My Mom would be 100 years old today
She was born in 1920, so we know she and her parents made it through the pandemic of 1918-20. She lived through the Great Depression and learned to play the piano and sing. She and my Dad married in 1942. My Dad was enlisted in the U.S. Air Corps in WWII and they were stationed in Yuma, AZ. They had a little camper they lived in and and my oldest (twin) brothers were born in Yuma. After the war, they came home to Ohio and had 4 more kids. We always lived with my Dad's mother, in her house. My Dad passed away young, and my Mom remained as a companion to her mother-in-law until Gram passed away in 1979. After we were grown, my youngest brother moved to Colorado, established himself, and invited my Mom to live with him. They lived together in a little cabin on Vallecito Lake. My Mom was able to be Myrtle out there, not just Mom. She had severe arthritis and probably scoliosis, and a fear of heights, yet with some friends, she climbed the ladders at Mesa Verde. One of my favorite picures of my Mom is of her exultedly waving from the top of the highest ladder she climbed that day. The look on her face is priceless. My dear brother died young, but my Mom remained in Colorado until she couldn't live on her own. She would come to visit at Christmas and I treasured those visits. She would ride on the bus, because she feared flying, but the 3 day trip got to be really hard on her. Her friends in Colorado surprised her at Thanksgiving one year. Inside the turkey, hidden in the dressing was a plastic bag. When Mom opened it, it was a round trip plane ticket to Ohio. Once again, she gulped down her fear and flew home. She did fine and that was how she got from there to here and back from then on. Right before she moved back to Ohio, she developed an illness and almost died. It took the doctors almost a month to diagnose the adrenal insufficiency that had knocked her down. After the diagnosis and rehab, she came back to Ohio to live with us. Her goal was to be able to fly back to Colorado and see all her friends one more time. She flew out in August 2001, and flew back after 9-11. I told her to pack all of the sharp things she carried in her purse in her suitcase, or they would be confiscated. Mom's purse was like Fibber McGee's closet. And they confiscated a lot of stuff. She was so mad. We found things to replace her jumble of tools, personal care and other misc. She improved in health and in the next few years, had cataract surgery and knee surgery. She was always so innocently enthusiastic about pleasures. Her vision was immediately improved and she spent days in raptuous wonder telling us how GD good everything looked. She was also thrilled with her knee surgery and would show everyone how mobile that knee was. She lived 87 years, a life spanning 9 decades, and 2 millenia. She has been part of my life from my earliest memories, through my own life, rearing kids, being their Grandma, teaching me to appreciate and take care of family, stepping up to lend a hand, and being my Mom, always. She passed away in 2007, on that Memorial Weekend. I can't think of a better time of year to think fondly of the departed, and I secretly applaud her for making Memorial Day her own. I hope she got to have that talk with God she wanted and got the peace she deserved. Love you Mom!
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We did last Dec. for my dad's would-have-been 100th.
Some of his favorite foods, a cake with "100" candles & sharing memories. 
Get or make whatever fav foods you used to share & enjoy while thinking of your sweet memories. 
Yes, President-Elect Biden is a great gift! 
I am having a nice time reminiscing 
I recently started reading her diary, which she kept from age 10 to about age 18. And I came across her journals she kept from about 1884 until her illness. I'm not sure I'm ready to read those--she said that they'd be something. Not sure what that means. lol
Very sweet memories, I'm sure! 
Maybe someday
Best bday gift ever! 
And a great relationship with her kids. Hooray for your family! 
My Dad would have been 100 this past June. He made it to 89, after a stroke and colon cancer.
He was a good man.
