For those who are reading this for the first time, I’ve been posting my Aunt Eleanor’s memoir to my writers’ blog. She’s 86 and has had polio since she was 4 months old.  Italicized comments are mine.  Read previous blog postings for more information.  Video Links Videos 1 & 2  Videos 3, 4, & 5

Chapter 19

Building/Moving

The economizing we had been doing paid off in the long run, as Fred and I were eventually able to build a home. While we were saving to build our home, I had been working on plans that would suit our needs. I had also been going out with realtors to look at existing homes, but in our price range there didn’t seem to be both a double garage and also a kitchen that would work for me. It was decided that I should start finding the right contractor. Finally in July of 1950 we found the right contractor at the right price.

Then the stress started.

Every evening after dinner we would go check out the progress and nine times out of ten Fred would say, “Call the contractor in the morning.” Then he would give me a list of things to tell him. I was basically a rather shy person before we started building, but having to deal with Fred and the contractor I soon got over that. It really was quite an experience and I also had the delightful task of picking out all appliances and furniture which was good, but also a little overwhelming.

The house was almost finished when Mom (My aunts mom) decided to take a short vacation and asked us to house sit. That fit right into our plans as we had wanted to get a dog. Now we didn’t have to wait until we moved into our new home. We both love dogs, so it was great getting Butch. Of course being a puppy, the first thing he did was look for something to chew on. We caught him just in time before he did irreparable damage to Mom’s couch. He was very easy to housebreak so we didn’t have a problem there.

The day finally came for the move into our new home. We had the furniture, appliances and draperies delivered. This was when I got over some more of my shyness.

Keep in mind these were all new name brand appliances and the furniture came from reputable stores. In the laundry room the Frigidaire washer jiggled so much it broke a kitchen window. The Frigidaire refrigerator thermostat stopped working and the sectional couch was delivered dirty. I had taken care of those things, but when the delivery of the draperies came and it was written right across the bill “No cornice.” I said, “Fred, you call them about the cornice.” Of course he wanted me to do it. We let it drop for the weekend and Monday morning after I got him off to work I spotted the tag on the snack bar that had “No cornice” written across it and I saw fire. It was only a matter of an hour before they were out with the samples again and very shortly we had our cornices hung. It certainly doesn’t pay to be shy. Of course the other problems were all taken care of promptly too.

Chapter 20

Butch

Fred was determined to teach Butch to be as smart as the dog he had a few years before we were married. His determination is what made him a great dog trainer.

The first rule was to have him realize he was not to go off our property. He did fine for quite a long time until he realized Mom (Butch’s grandma) lived just around the block from us. Evidently he was feeling in a visiting mood, so before I missed him I received a call from grandma. Watch out for Butch. He is on his way home. She had heard something at her door, checked and there was Butch. She knew we did not want him to wander the neighborhood. She rolled a newspaper, swatted him on the rear and said, “Go home.” That was an excellent example for Butch, but he not only learned his lesson, he must’ve figured grandma did it out of love, as he never held this encounter against her and still got excited when hearing her car come in our driveway. There were a few exceptions. Mom had a myna bird that whistled as if it was calling Butch. When Butch would rush out to greet grandma, (on occasion she would be bringing Rajah for me to take care of while she went on a trip), he was not as happy to see grandma as usual. He had a distinct dislike of Rajah and would make himself scarce for a while. He never bothered the bird, but was always happy to see him leave.

Fred also taught Butch the usual tricks. Sit, stay, lie down, bring in the newspaper, and crawl on his tummy like a commando. One never knew what Fred would decide to teach him next. We enjoyed Butch so much, as did our friends, relatives and neighbors.

Oh yes, another thing he did. If it was time to eat and we let him out he would go to the garage and bring in a can of dog food. When he got back inside he would close the back door. At that time we had not yet thought of putting in a doggy door.