Honey's life was full and busy when they moved to Roswell. On top of taking care of her two children, she went to work in a local bank... then got her real estate license... and began her new real estate career (which she enjoyed for twelve+ years).
Honey worked for a couple different Real Estate Brokers in Roswell where she met several people who had strong influences on her life. One of the companies she worked for was Wayne Adams Real Estate. Mr. Adams had a 'once a week' advertising show on television and mom was always fond of the slogan he used at the end of his show: "There will always be more people but there will never be more land". From this, mom often said she learned the value of effective advertising.
Honey became very close friends with another female agent named Carmelli while she worked for the Adams company. Carmelli was an Italy born, tall, statuesque woman with no-nonsense ideals and a wonderful sense of humor. Carmelli was boisterous and she always "used her hands" when she talked... especially when she wanted to make a specific point in her conversation. Mom often told the story about one weekend trip to a real estate convention in Albuquerque, in the late 1950's. Carmelli decided to drive her brand new Edsel car, and mom was her passenger. Carmelli bought the car because she was impressed by the car salesman's pitch that "everything is automatic". Well... the road between Roswell and Albuquerque was a long stretch of highway, with no civilization and very little traffic in sight for miles and miles. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, on that long stretch of road, Carmelli's car ran out of gas. Carmelli was absolutely livid that the "everything is automatic" pitch she was given didn't include an unending amount of gasoline. In true Italian style, Carmelli ranted and raved as she paced up and down the side of the road, waving her hands and cursing the predicament. After she calmed down, her attitude was "make the best of the situation". Mom told the story of how Carmelli reached into the glove box and pulled out a paper bag filled with beads. She and mom sat on the side of the road for hours re-stringing beads from a broken necklace Carmelli had stashed, as they waited for a passing motorist to come by and help them. They did finally make it to Albuquerque where they had the pleasure of meeting many celebrities at an evening dinner, including Dan Blocker and Lorne Green (aka Hoss and "Pa" Cartwright) from the western television show Bonanza. That was a fun trip for mom.
For fun, she joined the Roswell Sweet Adeline's Chorus in late 1954. (Sweet Adelines is a women's version of old-fashioned "Barber Shop" acappella singing; in four part harmony.). Mom sang "Baritone" in the Roswell Sweet Adelines chorus and in several quartets for close to sixteen years, competing in many State-wide, National, and International Competitions. The chorus and quartets in which she sang won several First Place awards. Mom really enjoyed the music and friendships she experienced as part of that organization. She often said, "You can't be angry when you are singing".
At bedtime, Honey would often comfort her children with music. Her two children would drift off to sleep to soft songs of the 1940's she knew how to play on her organ. Sometimes she would sing an old lullaby to them, while rubbing their backs. Their favorite lullaby was "When You Come To The End Of A Day". The lullaby was soothing and thoughtful. Her children will always remember these words:
"When you come to the end of a day... Do you dream all your troubles away? Do you ever watch the setting sun... and dream of things that you might have done? Do you turn from your work with a smile? Do you think that it's all worth the while? Do you dream the twilight hours away?... When you come to the end of a day......".
A very important part of Honey's life was her unwavering faith in God. She made sure her children were active in church and praised God for all His blessings, every day. Her faith endured throughout her life and helped her and her family get through many tough times. Because of mom, her children grew to understand the importance of believing and relying on God's strength.
Although Honey's life had taken her miles away from her home and her mother, in Tampa, Honey continued to do everything she could possibly do for her mother. Her love and caring for her mother was constant. Honey made it a point to call her mother and talk with her every Sunday... something they both looked forward to with great joy and anticipation. They wrote to each other often and Honey kept every letter she received from her mother, throughout her life. Honey relied on her mother's kind words and guidance and her mother treasured the love and friendship Honey was able to provide.
Life was not always kind to Honey but through her trials she concentrated on keeping a positive attitude and cheerful disposition. Her family was the most important part of her life and she focused on holding her family together the best way she could. Unfortunately, after eighteen years of marriage, mom realized she and her children were in a terrible situation she could not improve and her marriage to Alvin ended in divorce in 1964. Mom felt as though she had let everyone down during that time but on the other hand she realized staying in the relationship was not an option. She mustered all her strength... gathered her two children, and started a new life.
Carmelli, her friend from real estate, helped mom through the tough times of starting over. Mom often told us how Carmelli's no-nonsense approach to life helped her "grow up". Carmelli provided shelter for Honey and her two children when she needed it most with the stipulation that mom move forward with her life - and not look back. Carmelli's friendship was one of the most profound influences in mom's life. Honey began to focus on what she needed to do... get back to Florida so she could be closer to - and take care of her own mother.
Honey went to work at Atlantic Richfield Oil Company where she met and became close friends with Gail. Mom told stories of how they worked in the same office and their grouchy boss sat in the next room. Mom told of how they shared "quiet" laughs by writing and tossing notes to each other so their boss wouldn't hear. Mom's favorite funny story was when Gail tossed her a note one day...and when mom opened it, she read the words... "Shirk, shirk. I hate work." Neither of them could suppress the laughter. Gail was one of mom's dearest friends and together they learned to "take on" the world as single parents. Mom said she often learned a lot from Gail and appreciated her friendship more than words could say. Gail had a big influence on mom. The summer of 1965, Honey's two children (Charles and Lou Ann) traveled by bus to visit relatives in Oklahoma City and when they returned to Roswell... found that during that week, Gail had convinced Honey to "bleach" her brunette hair. Gail had told her that "blondes have more fun". The change was so dramatic, her two children hardly recognized their own mother! Honey remained a blonde for the rest of her life.
Honey loved to perform in Sweet Adelines. She had many opportunities to show off her talents. One year, the chorus had an "internal" talent show and Honey decided to put on a comedy skit... as the renowned star: Phyllis Diller. For weeks, she studied routines of Ms. Diller and captured the sounds, body language, mannerisms, the distinctive laugh, hairdo, and make-up of the star. When the time came for her presentation, Honey walked onto the stage and the chorus members thought she was really Phyllis Diller. Everything about her routine was absolutely impeccable... even down to the blonde hair!! Honey won first place in the talent show and was very excited.
There were several times in her life when Honey would pack up her two children and the three of them would take a road trip from Roswell to Florida, to visit Honey's mother for a week or two. She always made the trips fun for her two kids by stopping along the way to visit unusual tourist sights. While driving, Honey taught her two children the art of singing in harmony. As they rolled down the highway, they would harmonize together with songs like "I've Been Working On The Railroad", "Me and My Shadow", "You Are My Sunshine", "Let's Sing An Old Time Song Together", and many other tunes they knew. Sometimes she would ask one of her children to whistle a tune and she would join in - whistling in harmony. She had such a keen musical talent that her "close-part" whistling would create a harmonic "overtone" and everyone would start laughing.
One time, when mom and her two children were driving down the highway, on one of their road trips to Florida, Honey noticed the odometer on the car was just about ready to turn over to 100 thousand miles. She brought the subject up to her children and they all got excited and wanted to watch. In her excitement, mom said, "Let's stop so we can All watch!!" Then they realized if they stopped, the odometer would too. Everyone got such a good laugh out of that. Her sense of humor will be remembered forever.
In early 1966, Honey realized she was missing the companionship of adult relationships but wanted to include her children in activities, so she joined the Roswell chapter of "Parents Without Partners" (PWP). She and her children attended get-togethers with other parents and their children... and some activities with just the adults. One evening in May 1966, she and a friend of hers drove down to Artesia (about 40 miles) and attended a meeting of the Artesia chapter, as guests. She and her friend noticed a couple of men there who she later said "were acting really silly". After the meeting, she and her friend drove back to Roswell... with thoughts that there was nothing to get excited about. One week later... she got a phone call from one of the "silly acting" men... to ask her to go out to dinner. She accepted the invitation and when the man came to the door to pick her up (he drove up from Artesia)... he was in his pick-up truck and was wearing a Stetson cowboy hat, cowboy boots and a Bolo tie. Honey's two children answered the door and took one look at him and ran in to Honey's bedroom to tell her "How Cool" he was. Honey laughed and said, "Well... don't leave him standing on the porch!!" She invited him in and introduced him to her children. His name was Ezra Clamon Davis... otherwise known as "Pop". He was nine years older than Honey. They went to dinner and when she got home, she commented on the fact that he had customized his pick-up truck to have a "cooler" in the driver's door. They must have had a great time because he called her again the next day... and from that time on, they saw each other as often as they could. Just a few days after their first date, Pop came up from Artesia to pay a visit and brought a new record player with him for Honey's two children He told her he "just had it layin' around" but the truth was he had already learned how much Honey liked music and wanted to give her something she could really enjoy. Honey and her two children were absolutely thrilled by his generosity. They played their records on that machine as often as they could and enjoyed it more than words could ever express.
Pop was a True old-west cowboy who drove a concrete truck for Halliburton, out of Artesia, raised and showed Appaloosa horses, and loved to dance with "his Honey". Their courtship was often "spur of the minute". He would be "on-call" for his work and would call her and ask her to meet him half-way between Roswell and Artesia... at a rest stop. They would sit at the picnic tables there and talk until he had to go back to work. That summer, Honey was preparing to make her move back to Tampa, to be closer to her mother... Pop just couldn't bear to see her move so far away... so he asked Honey to marry him. She told him he "must be crazy" to want to take on a wife with two teenage kids. She realized she loved him too and they were married August 2, 1966. Honey, Charles, and Lou Ann moved... not to Tampa, as planned... but to Artesia instead. Pop had three adult children who were all on their own and during the first twelve months of their marriage, his children came to visit. Honey was thrilled to have them come visit and welcomed them with open arms.
The lifestyle change for Honey was like something in a story book. She went from being a "city girl" in dresses and high heels to a "country girl" in jeans. Pop even took Honey to Juarez, Mexico and had her fit with her first western "cowboy" boots! They took care of his Appaloosa horses and traveled to horse shows, where Honey experienced a completely different type of life than what she was accustomed. Their love for each other grew as they shared their day-to-day lives. Honey's two children were just as smitten with Pop as she was. Charles and Lou Ann learned so much from having Pop in their lives and they both had hopes that he would adopt them so they could share his name.
In late September 1967, Pop was driving a Halliburton 18-wheeler concrete truck to a job-site, when one of the axels of the trailer disconnected from the trailer as he was taking a curve in the road. The axel and trailer tried to go one way... as the cab of the truck went the other way. Pop was able to hold the cab on the road to a stop by standing up in the cab. It took all he had and when he finally could sit down with a jolt.. the back of his right knee came down on the gear shift. Ouch. He went to the doctor and they told him he was bruised but should be okay. One week later, Pop had a cerebral hemorrhage, while he and Honey were in Lovington, New Mexico. He was taken to the Lubbock Methodist Hospital, in Texas, where he had surgery to correct the problem. He was sent home with strict instructions to get bed-rest for several weeks. Being still was not his style - and after a few days, he said he felt better, so he went down the street to visit with his "horse buddies". That night.... he had another hemorrhage. The Artesia hospital transported Pop back to the hospital in Lubbock, where he died October 11, 1967.
Honey was absolutely devastated and heart broken by the loss of her love and best friend. Unfortunately, Honey was unable to settle Pop's estate... so she could move on with her life because Pop's ex-wife and children protested Honey's right to his estate and they kept his assets tied up in probate court for almost five years.
After Pop's death, Honey struggled to maintain her household, working several part-time jobs at a time. She remodeled a local fabric store for a lady named Martha, worked in the school cafeteria, sewed for other people, and stocked shelves for a local Five & Dime store.
Honey also became active as a volunteer in the Artesia Hospital Auxiliary and was elected President of that organization in 1968. She was responsible for the activities of volunteers, organized schedules, and ran the gift shop and snack-bar within the hospital. She recruited her daughter (Lou Ann) to be a volunteer and they worked together to see that things ran smoothly. Honey was a tremendous success, helping the organization's pool of volunteers and revenues double during her two years as President. Her leadership qualities and dedication to the organization shined. More than anything, mom felt she was helping others.
Honey knew her ultimate goal was to get back to Florida. She planned a two week road trip to Florida for her and Lou Ann, shortly after Charles graduated from high school, in 1969, and went out on his own. They took a close friend of Lou Ann's (Dinah) along for the trip. When the three of them arrived in Tampa, Honey's mother (Grandmother Mitchell) announced she had made a decision to sell the house Honey had lived in as a child and get a smaller house. The two-week trip turned into an eight-week trip because Honey had to take care of the real estate transactions and she, Lou Ann, and Dinah had to go through everything in the old house and move Grandmother Mitchell to her newly acquired home. It was a lot of work and was an experience the two girls would never forget. Honey also found fun things for Lou Ann and Dinah to do while they were there, including time at the beach and sight seeing. The three of them made it back to Artesia just in time for the new school year.
After returning to Artesia, Honey continued to work her part-time jobs and take things day by day. The stress of everything going on in her life was unbelievable. In early 1972, Honey had her first heart attack and survived. In May 1972 Lou Ann graduated from high school. The same month, the probate was settled in court for Pop's estate... and Pop's ex-wife and his adult children got absolutely everything, including his house and life insurance. The probate decision left Honey with only her own personal belongings. She felt so betrayed by his family.
Honey somehow made it through. She knew she had to once again concentrate on her own long-term goals. In July 1972, Honey packed up the few things she had, put them in a small U-Haul trailer, and headed to Tampa so she could finally be closer to her mother. Thus began a new chapter in her life...
Footnote: When Honey moved to Tampa, her daughter, Lou Ann stayed behind, in Artesia, but moved to Tampa a few months later where she lived for the next 32 years. Honey's son, Charles, moved to Tampa in 1973 but he missed the southwest United States... so he moved back to New Mexico about a year later.