Em’s next venture was with a Science fair. “Your World Tomorrow.” He was in this through Sherman Sanders our next door neighbor. They were building a car with a rear engine. This was in 1948 so it was a new idea. The show where they were to display it was to be held in Chicago in the summer of 1948. They offered Em a job to go to Chicago and help build the show. He was all for it. He hadn’t been back to Chicago for about 12 years. Then too he was offered a good salary. He would be gone about three months. I didn’t like to see him go. We had never been separated since we were married, but he was so excited about going it wouldn’t have done any good for me to say “no”.
Soon after Madge was born I began having health problems. It seems my food wasn’t digesting. I went to a doctor and he gave me some pills but the more I took the worse I felt. I went back but he didn’t seem to know what to do so I finally gave up and just suffered along with it. About the time Em was ready to go to Chicago I was at an all time low. I felt so bad it didn’t seem to matter to me what he did. He left in June 1948. I felt like I would like to crawl on the bed and stay there for the next three months. A week after Em left Jay came down with the measles. Those were the days when you had the measles you stayed in a darkened room for two weeks. With Em gone I just entertained the children for two weeks. At the end of two weeks I was feeling much better, and as time went on my health improved. It seemed so good to be able to eat without pain in my stomach. I spent the whole summer doing nothing but caring for the children.
Em came home in Sept. The fair had gone well. A lot of hard work but he had letters of commendation. He felt good about it but I think he was glad to be home. However as soon as he returned the pain in my stomach returned. I began to realize that it was the pressure I was under trying to keep up with him that was causing my trouble. He had boundless energy, always on the go. I was a planner but with him nothing was planned ahead if he decided to go somewhere I was to be ready in five minutes. The children were to have faces washed hair combed and clothes clean. The children were my responsibility. He paced the floor while I got the children ready. Am I being hard on him? I only wished that I had just part of his energy. When I could feel myself going back to not being able to eat and the constant pain in my stomach I told him I just couldn’t keep up with him. I couldn’t live in constant pain and I didn’t think he could live with me much longer under those circumstances. For the first time in my married life I was afraid of his answer. It was so hard for him to be tied down to family life. He had been away for three months, although he said he was glad to be home. Maybe he did enjoy his freedom. He never had much patience with illness and I hadn’t been up to par for about two years. He was strong willed and didn’t care too much about discussing problems. He felt everyone should take care of their own problems and not bother anyone else. I really wasn’t sure he would stay with me. How little did I really know him. I prayed that he would understand me and have patience with me. After I delivered my little speech there was no hesitation on his part he said if that was the way it was, we would work it out. I couldn’t believe the change. It wasn’t complete or immediately but a definite change. If he wanted to go somewhere he told me ahead of time to give me time to get ready and he also helped get the children ready.
It was about this time he decided we should leave L.A. and move to Arizona. For once in our lives I agreed with him. I was so tired of living in L.A but then there was Helen and Vic. They had moved from Sacramento to be near us and now we were thinking of picking up and leaving. Never-the-less Em wanted to move. Right after Christmas in 1948 he left for Arizona. He decided on Phoenix and bought a house, then he came back for us. It was while he was gone that my dear Grandmother Tyler passed away, Jan 1, 1949.
Em called me and wanted me to come but the children were both sick and I didn’t feel I could go. Em came home and we prepared to move. It was the coldest January on record in L.A. Wm had a ½ ton truck and we loaded all our belongings on that and we were ready to leave by the end of the month. Em drove the truck and I drove the car with the kids and the dog. Since it was quite late before we could get away we decided to stop over night so we could get in Phoenix early enough to get our utilities turned on and our furniture in the house. It was quite a trip. It was so cold that year. Madge was sick with a sore throat and bronchitis. I was giving her penicillin. This is the first time that I had used penicillin and the doctor had told me I was to give all he had prescribed even if she seemed better. I was trying to see that she was well taken care of and didn’t get cold. I didn’t know how I was going to keep her warm while we were getting the furniture in the house. We got there about noon and had lunch and then se up a bed and Madge went to sleep and slept until we had the furniture in and the house warm. I’ll never forget how cold it was when we walked into that completely empty house.
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