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Ruth gave birth to her last child, Elsa. Shortly before the birth, she had to quit doing piecework hand painting the Desert Rose Earthenware and Ivy China patterns for Gladding McBean. She continued to make home improvements while staying home.
| This year, Bob and Ruth purchased their first new car (excluding the '52 pickup), trading in their Ford convertible for a Nash Rambler station wagon. A car that Ruth hated! With the pickup truck and the kids in the back, they were quiet and no trouble. Not so with the station wagon. Ruth had by this year met a neighbor who lived a couple blocks away named Margaret Lord. She was an older lady who was apparently a widow, who inherited a large chunk of money, yet lived modestly, but comfortably. Ruth admired her tranquil life and felt at peace when visiting. Daughter Elsa recently remembered that Ruth told her that Margaret divined that her initials should be EMJ rather than her preceding siblings who had initials JAJ. This may explain how Ruth was always interested in various forms of mysticism, such as Astrology. Jef thinks Margaret was much like Ruth's best friend in the 90s, Ann Robinson, who also dabbled in Astrology, and Ruth was drawn to these types of people who were always upbeat and easily amused. In the years following, even though Margaret disdained most children, she took a shine to Ruth's kids, and often babysat because they were also so easily amused and polite (at least at this stage of their young lives). About this time, Bob and Ruth had daughter Julie attend pre-school at a nearby "Ethical Culture Society". Here Julie, and eventually Jef, learned to share, compete, and swim. | |||
