My mother was a remarkable woman. She is one of the few people I have known who passed trough all the stages in Maslow’s needs hierarchy. Born in 1915, lived in a house built in 1715 with no modern conveniences except electricity later in her life. Her parents, as good Irish Catholics did then, raised 9 kids in that house until they w ere adults on their own. She died in 2012 at 97 sitting at a bar at happy hour at the independent living place where she lived. Had done her crossword puzzle, paid her bills and cashed a check for her week’s allowance,
She was a weaver and made many of her own clothes. Used her own weavings too. Taught us by example and hugged and said I love you sparingly, not like today’s Mothers. But we knew.
We learned algebra and calculus from her, long before we had it in school. Read everything and by so doing got us to do it without any words being said. Never called us for dinner. Didn’t know where my brothers and I were most of the time. Don’t think she ever saw any of my little league games, and we got ourselves to them on helmetless bike rides.
Took her to Italy when she was 90. Sitting at a café, she watched me watch the girls walk by and commented. Told her I was calculating why European girls walked the way they did. She laughed and said , “here’s one who’s really stunning and she’s wearing a Fibonacci plaid jacket.”
“What’s that,” I said. True to form she said, “ you should know who Fibonacci was.” She knew I would look it up.
When we got home she wove and made the same jacket from memory. I still have it of course.
“What’s that,” I said. True to form she said, “you should know who Fibonacci was.” She knew I would look it up.
When we got home she wove and made the same jacket from memory. I still have it of course.
So cool! I use his ‘sequence’ to design crocheted scarves. They always turn out beautifully. And I HATE Math, LOL!