Milestone

June 19th, 1923
My great-grandmother was born on this date 90 years ago. A couple weeks ago, she and my grandma drove down to Buckeye to spend a few days with my family. That was her wish - the only present she wanted for her 90th birthday was to spend time with the Trents. We had a glorious 4 days together. We drove around so she could see all the places associated with our family's busy life - the kid's schools, our workplaces, church, the local Walmart... We ate dinner together, the 9 of us and laughed and talked and looked at old pictures. The kids showed off their rooms, their school awards and shared stories about their daily lives.
Many of you know that I was raised by my Great-Grandma - affectionately known as Mamie. Even at 90, Mamie still lives independently, drives herself around and is the head of volunteers at the hospital in San Andreas. She volunteers 2-3 days a week there and is in charge of training all new volunteers. She also works with my grandma making jewelry which they sell at a time share in Angels Camp each Friday evening. While at my house, she insisted on mopping my kitchen floor and helped me with some laundry. She is quite amazing in her ability to flourish even at 90 years old.
Lowell and I marvel thinking about how much she has seen in her 90 years. The birth of indoor plumbing, electricity, and telephones. The progression of buggies to automobiles to airplanes and technology! from cell phones to computers, she has managed to evolve with the times. Admittedly however, she only has a "dumb" cell phone and no real understanding of the Internet.
She was born at the end of the Depression, lived and traveled west during the Dust Bowl, married and lost her husband in World War 2, spent time as a single working mother in the 40s and 50s and then remarried and raised a blended family, helped raise my own mother, took in my father and then raised me.
An accomplished life, a lasting legacy and still more memories to come.
Happy Birthday Mamie! We love you very much and can't wait to see what this coming year brings!