Franklin County, Nebraska

For Another Day

An Experience From the Heart

Today, July 7 is one of the hottest days we have had so far. So…to beat the heat, I headed out as early as possible to do an errand at Republican City. On the way back to the car after doing the errand, I noticed the local flea market was open. If I were the richest person in the world I would still find delight in finding a bargain. I was really in a hurry but I couldn’t resist. Going inside the little shop I found items from times past and some new things for people to buy.

I saw a rack of old eight-track tapes for sale and among them was a few more modern cassettes. I browsed a few minutes among them and smiled when I saw those I remembered. Then I found one I just had to have. This used cassette cost me $2.00. It’s called, Touching You, Touching Me, By Neil Diamond.

A few selections on this old tape are: Everybody’s Talkin, Mr. Bo jangles, Sweet Caroline, and Both Sides Now. Do you remember those tunes? This tape doesn’t have all the wonderful sound quality we have now, and I don’t know how long it will last, but I listened to these songs by the once popular artist all the way back to Franklin to do other errands. I knew I had heard them many time, but I couldn’t remember the year. As I entered the garage, the noonday heat was at its height; I thanked the Lord for our modern day conveniences, as the automatic garage door closed behind.

I had to take the Neil Diamond cassette tape upstairs to the old sound system to play it, as many new stereo systems don’t even have a cassette player. I found the date 1971 inside it’s cover. As I write on our modern computer and listen, this old tape takes me to 1971. During this year we parked our 1865 four door blue Ford L.T.D. (which I was happy to have) in the yard of our old farmhouse. At that time, we didn’t even wish for a garage to put it in, let alone an automatic garage door opener. In 1971 I would have walked up that long concrete sidewalk to the door of that old house (which I was happy to have.) that walk was hard on my swollen feet that summer 28 years ago. This was because I was expecting my youngest child Steven (which I thank the Lord for). Inside that house in the kitchen the heat would have been almost as bad as outside. I remember taking a quilt on hot summer days and going outside and resting under a shade tree to the east of the house. The hot dishwater I put my hands into made me hurry, as my brow was damp with moisture. That was when I decided that I would have a dishwasher as soon as I could (a story for another day).

Because of these experiences, I never take life today for granted as I set in my air-conditioned home while the dishwasher runs whenever I want it to. Oh, to have a thirty-year-old’s mind and cares again. I only thought I had worries then. Today, do we have more worries, or are they just of a different kind to make them seem more intense? These experiences of early-married life give me wonderful things to write about.

I have an old self recorded cassette tape of our times together in the old farmhouse, and even today as I listen to this old tape I almost rise out of my chair to see what the problem is, when I hear loud and clear, my son Steve’s little three year old voice say, “Mom! Brian’s bothering me!”

Neil Diamond says as he sings the song, Both Sides Now…”it’s love illusions I recall, say I love right out loud. I really don’t know life at all. Say I love you right out loud.” I like that line. It just rings with warm magic. I think I will give this old cassette tape to my oldest son, Pat, who could have been 8-years-old in 1971. By doing this, I will give back to him a few minutes of the past. Does he remember these tunes? Will these songs bring back a forgotten memory for him-as they have for me?

“Good times never felt as good.” Neil Diamond

Rena Donovan, For Another Day.

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