Fifty-three years is a long time – five decades and change. But that’s how long I have been married to the same lady, the former Nancy Angeline Goldsmith.
We tied the knot on March 3, 1968.
Remember 1968?
Lyndon Johnson was in his last year of office and said there was no way in hell he’d run again. The Vietnam War hung like an albatross around his neck. 1968 was a year of turmoil with student protests and hippie parades. “Hey Jude” by the Beatles was the number one song on the pop charts. Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon. We bought our first house for $20,500, slightly less than the average home price of $26,600. A first class stamp was a nickel and a dozen eggs set you back 53 cents. The Dow Jones hit a high of 985 and many thought that was too high and grossly inflated. You could fill up a twenty gallon gas tank for $6.80.
In sports, Joe Namath’s NY Jets stunned the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. The Detroit Tigers took the World Series behind Denny McClain and the Boston Celtics, coached by Bill Russell, dumped the Lakers 4 games to 2. UCLA went 29-1 and won the NCAA Basketball Championship. Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In was the top rated TV show and 2001:A Space Odyssey was the top grossing movie.
Yes, 1968 was a long time ago.
So what do you give your bride of 53 years for putting up with all the mud-tracked floors in the house from dirty hunting boots, thousands of wet towels left on the bathroom floor and numerous fishing trips that ran several hours past dinner time?
Maybe a rose for each year? That’s what I gave her, 53 roses. 1968 happened to be a very good year for picking a wife. I think I’ll keep her around for a few more.