Marla McGrew and 102-year-old mother Ruth Schuld share some stories.

Summer report

I’m sorry to report that the summer is nearly over. How does time move so fast? We’ll have to consult physicists, astronomers, philosophers, or mystics to understand. But suffice it to say — rain and cooler days; leaves changing colors; sightings of the first small orb spiders all point to this long dry summer turning the corner into fall. Now I’m waiting for those orange fuzzy-wuzzy caterpillars, which become tiger moths, to begin ambling along the grassy paths in Oysterville. Then the turnover will be nearly complete.

Time is such a mysterious substance. Even the scientists are puzzled by it. Adam Frank and Marcelo Gleiser in “The Story of Our Universe May be Starting to Unravel,” acknowledge that scientists are baffled that recent “data revealed that some very large galaxies formed really fast, in too short a time. This was no minor discrepancy. The finding is akin to parents and their children appearing in a story when the grandparents are still children themselves.”

Questions abound. The universe may be older than we thought. The Big Bang may not be the beginning of everything. There may even be an infinite number of other universes. In short, “Physicists and astronomers are starting to get the sense that something may be really wrong” with our view of the cosmos, beginning with time (tinyurl.com/9rrtmnsn).

Plus, our understanding of “normal matter” — what everything is made of, including us — “constitutes only about 4% of the universe (tinyurl.com/NASA-dark-energy). The rest is invisible stuff called dark matter and dark energy (roughly 27% and 68%).” And our sense of capital-letter-Time may be wacky as well. Stay tuned.

You only have one

In the meantime, let’s reel ourselves in a bit closer to home and talk about Peninsula women who’ve made good use of time and/or have managed to figure out how to extend it. I’m talking about some amazing mothers who’ve made it to or breezed on past 100 years on Planet Earth. And I’m also talking about mothers and daughters, as it seems daughters are the individuals who assist in keeping these amazing moms around.

First let’s visit Ruth Schuld, 102, mother of Marla McGrew (husband Gary). She resides in Golden Sands and I visited her and Marla last week. I’ve always appreciated Marla’s quick wit and sly sense of humor. Seeing these two together explained how that all came about. Ruth may be suffering a little brain-fog from time to time, but let me tell you her funny bone is still in great operating order.

Ruth had Marla and I chuckling mightily at some of her quips. And these are tricky to convey because it’s one of those “you had to be there” situations. Ruth would start out on a tale and Marla and I would look at each other, kind of side-eye, as if to say “Where do you think she’s going with this?” Then after a serious story beginning she’d provide a grand finale with a surprisingly hilarious twist that made fun of herself or the situation.

I couldn’t help but see that growing up with that clever irreverence is exactly where Marla gets her ability to “tell it like it is.” And, together, they seem to egg each other on. (I notice that with any elder who seems at first quiet — give them a chance to warm up; squeeze a hand; touch an arm; get them talking, and then the stories start rolling out. Be patient.)

Ruth was born May 19, 1921 and appears to be going strong. She has been a long-time supporter of Northwest Pilot Project, an organization that supports housing for seniors, and she continues to bring in donations in her name (www.nwpilotproject.org). She has raised $16,000 and counting over the years. Now she says with a twinkle in her eye, “Most of us here [at Golden Sands] are quite past young, so it’s not as fun as it used to be. We made fun out of nothing, but life is pretty crazy now.” Then, almost winking at death, she says, “I’ll be waiting for you guys.”

Transportation and communications

Last week friends and family, from all over the nation and the world, gathered at the Patten home on Willapa Bay to help celebrate the 100th birthday of Andrea’s mother, Annie Weilgart. Annie is nearly blind but her mind is in tip top shape. We spoke by phone last week and she regaled me with stories of her youth. She was born Aug. 29, 1923 in Regenwalde, Pomerania then northern Germany, now Poland.

She fondly remembers the horse drawn wagon that was her family’s main means of transportation. “Only a handful of people had a car, maybe doctors or business people. Everybody else had horses. My grandfather had nice carriages, big and comfortable, with upholstered seats and an umbrella in case it was too sunny or rainy. The back could seat three adults and there was a small seat — a little bench — for a couple of children. In the afternoons we would visit our neighbors or ride to festivals. And in the wintertime there were jingle bells on the horses. We had a set that made a beautiful chiming sound. It was so restful. It wasn’t hectic. Now everybody is rushing here and there.”

In fact, Annie says the two most dramatic changes she has seen in her long life are in transportation and communications. “In my day only the very richest people had cars. And the other biggest change is in communications — now everything is at your fingertips.”

Legendary moms

We’ve had other legendary Peninsula moms. Diana Thompson says of her mother Marian Louise Tamborini Lee (Sept 4, 1922 — Nov 14, 2022), “I think the older I got the more I was amazed at what all she went through in her life. When you’re young she’s just ‘mom’ and she’s telling you what to do. But as I got older and she wasn’t telling me what I had to do, I really valued her opinion. I began to realize she didn’t have a simple life where everything fell her way.”

At 19 Marian enlisted in the military and was in the first class of Navy WAVES. Soon after, she married Jack Thompson, but he died in his 40s and then she had three daughters to raise. (Diana is the oldest.). Finally Marian and Jim Lee found each other and were married for 41 years. Both were extremely active in our Peninsula community. There’s a celebration of life for Marian on Sept. 16 at the Senior Activities Center in Klipsan, from 1 to 3 p.m. (tinyurl.com/5kax57a5)

Nanci Main’s mother, Margaret, a resident of Golden Sands in her last years, was so popular with the helpers and staff there that she had two babies named after her. She was always ready to sing a hymn (she had a prayer list beside her favorite chair) to lift her spirits or for someone in need. Her faith was strong and her mind was snappy right to the end. So many of us knew and loved Margaret; when things go right in our lives, we always say, “God’s hand was in it!” — one of her favorite expressions (tinyurl.com/4dr69nvy)

My mother too, Virginia Catherine Harmon Gable, was clear-headed and engaged right to the end of her life. She is most remembered for her legendary sugar cookies and amazing fresh fruit pies, and for creating a household of music and art. The home was always full of friends, either gathered in the kitchen or sitting around the piano in the living room. And she was always making things: handknit sweaters, dresses for sister Starla and I, stained glass, cloisonné pieces; or playing tennis or cribbage. We still miss her smile (tinyurl.com/2mdy557s)

And no one who knew her could ever forget Sydney Steven’s mother, Dale Espy Little, a charming, feisty, stylish hostess with the mostess right up until her death at 97 (tinyurl.com/3bydpre8) Long live the moms!

Mother’s Day

You might think these thoughts would be more appropriate on Mother’s day — maybe — but I think we should remember moms everyday.

You’ve only got one: tell her you love her or remember her with flowers. Moms deserve it, especially the ones who’ve stuck around into their centennial years.

As Diana says, “It’s pretty amazing how many of us get to have a mother in our lives for that long.”

• • •

For those of you interested in going back in time, don’t miss a new History Forum this Wednesday, Sept. 6, 10 a.m. at the Oyster Schoolhouse.