Home Life

When we moved to Hawthorne, I bought my own washing machine. What a luxury.
Drying the clothes outside was no chore in the Fort Worth climate, but in the spring, it became one. Our neighbors to the north had a mulberry tree that produced many purple mulberries. The birds ate the berries and sat on my clothesline afterwards. What a mess my diapers would be, all stained with berries !
But that didn't last long. Soon I had "help" who did the laundry, hung out the clothes, ironed them, and put them away.

Because the house on Hawthorne was bigger than the one we’d lived in previously, Annabelle was able to move in with us and she lived in the downstairs bedroom.
She was like one of the family. She and I did the housework together. She was about five years older than I and she became very attached to Jim and he to her. Carolyn liked her, but never had an attachment to her.

On the week-ends, Annabelle went to Dallas to be with her sister. I don't remember the financial arrangements at that time either. She went to James ' office when she needed psycho-therapy, but things moved pretty smoothly. Our relationship was more brotherly and sisterly than employer and employee.

About the time Jim was born we bought our first TV at Hawthorne. Of course it had a tiny screen and was black and white. Carolyn and I enjoyed it a lot. There was only wrestling on Monday nights.

Uncle Miltie was on Tuesday, I think—Milton Berle, you know, "You can trust your car to the man who wears the Star." I guess Jim was too little at first.


James always worked so late, he got home at ten o'clock usually so that we could watch "Weather Telefacts" with Harold Taft. That was the end of the television day then.

I've always enjoyed TV. Never watched the Soap Operas, though. Just didn't appeal to me and I had other things I'd rather be doing. The "Hit Parade" was one of my favorites.



James and I also bought a beautiful blonde cocker spaniel "Star Dust" about the time Jim was born, too, I guess, maybe earlier. She had a litter of pups, and we gave one to Ken Kellam. Her name was "Bubbles.”