Happy Birthday Mom!

My mom, "Johnnye Merle Durham Moore" would have been 83 years old today! She's been gone now about 4-1/2 years. Died a few days after Riley was born. Pissed me off at first, you know, your first grandbaby is born and then your mom dies, dandy! I quickly realized though that she hung on long enough just to know her first grandchild made it into the world safe and sound!
She was born in Lubbock, Texas to my grandparents, Hobson and Madge Durham. They sadly died before I was born. Never got a chance to know them. My mom and her family eventually moved to Temple, Texas where she went to school and grew up. I always remember the stories she told me about the Depression and what it was like in Texas. She lost her dad at 15 years old. He drank a bit too much, and sadly committed suicide. Her and her mom were very close, as you can see above in the picture. Not too much longer after my mom's dad died, her mom passed away from cancer. And truth me told, I don't think she ever got over that her entire life. She rarely would talk to me or my sister about it. She eventually met my knuckle headed dad, and for him I know it was love at first sight. Actually, after my mom died, he died less than six months later. He couldn't go on without her. She was his purpose in life! That's me with my folks and a couple of years later my sister was born. My mom was always quiet, didn't talk much, read a lot. I made her insane, I know that. I never, ever stopped talking! After Bryce was born, my mom told me if I had anymore kids she was moving back to Texas. I drove my mom crazy as a kid, so you can only imagine what three grandkids, all born not too far from each other, did to her! Just like the stories she told to me about growing up in Texas, she told my kids the same stories. Brande was able to stop in Temple a few years back. Happen to run into a local historian at the library. He told her the address of her grandma's house, and the restaurant where her great-grandma use to work. My mom's been gone a bit over four years now. Before she passed away, poor health and dementia had set in. So, it's nice to remember today, and the happier times of her life and her stories of her Texas roots. Funny thing how I'm blogging out here in So Cal, yet I have become friends with so many bloggers in Texas. Sometimes things "really" do happen for a reason! Happy Birthday Mom, we all love you!!

My Mom Growin' Up in Texas!

This was my Grandpa Hobson Durham and his new wife Madge Dulane Durham on their wedding day in 1925. I always wondered where I got the middle name "Dulane" from. It was only a couple of years ago after my mom had died that I found out where the name came from.

Here's my mom, Johnnye Merle Durham, as a baby in Lubbock, Texas. I have been looking for this photo album for awhile now, and gee, it was just sitting on a shelf below my others all this time. None the less, I was thrilled to find it, and even more happy to find some writing on the backs of some of the pictures.

My mom was an only child and loved her Texas roots.

You know I don't ever remember seeing this picture of my mom, and my grandma before. I fell in love with it when I saw it, and of course the thing wouldn't scan right. My grandma looks so young in this photo.

I love this picture of my mom on the ranch with her daddy's hat next to her for the picture!!

I think out of all the photos so far, I'm in love with this one. It's of my Grandpa Hobson pulling my mom in a cart. What really is amazing is when I look at this picture of my mom, I have pictures of myself at about the same age and we look so much alike! I'm was really blonde, actually I still am really blonde. But when it turns into old lady white then I will finally change hair color! I never realized I got being so blonde from my mom or the resemblance is so strong between us. I think because my mom lost her own mom at such a young age, and then her dad committed suicide a couple of years later, that she never wanted to talk about her family. That and my own dad, being the character he was, thought it was something that just "shouldn't" be discussed with myself and my sister. Least us not forget we had to call his dad "Daddy Dick" and my mom's family was not to be discussed? I guess if there is anything good about the way life changes, is these days we know every damn thing about everybody. I just wish I had a few more memories of my mom telling me stories of her life in Texas. I have a few good memories but not nearly enough.



Thanks Deborah for hosting, "Fridays Favorite Family Fotos"