8th Grade

Well, 8th grade found me back in the same classroom with Mrs. Sisk and a new group of 7th graders. Since we had no girls' sports, I was a cheerleader in both grades. (I certainly noticed a difference in my cheerleading sweater in 8th grade.) I was very interested in boys, and I know I spent an inordinate amount of time talking about the boys in my class with the girls in my class.

An exciting event happened the summer before 8th grade. Our family purchased and had installed a brand new window air conditioner in our living room. Since it was the only one for the whole house, we used fans to direct the cool air. We probably wouldn't have purchased one even then, except for my sister Kim's allergies. The doctor said that she needed all the dust, etc. filtered out of the air she breathed as much as possible.

In our town, 8th Grade Graduation was a big deal. We all bought new white dresses for the event and had our pictures taken before the graduation ceremony. I remember that I had the privilege of wearing high heels, but we girls were a little nervous walking down the aisle in them.

Since I was 14 that summer, my dad let me work in the hay field with him. I drove a small, red Ford tractor (no closed cab and air conditioning) and raked the dried grass into winrows in preparation for the baler to pick it up and make square hay bales. I liked being out in the sun, working with my dad, and earning my own spending money.