Happy Mother's Day

My mother passed away in 2002 at age 90. She was tough to the bitter end. She survived cancer in 1970 - they 'gave' her 5 years, she went another 20. Her mother was born in the 1800's. They made the 'native' treks circled around salmon, roots, huckleberries and deer, in a buckboard or on horseback. She also lived at least 90 years. Electricity was a miracle to her. My mom tried to do these things and tried to teach them to her children. But, as luck would have it, education and a 'bigger' world appeared. We, her children, would go on to obtain educations and other job skills that would sometimes take us to other locations. Those days past were spent all within 100 miles of home - traveling by wagon, camping out, doing with what God gave. Now, we all travel and live in various places.

I taught my children about the roots, salmon, berries and deer, but not as faithfuly as the mothers before me. There is no root digging around Kuna, Idaho; no salmon fishing around Terrebonne, Oregon; no huckleberries in downtown Portland, Oregon, and no deer (shootable, anyway) in downtown Seattle, Washington. Not only that, but one cannot go root digging just anywhere like we used to; the salmon numbers are very limited, indeed, we are fighting over the last salmon (how do you think they feel about that, they give us life and we give them death!), everyone else has discovered the huckleberries as a selling commodity, not a family oriented food; and the deer are not plentiful as they once where. All thanks to human intervention; what are we thinking?!

The old traditions are hard to follow when there is nothing to follow, the path has faded away. It is up to us to find new paths for our families to follow. I know my mothers before me had to adjust, as do we nowadays.

Well, enough of that! What I learned from my mother: When someone hits you, hit them back harder! (In direct opposition to my father who said to turn the other cheek.) . When you have to go to the outhouse in the middle of the night, run fast so nothing will get you (or was that my brother?). Bend those little Carnation milk cans on one side and make tracks like horses - hard on the knees, but fun. Throw pop bottle lids (they were filled with cork, not plastic back then) in the fire and when you can get them out they will look like little pies. Don't let the dog pee on the sticks that take the weight of the water in the air when you're in charge of the temperature station. Don't hit your brother with your stick when you are hunting for grasshoppers so he can go fishing with your father and you can't go. Make lots of noise when you are out in the woods so the bears don't get you. Suggestion: Bang on a pie pan - remember to take the pan with you! Do let your horse have his head, he knows what he's doing. Don't follow your dog out in the sticks, he knows where he's going but he doesn't know that you don't know where he's going! Do go to the cemetery on Memorial Day to remember your family members who have passed on. Show your kids you can outrun them. Show them how to use their elbows while playing basketball (why do you think God made elbows!). Teach them to ride horses - especially the 'foxy' ones. Go to Sunday School and donate your nickel, unlike your brother who always seemed to have money. Finish school. Learn to cook, don't fry bologna, it rolls up! Comb your hair. Bring in the wood without being told. Take care of your sisters.

Mom never did know how to drive. My older brother told me when I was about to turn 16, that he was glad because now I could take Mom places like to visit her sister and go grocery shopping and he wouldn't have to! Being a smart 16 year old, I taught Mom to drive - she must have been close to 50 at that time. She was a terrible driver, but she was able to take herself places! I was like a proud mother! My dad wasn't too happy about it - and neither were the police.

One day my sister called Mom to say she forgot her books and would she bring them to the school, 15 miles away on a main thoroughfare. Mom was speeding into town with the forgotten books when she heard a police siren so she 'pulled over.' The policeman told her he'd been following her for miles, didn't she see his red light? She had a great line "I wasn't watching where I've been, I was watching where I was going!" Good lesson for all of us! Happy Mother's Day mom, thanks for all the cool memories!