The Next 10 Years....

It was 1957. Eisenhower was president. We all ate white bread, used real butter, ate red meat, drank whole milk, our cars were big and our houses were small and sturdy. We embraced the American lifestyle.


There was still a love story in store for our mother. She had corresponded with her future husband while she was in England, then spent a year of dating before jumping in for her second chance at marriage. This one worked out better.



It wasn't always easy being a blended family, but somehow we all survived. In 1960 and 1963 I gained 2 new sisters. I spent much of my teens babysitting, not just at home but for many neighbors. It was difficult getting the hang of our new environment. Once I was so excited to go to an after school dance in Jr. High, and while I was dressed in a beautifully handmade taffeta formal gown, the rest of the girls came in sweaters and plaid skirts. I quickly came to understand the meaning of the term "Sock Hop".


In 1960, we moved from Logan, Utah to Southern California. It was a great time to live there. There were still fruit orchards and open spaces. I watched the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show it was kind of a sunny, innocent time and place. Disneyland was 9 miles away and the beach was maybe 15 miles from our green stucco rambler house.



I had good friends in Jr. High and High School. We went to the Pasadena Rose Parade and slept all night on the sidewalk. We had parties at each others houses. Once one of my friends ran through a closed sliding door at one of the get togethers. Two of the guys who wanted to become doctors saved his life by applying pressure to the correct points. One of them did become a Urologist. The other became an Attorney. I went to a few Proms and dances and of course had painful heartbreaks.


In 1966 our Dad sold out his interest in the business and we moved back to Logan, Utah. I was too young not to go along. I tried to go to beauty school and dropped out 1 month shy of graduation...yes, I'm a beauty school drop out. I gave a fair haircut but hated permanents and hair coloring. That's where the money and harmful chemicals are.


My Mother had found adventure and romance and the coming decade would hold the same for me.

The first 10 years of my life....

As with most good stories this one started long ago in a far-away place. This is my story of how my life unfolded like a road map that is somehow carefully folded to make only certain parts viewable at certain times. Then, at a magic moment the entire journey becomes exposed.

My journey began in a haunted Northern England manor house 60 years ago, as my 19 year old mother gave birth to me on a cold October night. My parents lived in a tiny summer cottage with no indoor plumbing heated only with a small fireplace. Housing was hard to find after World War II and this was the best they could do. The closest medical facility was an 18th century grey stone manor house called Dilston Hall. It was used as a maternity home. This was where I lived my 1st 10 days. There were huge trees all around and not far from the main house stood the remnants of the original castle which was at one time a retreat for Henry the VIII.
This glamorous sounding beginning lead to a more typical working class childhood filled with an alcoholic father, a baby sister and eventually a divorce.
Seeing our chances of a good life, where we lived, as not too good our mother took our little savings and packed our little possessions into 2 grey suitcases. I had a doll, and my then 6 year old sister had a fine British teddy bear.
For the 2 little girls and the brave mother there was so much adventure ahead.