Stories I recall my Mom telling me of her young days, included B&W TV. Wrestling on TV was big then. the Bomb shelter, Elvis was King, and dressing was alot more conservative then than it is now.

Of course I was not around when my mom was a young girl. So I turned to mom's sister Sue for details of what it was about as a younster for my mom.

When Phyllis was small, she was a bit frail and Mom worried about her and was afraid she might never walk. She did finally and grew to be quite an adorable little tot, but Mom always treated her with special kid gloves, I think. We slept in the same bed as children and we fought so much that my Mom pinned a folded blanket down the length of the bed to separate the halves and we were to each stay on our own side of the bed. My earliest memories of her were that she would travel the neighborhood and get handouts of food at all the houses on our street. I think she told them she was hungry, which could not be so, as we always had lots to eat at our house. She was so cute that people could not resist her asking for lunch, snacks or candy. Since she was younger than me and with a sweeter disposition, everyone always took her side in any squabbles we had. I was forever made to take her along with me and watch out for her, no matter where I went or played. We played house, tag, kick the can, dodge ball, hop scotch and jump rope. But, one favorite of all of us bigger kids, was "Wolfman". It was probably dreamed up after going to the Saturday movies. We had a pear tree with a limb that grew a long ways out from the tree and we would take turns playing the " Wolfman" and climb out on that limb and jump out on the others. It was unfortunate that on my turn, I jumped out and landed on Phyllis and broke her arm in three places. After that, I really had to be careful. She broke her arm again, later, but my Grandma was in charge that day, so I was eliminated from the blame that time.. I thought when I got a two wheeler, which was a big deal back then, that I finally could go someplace on my own. Not so, as Dad put a tandem on the back and Phyllis rode on that. She got her feet in the spokes once and I got a good spanking for that. The spankings we received were with lilac branches and they left marks on the back of our legs. I, of course, got most of them. I told Phyllis she was a "tattle tale" and she was very good at telling our parents every little thing I did wrong. She always looked like Margaret O'Brien when she was little and parents just ate her up. I, on the other hand, was an awkward beanpole that was never believed.. When we became teenagers, she still accompanied me on dates and once, I remember, I skipped school to stay home with my boyfriend. She caught us and we promised her a carton of coke if she would not tattle on us. She drank the soda and then went straight to Mom and Dad and tattled anyway. I remember when we were in high school, Phyllis was made to sit at the diningroom table for hours while I read the geography or history books to her. I got straight A's in school and my parents thought that she should listen and learn from me. She hated it and cried and cried, but she was forced to listen anyway. In the evening in our beds when we each had our own, but in the same room, we would hum songs to each other ,guessing the titles, until one of us fell to sleep. When we grew up, we visited each other, but her children were shy of me because I yelled a lot at my kids. They were not used to that and it scared them, as Phyllis was so loving and kind and never yelled at them. She was a very good mom. One reason, I think, is because when we grew up, she was always in the house with Mom learning to cook and keep house and stuff and I, substituting for the boy in our family, went hunting and fishing with my Father. I learned to be tough and mean, while she was more soft and loving. After our kids were married and had kids, we became closer, I think, and as we were the only Brainards left, we communicated more and became real sisters. When Don called to tell me about her illness, it knocked me for a loop, as I thought he was calling to confirm their visit to see our new house. When I went to her bedside, I realized what I would be missing with her passing and I was sorry to say good-bye to my beloved "Tattletale". I know she is in heaven and the halo will look good on her. I hope when it is time for me to say good-bye that I will have as much love around me as she had. Mom has her angel back to take care of and all is well in heaven.

I'm sure mom's story would very from my Aunt Sue's LOL but this does sound a little like her. As I said I was spoiled. And yes we were scared of going over to Aunt Sue's esp. when the talk of knives came from the kids mouths. LOL Knives were not in the picture but we thought so from all the hype.