10. At Home Again, 1967-69

At Home Again  1967-69

          On the way home from Mexico we stopped at the Grand Canyon and other scenic places so the children could see some beautiful places in their own country.

          We brought Tippy and her puppies back home with us, of course, and our neighbors were delighted to see us return. Here is Maxine talking to Minnie and the children and admiring Tippy's puppies.

        The summer ended and the regular routine of life began once again. After breakfast the children each had their chores to do as well as getting ready to go to school. Here Jeannine and Lolly are putting together the lunches that their Mom had planned. Notice the children's pictures that Minnie had hung on the wall and the simple white curtains that were light and added to the pleasantness of the house.
 
          All six of the family went to school and had exciting stories to tell the family at supper time. They all did well and they all worked hard. Minnie really enjoyed the years at Long Beach City College. It was intellectually stimulating and she enjoyed the social contact, especially with other young mothers.

          No matter how busy she was, Minnie always managed to fix a pleasant evening meal and we all enjoyed the relaxed conversation around the dinner table. We usually had the family Bible reading and prayer right after supper and then did the dishes after that. The children played or read or did homework. We had television only on Friday evening and the week-end. Before going to bed we read together as a family. In 1967 we read “Oliver Twist,” “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, “ Rock of Freedom: The Story of the Plymouth Colony, and “The Last Battle” by C.S. Lewis.
The children helped on Saturdays, too, of course. Here are Lolly and Billy painting the back yard fence—and it sure needed it!

        And we went to church and Sunday School every week and celebrated holidays when they came. December was marred by Billy needing to be hospitalized for asthma but his stay was short and he was soon better.

          And the children always loved the excitement of preparations for Christmas. Here they are decorating Christmas cookies the way they did every year. They were so accustomed to their Mom cooking and teaching them to bake and enjoy what they made.
         1967 was the Year of the Kilts in our family. I loved things Scottish and so did Minnie. So she made a kilt for herself and for both girls.

Argentina Summer 1968
        Summer of 1968 I had the opportunity to go to Argentina to teach illiterate Guarani Indians to read and write in Spanish. That meant Minnie would have the full responsibility of taking care of the house and the four children while I was gone, but she readily consented to that. It was a very unusual experience and all the family was very interested.