'-fL' V sV Growing Up With Mother GAY BROWNLEE Virginia Co. Correspondent HARRISONBURG, Va. After my birth near Springs, Pennsylvania, I very quickly began to suck my thumb. Many babies do the same thing. The problem was even after I was in first grade at our elementary school, 1 was still sucking my thumb. One day my worried mother said to my daddy, “Walter, what are we going to do to break Gay Nadine of sucking her thumb?” He answered, “I don’t know, Mother. What do you suggest?” They took time to think about a solution. As most mothers do, mine loved me very much. She wanted to protect me from behavior that would be unhealthy if it contin ued. For instance, what if thumb sucking changed how my perma nent teeth grew in? With Daddy’s agreement, my mother decided to try using black pepper to discourage my thumb sucking. The pepper made me sneeze a lot, but it didn’t solve the problem of thumb-sucking. Then they applied something stronger. It, too, eventually wore off and I resumed sucking as usual. Last of all came the oil of cloves application. At our house Mother kept oil of cloves in the medicine cabinet to treat tooth aches. Phewee! I gagged over the taste of my poor little thumb. I needed even more comfort after that episode. Their failed efforts pretty well proved I was a hopeless case. De spite loving me with all their hearts my parents were discour aged. When other people were around, I wasn’t permitted to in dulge the habit or there would be Ida’s Notebook Ida Risser On a sunny Sunday, I finally took a walk in our woodland. Long ago it was a tradition to take my younger sisters for a walk to see how many wild flow ers we could find. We walked along the edge of the Conestoga River and found Dutchman’s Breeches, Virginia Bluebells, Spring Beauty, and lots of May Apples. Last week I trimmed the dead branches off of our black raspber ries. My husband had put in posts and wires to keep them up right and so they should be easy to pick. I’d like to sell some but my husband wants me to freeze all of them. He likes them on his cereal in the morning. Lately, I’ve been attending too many funerals. Some are cousins and some are church members. I suppose we must accept that this happens as we get older. If one lives to a ripe old age, then there This is my mother and me when I was very young. We lived near Springs, Pennsylvania. discipline, like a “time out,” except my parents didn’t call it time out. Instead, they said very firmly: “You sit there for the next 20 minutes!” I whined. “8ut....” “No, ifs, ands or buts!” my parents said. I knew better than to keep ar guing. Finally, they started praying that God would help me stop. I think that’s when things began to change because one day when I was 11, just like a bolt of lighten ing, the shame and embarrass ment were clear to me. All at once I couldn’t imagine sucking my thumb anymore. So I stopped. are almost no friends remaining to attend our funerals. My hus band’s aunts lived to be over 100 years old and so he has high hopes of being around for a while. Today, May 10, he is 85 years old. Just now our son is traveling a lot. He just got back from lowa and now is in North Carolina. That is no way to get the com planted. But, he has hauled the manure and will soon cut the rye. The other evening he started out for a pig sale in another county. Even though he took off from work early he got no pigs. The reason was that the traffic on a Friday night was so bad that it took twice as long as expected to get anywhere and so he came home empty-handed. The chil dren need 4-H animals and he needs one to butcher and one for a pig roast that he holds in July for his friends. Korner # * * Amongst the other things my mother could make me do was wear my hair in pigtails. Talk about nerdy! That’s what I thought pigtails were. “Now hold still so I can plait your hair,” was the order I heard each morning. If my hair wasn’t restrained then running and playing would send my long hair all over my face. On Monday washdays I had to help wash the dirty laundry. First, the loads were sorted. Then into the white Maytag washing machine that was filled with hot water went the tablecloths, dish towels, and aprons to agitate. The wringer that squeezed out the water looked like two rolling pins stuck together. Outside, a pole that propped up the clothesline was stuck on end in the ground. Wet stuff weighed so much that if we for got to put up the pole, the line sagged. My mother taught me to iron clothes, wash and dry the dirty dishes, dust the furniture and shake the dirt off our everyday denim rugs constructed of re cycled material from my daddys worn out work pants. She made me take my bath and feed our dog, “Spot,” his table scraps. Spot never knew store dog food existed. If I was mean to someone my mother insisted that I say: “I’m sorry,” so the person I had hurt would feel better again and still like me. One summer with friends, I went swimming in a big farm pond and something in the water caused a violent skin reaction that spread a hideous red rash over me. I recovered because my mother consulted with the doctor and did what he said. Another time I awakened the following day after being stung by a bee and my eyes wouldn’t open. No matter how I strained to pry them apart, my eyelids were too swollen to budge. Moth er knew just what to do to reduce the swelling. I loved my mother the best of anyone. That was true even when she tried to end the childish thumb-sucking habit. My mother’s unusual name was “Loveta” (lah veetah). She isn’t alive today so I can’t give her a gift for Mother’s Day, but I still love her. Our family pet was a small dog named Spot. I am holding him by the collar. -**>••: ■ f: -s.'-. A; ;I It all suited in ancient Greece when they had spring celebrations to honor Rhea, the mother ol the Gods Then dunng the 1600 s. they honoied motheis in fingland with Mothering Sunday Not until 1872 did Mother's Day come to the United States Julie Ward Howe, who wrote the words to "The Battle Hymn ot the Republic." wanted a day dedicated to peace In 1907, Ana Jars is started the push to ha\e a national Mother' Day She had hei mothei's chinch celebrate Mothei's Day on the second Sunday in May, the anniveisary ot her mother’s death Jams and hei friends wrote to ministeis, business people and politicians, tiying to have Mothei’s Day declaied a national holiday By 1911, almost eveiy state celebrated Mothei’s Day President Woodrow Wilson made it official in 1914 Mothei's Day is celebiated the second Sunday of May in the United States and m Denmaik. Belgium, Austialia, luikey, Italy and Finland Some Trivia About “Mother” Did you know • Some Afncan tubes aien’t called families Instead, they arc called mahcnis or “motheihoods " • In the past, some Chinese family names began with a sign that meant "mothei” as a way ot hononng then molheis • The Greek word meter and the Sansknt w'ord mwttni mean both “mother" and "measuiement ” • Native Amencan women were honored with the name "Life of the Nation" for their gift of mothei hood • Although celebiated in many countnes around the woild. Mother’s Day doesn’t have the same traditions Some countnes also celebiate at a different time of yeai Can’t decide what to get your mom ot grandmothei foi Mother’s Day ’ Here aie some ideas foi you to considei Send Mom a tree electiomc postcard 01 a cetlificate tiom http://www.billybcar4kids.com/holidays/mothcr/mom.htni Pi ml and coloi a caul or send an electiomc caul from http://ww'w.kidsdomain.com/holiday/mom/indc\.html How about a cybei bieaklast in bed loi Mom 1 Visit http://frce7onc.com/mom/brcakfast/covcr.html and click "get cookin." print it out and take it to Mom Tell youi mom oi giandmolhei how much you think ot them by wining a poem Draw and coloi some Downs to make it pretty, then wiap it with a nbbon Any mom would love a gift of to-do gift certificates, and they won’t cost you a thing Use these certificate ideas oi come up with some ol youi own Take some papei and make up coupon foi • A tiee hug • A car wash • An houi of quiet time • An houi for herself • A night free from dinnei dishes Then |ust pul them together in n (older made ot construction y paper and decorate youi foldei with stamps, stickers, paint 01 .£. othei creative ideas. Just remember, a gift from the heart means more than anything. Please note: This list only applies to the sites listed not to any sites lhal may be linked Web sites change constantly At the lime this article was written these Web addresses worked Some of the sites may call for software you do not have You can still look at much of the information on the site, but you may need the software (or movies If you do need software be sure to have your parent(s) read any software agreements before you download it -SrP.-y Gift Ideas for Mom • A Itee dusting • A dog walk • A dog bath • Living room cleaning -‘■ci!?.-
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers