Anniversary of Mother's Birth

Today is the 111th Anniversary of my Mother's birth. This picture of her was taken at the farmstead where my Dad was raised north of Garland. She and Dad were married in October of 1920 and lived here on the farm for a few months before moving to Seward. Mother would have had her 20th birthday just a few months before they were married. I'm not sure when the picture was taken but expect it was shortly before they were married. The building near where Mother is standing was a "summer kitchen" that was moved while I was growing up on the farm to become our "wash house". The building in the background was our old woodshed. This picture of Mother really exemplifies her persona that she maintained throughout her 90 years on earth. She was willing to take chances and had the faith to see the possibilities. As an "Irish girl" she married a first generation "Bohemian fellow" which in those days was most uncommon. Her optimism, creativity, ambition and faith served her well and passed much of it on to all who came within her influence. It must have been very difficult to go back to the farm without running water and electricity during the 30's after living in town where Vivian, Don and I were born. We went through the drought and depression living off the land, our livestock and chickens. On more than one occasion she sent her "keepsake quarter" along with Vivian and I as we went to Church activities with the suggestion to not spend it "unless we had to".  The quarter had been minted the year of her father's birth and he had given it to her for a birthday. We never spent it and is still among my momentous. Her creativity was demonstrated by taking Dad's 410 gage shotgun and shooting a squirrel out of our cottonwood trees to fix for supper along with potatoes, creamed green beans and home made bread and butter. She was not a perfectionist but more of a "get'er done" person. As times got better and paint was available, nothing ever went to waste. She would delight in mixing what was left over in the gallon buckets and painting some of the outbuildings or whatever she felt could use some "freshening-up".  We were always a close-knit family. I went to sleep as a youngster many nights after hearing Mother say her prayers. We have never known for sure how we made the decision to come back home after being gone for 22 years, but I wonder if Mother's prayers might have been involved, and for the benefit of us all.