Dark rain clouds have hovered over and around my rural Texas neighborhood for a solid week scattering sprinkles to downpours causing much mud and muck, filling up creeks, leading to the inevitable mosquito invasion. I am thankful for the much needed rain. I am super duper thankful it has cooled things off a bit but those mosquitoes need to go to the devil! They are evil misery on wings.
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| late 1960s' |
I was just looking through old pictures and I found this of Mom (in the hat) us three kids and my Great Aunt Marie spending a day on Padre Island. I do not remember this particular event but I do have fond memories of my Aunt Marie. She and my Granny lost both their parents when they were young children (in the early 1900s) so spent their youth growing up with grandparents and then various cousins. It always sounded to me like the family sort of took turns with the little orphan girls. It also seemed they were a good Christian family full of love and kindness because that is how my Granny and Aunt Marie were, full of grace and dignity. They both had a very strong faith in God and believed in the power of prayer. Aunt Marie lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma while Granny and our family lived in Corpus Christi, Texas. I remember Granny mailing lots of letters as calling long distance was saved for special occasions back then. Aunt Marie was very hard of hearing so wore a hearing aid. Her 'ears' as she called it, had a large, very uncomfortable looking ear piece with a long wire connected to a metal box she kept in her bra. I was so fascinated with the way she spoke on the phone. I am talking about a real telephone handset from back in the day not a cell phone. Anyway, she would turn it sideways and put the receiver to her bra and the speaker to her mouth. It was hard for my little kid mind to understand how she could hear through her brazier. Us kids had to be a little careful what we said under our breath as Aunt Marie had learned to read lips! She had much difficulty but never complained and made a joke out of everything. It was so great to be around Aunt Marie. She found the positive and humor in all things. Once after me and Granny had visited a whole week, we were packing up to catch the Greyhound back to Texas. Aunt Marie was so surprised and upset. She said, "Why are you leaving?" "You just got here yesterday?"
I realize now she had early dementia or forgetfulness. She realized it to some degree and would tell us, "The doctor says as long as I can eat and find my way to the bathroom not to worry". She would belly laugh, throw her arms in the air then bend and slap her thighs. A grand Aunt Marie gesture I remember well.
I wish my kids could have known her but only the rocks live forever. Hopefully my memory holds out for me to tell them all these stories. So it goes. kisses
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| Sisters-Marie & Sarah |
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