Sisters, Mommy and Aunt Margaret, 1935

Here is another photo of my Mother (left) and my Aunt Margaret, about 1935, on their farm in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania--this time with their family pet, an Airedale named Jack.

Sisters, circa 1936

Sisters, circa 1936, originally uploaded by confections.

My Aunt Margaret (left) and my mother (right) on their farm in rural Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, circa 1936.

Before she died, my mother described the farm and its buildings to me and I made a few small drawings. We looked up the site on Google Earth; a lot had changed, but we were able to pinpoint the property.

I lost my mother on Valentine's Day, but my Aunt Margaret is alive and well. I want to gather more stories from her while I have the privilege to do so.

More than likely, the dresses my aunt and mother are wearing were made by my grandmother, who was an excellent seamstress and needleworker. My sister has an ecru tablecloth crocheted by her, and I have a needlework bag she made that is designed to hang over the wrist to hold yarn or crochet thread.

A decade ago, Aunt Margaret gave my sister and me some handmade lace that our great-aunts had created during their lifetimes. My sister used it to edge some gauzy curtains in her home. Those curtains have worn out, but the lace has survived and remains a treasured heirloom in our family and a testament to women's textile art.

My Great-Grandparents' 50th Wedding Anniversary

My Great-Grandparents' 50th Wedding Anniversary, originally uploaded by confections.

In my post yesterday, I mentioned a great-great-grandmother who had emigrated from France in 1848, Catherine Decker. Her son John P. Mayer (whose father was Casper Mayer) is seen in this photo on the occasion of his 50th wedding anniversary circa 1932, along with my great-grandmother, Christina. I never knew these great-grandparents (Christina died two years before I was born, John about six years after this anniversary), but I have heard many stories about them. I'm trying to gather as many as I can from the old-timers who still remember them.

Great-Aunt Emily and Aunt Margaret

Great-Aunt Emily and Aunt Margaret, originally uploaded by confections.

My mother's older sister Margaret (about age four) is seated here on the lap of her Aunt Emily, circa 1927. Aunt Emily was born in December of 1869 and lived until 1944. Aunt Margaret was born in 1923 and is alive and well. This was taken at my maternal grandparents' farm in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Saint Agnes School, Mifflin Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, circa 1910

Saint Agnes School, Mifflin Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, circa 1910, originally uploaded by confections.

One of my Dad's cousins shared this old photo with me from her archives. Three of my great uncles are in this photo taken circa 1910 in Mifflin Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

[If you click on the photo, it will take you to my flickr website where there are notes indicating which of the boys are my paternal grandmother's little brothers.]

I knew all three of these great uncles, but the one I remember the best was my Great Uncle Dose (for Theodosius). When he would visit us, he would always have a treat for us kids, often Kraft caramels or spearmint leaves.

As I have pieced together my family tree, I have learned more about the trials of Uncle Dose's life. His wife left him early in their marriage and took their young daughter Florie away and he never got to see her grow up. He was asthmatic and died at a relatively young age in a family where longevity is the norm.

I attended this same school (from second through fourth grades), as did my father, his brothers, and both of my Dad's parents. Even in the days when I was in attendance (1957-60), it was the equivalent of the fabled one-room school house, with many grades intermixed.

I remember having the distinct privilege one day in third grade of ringing the handbell out of one of the windows of the second storey classroom, signaling the end of the school day--a very 19th century tradition that lasted well into the 20th at my parochial school.

When I was in fourth grade, a new school was being built across the street. I attended it for half a year. We moved that winter and the next fall I went to public school, leaps and bounds ahead of my new schoolmates academically. I credit the very demanding nuns for my good educational foundation. I especially loved learning to read music and remember the special tool Sister Mary Anselm used to draw the music staff with chalk on the blackboard.

The old school and the 19th century church (where my grandparents were married and celebrated a Mass in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary) burned to the ground in the 1970's--the end of an era.

My Mom (on the right) and Her Childhood Friend Dorothy

My Mom (on the right) and Her Childhood Friend Dorothy, originally uploaded by confections.

Today is my Mom's 83rd birthday. I'm popping the cork by sharing these photos of her and her childhood friend Dorothy. The first photo found its way to us through a contact on ancestry.com. Amazing serendipity. Thank you, Libby!

Her friend Dorothy is still alive and kickin' and a few years ago shared a photo of the two of them as high-schoolers ice-skating on Bull Creek in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. My Mom, on the left in the photo below, made her green corduroy skating skirt. It had a gold satin lining.

My Mom exudes the Venusian energy which is a hallmark of her Libra sun sign. She is a social creature and loves beauty in her surroundings. She is witty, loves a good joke, and has an infectious laugh. She'll beat you at any card game, but especially at pinochle.

She is an excellent cook and baker (oh, I'd love a home-cooked meal and a slice of her apple pie right now!) and reveled in the joys of marriage and raising a family of seven children. I developed my appreciation for the charms of tea and conversation over the kitchen table with my Mom.

Happy Birthday, Mutti!