- Mom
The doctor asked him what color cast he. wanted. Sure enough the doctor put on a PINK cast.
Every thing was okay until the next morning. Mike refused to go to school... "The kids will laugh at me!" We convinced him to go. At the end of the school day, Mike was happy as a lark. All the children signed his cast, and drew pictures on it. But best of all, he said "It made a GREAT BAT!
Remember the year, you children bought me a REDBUD tree for Mothers Day. It was a cold spring and it didn't bloom in time. While I was in church you tied pink bows all over the tree, so I wouldn't be disappointed.
I must have had a rough day because I was aggravated about some thing, I don't remember what, but I told you little people I was going to FIX YOUR WAGON! Without a moments hesitation you asked, "What are you going to do, PAINT IT ?"
Another grass cutting experience... This time I was down at the beach. The grass was pretty tall, so I worked the mower up and down, cutting portions at a time. At ground level there was a terrible mishap. I had no way of knowing there was a nest of baby chicks hiding there. What a catastrophe. You boys wouldn't let me forget it for an instant! I hesitate to repeat the terrible names you had for me.. .baby chick killer, bunny mutilator etc. They didn't look like our chicks. They looked more like a chick-pheasant cross.
Remember when you boys rigged Eileen up with one of the sails, from the little sailboat and took her to the top of the hill. The wind caught her, and up she went, much to the surprise of all of you! Every one chased and grabbed for her. We almost lost her that day to the wild blue yonder.
- Mom
Mike changed his uniform and put on play clothes, and away they went. Mike was thrilled to have a day with Dad. I don't recall what the reason Mom wanted to go or if she ever mentioned it to me but they had a lovely day, and she felt at ease.
When they arrived home, Mike had a wonderful secret to tell me. We sat down and with a very serious look on his face, he told me "I AM A MAN NOW!" I asked him what happened to make this change and in a very hushed voice, he said "I HAD COFFEE WITH THE MEN!" The MEN being Daddy and Uncle Chet, and the coffee being a sort of right of passage.
I've mentioned my moms ELBOW GREASE on many occasions. I never thought it transcended generation! We were sitting around chatting and some one mentioned it... Well Eileen told us she had
She and her friends were checking out all the animals and found one bull had a especially beautiful wavy coat.
She asked the man how he perfected this outstanding coat. He replied, "Start when the calf is young and use plenty of elbow grease".
The girls were not to be out done... Next year they were going to use at least a couple of jars of the stuff! Trouble was, they couldn't find even one jar in the stores!
After we moved up north, (Eileen had just finished the second grade) We were discussing Dad's retirement from the fire department... When she looked up and asked us how he retired from the fire department when he was a POLICE MAN! We asked her what made her think he was a police man and she said he had a uniform and a badge! I don't know what she thought when we visited him at the fire house. She even tried on his firecoat. I guess you can't take any thing for granted with kids.
I phoned Michael the other day, and to my surprise he has no memory of this "Becoming a Man Day" Instead he recalled the time he and Daddy went to
- Mom
On their arrival home we couldn't turn it on the set for several hours, it had to reach room temperature. He vividly remembered the movie we saw that day...Elvis Presley in Blue Hawaii. It must have been quite a treat to see all that blue sky, flowers, clear
It was a extremely hot summers day. All you boys were home from Central and University of Michigan.. I think the project of the week was to break up all the concrete in the ground level patio under the deck. It had cracked in the winter months and looked awful. The decision was made to rent a jack hammer and break up the whole thing and replace it with crushed white stone.
Every thing was going along nicely. Broken concrete was flying all over the place so I thought it would be a good time to disappear for a time. I went to town to me store for treats. This day I did some thing I had never done before in my whole life!!! I bought you boys a six pack of ICE COLD BEER! When I arrived home, no one would believe it.. You all told me, you would have to write this on the wall because it was definitely a first, and probably last time .You would never see this again. I guess I felt sorry for you boys working so hard it all that heat! But not so sorry to buy TWO SIX PACKS!!
Remember the time we were coming back from the lake the boys had a can of frogs under the seat. Some how they got loose and a big fat fellow got under the gas pedal. Dad couldn't slow down
- Mom
Then there was the time it was raining frogs... .and worms.... I swear it is TRUE!!...! think!!! They were all over the road and were slippery to drive over!!!
Another time Dad and you boys took Freckles out to the fields to start training him for hunting... He did CATCH a pheasant and you boys thought it was dead, so dad let it in the car with all of you. On the way home the bird came back to LIFE and FLUTTERED all over the car!!! Then there were the plays at school... Suzie told me... the night before her play (Grade school) she had to have a LION COSTUME What to do???? As luck would have it. Daddy had a YELLOW terry cloth robe...sooooooo I cut it apart and made a outfit that night.. Suzie loved it. I didn't ask Daddy what he thought of the LION OUTFIT!
Oh yes, Suzie had been taking dancing lessons. At the end of the course. The school put on a recital. I made her a beautiful costume with dozens of layers of tulle in a lovely soft pink. I was proud of it and how she looked in it.
When the children all came out on stage for their big performance. There was my little daughter in a
Another sewing thing... Karen was going to go on some sort of retreat with the girls from school. The weather turned a lot wanner and she didn't have a spring coat. She said her winter jacket would be okay but the look on her face told me a different story.
After the children all went to bed I thought about what I could do. I had a nice light weight spring coat in my closet... .too big for Kae, but, with my trusty scissors I cut the coat apart and cut a new smaller pattern and before long a pretty, NEW coat began to immerge. I lined it with white taffeta, hung it on a hanger, and went to bed! Her squeals of delight must have been the thing that woke me. What a nice way to wake up from a good nights work.
I doubt if any one of you could forget one of the most enjoyable times we experienced at Hodge Lake. We were having terrible weather, the storm lasted for days. The schools were all closed. We lost power for nine days. The roads were closed, but that didn't stop snowmobiling. In fact it make it
- Mom
The house was very quiet. No motors, no humming of the furnace, no lights turning on and off, no radio, television, NO WATER ! We took the food outside to keep frozen., had to watch out for the critters!!! The kids brought in nice clean snow. We melted it on the basement wood burner so we had all the water we needed.
We put a pot of oatmeal on the top of the wood burner in a heavy iron pot at night, and in the morning our breakfast was ready. We did the same with dinner , starting a pot of stew in the morning, slow cooked all day and delicious in the evening.
The best part of the experience was the time we spent together. We made macrame hanging baskets for our flower pots. Just sat around and discussed any thing and every thing. Did those things we never had time for before., and read by candle light... lots of candles and a kerosene lamp.
Or neighbor Raymond Peters, couldn't get his milk picked up and taken to the dairy. The roads were impassable, so they gave us lots of rich creamy milk. We made lots of ice-cream !!! The kids would snowmobile up to the kitchen window and we'd pass
Hot showers and the luxury of electricity was convenient after a crews from Indiana and Illinois repaired our problem. Then every thing went back to normal, road crews cleared the deep snow and the noise came back.
Now I have to go backwards in time ...sorry... that's the way my mind works.. We were taking a trip with Grampa, on his boat.. .the weather then was not good we were in a tossing gale. We bounced up and down with the high waves. I ran to our cabin to make sure the port holes were locked shut; Suzie was taking a nap... On entering the cabin I had the shock of my life! NO SUZIE IN BED ! The dark green bed curtains were swaying back and forth in rhythm with the boats wave action.
In a panic I searched the bedroom, bathroom , closet, and behind, on top of, and finally under every thing There sleeping like an angel, was our Suzie. Snug and warm. She had rolled over the edge, and under the bed! I guess the rocking of the boat felt natural to her, just like in mommies arms.
Same time, possibly same storm ! The boat as I said was really rolling. Suzie was trying her best to go to the potty! She sat down and in a second she was up and running across the floor!! Again she tried,
- Mom
All this boat talk reminds me of a talk Grandpa had with Daddy, before we were married. Grandpa told dad, "If you want to get married, don't go sailing. It's a great life for a man but a terribly lonesome one for your wife and children. He was so right.
Feb. 10, 2001
Suzie stopped over after work, and we were chatting when Jamie phoned. I couldn't hear Jamie clearly over Suzie's voice talking LOUD and clear. I moved to the family room and as I did Jamie spoke up with... "I AM WHISPERING". Suzie could NEVER whisper, as hard as she might try!
This remark set off a little chain reaction. ... "CARRY ME".... came back a retort by Suzie. This was a favorite of Jamie's even when he was in college! Then another thing.... "JAMIE WHERE ARE YOUR GLASSES?" The first two pair of glasses Jamie wore had to be custom made... They didn't come that small. He wore them before he could crawl! As he grew older, the glasses were taken off know and