Why Audrey is my Favorite Sister!

I guess because today is my sister, Audrey's birthday, it is only fitting that I write about her. She is my oldest sister of five. She was like a second mother to me when I was growing up. In fact it was Audrey who walked with my mother (who was in labor with me) to the neighbors to call the doctor to come and help deliver me. She was probably close to 13 at the time and held a lot of responsibilities around the house. It was pretty common for most of my older brothers and sisters to take a lot of responsibility for chores, housecleaning, cooking and of course looking out after us younger brats. She was always there with lots of hugs and encouragement. She was the one who taught me how to print my name. She was going to school to become a teacher at the time. She eventually taught school at one of the local one room country schools in our area. When she married Myron, I cried so hard that I embarrassed myself. I made Emily cry as well and she was the flower girl. Marvin called me a cry baby and made fun of me. I just remembered thinking that we would never see her again. She was getting married and moving to Cashton area. We didn't do a lot of local travelling back then. I know it sounds silly now that I write that. Audrey and Myron raised five intelligent and successful kids. I spent a lot of time staying with them and babysitting some and helping Audrey around the house.
When Myron grew gravely ill with cancer, I stayed overnight the night before he died. It was very hard to see him suffer and to see her hurt for him. They were a very amazing couple. It was difficult for me to see her left behind. Audrey has done well for herself. She kept her job and worked at the Westby Elementary School until retirement about a year ago. She is very intelligent and independent. She enjoys many hobbies and has a good friend who keeps her on the go. She has lots of adorable grandchildren and keeps herself busy making blankets/quilts for them. Is it any wonder why she is my favorite sister?

Why Kermit is my Favorite Brother.

Kermit is the third born son to my parents. He is a strawberry blonde (by my discription). Curly and wavy hair. I think he was quite the looker. I don't think he had any problems with the ladies. He did his time in the military and I think he was stationed in Alaska. He work for many years at the General Motors plant in Beloit/Janesville. He came home on weekends. We would have card games on Saturday nights and of course a big pot of my mother's famous goulash. He would always pick the onions out. He was married for a short time to a woman from Soldiers Grove. Through their marriage they had a son, Jerry. He grew up in the Soldiers Grove/Gays Mills area so I got better acquainted with him than some of the family. Kermit later divorced his first wife and married another woman from Beloit. She had three daughters and a son. Kermit assumed the role of their father and was quite close to them. They later divorced and he married another woman who was an old girlfriend from a few years back. They live in Lac du Flambeau and had a bread and breakfast for several years. Jan was a teacher. They are both now retired and do a little traveling.
So why is Kermit my favorite brother? I remember one very special Christmas when he brought a huge appliance box (refrigerator size) home filled with Currier and Ives dishes for my mother, all sorts of board games and toys for us kids and a large tobaggan that we had so much fun out on the hillside behind our house in the winter time. He has a very kind and generous heart. He always smiles and has a twinkle in his eye. He stresses the importance of family and maintains the tradition of our family picnic every summer around the 4th of July. This was always a very special time for my mother and I think he does this to keep us all close and to honor her memory. That is what she wanted for us kids. Kermit is my favorite brother even though I just found out in the past few years that he was the one who had to terminate our very old and sick dog, Teddy. He did a very humane thing that was very hard for any of us to do. Kermit is the one brother that regularly calls and keeps in touch. And that is why he is my favorite brother!

Absence makes the Heart grow fonder

Sorry I haven't blogged lately. I have been obsessed with Facebook. It has helped me to connect with family and friends in a way that pleases and sparkles. I feel like I am communicating with my children more regularly and I have been able to get in touch with friends and classmates from my past. It is a joyful experience. I have missed chatting about my family and my early years. So now maybe I can get back on task. Family is so very important to me. It always has been and always will be.

Why Robert is my Favorite Brother!

Is is any wonder why Robert is my favorite brother? Besides his fashion sense, he is very kind and patient. He is the little cutie on the right of both of these photos. I have never heard him say an unkind word to or about anyone. He is the first of our family to get married. Garnet and Robert always have a pot of coffee on and you are always welcome to come, sit and chat. They have three sons who are all married with families of their own. When I was a teenager I used to babysit for them a lot. I used to spend a lot of time with them. I always feel like Robert cared about everybody. If I felt bad or had a problem, I could always talk to him and feel better. He has the most positive attitude of anyone I know. He has overcome some very serious health conditions and never complains. He just smiles that sweet smile and keeps his faith. Is it any wonder that he is my favorite brother?

Why Marvin is my favorite brother!

Here is a photo of my two oldest brothers. Marvin on the left and Robert on the right. Today I am going to tell you why Marvin is my favorite brother.
He was my parents first born child. He had a twin sister that did not survive. They were born early and at home. Marvin weighed around 3 pounds according to my mother. He was very vulnerable and lucky to have survived during those meager days. They wrapped him up well and kept him near the stove. I think I heard he slept in a dresser drawer that was set on the oven door. He is 17 years older than me. He left home before I got to know him very well. He quit school and joined the service before he had a chance to graduate. My first recollections of him are when he would come home for about a month at a time "on leave". It would take me the whole month to finally get comfortable with him. He always had a camera on him and took pictures of all of us kids. I always hated having my picture taken. We had to look to the sun and I would always squint. He was very good and generous to my mother. He helped her pay for the farm that we lived on. He sent her money every month from his checks. He was very outgoing and made friends with everyone he met. One time when he came home he hitched a ride with a couple who none of us knew but he had my mother get up in the middle of the night to feed them before they left. He always seemed to want to help everyone. He gave money to anybody who had a hand out. He was married four times before he found the right woman for him. With Tomsy he seemed to find religion which has served him well over the years. He never had children of his own but has a church family that he adores and vice versa. He is my favorite because he is so vulnerable and sensitive. He is a kind man and very generous. He is forever giving money for this church or that. He also has a thing about buying stuff and then giving it to you whether you want it or not. He just wants to be giving to someone all the time. He also can drive me absolutely crazy. I think he misses growing up with all of us. We are becoming more close over the past few years. My hope is that he will move back to Wisconsin.

Meet the Family

We have a New President!!!!!

Stepping out of the memory blog I just have to comment on how happy I am that the United States has just had the inauguration of it's 44th president. Barack Obama is the first African American President with such vision and promise for the future of our country. How amazing it is to live in this piece of history.

Today's blog is about my siblings. I am very fortunate to be born into a large family. There are fourteen of us. I don't know how my parents felt about having so many of us. I mean it wasn't our choice. They were in charge of that. But I think they loved each and every one of us, especially me. I was everybody's favorite. Some of my family may disagree with that.
When I reveal how many brothers and sisters I have, people ask, "Are you Amish?" But no we were not Amish nor Catholic. We were a Norwegian commune. We lived together in very small and meager homes. We farmed. We raised dairy cattle, for milking and for the milk check. We raised a large garden full of potatoes, green beans, corn, and tomatoes. We raised tobacco to pay for the taxes on the farm. My mother made us have all the tobacco planted by the 4th of July or we didn't get to go to the fireworks. And then in the fall if the tobacco wasn't harvested we missed the fair. Believe me those were big events. There wasn't much else going on in our little rural utopia.
I have eight brothers and five sisters. I won't name them because I can't remember all of them. (Just kidding)....actually that would be a give away. They are all alive and in reasonably good health. I am still in awe of all that my mother did to raise us kids. My father died when I was very young. She pretty much raised us by herself. Of course the older kids took care of us younger ones. I have many fond memories of that. They also took care of some of the disciplining. I have some not so fond memories of that.
Although my mother passed away our family continues to grow. More to come on my siblings. I will tell you all the juicy details...

New Year

Happy New Year!!!! Happy 2009!!! The beginning of a new year sort of forces us to make resolutions to make us better people. I tire of making the same resoulution to lose weight and get in shape every year only to fail. This year I resolve to better communicate with those I love and hopefully build better relationships with my family. Then too I also hope to take better care of myself and maybe some weight will fall off.
Questions for January 1 through January 3 are related to my admission into this physical world. I was born on February 1 on a Sunday. I was born in the country. We lived in the country all of my childhood. My father was not home at the time. We did not have a telephone so my mother and oldest sister had to walk several miles to a neighbor's home to call for the doctor. My mother sent the rest of the kids to church and Sunday school and then home with aunts and uncles. Then she and my sister waited for the doctor and his midwife. I was born at home. My mother had already given birth to 12 children. My oldest brother had a twin sister who did not survive. This made me number 12 of their eventually 14 children. Our house at the time was an old log cabin. I always thought it would lead me to great destiny. After all Abe Lincoln was born in a log cabin and look what he accomplished. My mother always related the story to me every year on my birthday..."It was the coldest day that winter....." I never tired of hearing how I came into the world. She didn't have an easy time of it but she always made each of us feel that we were special and worth all the effort.
Having a winter birthday, my alternate presents were knee highs and mittens. My favorite birthday cake was an angel food cake with strawberry ice cream. I loved having my birthdays. I couldn't wait to meet certain milestones, 16 years, 18 years, etc. Time could not go by fast enough. Now it seems that time goes by too fast. I am thankful to yet have another birthday to celebrate each year.
Well on to my new years resolution. I need to make some calls. Until next time....