August 10, 1923u

Today would have been my mom's 91st birthday.

August was full of birthday's in our family.  Mom, grandmother, aunt, sister and now a grand niece and nephew on the same day....the last day of the month.

My mom was born to Astrid Moe and William Beaty Messer.   Ruth Phemia (on her birth certificate although we always thought it was Euphemia) Messer

I think my grandparents were fairly well off.  They had a live in cook, and summer house on the shore.  My grandmother and Lottie would be dropped off at the beginning of summer and my grandfather would travel to the shore on weekends.  According to family folklore my grandmother never set foot in the ocean and rarely graced the beach.  The three siblings were free to roam the beach each day and taught themselves how to swim and catch crabs.  Idyllic.

I don't know much about her growing up years except she was the middle child, had a bit of a speech impediment (of which I am told the other kids made fun of), she was bit by a collie (but must have overcome her fears because they always had a dog, was in the Eastern Stars (my grandfather was a mason), and she went to secretarial school after graduating high school.

Lottie, the live in help, taught mom how to cook and she was a fabulous cook, especially in the baking department.  She always made me a burnt sugar cake for my birthdays which was absolutely delicious!!  I'm sorry I never asked for the recipe, or a demonstration of how she made it.  I tried a burnt sugar cake recipe once but it was a bitter disappointment.  Mom was always interested in healthy food, not much for prepared foods, (I remember being so excited to babysit for neighbors because then I got a TV dinner) and we always had vegetables.  She was very frugal as well, and could stretch her 30.00/week food budget to cover 3 meals a day for 7 days.  We always had dessert, even if it was fruit.  She loved chocolate.  And she always had mints in her purse.

And she never went to McDonalds!  That would kill you we were told!  Although in the last years of her life she did manage to evaluate Arby's and it passed her inspection, allowing her and my Dad to have lunch there frequently.  As children, when we were traveling on vacation, we always went into a restaurant for a sit down lunch and dinner.  Looking back now, it really was quite a treat!

Mom loved being married and having a family.  She loved her home and always made it comfortable.....however, no one was allowed to sit on the beds, especially after they were made.  She was meticulous, I don't know how she did it but the house was always neat and clean.  I don't think they were big into clutter.  However, she loved gadgets and had a kitchen full of all the new conveniences and devices. At 5:00pm every day she stopped whatever she was doing, changed into a dress and put lipstick on to greet my dad after his workday.  She was madly in love with Dad her whole life!  He was her rock.

She had a grace and elegance.  She and my Dad had to frequently attend formal events and I loved to see her dressed up in beautiful long dresses, hair coiffured, and long gloves.  And she was hospitable with her own home.  My Dad's parents lived in an apartment their whole lives and would ask Mom they could bring their friends up some times to see their son's home in the "country".  She was glad to entertain them.  From bridge club friends, to high school church kids, choir parties, breakfasts after sun rise service, college friends, neighborhood get togethers, relatives from Norway and Scotland, friends parents from Germany, Mom would entertain in the dining room, terrace of backyard.  She loved people!

Mom gave us herself. She showed us how to work without complaining.  She didn't focus on herself but others. She was tenacious and firm but loving and kind.  She loved gardening- flowers- and had a prized rose garden!  She gave us her love for the beach and ocean!  She was "there", any time anyone needed her.  A wonderful mother-in-law to her three son-in-laws.  And a fabulous grandmother.  A gift to my daughter, especially, (her first grandchild whom she adored) they both loved to "shop", something I wasn't keen on, and they loved Princess Diana.

So Happy Birthday Mom!!  I love you dearly.  You were the BEST mom and grandmother and we'll meet again someday soon!