Happy Trails

Remember "Happy Trails To You"?

I do. Fond memories come to me whenever I hear that song.

Dale and Roy riding into the Sunset.

Happy Endings!

Black Hat, Loser or Bad Guy.

White Hat, The Winner and Good Guy.

Nelly Bell the Jeep?

Pat the Silly Comic Relief? Yep....I remember.

Saturday Morning cartoons.

What About My Maypo? Wheaties, Breakfast of Champions!

There Is Always Room for Jello!

HEY Koolaid!!!!

It's Shake N Bake, and I helped!

SKY KING!

My Friend Flicka!

Nelly Bell was always tempermental, but started when
the Chips were Down!

Sky King flew that Plane everywhere...and it was a
child's dream...freedom and escape.

Even when Flicka got caught in the Fence, she
survived and came back stronger than ever!
(Was it Flicka or Fury? My memory is a bit blurry)

I grew up watching early Television. We would go to
the neighbors on Friday nights until we could save
up enough money to finally buy our own TV. We were
the last ones in the neighborhood to aquire one of
our own. I often wonder if Mom and Dad bought it
after all the folks said we couldn't come over
anymore.

My Dad worked 2 jobs to make the bills. He worked
Construction and Ran a Milk Route. I can still
remember the mornings when my brothers and I could
go on the route with him. Mom used the leverage of
being good to work as a reward. The best child of us
three got to go on the route on Saturday morning
with Dad. I can still smell the fragrance of that
Creamery where Dad would unload the fresh milk in
the metal cans.

As our reward for being good, there were always
cheese sandwiches and small bottles of chocolate milk.
I can almost taste those treats now when I think
about it.

The cost of those treats had to be minimal. Mom
packed the cheese sandwiches and dad splurged
for the chocolate milks. Sometimes he would take
all three of us along, mostly to give Mom a break
I think.

How well I understand that now having raised 3 daughters
of my own, and now seeing my own Daughters raising their
own children.

Were we poor? My Dad never thought so. He started working 2 jobs
then 3 to make ends meet. Mom even pitched in washing Dishes
in the local eatery till her hands became infected from a
reaction to the strong soap they used. She later went back
to School and got her teaching degree.

As far as I know, Dad and Mom never asked nor accepted financial
backing. They were strong and stubborn on that count. I do
remember Mom saying that her folks helped to finance her going
back to College. She always felt badly about not paying that
debt back. My Grandparents were investing in her future, they
never expected payback.

My parents moved to Missouri in February of 1950. They wanted
a new start and a home of their own. My Dad's parents were
going down to purchase land there. Dad's little brother was
there also, so Dad felt the pull to a new land and owning
his own place. I know the places were selling dirt cheap then
because that is about all they were worth, cheap dirt!
I still look back at what Mom accomplished as such a young Mom
moving so far from her own parents to let my Dad have his Dream.
I do wish I had talked to her and Dad more about those days.
I found some stories Mom had written about those times, but not
nearly enough. Dad said he had gotten rid of some of her work,
not sure to this day why. I am not sure if he didn't like the
things she was writing, or just thought it was clutter and
no longer needed. I would give my Eye Teeth to have those
stories back. Now with my own interests in writing, it would
be like Gold to be able to read more about those days of old,
back when I was only a twinkle in my Dad's Eyes!

I forgot to mention when I was writing of Mom and her courage
that she was Eight Months Pregnant with me at the time they
went. My older brother Jim was just two years old. My brother
George came along only three short years later. What a Busy
Lady! With Dad gone so much, she was really a Pioneer of
sorts.

I had some of the best times of my life on that small, dusty,
poor crops land. I don't think Dad ever got a decent crop,
but he was sure proud of the crops he did get!

Mom told me several times that she really enjoyed being on
that place. There was no indoor bathroom, but we had running
water soon after we moved in. They added a nice kitchen when
I was old enough to remember it....so about 4 or so years
after the move. I remember those cabinets. They had sliding
mottled glass doors. They were quite the style for those
days. The cabinets themselves were white and had silver
trim on the front.

Mom also said that her father in law had quite the fun
with her being so green in the country. She had grown
up in the shelter of her parents very small Country Store.
She was more of a townie than a country...so he did not
have to try all that hard to fool her.

I will write more of that later on.

Most of what I remember of those years is brought back
by looking at pictures from my Grandma's photo album.

I am not sure why I did not ask more about that sort
of thing when I could still get the answers from Mom.
Guess I was so busy with raising my own three girls,
I did not think about that sort of thing. Then I waited
too long and most of that is lost to me now.

When Mom died, I found pictures upon pictures that I had
never known they had. There are family members and friends
there that I will never know the names of because I did not
think to ask when it should have been done.

I have been enjoying this meandering in the past. It makes
the present much more precious. I will do my best to keep
better records so that if and when my family asks, I will
be able to tell them about the "Happy Trails" of my youth.

Hug yourself now, and have a good night!

Katie