Jeannie Did it !!! The summer of 1962

        Mary Ann seemed not to be able to bounce back after Carol's birth, she seemed depressed and tired all the time. Bill always teased her and told her that Carol was her birthday present, because she was born on the 16th and Mary Ann's birthday was the 23rd.
      Christmas was hard that year Mary Ann just didn't seem to care, She thought that Thanksgiving was a waste of time, because of course she could be thankful that all the kids were healthy, but she just didn't care, and now Christmas was a month away. She could get out and buy a few gifts for the kids but that was about it. Bill always took care of the tree so she didn't need to worry about that.
     Maybe should could just sleep through it, she thought.
     Christmas was done as was the New Year, she started to feel a little bit better, and that was a good thing because Easter was coming.
     The Terwey Family was Catholic and Easter Sunday was a big deal even if Mary Ann was a Presbyterian and they were attending Sunday services as Non- Denominational.
      When Bill and Mary Ann wanted to get married the catholic church wouldn't marry them because Bill had  been divorced and the church didn't recognize it, and Mary Ann had been Married before as well. So, he left the catholic church and they were married at the Presbyterian church.
      Both wanted the kids to go to church and the best choice was the " Children's Gospel Mission" they had Barb baptised there and they volunteered there for years. It was a great place for kids and they had many friends there. The Grey's, The Kestlers, The Scammahorns, Laura Westling, and many more.
      On Saturday before the kids dyed Easter eggs, Mom would make them climb up on the ironing board and wash their long hair in the kitchen sink, and then she would sit me and Barbie down on the floor, Our dad would comb out or brush our hair and then Mom would put out long hair in bobbie pin curls.
      In the morning she would take them out and wrap the hair around her finger to make sure the curls kept if it looked like they may fall out too soon we got hairspray ( I didn't like hairspray it hurt my hair) to keep them for most of the day.
      We then had to dress in frilly dresses and white ruffle socks with Mary Jane shoes, we had white gloves, and an  Easter hat and a black purse to match the shoes. After all that she would dress herself.
      Before we left the house she had to make sure that Linda's dress was in place even though she was almost 14 years old. Tim was almost 10 he always had a suit and black tie shoes.
     Mom spent so much time on us girls that she would have to hurry herself. After church we got together with the rest of the Moberg clan at Grandmas house and celebrated.
     Linda was fast becoming an adult, she couldn't wait to be 18. The weather was getting nicer so mom could take us to the park to play, Carol was walking now and she could have fun there too.
      Barb was in school. After mom got her to school we would go to the corner park, on the way she would see a child without shoes or dirty clothes and hungry. She would ask where their parents were and most of the time they didn't know or they were at home and the kids, at 5 could go to the park by themselves. Well mom would be upset that the kid was hungry and dirty so she would take them home clean them up, change them and then feed them and send them home She had a pile of shoes that were too small for anyone and I  learned years later that people would drop clothes off to Grandma because she worked at the " Warn A Bit Shop" a second hand store and she would take them with her or give them to people who needed them.
    Mom's heart broke at the sight of a neglected child. Lucy was one of her best friends, I heard mom crying to Lucy a few times because it upset her so much and Lucy told my mother that God put us on this earth to be Angels for those who were alive and hadn't passed over yet. Lucy was a brilliant woman it's what my mom needed to hear.Lucy was a little older than my mom and she was born and raised in England, she came over with her military husband and stayed and raised her family here in Minnesota, she was a true friend to my mom.
    Linda was going to have a big 14th birthday party, mom invited a few of her friends from school, as well as a few family members, A couple of kids came but most couldn't because they said she was black so they couldn't go. Linda cried but mom said to her, " Linda if people are going to judge you because you have darker skin then they do then you don't need them as friends, look in the living room at the 3 girls that are here..THOSE are your friends they came no matter what. Now dry your tears and go back in there and have fun." as Linda went in to the living room she slipped on a small throw rug. Everyone was dancing to Elvis and doing the twist it was so fun, mom was drinking a bottle of Pepsi and Carol wanted a drink, I handed her the small bottle and she started to run with it.
    I tried to catch her but before I could she slipped on the throw rug and the bottle went down her throat. Blood started pouring out of her mouth, I started crying and carried her to my mom to help her, she went to the ER and they said the back of her throat had "rolled" down from the roof of her mouth and all they could do was put her to sleep and do their best to fix it.
   Linda's party was ruined and I got blamed for tripping Carol. I tried to tell them she slipped on the rug but nobody would listen, they were so upset by what happened and I was only three and a half I couldn't get them to listen.
   Carol's injury healed and mom started to act a little bit like herself again. The fireman would spray us gently with their hoses and mom would talk to them, Miss Alice would sit on her porch until  she got a male visitor," How come you have so many boyfriends Miss Alice?," Barb asked her one day," "Well Barbie it must be because I'm so beautiful," she explained to us. They went upstairs together and when they came back down barbie continued to question her," Doesn't  Hershey Bar get mad at you?," she asked innocently. Miss Alice smiled at us," Girls I will tell you that no he doesn't get mad at me, and someday when you grow up you will remember me and you will understand."
   Miss Alice was a prostitute and she was a very smart very loving woman, I look back at her fondly, she never raised her voice at us kids and she always had time for us, and she didn't have men because she was so beautiful on the outside, it was because of the things that she provided them and they gave her money!!! She was right, I did understand and still think very highly of her.