Memories of my mom and Mother’s Day

I have many fond memories of my mom, Ruth L. Slingsby.

She helped me to love school and develop a keen interest in learning. Research and writing are among my favorite things in life.

My mom was a great cook. We lived on apple ranches, and my mom grew great gardens and prepared wonderful meals. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, pancakes, apple pie, lemon meringue pie. All delicious.

As she grew older, my mom admitted she was tired of cooking. However, she continued to bake bread and make the meals that my dad loved.

My mom made most of the clothes for my two sisters and me, until we were old enough to learn to sew ourselves.

I remember a wonderful black-and-white dress she made for me. The front of the top was white, and she appliquéd a black-and-white tulip on it that matched the skirt. I received many compliments on it and was so proud of it.

She made cross-stitch skirts for my sisters and me. One was blue, one was pink, and one was yellow. They all had black cross-stitch just above the hem. We wore them with black vests that she made.

My mom was a fast sewer. She didn’t take time to pin the patterns to the material. She used glasses from the kitchen to hold the patterns in place while she cut them out.

Growing flowers was a joy for my mom. I wondered when I was growing up why she took the time to do it. She had so much work to do as a farm wife and mother. Flower gardens brought her much happiness. They also helped to make our homes look attractive.

My mom liked to read magazines. When the Saturday Evening Post came in the mail, she would go to the bedroom and read it. She also liked to buy home and garden magazines. She'd get ideas for decorating the houses we lived in, which were nicely done.

Playing Pinochle was a fun activity for my mom, especially during in the winter when the farm activity slowed down. I’ve been missing her recently, and decided I’m going to have a Pinochle Party. She and my dad enjoyed going to them so much when we were growing up.

To celebrate Mother’s Day after I left home, I sent my mom cards and presents. Since my family and I lived a three-and-a-half-hour drive away, I was able to go to visit her frequently on Mother’s Day.

But the Mother’s Days I remember the most are those as she grew older. She appreciated seeing me so much. I’d bring her rhododendrons from my yard in Olympia, Wash.

She’d want a report on everyone in the family. If I didn’t know how someone was doing, I’d have to call them and get a report to give to her.

The photo above is of my mom, dad, and me in the late 1980s, just before my dad was diagnosed as having cancer.

After my dad passed away in 1990, my mom, a diabetic, lived by herself in her Wenatchee, Wash., home until she had a heart attack in 1997. After that, she spent eight years in a nursing home.

My mom passed away on July 14, 2005. I miss her very much, and I’ll be thinking about the good times we shared Sunday on Mother’s Day.