She would get a kick out of these, probably because she may have said them to me at one time or another. Maybe not in those same words, but the message was clear.

Please do not think she was not a good role model, she was eons before her time. If she was born in this time she would kick some ass and be successful in business.

She was a young single mother with three small kids, in the days when women could never garner the same wages as men doing the same job. Her choice of jobs was store clerk, which was a dead end job to her. Instead she cut seed, pick potatoes, beans, peas and any other job she could get.

Don’t know or care what cutting seed is? Potato farmers used their second potatoes (not good enough to sell) for seed for the next years crop. This was done by men. They straddled a barrel with a very sharp knife embedded in the end of the barrel. The potatoes were sliced into pieces with an eye on each one using the knife. She applied and the owner first thought it was too hard for a woman and finally agreed to allow her to work with the understanding she would get half the pay of the men.

She told him, “I will work one day for nothing, and if I beat all of your men in production, I get the job at the same pay.” She got the job.

She made the same bargain with the potato farmer to pick potatoes, and I personally witnessed this: She picked over 100 barrels per day. She was one tough cookie.

       1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
       “If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.”

       2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
       “You better pray that will come out of the carpet.”

       3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
       “If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of
 next week!”

       4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
       ” Because I said so, that’s why.”

       5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
       “If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you’re not going to
 the store with me.”

       6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
       “Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.”

       7. My mother taught me IRONY.
       “Keep crying, and I’ll give you something to cry about.”

       8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
       “Shut your mouth and eat your supper.”

       9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
       “Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!”

       10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
       “You’ll sit there until all that spinach is gone.”

       11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
       “This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.”

       12 My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
       “If I told you once, I’ve told you a million times. Don’t exaggerate!”

       13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
       “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.”

       14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
       “Stop acting like your father!”

       15. My mother taught me about ENVY
       “There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t
 have wonderful parents like you do.”