Where were you?

I was sitting over at mom's and dad's last night when a special on Walter Kronkite and the death of President Kennedy came on the television. 

"Where were you when that happened?" I asked mom and dad.

"High School," mom said. "We were changing classes."

"I was walking out to my car in the High School parking lot," dad replied. "This kid named Richard walked by me and said, 'Glad that nigger lovin' son of a bitch is dead.'"

That last statement got us on the subject of segregation.

"The black lady that worked for us back then," dad replied.  "Said it would be about as north as Kentucky before you would start seeing integrated bathrooms while traveling."

It is hard for me to fathom all this.  Schools were integrated when I went through.  For mom and dad, they were segregated.  It is hard to believe that we would separate people due to the melanin content of their skin.

*****

I'm cleaning house today.  Not my most favorite chore.  I've cleaned my bathroom and mopped my kitchen floor.  I just turned on the air conditioning so the floors will dry quicker.  Maggie freaks out with all of this going on and is sitting outside in the heat of the afternoon.  Bless her.  Someone must have abused her before I got her as a puppy.