After College..

On the fourth of July 1966, Tink called me, while I was still in Gatlinburg Tennessee.  He ended up proposing to me over the phone.  I accepted.  I did not stop to think about what a short time I had know him.  He drove to Tennessee  to pick me up.  Where I ended asking him to propose to me on his knees, and he did.  On the way home we stopped for the night with my Aunt and Uncle in Western Virginia. 

Tink wanted to be married before the school year began.  I wanted to wait a while.  We ended getting married at the end of August.  When I think about it, my parents were marvelous.  We accomplished so much with in a little over a month's notice.  I had a beautiful wedding, in our church with a long gown and mantilla borrowed from a family friend. 

I found that I could wear Tap shoes that had ribbon ties.  So we ordered a pair in white.  For many years I had worn girl Scout brown leather tie shoes with everything.  Mother had told me that no one paid attention to my shoes as long as I had a smile on my face.  In fact, when someone mentioned my shoes to a friend, she revealed that she never knew that I wore anything different than she did. But I knew.

We went back to Tennessee on our Honey Moon.  We spent it on a house boat on a lake.  I had to cook on a gas stove, and it was not until almost the end of our week that we realized that they had steaks in the grocery store at the lake.  We had eaten canned food up to that point. It was close to the beginning of the school year there were very few people on the lake.  We got into a row boat to fish.  We did not catch many fish, little ones at that.  The beds much to our regret were narrow single bunk beds.  We went long periods of time without seeing anyone else on the water. Tink wanted me to go skinny dipping.  I was too shy then.

When we got home, we settled into our the row house, which we had rented in the Hague area of Norfolk.  Tink resumed his teaching and coaching job at Old Dominion College.  I started my new Teaching job at The Hebrew Academy in Norfolk.  Together we made about $10,000 that year.

All of a sudden I was in a position where I was called by my new married name.  I was Mrs. Trimble.  I picked up my second grade class to led them across the street to our class room.  Behind me I heard one little boy say to another.  "New teacher, She is pretty, but look at those sticks!"  I turned around and said," You better watch out. I know how to use them too."   My husband had warned me to be tough to begin with, because it was harder to change later.  The boys eyes got big and they did not say another word.  I taught two whole grades that year.  I had a second grade class and a fourth grade class.  Half of the day they took their Hebrew classes the other half the regular classes.  I learned that year what it was like to be a minority.  I distinctly remember one child calling the other a dirty rotten Christian. It was a good experience working in that school.  I learned a lot about the Jewish faith.

Tink had wanted a dog.  He talked me into going with him to get a puppy.  I had never had a dog before, as my parents were worried about a dog tripping me up. We went out to an area between Norfolk and Virginia Beach.  There we found golden puppies in a large piano box on a porch.  There were twelve adorable puppies in all.  One female in particular won our hearts.  She was reddish in color and smelled like the cedar shaving in the box.  We named her Cedar.  We walked this small pup on a leash getting her to stop at corners until we had looked both ways.  Some how our early training worked.  She never went out of her limits. 

That  December, we went to Wisconsin to have Christmas with his family.  I had never been away from my family at Christmas.  I felt bad to because my grandfather had died that fall.  We also left behind Cedar. Christmas in Wisconsin was different. there was most definitely snow on the ground.  They opened presents on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day.  There were all sorts of new things to adjust to.

While I was visiting my in laws that Christmas, I realized that I was most likely pregnant.  After having a glass of cold Duck with Christmas Eve Dinner, I felt dizzy and had to lie down.  When I got back to Virginia my Doctor confirmed my suspicions, I was expecting in late August one year almost exactly after my wedding.

I  went to see my Polio doctor, John Vann.  He said that I should have no problem carrying or giving birth.It was amusing to see the men rush to open doors for me when I was great with child walking with a brace on my leg and crutches.  I was able to keep my weight down only gaining about twenty five or thirty pounds.

The week before my son was born, we went fishing in a row boat in the middle of a tributary of the James River.  Also fishing and crabbing off a pier on the Elizabeth River.  In fact my husband said I should have been crowned the Mud Toad Queen of the Elizabeth River.  I caught so many mud toads.

Mother, Dad and my brother decided to go up to Pennsylvania to visit my Aunt and cousins.  I assured them that I was fine first babies were usually late.  After dinner on August 28th I talked to them and said that I was fine.  We had pizza and green grapes that night and I had a little indigestion. That indigestion turned into labor pains and Tink rushed me to the hospital Christopher came early the morning of the 29th of August.  I was over whelmed with motherly love and pride.  Chris was a perfect little blonde baby boy. 

That day the family hurried back from their visit.  Dad wanted to stop and buy something on the way home but my brother said that they could not stop.  They needed to get home to see me and the new baby.  After my hospital stay we carried Chris home to my parents where Mother helped me get use to taking care of a baby.

The logistics of caring for a baby when you walk with crutches is not as easy as if you did not have to manage with crutches.  I still marvel at how well I managed.  I used a carriage in order to carry my baby from one room to another in the house.  I was forced to think things out in order to be able to care for my child.  I needed to plan.  Mother or my husband or a kind neighbor would help me take the baby out to our car.  We were in a first floor apartment however there were eight steps or more to get outside. 

As Chris grew things got a little better.   He was able to help me pick him up.  He would hold up his little hands or stand up and hold on to me.  It was like he knew that I needed him to help me.  He even started walking at the early age of nine months.   He would hold onto my finger and walk with me.  This was both a blessing and a curse. One day he was crawling in his room.  I left the room for some reason.  When I came back I found him standing in the open window against the screen watching children playing outside.I was scared that he would fall.  I blamed it on his father being a gymnast.