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Show I i. ..-..I way bombs sound when they blow up. I never could do it but the boys could. When we went to the Saturday matinee at the Paramount Para-mount Theater in Ogden in those days, we paid a dime to get in and had a nickel left for a candy bar, or suckers, or popcorn, or jelly beans, or whatever we wanted. We got to see two full feature length films, a serial, news, and lots of cartoons and if we wanted and our mothers did not care, we could stay and see it all through again. The war was with us night and day. Our parents talked about it over the fence, the newspapers wrote and wrote about it, and took lots of photos pho-tos of it, and the boys on our street made fox holes in the vacant lot and played war all the time. (Except when they played cowboys and Indians which was also a lot of the time.) But now, after surviving several more wars that America Ameri-ca has had to participate in and with wars still going on, I don't have that feeling of excitement by Marcella Walker Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful May! I say that not only because it is my birthday month and it is Mother's Day month, but this year both of these days fall on the same day, May 8! It's not that I want to get double the presents, nor double dou-ble the hugs, nor double the food, but I sure do enjoy thinking think-ing about it! Every once in a while my birthday falls on Mothers' Day. Now that I am not only a mother, but a grandmother and great-grandmother, too, it seems a little more special. We had two great-grandchildren born this past year but it was in June and August when they came and not in time for last year's Mother's Day so we'll make up for it this year. I have always loved having hav-ing my birthday roll around and it is not because of the presents, or the cards, or the sentimental thoughts, but it is . because it is my special day. It was a special day for others, too. The war in Europe in World War II ended on my birthday. We did not have to go to school that day because everyone was enjoying the end of the war. In Ogden, the sirens were going off and people were singing and there were horns honking everywhere and it was great. I got two new dresses that day. I remember standing with my mother out on the front porch, cheering and laughing and waving to everyone in one of the new dresses. I was nine years old on that wonderful day. The war was a big part of our lives in those days. There was rationing of food, gasoline, gaso-line, and many other things because of the war. We talked about the war in school and at home and on the radio. (There was no TV in those days.) Music in those days was wonderful and each of the military services had their own hymn and we kids learned all the words to all of them and sang them often. The boys played soldier and made noises nois-es with their mouths of the that I did as a kid. Even then I knew war was awful but we didn't ever see soldiers or sailors sail-ors or Marines die in real life. Now I understand it all. We are still at war in various places, helping our allies or trying to get this whole thing straightened out. But, no fear! I hope to have a great birthday and Mother's Day all in one. I'd like to get presents for each of them but just seeing and hearing from my kids and grandkids and my Honey will be enough for me. I like kisses from them, too! |