We Are Family...No Matter What!

Life Was Good...

2012-05-17T08:42:00.003-07:00

    Life was good. I wish we knew how much life would change. How when your young all you have to do is go to school and learn life's lessons and just be a kid. Be a kid. I knew what that was supposed to be like but it seemed to be slipping away.
    The kids role in our house was changing, well the older kids roles were. Barb and I were in charge more of the house. We had certain rooms to clean living room and dining room were rotated and the kitchen was whose ever mom made do it. Mostly mine or it just didn't get done.
    On Saturday we would go to the grocery store and she was praised at how well her kids behaved themselves in the store. All of us knew our place. You talked when spoken to and smiled cute when talked to and always said please and thank you. Mom always had 5 kids with her.
   Then we had to carry it all in and help put it away.
    I hated doing dishes, it seemed like nobody would finish the dishes and we would just keep using them until there weren't anymore in the cupboard. The water would sit for days sometimes and when you stuck your hand in to get the dish cloth, the water was so gross that it was slimy and that got all over your hand. SO NOBODY wanted to drain it. GROSS!!!  We started getting Cockroaches. The house was getting dirtier. The clothes were starting to pile up, we always had clean clothes. They just didn't smell as nice as other peoples did. I couldn't figure out why.
    I HATED doing dishes and to this day I hate them and I have a dishwasher.We weren't very good at being in charge I was only 9 and Barb was 11.
    Saturday was deep cleaning day and we would sweep and mop the floors and wash the walls and the doors. Linda was still coming over to help.
    The bunk beds were gone and mom and dad gave us their double bed now we had two. Carol slept in one with Tammy and Barb had her own single bed and I shared one with Lori. At night we had a hard time getting Lori to go to sleep. So we would sing to her. One night we made up our own, the words were: GO TO SLEEP DEAR LORI... GO TO SLEEP REAL SOON ..GO TO SLEEP DEAR LORI ..CUZ MOMMY'S ON THE MOON...THE MOON DOES NOT HAVE BABIES..THE MOON IS MADE OF GOLD...EARTH IS THE PLACE FOR BABIES...WITH PARENTS AND A HOME. We thought it was great and Lori loved it because she didn't know any better.
    It was a hit, we sang it to her every night. When we weren't singing or me in the corner we would ask mom to sing to us. I loved her voice. I can only remember certain lines of the songs she sang. She did sing things like...Jesus Loves Me This I Know ...Michael Row Your Boat A Shore ..Someones In The Kitchen With Dinah, Zachius, Amazing Grace, I'm Sorry, D..i..v..o..r..c..e.., A mother went out to a party....and if we didn't go to sleep she would just keep singing from her room and when she was tired she would say OK one more song. We knew one more would be mostly 3 more, she loved singing to us as much as we loved her singing. She also said our prayers with us, she would start them and we would jump in and add stuff or remember someone somebody forgot. And morning would come.
    Connie and her mom Louise lived next door to us in the duplex. I loved Connie she had beautiful blond hair and she was carefree and fun. I would go to her house and she would bring her radio on the porch and sometimes her phonograph and she would play the "BEATLES" she told me there were four of them..Ringo..Paul ..John.. and George. Ringo was the drummer. She said Paul was the best. Linda liked the Beatles as well, but not like Connie. When ever Tim was around Connie would smile lots more that normal, later I figured out that she liked him. And a couple of years ago Connie told me that my brother had saved her from an attack, and he was her hero. He was always mine too.
    Connie was so much fun to be around. We would dance like crazy I learned how to do the Jerk, Belly Roll and another dance too I can't remember the name but Connie called it dirty dancing, I loved it. Louise, Connie's mom sold Avon and mom bought Avon nail polish called Fireworks and there were all different colors, ones you see today but would never dream of wearing then.Mom did.
     Louise had a dog that was going to deliver puppies," Jeannie run home and ask your mom if you and Carol can watch the dog have her puppies. you can only watch if your mom says yes", so I ran next door and asked, I was excited " Mom, Louise said we could watch the puppies be born if you say so, so can we? Please?", " I don't care" her favorite words." Just don't touch them and if Louise tells you it's time to go you do it.". I ran out the door. She let us in the back door, the dog was in a box in the kitchen. There was blood in there. I started to get anxious. One Puppy, two puppies, three, she was getting tired, poor mama dog, I felt sorry for her she kept getting up and moving around trying to get comfortable. Also trying to keep her babies close and then another this time it seemed to be harder for her and the babies was born lighter, the others were a very pretty brown, more milk chocolate but this one was lighter. Mama pushed it away she wouldn't let her be with the rest of the litter, " Louise the mama dog is being mean to the new baby", I said, "There must be something wrong with it, when a mama animal rejects a baby there is something wrong." I got it. "SO how will it live?" I asked and then I heard a crunching noise and I looked in the box and started to cry," Louise she's eating her baby!! Why? why would she do that, help her." Louise was such a quiet soul, she took me aside," Jeannie, that's what they do when there is something wrong, a good mama will eat her baby instead of letting it just die, do you understand?" " I think so", I replied. but I don't think I really did. Carol just sat there and watched..not a word from her lips she was just amazed or horrified. I was so sad she moved. First Connie left and then Louise did. I missed them for years.
       Debbie, my cousin was starting to get into trouble all the time. Debbie's mom used to make her go to the store and steal cigarettes for her when she didn't have any money, Debbie was one of three kids, and the oldest, she was 2 years older than me. Debbie was Barbs age. Robin, Debbie's sister was Carols age and Jeff her only brother was Tommy's age but they aren't born yet.
    Debbie was always more like my sister than my cousin and even lived with us many times over the years. I had so much fun with Debbie when we were young. I could spend the night at her house when her mom worked and we would dress up in lace curtains and make dresses out of them and I would wear Audrey's beautiful high heels. we would put on her make up and the the fun would begin. I didn't use her perfume though it was called Chantilly and she poured it i the tub and washed her hair with it I just couldn't stand it anymore.
   I was Crystal Ball and I was a lounge singer, we would put on Audrey's phonograph and play Doris Day albums, Nancy Sinatra, Leslie Gore and a few more and we would sing our hearts out. We would pretend we were adults living on our own and our pop was champagne and made tiny sandwiches, we had such imaginations. Sometimes we played Batman and Debbie was Batman's girlfriend and I got Robin, I didn't care I liked Robin better. Then Batman wasn't Michael Keaton or George Clooney, It was Adam West. Yes an OK Batman for the time I guess, but not for me.
    We would also play Star Trek and she would get Capt. Kirk, I was totally fine with that. Still don't like him today, but I liked Scotty. We just had so much fun acting and pretending. Going swimming at Lake Calhoun was also always fun. Debbie would always get cold and want to leave, but they only lived 4 or 5 blocks from there so it was OK. We always went back. Audrey lived in the upper floor of a duplex and some young guys had lived in the bottom. We would spy on them or play pranks on them, like water balloons from the attic and knocking on the door and running, they finally moved.
   That was the last year I had so much freedom, then it was like Jeannie C, Riley would sing,( and I would blast when I cleaned,) " it was work Jeannie, work Jeannie,work Jeannie work, the hard times had just begun" I couldn't have written a more appropriate song for myself.Oh Yeah, MOM WAS PREGNANT AGAIN!!!!

More Memories

2012-05-04T10:27:00.001-07:00

   Christmas was always fun at our house. Mom and dad made sure we had presents even if they had to go to a loan company, We may not have had lots but we got the things we wanted most.
   They went once to a place called Getten Finance it was family owned and they asked them a few questions, their credit wasn't the best. They were buying the house on a Contract for Deed. The Getten's were very trustworthy and gave them the loan, mom was late a few times but they always paid it in full on time. After that if they needed any money they went to Bob Getten. Mom and dad paid for almost everything with cash.
Mom hated balancing her checkbook so she would make me run into Northwestern Bell and pay the phone bill, downtown. Or the Minneapolis Public Works building for the water, Minneagaso was also downtown and we paid that at the window as well. Oh and I can't forget Northern States Power, needed electricity. Mom didn't keep the house cleaned very well anymore. The kids would take their clothes off and throw them on the floor. Mom was a smoker and half the time she didn't use an ashtray, she would use a pop bottle to put it out and would let the ashes fall on her and the floor.
   It was embarrassing to return the bottles to the store like that. She didn't go buy them so she didn't care. Ann would get them all.
   We had Sunday Night at the Movies, we all had to sit and watch whatever was on. Monday Night at the Movies, again we had to watch with mom, I think back then we thought it was like a punishment, but it was really away to keep us together. After the movie we had to discuss what had happened and if we liked the movie or not. We watched The Wizard of Oz, Helen Keller, Cinderella, I will never forget seeing Leslie Ann Warren she was so beautiful, and Stuart Damon who could ever forget his eyes and his voice. Not me. We watched all the old westerns on Saturday and Sunday. Mom made us watch Shirley Temple movies. The most important night for us was with our dad, we had to watch WWF.
   After the show Barb and I would wrestle and she would try out the moves and I could hardly ever get out of them. It wasn't funny. We would star  out having fun and then it would be hurtful. Barb would get me in a figure 4 lock with our legs and OMG did that hurt. Barb would squeeze harder and harder until I either gave up and said "UNCLE" for her or I would cry because I was tired of saying uncle.
Some days we just had fun, but it all depended on what kind of mood Barb was in.
  Some times at night when we would go to sleep we would talk and giggle like most kids do.
" Jeannie shut up!!" my dad would yell. We had wallpaper on the wall that was peeling and I would try to make images out of it, like elephants and such. Barb would make scary faces at me and would hang over the side of the top bunk and make herself look witchy, I was such a big chicken, I was scared of almost everything.
  " It's not me dad, Barb is talking too" I would defend myself. "One more word out of you and you have to go in the corner. Now shut up." He would say. Barb would lean over her side of the bed, we had bunk beds, and she would make a bunch of spit and let it hang out of her mouth until it dripped on me, and then she would lay back down and laugh." Knock it off Barb that is so gross!!" I would get mad and say. " In the corner Jeannie" dad, would yell.
    I would try to plead my case as I climbed out of bed to stand in the corner. I needed to defend myself and tell what Barbie had done but to no avail. " If you don't stop talking you'll stand there all night." I just silently cried to myself. It didn't matter I was going to stand there until he told me to get out. SO I stood. Then I heard him snore."Dad, you fell asleep can I get out now?" " I said I would tell you.And not until" he said, " But..." " But nothing be QUIET!!" So again I shut up. He snored I woke him up, I stood there sometimes until 2 in the morning when he would realize I was still there. You would think I would have been smart enough to just climb in bed, but oh no ..not me.
   I would watch TV shows like Gidget and the Patty Duke show, My 3 Sons and the Monroe's, Big Valley, Gunsmoke, Wagon Train. I could just go on and on. Not all in the order, I don't remember the years they came out, just that we watched them as a family. That was our together time, if we weren't at our cousins houses visiting.
   I remember the first boy I admitted liking his name was Steve Benedict, he was so cute. I would give him notes, " I like you do you like me? Circle yes or no" I'm sure he was embarrassed, but I wasn't. Steve's sister would bring the notes back and forth.
   I wanted to try out for the school play of the Wizard of Oz, I didn't want to be Dorothy I wanted to Glenda the good witch, I got the role as yup, the Wicked Witch..ROFL..of the West even. I went home so sad, why the ugly mean old witch, I was determined I was going to quit, there was still plenty of time to find someone else.
   I told my mom and she was so proud of me, " Jeannie don't you know that your teacher picked you for that role because it wasn't an easy one. She knew you could do it. How hard is it for a pretty little girl who is so soft and gentle to play the part of an ugly, mean witch?, I am so proud of you Jeannie, but if you think you can't do it then you should quit, and tell the teacher right away because you don't want to let everyone down." Mom was right, she was most of the time even if I didn't like it. Not that I thought I was pretty or special in any way, I was always reminded that I was just the plain girl. I was so disappointed when the teacher made Wendy, Glenda, but she was pretty, had blond hair and blue eyes, When you looked at you thought Glenda, I didn't care who Dorothy was and really don't even remember to this day. I guess I was what I was, I couldn't change things.
The play was a hit and melted on cue, right down in to my large black skirt and when the curtains closed I got up and ran out. The water was silver confetti.
   I couldn't wait for the next play, maybe then I could get the part I wanted. I did! The Carpenter and His Wife. Danny Steven was the carpenter and I was his wife. There was a part in the end when he had to kiss me, it was supposed to be on the cheek but he went for the lips, it shocked me because we didn't rehearse it that way. Just as his lips touched mine I heard," That's my sister, Hi Jeannie!!" I looked over and it was Carol waving to me, she was in First Grade. I just smiled and the curtain closed. That was the last play I did. I was starting to not like school anymore. I didn't see Tammy, she was in Kindergarten that year. I had to walk them home all the time.
   Mom had promised me a Barbie that had hair dye, for Christmas if I walked the kids to school and picked them up, she never let us go do anything alone, because of the man in the trench coat last year.  Carol was in Kindergarten. Today we laugh and tell Carol it's why she is so perverted.
    When Barb, Carol and I would walk home sometimes we would go down 29th ave and cut through the yard next to the Grundun's yard, we couldn't go through theirs because the Mr. Grundun was too mean and yelled at us all the time. Barb would mouth off at him and make him chase us.
     This one afternoon , it was about 3:45pm a guy was walking towards us, " Be careful you guys this guy looks a little creepy," Barb said. I was walking next to Barb and we had Carol a couple of steps behind us. "Why do you think he's creepy Barbie?," I asked, " Look he looks like he doesn't have pants on, you can only see his shoes and socks." I then, saw why, it made me scared. " If I say run, run as fast as you can, and keep going until you get to our house." I was ready and as we got closer the man opened his coat and there he was stark naked, I had never seen a man's penis before,   " RUN!!! RUN!!!" Barb yelled. I ran so fast I could feel my heart beating in my chest, we got to the alley and Barb turned to see if he was following us," Jeannie where is Carol?", I turned and looked behind me.
     "Barb she was right behind my I swear," I answered. I thought she was. " We need to go back let's go get her!!" We ran back through the yard and there was Carol and the man still standing where we had left them, Carol's mouth was wide open and she was frozen, as was the man. " Grab her!" Barb yelled. I did and pulled her with me, she almost fell a couple of times, but we made it.
     We ran into the house,  Barb and I screaming to our mom, she made us stop and talk one at a time.
     When we got done my mom, 5'5 about 375# walked over to the telephone and called the 3rd precinct, " My name is Mary Ann Terwey, I have 3 daughters  that just got home from school and said there was a man in a trench coat exposing himself to anyone he comes across, I called to tell you I am grabbing a baseball bat and if I find the Son-of -a Bitch before you do I'll kill him. So you better find him first. 2616 30th ave so,but you won't find me here I'm leaving right now. The girls said he was heading to the school and that's where I am going." She hung up the phone told Barb to watch us until dad got home and tell him what happened. Then she was gone.
     Hours went by, dad decided to go find her, a few minutes later he came back with her. The police had found the guy going into the park and my mom was right there. They took her statement and our names. The police told her she could be assured he would be locked up because of how they found him, and that she should be proud of us girls. He would get some help.
    My mom, give her a bat and she would take on the biggest of men, she didn't care.

Seward School

2012-05-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

    I started Kindergarten when I was 4 in 1963 because I would turn 5 before Nov.5 that was the deadline then. When we moved to the new house I was in 2nd grade at Seward School. It was a large school and old, but it had lots of character. When they decided to rebuild and tear the old one down, we were still using the old building. That year Barb  and I were going to be in the school talent show and we sang " Going to the Chapel" Barb even  wore a  dress. We didn't win but it was really fun.
   I don't know when things started to go bad but there was still a lot  of  good things yet to come.
   I did not like being the new girl, I was so shy and such a nerd, thank God I liked to read. I met Kathy Grant she was a really nice girl, her grandma lived by the school. We became good friends, I would go to her house and pick her up so we could walk to school together. Her Grandmother would give us Honey with 4 oz. of Orange Juice,she reminded us that it would stop us from getting colds when everyone else got them. I remember thinking I wished it would stop strep throat, our family passed that to each other constantly and we got it bad!
    There were a  lots  of  kids in our neighborhood, and kids we already knew, imagine that Cedar Ave friends moved to the same neighborhood we were in.
    Penny, her mom was Rita, my mom went to school with her. The Mitchell's were 2 blocks from the school, Cindy, Linda's friend, I would go to school with her brother Craig. I think they all went to the Children's Gospel Mission like we did, and Kenny Gray.
    Anyway, we would have so much fun, going "Trick or Treating" sometimes we would meet and go together,Linda and Judy would walk with us so nothing would happen to us and then they'd go off to a party for themselves or have one of their own.
    Going to the store was also fun, Ann and Art were the owners of Ann's Grocery, She was an older lady with red hair and red lipstick and she was bigger, her husband was a smaller man, both very nice people. The store was never the same after they sold it.
   The Offerdahls lived across the street and Jan worked for Ann as a cashier, she had 2 sons that I remember, Carol had a crush on John. Then there was Monroe and all the girls had a crush on him, he was blond haired, they called him Punk, I guess that was a good name back then, he was always really nice to me when he was alone, but when he was with his friends, he lived up to his name.
    And then there were the Johnson's, we also knew them, Pid was the mom, Her son Bruce was Tim's friend, one from Cedar Ave.
    When we lived on Cedar Ave. us kids would play Army, I was an Army wife, my cousin Bobby was my husband who went off to war. Debbie was also an Army wife and Barb was her husband. LOL. If we had only knew. Anyway, we were playing Army and Bobby had to leave so I asked Bruce to take his place, Bruce was older I had a crush on him. He said yes just until he got home from the war. So I cleaned the pretend house and made a snack then I got a letter saying that my
husband would be home soon but they couldn't tell me when.
    I was 7 then it was right before we moved from Cedar Ave. I think Bruce was 11 maybe..well I was making the bed when Bruce came in and grabbed me from behind and tossed me on the bed, it scared me. He started tickling me," Honey I'm back now I can stay home, no more war, no more anything, just here to be your husband and that's all from now on forever," he said as he kept tickling me. I laughed and couldn't catch my breath," So are you now ready to start a family?, How many kids do you want?" I stopped laughing now. " I don't know what you want me to say we never played like that before.' I told him," Well what did you do? I have to leave soon," He said.
    "Well, when Bobby came home from the war he would just hug me and give me a quick kiss, we never talked about having babies" We probably didn't because we were only 7-10 years old.
      "So then he would kiss you and hold you huh?, Like this?," He put his arms around me and pulled me close to his body and kissed me a very long time.It was only the second time I felt a tongue on my mouth, Bruce was slowly trying to lick his lips because they were dry,as he was kissing me.
       Even at 7, I liked it. I had a funny feeling in my stomach. I learned what that was years later.
       I never told anyone but Tim and he said I shouldn't let anybody ever kiss me like that until I was an adult.
        Well, back to 30th Ave, Bruce also had a brother Kevin he was between Carol and I.
        And the Jewitts lived down farther and then on the corner was a crippled man named Barney.
        On the other side was Brad Brandt and later the Larsen's, and going towards the store was the Johnson's, Bob was another one that was really cute, but he wasn't so nice either. His family was large like ours. The Grundun's lived across the alley from us, A really Large woman Named Barb lived next to them and then the Clausen's and the Jarvis' lived on the corner behind us. Steve Stegura lived on the alley line. Steve's sister Patsy had a crush on Tim, he liked her for a little while. Across the street from them was Butch Straka, He wanted to be Elvis. And then the Benedicts were next to him. The Loges were across the street from the Jarvis' Family.
         When winter came we all met on the corner and had snowball fights. It was boys against the girls. Dang they threw those balls hard, Barb started making ones with ice in them so we could do some damage back, because we didn't touch them otherwise.
         I learned to ice skate at Seward Park that year, I took Carol, I was 9   and mom let me take her. I would get so mad at her because she didn't want to go halfway there, she was too cold. I made her go anyway. One time I let her wear my little girdle to hold up her socks, mom had bought me one so I could wear thigh highs, you had to wear them with nylons and thigh high socks.
       Carol went to school and pulled up her dress and said" Look I'm wearing Jeannie's Girdle" I was so embarrassed, but it was cute it had pink flowers all over it. It resembled  today's Boy Shorts underwear. That was my job, to walk Carol to school.
       Summer came and the weather was nothing like the year before. We picked up our books and stuff and moved in to the new Seward School and watched them tear down the old one. I really liked the old building , the new one didn't have windows in the classrooms. I did in the hallways. And on the doors.
     We were waiting by the doors to go in one afternoon, we also used to go home for lunch if we were walkers, kids who took the bus had to have lunch at school. So we had 45 minutes  to get home, eat and go back to school. On my way in Punk stopped me and cornered me up against the fence and asked me" Are you wearing that flowered girdle, your sister was wearing last week?"
     He grabbed the hem of my dress and was going to pull it up," NO!" I said as I grabbed his hand.
     He walked away laughing. I just went in, sighing. This was the beginning.
     In 3rd grade I was already developing, Then I was not allowed to go too many places unless supervised.
      The old man Barney, had crutches and he couldn't mow his own lawn , but he tired a few times. He didn't go to the store either, he hired neighbor kids to do it and shovel snow for him.
      As we got to know him  he took us to work with him. He was a  key maker and had a small shop on Lake Street and Chicago. Going to work with him was fun and he paid us a little bit.
     Across the street was an elderly black man named Mr. Harris, he was just old and didn't like walking to the corner store. He would pay us a nickle or dime to go for him. That was when you could get a little bag full of candy for a nickle. Mr. Harris told us stories about the "old days" when the business across from his house was a man made lake and that it had dried up, and the house that was on the corner across the street from him was an old lighthouse for barges on the river, the building had been turned into rented rooms. Linda rented a room from it for a little while, then it was caught on fire and they tore it down.
    Christmas was here and dad took me and Barb to find the perfect Christmas Tree. I would get so frustrated with him because he was so picky. It had to be 8 feet tall or larger he could cut it down, no bare spots at all.The branches had to be perfectly proportioned. It was annoying, and took FOREVER! When he finally found the right tree, he would sit it in water for 2 days and then he and only him would put the lights on. He would go through every light to make sure they would work as mom would hold them, she was enjoying herself, NOT. It was always so quiet until Linda got there.
    Tim would pop the popcorn and Barb got the cranberries in a bowl,I got the needles and thread and then we all sat and Linda and Mom would start singing," Away in the Manger" and "Silent Night" we could join in, they sang beautifully and they harmonized, I always ended up in tears because they said I sang off key, and maybe I did, I'm sure did but I was a kid. I don't want to sound like I'm feeling sorry for myself but it seemed like because I was such a sensitive soul I was an easy target to pick on. They called me Jeannie with the 10 pound weenie. I dunno, maybe I was just too touchy.
   Barb was Hertz and I was Avis always #2 and trying harder. That's what dad would say, and the commercial. Oh well. Number too wasn't last, or was it?

1966 a Tornado Hits The Neighborhood

2012-04-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

     It was nice to have a new house, mom and dad, had a small room upstairs and then there was a really large bedroom up stairs as well, in the front of the house. Barb, Carol, Tammy and I shared that room and Lori was in with mom and dad. In between there was a large bathroom.
     When you walked in from the porch there was a living room a formal dining room with a closet next to a small built in buffet. In the closet was a secret small hiding spot with a door. Barb and I found that right away. We loved to hide there until Barb locked me in one day. It was scary as heck, you never know what kind of bugs were there, mainly spiders.
   The kitchen was pretty big and there was a small mud room off the kitchen.The basement was a crawl space with an area big enough to stand up in that was about 6'x10' maybe, and then it was just big enough to crawl under the house to fix thing if you were brave enough. It was all dirt.
There was a bedroom off the dining room, Tim got that room, with a small bathroom off to the back.
The backyard was a nice size and we didn't have to be watched all the time and we could walk around the block and not have to worry about "old bums with chains".
    That summer another family moved in down the block. There were 2 teenage boys and a girl. The girl became one of my best friends for awhile, Blanche. We played school and dug through her closet all the time to find shorts her mom would pack away.Her grandmother would come and stay with her, she was a Norwegian woman who spoke mostly Norwegian and she was so funny. I had never heard anyone talk like that before. Blanche would tease her to make her scold us so we could laugh at her.
   If Blanche had sandals that were broken "Grandma Mithun" would sew them back together.
   It made me miss my grandma who had, passed away, Actually they both had by then.
   I never had a best friend before. Well my cousin Debbie was the closet thing to a best friend I had.
   Blanche was 1 1/2 years older than me and was 1 year younger than Barb. Sometimes we all hung out together and played school and other things.Once we were jumping on cars that needed to be worked on, there must have been at least 5 of them in her backyard. We had so much fun until I cut the inside of my thigh, well actually took a gouge out of it. Marion, Blanche's mom put a butterfly on it after I begged her not to tell my mom.Had she told her I wouldn't be able to go to her house anymore, because she told Barb and I not to mess with the cars, our theory was she didn't tell us we couldn't play tag on them or jump from one to another.
   A couple of days later we heard sirens, a storm was moving in and we were all told to go to our basements, we didn't have one. Well, one that was worth trying to go into.
   So we hid in the back room.Tim was trying to keep us girls quiet, we were scared. There was a loud sound, like a train was coming down the street and then it was quiet. At the end of the block were railroad tracks. So we knew what they sounded like. When the rain came again mom and dad told us we could come out of hiding. And because it was late and there was no electricity we had to go to bed. In the morning we couldn't wait to check out the neighborhood. Lights were back on, the TV said there was a tornado that hit..it had knocked down a tree in the front of our house along with a few others in the neighborhood. Our friends house that had just been built, had a tree fall on it.
   Under the train bridge it was so flooded that we helped push cars out. Timmy made lots of money helping people. The worst thing was down near the railroad bridge, an electrician was working on the wires and he had accidentally touched something and he was killed. His whole body that we could see was black. I cried. Barb tried to cover my eyes so I couldn't see him.We ran home and Barb called the police, he had been dead for a little bit.
   A few days later Barb found a cat that didn't have a place to go so she brought it home and asked mom if we could keep it. It was kinda ugly, the poor thing. Mom said yes, after Barb begged a bit more. One night Barb went to the park and I had to stay home. All the kids were in bed, we were waiting for my dad to come home from work. Mom and I were in the dining room playing cards when we heard a really strange noise. It sounded like something gasping for air. "Jeannie go see if Lori is OK!!!". I jumped up to see if it was Lori ,she was about 4 months old or so. "Mom Lori is fine. She's sleeping." So I went back to play my hand. A little while later I thought I heard a noise, so I looked back to see Lori . Nothing. About an hour later we heard a really loud noise and I snuck into the living room and looked in at Lori. There she was with the cat holding her down with his mouth over hers sucking out her air, I screamed for my mom and she ran into the room, she grabbed the cat and threw it towards the door. Barb walked in as it was all going on my mom screamed, " Get that cat out of here and don't ever let me see it again!!!!"
   Barb picked up the cat and let it go outside," What happened?" she asked when she came back in.
   I told her. I don't think she believed me at first, but when she looked at Lori's face you could see where that cats paws were and teeth marks from trying to suck the air of of her or was trying to suck the milk off her face from her bottle. She knew the cat had to go.
    We learned a valuable lesson that night.

1964 - 1965

2012-04-22T18:27:00.001-07:00

   Linda had to get back on track to graduate. It wasn't easy. Mom went to the principal had asked him to extend finals for Linda because she had been helping with the kids because mom was sick. He listened and Linda was given an extension. Now it was all up to her.
   Linda graduated, so did Barb, Judy and Cindy. They put their graduation hats on and took our pictures with them.
   I don't remember much about that fall or winter but again I do that summer. We got a dog, they named her Laddie, she was a German Shepherd Collie.
    We took her for a walk with us, when we walked our dolls in strollers. We lived on a busy street., Cedar Ave wasn't as busy as it is now but it was busy. We had to stay away from the curb and driveways, there were some next to houses so you could turn on Cedar into your driveway next to your house, but, you couldn't block the sidewalk you had to leave the sidewalk clear for people to walk.
     Some guy decided to park over the sidewalk when we were coming back from the corner so we had to go in the street just a little bit to get home. I had Carol and Tammy walk closest to the curb and I walked in the street, Laddie was behind us. We didn't see where the car came from but it was headed right towards us and Laddie jumped on me and knocked me onto the curb and took the hit.
     We thought she was dead and Carol ran home to get my mom while I sat with Tammy holding Laddie as we cried. I looked at her beautiful gray coat and she was breathing very slowly and blood was running out of her mouth, Laddie tried to move her legs, but she couldn't, she never tried to get up.
    Mom came running out and was scared and crying, she was worried that we may have been hit. I saw the look on her face as she saw us little girls holding Laddie, Mom thought Laddie was dying too.
    Timmy brought out a sheet and we helped mom and Timmy lie her on the sheet and then we picked her up and carried her back to the yard. A nice young man got out of his car to help and mom said to him, " If you want to help you better help the man who owns that car get the hell out of that house, because if I get to him before you do he'll wish it had been him that got hit instead of my dog!!." My mom was livid, her eyes told it all. Mom went in and called the police, the driver came back, he had panicked but couldn't keep going, " I'm so sorry," he told my mom, he had a tear stained face," I kept thinking I might have hit one of those little girls and I couldn't live with that! It's bad enough I hit a dog, but a little girl. All I heard was a little girl scream. over and over and over. Tell me they are all ok". My mom's anger turned to compassion. I will never forget how she held his hand. He told her that he was late and driving too fast and thought there was enough room and then all he heard was a loud thump.
    The man that owned the car now had come out of the house when he heard the sirens. Mom was on her feet so fast, she walked over to him and quietly said," you are one lucky man today, God must be on your side, if one of my kids had been hit you would be in that ambulance instead of the dog."
    Mom knew the driver of the ambulance they put the dog on the stretcher and took her to the pet hospital, I sat on the porch, I watched as the owner of the car got a ticket for blocking the sidewalk and while the police told him that he was lucky that one of us girls hadn't been hit or he would be in jail for a vehicular misdemeanor.
    I had this huge heaviness in my heart, it was my fault, Laddie saved me and might die. I never felt anything hurt so much, what if it would have Tammy or Carol? I closed my eyes, covered them with my hands and just sat there. I would hate myself. Timmy came and sat by me," Not your fault Jelly Bean, it was just an accident." he tried to comfort me.
    I cried on his shoulder for hours. What if Laddie died? I heard dads car drive up I went to the car and looked in the window, she was laying in the backseat. Her leg was broken and they said that something had been bleeding inside I don't remember what it was, but they thought they fixed it.. If Laddie was going to survive the next few days would tell us. Sadly her leg got infected.She wouldn't move she just laid there. They had to take her back and have her put to sleep. I remember my dad being angry about how much money he spent on her and she died anyway.
     Linda got a job as a key punch operator, someplace down town.She was saving her money to get her own place. Linda was at work and mom was getting us ready to go to Weds. Aquatenial Parade, dad worked downtown too. We were to meet up with dad and Linda so we could watch the parade as a family. There was a knock on the door. A strange looking man was there and asked for my mom.
     Mom was surprised. She just stood there looking at the man," Can I come in?", he asked,: Linda isn't here she's at work, and why are you here now after all these years? 17 years go by and you decide now that she's an adult to come and see her? I don't know if she'll talk to you or not. So your welcome to come with us Earl," Earl that name sounded familiar, oh yeah he was Linda's real dad.
    We all walked to Hertz rent a car down town to meet dad and Linda. Linda walked over to us and sat down she looked at the man, and then my dad came out and shook hands with Earl," Nice to meet you," dad said. Linda just sat quiet, " Linda want to go for a walk and talk for a little bit? I'm your dad I would like to get to know you ask some questions and you can ask me." Linda very bluntly stood u and looked him directly in the yes and said to him, " You are NOT my dad, Bill is. He was there for every ache and pain I had, he was there for me when the hospital receptionist called me a negro and when I needed help in school and when I graduated. He has always been there for everything, I haven't always liked my dad, but he has been my dad no matter what, even when he didn't want to be. Even when I was so horrible he could have turned his back on me. So I have nothing to say to you Earl except good-bye."
    Earl gave my mom 2 dollars and told her to buy us ice cream. Linda never seen him again. When she had her first baby I asked her if she ever wanted to call Earl and tell him about his grandson and she said," Why? my kids have 2 grandpa's Pete and dad and that's all". I never asked again, but I did talk about him with her once in awhile and she always said she didn't care.
     Well, the owners were going to sell the house again, so we had to look for a house to move to. This time they decided to buy a house. Mom wanted to move before school started in case we had to go to another school.
     They found a house in the Seward area, it was a very sought after neighborhood and still is.
      It was a good thing we were moving mom was pregnant again and this time she was really sick.
      The ladies from some church helped us clean out the house and move in and so did Judy, she even stayed to take care of us because Linda had to work and Judy wasn't working then.
     Lori was born on Feb.25, 1966. We had been moved in for a few months. Mom wasn't bouncing back, she was sick a lot. Linda would come over and help mom clean the house.
      That spring the weather men kept predicting terrible storms for the summer.

November 6th, 1963

2012-04-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

   It was now November 6th, 1963 mom was in labor again having another child. This was her 6th child.
   Mom's health wasn't as bad as they thought it would be but she was told NO MORE CHILDREN her body needed a much deserved rest. The baby was born another Girl on Nov,6th 1963, her name was Tammy Jo. She was a cute small little girl. That made 5 girls and 1 boy, poor Timmy. He was 12 now and didn't have any friends in the neighborhood. He had to play with the kids next door and he didn't like them much. Mom did let him hang out with the football players that practiced in the field behind the house.
    On, Nov.22, 1963 I remember walking into the living room of the house and looking at my crying mother on the sofa , "what's wrong mommy, " I asked feeling so sad for her..." President Kennedy was shot and he's dead!!' She cried. I started to laugh, really hard, I remember thinking, why would she cry over a man she didn't know?
     "Stop laughing!!! what's wrong with you, a man died and now his 2 kids don't have a father.!!!!" I felt awful that I laughed, and his poor kids. I never talked about this until years later. I wasn't laughing because he died, I just thought my mom was silly.
    Christmas was exciting as always, Linda would always get us singing Christmas carol's, while we trimmed the tree. Barb, Linda's friend moved in with us for awhile she left home because of her dad, not sure why. I don't remember, but it was really fun, it was like having another sister.
    Barb, Tim and Linda had to keep the house clean, certain rooms were theirs. Swept, and mopped. If they didn't they were grounded.
     My mom was ironing one day, I asked if I could help, she lowered the temperature of the iron and lowered the ironing board and gave me a stool, she gave me washcloths and handkerchiefs, and tea towels to iron. I loved it! I would have stood there forever.
     Mom and dad sent us to bed, Christmas Eve was already here and we had to go to bed for Santa , Barbie and I weren't tired but we tried to go to sleep. We heard a noise so we got up to go look and see what it was. In a box there were presents wrapped beautiful with bows and I seen a small ironing board and an iron just my size. I knew it had to be for me, but Santa wasn't there so were did all the stuff come from? My dad turned and We thought he saw us, so we quickly went back to bed. We were glad  he didn't see us. We fell asleep. It was Christmas Day and we were opening gifts, I was looking for my ironing board and iron but there wasn't one. I was so disappointed. When I got older I asked my mom what happened to it and she told me that if you see your gifts before your supposed to they disappear. I guess I should have stayed in bed.
   Winter came and went, Summer was back again, Barbie and I were playing with the neighbor kids,
    My mom came rushing out of the house and jumped into a cab, my dad had fallen off a ladder at work and broke his heel, he would be out of work and on crutches for a bit. He was miserable. He wasn't used to being home all day doing nothing and not with all of us kids.
    For some reason the air smelled bad, Barbie and I decided to investigate and find out why there was such a terrible smell. We started in the back yard, walked through the thick bushes, lilac bushes but because it was summer there weren't any blooming. There were lots of them along the back of the neighbors yard. Nothing! Next yard. As we approached the next yard the smell got a little stronger and we saw droplets of blood on the sidewalk. As we got closer we saw a tree stump that was really bloody and blood all over the ground, I was scared and I got closer to Barbie, I was going to whisper to her but I couldn't get a sound out. We tip toed slowly to the yard and then we saw feathers,( they were killing chickens for food, you could do that then, they broke the neck of the chicken and then chopped off it's head).The suspense was killing me so I turned and ran. A few minutes later Barbie was right behind me. I never told a single person about that day. In my young mind I thought some body had been killed and if I told I might be next. Maybe it was because of the blood all over Renee's house and then this, ok face it I was just a big chicken.
    Sometime before my dad got his cast off, us kids were playing in the yard and I was using a lightweight small pipe to practice baton twirling, I wanted to be leader of a band a twirl the baton in a parade. My mom had talked about how she was once Miss Flame and rode a float because of her red hair, she was chosen by the firefighters from the station she lived by.
    Anyway I tossed it up and I missed it and hit one of the neighbor girls from down the black and she ran home and told her mom. I was so scared when my dad asked me about it I lied. Said it wasn't me, besides she wasn't hurt that bad. I didn't even see any blood.
   Later that night I was taking a bath and Barb came running in the bathroom, " Jeannie get outside a man has dad by his shirt and says if he doesn't find out what happened to his daughter he was going to beat dad up!!! Go tell the truth.". I cried. I didn't want to go tell him anything, I put on my pajamas and slippers and I walked out side the porch door, the man had my poor dad with his broken foot in a cast up against the porch railing so he couldn't move. " You better let go of my dad mister," Linda yelled to him. "And what do you think your going to do little lady?, He asked Linda."If you touch him in anyway to hurt him, Your going to be one sorry man. I'll hit you with this hammer, My brother has a pipe, my mom has a bottle and believe me we'll all use them before you can do a thing!!" Linda warned him. I wanted to say, "let go of my dad it was all my fault but it was an accident," I was too scared to move. Linda then said," If Jeannie did hit your daughter I promise you she didn't mean to, Jeannie just wouldn't do that," The large man lowered my dad, fixed his shirt and apologized. He had been drinking and was told I hit her to be mean, and he never thought it might have been an accident. He never came back again and neither did his kids.
     It was the last family camp of the summer and turned out to be the last one for us ever.
   We had so much fun sitting around the camp fire and singing the Camp Manakiki theme song.
     I fished, I did crafts we played family bingo and I won a huge Slow Poke sucker. It would take days to eat it all. I went swimming and played capture the flag.
    Linda didn't go she wanted to stay home alone and said she could be trusted. NOT. Linda had a party and it got out of hand, the police were called and mom and dad had to go get her in the middle of the night along with her friend Barb. We woke up and Linda was on a cot dress with men work boots on and she smelled awful, Barb was on the floor sleeping. Boy, were they in trouble. We had to leave camp early and when we got home they had to clean the house from top to bottom there was sticky beer on the floor and food every where. I saw Linda scrubbing the floor on her hands and knees and Barb was washing walls, Judy came to help and Darrell was there cleaning I'm not sure but I think Cindy showed up to help and before it was all done mom had half of South High school graduating class there helping to clean up.
    I was so glad that summer was over.It was going to be Linda's graduating year so mom really made her work, she had been such a good student, but now here grades were falling. What did you expect. Helping take care of kids and mom was sick off and on and Linda cleaning house it was too much for 17 year old girl. Linda was fast approaching 18 and couldn't wait. She was going to get a job and move. As soon as she could.

Summer of "63

2012-04-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

     Mom was feeling very nurturing and had joined a woman's group at the PILLSBURY CENTER that was located down the block from our house. We had a really good time going to family camp with her.
      Our neighborhood was changing, hippies were starting to hang out in the 7 corners area. and Mom was pregnant again! Dad didn't seem like he was too upset this time and I remember he was even excited that this time could be a boy. Dad was so busy working 2 jobs. He would do that often.
    Some days Barb and I would go to the corner park to play, then we didn't need to worry about being safe because everyone watch us kids. Well, everyone except the scary BUM with the large chain around his neck, he must have been an old train bum, but he really scared us. Linda, Judy and Cindy went looking for him one afternoon because he threatened to hurt Barb and I. After they talked to him, he never talked to us again. I don't think I even seen him again after that.
     Mom and dad had to move to a bigger place. They found a place across the street from the old South High off Cedar Ave. the football field was right behind our house.
     We watched football games for free and Barb was able to go to South for a science program for kids in Preschool and Kindergarten. Barb loved to capture bugs and she would keep them in jars like lots of kids do, however the science teacher heard about some of the things she had and bought them from her because I guess some were pretty rare.
     A family moved in next door to us, mom became fast friends of the mom, her name was Retha.
     They also had a large family. Next to them was an older couple who had lived on a farm and moved to the city. And then there was another family that I remember that had 2 daughters mine and Barbs age.
     We had so much fun that summer and then sometimes I think it was one of the scariest summers of my life, except for the night in the old neighborhood when Renee's sister was murdered in the hall way of their duplex, her sister had left her boyfriend, she was white and he was black, he had been abusive and she tried to leave him many times, this was another night. He wasn't going to let her go, she went to her mothers house and he broke the door down and shot her, Mom was walking Barb and I home from, someplace and we had to go passed all the police and when I looked to where I heard people crying I saw blood everywhere, mom hurried us home and then dad watched us while mom went back to see what she could do. That was a night I will never forget.
    SO ...anyway, that summer was funny we played hide and go seek with the neighbors, Barb was getting tired of playing the normal way so she talked me into asking Vernon, the boy next door to hide in the washer. so I did. Then she said, "Jeannie wouldn't it be funny to have Vernon hide in the dryer. No body will find him there." So I went to Vernon," Hey Vern, let's go hide in our back porch and you can hide in the dryer, nobody will find you..I would but my mom said I can't but you can she didn't tell you not to." Barb's idea worked he answered," Yeah ok, don't tell anyone where I am".
   "We won't!!" Barb and I said at the same time.
     Barb was so excited Vernon climbed in and then Barb TURNED ON THE DRYER!!!! we both laughed uncontrollably and all you could hear was a large THUMP! THUMP! and you could hear a few noises from inside the dryer.
     "What in God's name is that noise?" my mom was asking as she came out of the house, "What did you kids put in the dryer?" "Vernon" I answered.
       "VERNON!?" mom yelled as she pulled the door open and Vern came out sweaty and dizzy. He fell to the ground. " Barbie, did you put him in there?" mom was trying to get a very dizzy and sickly Vernon to focus, " Look at me ...Look at me Vern are you ok?" mom kept talking.
    " He climbed in himself, Jeannie told him to," Barbie answered, Vernon Stood up and smiled," Can I do that again? That was fun." he finally answered. Mom was very angry now, you could see it in her eyes, ( we always told her she had Betty Davis eyes) when she had that look you knew you were in deep trouble and RUN! Do I need to say we never did that again. Vernon had to go home.
     Summer was over and mom and dad decided I could go to Kindergarten I went to Irving elementary school, Barb was told where to pick me up, I went to the wrong door and I couldn't find her, I went back in and the principal asked my name," I can't tell you, my mom told me not to talk to strangers," I started to cry. "We need to know your name honey so we can take you home," they kept saying. "Do you have a sibling here at school?" I just cried harder, I didn't know what a sibling was.
So they had to call the police and when they got there they asked my name, "Jeannie Terwey, my sister Barbie left me." I cried. One of them picked me up in his big arms and took me to the counter, he called my mom and told her I was safe and that they would be bringing me home. And had I told them before who I was I would have been home sooner, but because I was told not to talk to strangers they couldn't figure it out. My dad thought maybe I was to young to go to school, after all I was still just 4, but they let me go back. I waited for Barb at the right door from then on.
       And...I got a spanking from my teacher a few days later for rolling my nap mat up too soon, when I KNEW she tapped me with her foot on the top of my head and she said she didn't tap me at all.The boy next to me got a spanking too, for not waiting to get tapped as well. I think her foot must have accidentally hit my head and she didn't know it, oh well..it made us better in the end.

Jeannie Did it !!! The summer of 1962

2012-04-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

        Mary Ann seemed not to be able to bounce back after Carol's birth, she seemed depressed and tired all the time. Bill always teased her and told her that Carol was her birthday present, because she was born on the 16th and Mary Ann's birthday was the 23rd.
      Christmas was hard that year Mary Ann just didn't seem to care, She thought that Thanksgiving was a waste of time, because of course she could be thankful that all the kids were healthy, but she just didn't care, and now Christmas was a month away. She could get out and buy a few gifts for the kids but that was about it. Bill always took care of the tree so she didn't need to worry about that.
     Maybe should could just sleep through it, she thought.
     Christmas was done as was the New Year, she started to feel a little bit better, and that was a good thing because Easter was coming.
     The Terwey Family was Catholic and Easter Sunday was a big deal even if Mary Ann was a Presbyterian and they were attending Sunday services as Non- Denominational.
      When Bill and Mary Ann wanted to get married the catholic church wouldn't marry them because Bill had been divorced and the church didn't recognize it, and Mary Ann had been Married before as well. So, he left the catholic church and they were married at the Presbyterian church.
      Both wanted the kids to go to church and the best choice was the " Children's Gospel Mission" they had Barb baptised there and they volunteered there for years. It was a great place for kids and they had many friends there. The Grey's, The Kestlers, The Scammahorns, Laura Westling, and many more.
      On Saturday before the kids dyed Easter eggs, Mom would make them climb up on the ironing board and wash their long hair in the kitchen sink, and then she would sit me and Barbie down on the floor, Our dad would comb out or brush our hair and then Mom would put out long hair in bobbie pin curls.
      In the morning she would take them out and wrap the hair around her finger to make sure the curls kept if it looked like they may fall out too soon we got hairspray ( I didn't like hairspray it hurt my hair) to keep them for most of the day.
      We then had to dress in frilly dresses and white ruffle socks with Mary Jane shoes, we had white gloves, and an Easter hat and a black purse to match the shoes. After all that she would dress herself.
      Before we left the house she had to make sure that Linda's dress was in place even though she was almost 14 years old. Tim was almost 10 he always had a suit and black tie shoes.
     Mom spent so much time on us girls that she would have to hurry herself. After church we got together with the rest of the Moberg clan at Grandmas house and celebrated.
     Linda was fast becoming an adult, she couldn't wait to be 18. The weather was getting nicer so mom could take us to the park to play, Carol was walking now and she could have fun there too.
     Barb was in school. After mom got her to school we would go to the corner park, on the way she would see a child without shoes or dirty clothes and hungry. She would ask where their parents were and most of the time they didn't know or they were at home and the kids, at 5 could go to the park by themselves. Well mom would be upset that the kid was hungry and dirty so she would take them home clean them up, change them and then feed them and send them home She had a pile of shoes that were too small for anyone and I learned years later that people would drop clothes off to Grandma because she worked at the " Warn A Bit Shop" a second hand store and she would take them with her or give them to people who needed them.
    Mom's heart broke at the sight of a neglected child. Lucy was one of her best friends, I heard mom crying to Lucy a few times because it upset her so much and Lucy told my mother that God put us on this earth to be Angels for those who were alive and hadn't passed over yet. Lucy was a brilliant woman it's what my mom needed to hear.Lucy was a little older than my mom and she was born and raised in England, she came over with her military husband and stayed and raised her family here in Minnesota, she was a true friend to my mom.
    Linda was going to have a big 14th birthday party, mom invited a few of her friends from school, as well as a few family members, A couple of kids came but most couldn't because they said she was black so they couldn't go. Linda cried but mom said to her, " Linda if people are going to judge you because you have darker skin then they do then you don't need them as friends, look in the living room at the 3 girls that are here..THOSE are your friends they came no matter what. Now dry your tears and go back in there and have fun." as Linda went in to the living room she slipped on a small throw rug. Everyone was dancing to Elvis and doing the twist it was so fun, mom was drinking a bottle of Pepsi and Carol wanted a drink, I handed her the small bottle and she started to run with it.
    I tried to catch her but before I could she slipped on the throw rug and the bottle went down her throat. Blood started pouring out of her mouth, I started crying and carried her to my mom to help her, she went to the ER and they said the back of her throat had "rolled" down from the roof of her mouth and all they could do was put her to sleep and do their best to fix it.
   Linda's party was ruined and I got blamed for tripping Carol. I tried to tell them she slipped on the rug but nobody would listen, they were so upset by what happened and I was only three and a half I couldn't get them to listen.
   Carol's injury healed and mom started to act a little bit like herself again. The fireman would spray us gently with their hoses and mom would talk to them, Miss Alice would sit on her porch until she got a male visitor," How come you have so many boyfriends Miss Alice?," Barb asked her one day," "Well Barbie it must be because I'm so beautiful," she explained to us. They went upstairs together and when they came back down barbie continued to question her," Doesn't Hershey Bar get mad at you?," she asked innocently. Miss Alice smiled at us," Girls I will tell you that no he doesn't get mad at me, and someday when you grow up you will remember me and you will understand."
   Miss Alice was a prostitute and she was a very smart very loving woman, I look back at her fondly, she never raised her voice at us kids and she always had time for us, and she didn't have men because she was so beautiful on the outside, it was because of the things that she provided them and they gave her money!!! She was right, I did understand and still think very highly of her.

Jean Marie 1958 and Carol Lynn 1961

2012-04-15T00:15:00.001-07:00

I was told that I was born on a beautiful autumn day, October 20,1958. Mary Ann stayed in the hospital for 3 days. On the morning Jeannie was to be brought home there was an accident, a driver speeding through a red light hit Bill on the front passenger side door and totaled out the car. It had been raining and the streets were slippery, that's what the driver said anyway. He would have said anything I think at that moment because my dad had him up against his car ready to beat the daylight out of him.
My dad said he was so upset, because 2 things happened in that moment, My mother and I would have been killed AND he realized that he had been living for the last 8 months completely unfeeling.
He didn't think about the tiny 6# 4 oz baby girl with reddish blond looking fuzz on her head. He didn't think about Linda, Tim or Barbie and how this baby would change the house. As he let go of the mans shirt, it all hit him. He went to the hospital in a cab to bring his wife and new baby daughter home.
When he told Mary Ann about the accident she was rightfully upset, but for the rest of her life she was convinced that her baby was going to grow up and drive and be killed in a terrible car accident, she even had nightmares about it.
Jean was born with a heart murmur ( a slight irregular heart beat, there was a pin size hole in a valve that was to heal ) nothing to worry about they said.Jeannie will out grow all of this.
Barbie was told not to get me over excited because I might die, I couldn't run fast or for a long time.
I guess they didn't know how my heart would be affected, today they know I needed to live a healthy life, to run and play to jump and scream and roll around and just get worn out, that didn't happen and my heart well, I still have a heart murmur and a slow leak..maybe someday it will close.
Well I don't remember too much of the first years of my life. My one and only memory of my Grandma Terwey was at her house, she was picking me up and I didn't want her to, I squirmed and kicked my feet and tried to get away, she just held me tighter. I didn't like her much. Barb and I talked about it and we agreed that she was such an aggressive woman that when she came at me it must have felt like she was snatching me up instead of lovingly picking me up, my Grandma Terwey was a German woman who didn't show here feelings, I guess that's where my dad got it from.
Linda and Tim started to become the ones who did the house work, mostly Linda because she was older and a girl, OH, and Linda's friends, Barb, Judy and Cindy, they were more like our sisters that her friends.
Mom told me that Cindy kept sitting in my high chair and she told her if she kept it up she was going to put a diaper on her, I guess Cindy laughed, she thought my mom was kidding, NOT, she made a diaper and pinned it on Cindy. I'm not sure what Cindy did but I heard she never sat in my highchair again.
The house was getting too small and another one on the same block became available it was just around the corner a couple houses from the fire station and Ms. Alice's house. It was actually a duplex and they rented the whole thing, mom was getting sick again and dad thought she was pregnant. He took her to the hospital and she miscarried and was told she shouldn't have anymore kids, her health would be at high risk. I think my dad was a bit relieved.
I know Linda was, she didn't want anymore kids, she was 12 and Timmy was 9, Barb 4 1/2 and I was 2.
Linda was a good student with a beautiful singing voice. She would go to Chicago with Mary Ann as a chaperon in 1964 I think it was to, with her music class record an album.
But...mom was pregnant again, on Nov, 16,1961 Carol Lynn was born and Linda wouldn't look at her.
She was so mad at my mom and dad that she wouldn't even hold Carol. Carol was a hazel eyed dark haired little girl, her features were striking, it must have been because she had a darker complexion than the other girls with their strawberry blond curls and blue and green eyes. That made her stand out.

Mary Ann would never be the same.

Barbara Jean- born April13th 1956

2012-04-13T22:36:00.001-07:00

April 13, 1956 Mary Ann was cleaning like crazy. Mopping the floors on her hands and knees. Kids in school and Bill at work. All was well.It was a long month,.Bill kept his word and was not drinking, he came home after work and spent time with the kids. Didn't say he wasn't crabby because that he was, he knew he wanted a drink, but a promise was a promise.
The sweat poured down Mary Ann's forehead as she stood to dump the last of the wash water for the floors.
The water seemed a bit heavier now and as it poured she stepped back because she was pouring water on her feet. She grabbed a towel to wipe it up when she realized the water was running down her leg and then there was a gush of water and lots more on the floor, she was in labor.
Everything was packed and ready to go because the baby played an April fools joke on her and decided not to come on April 1st. She picked up the phone and called Bill, while she waited she wondered if this was going to set him off again or would he now be happy.
Bill wanted a son, Mary Ann thought it was to replace the son he didn't get to see, he said it was because girls were too hard and boys were just easier. Mary Ann didn't care as long as it was healthy.
Barbara Jean Terwey was born on April 13th 1956, she was their 1st born child together and Bill was disappointed but loved her none the less. Mary Ann counted all her fingers and toes and Bill told the nurse to check one more time and make sure it was a girl. The nurse laughed but cordially obliged.
Bill had also started working for Hertz rent a car as more than just a runner, he was now a mechanic and stopped window washing. Mary Ann just stayed home now and took care of the kids, that was a handful alone. Linda and Tim rebelled a bit more especially Linda. It was hard for her to share her mother and she didn't want bothers and sisters.
Mary Ann's best friend was Pat she was Art's daughter in law.The neighbor she didn't like. I knew him and he ironically became Barbara's Godfather.
Mary Ann had a dog as well by then her name was Cocoa and she was a beautiful red Cocker Spaniel.
Barbie loved Cocoa, she shared food off her spoon or fork with her and let the dog lick her lips ( yuck)
and she could sit for hours and pet Cocoa and she wouldn't move.
It's Feb. 1958 and Mary Ann thinks she's pregnant again. This time she was really terrified to tell Bill she was pregnant, Pat told her to do it in a public place so he couldn't go to crazy.
So Mary Ann met him at the corner Rexall drug store and had a glass of coke with him. It was nice for them to be a bit alone," I'm pregnant, we're going to have another baby in October, I'm a month late." Bill just sat quiet, he didn't know what to say so he just didn't say anything.
Mary Ann thought it was a bit odd, but it was better than the last time. Things were better now.
Thank you Lord, is all she could muster.

The Honeymoon Is Over

2012-04-12T21:59:00.001-07:00

    Mary Ann thought things would be so different with her new husband Bill. Things couldn't have been worse for both of them. Bill drank heavily and Mary Ann couldn't stand it. It affected everything in their life. Linda was giving them a hard time, she was 7 and talked back terribly. It seemed she hated her new father and her Grandma Moberg didn't help any, always telling Linda that she didn't have to listen to Bill because he wasn't really her father, He was just her mom's new husband. Timmy was just 3, he was a quiet boy, Linda always told me that my dad would try to spank her but she fought back, so Timmy would get the worst spanking because he couldn't fight back.
   I always thought that was so hard to believe because dad never spanked most of us kids. He hardly punished us in anyway, he let our mom do it.
   I guess his drinking just made him abusive. He started not going home and hanging out with his friends again. Mary Ann told him that it had to quit and that she wasn't in her marriage to be alone it was to have a man who cared for her and her kids, and have kids of their own.
   Bill came home drunk one night, and as usual they fought, this time worse than before. Bill had told Mary Ann he didn't want anymore kids that Linda was more than enough for him. Mary Ann started throwing things so Bill left.
   Linda went to school and Mary Ann and Bill just worked. Timmy, was growing into a gentle child, but a little brother non the less and he was driving Linda crazy. He followed her everywhere and she did not like it. Linda would tell her Grandmother that he was bothering her, Grandma would make him play alone, He didn't want to play alone so he found Ruthie, she was a young woman who had a very severe stutter and she couldn't walk she would hang on things to get around. Ruth had just been fit for braces and shoes for her feet, so she could walk. It took her years to be able to walk again. she was 34 years old. Her thick black hair was very curly and she kept it short so she could brush it because her hands were crippled as well. Most kids were afraid of her for a few reasons, besides as she got older she was scary. Her voice was deep and she was only 4'8". Ruth never went to school of any kind, she was always child like.
   Linda taught Ruth to right the first two letters of her name and Linda could write hers.
   Christmas that year Linda and Ruth went down after the Christmas presents had been put under the tree at Grandma Mobergs house and they opened all the gifts that had Linda's name on it and the packages that had the RU...Grandma was not happy.
   Mary Ann was so sick, she couldn't keep any food down so she went to the Dr. ,Yup, she was pregnant, she was due April 1. 1956. Bill was going to be mad.
    It was a cold winter night and Mary Ann decided it was now or never, she made all Bill's favorite foods and lit candles just like many woman have done, she was nervous, she knew he didn't want any more kids, but maybe he would be ok with it.
    Well it was getting late. Bill didn't come home after work. Mom told me it was like a bad movie, very predictable, she knew he was drinking so she ate and put everything away. It would have to wait, another day another time she thought. Just as she was about to fall asleep she heard him stumble in.
    She climbed out of bed to try to get him to be more quiet, Timmy was sleeping and Linda was at Grandmas house sleeping over, she didn't want him to wake up Timmy.
    One look at him and she knew it was going to be bad, she asked him to quiet down and he yelled louder," I don't care if the whole damn world hears me he said!" Mary Ann didn't back down," Timmy is sleeping, Bill , please don't wake him", she pleaded. He went to get something to eat, Mary Ann put on coffee and he sat at the table, she asked where he'd been, he told her he'd just stopped to get a beer and met a few friends and here he was. Mary Ann started to cry, she just couldn't believe this was her life," SO is this the life you want for your kids?", she asked," Those are your kids Mary Ann not mine, hell they don't even like me, Timmy is afraid of me and Linda is always at your Moms house, what kids? I don't have any..", she cried harder and said, "The one that I'm going to have, we're going to have a baby in April". Before she could get all the words out he jumped out of his chair and grabbed her throat, he shoved her against the wall and tried to choke her," I said I didn't want any kids, NONE...I told you that before we got married, how could you let this happen?"
    Mary Ann was reaching and feeling for anything she could grab, he was going to kill her if she didn't stop him some how. Her hand felt a handle she got the tightest grip she could and swung it back and hit him, she was aiming for his head but it hit his arm.
    He let go and she dropped to the floor. When she looked up at him she saw him sitting in the chair with his head down, she picked herself up and the Cast Iron frying pan she hit him with and sat next to him. They were both crying, she went into the bedroom and got Timmy up and took him across the street to her mothers house.
   The next morning Bill went to work, he couldn't move his arm so he was sent to the ER by his boss. Mary Ann had broken his arm.He went home and Mary Ann was there packing hers and the kids clothes. That was never going to happen again. He could have killed her, then what? And the baby inside her would have died too.
   Bill grabbed her and held her, he cried again," Please don't leave me..I promise I will never drink again. I will stop right now, I promise Mary Ann I won't drink, you just can't leave me", he begged her and she stopped packing.
He asked about the baby and she told him when she was due and he said he would be a better husband, and a better father to all the kids.
   No more drinking and he would never lay a hand on her again. Then they laughed that she broke his arm, even though it wasn't really funny at all. I guess it was out of relief.

Bill had said he was tired of drinking anyway, and he loved her more. Over the years this story was told a few times.

Mrs Wilbert Terwey

2012-04-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

   Linda was a happy little girl and she loved her little brother, but he was so different from her that people would always comment about how cute he was, the little blond haired boy.
   Linda also had to start competing for attention from her grandma as well. Since Linda was Grandma's favorite she wasn't happy sharing her Grandma with anybody, not even Timmy.
   Mary Ann worked hard trying to give her children a good life while she tried to move on with her own.
   One hot summer day, Art was working on a car with his friend Bill, the heat was intense and working on the cars made it much hotter.
    Mary Ann was outside with the kids watching them play, she also was interested in the men working on the cars next door, She went back in the house and came out with a pitcher of lemonade and 3 glasses, she offered up some cold drinks to the men. As she got closer she noticed Bill had taken off his shirt. The sweat was running down his chest, as she approached him she said," Well. I brought you a drink to cool off, but I guess I should have brought the hose."
Bill hit his head on the hood of the car and Art just kept on working, he had little time for the woman he had grown to dislike," Thanks I needed a break", Bill said as he took a drink and winked at her.
Mary Ann had forgotten what brought her outside to begin with until a little hand pulled on the bottom of her rolled up shorts, " I'm thirsty too Mommy", he said as he tried to grab a glass, Linda just sat in the shade and watched her mom. Mary Ann poured a small amount in the glass and handed it to Timmy, he ran over and sat down next to Linda, they shared the ice cold drink.
   Mary Ann stayed as Bill finished his drink, she decided she gave him enough to think about. As she walked away, her checkered shirt tied at the waist, just above the band on her short shorts barely showed off her porcelain skin. Just enough to tease a young man.
   Bill was having marital problems so Mary Ann was a nice diversion from his homelife. As time went by Mary Ann worked and the kids grew. There wasn't much time for dating, but there was for flirting with Bill, she knew he was married but she knew he was having problems, so to her it was OK.And fun! Something she had little of in those days.
   1952 came and gone. 1953 was coming to an end...the kids got bigger and Mary Ann and Bill seen more of each other. Myrtle wasn't happy she knew Bill was a married man but Mary Ann thought he was safe, after all he was married.Right? Wrong. Bill's wife filed for divorce, and named Mary Ann as the reason for why they were breaking up, not a good thing in 1954.
   Bill's mother wasn't happy. Mary Ann was a "floozy" she had kids and was a wild girl. Bill had a son John, what would become of him? Bill wouldn't know until years later when John grew up, his mother kept him away from his dad and he never got to know him.
   On October 15, 1954 Bill and Mary Ann were married, it was a small wedding mostly family.

The honeymoon was short lived.

Linda and Tim are born

2012-04-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

   Bill drank almost daily. He would joke over the years how he had a running tab (credit limit) at the liquor store his friend owned and that he would pay it off every weekend and start over because he'd be close to broke. He was also a womanizer. He was handsome with his green eyes, black hair and his slight olive complexion, he was of German descent. He washed windows and ran cars. There was something missing in his life and it was Mary Ann, she was just too young for him and he didn't know it anyway.
With her red flaming hair, and beautiful green eyes, she was also a shapely young girl and when she could she wore the taboo RED LIPSTICK she was an eye catcher.
I remember she had told me about some of the boys in her life and the soldiers she dated.
The one I remember she talked about was Bobby. He was from down south, he went back home when his time was up and she lost him. Her sisters always competed for boyfriends and my mom, Mary Ann always thought that she could get anyone she wanted and tried.
In 1945, she met Earl Dolquist, My mother always talked about how awful things were in her younger years. My grandma Moberg, would have men at the house who drank and needed a place to stay. Bad thing was that the men would try to force the girls to have sex with them. My grandma would catch them but allowed them back because she needed the money they gave her to help support my mothers younger sister Marilyn and her crippled sister Ruth.
   Earl, married her and Mary Ann could now leave her house and be free. They moved to I think it was Mississippi. There she became pregnant, or was she already? Rumor has it that she may have been pregnant before she got married by a handsome young mulatto man that her sister Loretta had dated.
Loretta had a son out of wed lock, Darrell. The rumors were also the same, that Loretta had gotten pregnant by the young man that might have fathered Mary Ann's child.
   Earl sent her home on a bus, back to her family to give birth alone. Mary Ann said she hated it there that Earl had become abusive to her.There would be one more visit from Earl later when he was to see his grown child.
   Mary Ann gave birth to a beautiful dark haired, darker skinned daughter on May 5th, 1947, She named her Linda Lee.
   Grandma Moberg spoiled Linda and Darrell terribly, it was nice to have babies in the house again.
   A couple of years later Mary Ann met another man whose first name I don't remember but his last name was Webber and he was to father another of Mary Ann's children, this time she wasn't legally married because her divorce from Earl wasn't final. She would never see Tim's father again and neither would he.
    Timothy Michael Dolquist was born on June 1, 1951, to an unwed Mary Ann. Timmy was a blond haired, green eyed baby the complete opposite of Linda.

1930-45 Mobergs & Terwey families meet

2012-04-09T20:12:00.001-07:00

I was born in Swedish Hospital south Minneapolis. Jean Marie Terwey, although I was supposed to be named Jeanne, a typo was made during the registering of my birth certificate.
My father Bill, told me that I was a very lucky baby.
He had been in a car accident on his way to get me and his car was totaled, from that day on my mother was convinced that I was going to die in a car accident as a driver so she always told me about the nightmares she had about my horrific death.
I had an older sister Linda Lee Dolquist an older brother Timothy Michael Dolquist, my mother had been marries before and I will tell you all bout this and how my parents got together, I also had a sister Barbara Jean Terwey, there would be more to be born after me.
My father had a son John Terwey, from a previous marriage, a son that would walk in and out of our lives so that we only knew of him and would never know him!
My mother let Barbie, as she was known then, help feed me so she wouldn't be jealous of me, she helped bathe me and change my diapers. We napped together and loved each other, but things wouldn't stay that way.
Let me take you back to the days when Cedar Ave and the Riverside area was where men in uniforms and women with fashionable hairnets gathered at the corner drugstore which was called "The 7 Corners Area". My grandma worked hard she had been widowed 3 times and had many children, mostly girls. One of her daughter came down with polio and child services would try to take her all the time and my grandma would fight them often.
   Ruth, was her name, had to be careful, she couldn't go to school because she couldn't walk. When she was 2 she lost her ability to walk. She drug herself around until she was strong enough to pull herself up and my Grandma, Myrtle Moberg, retaught her to walk again.
    My grandma worked many jobs but the last one she had was at a place called the " Warn A Bit Shop" Second hand close and household things that could be reused, were sold from there.
   My grandma lived off Cedar Ave near what is now the "Mixed Blood Theatre" , which is a refurbished Fire Station. As a little girl I used to visit the fireman from that station and they would squirt us gently with the fire hose on hot days and played with all the kids in the neighborhood.
   We had such respect for those men!!! And they did us kids as well.
    There was a man, Art, who lived next door to my grandma, they never had anything nice to say about each other and the kids, whom were mostly young women were told to stay away from him.
    Across the street another family had moved in and they were a German woman and a couple of her children that had moved from St. Cloud Minnesota to the Cedar area.
    Myrtle met Bertha Terwey she had several children as well but only 2 daughters lives with her, and a son who visited often and became friends with Art, his name was Wilbert, aka Bill Terwey.

And a young Mary Ann thought he was a very Handsome man and flirted with him until her mother found out she was only 14 years old and Bill it turned out was 25. He was to be off limits, and he was married.

Deciding to write Family story

2012-04-09T16:50:00.004-07:00

I have been told for years that I should write my family story. I have thought about it for years and decided to try it.
I thought about publishing through a book publisher but after lots of thought about having to write and rewrite to get it the way a publisher would like I thought better. I want it to be as if I were telling a story about a family that was not perfect in anyway and the story told the same way.
You and I sitting here, reminiscing about the history of my family and how we came to be and all the tribulations and turmoil of a time gone by to the present.
If you like it you will come back for more and if you don't well thank you for your interest and your time.
For those of you that come back I hope our story will keep you captivated.
I'm sure I will have some dates and memories wrong since they were told to me by people that have since passed on and I can't go back and verify. So with the best of my ability I will tell our story and will do it justice.

Again, this may not be 100 percent accurate but I will do my best. I'm sorry if I end up embarrassing you!!!