And They Call Her Breezy!: In Memory of my dad who passed away 15 years ago today.

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A clipping Breezy really liked - received May 17, 2008

MATRIARCHAL HISTORY:

Dora Ruszkowski has experienced many things in 104 years - love; marriage, war..........

Dora was the first-born of Polish immigrants - 2 of her 4 brothers served in WWI and came back safely.

Dora remembers:

Gas was 20 cents a gallon; kerosene was 5 cents a gallon, bread was 3 cents a loaf, and hamburger was 3# for $1.

When Dora married, her husband paid $3 for her engagement ring. Dora married at age 15.

Dora and her husband were married 60 years.

Her husband (Walter) died; this is why they weren't married longer she said.

They lost their 10-month old baby during the Depressions; he died from infection, and they didn't have money to bury him. Walter's sister gave them a deed to one of their grave-sites, so the baby had a place to rest.

Dora's 4 siblings died during WWII.

Walter and Dora had 5 children; only 1 is still living.

Dora and her husband farmed in the Schoolcraft area for 40 years. After they retired in 1971, they sold the farm - enjoyed fishing........

Dora now lives at Cedar Park Senior Housing Schoolcraft - she's been there for 10 years. Dora's grand-daughter handles Dora's finances; brings her home-cooked meals on occasion.

I think this story (and more like them) would certainly help us all remember how fortunate we are - even in the worst of times, we should be counting our blessings...few lose their children to death; most never experience a life that is without much in the way of comforts in the year 2008.

THE WONDERFUL CHILD-HOOD MOM & DAD GAVE ME. LOVE, DIANE

My mother who would sort her canned goods - wash them; line them up in the basement - noting the colors, so they were 'beautiful' when one came down to pick out a canned jar of:
Tomatoes (red)
Peaches (peach-colored)
Pears - pale white
Green Beans - (green)
Corn - a lovely yellow

The stored vegetables were some type of artistic display as well as a collection of good foods for the winter.

How do I love the way my mother stuffed the toes of the shoes so she and I could BOTH wear them - we were so poor, but her feet were bigger........

How do I love the yellow dress my mother wore at her wedding, and years later, made into an 8th grade graduation dress for me....

How do I love the way my mother pulled 3 old coats together; stripped off the better parts to make 'trim' for the worn parts, so I could stay warm.

How do I love the days and nights?
My mother and dad would tie a chain to an old tree or Lilac bush to uproot it so we could cut it up forwood to fuel the fire to keep us warm.

How do I love the way my parents would stack the baled straw against the house that was so drafty to shield us from the cold winter weather.

How do I love the old rags that were shoved against the doors and windows - keeping the drafts out.

How do I love the way dad made the popped corn for a treat.

How do I love the way mom froze Kool-aid in ice-cube trays (complete with tooth-picks) to give us a treat that wasn't expensive (and our favorite flavor was Grape).

How do I love the old detergent boxes that were cut open; the 'plain side' made into Valentine hearts for our gifts - we each got
a pack of gum
a bar of chocolate...pasted to the heart forms with home-made paste made with flour and water..........

Why do I admire the long nights of mother and dad stacking the wood gleaned from the fence-rows...cut by dad; stacked and stored by mom.....

The soil tested by dad; vials of colors for us all to give our opinions as to the color and how much
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potash that should be spread on the new crops to increase the yield.

Why do I remember being the holder of the flash-light
So dad could see to fix the car...The single light-bulb that was placed under the hood of the car.....so it would start in the morning.

The flower garden flourished because mom made it happen. The crops grew because dad tilled and fertilized the soil.

We picked the edge-rows of the field for pop-corn
From Mr. Nidy's plantings.

We scoured the dump for 'treasures'.

In the Spring, we gathered the wild violets to re-plant around the well pit and house.

We stacked the pumpkins around the power-pole so it would look pretty for Halloween.

We learned how to take a Willow twig; sprout it in water, and stake it to make a sturdy tree.

We divided the strawberry plants to make new babies;
We saved seeds from the harvest
To make a bigger one the next year......

We watched dad turn a salvaged furnace into a working fire-house that kept us warm.

We saw my father make a 'water-heater' from bits of steel and ingenuity.

My mother has never gone to a hair-dresser; my dad never played golf.

My mother doesn't know what an LBO is....
My father wouldn't have cared.

My mother washes her car by herself; my dad polished the ones he adored.

My mother will shop at Good-will; she'll give it as well.

My dad would save old inner-tubes; a myriad of 'things' he'd make from these rubber scraps.

My dad would laugh at Red Skelton while my mother would be so tired, and fall asleep.........

My mother tried to learn more words; thanks to READERS' DIGEST...my father would gather financial information from US NEWS & WORLD REPORT.

My parents played softball; bowled, and enjoyed a 35 cent movie.

My mother sang; my father played trumpet - both could dance beautifully.

My dad painted all of the toy furniture he made for us the same green he painted his tractor....

My mother wrote the letters from Santa Claus.

My dad made tiny blocks with his wood lathe - then he built a fort from those tiny blocks - glued them all together, and made us

cry when we couldn't' build anything else
From the blocks he made for "US".

But, not to 'fear'....Mother soaked all the blocks so the glue would 'yield', and we had
blocks to build with again....

And these blocks
That we built with
didn't build the
house that Jack built, but what lived in the house
that my parent's built
were young kids; pretty poor - pretty scared,
yet pretty inspired

By the parents who lived in the house;
who made do with what they had
who showed us the way
without "showing us the way'...
because they took life in stride, and never said "Shit Happens" - they just said:"Life happens"...

We learned to deal with it
as mom and dad did
for so very many years.

Thank you mom - poor turned out to be the best child-hood we could have had.

With love to my mom and dad
Diane

This definitely belongs here for Breezy and the rest of us...

Mother and I have talked many times over the years, about dad's service in WWII. Mom's brother served; in the Air Force. Uncle Maynard served as did Uncle Murl - all came back safely.

Dad's cousin (Lawrence Jenkins) served as a paratrooper - he was shot down; a POW, and as a result of his injuries, he wore a special shoe with a substantial 'lift', because his leg was shortened due to the extensive surgery necessary to save his life.

A dear friend of mom's (Bob Bailey) didn't come back from the war; mother remembers how the small town she lived near, mourned his tragic death (as thousands did across this country).

This link is a musical and photographic tribute to those that served; you'll see many older faces - most are over 83 years old now - as with all wars that are fought by 'people' and their 'machines of war', it is the people we cry for; that we take pride in, for helping to keep the USA a free land.

I know mom will want this on her page as another tribute to our father; her brother - and all those in our family that added to that freedom cause. Here's the link:

http://www.managedmusic.com/Music/PlayBeforeYouGo.php

BREEZY'S PHOTO SHOW............

Over a year ago, I made a complete photo-show for FREE on a web-site. Today (December 9, 2009), I went to the link and found they'd obliterated every single photo-show I'd made.

They never notified me that they now were going to charge $39.95/year in order to maintain my photo-shows, so you can imagine how heart-broken I was when I lost all of that work (complete with music).

The good news is, all the photographs are on this blog; however, they don't have the neat music and slide-show features that the photo-show had.

Ah, such is life...........

Anyway, thought I'd explain. Diane

THIS IS ALL ABOUT OUR MOTHER & GRANDMOTHER - THEY CALL HER 'BREEZY'....

On April 1, 2008, I spoke with my mother by telephone. She was getting ready to go visit with her friends at Widow-Widowers in Michigan.

Last May of 2007, mother was diagosed with breast cancer. A very determined woman, mom was ready to face this situation with little fear and great commitment to win against this disease!

None of us ever doubted mom would make it - she had some tough days, but she just kept her eye on her goal; she was given the all-clear on 1/20/08!

I've lived a very long distance from my mother for 34 years now; however, with our phone calls - letters, and my visits to Michigan, it has never seemed like we're apart.

I have boxes of her letters and cards; all have been saved. I can read through my 'mama memories' (as I call them), and see the ups and downs in her life; her joys - her time of trial, and I decided it was time to make this page for her.

Mom doesn't have a computer, but the rest of us do. We're going to surprise mother by having this started so when I visit her in September of 2008, we can 'fire up the 'puter' - and see the look of joy on her face when she sees what we've been up to these past months.

As each of us add a 'mama memorie' - or as a 'grandma memorie', each will sign their name (at least the first name since we're going to make this available for all to see). I want to have this an 'open blog', so others who read this, might be inspired to create one of their own in tribute to their parents.

I feel if older people; women who might be facing health problems and fearful of winning, can read what we write - we must might help a few join 'Breezy' in winning their battle too.

Diane - Nevada

LET ME POST 'DOWN THE SIDE' - LEAVE THE MAIN PAGES FOR OTHERS. DIANE

Just some 'Breezy' memories of mine - things mother has said:

"That can't be right; I know I put 2 nickels under your pillow for your teeth!" (When I told her the tooth-fairy only gave me 5 cents).

"How did you find those Easter baskets in the spare room; I had a blanket over them!" (When I found my sister's and my Easter baskets before the holiday, and that ended the bunny right then and there).

"Vern, why did you glue all those blocks together - now the girls can't build their own things, and you made those blocks for them!"

"Don't you play in that fresh hay - you could suffocate!"

"Don't play in the grainery; your dad just put in some wheat, and you could suffocate!"

"Why do you insist upon throwing rotten eggs!?!"

"Did you eat ALL the fresh peas this morning - I went out to pick them, and they were all gone?"

"Are all those pea-pods under the glider swing the ones you ate?"

"You're not supposed to eat clover like the rabbits do!"

"Quit running your trike off the porch; you saw what happened to Ronnie!"

"Why did you hit that kid over the head with your lunch-bucket; you broke the thermos!"

"We're low on gas; I think I can coast down Frost's hill, and we'll get a dollar's worth when we get into Fulton....."

"I bought grape Kool-aid so we can freeze them, and have them with your dad's popcorn...."

"Come over and see all the pumpkins; I've stacked them around the power-pole, and they look just beautiful!"

"Vern, you need to set that chain tighter; that Lilac bush is never going to come out, and the tractor will buck you if it's too loose...."

"We've got to go gather wood for the furnace - we can't afford the cost of coal right now, but we can get enough - I've stacked some other logs, and they're drying right now...."

"Get to the cellar - there's a tornado coming!"

"I told them not to waste all that money; I can paint that swimming pool myself, so I did!" (Note: 'Breezy' painted the entire swimming pool @ the Holiday Inn - after they drained it; she was head of housekeeping at the time...not a pool-painter).

"I was named the most valuable employee this month, Diane." (Hmmmm - I can't imagine why - a beautiful new pool painted blue maybe)?

"I've sent you another batch of newspaper clippings; you'll like the one about the man who won first place in the poetry contest...."

"...so I told Kevin, 'take those magazines - you're welcome to them...."

"...you should have seen your daughter; both of them were loading up those old shutters - she's going to paint them, and put them on their house..."

"...so I told them I'm not having any more Chemo' treatments; I know when I've had enough - enough is enough; this is my body!"

"Thank you for all the information you sent me; I'm making a note-book for everything so I can read it again...."

"Well Mike & I got all the garden picked; weeded, and boy was I tired - but it sure looks great..."

"You should see how cute Jack and Lady play; they just love each other so much...."

"...so I had to go back for more bread - those raccoons are really hungry - that mama and all her new babies...you should see them...."

"I scolded that squirrel; and those Blue-Jays - both of them take way too much from the little birds."

"I just finished clearing the drive-way with the snow-blower..." (Note: She's been doing this herself - and she's going on 85...).

"I just washed the car - pulled it into the garage so the birds don't 'pooey' on it...."

"My, that was probably the best ham I've made; so moist - and my pumpkin pie was delicious...."

"I got my peaches all in the freezer; laid them all out so they could freeze quicker, then I'll stack them up after they're solid...."

"I've never seen a Venus Fly-Trap before...."

"...no, I don't want to buy one - I'm not going to catch flies for that thing when the weather is like it is...."

"...how close was that earthquake to you two...?"

"We're going to see a play and have dinner tomorrow; went over to dinner near Lansing last Wednesday - they have a bus, and you pay for your food and everything - we should go when Mary Isabel comes to visit...." (4/12/08 telephone talk)

"We had such fun at Easter; I put dollar bills in those plastic eggs - we had a hunt; the hardest one to find I put $5 in the egg - Nancy found it...." (3/23/08 telephone talk).

"I took that money you sent me and bought lime for the yard - all that moss; I was so sick last year, and it got ahead of me...." (4/12/08 telephone talk).

"It was so cold this past winter that a women died on the steps of the court-yard; she'd even gone to university too - a sad way for such a smart lady to die...."

"...was that flood near your house...?"

"....your dad would be so proud of all you kids - he just was never very good at telling you while he was alive..."

"We used to trim the sheep - then we'd haul all of it to the top of the barn...."

"We'd go over to Augusta to the feed mill - we'd take the horses; then your grandfather would have them get their hooves trimmed, and shod...."

"Whenever Grace started bugging your great grandfather, he'd just turn down his hearing aid..."

"I could live on just what people waste....."

THE POEM I SENT TO MOTHER THAT SHE SAID SHE LIKED SO MUCH.

Center text
Refinement
Alignment
Not of stars
Or a chest of service bars
For serving in a foreign
War
Nor a score 3 or more
And four score and many years ago
The poet
Had to write
Quite slow
With penmanship
A pen would skip
The ink
Could blot
And leak a lot
Upon a parchment page
And the 'sage'
Might lament
The loss of inspirational
Intent
Meant for those who'd read
And, indeed,
Identify
As did I
While lying in my queen-sized bed
Wondering what was
Going on
Inside my head
Not a queen - but something seen
In my memory's eye
I could spy
This photo of 3 girls
Bobbing heads of golden curls
One now lies with head so bare
Golden curls have gone somewhere
Silver has replaced the gold
Mother said her head
Is 'cold'
Treatments given for her cancer
Hoping for recovery...
Her 'answer'
Back after so many years
See in her eyes
Her joys; some fears
Shorty - her twin
Tiny; petite...the sunlight
In
All their smiles...it beguiles
Me to write of
What I see in
Three....Solid; strong -
Mary Isabel
Stands near my mother
And her sister...she's swell...M.I.H.
Is so strong
And in this trinity, she does
Belong
As the sturdy root
Holds up a tree...
Mary is the strong-hold
Of that trinity
Marian - so sweet
Marie - casual and free...I guess that's why they nick-named
Her
'Breezy'
Breezy - the wind;
Marian - tiny and short
Mary Isabel their strong-hold
Mary Isabel...the fort...
All who see this photograph that I see,
Can see this power
Of Marian
Mary Isabel, and the
Completed trinity
When you
Add
Marie
See beyond the barren head
See their spirit......never dead
Feel their joy that keeps them free...Marian
Mary Isabel
And my mother called
Marie.
Love to all 3

Diane