Long before there was the perfectly-coiffed June "Leave it to Beaver" Cleaver wearing her dressy dress and fake pearl necklace, there was my mother. (And notice from the picture that I am once again topless but have on some great shoes.)Actually, I don't recall Mama Bore ever getting gussied up like she is in this 1950 photo. Around the house she usually wore a cobbler apron over her bra, Bermuda shorts, anklets, and tennis shoes. If we brought home friends, we had to give her fair warning so she could put on a blouse. This "outfit" was Mom's standard cooking and cleaning ensemble. And she cooked and cleaned a lot because she had five hungry kids who made lots of messes, especially me. I was notorious for leaving the refrigerator handle sticky. "Nancy Beth, get in the kitchen right this minute!"
I was the difficult, maladjusted middle child, but she recognized the position I was in and tried to cope with me the best she could. I had a smart-alecky mouth that antagonized my older brother and sister and corrupted the younger two. What surprises me now is that Mom acts like raising five kids pretty much alone was a total blast---constant fun, a real laugh a minute. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world," she always says. I think she's nuts and must be remembering the wrong five kids, especially the third one. But she hung in there and never gave up and I thank her for that. Happy Mother's Day, Mom. You beat June Cleaver, hands down.
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