MLMM – Mothers

I could probably write a book about my mother. I am still in awe of everything she could accomplish in a day. She never was one to sit down and relax, at least that I can remember. Even when she was older, she was always busy doing something. Unfortunately she died of heart disease when she was seventy, my age.  

She was born in 1906. She married my father who was two years younger. They were married by a Justice of the Peace and honeymooned with my dad’s sister and husband on a trip out west to where my father was born. They had a tent and a jalopy with a rumble seat that held their belongings. It was quite an adventure encountering rattlesnakes, bears, and other wildlife. They visited Yellowstone Park, Montana, and South Dakota.

They had four daughters, and I am the youngest. My dad always wanted a boy of course and my next sister up tried to be that. I always liked mechanical things and woodworking, tools etc. so tried to help that way.

My mother cooked every meal, using our garden whether fresh or canned by her. We had different varieties of berries and apples and grapes so we always had lots of desserts, juices, and jellies available. We had a dairy and of course, milk, cream, butter all the products necessary to fix whatever she wanted. We also had chickens and eggs.  I will never forget seeing my grandfather cut the head off a chicken and yes, they do run around after.  Horrible sight.  It was worse smelling the chicken being boiled to make the feathers easier to remove. In the meantime, the house was a large farmhouse and every inch was sparkling clean and neat. I remember sliding on fresh waxed floors in stocking feet to buff the shine.

As she accomplished daily chores, she cared for her parents and my dad’s parents. They lived in the home with us and that was a great benefit to us growing up. Most nights sleep was a luxury as she rose to their frequent calls.  This was probably one reason she expected good behavior and took no smart mouths or rude behavior.  If you dared to push the rules, you were told to go out and pick a switch off the bushes.  You knew to pick a medium to large, or it was picked for you!  It sounds harsh but it wasn’t bad.  You got what you deserved.  

I have to add a sort of joke on my mom.  One time we were on the phone talking about a movie she had just seen with my dad.  It was “Blazing Saddles” of course, since my dad would only watch westerns.  She said it was so rude, the campfire scene with a lot of passing gas.  I started laughing and then she started to laugh, telling me, “I guess if I’d seen it with you I would have thought it was funny”.  That was her, a true lady in all respects.

I still miss her, gone forty years now. I guess you always miss your mom.

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