Happy Birthday, Dear Mom

Mom was born on May Day in 1929. My grandparents farmed in Minnesota. She was the only child until she was 13, and I think she had a rather lonely life. I don't know a lot of details about her young life because she hasn't talked much about it. I don't think she was unhappy, but I think her home was rather quiet and subdued, at least until they moved into town.

I do know that Mom was very smart and was passed from first to third grade. This is the only picture I have of her as a child.



Dad had to stay home from school for a year to help his dad on the farm, after it was destroyed by a tornado. Consequently, though they were 3 years apart in age, Mom and Dad graduated one year apart. They met when they were 14 and 17 and dated for 3 years. This picture was taken during that junior high period of her life. I just can't believe she's only 13 or 14 here!

Mom graduated from high school at age 17.

This was her yearbook graduation picture.

Three months later she and Dad were married. Dad was 20.

They had a short honeymoon in northern Minnesota. Dad was in the Navy and didn't have much time off.

Dad was stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas, at that time. Here's a picture of her first lovely kitchen - good thing she was so tiny in those years - and she was all of 18 by now. She was pregnant with me in this picture, and went back home to Minnesota to give birth. Dad was being transferred to Memphis.




Dad hitchhiked from Memphis to Minnesota only to miss my birth because I was late. He headed back to base. In this time before cheap phone calls and computers, he didn't know until he got back to Memphis that he had been given an extension by his commanding officer. Unbelievably, the CO let him go back home to see me.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Mom with my sister and me and our dolls. I'm the blonde without the glasses. Don't you just love the walls in this luxury apartment??

I'm not sure when or where this picture was taken, but I think it's a lovely one.


Fast forward many years to the last time we were all together - the first one is Mom and Dad with the five kids. The second one is them with the grandchildren.

We had a great week-end celebrating Mom's 80th birthday. I will be back soon with the stories.

Have a great week!