Growing up Adopted

Chapter Two

We moved to a small farm in Sandy, Oregon when I was five months old. Our house was moved from where the I-205 freeway was being built at the time. I remember my parents saying the house cost $2500 and moving it also cost $2500. Coalman Road was narrow and winding and it was quite a feat to get the house out to the five acres that it would sit on. My paternal grandparents, Mac and Ruth Morris, had purchased 40 acres in 1950 in Sandy; they gave my parents five acres of that to put their house on. My parents would eventually purchase five more acres, to make our little farm bigger.

It took me many years to truly understand the idyllic childhood I had. My paternal grandparents were literally right around the corner from us. My maternal grandparents, Roland and Irene Erickson, were but a twenty-minute drive away in Boring, Oregon. My Dad’s close friend, and my Mom’s brother, Wayne, also lived in Boring. Like any family, there were the occasional tiffs and disagreements, but at the end of the day, everyone got along and loved each other. There wasn’t any of the craziness and dysfunction that is so common today. Alcohol was in moderation, drugs were non-existent and loyalty to family came first.

Dad worked as a millwright at the now-defunct Reynolds Aluminum plant in Troutdale, Oregon. He enjoyed fixing mechanical things, welding, and building. He designed and built both of our barns and did all of the work on an extensive remodel of our house in 1984. Mom stayed home with me and was very involved in my day-to-day life. (Before I came along, she worked as a CNA in nursing homes) She could be found volunteering at school as a “Room Mother” and leading the local chapter of the Bluebirds. In those days, home baked goods were a staple for any holiday party at school. Mom would bake Valentine cookies for the whole class, staying up late the night before the party painstakingly decorating each one and individualizing them with each child’s name. For Easter there would be a bunny cut-up cake for the class and Christmas would bring another round of personalized cookies for everyone. One year my Mom talked the teacher into letting all the kids pull salt water taffy! When my fourth-grade teacher, Miss Knapp, became engaged, my Mom organized a couple of the other Mothers to help the class make a quilt as a wedding gift. As a side note, many years later, one of Miss Knapp’s (now Mrs. Harrison) sons would marry my ex-husband’s niece—small world!

Living on a farm meant there was always work to be done. Cleaning out the chicken coop, mowing the lawn, herding cattle from one pasture to the next, tending the garden or hauling hay in the summer. There wasn’t a lot of time to be idle. I will admit, I wasn’t always thrilled to be doing these things! My idea of a good time was riding my bicycle to see one of my friends or curling up with a book, not weeding the green beans or shoveling out the bull pen. As an adult, however, I have often looked back on this and been grateful for the strong work ethic these chores instilled in me.

Like most farm kids, I learned to drive a tractor long before I sat behind the wheel of a car. I was involved in 4-H with my cocker spaniel, Honey, and later with my heifer named Valentine. I learned how to fish and to shoot a gun. (Dad made sure I went through a gun safety class designed for kids) I grew up listening to country music and oldies like Elvis and the Beach Boys. I was taught to respect my elders and to say “Please” and “Thank you.”

The mythical tales of only having six TV channels that today's kids cannot comprehend, was true for us, so reading a good mystery or playing outside to use my imagination was my entertainment. As a teenager, I had a second-hand Atari my Mom found at a yard sale for $10. For any of you who are vintage game enthusiasts, the games included with it were Space Invaders, Pac-Man and Break-Out, which were “The” games to have back in the day! I had my own TV in my room; an old 12 inch black and white that was a hand-me-down when my parents upgraded to their first color TV. I eventually got the color TV when my parents decided to get one that came with a remote control sometime in the early 1980’s. Before that, I was the remote control! I felt so important when my Dad would say to me, “Ren, can you change the channel?” No kidding!

My Mom was an excellent seamstress! To save money, she sewed a lot of my clothes. It was such a treat to go to the fabric store to select patterns, pick out material and decide on notions like thread color and buttons! I had many beautiful, one-of-a-kind dresses and blouses! Every Christmas, there would be warm, flannel nightgowns under the tree for me. A few times, “Santa” even brought me and Mom matching ones! Halloween was also a fun time for sewing new things. My homemade costumes were often the envy of the other kids, who were wearing cheap plastic ones that ripped after only a few minutes.

Family vacations were not fancy or remotely extravagant. We fished and camped regularly with my Dad’s sister Virginia “Aunt Pete” and her family. For many years, Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends were set aside for getting together with them. My Aunt Pete and Uncle Jack had four kids, and although my cousins were quite a bit older than myself, I adored them and loved the time I got to spend hanging out with them. They were the “older siblings” that I never had. Jack and Virginia lived in a small town in southern Oregon called Lakeview. It wasn’t any bigger than Sandy, but it’s claim to fame was the yearly rodeo “Round-up”. As a kid, we made it to Lakeview for the Round-up most years. I ended up out in the arena with dozens of other kids trying to catch a greased pig, chasing the poor thing around in the dirt. I never caught it, but it sure was fun! The highlight of the Round-up, however, was the big demolition derby at the end of the rodeo. At least, it was the highlight for me! I still love going to demolition derby’s!

We went on a lot of family road trips. We took day trips to the beach for Mo’s clam chowder, or exploring the back roads around home. We went to Yellowstone National Park twice to see Old Faithful, and where I begged to go on a horseback ride. We went to the Black Hills of South Dakota because my Dad wanted to buy my Mom jewelry from the source of her favorite bling—Black Hills Gold. We saw Mount Rushmore in the rain, which made it look like the presidents were crying. Even at 10-years-old, I was in awe of the artistry that went into how well-placed TNT could create that amazing monument. We traveled a few times to my Dad’s birth place in Beaver, Oklahoma to visit extended family. I got to ride in a combine where I felt like I could see the whole world from that huge piece of machinery! I drank water right from the well powered by a windmill and played in a storm cellar. One summer, we traveled to Buena Park, California to visit my Mom’s sister, Beverly, and her family. Disneyland was practically in their backyard! It is completely true what they say about Disneyland- It is the happiest place on Earth, especially to a five-year-old! Another year we went to California for Halloween and I got to trick-or-treat with my cousins.

On the way back from Southern California, we made a side trip to Las Vegas one year. It was the first time I had ever experienced 112-degree weather. Did I mention we didn’t have air conditioning in the car? I made quite a haul in stuffed animals at Circus Circus! I was only 13, but looked and acted older than my age. Mom and Dad didn’t think it would be a big deal to let me play the nickel machines with them. That is, until a waitress asked if I would like a complimentary “drink”. I thought she meant a Pepsi. That was the end of my gambling!

My family’s idea of camping meant a tent and a sleeping bag on the hard ground. We did not own an airbed. In the early days, we did not go to places equipped with restrooms and showers. I wasn’t miserable on these camping excursions, but I never got a good night’s sleep because I invariably wound up with a rock in the middle of my back. No matter how careful I tried to be, I ended up peeing on my shoe or the back of my pants when I had to go squat in the woods. I was ecstatic when we got to share my Grandparents’ camper one year and we had our very own porta potty! Nowadays, my idea of camping means an RV or a cabin. A bed, a shower and a real toilet!