The anniversary of my mom’s birthday is this Friday, July 18th. I remember her every day, but I especially think of her at this time of year. During summer days she was always busy canning vegetables or fruit. Like all gardeners, she knew that produce becomes ripe all at once, and it spoils if it is not preserved. So Mom was always busy hurrying to get the work done. She would set me to gathering beans and tomatoes and washing the canning jars. By the late afternoon even my hard working mother was worn out. She would say, “I’m going to ‘set’ down for a minute.” Then she would come out of the kitchen, go to the front porch, and sit on the top step there. Maybe you remember seeing her sitting there as she began to comb her hair. (Donna told me she can remember that.) Mom would hold the hairpins in the edge of her mouth or in her lap and rest a while as she combed her long hair and twisted it into a bun at the back of her head.
It was somewhat cooler on the porch under the big maple trees, and I thought it was wonderful to have a break, too. But of course, the day was not done, for there was still supper to be prepared and dishes to wash and all the canned jars had to taken to the cellar, etc. But what I like to remember about those times is not all the work, but those few minutes when we could stop our hurry, take a big breath and sit down for a minute.