Homer and Pauline, Part Two

I wrote yesterday that Homer and Pauline ran away and got married on December 18, 1943.  Homer was 22 and Pauline was 19, or at least this is what the marriage license states.  I now believe his age is stated incorrectly, since his birthdate was December 18, 1924, which would have made him 19 on that very day!  Pauline's birthdate was May 3, 1924, which would make her 19 also, so according to this information she may have been a few months older. 

 Pearlene, her niece, wrote me that Pauline's family found out about the elopement and were so angry about it that they sent Pauline's brother to bring her home.  He told my sweet Uncle Homer to leave and never see her again!  The brother who brought her home and said those horrible words to Uncle Homer was my friend Pearlene's father.  

A date shown on back of this beautiful picture I had saved all these years is '47.  This tells me that perhaps they continued to see each other afterwards, maybe for many years, and that makes me happy to know they didn't forget about each other.  

Homer and Pauline, A Love Story Untold

The sweet story of Homer and Pauline became known to me only last week when I posted a picture of my Uncle Homer Riddle in his Army fatigues for a Veterans Day photo I put on Facebook on November 11, 2015.  The photo was probably taken when he was fighting in the Korean War and would send pictures to my grandparents and to me.  I saved everyone of those precious photos because I loved my Uncle Homer so very much.  I longed for any news from him because he was overseas fighting for our freedom and I missed him so much!

One of my friends on Facebook with whom I attended high school saw the picture I put on Facebook, and wrote relating to me that she believed her Aunt Pauline was once married to a man with the last name of Riddle.  This got me very curious and I told her that I had a picture of a very young Uncle Homer with a beautiful girl but I didn't know who she was.   I had saved that picture for as long as I can remember because my favorite Uncle Home was in it and I always thought he was so handsome and I would steal away every picture of him among my grandmother's things.  I sent a copy of the picture to Pearlene, my friend from high school now living in Florida, and she immediately wrote back saying the girl in the picture was definitely her Aunt Pauline.   I was so excited to finally know who was in the picture with him.  I knew this was not his wife, Opal, the person I remember he married after the war, but I loved that picture and kept it hidden away all these many years, and did not ask questions about it because I figured my grandma would make me throw it out.  (so glad I didn't)  I thought she could be a girlfriend of his at one time. Uncle Homer married Opal Marie Plank in 1953 or 1954 when he returned from Korea, they had two daughters, and remained married until their deaths.  

Further, my friend, Pearlene (Pauline's niece) also had a copy of their marriage license and  sent me a copy.  Information on their marriage license shows that Pauline Cherokee Benge (age 19) and Homer Yuel Riddle (age 22) were married on December 18, 1943.  

How exciting!  Now I know who the beautiful girl in the picture is.  They looked very happy and probably very much in love.  A date on the back of the picture shows the year as 1947.  This was confusing to both Pearlene and me, because she told me they had eloped and were not married for very long because Pauline's family, in particular her oldest brother who was Pearlene's  father, were very much against their marriage, probably because she was so young and in college at the time.  We both think they may have continued to see each other from time to time because of that date.  Pearlene's mother told her that Pauline was very much in love with Uncle Homer, so we both like to think he was her one true love and maybe she nor he ever got over the breakup.   That is the part of the story that makes both Pearlene and me very sad indeed.  We did not know of this when we were  in high school and I wish we had known that we were almost "cousins".

There is more to the story so will try finish it tomorrow or at least very soon.

A Wonderful Uncle

This story has a beginning, although the middle may be a little sketchy, and I am trying to put a good spin on an ending, which I only recently discovered.  A love story that happened around 1941, one that I never knew until a few days ago.

If you have read any of my blog, by now you may know a little about my history but not so much about our Riddle Family history, which is an important segment to the story I am about to relate.

I have written about my grandparents, my father, my mother, my stepmother, my siblings, but little about my aunts and uncles.  My grandfather, John Wesley Riddle, was born on January 5, 1887.  My grandmother, Jean Ella Doyle, was born on June 12, 1894.  I do not have any information about when they were married but I believe they were very young.  They never mentioned the day they wed, nor did they celebrate any wedding anniversaries that I can recall.  Not once in those 17 years I lived with them did they mention it was their wedding anniversary.

They raised nine children but I recall my grandmother may have mentioned losing a child during childbirth or a miscarriage; however, I am unclear about that.  Their first child was a boy they called Council,  because they lived in a town called Council Grove.    After Council, three girls were born--I think Grace was oldest, followed by Velma and then Edna. Next came a son they called Leo, then my father, Elmo John, followed by twin girls, Vera and Eara.  By this time there were five girls and three sons.  Soon after the twins were born, a beautiful little "baby" boy, Homer Yuel Riddle, was born in 1924.  All of these children have passed away and gone to Heaven; however, I am not too sure about Uncle Leo, but we like to believe he made it there too.

The next few posts will be about my favorite Uncle Homer Y. Riddle.  Every child has a favorite Uncle (or Aunt) and he was mine, as well as my cousins who also claim him as their favorite Uncle.

Grandparents, Jean Ella and John Wesley Riddle. Picture was taken during their stay in the Nursing Center a few months before Grandpa died.

Walking is Good Exercise

My son is 43 years old and about a year after he was born I began doing daily walks for exercise.  This continued for many years.  I walked a three-mile walk no matter what the outside temperature was.  Summertime walks were great because I sported a really nice tan, not to mention what walking did for my legs and body.  I was walking long before walking became popular as a good exercise.

Did I stop?  No, but did slow down.  Once I went back to work I continued need to walk maybe three evenings a week and then on the weekends. Mark, my son, would ride along on his bike when he was a little boy and that was enjoyable for both of us--our mother/son bonding time, but kids grow up and lose interest in bicycles, chase girls and drive cars instead. We bought a treadmill and I began walking on it in the garage but sometimes it was either too hot or too cold, so I didn't walk as much.

We moved from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Broken Arrow, OK in 2006 and brought the treadmill along. I was still working at my job at the Tulsa Health Department and would get up very early, take my morning walk in the neighborhood, which was a very nice neighborhood, come home, shower and get ready for work by 8:00.  Or I would walk in the evenings during nice weather.  We lived 5 miles from my job, so easy and a quick drive.  We also had a walking track at work but walking during lunch, getting hot and not being able to shower or fix my hair was not an option for me. 

I finally retired from the Health Department after 25 years  in 2010,  we sold our pretty home in Broken Arrow and moved to Texas in 2012.  With both children now married and homes of their own, we felt it was time to move and find a nice retirement place by a lake.  We found Rowlett, Texas!  Well, I have to say it isn't bad, but not the greatest place to live although it is close to the lake built some 20 years ago. It's called Lake Ray Hubbard, named after some well known person around here.  Guess I should check the internet and find out who the guy is but his lake is drying up so I'm not really interested in knowing, probably some politician anyway!  (I'll write about this lake one of these days. It's a shame but they really need more water in this lake.)

I've continued to walk although the neighborhood which is not conducive to a good walk because of uneven sidewalks, barking dogs, traffic, etc.  There are no walking trails close by so I joined a gym.  I tried walking across the bridge on 66th Street because it has a railed concrete path two miles across and two miles back, but cars drive by so fast and the exhaust is overpowering at times.  Now I'm walking on a treadmill again!  Well, it has a TV, air conditioning, a lot of other equipment to use, plenty of young jocks grunting and throwing around heavy weights.  The grunting and clanging is a little annoying but that's what they do.  And, it's only one mile from my house, a nail spa next door and Starbucks down the street.  I can walk on the treadmill and read at the same time.  There are a few older women such as myself, but not many. I see a few come in now and then but they don't seem to stick to the routine much.  Pity.  This is how I read on the treadmill!  

Find Something Interesting to Do

It's spring now, almost summer. Things are shaping up nicely around here with the house and all. Because of spouse's back problems we now have a "lawn" guy. First time ever for us!  But I'm finding there's little or nothing to do around here much anymore except watching grass grow.

I've met some nice old people at McDonalds to have a morning coffee or chat with. They are all nice but not really my type but it's something to do to get out of this house every day.  Starbucks is my kind of place because we are all busy with computers and iPhones and you don't have to visit with them, except the baristas are always friendly.  So I stop by McDonald's first  in my workout clothes, visit for about an hour--sometimes less--sometimes more, then head over to the gym for a 2 or 3 mile walk on the treadmill, then work on legs and another glutei type of machine and sometimes work on the lats and upper arms--yes, they really need it. Even though my arms are not heavy they still have a little underneath wiggle thing going on.  I buy a couple of power bars on the way out.  Oh yes, before I forget, I love to read while walking on the treadmill.  It's pretty simple actually.  There's a small ledge that will hold my iPad securely and I can read and not have to watch some stupid early morning talk show and reading makes a 3 mile walk go by much quicker.  Back to the power bars, so I've bought my power bars and then it's over to Starbucks for a caramel macchiato, nonfat of course, while devouring the power bar cause I'm pretty hungry by that time, some more reading on the iPad, a quick "check-in" on the iPhone and then I've finished with another morning!  Yeah! Sounds kind of boring to you I guess, but it's not all that bad really.

You see, I don't care about doing a lot of other things these days.  I don't care about having a friend to pal around with, cooking, sewing, painting, crafting, swimming, golf, cards, house cleaning, pet sitting or kid sitting, yard work, volunteering to feed the homeless, nursemaid, or any other volunteer type of job, although it would be fun when school starts again to volunteer reading and helping kids learn to write and express their feelings on paper.  It could work for me--might give it a try.  

I love reading, especially vampire stories, Facebook, Pinterest, shopping, lunch out at a sidewalk cafe, drinking wine, going to movies ( I just saw Godzilla in 3d last Friday), pedicures--just easy going type of stuff which is all about me!

I was thinking this morning if I could meet a nice rich old lady (or old man) who might be looking for a traveling companion--not in USA, but abroad, I might consider it.  My granddaughter is studying in England currently and she has visited so many wonderful places so now I really want to go but not alone.  She said she will take me there some day and I'm counting on it.

So What if I'm 70?

I look in the mirror every day and sometimes wonder where that black-haired girl went. I'm pretty sure she is still here somewhere.  How long does it take for reality to sink in and tell your body that sometimes you do get tired, sometimes you don't want to cook a meal, or clean the house, or do the laundry?  My body is telling me you can't do those three mile walks every day so let's cut it done to a mile every other day.  Why does my back hurt so bad the next morning when I exercise at night doing leg lifts and sit ups like I did 25 years ago?  Is it my mattress, my easy chair? So let's stop doing sit ups and just try stretching every night!  

I guess being 70 isn't so bad after all! I'm healthy, I can walk anywhere without assistance, I have no diet restrictions, and I do wear glasses to see better. I know how to use a computer, iPad, iPhone and I can drive a car anywhere I want to go!  

At this very moment I am having my third cup of coffee, and I'm not rushing off to work because I'm retired.  Two years ago I would be at my desk in my office going through paperwork and trying to figure out the latest software the techs installed on our computers over night.

I can call a friend to meet me for lunch, go to a movie, or Starbucks for a latte, so being 70 really isn't so bad after all!   However, my spouse is looking over my shoulder as I'm writing and I'm pretty sure he wants this iPad so he can play level 118 of Candy Crush!  So I guess I can take a nap!    But I think I'll go to the gym first!

Welcome to Texas!

We are here alive and well in Texas.  To make a very long story short we sold the second house we bought on August 30th, put furniture and clothes we didn't need in storage, piled what we needed in our two cars and headed this way.  After a brief 2-day visit with my brother Ed and Sharon, we headed to our daughter, Tiffany's house in Dallas, much to the disappointment of our son and his family.  

Tiffany fixed up one of their guest rooms and bath for us, arranged places for our laptops and a few clothes, and we settled in for what we thought would be a very brief stay.  It actually wasn't that long--from August 1st through November 10th.  It was a pleasant stay in their great house along with four dogs and two cats (theirs not ours)!  It was a comfortable arrangement and use of a swimming pool and all for free!  She was even talking of making an adjoining room into a sitting room for us and we'd never have to leave!  But her Dad had other ideas. 

When we weren't being chauffeured around places by our realtor, we would head out early, eat breakfast on the road and spend most of the day learning streets, putting addresses in the phone or GPS, and searching for that perfect little house somewhere by the water.  Usually after those daily trips  I would walk in the house in tears, weary from exhaustion of driving to so many places, and eating out all the time!  After a long nap, a hot shower and early bedtime, we would get up and do it all over again!  The pool provided some relaxing time when Chuck would agree to it.