Music on a Winter Night

A token of love.

My mom loved music.  As a girl growing up in Philadelphia, she took piano lessons.  Then after moving to the barren prairie's of Montana as a young teen, she begged to continue her lessons. Grandma found a piano teacher who traded lessons for eggs. As soon as school was over, mom would rush to Miss Hunt and for awhile was lost in the magic of music.  She learned to play all the classics and favorite ballads.  Then she moved to Wyoming and married my dad where they lived on the side of a mountain, miles from the nearest neighbor.  She missed her music, but didn't complain.  But my dad was an observant man, and for their first wedding anniversary this cowboy went to Billings, Montana, the closest big town, and brought home his gift to her--a brand, new piano.

I can only imagine her surprise and joy.  Soon the house was filled with the familiar melodies of Bach, Chopin, and Mozart.  Daddy loved music, and when she played a familiar ballad he would take out his harmonica and play along.  After supper, and the dishes washed and put away, we often would gather around the piano and sing.  The evening usually ended with the strains of Daddy's favorite classic--Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor commonly known as "Für Elise" by Ludwig van Beethoven.

In the crisp winter night air one might hear a coyote join in and add to the melodies floating down across the mountain.

Polio Lost this Round

 

Growing up, life wasn’t always easy.  In the fall of 1951, all my brothers and sisters came down with polio.  Most had just slight paralysis, but Ruthie, who had just turned two, had severe paralytic and bulbar polio.  Mom and Daddy rushed her to the Cody Hospital.  Her lungs collapsed and the doctors were sure she would die.  Night and day Mom was at her bedside covering her with prayer, while Daddy kept things going at home.  But Ruthie was tough, and hung on much to the doctor's amazement.  

When she was stable, she was transported to Casper, 200 miles away and because of the collapse of her lungs spent the next several years in an iron lung, first in Casper and then in the Shriner’s hospital in Salt Lake City where she also had a spinal fusion. She is wearing her halo in the picture below.  Finally after eight or nine years, she was able to return home for good.

Between hospital stays, Mom and Dad worked with her to strengthen her muscles, daily doing physical therapy that Sister Kenney had just developed for polio victims.  Dad had a large tub built that looked like a stock tank, it was filled with warm water, and Mom who learned the therapy, (there were no home health nurses or physical therapists) would faithfully help Ruthie do the exercises day after day.


Medicine has made so many advances since that time.  I am thankful for all hours that have gone into finding cures, or vaccines.  I am also thankful for the work of the Shriners.  We had no money, nor insurance, but my sister was afforded the best of care.

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1. Do you send Christmas cards? If so about how many will you send this year? How do you display the cards you receive? Or don't you? (gasp!)

I make all my cards, and am planning on sending out about 25.  I usually hang the ones I get on my fake mantle, or around my hall mirror.

2. When do kids become adults?

When they don't borrow money anymore.

3. Does your 'beauty regimen' change with the seasons?

Well, seeing that I only use soap and water and moisture cream on my face.  It pretty well stays the same.  You just can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear (as my Daddy used to say)

4. What's something you like to eat that might cause another person to turn up their nose?

Oysters, all seafood,

5. Gloves or mittens?

Gloves for driving, mittens for playing outside--the fingers play nice and keep each other warm.

6. What's the longest queue you've ever been in? Was it worth it? Queue=line but doesn't queue sound nicer?

About the only queue I get tangled up in is the one at airport security.  Frustrating, but very worth it when I am finally on my way.

7. Besides Christmas, what is one thing you are looking forward to in the month of December?

Being able to sit outside during the day and not get hot.  Those 70's are great.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I have enjoyed the month of thankfulness.  It was good to stop and think of all the things that the Lord has provided that I take for granted.