by Mary (Lockwood) Branin
Photo: Gary, Marie, Ellen, Steve
Herman, Mary, Jeanne
In August of 1951 we moved into our little house on Rose Avenue in Escondido with the new baby, Lynette. The house originally had one bedroom but a long room had been added as a second bedroom. The house was 740 square feet and sat on a ¾ acre lot. There was a living room, dining room, bath, kitchen and service porch. We had cleaned, painted and repaired windows, screens and doors. We were fortunate in that a lot of friends and family were able to give us used furniture. When a hotel on Grand Avenue went out of business we bought a room size carpet and a treadle sewing machine from them. I had brought along my old bedroom set and we got the family bunk beds from my folks. The Alverson family gave us a table and chairs. We had purchased a wringer washing machine that now sat next to the laundry tub on the back porch. The gas stove and refrigerator in the kitchen came with the house.
Over the years former owners had kept chickens and pigs so the ground was well fertilized. There were several fruit trees and Herman was soon able to put in a vegetable garden. During the first few years we bought a chest freezer, 7-feet long, and were able to purchase half a beef at a time to put down in this freezer, along with vegetables and fruit from the garden.
We did not have a telephone and Herm took the one car to work so my days were spent with the baby. I had noticed so many of my friends could not get their babies to sleep without a lot of crutches. Some had to take a ride in the car to get the baby to sleep. I didn’t want to have such a routine so I began just putting the baby in her crib and shutting the door. As we were home alone together most days she was used to a quiet atmosphere. I was able to breast feed Lynette until she was eight months old and she also enjoyed a pacifier till about eighteen months of age. I remember she was a few days short of her first birthday before she cut her first tooth. That worked out very well with the breast- feeding.
In May of 1952 we tried our first camping trip and have enjoyed that activity ever since. My sisters’ extended family of in-laws were avid campers and we joined them at Cuyamaca. We carried a mattress on the roof of our Ford club coupe. Lynette’s crib mattress just fit on the back seat with suitcases under the front edge to keep it level. Our camping gear was very meager but we added items as the trips continued. Herm’s uncle and aunt were able to let us have an umbrella tent, small ice chest and camp stove. In the summer we went to Mammoth Lakes to camp with the same families.
Sometime in 1952 we bought a dog, Wooford, from the local Humane Society. That was a riot. I couldn’t catch the rascal to administer any discipline. I remember when the dog was ailing a veterinarian prescribed a shot of whiskey for his cold. It was hard to keep Wooford home even though we had a fence. When he killed a neighbor’s chicken we had to return him to the Humane Society.
By the time Lynette was a year old and learning to walk I got the urge to have another baby. My mother warned me that since I had such an easy baby before I couldn’t expect to get another as good. She obviously didn’t give me proper credit for excellent parenting skills. Baby number two was due in March. A couple of weeks before the birth I woke up with the right side of my face paralyzed in my second attack of Bell’s Palsy. The attack while I was in first grade had been on the left side and healed completely. Perhaps because of the strain of the pregnancy this attack had left me with some paralysis to this day. Since I don’t have to look at my face the only problem with the ailment is when I want to blow up a balloon. I have to hold the lips together at the right corner to get a good seal.
Without a phone we made arrangements with kind neighbors to enter their back door if we needed a doctor in the middle of the night. Dr. Bassett wanted a call before we went to the hospital so he would have more time to get there. Ellen Sue was born on March 24, 1953 and proved to be a very well behaved child. My parents had moved back to Escondido so Herman was able to take Lynette to them after dropping me off at the local hospital. The girls were great company for each other and much of the same equipment and toys could be used. Neighbors who owned Hall’s Hobby Shop donated a homemade slide that hadn’t sold well at the store.
This year our camping vacation was to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. I was not getting as much rest as with Lynette so my milk supply began to peter out by Ellen’s fourth month. I found I could fill a bottle half full with canned milk and then add hot water. This was just the right temperature and enabled me to avoid sterilizing bottles and all that mess. Auntie Flo preferred to sit in camp with my girls so I was able to get out on the hiking trails with her son, Dennis. Since Auntie Flo held occasional jobs, we enjoyed visits from Dennis at our home during several school breaks.
About this time a group of four couples began holding potluck dinners and evenings of playing canasta, rotating to each home. The group included Joe and Mary Anne Pauletto, Marilyn and Bob Clague, Grace and Clarence Vershon and us. Later Vershons dropped out and Hugh and Shirley Walsh took their place. We were able to haul our two girls along so avoided getting a baby sitter.
In 1954 we purchased a three-bedroom home at 2509 East Washington Avenue. This all-electric Home had an attached garage and also well water. I had to learn how to cook electrically but have grown to prefer this cleaner system. We were not able to sell the former house immediately and had to rent it out to meet the payments until it sold. We traded in the 1948 Ford Club coupe and got a used power-glide Chevrolet sedan. We were feeling very smart.
That summer we went camping at Klamath Glen, California close to the coast and near the Oregon boarder. My Aunt Jess was visiting from Australia and took turns riding with the members of our group. We were in tents but my sister now had a travel trailer. As we arrived at the camp I was suffering from food poisoning so was very glad to have Flo take over the girls until I recovered next morning. There was heavy rain and our bedding got wet. Since Lynette was running a fever we turned back and went home. Dr. Bassett treated her for Strep throat but was appalled that we would cut short a fishing trip to come home. He felt we could have found a doctor nearby but we did not have the money to move into a motel with dryer beds.
Once again we had an accommodating neighbor who let us use a phone in their garage when it was time to once again head to the Maternity Ward at the hospital. Our son, Garrett John (Gary) was born February 21, 1955. It was a cold morning and the smudge pots were belching out smoke as we loaded the girls into the car for a trip to Grandma’s. The doctor didn’t like to circumcise a newborn so I had to take him in to the office at 20 days old for the procedure. After two daughters, a son was most welcome. Our budget must have improved for later that year we acquired a telephone.
In 1956 Mr. Shaver moved in next door and we got acquainted with Bill and Lou Alser who lived across the street. They raised baby calves and goats that were a treat for our children who were allowed to bottle feed the young animals.. Mr. Shaver kept peacocks, chickens, a horse and Shetland ponies with a cart. What a great zoo within easy reach! Grandpa built a playhouse for the children. The parts were bolted together so it could easily be dismantled and moved to future locations. We purchased a swing set and wading pool. Friends donated a porch swing and a peddle tractor that their children had outgrown. The neighbor surprised us with a large spring horse. We enjoyed picnics to the beach, desert and mountains.
Lynette was now old enough to go to kindergarten. The school provided bus transportation so she and I walked down a few houses to the bus stop where I had to give my reluctant child a little shove to get her to mount the stairs. I suppose she was not sure the bus would take her to the school or return her to us later in the morning.
Since Herman was with people all day and I was home with the children I wanted a social life. I joined the Junior Women’s Club in 1956. At this time I discovered my hair really did well with a Lady’s Shingle. This was a very short haircut that encouraged the hair to wave and was so easy to care for. It was really a ‘wash n wear’ coif. I bought an Elna Sewing Machine from the Baker Sewing Machine Shop on Grand Avenue. It served me well over the years and saved us lots of clothing expense. For a few years I met monthly with a group of friends in a ‘sewing club’.
Jeanne Louise was born April 2, 1957 and our family seemed complete. In 1958 we borrowed Grandpa’s station wagon and went camping at McArthur-Burney Falls State Park. To give me a break we left baby Jeanne with Herman’s mother, Granny Myrt. From my standpoint this proved to be a mistake and we never left anyone behind again. Myrtle had recently moved from Hemet to Escondido.
In 1958 Ellen went off to kindergarten with two friends, Carol Pauletto and Deedee Rourke. About this time Lynette was sent to her room for discipline. She escaped out the window and ran away. Herman took the car and soon had her back home. At Christmas Granny Myrt brought down Butch, Susie, Hal and Debbie for a visit.
In March of 1959 friends persuaded us to join a square dance class and in September we joined the Escon-Do-C Square Dance Club. This proved to be a wonderful experience for over 40 years where we made some lasting friendships. We enjoyed the good exercise and the two grandmas shared the baby-sitting.
This same year I had two separate bouts with strep throat. To finally get it out of my system Dr. Flaiz took samples from my throat and had a culture made and a vaccine to finally effect a cure. These bouts were the sickest I ever remember being. Daughter, Jeanne had eye surgery to try and correct her strabismus (crossed eyes). The grandparents treated us to a day trip to Disneyland. After a few hours there we sat on the steps of a building to give Jeanne a rest. She ran circles around us while we were the ones getting the rest. Lynette joined Brownie Girl Scouts but soon realized that Scouting was not for her. The next year Ellen joined Brownie Scouts and she continued on through Juniors and Cadets.
A friend, Lois Huish, needed to make some extra money so I took out a daycare license to care for her two children, Roger and Susie, while Lois worked at the local library. I had a series of customers but the jobs were short term as Mothers soon opted to stay at home. In Spring of 1960 I had Terri and Jayme Parsons and in the summer I took in 9 month old Robin Lane. Sometime later I kept Kathy, Lance and Susie Edwards. I was always eager to start a new adventure but I was also ready to give the childcare duties back to the mothers.
One week we rented a cabin at Cottage City, Oceanside for $50 for the week. This was right on the Strand and a great vacation. For our summer camping trip we invited two nephews, Butch and Hal, to go along. That was the Star Fish episode, a memorable time!
About 1960 we decided the children should have the experience of caring for a dog so we purchased George, a beagle, from the local humane society. What an experience! When we took George along to the beach he lifted his leg on the picnic jug of juice. The children tried to get him in the water but he strongly resisted.
In 1961 we bought a lot on Encanto Drive and connived Daddy into drawing up plans and building us a larger home. We sold our home and moved to a small rental on Citrus Drive for one year while the construction took place.
Now our family seemed complete. Little did we know! To be continued.