96 And Counting

Nobody likes a party better than Marie! Every year like clock work she has another birthday, a pretty cake, company and presents!!
This year was no different. The only thing different was it wasn't as big. Last year she had several grandchildren and children at her party and lots and lots of gifts.
As people get older people don't know what to get them because for the most part they already have what they need. This year she had no problem telling her son from Texas exactly what she wanted, a new electric can opener. When she opened it she told me, "Oh this is just what I wanted, mine is so slow I was afraid it was going to quit someday."

She loved her cake. It was a yellow cake decorated with orange roses. She announced to the group that she did not want any of us to eat at the end where the roses were because she was going to take it home. I begged and pleaded with her to have a bite of roses and then she laughed and said, "Of course you can." She took the lions share of the cake home, a rose bush, a can opener and fresh catfish that her two sons caught for her at our lake. I would personally hate to choose which gift she liked the best. I would bet on the catfish! She got money and cards in the mail and phone calls as well. For the majority of the day she wore a smile.

The pictures show what a good time she was having even though it was a small party. I think the whole thing is that when people come to your very special party that love you, it makes a wonderful party, don't you agree? Even great grandchildren, grandchildren and children, Oh and don't forget the daughter-in-law!

It Is Closed On Tuesday!

Marie has had vision problems for quite some time, but Fran and I didn't know to what extent her eyes were impaired. We took her to an eye doctor when even she started complaining about it.
I went in with her during the exam. I started feeling ill when I heard the results of the beginning of the exam. I went and got Fran so he could hear what the doctor had to say. She was completely blind in one eye. The doctor explained that she had a disease in one eye and a cataract in the other. If the cataract was removed she would be totally blind for a few days. She said that she would try a new pair of glasses.
When we took her back a couple of months later for something else.  She said as we pulled up to the door. "Oh, they are closed on Tuesdays." I guess those new glasses had helped more than we had hoped.
She later did have another cataract removed. She also took drops in her eyes twice a day until the very end. It was inconceivable to me how she continued to crochet doll dresses and doilies for  me.
She was so funny. She was getting "tired of the whole thing" she told me one day. So I said, "Would you crochet me some doilies for our camper?" She said she would. She had lots of yarn the colors I wanted. She wanted to know the dimensions. She always had her ruler on her cedar chest. She had tons of note pads she got for "free" when she donated money to charities. She wrote down what size I wanted. She told me to come back the next day and she would have "them" done. I asked for one. She had three doilies done the next day in every color but the color I had asked for. So funny. I used every single one of them; in the camper and also in my home.

A Long Time Ago

Holidays are fast approaching. I found this picture of Marie's children. I believe posing with their Christmas presents. The picture has a date on the bottom December, 1955.

Why Is She Doing This?

We went to visit Fran’s mom the other day a couple of days after we had delivered a box of yarn for her. People know that she loves to crochet and knit so if they quit that hobby or have too much yarn they give it to Fran. Of course, I don’t do any of that so we give it to Marie. When we walked in with more the other day she said, "No more. I can't use what I have!" So we will not take her any more for a few months.
We gave her a toilet paper box full of yarn last summer and she is still working on using that up. She even made me little rugs out of some of it. They look cute under Maggie’s food dish and underneath crocks I use for sunflowers.
The expression she always uses when we walk in is, “What’s cooking?” Her eyes just sparkle like diamonds when she asks that.
Anyway she showed me what she was doing with yarn the other day. She was making a gazillion stocking hats all at the same time. The patterns were all different. Some were serviceable and some were very fancy.

I wonder why she is making so many stocking caps at the same time? Oh, she did say she had to get cooking. Could it be……..
2018: She made all of her grandchildren and mine stocking hats that year and of course, Fran. Hmm, she didn't make me one.





The Flying Fish

Before her children were born Marie and her husband, Ray went to New Bedford to visit. Marie told me it was such fun to go there. They had all day clam bakes under tents. All kinds of seafood was served, all you could eat for two dollars. The area they went to was called Achusnet Bay. I may have that spelled wrong, but the way Marie described it, it was all I could do to keep track of the story because she used so many descriptive words. I could almost hear the seagulls and see the fishing ships and the noise.
Marie and Ray were there to see his brother and his wife and they thought that they would like to cook some fish chowder. They went down to the pier and they started to ask the man on the boat for a fish. He said, “ What are you, beggars?” Marie, said, “No, we are visitors.” All of a sudden the man threw this big fish at them. It was at least a five pound haddock. They took it home and cleaned it. They made a wonderful chowder with potatoes, onions, and fish, clams, scallops. The clams and scallops were frozen and were alright because they were an hour and a half from home.
She was telling me that the lobster tails were so sweet that she wanted to eat them until she was sick, but of course she loved all the rest of the seafood too.
The second time they went to visit, Marie had children and the clam bakes were still going on and continues to be sharp in her memory. I asked Fran if he remembered going there and he did.
I have always lived in the Midwest and have never been privy to such wonderful food.

It's Really Fall!!

When we had Marie's birthday party this summer she got a variety of gifts. She even got a big bird feeder and a big bag of bird seed and a hummingbird feeder and some yummy looking red nectar for them. Every day when I go down to visit I sweep nuts off her sidewalk. This year is completely different than other years. The squirrels are finding the nuts that fall from her English walnut tree and cracking them right on her sidewalk and porch. It makes a terrible mess and difficult to walk on. When I don't sweep then Fran does, or Marie does.

The other day Marie was complaining about the mess and then she started complaining about raccoons and cats, and squirrels. It was so funny to listen to her I couldn't help but laugh. She said that the raccoons knocked down the bird feeder, the squirrels started eating the bird seed and the hummingbird feeder had been knocked down by the cat.

Soon she will have o'possum and deer and raccoon and oh let's not forget.....mice. Oh, yes mice that love to get in the house to keep warm if Marie's cat, Callie, will allow it.

Marie Saves The Day!!

The other day Fran and I took his mom to the doctor for some blood tests. Like normal we were worried because the doctor called her for a re-test she said.
When we got there, there was a wait, of course. While we were sitting there one of our neighbors came in for a blood test as well. I introduced the two ladies and they began to visit. Fran’s mom started talking about Fran when he was in gymnastics. I have written about that before in the blog called Marie's Memories.
This story was different. Yes, she had told me that she had been a chaperone at times when the kids traveled. That day at the doctor office we laughed and laughed at the tale that she told. I asked her if I could put this story on the internet. She said that she didn’t care and to go ahead.
Marie was an excellent seamstress and always planned ahead for the kids’ gym clothes. They were tight pants and a t-shirt type top. She was used to handling boys as well as girls. The kids stayed in cabins on this particular trip.

At one point she went to check on them and here they had gotten some squirt guns. I laughed and laughed I didn’t even know they had squirt guns fifty years ago! Well there was nothing to it than to confiscate their guns. They put up a terrible fuss and wanted their guns back. She told them if she let them carry on they would not get any trophies etc. One boy even had ripped his uniform. It was a very good thing that Marie had come armed with new uniforms and shoes that were like slippers for the gymnastic performers. She was so talented. Fran and I were just sitting here visiting about how lucky the kids were.
However, the end of the story is…… she gave back the guns in the morning and Fran came home with a trophy!