2000-04-22 - 21:47:29

April 22, 2000

Welded Wedding

Spent a good part of the day, running around doing last minute things for tomorrow's Easter bash. We started out this morning, the forecast had been rain in the afternoon. On our way, hither and tither (have to look tither up, is that on the same page as whelmed and couth ?) to go on, we had moments of almost awe and certainly admiration for the wonderful show of blooms in the fruit and ornamental trees. Much more profuse, big and beautiful than in my memory of years past.

Heather said, "Look, the Lilacs are beginning to show." My mind wandered back through the years to when I was courting her during this time of year. She, an eighteen year old, a very shy and protected girl. Myself, still wet behind the ears, newly twenty two years old. She baby sat for my best friend, he was a man a bit older than me and one who had a great deal to do with who I am now.

I was what they called a patrolman at the freight house, which in reality had nothing to do with law enforcement but was a combination messenger boy and seal checker on the boxcars in the yard. My duties took me to the yard office frequently with various papers to deliver there. The first few times there I could see the twinkle in his eyes and good solid common sense in his reaction to the events of the World. I began to arrange my duty to be able to spend some time there talking to him. He was quite philosophical and had a very interesting way to look at things.

He was married with two babies and lived two doors away from the people who parented my wife to be. I met this girl, Heather her name was, a time or two when I came out to his house and Bill and his wife had just arrived home and Heather had not left yet from baby sitting their kids. Right away she was tops in my book, because she loved those two babies as much as I did.

Time passed as it has a habit of doing when your back is turned. My life around the wartime railroad, hers around her work and babysitting. She got out of school in January but would go back in June to attend Graduation. She got a job with the Immigration and Naturalization Department and was still mulling over becoming a WAC.

A man Bill and I worked with, a very nice and gentle person did not have a ? girl friend then, now called a Significant Other, beside the point I guess. Men sometimes try to hook up other men with nice ladies too. Bet you ladies didn't know that.

There was a roller skating party brewing at the freight house and yard office. Our friend wanted to go but didn't have anyone to ask, Bill told him that his babysitter was a roller skater, a pretty girl with nice manners. My ears perked up on hearing that because I ice skated a lot during the winters and roller skated during the warm season and the only girl I had ever skated with was my girl cousin. I already had a date for the party and it was arranged between Bill and our friend for him to take the babysitter to the skating party.

Three days before the party my date to be got sick, flu I think it was or maybe she couldn't skate ? called me and told me she couldn't go. I stagged to the party, no big deal as I was used to stagging and went skating for the ppure fun in it. As the night went on I noticed that our friend was suffering a severe case of the pathetic bashfuls and wasn't being the date he should be. The time wobbled on until we were leaving the party and our friend asked us if we would take his date home. On the way home we stopped at a new drive in and had burgers and cokes, etc., and conversation. The more time went on the more I was attracted to this pretty, courteous young lady who obviously could skate circles around me. I could skate faster than her and I was a good "circler," I admired her fancy skating, twirling and skate dancing. Seeing that bashful friend wasn't going to pursue the lady, I determined that a try would be made by me. I did everything from fence walking to doing other crazy things trying gain her attention and good grace. That night I was smitten, permanently and forever.

Not long after the party we began dating, as I worked nights at the railroad dating was out except for my days off. Soon we began to spend more and more time with each other on each date. Cloud nine was my abode, I was deeply in love for the first time. The difference between puppy love I felt before and this was so great I couldn't describe it. We would go on a date downtown and ride the bus to her house and would sit around hip to hip at her house talking softly and being on the way to a much closer relationship. Most every time I would be there until the last bus had left and I would walk five miles home on the stirring strains of Viennese waltz in my head.

About the time of year it is now, I made the grade at the freight house and became a clerk with a raise in wages to I think, it was four dollars and sixty five cents a day. Thinking back it is hard to realize the scale of wages then, and what that money could buy. Our romance was blooming as the whole beautiful world was then. There was a point in time when the lilacs began to show, our love affair got serious. All our spare time was together, arms around each other. I never will forget the time that we were at a roller skating rink and we were engaged in billing and cooing. She could coo better than me and I could bill up a storm. I guess it was decided amongst the the powers at the rink that our display of closeness was a bit above and beyond what they would allow. Even then that amazed me and still does today, anyway they didn't like our closeness unless we were skating together. Heather was embarrassed to tears and shortly after that we left the rink and I took her home.

We began to make plans and my acquaintanceship with her family prospered.

I began to wonder how my Dad would take it, I knew my Mom would handle it well but was a bit leery of Dad's reaction. I finally got my nerve up and met him for lunch at a restaurant near his work and in the course of conversation I gradually led our talk in the desired direction. I said, "Dad, you have never met this girl, but she is the one I want to marry and live with for the rest of my life and I want your blessing." It surprised me greatly how much the old man had learned since I was twelve. The blessing was graciously and kindly given.

The plans proceeded gaily, the engagement and wedding ring was purchased. The wedding plans made, the church arranged for, the date was set. We began to hunt an apartment. During wartime, whatever you wanted was either impossible to obtain or a substitute was required. We finally found a little upstairs apartment at a house in a nice blue collar neighborhood, a quiet and peaceful part of town. The Lilacs were blooming immensely their perfume wafting almost everywhere. Denver was Lilac town then closely accompanied with the Snowball bushes a little later in the season. I managed to stay glued together for the ceremony in late June, but it was a great effort on my part. I didn't want to flee but felt that I would be overcome by the ceremony. Our wedding presents were things that could be obtained during wartime. Like eighteen sets of pitcher and glasses. Our silver set was silver alright, but not matching. We hardly noticed.

Heather's brother, using hoarded, rationed gasolene took us up to Apex, an old ghost town north of Central City, Colorado. It was not only a ghost town, but the few mines near it had closed during war time. We were alone, alone, alone for one whole glorious week to become used to thinking as one and acting accordingly.

Gently I close the curtains on this scene, because there are things just between Heather and I. We did of course have a wonderful honeymoon.

While we were out this afternoon, it started to rain as forecast and got pretty heavy for awhile and then it stopped raining as we left Costco with the final goodies for tomorrow. On the way home the Lilacs were much more obvious seeming to have come almost into full bloom. Reveries for us both. My love blooms again for this marvelous wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. One thing saddened us, there has always been a hedge (untrimmed) of Lilacs along the northwest and northeast corner of Lowry Field, but since the military pulled out and the developers have taken over, the bushes are stunted and barely showing the color. Life goes on, and so do we. It was grand to live our young life over again in memories today.

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