HONORING MY MOM FOR MOTHER'S DAY

Today I wanted to tell my Mother's story. My mom always made life fun and still does (Thank God). Mine would make peanut butter and jelly and tuna salad sandwiches and put all the sandwiches in the bread bag. Then she'd pack some fruit and we'd go to the beach. She always made a picnic and still does. Now it takes her forever to make a meal and get ready to go anywhere (she has to have her feet up before putting on her surgical stockings for her varicose veins). Her meals are still amazing and she still dirties every pot and pan but when it was time to eat it was always an occasion even if it was just tomato soup, from the can, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Every meal had candles even when we camped.

My mom has many names:  Anna Margareta but she goes by just Margareta, Kurre- a nickname her dad gave her as a baby, Mom, Mormor (Mother's Mother to my daughter and my sister's kids), Farmor (Farther's Motherto Erik's son) and Nana to the kids across the street. My mother was born, June 6, 1930, in a small town, north of Uppsala, Sweden. Her father was the local country veteran and her mom was home with her and then 5 years later with my aunt Anna Christina (Anna-Stina for short). My Morfar(Mother's Father in Swedish)was the vet to many farms in the area. My mom, recently said, he sure could have used a cell phone. He'd go and take care of a sick horse and drive 50 plus miles back home to find out someone's cow was giving birth and that cow as near the horse. Mom often helped her dad and told us she helped birth a cow. We were fascinated since we city children. Her town was so small that they had to go to middle and high school in Uppsala, Sweden and then later went to the University.  If we ever complained about walking or riding our bikes to school she would remind us that she had to cross country ski when it was snowing.  Now she admits that it was funner that way and they school make a short cut across the fields.  Since I grew up in Southern California we were major wimps when it came to bad weather.

My mom chose to work with children and was a preschool teacher. During that time period she also worked as a Nanny in England. Since when is Mary Poppins Swedish? I thought it was funny that she worked as an English Nanny. Ok I guess that is my weird sense of humor. In the early 50's she decided to work for a family in Chicago, Illinois, in the USA. She took a boat from Sweden to New York and then a train to Chicago. She worked for an affluent family outside Chicago. While she lived there the post man told her that he knew of another Swedish girls who was also working as a Nanny. Her name was Inga. They finished working in Chicago at the same time and cashed in their boat ticket to travel around the U.S. They traveled mostly by train and their high lights were staying in Santa Fe, NM; traveling in Mexico and coming to Los Angeles, CA. While they were in California they met two brothers, Milton and Frank (my uncle and Dad). Inga married Milton and my mom went back to Sweden.

My Mom wasn't Mary Poppins but instead a Swedish Nanny.

When my mom traveled to Los Angeles she was a waitress at Van De Camps on Wilshire near La Brea Tar Pits and LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Arts. Wilshire Blvd, in Los Angeles was where our Mad Men worked. Would they be Los Men, for Los Angeles advertising? (I know...bad joke). She was offered a job to take care of Dinah Shore but didn't want to work with children since she knew one day she would have her own. When I was a child through teen years, the Dinah Shore Show was on every week and she would tell us the story over and over again. We said you should have kept that job!! To us, working for a movie star was extremely glamorous. She was told about this job because her friends, that she met on the original ship to the US, worked for David Niven.

My dad realized he loved her and traveled to Sweden to marry my mom. They got married June, 1957 and had my sister Anne-Marie in Spring, 1958. Shortly after Anne-Marie was born my dad was called to be in the Swedish Military. At that time my dad had a dual citizenship and he didn't want to loose his American Citizen ship. When my dad was 19-20 he traveled to the US and was drafted to the Korean War. My dad was born in Tarrytown, NY and from ages 3 to 20 he lived in Sweden. He ended up leaving my Mom and sister and went back to the USA. When Anne-Marie was ten months old they came to Los Angeles. Here my dad's family had Immigrate to the US and migrated to California. There were 8 children and Frank, my dad, was the oldest. I was born 3 years later, October 1961 and my brother Erik was born 1964.

My mom always made life fun and still does (Thank God). Mine would make peanut butter and jelly and tuna salad sandwiches and put all the sandwiches in the bread bag. Then she'd pack some fruit and we'd go to the beach. She always made a picnic and still does. Now it takes her forever to make a meal and get ready to go anywhere (she has to have her feet up before putting on her surgical stockings for her varicose veins). Her meals are still amazing and she still dirties every pot and pan but when it was time to eat it was always an occasion even if it was just tomato soup, from the can, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Every meal had candles even when we camped. 

Despite working as a waitress, she worked for IHOP forever, she made dinner every night.  We always had clean clothes and she always was there for us.My mom is one of the best cooks I have ever met.  She is a hard act to follow.  She is always ready to have company at a moment's notice.  She loves to socialize with others and has many good friends in Ojai and still some from Sweden.  It's not unusual for her to get a letter or phone call saying...My son, daughter, etc are coming to California and they want to see you

Mom and I at the Renaissance Faire, Agoura, California 1977

Mom, Natalie (age 7) and I, Rainforest Cafe, Downtown Disney, Anaheim, 2005

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My sister, Anne-Marie, lives in San Diego and my brother, Erik lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. My parents ended up getting a divorce in 1980 and my mom got remarried in 1984 to Lon, my step-dad. I'll tell my dad's story another time. Now my mom lives in beautiful Ojai, California and is happy with her life.  Anne-Marie lives in San Diego and Erik lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. My parents ended up getting a divorce in 1980 and my mom got remarried in 1984 to Lon, my step-dad. I'll tell my dad's story another time.


Now I call my mom while I wait for my daughter and a boy I take care of to get out of school.  I have to go a bit early or I won't find a parking place.  I sit on the school bench or in my car and call her and Lon.  When I'm at home I'm busy doing stuff and not always in the mood to talk.  I've had this routine for about 6 months and I think she likes that I call this often.

Now my mom lives in beautiful Ojai, California and is happy with her life.  She retired about 20 years ago and now travels with her husband Lon.  They have gone on 2 Cruises, one to Alaska and one in the Baltic Sea.  Now she has the cutest Airstream they camps in. When she was over 60 she said she was too old to sleep in a tent. God Bless her!!! We were there for Easter and I'll see her again for Mother's Day.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY