We woke up remembering another June 5th in Tacoma, Washington where we welcomed Cynthia into our family. Dad/Grandpa was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers where he ran a sawmill, a very good placement for a forestry graduate. In 1956 his monthly pay was $350! We were living upstairs in a 4plex apartment. Neighbors were assigned to Fort Lewis (Army) or McCord Air Force base. We did our grocery shopping at the Army PX, children under a certain age were not allowed in the grocery store so I left Cynthia in a babysitting room at the entrance! After naptime, all of us young mother's in those apartments would dress ourselves and our baby up to wait for the dad's to come home for dinner. We'd sit on the grass in the front yard talking watching the children creep and then walk around. We still keep in touch with two of those families!
In 1957 when we moved to Alpena, MI for the job with Abitibi Corp. Dad/Grandpa got a $25/month raise in pay. Today it is easy to wonder how we managed. In 1967 when he joined Walter Neller Co. he started at the huge salary of $1,000 per month.
It is so special that our tradition of cake and homemade ice cream for birthdays has continued. We are looking forward to that at Caitlin's and Herb's tonight after the Chili Cook Off in Riverfront Park.
Love to all, Mother/Grandma
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