July 14, 1972 Fri.
Dear Flowers:
Got up ate breakfast. Went for a walk with Mom & Dad. Went up the long way all the way till the river. Went swimming with Dad. Beckys sick. Read abit on “Never Call it Loving.” Ate lunch. We packed away all our things & left to Managua. Dad called U.S.A. & couldn't get Montreils got Uncle Norm. Patricia was killed. Was a passenger in car. Car got knocked off road she fell out & car rolled on top of her. I feel, well can’t describe it. I quess you can say bad. Becky (Dr. came) has gastrointeritis. Watched T.V.
BYE!!
Note: Dad tried calling my Aunt and Uncle in New Orleans but couldn’t reach them. He finally got my Uncle Norm in Ohio who told him what happened. Terrible news. In the 1970’s, it wasn’t mandatory to wear a seatbelt. Most people didn’t use them. Some cars didn’t even have them. The seatbelts were just across your waist like on airplanes today. There were no such things as airbags.
Doctors made house calls. Dr. Calero lived in our neighborhood so it worked out great that Becky didn’t have to go into the office.
July 15, 1972 Sat.
Dear Flowers:
Got up late. Ate breakfast. Read papers, too all morning practically. Got new ”Teen & Young Miss” Read on Teen all afternoon almost. Went over to Simmons but not home. Talked to her Mom for awhile. Tried to try different styles (hair) on Becky but she wouldn’t let me. So tried them on my hair. Watched T.V. Read on “Young Miss.”
BYE!
Note: It was always a great day when I got my copies of Teen & Young Miss magazines. I could see the latest styles of clothes and hairstyles in the U.S.
July 16, 1972 Sun.
Dear Flowers:
No maids today. It’s Lola’s day & Rosa’s off sick. I washed dishes breakfast, lunch, & dried them for supper. I made my own bed correctly for once. I took a bath & washed my hair. Mom rolled it. I finished “Young Miss.” Read abit on “Never Call it Loving. Painted my nails. Watched T.V. “Hercules Contra Roma” was the movie. Davids cleaning out his closet & wants to get rid of everything, so I have to watch him.
BYE!!
Note: We enjoyed very privileged lives as did most Americans living overseas. I think what helped keep us grounded was spending a month every year with my grandparents.
My husband would argue that I still can’t make a bed properly.
I'm not sure why I had to keep an eye on David throwing things out, but maybe it was me being a bossy older sister.
“Never Call it Loving” is the story of Kitty O’Shea, a married woman whose love affair with Charles Stewart Parnell in the late nineteenth century led to the famous Irish patriot's downfall. The author, Dorothy Eden, wrote this historical fiction based on published works by the heroine.
"Hercules Contra Roma" was an Italian film made in 1964 with Alan Steel who was an Italian bodybuilder turned actor. It was dubbed in Spanish.
How awful you must have felt to know more details about your cousin's car accident. Someone dying in any kind of accident at any age I think affects us differently than if someone dies from illness or older age because it's sudden, unexpected.
When I lived in Central America, it was hard for me to accept someone else cleaning up after me, doing my laundry, cooking for me. I stayed with families who were middle class and they didn't want me in the kitchens or to talk with the maids. I just wanted to help them, talk with the kids, learn about their lives. The maids often wore their Mayan clothes and I really enjoyed spending time with them. I…
We always had a cook and a housekeeper, and sometimes a gardener. It was a shock to come back to the states as a teen, and have do "chores" heaven forbid!
Oh, that is terrible about your cousin’s tragic accident. I was born in 73 and sat in a car carrier that hooked over the front bench seat. How bizarre.
Amanda S.
Oh Susie your cousin Patricia's car accident so tragic!! Pulling across the shoulder harness and buckling the seatbelt so automatic now. Yet I remember in the '70s not wanting to use the buckle!
We were so spoiled - never having to even think about making a bed... you were quite enterprising to do a good job of it. I learned in boarding school to make a bed military style with the four corners, thogh never achieved bounding the quarter on it...
Do enjoy your reminicing! Tootsie
‘My closet’ was full of things that weren’t mine. So your supervisor was needed. I still deal with the urge to clear out clutter especially when it’s not mine!!!