Went to Mass this morning and then afterwards decided to take Spike, Cindy’s Yorkie, to the vet. He’s had bloody diarrhea the past couple days so Cindy called an emergency vet in Rapid and they said to bring him in . They think he might have irritable bowel syndrome. They are putting some fluids in him and keeping him overnight. I won’t tell you the cost, but it is much, much more than he is worth.

To me.

But not to Cindy.

So that is her Mothers Day present from me. 🙂

Mothers Day. When I think of my mother, I think of the little girl who’s father died when she was seven years old. She was in the middle of 11 children. Her father was a Baptist Minister who went around the country building churches. They were living in Sturgis at the time, 1921, so her older brothers came home to care for their mother and siblings still living at home. They built up the road between Sturgis and Deadwood, with a crew of men using teams of horses. Mom talked of remembering that she stood on a chair in order to stir the huge pan with fried potato’s in it for the meals. And that all of her brothers insisted on wearing white shirts, so they were endlessly boiling and starching white shirts. When she was older she worked at Ft Meade cleaning officers quarters. She spoke of the growing up years, but never seemed to complain of hard times. Just told about what they did and her boyfriends.

She and my father were both born in May of 1914  just a few days apart. Both had vivid memories of the dirty 30’s. Mostly they talked about fun, tho’. My Dad did remark that my grand father was the hardest man to get a nickle out of, of any one he ever knew, tho’! Mom’s mother complained of my father when Mom told her they were getting married. “just a dirt sheep herder, ” was her common saying. Not much reason to endear a feller to his mother in law!

Mom went to Spearfish Normal, the teachers school which is no Black Hills State, and got her teachers certificate. She taught for 18 years, over her lifetime. Not too much after they got us kids. She was always so proud of her pupils and thought they were the best children in the world. She was always delighted when ever we saw any of them.

Both were part of the “greatest generation”. I think the reason they were so great, when it came to sacrifices made during WWII, was that they had all been thru’ lots of hardships, so it wasn’t a real stretch for them. They knew about sacrifice and hard work and going without.

So many people these days have no comprehension of what that really means.

In later years when I tried to get Mom to write down her history she always replied, “Oh, I didn’t do anything special.”

Yes you did Mom.

I miss you.