ROSEBUD, Missouri
After Sappington, there was another place we lived near St. Louis called Rosebud. It was west of St. Louis on Highway 50. We must have lived there for at least a year. My memories are a little vague of that place because I don’t think we lived there very long. I remember the driveway was graded, and lead down hill from a highway (I’ll bet it was Hwy. 50) to the house. The house was a two-story white stucco with a carved front door way out in the country. It also had light colored hard wood floors. There was a huge oak tree several yards from the house. Its branches dipped down almost to the ground. Anne and I made that our play house, and I remember drawing the parameters in the dirt with a stick.
We acquired Fannie while we lived there. She was a medium sized, short haired, reddish puppy. I remember that right after we moved in that house, there was a big storm with lightening and lots of rain. Dad got up in the middle of the night to check on us, and I think Fannie had left a pile on the floor. Dad burst into a string of profanities and then I heard him smacking her with a newspaper and poor Fannie howling and yelping. I think he threw her out in the storm. She was the first dog we had, and we had her for about 13 years. I don’t ever remember her having an accident ever again.
Joanie had to ride the bus to school, and Mom said she didn’t like it at all. I think there was a road back behind the house where she caught the bus. While Joanie was at school, we had time to play in our “play house”, and/or help mom out. One time, Anne and I decided to cook something while Mom was upstairs. We got coffee grounds, and carrot peels and mixed it with some oatmeal in a coffee can we found on the sink. When Mom came down she found us in the kitchen with that can full of, uh…..stuff just stirring it. I think we were going to take it to playhouse under the oak tree.
Going to church……Well, I know we went, but I don’t remember anything about it except getting ready to go and getting in the car. I’m pretty sure Mom smocked our little dresses (Mine was green.), and Joanie, Anne and I had the exact same shoes, white Mary Jane’s with crepe soles.
Uncle Jack and Aunt Pat came to visit us. I think they’d picked up a new ambulance to take back to Fort Worth, and they stopped to see us on that trip. Mom didn’t want me to get near Aunt Pat, because she was pregnant with Trey, and I think I had the measles. She was cooking a ham and lima beans, and I remember that because the smell just really made me sick. I guess it was because I was sick anyway.
Mom and Dad were going out one night. I think they were going dancing. Mom wore a black, gray and white taffeta dress. It was a large plaid or checkered pattern. She wore a perfume called Straw Hat by Faberge, so I’m guessing it was summer, and they were going out to celebrate their anniversary in July. Her perfume in the winter was Tweed. Looking that one up, I’ve found that it was Tweed Green Irish by Creed. Mom also had a turquoise and brown tweed suit that she wore in the winter. And of course, she wore the Tweed perfume with that. Hmmm….. Interesting that I should remember that.
There was a huge yard (field) in front of the house to play in. One day, while we were out in the front yard, Joanie and Anne and I saw a man with a suit case standing by the highway up at the end of the driveway. We took that as our cue to go investigate the poor man. In stead of being friendly, he sort of looked perplexed that we were standing there asking him questions. Thinking about it now, I can see why he was annoyed with having three little girls right there with him. First of all, we were interfering with him getting a ride. He did have his thumb stuck out, but we didn’t know why. Second, I’ll bet we made him very nervous. What if he were accused of harming or trying to kidnap us? He kept telling us to “Scram!”….”Git!”…….”Beat it!!!” Poor guy……………..
One day while Joanie was at school, Anne and I decided to clean the tables in the living room for Mom. She was most probably upstairs tending to Joe and Claire. I got the Bab-O (scouring powder with bleach) and started cleaning all of the mahogany tables in the living room. Actually, I don’t know if Anne was in on that with me or not, but I didn’t understand why I got in trouble for that. Most of the time, we were together.
We must have lived there for at least a year. We stayed long enough that I remember a big snow fall, and Mom trudging out the back door to feed the little straggling sparrows that were hopping around looking for food. I don’t know if Mom and Dad were actually buying that house or leasing with an option to buy. At any rate, it had been decided that we’d move back to Fort Worth. Some people came over to have a look at the house, and while Mom was trying to talk to them and show the house Anne and I decided to jump on the couch and run wildly all over the house. Anne was in on this one. We both got in trouble after the people left. Mom made us sit on the couch with our hands together while she walked the couple out the door. I knew that the switch was in the draw of the little oval drop-leaf table, and I went over and got it and broke it up in to little pieces. Well, that certainly didn’t improve Mom’s mood. She just went out and got a bigger one.
After that, we moved back to Fort Worth. I had the chicken pox, so I came down with Dad on the train while everyone else came down with Mom.
