From birth to eighty

Hello from the land of Cowboys and Indians, Mt. Rushmore and Wall Drug. The land of my birth some 79 years ago. South Dakota, USA

 Shortly before  my birth, effects of the of The Great Depression and "dirty thirties" were beginning to subside. The influence of that recent past weighed heavy on my early years. Even today I remember some things that happened 70 years ago more clearly than what I did yesterday.

 I grew up on a farm/ranch perched on the bluffs overlooking  the Missouri River. I attended a country school of about 10 students for the first 8 grades.  The High School was 25 miles away and was my first experience of living away from home. I lodged at private homes, took meals at the school cafeteria and returned home on week-ends. 

 My college degree was an eight year marathon of two quarters of learning, then two quarters of work to pay the bill. Then repeat. The learning was interrupted by two years of military service and finally, in 1964, my BA did emerge. Armed with a college degree I should have been a money earning machine. At least that was my assumption. WRONG!!!  

 When I chose my college major I chose that which coincided with my interests, The Social Sciences. In fact, I opted for a double major in Social Science with a minor in English. The minor in English coming because of my love of literature. I soon found out that the Social Sciences had little respect as far as re numeration was concerned. I think every athletic coach ever born has a minor in the Social Sciences, at least that is where those jobs seem to go. My salvation was that little English minor even though I hated the grammar part. Perhaps that is why I did not teach for long. 

 Before, during and after teaching I had a number of different job experiences. Included in those experiences were 15 years of farming and 15 years working in a grain elevator. Now in retirement, looking back at those different episodes in my life, it is clear that I am a jack-of-all trades, master of none. Another defining feature is it seems I was always a year late so many times. Enough for now but expect to revisit these subjects many times if I continue with Steemit.

 Time now to talk of greater things. My wonderful wife of 53 years and 5 great kids. Four boys and one daughter. Somehow, while I more or less bounced around, all of them have done well. Where I am still dithering about what I want to be when I grow up; they have all taken a direction and stayed with it. Without a doubt they are their mothers children in that respect. My wife has basically given her life to caring for others. First, our children, then the grand kids and she still works part-time at the nursing home where she has worked for over 20 years. Her biggest regret will be when she can no longer be the caregiver she has been. 

 This is a short look at my family and me. Thanks for reading.