Growing up with a Chamber Pot

Burdick Gwaltney Sue

Description

A nostalgic and humorous look at life in the fifties, author Sue Gwaltneys true story recalls the carefree days of rock and roll, cool cars, fast horses, and zany adventures all contained within the framework of Christian upbringing, showing respect to our elders,...and having the courtesy to always close the gates behind us!

Sujets

• Lettres et linguistique

Informations

• Publié par: Inspiring Voices
• Date de parution: 10 octobre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781462403349
• Langue: English

Extrait

Growing Up with a Chamber Pot
 
 
 
 
A Lighthearted Memoir of Coming of Age in the Mountains of Montana
 
 
 
 
 
Sue Burdick Gwaltney
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
Copyright © 2012 Sue Gwaltney
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
 
Inspiring Voices books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:
 
Inspiring Voices
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.inspiringvoices.com
1-[phone]
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
 
Cover Photos
Front: First And Best Friends Forever; Sue, Norny, Toppy, And Old Shep 1948
Back: Logging Wheels At The Lakeside Merc; Our Favorite Vantage Post
 
 
 
ISBN: 978-1-4624-0335-6 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4624-0334-9 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012917898
 
 
Inspiring Voices rev. date: 10/05/2012
Table of Contents
Preface  
Chapter One:Montana Mountain Childhood  
Chapter Two:My First Friends… My Lifelong Friends  
Chapter Three:Mistaken Identity and The Man with The Mumps  
Chapter Four:Moving Into School Days and Mrs. Woodworth  
Chapter Five:Misunderstanding Sisters and a Memorable Train Trip  
Chapter Six:Meandering Through Lakeside… A History  
Chapter Seven:Meowing Baptism  
Chapter Eight:Making Bail and A Miracle from God  
Chapter Nine:Meet Marlene  
Chapter Ten:Mynah Bird Umpire  
Chapter Eleven:Memories Are Made of This…. Methodists  
Chapter Twelve:Marias Pass, Mail in the Air, and Mr. Clothier  
Chapter Thirteen:Managing To Get Noticed  
Chapter Fourteen:Math in High School……… and Making Love?  
Chapter Fifteen:Mercury to Model A…. Making Our Way to Town  
Chapter Sixteen:Method to His Madness; My Father’s Deal with Me  
Chapter Seventeen:Money Schemes and Making Out  
Chapter Eighteen:Mister Custer’s Last Stand  
Chapter Nineteen:Magical 1959  
Lakeside School Reunion……… 1989  
Epilogue 2012  
 

Sue with her parents at the ranch on Blacktail Road in June, 1942.
Preface
Some actresses, (Shirley MacLaine comes to mind) speak of “channeling” themselves into the character they’re portraying. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not into channeling, nor am I an actress. Neither have I had a book published, owing to the fact that I haven’t written one yet. Therefore, I can hardly call myself an author…at least not at this stage of the game.
Rolling around in my brain, however, along with nearly seventy years of mostly useless information, there is a story I believe is worth telling. I’m going to test my well-worn brain cells to take myself back into my childhood, and just for the fun of it, see what comes out. Going backward that many years might be quite a long trip.
I am happy to be living once more near the small town that I have always considered home, Lakeside, Montana on the west shore of beautiful Flathead Lake. Across the island-dotted, fresh water lake, the Rocky Mountains rise protectively like sentinels standing guard over this picture perfect setting.
It has also been a long trip coming forward this far. Life has taken me many places since I grew up, and I have been fortunate to have enjoyed more than my share of sight seeing and adventure along the way.
While employed with the Bureau of Land Management, I had the breath taking opportunity of seeing gigantic moose rear out of the water to paw angrily at our supply-carrying helicopter over Galena, Alaska. Acquiring my commercial driver’s license at age fifty five, I enjoyed several years hauling freight throughout the United States, teamed with my husband, as an over-the-road semi driver. Most recently there was yet another “breath taking”, (not to mention humiliating) experience of being plucked by a hunky life guard from a wild surf on Maui….a surf no self respecting grandmother should have plunged headlong into in the first dumb place! Sandwiched between have been many years of working in the food service industry.
Might you think being a waitress or cook would be a grueling and perhaps even dull occupation? Do think again! More excitement, laughs, and funny things take place behind the scenes in restaurants than you’d ever dream! I’ve had enough restaurant adventures to write a book, but I suppose I’d better write the first one first.
I feel like I’ve come full circle in my life, back home to the ranch where I started married life as a bride in 1960. My marriage only took me two miles north of my childhood home in Lakeside. Unlike me, two of my children and their children have never left home. They have grown up, built their own houses, and raised their families on this old home ranch. Today they know the area better than I do, but they haven’t known it as LONG as I have, and that is the purpose of this story. I have been yearning to paint a picture to show my children and grandchildren (add “not an artist, either” to the list!) the charming little community of my childhood.
Blessed with many dear and lifelong friends, this will be their story, too; a story of growing up in the 1950’s “Happy Days” era of Lakeside. We’ll go back into the days of duck tails and blue dot tail lights….Back, back into a time when life was much less complicated in our tiny village beside the lake, where we knew every dog and horse by name.
I can’t promise you a plot. I have no idea where I’m going with this narrative; you might find it interesting or it might be the dullest ink ever put to paper. But I’m going to give it my best shot.
Want to go along for the ride?
Sue Burdick Gwaltney
 

First Christmas at the “Stensland Place” with Aunty and Unc. Sue is showing off the new Christmas sled her father built.
Chapter One
Montana Mountain Childhood
A blustery, early spring afternoon in 1947 found my parents and I making our tortured way across the Rock Road, bouncing along in our ‘41 Chevy pickup. It was raining sleeted snow and the chains were clanking as the little truck pulled us through the muddy ruts and over the boulders half buried in the old logging trail. With the heater blowing full blast, the windshield wipers were clearing the way as fast as they could. Snuggled warmly on the narrow seat in the middle, soaking up the heat blowing directly on my face, I was reveling in the bumpy ride. The Rock Road, perhaps a mile or so long, was a shortcut through the woods connecting the gravel county roads of Blacktail on the south end of Lakeside, and Bierney Creek on the north.
Sandwiched between these two roads, a half mile, give or take, through the woods to the east, lies the small community of Lakeside, Montana nestled on the west shore of Flathead Lake along Highway ‘93. My father would use the Rock Road just for the fun of the challenge where we’d sometimes catch a glimpse of deer or a startled bear. Maybe, too, it was the route taken because I always hollered “Let’s go over the Rock Road” as soon as I spied it. Basically it was an early day Lakeside version of a “Scenic Route.” As we finally chugged our way through the last of the heavy timber where we could see down onto Bierney Creek Road, Daddy stopped the truck and turned off the engine.
“Look down there, Susie“ he told me, pointing through the trees and down onto a large meadow in the distance, “That’s going to be our new home!” Peering through the already fogging up windshield, I saw an ancient looking two story log house, a log barn and some outbuildings. My mother wailed, “But $4,500.00 Jim! How on earth would we ever pay for it?” I didn’t know it at the time, but we were already parked on the property that went with the place; 140 acres of mostly tall timber with shorter spruce and fir stands. The woods were interspersed by a couple of rather large meadows some distance from each other.
“We’ll figure it out, Nonie. Now let’s go down there and meet the Stenslands!” By the time we crossed the wooden cattle guard that led up to the house, my mother had worked herself into something of a snit. She was staring out her side window determinedly ignoring my father’s enthusiasm for this adventure. Continuing up the driveway, I noticed to my right a tiny, one-room log cabin with a lean-to porch that matched the big house more or less. “What a playhouse!” I was thinking, fast becoming every bit as excited as my Mother was upset. Just beyond the cabin was a barnyard complete with a dilapidated rail corral which set my heart racing. Wow! A spot for a pony! Could life possibly get any better than this?
Some heated words were exchanged between them before Daddy coaxed a reluctant Mother out of the truck, but she followed him to the door, still in full snit. The Stenslands were an old Swedish couple who talked funny. Their adult daughter, Lena, was there with them and she talked funny too. Turned out she lived in the little cabin I’d admired on our way in. The old couple made a fuss over me and offered me a cookie which thawed my mother out to some small degree. She was rather fond of her only child.
After pleasantries were exchanged, Mrs. Stensland suggested we take a look at the house. I’d never seen such a big place in all my life. We had