My mom told me that she was born on the kitchen table at the ranch. I think she told me she cost something like $39.00 and it took her dad three (or six, I can't remember) years to pay her off. Can you imagine?
Son and Daughter-in-Law have already paid for their baby who is due June 16. I guess you get a discounted price if you pay early. And I am sure the cost, discounted or not, was a heck of a lot more than $39.00. But then daughter-in-law will not be spending any time on the kitchen table either.
My mom is amazing. I know, all your mothers are amazing too. But seriously, mom is something. She did not graduate from high school before she married my dad. But when the youngest of her six children was five she received her GED and went on to college to become an accredited Medical Records Librarian and a Nursing Home Administrator. She worked in both fields for many years while raising her family. She also grew a successful Hospice Program in a prominent Wyoming town where she raised operating funds and ministered to thousands of ill and grieving people.
And long before she did all that she helped my father achieve his goal of graduating from college and graduate school while she cooked my dinner, sewed my clothes, washed my bedsheets, baked me home made cookies, pies and bread and tucked me into bed every night with a kiss and a prayer. Oh yeah, she did the same for my five sisters and brothers too and the college boarders she took in to raise some extra cash. (Don't think she did the kiss and prayer thing with the college kids though.)
I don't remember mom complaining much. Well, maybe when she was three weeks overdue with my little sis. I remember her crying at the dinner table and hanging her head as she walked through our tiny house, already packed tight with five kids.
Mostly I remembering her humming, while she hung clothes on the line or stood in front of the sink washing dishes. She had a routine. She would wash clothes on Monday, sprinkle them with water, roll them in a tight, tidy bundle, place them in a large plastic bag and put them in the freezer on the back porch until Tuesday, which was ironing day.
She could feed a family of six on $20.00 a month and I don't remember eating beans and franks. We had delicious meals and there was always enough. I remember her making melted cheese as a special treat for dinner. She would take a cube of cheese, put it in a pie tin, place it in the oven and let it melt. It wasn't queso and was not served with chips - just a spoon. We didn't snack much. Maybe saltine crackers, an apple or orange. Potato chips and pickles were designated for school lunches and we were not allowed to raid the pantry.
Mom would get up early every day and begin breakfast, she might put in a load of laundry, then move on to the dusting or vacuuming or washing windows. She would work the whole morning long. And at 12:00 noon she would make herself lunch. position herself on the sofa in front of the television and watch her favorite soap opera. Mom taught me how to love work and how to enjoy rest.
My mom was a superb manager. She taught me about organization and making a house feel like a home. She taught me how to sew and iron and make corners on a bed neat and tight. She apprenticed me into a great domestic engineer and I am grateful for the way she cared for her family and her home.
 |
| And she dresses cute to boot |
My mom still takes care of her home with a hum and a pat. She lives in a small apartment at a retirement villa. Each morning when her feet meet the carpet as she wiggles from her bed she begins to hum. She opens the patio door to smell the morning air and to greet the day. She makes a pot of tea, washes some fresh fruit and begins to putter around her apartment, just like she did in our home when I was little.
She dreams of hitting the road in an RV. Says she wants to downsize even more and get rid of things so that her children don't have to deal with them. Mom and Dad have already given their children little to deal with when they sold their home and moved into an apartment years ago. They have let go of a lifetime of gathering and have paired down to a few things that bring them joy. Mom has some puzzles, her bike, which she rides every day, her iPhone and her computer. She is a techno whiz! No more fabric, sewing machine, shelves of books (she has a kindle), cupboards filled with dishes, or racks of shoes. Mom is happy with friends and family and all else that sustains her simple needs.
She is still humming and complaining little. She is still my mentor and my safety. She is still lively, and ready to party at a moments notice. Hope she has one today. After all it is a day worth celebrating.
Happy Birthday mom.
Actually the cost of my birth was $35. My father had little money and gave the doctor a pig. That was the way it was in those days after the great depression. We had all we needed and lived on the ranch. Thanks for the great tribute. I have had a good life and am still going. My goal is to still be riding my bike when I am 100. Love, Mum
ReplyDelete