Learning My Vowels

When I was in 3rd grade I had Nellie Kelly for a teacher. I got in a lot of dutch with her because, as we all know, our mothers are always right.  And in this case, mine was, but not in America. You see, my mom told me as I was memorizing my vowels that they were a e i o u and sometimes y and sometimes w. That is true in Wales, w is a vowel pronounced oo. But old lady Kelly wouldn't hear of it, and I got punished every time I insisted that w was a vowel. My mom had no idea she had gotten me in so much trouble, and I never told her.

The Train Ride

I went to upload a picture of mom, and every time I came to a picture of me i saw my mom staring back at me. that was eerie. I told Ron a story about when I was 4 or 5. Mom and I would take the train from Auburn Nebraska to Waxahachie Texas to visit my grandmother. our train car had two bench seats facing each other. so I slept on one, and my poor mother had to sleep on the other, sitting up. I didn't care then, but oh, I understand and sympathize now. mom put up with a lot, and she hurt a lot. she never complained. never. if you asked her how she was she'd say, well, I can't complain but I do anyway. no. she didn't. I wish I were more like her instead of just look like her. I'm like my dad. ornery, stubborn, hot-headed, difficult, and ornery. oh. I said that. 

My mind is full of memories. I spent a lot of time with her and learned to know her well. As we washed the clothes on the wringer washer or hung clothes on the line, as we walked to town together, as we sat and popped beans together, she would tell me stories of her childhood or of her family. She and my dad had a completely different life before I was born....3 other children of whom I only knew 1, and they lived on a farm. There were so many things I wanted to know and she always talked to me about anything.