This Sunday, May 11, is Mother's Day. It's a day set aside to honor the women who gave us birth, or who nurtured us, or adopted us, or who stood in place of the "real" mother we never had - or even was somebody who was a mom "in addition" to the biological parent who took care of us.
Many of us had great mothers - moms who loved us, encouraged us, taught us, worked hard for us, disciplined us and rewarded us.
My mom, Helen Allen, was a person like that. She raised ten kids. The oldest five were young during the Great Depression. Then she started off World War II with another babe-in-arms and had two more before the war ended. She waited until 1950 to give birth to her last child and then when that child, a girl, was ready to enter high school, took under her wing another girl of the same age to raise. That made ten. Wow. It's exhausting just thinking about it. By the time the last two graduated from high school, mom was about 62 years old and dad was about 64, I think. But we didn't think of them as "old".
Their kids kept them young. There was always a lot of activity at our house. The two youngest girls had two nieces older than they were because our oldest brother and sister were already married and had children of their own before the girls were born. My mom and sister-in-law were actually "expectant mothers" at the same time, with mom expecting her last child and my sister-in-law expecting her second. The babies were born about a month apart. I got quite a shock when my mom told me she was pregnant. I will never forget that day! I was stunned.
My mom was a pragmatic person, the hardest worker I ever knew, and she had a lot of common sense. She could spot a solution to a problem quicker than anybody. She was a stern task-master and expected a lot. But she was always fair.
Neither of my folks were big on hitting or spanking. But my mom hit me twice (both times for sassing her - imagine that!). My dad spanked me once (he was tired of listening to my brother and me argue in the car). He grabbed us and spanked us both in the backyard driveway when we got home. I didn't even know why he was spanking me but I asked my mom later and she told me what the problem was. I believe it solved that situation!
All three times I got disciplined like that, it just about broke my heart. But I deserved it every time and I've never forgotten it.
Mostly what I remember about my mom was her work with food. She loved to cook and since we lived on a farm in a big old house we had great meals. Our week night "suppers" would pass as a Sunday dinner these days. We ate in the kitchen (a very big room) around a very big table, the top of which was fitted with glued down linoleum. Only on Sundays, holidays or special occasions did we eat in the dining room.
The dining room was smack dab in the center of the house and there was a big table in there, too. It was where we sat to do homework or listen to the radio (we heard lots of baseball games because mom was an Indians fan). The table was a catch-all for school books, clothes to be carried upstairs, newspapers, magazines and anything else that got tossed on it.
I remember one night a neighbor lady came around collecting for some charity and mom asked her to come in while she went to get some money. This woman couldn't keep her eyes off our disastrous dining room table, so mom said, "I'll bet you never saw a table that looked like that before, did you? And the woman replied with a hint of reproof, "Well, I never saw one with SHOES on it before." Mom always told that story and laughed. Actually we all thought the table had looked pretty good that night! We'd seen it much worse!
Mom didn't like to sew or paint. She never learned to milk a cow or mow the lawn. She had ten kids, remember, and she was pretty good at delegating certain tasks. She also despised the thought of public speaking. If it was her turn to give the program at her church circle, she gave me the materials and I studied them and gave the program. However, she knew what made a good speech or a good program and she'd give very constructive criticism and help.
One of my sisters always addressed Mom's Christmas cards. Another one always wrapped the Christmas presents. This went on all her life. They'd sit at the kitchen table and have a great time together while the work was completed.
My mom worked harder than anyone I ever knew. But she also loved life, loved her children and was intensely loyal to her friends. She's been gone now for more than twenty years, but in my mind's eye I can still see her when we were canning fruits, vegetables or meats. What a job.
She was in charge of everything and I thought she did the easy stuff until the day I got old enough to take over canning for her. Then I realized how much work she had done all those years while I had sat at the kitchen table peeling bushels (yes, bushels) of peaches or whatever. Peeling seemed then to be a relatively easy job compared to what mom had always done when we canned. Canning was so much work I can't describe it. But mom never shirked from doing it. She never shirked anything.
I have wonderful memories of my mom - cooking, holding a baby on her hip, playing pinochle (she was really good at that), entertaining her friends, doing the laundry, ironing for hours on end, sitting in church (or cooking a church dinner for 200 people), canning food, laughing at my brothers as they teased her.
I had a great mom and I'm grateful. If your Mother is still alive, be grateful, too. Give her a gift, send a card, or telephone her on Sunday. You'll never regret anything you do for your mom because it can never ever compare to all she did and sacrificed for you.
Lakeside Daisy Day is this Saturday, May 10 and offers an excellent opportunity to see the Lakeside Daisies in bloom on the Danbury Peninsula. These little flowers, often mistaken as dandelions from a distance, should present their annual show around that date. The Lakeside Daisy is very rare. It is on the federal "threatened" list of rare flowers and also on the Ohio Endangered Wildflower list. It is found in only three natural locations in the world - the Danbury Peninsula, The Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada, and on Manitoulin Island.
The daisy festival takes place with lots of activities. One of the most interesting things to do is to take a ride down into the LaFarge Quarry and hear a narration of Ted Dress, a quarry employee and local resident. Tours are held every hour and you need a ticket for a specific time. Get your tickets beginning at 7:30 a.m. Rides are from 9-4. There is no charge but donations will be taken to benefit James Park.
Nathan Hartman, a sophomore at Danbury High School, has attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He completed many various tasks for the good of the community. Among them were numerous repairs and painting at the Keeper's House and benches for the Keeper's House and building seven picnic tables for James Park in Marblehead. Congratulations, Nathan, on this fine achievement, and best wishes to your family, too for their encouragement.
Magee Marsh Wildlife area hosts bird walks and Saturdays now through May 24. Time is 8:30 a.m. Call for more information if you're interested in participating.
Peggy Debien has been hired as curator of the Ottawa County Museum at Port Clinton. A native of the city, Peggy is a retired U.S. Navy Captain and returned "home" following her career. She has been working as a volunteer at the museum. The facility's summer hours are noon to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Call 419-732-2237 for further information.
The Walleye Festival sponsored by the Main Street Port Clinton committee will be held May 22 - 26 at Waterworks Park. Advance tickets for all the rides are now available. The Ottawa County Visitors Bureau at 770 SE Catawba Road and Great Lakes Popcorn Co. at 60 Madison Street, Port Clinton have the advance ride tickets for sale.
My living room smells wonderful these days. Two large bouquets of flowers (one of viburnum and one of crabapple branches) add a festive air to the room. But the best benefit is the fragrance of the viburnum - It's wonderful.
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