Grandma Middleton almost wasn't my grandma. The story she told me was that she was born a twin. She was named Dena while her sister's name was Gina. Gina died at birth and as grandma's daddy was going to town to bury the tiny baby, he was told to hurry back as the other one would die before he returned. He intended to buy a goat to milk for grandma but while in town someone told him to feed her Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk. He did and grandma survived to marry and bear nine children. My grandparent's first child was born in 1926. She was my Aunt Inez. Grandma said when they were staying in Tulsa, she was so afraid someone would steal her baby, she pinned Inez's nightgown to her own. My daddy was the second born child. Grandma, Daddy, and Aunt Inez Grandma raised her younger children during the Great Depression. Daddy said they never had much but they never felt poor. Grandpa worked hard, grandma grew what they ate, and they made do with what ...
Somewhere there is a baby picture of me with my Mama and Daddy. They had me lying on a pillow in a straight backed kitchen chair outside Aunt Maggie's little house. They are both looking down on me and the photo does not show their faces. Of all these old pictures I have, I cannot find that one. It makes me sad. I can't find the picture of Greg and Cassie I have titled, "The Fish Story" either. So, instead I am showing a picture of my Mama with her Mama. Except Mama always had to call her Mother. She said she would not answer her unless she did. I always thought that strange as we never called her Grandmother. I don't know why Mama (and therefore me too) was so short. Grandma was fairly tall and Grandpa was a very large man. It is a funny thing about genetics, isn't it? I have uncles over six feet tall and my Daddy was only 5'7". And sometimes those blue eyes pop up in a family of brown eyed children.
Today is my sister's birthday. I was not quite nine and Mama was twenty five when she was born. Mama was much older at twenty five when she had Freda than I was when I had my daughter at that age. Mama was sick before, during, and for quite a while after this last baby was born. I remember she mostly ate only toast and jelly. Our OKC Grandma came to stay with us while Mama was in the hospital and stayed long enough to help Daddy move into a different house before they brought Freda home. We always rented. Speaking of rent houses...we looked at a really pretty house on Sevier Street while I was still in grade school. It had a big picture window and enough bedrooms that we would not have to share. Daddy said we could not get it because the rent was $100.00 a month. I do not remember what should have been the memorable event of bringing a baby sister home from the hospital. I do remember Grandma staying a little while and asking me to take a dish back to a neighbor at the end o...
What lovely sky photos! Enjoy the evening!
ReplyDeletereally pretty! makes getting up worth it!
ReplyDeleteI had one today : )
ReplyDeletewithout those up days the down days would be hard to bear!
ReplyDeleteYes, the golden days are what life is all about.
Oh how I love those days :).
ReplyDeleteYour photos are all so pretty!!
I love your pics.... Today was good day for me too. I have missed you. Rhonda
ReplyDeleteOh, this makes me think of going to work when I knew I was going to be picking apples...even though it was hard work, it could be an absolute blast.
ReplyDeleteLovely sunrise pictures, Rita! Sometimes God's beautiful world can ease everything...all we have to do is be quiet and look and breathe deep!
ReplyDelete