This is Martin Luther King Day. Thinking about Rev. King and his untimely ending brings back a whole flood of memories of that dramatic decade of the sixties. Wow - what an intense decade! Our three children were all born in the sixties - and it seemed at the time to be kind of a dangerous world to introduce them to. There was the Cuban Missile Crisis, the three major assassinations - two Kennedys and a King, a couple of major race riots, the war in Viet Nam, Civil Rights, an end to segregation in the South, the Cold War, the Six Day War - it's an unending list of monumental events. The Manson Family, the space race, Woodstock - welcome to the world, kids! Things seem intense now in the 21st century but it will really have to go some to equal the sixties.
The race riot in Detroit seemed right next door to us - we lived in western Wayne County at the time. We heard rumors and innuendos, but there was a news blackout, and everyone was nervous. We saw dozens of State Police cars heading down the freeway towards Detroit, and couldn't imagine what was going on. I remember driving through downtown Ypsi and seeing large groups of people congregating on the corners, and it seemed so ominous because we were kept out of the loop.
See the link above for more about the sixties.
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We are both feeling better today. We actually got out of the house and did things, just like real people.
Dick went into the agency from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. to work at his volunteer position helping people with Medicare.
I went to visit Mom, and took in the new chest we bought to replace her chairside table. I lucked out and found a dolly waiting in the parking lot - it must have been predestined. So I borrowed it temporarily, and it made moving the thing upstairs unbelievably easy. Ah yes, homo sapiens, the tool user! Mother loves the chest - it fits right in with the decor, and it has drawers for extra storage.
At home, we are getting ready for our trip to San Diego on Wednesday. Our beds are changed, our laundry is totally done, and we are partially packed! I have lists of my lists - we'll only be gone for a week, but I don't want to forget anything! I'm taking my laptop and my new nano iPod - Tom is going to download more goodies into it.
Happy Martin Luther King Day
