My technical capabilities are getting downright scary! The PowerPoint is ready to go--okay, okay, Stan burned the disc, I didn't, and he got the pictures like I wanted them--I still don't know how, but I did compose the messages and tonight I even learned how to kinda, sorta use PhotoShop! What's next??!! Told you it was scary! 

The picture on top is, of course, Mother, Daddy, Joe, Audrey & me taken at the back entrance of Pop & Grandma's apartment building. Anna May also had an apartment in the same building. That sure wasn't a good picture of Daddy and I don't remember Mother ever being that thin.

I wish I could find the picture showing the front of the car shown in the second picture; Mother's face was imprinted in the front fender, driver's side. I had spent the night at Grandma & Pop's and they were on the way to get me; Joe and Audrey were both sleeping in the back seat. Most of you know where the curved bridge between N. Puyallup & Fife is; the curve used to be much sharper, but the curve itself wasn't the cause of the wreck. Just before they got to the bridge, something went wrong with the car and Daddy pulled off to the side of the road. I don't have any idea what was wrong with the car, but Daddy dropped something on the ground while trying to get it running again. He had Mother stand in front of the car and hold her coat out to the sides so the light would be reflected to the ground. A drunk driver followed their taillights off the road and Mother was dragged 90' across the pavement. All the muscles in her back were torn and the doctors at that time didn't know how to repair them so her entire torso was mostly wrapped and taped. She spent the rest of her life in constant pain.

Kind of a funny side note, now, but wasn't then. That was back in the days when almost no one had medical insurance and doctor & hospital bills weren't nearly as high then as they are now. After getting out of the hospital, Mother wrote a check and somehow made a mistake on the amount. She subsequently received a letter stating that she nor none of her family would be welcomed at that hospital until that dollar had been paid.

A few days ago I wrote about Pop & Grandma living in Montana, Tacoma, Montana, Tacoma,

Sumner, but I don't think I mentioned they lived in Ellensburg from approximately 1930 until 1940; don't know the exact dates or why they moved there, but Pop was a policeman in Ellensburg; that's the only time he was in law enforcement; don't know how or why he was on the force.

Grandma had cancer while they lived there. The doctor told her she would live 6 months if she didn't have surgery and 3 years if she had it. Well, she had the surgery and had to go back & forth to Yakima for radiation treatments. This was sometime in the early '30's and she lived until January 1973.

One day when Timm was about 10 she told him she wasn't worth shooting. He told her that if she tried, she could live until she was 80. Sure enough she died 2 weeks after her 80th birthday; she always said that attitude was the most important part of your personality.

The last 3 days have been absolutely gorgeous! We're supposed to have another 70ish degree day tomorrow & then Wednesday it will be back in the 50's and raining--what a strange spring we've had--but the trees are all blossoming and leafing out!! What a wonderful sight!!

that's it for tonight...