Family and Home
garden row 1

BLESSED
You say if I say I've no dysfunction
I must be in denial?
We're of good family who love ourselves
And can't help it if we're not vile.
7 May 1994

Our family's first home. Dad built it on Elliott Ave. in the village of Valleyview, on the west side of Columbus.

Having tea with a doll at Aunt Bettie's. I was about 3 yrs. old.

Mama says that by the time I was 2 years old, I spoke very well. I was also a big tease. I had no one to pick at except my older brother, Russ. The story goes, that the two of us kids were in the back seat of the car on a family outing, and I must have been tormenting the daylights outta Russ. Mama said to Daddy, something about "that instigator back there." I apparently, very quickly and plainly removed from myself all guilt, by answering "I'm not an instigator!" There is a reference to this episode in one of the poems about my own daughter (Little Mo) in The Pumpkin Patch. The tag "Instigator," by the way has followed me to this day! <My favorite picture of my mom, with my brother Russ and me in 1955. The car behind us, is a 1952 Hudson.

Dad with Russ, Yvette, Annie (on floor) and baby Mary in 1955

Here I am with Annette in a neighbor's yard in 1956.
My favorite picture of me as a child. It was the summer of 1956, and the sun had baked me brown!
"Stair steps" on the front porch in 1958; Mary, Annie and I were different sizes, but Mama enjoyed dressing us alike!

Mom, Grandma Scoles, Annette, Yvette, Billy & Mary - at Grandma's in 1962.

Grandma on her back porch with my cousins, Chris & Mike. Their dad, Mom's brother - my Uncle Dude - took these color photos in 1962.
Yvette, Annie, Billy & Mary at St. Sylveter's in Zaleski OH. This is where we went to church when we stayed at our Vinton County weekend hideaway.


Our Farm house in Pickaway County.


Yvette, Annie holding Jenny Sue, Russ, and Billy & Mary on the floor-1965.

FEEDING THE FARM FOWL (with furry helpers)
May 1986
Time to feed the ducks and chicks
I carry out last night's leftover-mix.

The kittens follow to the brooder
Hoping to snatch some of the food.

When I reach the brooder gate
The kitties STOP! lest they meet their fate.

The ducks bow low, bills toward the cats
Craning their necks through the wooden slats.

The kitties hunch their back up round
And make their threatening hissing sound.

The ducks soon drop the fruitless pursuit
When they hear me scrape out the leftover "loot."

Fresh water carried out in pails;
Some chicks get some, some chicks fail.

I put more grow mix in the trough.
Some chicks climb in to get the stuff!

Back to the house like little wheels
The kitties nip and tag my heels!

I fetch them a spilling saucer of milk
And smooth the purring puffs of silk.



"Us Kids" Picking peas-1965. I used to work for the families in the trailers across the field, babysitting and ironing clothes.



Our ponies in the hay field: Danny, Cheyenne, Trigger and Peggy. Inset: Peggy with foal, Prince

NEW HAY
May 1986
Sis and I pulled out the tractor
and the hay rake from the barn.
The hay was dry and ready to take
in from the field on our farm

We hitched the tractor to the rake.
Annie, the driver was barely past nine
I was twelve. The job of working
the rake lever was mine.

Round and round the field we worked
the dust and smell of hay in my nose.
The sun shone brown upon our backs.
I raked the hay in long neat rows.

When the rows were piled long and high
we unhitched the Farmall Cub.
Brother Russ got the pichforks out
and hitched the trailer up.

Annie, still in the driver seat,
Russ and I pitched the twisted clover
onto the trailer until we cleaned
up the hay, the whole field over.

Russ and I rode back to the barn
and there we both jumped down.
Dad was there to help Russ toss
the hay up to the hay-mow.

At times we'd sneak up to that mow and hide
'til someone came and poked with a "pitch"
Mom guessed our secret hiding place,
'cause we'd acquire an awful itch!


1969 - My Sailor brother, Russ. He left for the US NAVY before my youngest sister, Julie was born. All seven of us kids never lived at home at the same time!
With Grandma Scoles in 1975.
 
Annie, Mary and me in 1975. This portrait was taken in 1975, also. Here's Monica standing on the porches of two different houses we rented, in 1981 and 1982, respectively. The one on the right was next door my parents' house near Grove City. That was my last rental property! In 1981, when Monica was very impressionable, I was earning below the poverty level. Since I could not afford a Christmas Tree that year, we decorated a big philodendron! Monica still talks about it as her favorite Tree! The next year, while we lived next door to my folks, Mom got me a plastic Christmas Tree she bought at an after-Christmas sale.   These are front and back shots of my current house. The back view was taken from down the long walk at the garage. In 1990, we had the only real Christmas Tree since moving into our own home. It was a used one. I still could not afford to buy one, so here's the story: My friend Diane had some other friends who had celebrated Christmas early, and were going to be in Florida by the time December 25th rolled around. Diane gave us the real tree! I bet you don't know very many folks who can say they had a real second-hand Christmas Tree!
In 1986, I tried a new hair style! Here I am with my sister, Mary.
We threw a party for our parents on their 50th Wedding Anniversary, November 29, 1997, at the parish where they were married, St. Aloysius, Columbus OH.
Some of my family at the dedication of the new location of The State Library of Ohio, where Annette works, 29 May 2001. Annie is seated, and the rest of us, standing, are Mom, Yvette, Dad & Julie. For those of you who have been out of touch, Dad had just had surgery a few days previous, so you may not think he looks too well. He was feeling pretty good.
18 April 2003
I am "Oma" (German for Grandma)! Opa Mark & I were at the hospital when his daughter, Angela had her baby boy. Cody weighed in at 6 lbs. 6 oz. and measured 19 inches long! Cody's paternal grandmother, "Nana" (a former co-worker of mine) e-mailed me the pictures.


My husband, Mark with his daughter's son, Cody. We borrowed him Sunday 4 May, when he was just 16 days old, to take him to a family picnic at Mama & Daddy's to celebrate my neice Katy's First Holy Communion.

Angel Faces
1 June 2003
Every now and then, for awhile
we babysit Mike & Angela's baby boy.
He laughs & plays, and makes us smile;
our baby grandson brings us joy.

When Cody stays with Opa & Oma
he puts us through the paces!
He often looks so much like his mama
that I say he's making "Angel" faces!


This picture was taken of Cody on Sunday Feb. 8, 2004, showing a bit o' personality!

Cody's First Birthday: opening gifts with Dad & Mom (Mike & Angela)
Brigette's son Kasey looking at Grammy's chickens on 4 May 2003. Kasey is 8 months old.
Dad's 80th Birthday - May 2 2004
The 7 of us kids got the DVD combo machine for Mama & Daddy for Mother's Day & Fathers Day 2004
Uncle Joe, Katie, Cody with Brigette, and Monica
Our grandson Cody (Mark's daughter Angela's) and Annette's grandson (Brigette's) Kasey, playing at Grandpa Jack's 80th birthday party. We gathered at Mary & Terry's for what was to have been a bonfire. Alas! The weather was not cooperative!

Mom & Dad at the Hofbrauhaus in Newport, KY 30 June 2007. Dad wanted to spend time with his family there as his Father's Day celebration. It was fun!
I wrote this for mom on her eightieth birthday...

She’s Ours
10/7/07

She’s a sweet ol’ lady
And today, she’s eighty!

She’s Grandma & Mom
and can be lots of fun…

Doesn’t mind a good tease
But be nice if you please!

'Cause if you mess up
She’ll make you fess up!

Sweeter, there ain’t been another
Unless it was her mother.

And tonight when you pray
Thank God, He gave her this birthday!

For my niece Katy's 16th birthday in September 2010, I wrote this:

You may think that you were born
to be someone of lofty fame.
You may think your purpose here
is that all may know your name.

Perhaps your purpose in this life
is to be a glamorous star...
Or maybe you have prowess in some sport
that will take you very far.

It is quite possible that you could get
that one-in-a-million break...
But personally I think you're here
so we can eat your cake!

2007 - Here I am with my daughter, "Mosie" at the Hofbrauhaus in Newport, Kentucky.

< 2010 - Standing on the porch, Dad (Jack); Standing on the ground, seven Maurey children in order of birth, and Mom (Margaret).
The Kids: Russ, Yvette, Annette, Mary, Billy, Jenny, Julie.

<
2012 - The Extended Maurey Family (in-laws and out-laws) at the Hofbrau Haus again.
< This is the table that accommodates our family for most family gatherings and celebrations. It seats at least 28. We can squeeze in 30 if we have to, but usually a few late-comers allow for "shift" seating.

Who wants horseshoes?
By Yvette M. Higgins
poet, humorist
November 20, 2012

I had the pleasure of taking my octogenarian parents to a breakfast for Dad’s retirees club. I heard the voice of a woman passing behind me asking, “Who wants horseshoes?” It was cool fall weather, and I didn’t think anyone would really be playing horseshoes, but I turned my head to see if she actually had equine footwear. She had orange juice!

If age gives us license to haughtily spew our wisdom gained, then hearing loss is the humbling equalizer! Nerve damage hearing loss is hereditary in my family, and before I reached the age of 60 I had nearly 50% loss. The sounds of vowels remain constant while the consonants have a way of evaporating into thin air, tricking us into thinking we heard something we didn’t: Orange juice; horseshoes!

I had only recently had my second hearing evaluation in three years. A new program was in place with my Doctor of Audiology to try hearing aids to see if I am a candidate for them. I tried them, and I enjoyed the return to normalcy, as opposed to having to ask for things to be repeated. I know that I will eventually get a pair, but I will have to save up for them, as they are not within my current budget. In the mean time, I’ll just have another glass of horseshoes!


2013 - 4 generations of Maurey men: Russell, Jr (3rd), Jack Maurey (1st), Russell, Sr. (2nd) and Drew (4th).

This is Dad in August 2013. In the middle of March 2014 Dad had a heart attack and was transported to Mt. Carmel Hospital in Columbus, OH.
He was looking pretty good after just a couple of days, but not getting better as soon as he should have, so he was transported to a nursing facility. Soon after that, he was sent to a V.A. nursing facility, so he was not incurring further costs.
On 2 May 2014, our family celebrated Dad's 90th birthday with him at the nursing home. Soon after that, we started bringing him home for a day every now and then.
Dad's looking pretty happy here, because he's at home. As of 15 August 2014, he was scheduled to come home to Grove City for good.
On the way to visit Dad one day, Mom lamented, "I run out of things to talk about sometimes, and I don't know what to say." I told her she doesn't have to say anything. "Just hold his hand." That's exactly what she did that day. Watching the two of them take turns sipping coffee from the same cup, and holding each others' other hand, I was inspired to write this poem:

Daddy's Hands
May 5, 2014

Daddy's hands started out soft and tiny,
grasping someone's finger, waving bye-bye.
Growing hands, a little bigger, a little grubby
played marbles and mumbledypeg,
washed for dinner, probably clean the
first time all day.
Grateful hands prayed.
Youthful hands gripped a bat, tossed a football,
delivered papers, collected payment.
Sailor's hands wrote letters, swabbed decks
and tied knots.
Manly hands held hands, and Mom, and
hugged his babies; whacked their butts,
Scoutmaster's hands pitched tents, built campfires,
and tied more knots.
Useful hands hammered nails, built a house,
mowed grass, tilled soil, planted food.
Working hands drew plans, signed contracts, spliced cable.
A burned hand suffered electrical flash.
Retired hands wrote more letters and Navy memoirs;
Hands, gnarled and worn, held Mom's hand in wordless conversation.
Daddy's hands were never idle.