Mom’s Doll Patsy
Corey loved when mom would tell about her beloved doll Patsy. I can’t remember how old she was or how long she had had Patsy for. It was back in the days when dolls were made out of porcelain or similar material that breaks quite easily, and perhaps it was never meant to play with, but then why else would you give a small child a doll if it was intended to be played with.
Mom said that she and Patsy were roughly the same size. She said she was going down the stairs and tripped. She and Patsy both took a tumble, only my mom survived and Patsy didn’t. She refers to that as a time when “Patsy was killed”. I’m guessing she must have been younger than five as the four names she liked all began with “K” and was determined she would name her four daughters those names when she was grown and had four daughters.
Riding the Train
Mom also referred to the time when they moved from Ogden, Utah to San Francisco, California. Her father had already gone ahead and was later joined by my mom, her mom, and my mom’s baby brother. Mom was three and they traveled by train (my grandma did not learn to drive until after she had turned 63).
Mom says that her mom had to focus her attention on the baby (perhaps she needed to change his diaper) and had asked some soldiers (or other uniformed personnel) if they would keep an eye on my mom until she returned. (Grandma was trusting of others and back in the day, it didn’t appear that she had a reason not to).
Mom said the soldiers were playing poker and she was sitting on the lap of one who showed her his cards and asked if she knew what he was holding. She said she did and he told her not to tell the others. She didn’t.
Education
Mom also said she learned to read when she would sit in her father’s lap and he would read the newspaper and point to the words when he read out loud.
That is all I can remember at this time. But one more story about my grandmother on my father's side.
Drive Until the Gas Runs Out
Grandma Helen said she could drive her father's car and wanted to prove it to her friends. She took the car without her father's knowledge and drove around the block - several times. Her initial plan was to go around the block once and return, but as she approached her house the first time, she realized that she didn't know how to stop and so she drove her friends around and around until they finally ran out of gas. Needless to say, her parents did find out that she had driven the car without permission.
In San Francisco, Grandma Mary relied on public transportation. As I mentioned above, she did not learn to drive until after age 63. I have always admired her sense of adventure and proving to us that you are never too old to do what you set your mind to doing.
