When I was learning to drive, sometimes Dad would let me drive. Once, coming back from church, I got out of the back to open the gate and Dad got out and into the back seat. Mom said, "Charlie, are you going to let her drive?" and when Dad said, "Yes," she opened the door and started to get out to walk. So, I did not get to drive. I did get to drive when Garnet wanted to go to a party. He was not allowed to go alone, so I had to go with him, as he was not allowed to have the car on his own. Of course, we would go our own way when we got there, but then would be ready to go home together.

After I was married, I used to drive sometimes. Once Bob was busy and asked, "Would I take the cream in?" (to the Creamery in Eganville) and I said, "Yes." When I got there, a cop was sitting on the step of the creamery - he even helped me in with the cream cans. When I got home, I said to Bob, "That’s it. I’m not driving again until I get my license." When we went to Pembroke for the driving test, I had to stop on a hill and the guy asked me how far to stop from a fire hydrant. I said that I did not know but that it was a good long piece. So he said, "That’s good enough," and I got my license.

I worked for 2 years and then for some reason went home that summer. That was when Bob came along, as his sister, Bella, was in the hospital for a goiter operation and she would need a girl when she got out. The Neitzels had sent him over to Dad’s to see if he could hire someone.

I worked for Bob for the summer and we feel in love. He was living on a farm near Kellys Corners with his sister, Bella. He worked the farm and she looked after the house. She was an old maid, and a crabby one at that. She did not like me because I was German even though she was German herself! I had no days off, as there was nowhere to go anyway - home was 9 miles away, so too far to go. We went to a few dances at neighbors’ houses.

That winter I went back to Ottawa to work and came home the next spring and was married in July. After we decided to marry, Bob asked my father’s permission. I was able to buy my own wedding dress and was married in my home church in Augsburg on a Wednesday. At that time Wednesday was the day for weddings. We had a supper after the marriage with a good bunch of people there. Dad built a platform in the wood shed for dancing. Alec Shauer played the violin and a couple of others played an accordion and a guitar. Roy Wilson, Bob’s neighbor, got the party going. At that time, it was customary for people to pay to dance with the bride. They would pay 10 cents to go once or twice around the floor. The money would go to the newlyweds. We spent the night at Dad’s and slept in my bed. People played tricks then, like they do now. Someone had put dried peas in between the sheets, so Bob just flipped the mattress over.

The next day we went to Bob’s place. Bob had, at that time, a hired hand named Herb, who had been working in the hay all day. The four of us, Bella, Herb, Bob and me, were sitting out in the evening after the chores were all done. Bella said, "I stripped your bed Rob (Bella called him Rob) and did not get time to make it, so you can sleep with Herb tonight, and she can sleep with me." After Bella had gone to bed, Bob said, "I know where the sheets are." So she did not get away with it.

After the wedding I dyed my wedding dress black, so that I could get more use out of it. Modeling the dress is Jennifer Rosien, my oldest great-granddaughter