Groovy, Baby!

Like I said, I turned 12 in 1960, and the times they were a-changin'.

1960

We had a new President, the youngest in American History, and the first Catholic one at that. The Twist became the most popular dance, and "Psycho" scared the hell out of us at the theaters. I learned to ride a bike that year, leaving my big sister in the dust (she never did learn to ride).I met my lifetime best friend that year when she moved in next door. In Vietnam, the Communist party forms a branch known as the Vietcong. My big sister, the one that couldn't ride a bike, got married at the age of 14. (No, she wasn't pregnant).

1961

The US government tried to overthrow the Castro Regime in what came to be called the Bay of Pigs Invasion.The Berlin Wall was built, and it seemed that all over the world, mankind was set on destroying mankind.The Civil Rights Movement escalates, attempting to end segregation in Alabama and the Southern states. Linda and I, in the meantime, were having a great time.

1962

The President sent troops to the University of Mississippi to try to end the racial riots. Meanwhile, his alleged mistress, Marilyn Monroe, died of an overdose of sleeping pills. (?) The first Wal-mart opened, and Linda and I and our boyfriends were still having a great time. My sister had her first child, a girl, Becky Lynn, and my parents became grandparents.

1963

While we having a good time being young, our country was in big trouble. President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an inspiration to millions in Washington, and the South Vietnamese government is overthrown by the Communists. The British Invasion was here, The Beatles broke new ground with "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Equal pay for women was voted by Congress (big joke, that),the first artificial heart was used, and it started to look really bad for our beloved US. I moved away from the girl next door, and while we were still close, not close enough. I made friends in our new neighborhood, but it wasn't the same.

1964

Sixteen! And I did the stupidest thing...I got married. North Vietnam attacked the US naval destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin, and it looked like we were in it, whether we wanted it or not. The Civil Rights Bill passed, Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life, and the Surgeon General tells us that smoking isn't good for us. The truckers were finally united under Jimmy Hoffa's Teamsters Union, and Cassius Clay won the heavyweight title.

1965

We had our own little household, and did we have fun! "Sin" came to live with us, (our black cat), and became my baby. (She lived for 17 years, and died of Feline Leukemia .)

1966

A good year, all around. I found out that I really was pregnant, and October 1, 1966, my parents had a grandson. I was 18. The militant Black Panthers was formed that year, the bombings in North Vietmam increased, the Miranda was now protecting the rights of criminals, and a woman came to power in India, when Indira Ghandi was elected Prime Minister. And I had a new baby boy.

1967

Riots in the South, indeed all over the country, as Black Power escalates. The war in Vietnam rages on, killing thousands upon thousands as Humankind tries it's best to annihilate itself. Peace and Love continue to exist, but only to the "hippie" crowd.

1968

My son was diagnosed with Microcephaly, a blow, to be sure, but not the end of the world. He was a cuddly little bear, and giving up on him wasn't an option. The Tet Offensive and the My Lai disaster occcur in Vietnam, Robert Kennedy is assassinated, as is Martin Luther King, Jr., "2001, A Space Oddysey" enthralls us with visions of the future, and my world came to an end on October 4, 1968. My father died of a massive heart attack. My hero, my anchor, was suddenly and forever gone.