Marie and the Hurricane of 1931

Today while I was at Marie's house, I visited with her while she was eating her lunch. After ten years, I thought I had heard most of her life stories, but I was in for yet another surprise. She said, "You know I was in a hurricane when I was sixteen." She then started to tell me about her traumatic experience. She wanted to go to a movie that night. Her mother said she didn't think she should go because she to work the next day. True to form Marie went anyway. She loved the movies. Not only did she go by herself, but to the late movie. Clark Gable in a movie that I can't find in his archives. I live a block away from her and I can't remember the name of his co-star. Oh well, that part doesn't matter. What does matter is the fact that the trolley quit running at 11:00 P.M.The movie got out late. The manager wanted her to stay at the theater because of the terrible weather, but she started walking home.
She could not walk her normal route, because of the storm, so she had to take back roads through two cemeteries. She named them. When she got home hours later, she had to bang on the door so that someone would let her in. Only minutes after she got in the house the neighbor's barn blew into her yard.
Of course, the next day she walked to the place where she met the girls she went to work with. Even a hurricane wasn't going to mess with her work schedule. Her work friends told her to go ahead and go back home because the hurricane had made it impossible to go to work. She fretted, even now, because she had to miss three days work.
I feel that the work ethic in the "thirties" was much more in tact than it is now.
Since I am spending more time with Marie, I am hoping to hear more about her life than I have up to this point. If I do, I will post more of her life stories.
The picture of Marie I added to this story is important because of the old blue sweater that she has on. She was so at home in that old blue sweater. The elbows were darned several times. It had lost most of its color. But it was comfortable. It had a place for her tissues and her "candies". It was home.
I still have her old blue sweater. She was given so many new ones for gifts over the years. I found most of them still in the gift bags. She was just so comfortable in her old blue sweater....

A Visit From Tricia

Here is Marie, always the model showing off her crocheted hat she made from plastic shopping bags. We had a wonderful visit with Tricia, Marie's granddaughter, her daughter, Sydney, and her husband, John. They had not seen each other in 24 years. We had such fun. We went to yard sales and laughed and had such a good time.
Of course, Fran got out the karaoke mics and our huge CD books and discovered such beautiful voices in Sydney and Tricia. John said that he sounded like a wounded cat, so he stayed in the kitchen with me regaling me with wonderful stories. Here are some pictures of the fun.

Brandon, Amber, John, Tricia
and Sydney

There is a picture of Marie's mother and her great grandchildren. Marie always knew that picture up to the age of 102 plus. There is a picture of Tricia's son Brandon, his wife Tori and Cooper James Watson. Marie's great great grandson.
Of course, the Christmas picture of Marie with her grandchildren including Tricia or Pattie as Marie called her, Christina, Samantha and Melissa.

                                            
 

Well these are the highlights, they had fun yesterday, looking through her family books and learned a lot of family history.

Hopefully, they will come back soon to visit.!!

Another Celebration for Marie's 101st Birthday!

That birthday party was small compared to her big 100th birthday party. Marie's son, Roger and his wife, Virgie came from Texas and Fran and I.
Marie did ask me if this was all the company she was going to have. I explained that yes, this year, we were it. She smiled and said, "That's alright."
Roger and his wife gave heer a gift certificate for a new perm at the beauty shop which she really liked. We got her a new sweater of course, a cake with the special candles: 101.
It's always nice for Marie when Roger comes to visit because he generally stays a week.
I'm sure there will be more birthdays to celebrate with the lady that I am proud to call my mother-in-law.
March 2019: I found the sweater we gave her still in the bag after she had passed. She loved her old blue sweater....

Marie Celebrates 100 Years With A Bang!!

This story is about Marie's 100th birthday party. It was on July 6, 2015.
She had about thirty relatives, neighbors, and friends all wishing her well. Among them were her son, Roger and his wife, Virgie, his son Roger and his wife, Kelly and their little boy, Ryan all from Texas.
Marie's brother, Charlie and his daughter, Donna, both from Texas and her grandson, Chuck and his wife and two daughters from Massachusetts. Her granddaughters, Rhonda, Tina, and Amanda with their children and husbands and friends. Her grandson Albert and his family were here. Her grandson Joe couldn't get vacation time in July, but he visited with his family in June with his gal Brenda and her daughter and her friend.
One granddaughter, Tricia Watson got to talk and see Marie on Facetime. Her daughter, Marie talked to her via Skype also, although she was very ill.
We had good galore. Spaghetti and meatballs, brisket, hot dogs, brats, hamburgers, and a turkey, that my son, Mike smoked for us. He was up all night with that. Guess what, it was gone in an hour!

We had mac and cheese, BBQ chicken legs, corn on the cob, cupcakes, small cakes, and a big cake from the bakery with her picture embedded in the frosting. She was amazed. To tell the truth so am I. There were two big peach cobblers and ice cream and many salads and relishes.
Last, but not least of course, Presents. She talked about her party for days and weeks. In fact she mentions it every once in awhile even now.

Thank you all for coming and celebrating with her. It was a memory maker party. There were hundreds of pictures taken and saved on flash drives. A grandson, Roger Lizotte,Jr. made a video of her with her cake with background music of Frank Sinatra singing, "Young at Heart." It is on YouTube for your enjoyment.
Every family had a turn having their picture taken with Marie.