Laura (9/20/12 )
I remember my mother reading a variety of books to me and
Jay (She like "Little House on the Prairie" as much and me I think.
We loved to sit on her lap or on each side. We'd share her by
dividing her in half. I'm glad she shared family history stories with me.
Most mornings when I woke Mom was doing one of two things--making breakfast
mush or reading her scriptures at the table. She liked to read the National
Geographic and Readers Digest. (In later years she splurged and added quilting
magazine)
I remember the quilting parties sometimes at our home and
sometimes at one of Mom's friends. The kids liked to play under the
framed quilts. She sewed all my dresses at least through grade school and then
taught me to sew.
She'd buy bushels of beans or peas and have everyone sit
around the table snapping or shelling in preparation for canning. She
canned lots--I especially loved the bushels of peaches. I remember seeing her
spending many hours standing at the sink pitting, pealing etc. She baked six
loaves of bread at a time. (once or twice a week?)
We knew what days laundry was done--she did the bread baking
on certain days and laundry on others. She was organized and kept to her
self made schedule so I'd say she was disciplined too. She planned ahead --we'd
have a meeting and discuss upcoming trips--including the early hour we'd wake,
in the summer we had a week she'd have us prepare for school by starting to go
to bed earlier, etc Christmas she handled the budget carefully. Each
child was given an allotment and would spend hours pouring over the Sears and
Ward catalogs determining the best way to use that amount.
She liked me to scratch her back and comb her hair.
This made me feel good to do as a young child.
Mom collected interesting rocks while we went on walks.
She didn't use her skirt like I did, but I do remember her wearing
aprons. She usually wore a dress. She had house dresses for
everyday chores.
We would do a "4th of July" program, with
patriotic songs, poems, and references to the verses in the Book of Mormon that
taught of Columbus and the unique
place America
is.
Also liked going to the parade with Mom on the 4th. It
was one of the rare times we had potato chips, hot dogs and our own glass
bottle of pop (Shasta?) We'd picnic on the front lawn using a folding
metal table.
When I was in high school she was patient with my sometimes
teenage irrational notions. One evening during a blizzard I determined to go
ahead to play pep band for a basketball game. I know she tried to discourage
me, but in the end seeing my determination went with Jay and me. After
the game the roads were quite blown over. We amazingly made it within the
last mile before we got good and stuck. I felt very foolish as we trudged
home through the deep snow in the cold. I remember it being a difficult
walk home, but I don't remember her saying anything about my foolishness in
getting us in that situation.
During the last weeks of life I learned to appreciate what
was important to her. She was very weak during this time and so naturally
let many things go undone, but she remembered she hadn't paid her tithing this
month and had Mike fill out a form and write out a check she could
sign. She was in Washington
state less than a day when she realized she needed an absentee ballot and had
her son, Steve help her fill out a request for this. (I remember her
always voting and taking an interest in elections.) She was very polite.
Even when she was feeling lousy while in the hospital she would smile and
thank the doctors after they came by and talked with her. She was very
patient even when waiting to be helped move because she was uncomfortable in
present position or was waiting for requested pain medication.
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