I was kind of excited to think that I would have a new mother in my life. I knew how much my mother had loved me so I thought Juanita would just continue on in mom's footsteps. I was very wrong. It is hard to look at that period of life as a child only, I can also see it from the perspective of an adult. I think Dad married her to have someone to raise his little girls and I think she married him thinking he would pay her bills. I think they were both surprised at how it turned out.
Dad had lost our little home on Riverside, probably foreclosure due to medical bills. I am not sure of this but this is the adult in me thinking. When they first married we lived in rental homes. The one that I remember the best was on Wood St. It was a big house with a big front porch and a big propane tank in the back yard. We used to play on the tank, pretending it was our horse. I shared a room with my step-sister Brenda. She was very nice to me, although she was 9 yrs older than me. My step-brother Jerry Hildebrand, was 10 yrs older and had his own room. He was very 'hip' to me. He even appeared on a local televised dance show (like American Bandstand) once. He was like a movie star to me. He had a cool car and would take us to school once in awhile. I was so proud to be is little sister. He later in life became a semi professional golfer. Brenda became a nurse. She married Dean Ashby and together they owned a local restaurant named The House of Plenty. We spent many hours there cleaning it before they reopened it. They never had children and divorced later in life. It turns out that Brenda was a lesbian and found a life partner. They opened a furniture store together in a different state. I would imagine Juanita was very disappointed in her decision to live her life with another woman. Juanita also had a brother, my Uncle Hank, that was gay but it was never discussed.
Dad had lost our little home on Riverside, probably foreclosure due to medical bills. I am not sure of this but this is the adult in me thinking. When they first married we lived in rental homes. The one that I remember the best was on Wood St. It was a big house with a big front porch and a big propane tank in the back yard. We used to play on the tank, pretending it was our horse. I shared a room with my step-sister Brenda. She was very nice to me, although she was 9 yrs older than me. My step-brother Jerry Hildebrand, was 10 yrs older and had his own room. He was very 'hip' to me. He even appeared on a local televised dance show (like American Bandstand) once. He was like a movie star to me. He had a cool car and would take us to school once in awhile. I was so proud to be is little sister. He later in life became a semi professional golfer. Brenda became a nurse. She married Dean Ashby and together they owned a local restaurant named The House of Plenty. We spent many hours there cleaning it before they reopened it. They never had children and divorced later in life. It turns out that Brenda was a lesbian and found a life partner. They opened a furniture store together in a different state. I would imagine Juanita was very disappointed in her decision to live her life with another woman. Juanita also had a brother, my Uncle Hank, that was gay but it was never discussed.
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