We lost her 6 years ago tomorrow. I've really missed her a lot more lately, mostly since I was sick. I guess we are never really too old to need our mommies when we are sick. There are a lot of things I remember, some of them became family legends. Like Uncle Dave daring Mom to get on my pogo stick and she took the dare. Which was followed shortly thereafter with a run to the ER and I think she had to have surgery to repair the torn hamstring muscle. That one definitely became a legend! And the story was told frequently, I think that is one for the ages.
Then there was the time we moved. And Mom moved her rocks, which had been in a rock garden and various places around the yard. I remember the moving guys being amused by it. But we've all inherited that from her, I moved my rocks when I moved and Otter has quite a collection of her own - some of which she got from her Grammy, who was thrilled that Otter liked rocks as much as she did. And there are at least a few rocks that we share custody of - speaking of which Froggy, it's my turn now!
And the marbles! Who can forget how she always used to say she'd lost her marbles. And then a certain neice of mine (Kimberly, this means you) who was pretty young at the time when she first heard that comment from Grammy. And Kimberly told her that they weren't lost, they were out in the back yard in the rock garden!
Mom told me a story once, she was very young and heard her father refer to a woman in the neighborhood who was a streetwalker. When asked, he told his young daughter that meant she made her money on the street but he didn't elaborate. So then the young Clara decided that she wanted to be a streetwalker when she grew up - after all, all the lady had to do was walk up and down the street and she'd find money!
She taught me to cook and to this day I still make beans and Spanish rice like she did. Lots of good memories there. I'm carrying on the tradition with Otter. She taught me at a very young and that there was nothing I could not do, I was capable of anything, and that girls could do anything they wanted to. And I've always been very grateful to her for that lesson. She taught us to love animals, and she let me adopt nearly every stray I brought home. And there were plenty! We used to go to the zoo more times than I could count, and Mom enjoyed it as much as we did. She made the best hamburgers in the world. There were times when money must have been tight, but we never realized it - pickle sandwiches were a treat, and I never realized that it was probably because of a tight financial situation. To this day, when I am tired or not feeling good it's a pickle sandwich that makes me feel better. I remember mashed bean sandwiches, which might have been for the same reason or might have just been because they were good. And then there was the time she made tamales. They were wonderful, and fun & messy to make but I seem to recall she only made them a few times because they were a lot of work.
One of my best memories is of being Baptized with Mom. It made a special moment even more special.
She was one of the most loving people I've ever known or ever will know. She took in her sister who had been crippled with polio as a teenager and I don't remember her ever complaining.
When Bill & I got back together after our troubles, she was the first one to welcome him back and I know how much he appreciated it.
Coffee in the afternoon! And I think I was usually allowed to have a cup, even though I must have been in about 3rd grade when I first started drinking it.
For many years, Mom never went anywhere without her glass of iced tea. She used a plastic Pearl Beer stein most of the time. It's now sitting on my desk holding pens. One time Dad got on her for the fact that it was a beer glass, she was on her way to a tupperware party at the time and she told him that if she had a wreck they'd be able to tell it was not beer!
She made the best peach cobbler ever. And Dad usually would eat as much of them as he could as I recall! Wish I had one of them now.
Then there was the time we moved. And Mom moved her rocks, which had been in a rock garden and various places around the yard. I remember the moving guys being amused by it. But we've all inherited that from her, I moved my rocks when I moved and Otter has quite a collection of her own - some of which she got from her Grammy, who was thrilled that Otter liked rocks as much as she did. And there are at least a few rocks that we share custody of - speaking of which Froggy, it's my turn now!
And the marbles! Who can forget how she always used to say she'd lost her marbles. And then a certain neice of mine (Kimberly, this means you) who was pretty young at the time when she first heard that comment from Grammy. And Kimberly told her that they weren't lost, they were out in the back yard in the rock garden!
Mom told me a story once, she was very young and heard her father refer to a woman in the neighborhood who was a streetwalker. When asked, he told his young daughter that meant she made her money on the street but he didn't elaborate. So then the young Clara decided that she wanted to be a streetwalker when she grew up - after all, all the lady had to do was walk up and down the street and she'd find money!
She taught me to cook and to this day I still make beans and Spanish rice like she did. Lots of good memories there. I'm carrying on the tradition with Otter. She taught me at a very young and that there was nothing I could not do, I was capable of anything, and that girls could do anything they wanted to. And I've always been very grateful to her for that lesson. She taught us to love animals, and she let me adopt nearly every stray I brought home. And there were plenty! We used to go to the zoo more times than I could count, and Mom enjoyed it as much as we did. She made the best hamburgers in the world. There were times when money must have been tight, but we never realized it - pickle sandwiches were a treat, and I never realized that it was probably because of a tight financial situation. To this day, when I am tired or not feeling good it's a pickle sandwich that makes me feel better. I remember mashed bean sandwiches, which might have been for the same reason or might have just been because they were good. And then there was the time she made tamales. They were wonderful, and fun & messy to make but I seem to recall she only made them a few times because they were a lot of work.
One of my best memories is of being Baptized with Mom. It made a special moment even more special.
She was one of the most loving people I've ever known or ever will know. She took in her sister who had been crippled with polio as a teenager and I don't remember her ever complaining.
When Bill & I got back together after our troubles, she was the first one to welcome him back and I know how much he appreciated it.
Coffee in the afternoon! And I think I was usually allowed to have a cup, even though I must have been in about 3rd grade when I first started drinking it.
For many years, Mom never went anywhere without her glass of iced tea. She used a plastic Pearl Beer stein most of the time. It's now sitting on my desk holding pens. One time Dad got on her for the fact that it was a beer glass, she was on her way to a tupperware party at the time and she told him that if she had a wreck they'd be able to tell it was not beer!
She made the best peach cobbler ever. And Dad usually would eat as much of them as he could as I recall! Wish I had one of them now.
2 comments:
Remember the time that she made hamburgers, took one out to Jessie, in her apt, came in and we all ate. Them Mom discovered a piece of meat that was left over. She had forgotten to put the meat in Jessie's hamburger. Jessie ate a bun with tomatos, pickles, lettuce, and always laughed about it.
When we moved, Dad was sick so you, me, and Mom moved all the rocks. I don't think we left even one tiny pebble behind.
I remember she used to save empty veg. cans,cut out the ends and then we could use these to make tunnels in the mud.
She never had many plants when we were little, because the flower beds were always where we played and built tunnels, mud pies, etc.
That's all for now.
OH- your titles are much better, keep it up!
Froggy
She did always grow violets, so we could take the flowers to out teachers.
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