Monday, February 09, 2004
DOROTHY - MY MOM
To write about my mother is like trying to take a picture of the Grand Canyon. A camera can never grasp the depth, the color or the expanse of such a place. It is the same with words in trying to describe the journey of mom’s eighty-seven years. But as a long journey begins with a single step we shall begin with one sentence at a time.
I have written a few things about her when writing of other family members. She was born May 12, 1904, and was the first child of Grandma and Grandpa Stricklett. They lived on the DeSoto farm at the time and just 27-months later, her sister Mary, was born. The two girls would remain close the rest of their lives. Two other children were born while at DeSoto but only mom and aunt Mary went to school there. Grandma held mom back from starting school so that she and Mary could go at the same time.
The girls were close in years but personalities were poles apart. Mom was quiet and shy while aunt Mary was vivacious and daring. Mom liked being outdoors and aunt Mary liked being in the house. Since mom was the oldest and more dependable she often helped with the younger siblings. Those of school age walked to school both going and coming home. There were also chores for each. Mom loved being outside with grandpa and often tagged after him as he did his chores. They had a special relationship I suspect because they were so much alike. Grandpa was quiet and easy going and so was mom.
After graduation from high-school mom worked on and off for The Racket Store. She helped grandma with a lot of the housework and the younger children when she wasn’t working. Mom never dated before she met dad. She had grown into a pretty woman with auburn hair and brown eyes. Her hair was long enough she could sit on it when it wasn’t braided or coiled on her head. It had never been cut. She was naturally pretty and never wore make-up. Her shy manner and apparent innocence were the features that kept dad coming in to buy candy. He was smitten but also shy so for a time all he could do was buy candy and gaze at mom while she bagged it.
Their first date happened quite accidentally as I wrote about in dad’s story. He came to town as usual on a Saturday night and a friend of his was flagging him down. Jack had a date with aunt Mary but only if her sister, Dorothy, had a date and could go along. When dad found out who Jack wanted him to go with he was immediately willing. He had been trying to get nerve up for weeks to ask her out.
They were drawn to each other from the start. Dad would often laugh and tell how he would drive up to their house to pick mom up for a date and honk the horn. Mom would come out and they would be on their way. He said it was a wonder Mrs. Stricklett ever let mom go with him because he was too dumb to go to the door for her. Grandma was a woman who stood by good manners but I suppose my mother’s pleading had something to do with her allowances.
I never thought to ask when they began dating. I would think in the fall or winter sometime because I remember dad talking about mom looking in her coat pocket for her check that she couldn’t find on their first date. By Valentine’s Day they had studio pictures made for each other and were married March 16th, 1925. Their wedding day was a novel in itself which I wrote of in dad’s journal.
They began their married life by farming which is what they both knew. They had a hard time of it with just the two of them but being young and together it didn’t seem so at the time. They rented a farm and lived just over the hill from mom’s family until dad’s parent’s moved off their farm at Fontenelle. They were needed to farm the Andersen home place so they moved in and acquired dad’s two brothers who stayed at the farm.
They had good times in spite of the lack of money. Aunt Mary was teaching school and would drive out on week-ends to spend time with mom and dad. They played cards and would load up in the car and go places. Mom and dad often drove to Blair to see a movie on Saturday nights. At that time they gave dinnerware pieces every time you went and mom had a whole set of those dishes. Mom gave them to me after I was married and to my sorrow I gave them away later on. (The sins of youth!) How I wish I had kept them. No matter how broke or how bad times got they always enjoyed what little they could with what they had. They lived past it and had many a good laugh over the movies they saw. Dad could almost repeat word for word each movie seen. They were entertained the rest of their lives for what seemed a costly extravagance at the time. You can live miserly with a lot……….or you can live richly with little. It’s a choice we each determine within ourselves…………..
Tomorrow we continue with mom.
Until then,
Essentially Esther
I have written a few things about her when writing of other family members. She was born May 12, 1904, and was the first child of Grandma and Grandpa Stricklett. They lived on the DeSoto farm at the time and just 27-months later, her sister Mary, was born. The two girls would remain close the rest of their lives. Two other children were born while at DeSoto but only mom and aunt Mary went to school there. Grandma held mom back from starting school so that she and Mary could go at the same time.
The girls were close in years but personalities were poles apart. Mom was quiet and shy while aunt Mary was vivacious and daring. Mom liked being outdoors and aunt Mary liked being in the house. Since mom was the oldest and more dependable she often helped with the younger siblings. Those of school age walked to school both going and coming home. There were also chores for each. Mom loved being outside with grandpa and often tagged after him as he did his chores. They had a special relationship I suspect because they were so much alike. Grandpa was quiet and easy going and so was mom.
After graduation from high-school mom worked on and off for The Racket Store. She helped grandma with a lot of the housework and the younger children when she wasn’t working. Mom never dated before she met dad. She had grown into a pretty woman with auburn hair and brown eyes. Her hair was long enough she could sit on it when it wasn’t braided or coiled on her head. It had never been cut. She was naturally pretty and never wore make-up. Her shy manner and apparent innocence were the features that kept dad coming in to buy candy. He was smitten but also shy so for a time all he could do was buy candy and gaze at mom while she bagged it.
Their first date happened quite accidentally as I wrote about in dad’s story. He came to town as usual on a Saturday night and a friend of his was flagging him down. Jack had a date with aunt Mary but only if her sister, Dorothy, had a date and could go along. When dad found out who Jack wanted him to go with he was immediately willing. He had been trying to get nerve up for weeks to ask her out.
They were drawn to each other from the start. Dad would often laugh and tell how he would drive up to their house to pick mom up for a date and honk the horn. Mom would come out and they would be on their way. He said it was a wonder Mrs. Stricklett ever let mom go with him because he was too dumb to go to the door for her. Grandma was a woman who stood by good manners but I suppose my mother’s pleading had something to do with her allowances.
I never thought to ask when they began dating. I would think in the fall or winter sometime because I remember dad talking about mom looking in her coat pocket for her check that she couldn’t find on their first date. By Valentine’s Day they had studio pictures made for each other and were married March 16th, 1925. Their wedding day was a novel in itself which I wrote of in dad’s journal.
They began their married life by farming which is what they both knew. They had a hard time of it with just the two of them but being young and together it didn’t seem so at the time. They rented a farm and lived just over the hill from mom’s family until dad’s parent’s moved off their farm at Fontenelle. They were needed to farm the Andersen home place so they moved in and acquired dad’s two brothers who stayed at the farm.
They had good times in spite of the lack of money. Aunt Mary was teaching school and would drive out on week-ends to spend time with mom and dad. They played cards and would load up in the car and go places. Mom and dad often drove to Blair to see a movie on Saturday nights. At that time they gave dinnerware pieces every time you went and mom had a whole set of those dishes. Mom gave them to me after I was married and to my sorrow I gave them away later on. (The sins of youth!) How I wish I had kept them. No matter how broke or how bad times got they always enjoyed what little they could with what they had. They lived past it and had many a good laugh over the movies they saw. Dad could almost repeat word for word each movie seen. They were entertained the rest of their lives for what seemed a costly extravagance at the time. You can live miserly with a lot……….or you can live richly with little. It’s a choice we each determine within ourselves…………..
Tomorrow we continue with mom.
Until then,
Essentially Esther
