Was Verna trying to HANG herself?

Walking down Memory Lane--
August 1969--- The years that I suffered more than one whip lash to my much younger neck. I was in a neck brace. Yet I learned how to maneuver the car and drive while wearing it. I learned to use side mirrors, park where I would only have to back up a very short space before I was on the street again. To this day I drive using mirrors much more then some people do.




I made my dresses with much bigger neck lines, so that the brace would fit better and not be uncomfortable. But, trust me that thing was hot, especially in the heat of summer.


My chiropractor went on a two week vacation, and he gave me an across the door traction unit so that I could use it three times a day and stretch my neck, and it would help keep my head aches away. The head gear hooked snugly around your head/neck was hooked to the rope that run up on the pulleys and down the back where at the bottom there were two bricks in the bag. The weight of the bricks pulled on the neck to stretch it and relieve the pressures.

It was around the end of the two weeks that he was going to be gone when I was invited to go to the east coast with my older sister and her family. So I packed my traction and off we went.

The doctor came back from vacation and expected to see me in his office the first day, complaining that it still didn't feel correct. Much to his surprise I never showed up that day. And a greater surprise he had the next day when he got a post card from me, and I stated that I was at the Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for vacation with my older sister.

The mountains in Pennsylvania were wonderful and we had a good time.
But on the 28th while journeying homeward we were traveling along turn pike all day and I knew traction was a must because of how my neck felt. After all I was instructed to use it 3 times a day for 15 minutes.

We stopped for our picnic supper, beside the turn pike. And my brother in law hooked the traction in the tree. I had to hold very still because we were afraid it would fall out and really cause trouble. Everybody who passed really looked and looked.
Right after they could see me there what looked as tho I was hanging from the tree they passed through an underpass and could not see us anymore.

We laughed at people and I waved at the truck drivers. The looks on their faces was gold--as tho I was committing a crime and trying to hang myself.



Note how the across the door portion is hung in the tree.



Some people may still be wondering what that Mennonite girl was doing. But who cares, it did the trick and gave relief at the time.

So was Verna trying to hang herself? No, her feet were on the ground.

And yes, this might have been my first Verna rigg. (Making the best of what you have with what you have at the time.)


So for more walks down memory lane go on over to Lynette's blog and see what others have to say: