It's 1965..I have one son, and another one on the way. I have become more and more unsatisfied.Why you ask?..I am 21 and I have found my inner strength, that I had all along, just didn't know how to express it...and the stronger I became the more problems we had. As long as I was a 'anything you say honey' type of wife...Bob was happy..I on the other hand was so miserable I had left and gone back to Daddy's house which was different from the house I had left to be a wife..Daddy had a new wife and a new family. All the things we couldn't afford when he was in the Air Force on military pay, he could now afford to give his new family as he was a civil servant, doing the same job but at about 4 times the money...Part of me was just so happy for my Daddy, cause even if I was 'Daddy's Little Darling' as his new wife refered to me, all I wanted was for him to be happy, and he was..But I can't tell you it didn't hurt me in ways that I didn't understand when I saw the pink frilly canopy bed with matching dresser, desk and pink fur rug in my new step sister's room.The new brick home, the new car, the well decorated bedroom for my new step brother. Remembering my room when I left home to get married...the military iron bed with plain white sheets, and chinille spread, with a military metal desk and dresser. Daddy didn't deny me anything he could afford..but when he went to court and sued to get custody of me from my mother when they got the divorice, it cost a lot of money and to top it off, Mother had ran up all his credit cards when she left me with him..So we didn't have alot of extras, but we were happy together..But it wasn't an ideal situation..He was still young and needed someone and I was an only child who didn't want to share Daddy with anyone..So it is easy to look back and see why Daddy didn't throw too much of a fit when I wanted to go to Calif. and marry Bob...someone would be taking care of me and he could get on with his life...Problem's solved...So going home was a wake up call, you really do have to sleep in the bed you made..so I went back to Bob who did try and change..but once an asshole, always an asshole..He was getting out of the Air Force and taking me and my belly and David to where his folks lived in Portland,Oregon. Think he thought if he got me away from Daddy I would be easier to manage...think again asshole...
While I was getting stronger and braver and a hell of a lot louder, the rest of the country was going through some major changes too.The Rev. Martin Luther King and more than 2,600 other blacks were
arrested in Selma, Alabama during a 3-day demonstration against voter-registration rules. Followers of Black Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad killed Malcome X, Black Nationalist leader.Medicare Senior Citizen's program begins. Black rioted in Watts, a section of Los Angles for 6 days. 34 dead, over 1,000 injured, nearly 4,000 arrested, fire damage was about $175 million. Power failure in Ontario plant blacks out parts of 8 states of New England and 2 provinces of S.E. Canada.The war is heating up in Vietnam and the U.S. bombs North Vietnam in retaliation for a National Liberation Front atta
ck against U.S. Troops in South Vietnam.The background music to my inner war and the war in
a far off country were the sa
me.We were urged to "Hang on Sloopy" by the McCoys(Ialways thought they were saying hang on snoopy),the Beach Boys were still wearing 
plaid shirts and singing surf songs"Help Me Ronda", and "All Summer Long."...'All I Really Want To do'by the Byrds, 'Cara Mia Mine', by Jay and the Americans was a personal favorite.The Beatles were pumping out 
hits all year long,'Day Tripper, 8 Days A Week, We Can Work It Out, Ticket to Ride and oh lordy the best song of
the year .......Yesterday'.....Don't get much better than that.Bob Dylan had a few hits too, 'Like A Rolling Stone, and Subterranean Homesick Blues'....Sonny and Cher had each other then, 'I Got You Babe', and we though they were just so cool and hip and everyone wanted to be them...and funny enough..Bob kinda looked like Sonny( I was NOOOOOOO Cher)...and to hear Cher tell her life story with him, they acted alike too...Simon and Garfunkle sang about 'The Sounds of
Silence.' James Brown had us...'I got You ...I Feel Good.'
'Downtown' by Petula Clark, 5 O'Clock World by the vogues. 'My Girl' by the Temptations..and the Stones had 'The Last Time'...The Byrds also had 2 of my favorites that year, my music tastes was already starting to turn'hippy.''Turn Turn Turn' and 'Mr. Tamberine Man'...1965 is coming to an end and except for the crying, my marriage was too...
13 comments:
I'm lovin' this whole string of posts JS. . . Brings back a lot of memories, some good, some. . . well. . .
You were about 8 when I was born, so my perspective on things is a little diferent, but I recall the times. Living in a little farming town in central Michigan, we (the kids) didn't understand the whole racial equality/civil right thing.
I could never understand why so many people felt that Negros (yes, that was a proper term at the time) should be treated differently. To me (at least) they were just people like us. . .
The music of the day was fantastic to me, but I remember the adults talking about it being "subversive." I had no idea what they meant. It wasn't until later that I understood what Peter, Paul and Mary's "Puff The Magic Dragon" was REALLY about. . . LOL!
I'll have more to contribute when you get to 1968/69/70. . .
Thanks for the flashback. . . Or is this a remnant of that bad acid trip in `73. . .???
Love YA!!!
I'm with Lauren except I have the Southern view. I never understood all the fuss about race either. One of my best friends was black and everything was wonderful EXCEPT there were no overnight stays or visiting one anothers homes. My parents would hem and haw when asked but permission was always denied.
The foot is doing better. It doesn't hurt unless I bump it or have to wear a shoe. I have one comfortable pair of flipflops that I wore ssat. The real fun is Tues night, I've got to go back to work and have to wear a real shoe.......
Interesting to hear all this stuff that went on in history. It does repeat itself, doesn't it?
Riots, power outages, war...
I am born...taa daaah.
yeoow whuts nu pussycat whoa-oh-ohh...always thought Tom Jones was pretty hot...yeah me and ten million others eh.
I loved Cher when I was a little girl. I used to play her records all the time. I had long straight hair like her and I would hold my hand in that held up/limp wrist sort of way. Sometimes I catch myself still doing it. I always watched the Sonny and Cher Show. I was a fanatic!
I remember that year! I was starting to think of other things besides what kind of games to play or who to hang out with. I watched Huntley Brinkly and Walter Cronkite was the new kid in town. My father and mother didn't have a clue what was going through my little mind and pretended I was like my brothers.
Tom Jones didn't do a thing for me but Cher was kinda cute.
I Know it was a bad time for a woman with her own mind and mouth to express it. Bad times really getting up a head of steam and it wont get better anytime soon.
History does repeat itself but only because people keep repeating the same stupid mistakes.
Puff had another meaning? ;)
I was still young in 64 (11) so I don't remmember all the world events, but I do remember some of the songs. As far as your marriage goes, it looks like maybe you were just starting to grow up and reallize what you wnated (or in this case didn't want) from life. I am really enjoying your post.
Oh man, you've been busy since the last time I had a chance to visit, Jackie Sue... I've got a lot of catching up to do. Looks like an interesting series.
I think Bush tapped into the same strange desire for war that was used to keep the Viet Nam war going for so long. It seems like America will not ever admit to wars being a mistake. So many young men died in a country that was no threat to the U.S. I guess Bush said "Let's do it again!"
Ah damn Jackie, you're a strong strong woman to have gone through so much in your own personal life, and still come out on top.
I wasn't alive yet (not even close). But I love the story.
One of my teachers is playing bass for Tom Jones on the tour that he's doing right now
So hard on you in many ways.
You ended your post in an upbeat way with music. On one of my blogs I titled it for many reasons, one of which is the musical one.
You're new there, so you may or may not have noticed that each post is a song title. Several of the superb songs you mentioned here, are the titles of posts that relate to the lyrics or meaning in some way. This brings back memories even though we're of different generations, but age doesn't matter when it comes to music or friendship (IMHO).
Linking your history to the music and history of 'the moment' is a stunning way to capture your emotions and somehow connect us all to the times in your life.
You're wonderful, YG. You've got that inner spirit of survival I admire so very much! *hard hugs*
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