People I remember most

  

March 7, 2008

                                                                                                                                                                                                                  I’ve written many feature stories and articles about people. Some of them are etched in my mind more than others.

There was a blind Air Force wife who had a one year old sighted baby.  I interviewed her in base housing at now defunct Blytheville Air Force Base. The woman’s husband, a lieutenant, was away on military duty at lot, so the main care of the baby was left to the mother. The baby was named Christie Noel because she was born at Christmas time.

The tiny toddler was beautiful. She wore little bells on her white shoes so that her mother could hear the bells jingle and know where the toddler might be. At one point the baby stopped running abut the room and laid her head in her mother’s lap. She gazed at me, and sucked her thumb. The mother touched the baby’s head. I snapped the photograph that would be used to accompany my story.

I asked the mother to describe her baby to me.

She said, ” I don’t really know what she looks like, but I know she’s pretty. She described what she thought the baby looked like from touch and feel.

I should mention that the mother had been sighted until she was about 13.   An  infection had caused her to become blind.

The mother told me about her coping skills of caring for the baby and her household.

I asked her about her fears and she surprised me with her answer.
“Spiders,” she said. “I’m afraid Christie might try to pick up a spider.”

Winter is here

1-18-08

It is cold today. Tomorrow night it’s expected to drop to 15 degrees, our lowest nighttime temperature yet. I stayed home today and wrapped up in my new soft afghan. This is my first winter in my house in town. I have central heat and air and that is a blessing. For the past 21 years I’ve built wood fires to keep warm in my country home. I do like wood fires. They are so cozy. But it takes a lot of work to keep a fire going when there’s snow and ice outside, especially when that’s the main source of heat. 

For several years, my son cut my firewood and I would stack it downstairs under the deck to keep it dry. Then later, I started buying ranks of wood from local woodcutters. That was simpler. Then a couple of years ago I decided that the wood stacking, carrying, and loading the stove was just too much work for me. It kept my shoulders sore all winter. My thoughts started turning to central heat.

I happened upon this old house which was being auctioned in the summer of 2006. On a whim, I bought it with the idea that my son could fix it up. It was a real challenge because there was lots of repair to do before I could move in. My son added floor tile and laminate flooring. All rooms were painted, including woodwork.

I know now that I really got a bargain.  The house is located in a nice neighborhood on a corner lot with a lot of yard space.  The house was equipped with a dishwasher, a compactor, garbage disposal, five ceiling fans, recessed lighting in the kitchen and dining room, a garage, a workshop, a root cellar,  and a covered patio.

I moved in about three months ago. At first I went back and forth, from one house to the other. I had to wean myself from the country house which I love. The country house was built by my husband and me with a lot of assistance from my son.

I had mixed emotions about moving from the country house into town. It’s an adjustment. Come springtime I’m sure I will be drawn back to the country and the backyard fishing pond. Keeping two houses operating is not an easy undertaking. Time will tell what I eventually do.

‘Till then, I’ll stay bundled up by my electric space heater that resembles a woodburning stove. That will do for now.