Sibling and Summer

Arlene at the age 7.

                                            

When my mom (Arlene) was 4 years old, Alyce gave birth to her sister, Beverly.  The baby was soon given the nickname, "Buzzy" due to her tight curls. The name stuck, and to this day, I refer to my mom's sister as "Aunt Buzzy".  (I also have an Aunt Birdie, but that is a story for another day..)

In those days, after giving birth, a woman might be in the hospital for weeks, unlike today, when she could be out after one day. Older siblings were kept away from the newborn due to fear of infection or the spread of germs. The separation was difficult for Arlene, though she stayed with her grandmother, Ida, who she adored. 

During the long, steamy Michigan summers, Arlene would go up north with Alyce and Ida to stay at a cabin on Lake Michigan. Her father, Bernie, would come up on weekends. My grandma would set up a spot on the beach and relax for the day.

While the lake breezes offered some relief from the oppressive humidity, Arlene was forbidden from going into the water beyond the point of dipping her toes. This was a time when Polio, a paralyzing disease, was spreading. People believed that Polio was contracted from swimming, so many children were restricted from this activity. 

It must've been torture for her to stay rooted to the searing sand in July and August. 

One time, unable to resist the draw of the lapping waves, my mother toddled into the lake and nearly drowned. Luckily, my grandfather raced to the water just in time, grasping her and lifting her from the water as she choked and fought for air.

Arlene took refuge in her books and the library became her haven. She loved the "Little House on the Prairie" series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  She also enjoyed "All of a Kind Family" by Sydney Taylor and "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. She wished she had a big family with lots of brothers and sisters.  My mom dreamed of having six children and giving them names like the characters in "Little Women". 

It was during these summers that Arlene began to imagine another life for herself, one very different from the restrictive one she would quietly rebel against with a determination to be the opposite of her own mother in every way.