A review of Mom's life after Daddy passed away...She continued to live in their new home for 12 years, the first 3 years she spent time away in winter visiting with daughters and families...Then she worked at the Shore Lodge for nearly 10 years...In the meantime her mother passed away and she purchased her home, located in Bountiful, Utah, thinking of a possible move nearer family,...Keeping the place up, working full time and surviving the harsh winters became too much and in 1973, she sold the house and 10 acres and made the move to Bountiful. Her story continues now as she and her sister Jessie work and play together.
I often think about these two women in their later years, living near each other, Mom a widow and Aunt Jessie widowed and remarried. A time in their lives when two mature women should be able to connect and become friends. They had a common love of hand quilting and would spend winter days around the quilting frame, stitching and talking about days gone by, stopping only when the tantalizing smell of a pot roast made their stomachs rumble like rocks in a landslide. They were both excellent quilters and always compared the size of their tiny stitches, who grew the juiciest peaches or who made the flakiest piecrust. No matter what they did competition and bickering remained.
Sometime, these arguments provided fodder for great family humor. Those years Mom and Aunt Jessie lived near each other in Bountiful, both in their late seventies, they shopped for groceries together each week. Mom drove a 57 Chevy, Aunt Jessie a 62 Cadillac. One morning, Mom answered the phone on the second ring, as Aunt Jessie said, “Are you ready to go shopping?”
“Of course,” answered my mom, “I’ve been ready for a half hour, where are you?”
“I’m leaving the house right now,” said Aunt Jessie, “you better be ready.”
On that sunny April morning, Aunt Jessie wheeled into the driveway and Mom hurried into the car. “Shall we go to Smith’s Foods or Reams first?” asked Aunt Jessie.
“Let’s go to Smith’s,” Mom said: “They have turkey hinds on sale and we want to get there while the selection is still good.”
The year was 1985; interest rates were at an all time high, and a recession just around the corner. Both ladies had gardens, berry bushes and fruit trees. They canned and stored everything they could for winter, but they were always looking for a bargain. The pastel polyester pantsuits they wore were sewn in the latest style and fashioned by their own hands. Their striking gray, almost white hair teased and smoothed into a bouffant. Dressier shoes relegated to the closet, they now wore tennis shoes, finding that comfort was much more important than looks.
Aunt Jessie slowed down as she pulled into Reams parking lot, looking for an empty space. Every spot close to the front door was filled. “Great,” said Aunt Jessie, “I knew we should have come here first, now we will have to park in the back by the dumpsters.”
“It won’t hurt us to walk,” said my Mom. “The boys will carry our groceries to the car.”
“Okay we’ll walk, but remember our knees aren’t what they use to be.”
Inside the store, each with a cart, they carefully compared prices, filling their carts only with sale items. Back in the parking lot, groceries loaded, Aunt Jessie was ready to start the car when Mom said, “Jessie look, isn’t that a watermelon in that box next to the dumpster?” to be continued...Hugs To All...OWAV:)
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