| Biographical Non-Fiction posted September 27, 2022 | Chapters: |
...165 166 -167- 168... 
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Keeping the family afloat. isn't easy.
A chapter in the book Remembering Yesterday
Fall of 1996
by BethShelby
For new readers, who may not have read my author notes, this is written in a conversational way as I talk to my deceased husband. When I refer to someone just as "you" this means I am addressing my husband, Evan.
As we moved into fall, the new room was consuming a lot of time as well as money. It seemed you and I were forever out shopping for materials. Since it was to be a sunroom, we had to buy a lot of windows. It also had to be wired and air conditioned and we needed light fixtures and a ceiling fan, as well as building studs and sheetrock. At a certain stage, Don had to cut into our roof so as to make the room higher, and the extension meant a good portion of the roof would have to be redone. It was an unusually wet fall with rain nearly every other day, so that delayed work on extending the roof. Later, we had to buy floor tile and paint.
By the middle of October, the room was finished, and we were very pleased with the results. I had an interior window-like opening so we could look down on the great room and balcony below. The view toward Lookout Mountain was spectacular. The room was white with a light-colored tile on the floor. The ceiling fan I bought was white with green trim. The wicker furniture and other furniture I bought was white with blue and green cushions. The kids decided to call it the Heaven room. We put a television in there as well as a stereo, so we could use it as our music room.
Since Don wouldn’t be bringing in a lot of money as a chiropractor until he built up a practice, we let him continue working on updating other rooms in our house. At one point, he spent all day renting equipment and putting a popcorn ceiling effect on the sheetrock ceiling in the room we'd built over the garage. After all that work, we learned those type ceilings were no longer in. People whose houses had popcorn ceilings were updating and removing that finish. We decided we liked it, and we'd keep it a while.
You were having a lot of problems with blood pressure and an irregular heart rhythm, which kept you from sleeping well. The doctor was having trouble getting your blood pressure medicine adjusted. You were very worried about yourself, and my concern for you kept me on edge. We saw all of our children almost daily and we worried about their problems as well as our own and those of Dad.
Dad’s heart doctor thought he could safely have knee replacement surgery done on both knees. I wasn’t so sure because Dad would soon be 87, and I was afraid Dad wouldn’t be willing to work with the physical therapy necessary to get him walking again. His own father had had a hip replacement at 85 and never walked again. The work required was too painful.
I took Dad in to have his pacemaker checked, which meant turning it off to see how much his heart was preforming on its own. When the pacemaker was turned off, Dad passed out and the nurse couldn’t seem to figure out how to turn it back on right away. She panicked and yelled for help. She had me in a state of panic as well. Several people rushed into the room, and they finally got it back on. As soon as it was working again, Dad revived. He didn’t realize he had passed out, and I shouldn’t have told him. He said if he could pass out that quickly, he didn’t think he wanted to risk the knee surgery. I was dreading it for him, so I felt he made the right decision.
Connie and Charlie seemed to be getting along well. As much as they had argued before they were married, I’d been afraid it wouldn’t work out well. They were both attending church every week which surprised me as Connie had always disliked going. Connie was doing well in college and was enjoying her internship at the fabric and furniture store in Georgia although it was a long commute. She was hoping they might hire her permanently after her internship was complete. She was also holding down a job as an insurance clerk in the evenings.
Don was still working with the chiropractor in Ringgold, but he was trying to decide whether or not to sign a two-year contract to work across the river with Dr. Pollard. He didn't want to live across the river, and it was a long way to commute. Kimberly was pushing him to do it because she wanted to quit work and stay home. She said she’d supported Don while he was in college, and it was his turn to make the living. The truth was Don had worked full time while he was in school as well. I thought she would need to continue to work until Don was able to build a practice.
With Kimberly urging, Don agreed to work with the doctor in the clinic across the river. The doctor, who he would be sharing a clinic with insisted that Don go door-to-door to every house in the neighborhood and tell them about the clinic and invite them to come and visit the office. To us, it sounded like he was using Don to advertise his clinic. Don would be responsible for paying him monthly rent whether he managed to get patients of his own or not. The doctor said he could have all the walk-ins, but almost no one walks into a doctor’s clinic without first making an appointment.
Carol and her new roommate seemed uncomfortable around each other. Carol was very particular about the way she wanted things done, but she didn’t like to confront people. The girl was putting dishes in the dishwasher covered with stuck-on food. Carol mentioned it once, but she continued to do it. Rather than bring it up again, Carol wrote a note and told her how she felt about it. I wasn’t sure if this was wise, because I felt if they weren’t comfortable enough to talk things out, this wasn’t likely to end well.
In October, Lauren turned two. We had been keeping her a lot of the time. She was talking constantly, but it was hard to understand what she was saying. She seemed to be jabbering away in a language all her own. Kimberly had a birthday party for her, and she informed me of what I should buy. It was a very expensive little play kitchen that cost more than I wanted to pay for a thing she would likely not use that much. Because I didn’t want problems with my daughter-in-law, I bought it in spite of the expense. Don and Kimberly were so in debt, and we were constantly trying to help them financially. You had just co-signed on a loan, and I knew we would likely be the ones to pay it off.
Christi was wanting to quit her receptionist job and be a full-time massage therapist. She could make a lot of money in a short time, but even with several sources of income, she was always bouncing checks and getting further and further behind financially. She was still doing massages at our house as well as at another spot. She was singing in a place called Shirley’s Country one or two nights a week. Almost every time we talked, there was a new man in her life. The latest guy had us concerned, because he was a heavy drinker and depressed. His father had committed suicide, and he was suicidal himself. With Christi, it was all about looks. She didn’t seem to care if the guy had money or serious emotional problems. We were relieved that most of her relationships were short lived.
In October, O.J. Simpson's civil trial began. This one wouldn’t come out nearly as well as the criminal trial for the former football star. This trial wouldn’t involve him going to prison. Instead, he would be faced with compensating his victims financially.
The other thing happening on the National stage was Bill Clinton who was seeking his second term as president. He was facing Bob Dole, the long-term senate majority leader, as his Republican challenger. The two were conducting debates. In early November, Bill would go on to win a second term. Bill had no idea what a scandal he would be facing before this term ended.
THIS IS US:
Evan is 67 and a retired drafting supervisor from Chevron Oil.
Beth is 58 and has given up working in the printing field and is home taking care of disabled father.
Carol is 33, recently divorced, and a nurse, working at a hospital in Chattanooga and living in an apartment.
Don is a twin. He is 31, a recent graduate of Life Chiropractic College
Christi is Don’s twin. She is working as a receptionist at a chemical company and doing massages on the side.
Kimberly is Don’s wife. She is a nurse working at Chattanooga hospital
Lauren Elizabeth Jane Shelby is Don and Kimberly's baby in nearly two..
Connie is our youngest daughter. She is twenty-three. She is a senior in college and also working part time.
Charlie is Connie's husband as of June 30, 1996. He works as lab tech in Memorial Hospital.
For new readers, who may not have read my author notes, this is written in a conversational way as I talk to my deceased husband. When I refer to someone just as "you" this means I am addressing my husband, Evan.
As we moved into fall, the new room was consuming a lot of time as well as money. It seemed you and I were forever out shopping for materials. Since it was to be a sunroom, we had to buy a lot of windows. It also had to be wired and air conditioned and we needed light fixtures and a ceiling fan, as well as building studs and sheetrock. At a certain stage, Don had to cut into our roof so as to make the room higher, and the extension meant a good portion of the roof would have to be redone. It was an unusually wet fall with rain nearly every other day, so that delayed work on extending the roof. Later, we had to buy floor tile and paint.
By the middle of October, the room was finished, and we were very pleased with the results. I had an interior window-like opening so we could look down on the great room and balcony below. The view toward Lookout Mountain was spectacular. The room was white with a light-colored tile on the floor. The ceiling fan I bought was white with green trim. The wicker furniture and other furniture I bought was white with blue and green cushions. The kids decided to call it the Heaven room. We put a television in there as well as a stereo, so we could use it as our music room.
Since Don wouldn’t be bringing in a lot of money as a chiropractor until he built up a practice, we let him continue working on updating other rooms in our house. At one point, he spent all day renting equipment and putting a popcorn ceiling effect on the sheetrock ceiling in the room we'd built over the garage. After all that work, we learned those type ceilings were no longer in. People whose houses had popcorn ceilings were updating and removing that finish. We decided we liked it, and we'd keep it a while.
You were having a lot of problems with blood pressure and an irregular heart rhythm, which kept you from sleeping well. The doctor was having trouble getting your blood pressure medicine adjusted. You were very worried about yourself, and my concern for you kept me on edge. We saw all of our children almost daily and we worried about their problems as well as our own and those of Dad.
Dad’s heart doctor thought he could safely have knee replacement surgery done on both knees. I wasn’t so sure because Dad would soon be 87, and I was afraid Dad wouldn’t be willing to work with the physical therapy necessary to get him walking again. His own father had had a hip replacement at 85 and never walked again. The work required was too painful.
I took Dad in to have his pacemaker checked, which meant turning it off to see how much his heart was preforming on its own. When the pacemaker was turned off, Dad passed out and the nurse couldn’t seem to figure out how to turn it back on right away. She panicked and yelled for help. She had me in a state of panic as well. Several people rushed into the room, and they finally got it back on. As soon as it was working again, Dad revived. He didn’t realize he had passed out, and I shouldn’t have told him. He said if he could pass out that quickly, he didn’t think he wanted to risk the knee surgery. I was dreading it for him, so I felt he made the right decision.
Connie and Charlie seemed to be getting along well. As much as they had argued before they were married, I’d been afraid it wouldn’t work out well. They were both attending church every week which surprised me as Connie had always disliked going. Connie was doing well in college and was enjoying her internship at the fabric and furniture store in Georgia although it was a long commute. She was hoping they might hire her permanently after her internship was complete. She was also holding down a job as an insurance clerk in the evenings.
Don was still working with the chiropractor in Ringgold, but he was trying to decide whether or not to sign a two-year contract to work across the river with Dr. Pollard. He didn't want to live across the river, and it was a long way to commute. Kimberly was pushing him to do it because she wanted to quit work and stay home. She said she’d supported Don while he was in college, and it was his turn to make the living. The truth was Don had worked full time while he was in school as well. I thought she would need to continue to work until Don was able to build a practice.
With Kimberly urging, Don agreed to work with the doctor in the clinic across the river. The doctor, who he would be sharing a clinic with insisted that Don go door-to-door to every house in the neighborhood and tell them about the clinic and invite them to come and visit the office. To us, it sounded like he was using Don to advertise his clinic. Don would be responsible for paying him monthly rent whether he managed to get patients of his own or not. The doctor said he could have all the walk-ins, but almost no one walks into a doctor’s clinic without first making an appointment.
Carol and her new roommate seemed uncomfortable around each other. Carol was very particular about the way she wanted things done, but she didn’t like to confront people. The girl was putting dishes in the dishwasher covered with stuck-on food. Carol mentioned it once, but she continued to do it. Rather than bring it up again, Carol wrote a note and told her how she felt about it. I wasn’t sure if this was wise, because I felt if they weren’t comfortable enough to talk things out, this wasn’t likely to end well.
In October, Lauren turned two. We had been keeping her a lot of the time. She was talking constantly, but it was hard to understand what she was saying. She seemed to be jabbering away in a language all her own. Kimberly had a birthday party for her, and she informed me of what I should buy. It was a very expensive little play kitchen that cost more than I wanted to pay for a thing she would likely not use that much. Because I didn’t want problems with my daughter-in-law, I bought it in spite of the expense. Don and Kimberly were so in debt, and we were constantly trying to help them financially. You had just co-signed on a loan, and I knew we would likely be the ones to pay it off.
Christi was wanting to quit her receptionist job and be a full-time massage therapist. She could make a lot of money in a short time, but even with several sources of income, she was always bouncing checks and getting further and further behind financially. She was still doing massages at our house as well as at another spot. She was singing in a place called Shirley’s Country one or two nights a week. Almost every time we talked, there was a new man in her life. The latest guy had us concerned, because he was a heavy drinker and depressed. His father had committed suicide, and he was suicidal himself. With Christi, it was all about looks. She didn’t seem to care if the guy had money or serious emotional problems. We were relieved that most of her relationships were short lived.
In October, O.J. Simpson's civil trial began. This one wouldn’t come out nearly as well as the criminal trial for the former football star. This trial wouldn’t involve him going to prison. Instead, he would be faced with compensating his victims financially.
The other thing happening on the National stage was Bill Clinton who was seeking his second term as president. He was facing Bob Dole, the long-term senate majority leader, as his Republican challenger. The two were conducting debates. In early November, Bill would go on to win a second term. Bill had no idea what a scandal he would be facing before this term ended.
THIS IS US:
Evan is 67 and a retired drafting supervisor from Chevron Oil.
Beth is 58 and has given up working in the printing field and is home taking care of disabled father.
Carol is 33, recently divorced, and a nurse, working at a hospital in Chattanooga and living in an apartment.
Don is a twin. He is 31, a recent graduate of Life Chiropractic College
Christi is Don’s twin. She is working as a receptionist at a chemical company and doing massages on the side.
Kimberly is Don’s wife. She is a nurse working at Chattanooga hospital
Lauren Elizabeth Jane Shelby is Don and Kimberly's baby in nearly two..
Connie is our youngest daughter. She is twenty-three. She is a senior in college and also working part time.
Evan is 67 and a retired drafting supervisor from Chevron Oil.
Beth is 58 and has given up working in the printing field and is home taking care of disabled father.
Carol is 33, recently divorced, and a nurse, working at a hospital in Chattanooga and living in an apartment.
Don is a twin. He is 31, a recent graduate of Life Chiropractic College
Christi is Don’s twin. She is working as a receptionist at a chemical company and doing massages on the side.
Kimberly is Don’s wife. She is a nurse working at Chattanooga hospital
Lauren Elizabeth Jane Shelby is Don and Kimberly's baby in nearly two..
Connie is our youngest daughter. She is twenty-three. She is a senior in college and also working part time.
Charlie is Connie's husband as of June 30, 1996. He works as lab tech in Memorial Hospital.
I'm continuing to recall memories of life with my deceased husband, Evan, as if I am talking aloud to him. I'm doing this because I want my children to know us as we knew each other and not just as their parents.
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