WHEN I WAS 21

One of my grandchildren asked me recently what I did when I was 21 years old. That was in 1959.

Keld Harly Neumann Johansen and I had been married for two years and we had a little girl: Sussie Linda Neumann Johansen.

We lived in a two-bedroom apartment with a nice balcony in Banefløjen number 10, on the 2^nd floor in Husum, Copenhagen, Denmark. It was brand new apartments and we loved living there.

We lived in the apartment to the right with the yellow cloth

This walkway I walked on every day to take Linda to daycare center or to the Husum train station

I was a Bookkeeper and worked for the Government at the Department of Finance on “Børsen” downtown Copenhagen and even though Keld had a five-year trade as a “Bookbinder” he was working as a “Mailman” – just like his two brother Bent and Jackie. 

Keld - 2nd from left - with some of his Mailman Buddy's who played in a "Mailman Band".

Børsen

23 February 1959 Keld and I joined "The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints" and that totally changed our lives.

Below us, on the first floor lived Lizzie and Pall Nolsøe. They moved in about 1-2 months after us – in 1957. We became really good friends and had many good times with the Nolsøe family.

hey had a little boy Christian Nolsøe, that became Linda’s best friend.  Later they had two little girls we name “putte” and “søsser”.

Pall was born on the Faroa Island and always talked about moving back there with his family, but Lizzie really did not want to move away from Denmark and her family.

They had “really” old grandmother who took care of the kids while they were at work. She always made cookies and of course Linda liked that.

One thing I really enjoyed was when Pall got sun-dried fish from his home land.  Neither Lizzie, nor Keld liked it that much, so Pall and I would have a feast.

Pall was very creative.  He wrote poems and painted landscapes from his home country.

Christian Nolsøe

 Lizzie and Pall Nolsøe

Lizzie and Christian playing the piano.

I would usually get up at 5:00 a.m. and get myself and Linda ready for the day. I would either walk the baby-buggy to the Daycare center – about 2 miles – together with another young mother or drive my bike with Linda in a seat behind me.

I always felt bad about leaving my little girl at the daycare.

I wanted to take care of her myself, but Keld and I both had to work in order to pay our bills.

Linda and her daycare group.

In the winter time I would take “Sporvognen” to work in the winter time. In spring and the summer I would ride my bike – 8 miles to work at the government building called Børsen”.

After work, I would pick up Linda from daycare and then go grocery shopping on the way back. I usually had two bags hanging on the baby buggy - if I was walking.

 Then it was time to go home and cook dinner and after dinner cooking the cloth diapers on the stove, then rinse them in our bathtub and hang them up in the bathroom with clothespins.

We only had access once a month to “washing in the basement”. That was when we would do our “Storvask” – Big clean which included linen etc.  One good thing about the “basement cleaning room” was that they had huge rollers to “press” all your clothes, so we pressed everything, including the diapers.

I would usually cook all our meals at night and then Keld and I would take turns either doing the dishes or “putting Linda to bed” which meant we read stories and sang for her every night for about an hour.

In the evening I would either sew clothes for Linda and myself or knit sweaters for us. Many times I would take apart my own dress. Wash the cloth and then make clothes for Linda out of my old dress.

Linda is here wearing a dress that I made from one of my old dresses.

Later I would take evening classes at "The Royal Academy Of Arts" where I took a 3 year degree in tailoring and sewing.  My teacher was Sara Dressø.  I also later took Block printing the same place.

Yes, it was a good and interesting and busy life and a time when we were very happy.

Vibeke Lindhardt.

11 April 2020