Today our Mumsie turns 89.
She was born on December 10, 1920.
She had two sisters and one "bad boy" brother
who we all call Uncle Luke.
There are not many stories I know of her growing up,
but I do know she was the baby of the family born
two years after her only brother.
From her stories, much time was spent on keeping
her brother straight so she was a pretty good girl.
I believe her family was not considered rich but
probably well-off because they owned a hotel
in Golden Meadow.
It is where many teachers came to live as they
taught in GM. Just because they were considered
well-off didn't mean their lives were easy.
Mumsie speaks often of how each child had
to work and work hard to keep the hotel running.
Not only did they house these teachers and workers
but they cooked and fed each of them three meals.
Mom speaks of having to leave school to walk to
the hotel to pick up teachers lunches and then
walking back to make sure they got fed.
I don't know exactly where the school was but she
does say it was a "mile or two".
Can you imagine our children doing this?
Not in today's world.
She had told me often that her parents were against
her marrying daddy.
One reason was because she had not yet graduated
from high school as she was a junior and had a
year left of school. The other is that they were
second cousins, and the other is the one she
doesn't really explain, because they had had
some issues between the two families and
they were not really best of friends.
She took a giant leap and eloped with her
love who we called Daddy.
When she got back her Mother would not let her
in the house to get her things and would not
speak to her.
She told me she sat on the porch every day and
rocked until her Momma came out and they
made amends. I don't know how many days
but maybe I got my "have to make it better"
attitude from her. I can't stand when anyone
isn't getting along it makes me sick to just
think of it.
If I really think of it, she really was an unconventional mom.
When my dad opened a bar, she worked in it.
When Daddy was called to WWII she ran that bar
and raised her kids there.
Often she would joke that Larry was born in a bar
and never left it! When Daddy opened any business
she was right there supporting him.
She always worked in his ventures.
When Daddy was forced to retire and begin
disability because of the wounds he came home
with from the war, she went to work at Randolph's
restaurant. I was raised with my Mom working
and my Daddy staying home as Mr. Mom.
That was very odd in the 70's
but Mom never cared or worried about what others thought.
She really didn't. She still doesn't.
When Dad got older and sick, he wasn't always nice to
Mumsie. There were times in the end that he was
downright ugly to her yet she never spoke back,
never argued. However, there were times that I
would find her in her room crying.
I never reached out to her and comforted her.
I just left her with herself to get over this
and tried to be the buffer between her and Daddy.
I do feel bad that I didn't comfort her.
When Daddy was dying she was at his side,
One day Ronnie and I had picked her up to
go and have supper to get her out of the
hospital. She talked about the new medication
that would make him better.
I looked at her and said,
"Mom, daddy is going to die"
She began to cry and it was then that she
realized that soon she would be a widow.
Did Mom crawl up and die when she became
a widow at only 61 years old?
Absolutely not!
Sometimes I say that is when she actually began to live.
She learned to drive,
got rid of that huge house she could no longer keep up
and lived it up!
I am so proud of our Mumsie.
Can't wait to see all of you tonight
to celebrate 89th!!!!!!
Good socks .... could always count on some good socks from Mommie for Christmas. And I always remember her soft, caring words she always spoke to me at the family gatherings ...."oh shut up you!" I think that's why we came to name our first born .... I always thought of myself as "you"... and I really don't think it had anything to do with the fact I bugged the ba-gee-bees out of her with my antagonistic ways... Happy Birthday Minta.
ReplyDeleteYES, OUR MOM WAS AND STILL IS A VERY STRONG PERSON. I REMEMBER SITTING IN THE BAR AT THE ONLY "ONE ARE BANDIT" (SLOT MACHINE) FEEDING THIS CREATURE NICKELS AND PULLING THAT ARM. I REMEMBER PEOPLE COMING INTO THE BAR AND GIVING ME COINS TO PLAY SO I WAS UP ON THAT STOOL FOR HOURS. I REMEMBER THE CARD GAMES WITH WELL KNOWN MEN OF THE COMMUNITY AT THAT TABLE. MOM WAS ALWAYS THERE BRINGING THEM THEIR FAVORITE DRINKS WHICH SHE KNEW BY HEART. I EVEN REMEMBER, ALTHOUGH AT THE TIME I DIDN'T KNOW WHY, THE TOWN POLICE COMING TO THE BAR AND GIVING DAD A RIDE TO THE BANK. SEVERAL TIMES I RODE IN THE CAR BUT NEVER ALOWED TO GET OUT AT THE BANK. YEARS LATER I KNEW WHY BECAUSE OF THE LARGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY THAT WAS ON THAT CARD TABLE.
ReplyDeleteTHE MOST EVENTFUL I REMEMBER ABOUT MOM AND DAD'S RELATIONSHIP AS HE BECAME SICKER MOM WOULD TELL ME HER SALVATION WAS RANDOLPH'S BECAUSE DAD WAS NOT A NICE PERSON AS LIL EXPLAINED. THIS ONE TIME I GOT A CALL FROM MOM ASKING ME TO COME TO THE HOUSE. I COULD TELL SHE WAS CRYING AND I RUSHED OVER THERE. AS I ENTERED THE KITCHEN, DAD WAS SITTING IN HIS USUAL PLACE AT THE HEAD OF THAT LONG TABLE WITH HIS HEAD IN HIS ARMS. MOM WAS SITTING AT THE OTHER END CRYING. DAD COULD HARDLY BREATH AND MOM SAID HE REFUSED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL. I SAT IN THE CHAIR NEXT TO DAD AND TRIED TO TALK TO HIM. THAT WAS THE ONLY TIME DAD WAS EVER MEAN TO ME. HE TOLD ME IN SOME CRUEL WORDS TO MIND MY OWN BUSINESS THAT THIS IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS. WELL, THE COLLINS/CHERAMIE CAME OUT IN ME AND I STOOD UP SO SUDDENLY THAT THE CHAIR FELL OVER. I LOOKED AT HIM AND I REMEMBER THE WORDS I SPOKE, "DAD, YOU HAVE TWO CHOICES, YOU COME WITH ME TO THE HOSPITAL IN MY CAR OR I'M CALLING 911 AND YOU WILL GO BY AMBULANCE. DON'T EVER TELL ME YOU AND MOM ARE NOT MY BUSINESS." THROUGH HIS TEARS HE DECIDED TO COME WITH ME AND OFF WE WENT. DAD WAS NEVER TO RETURN HOME AGAIN. HE DIED ABOUT THREE WEEKS LATER.
ALTHOUGH THIS BLOG IS ABOUT MOM AND I MOSTLY SPOKE ABOUT DAD IT WAS TO LET ALL KNOW HOW STRONG SHE REALLY WAS. SO, HAPPY 89TH BIRTHDAY, MOM!
As a grandchild that spent alot of time with Poppie before he got really sick, I don't think he ever got mean with us. I think he was re-living his life through us. My memories of Mommie are wonderful -- especially going to Randolph's in the morning and getting those famous biscuts and butter. Comming home to see Poppie sitting at the table waiting with the Possee (Jelly). He would have a cup of black coffee for him and a cup for me with coffee du late (more like milk with a little coffee). I remember living in the big house many times, and spending alot of time there in the summer because mom and dad had to work.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how crazy her day was, Mommie always came home with a smile on her face. Poppie cooked supper and we all sat together to eat. That was the good old days.
I AM SO HAPPY THAT TODAY IS HER 89TH BIRTHDAY!
MOMMIE, I LOVE YOU!!!!
LOVE,
TIE