Friday, April 16

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April 16, Friday - Went to store this morning. Nice and warm. Stopped at mom's and then Dr's office. No treatments for two weeks yet. Drove car for the first time. Appended: Store sent me $36 again. 

April 17, Saturday - Got my first check from union. Went to Kansas store.

April 18, Sunday - Easter. Went to church, then to Patty's for dinner, then to mom's. Saw everybody, but sure was pooped.

The Union finally started paying.

$36 is $296 in 2020 dollars.

Mom got back behind the wheel again in spite of the residual pain from her surgery. When they removed her left breast, they also took as much of the lymphatic tissue they could get to, and the resulting scar tissue was very tight, and made it extremely difficult for mom to raise her left arm. In typical Patton fashion, mom made her stretching exercises a point of humor, and my cousins and I often stretched with her, in a motion that could only be described as poultry in motion.

Her big old '55 Cadillac 62 Series was easy enough to wheel around with power steering and all, but mom was just barely five feet tall, and was just not designed for a rig that size. She managed, though. She valued her independence so greatly that the idea of not being able to drive would surely drive her mad.

$36 in 1965 is roughly equivalent to $296 today. Think about that. These collections were likely driven by mom's front-end people, but everyone contributed something. Absolutely amazing.

Easter Sunday at Bales Baptist Church, dinner at her sister's, and the usual gathering at the Pattons'. It may have been Easter, but it didn't vary that much from any other Sunday. Mom's family was always first. You'll notice that dad isn't mentioned. He was often along for the ride, but just as often he stayed home and did nothing. I feel as though my dad often felt inferior to mom's family. They were a more cohesive group than dad's family and they were smart, funny, and eager to help one another at the drop of a hat. Dad's family was harder to get to know, and while they were all good people, they were less ambitious, less able to adequately express themselves, and not likely to get together unless it was a major family event - wedding, funeral, or visiting relative.