💃 Dancing Through the Years

When I think back on all the dances from my school days, they kind of blur together—like looking through a foggy window. But a few moments stand out crystal clear.

🕺 At Grasmere, our winter gym class meant square dancing in the classroom. We’d push the desks against the walls and make our own little dance hall. I’ve long forgotten the steps, but I’ll never forget the rough grip of Brian’s hands spinning me around like we were pros (we weren’t).

🎶 Then there were the Jaffray school dances. Mom would wait out in the car while we went in and had our fun. But the best were the wedding dances at the Jaffray Hall. Back then, it seemed like anybody could show up—and we did. The band from Elko (can’t for the life of me remember their name) played all the good stuff. “Good Hearted Woman” would have me itching to dance, and “Okie from Muskogee” made us all feel like we had our own anthem—even if it didn’t rhyme with Jaffray.

🍻 We weren’t legal, but we managed to get a buzz anyway. Looking back, it’s a miracle we all got home in one piece. Somebody upstairs must’ve had their eye on us.

🏞️ When we moved to Eureka, things changed a bit. I was finally old enough to drink, but my younger brother still had a year to go. Didn’t stop us from sneaking in a few lake swims and a whole lot of bar nights.

💃 And Gary—oh, that man was born to dance. If I didn’t feel like it, he’d grab one of his nieces. If they weren’t up for it, he’d ask someone else. Shyness? Not in his vocabulary. The Moran Sisters, our favorite local band, knew us by name. The minute they saw us walk in, they’d launch into “Redneck Woman,” and we were off.

🚗 We followed those bands like groupies with full-time jobs—The Blue Moon in Columbia Falls, even a snowstorm trip to Ronan to catch Sonny King. Wherever the music went, we did too.

💔 But everything changed when Gary passed. The music kept playing, but I stopped dancing. Rick, my husband now, is a sweetheart—but he’s got two left feet and no interest in dancing. And I miss it. I miss the rhythm, the laughter, and the way one good song could sweep you off your feet—literally.

💬 Wanda-ism

Even if the music changes, the beat of those memories never fades.