort drive with a no trespassing sign attached to it. They had closed the Resort and I had no way to see if my Texas Girl was back,or not. Thus ended my experience with my first two girls. Sadly, the thing I failed to realize was my Texas Girl and her family had moved to Michigan to a near by town.Journey's Told By Rogerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189688959286649391noreply@blogger.com1