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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 10 things to know for Tuesday Funds sought to upgrade youth prison 10 things to know for Monday Medford's second-hand law gets a second look Emergency Services, Feb. 24 Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services, Feb. 24 Man critically burned in trailer fire Medford neighbors take up arms against a sea of graffiti Emergency Services, Feb. 23 Car crashes into new south Medford home Politics and Elections Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out Friday Brown's inauguration brings hope to local lawmakers Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Gov. Kitzhaber steps down, federal investigation begins Gov. 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Our view: Expulsions hurt students, district, community Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Feb. 24 Feb. 23: Letters to the editor Feb. 22: Letters to the editor Feb. 20: Letters to the editor Feb. 19: Letters to the editor Columns Guest Opinion: Bill would shore up legal aid funding Parker: Cable news twists the 'war on Islam' Independent Party focuses on the public interest Milbank: Walker's cowardice on view in NY Will: Tweet this: Digital dialogue won't work Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Bill would shore up legal aid funding Guest Opinion: Weed killers should not be sprayed on streams, homes Guest Opinion: Understanding Wes Cooley Guest Opinion: Smokers: Quit before this happens to you Guest Opinion: Our public school system is a stew pot of clashing ingredients Lifestyle Latest stories Community blog: Clean anything with lemons, baking soda, vinegar Wry & Ginger: Nobody nose sternutation consternation Donna Knight: Going through priceless memories Shayne Looper: Whoever exalts himself will be humbled Dr. Elaine Heffner: Oscars and reality Food Community blog: Clean anything with lemons, baking soda, vinegar Food for Thought: Feed your creativity with Havarti Kitchen Call: Baseball, beans and Bob Motley Gail Ciampa: Scrod Francaise fits the bill for Lenten dining Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015 Home and Garden Home Help: Low-maintenance landscaping ideas Garden Cameos: Winter is the time to prune How to install energy-efficient windows the right way Dear Monty: Nine downsizing tips for seniors Carol Link: Prime time for pruning blueberries approaches Health Community blog: And if I Die Before I Wake Dr. Murray Feingold: Does a sedentary lifestyle make you prone to disease? Dr. Jeff Hersh: Breathe easy - all about lung function Health Watch: Health improvements you can make today that will pay off for a lifetime Runners’ Corner: Helpful winter running hints Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs: Friday, Feb. 20 Religion News: Pope makes surprise shantytown visit Religion briefs: Friday, Feb. 13 RELIGION BRIEFS, Feb. 6 Religion News: Church of England consecrates first female bishop Milestones and Achievements Anniversary: Hofer New arrivals: Sunday, Feb. 8 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories SOU presents 'She Stoops to Conquer' Live Music in Local Clubs OSF kicks off its 2015 season SOU presents 'The Glass Menagerie' Third Fridays showcases local artists Theater SOU presents 'She Stoops to Conquer' 'The Glass Menagerie' is polished and professional OSF kicks off its 2015 season SOU presents 'The Glass Menagerie' Le Cirque presents 'City Walk' Music Professor Gall plays Oberon's Tavern Live Music in Local Clubs The music that made Paris famous Blues Jam at The Little Brown Jug Southern Oregon Jazz Orchestra Community Events Third Fridays showcases local artists Southern Oregon Rod and Custom Show Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jacksonville celebrates Chinese New Year Comedian Susan Westenhoefer pulls no punches Dining Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015 Saigon Xich Lo Vietnamese cuisine The zwickels shall flow Soo Rah Korean Cuisine Stylish shareables are the feature at Brickroom Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines/Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Homeless food proposal is the best solution yet ... Guest Opinion: Bill would shore up legal aid funding ... Medford's second-hand law gets a second look ... Our View: Homeless food proposal is the best solution yet ... Guest Opinion: Bill would shore up legal aid funding ... Medford's second-hand law gets a second look ... Donna Knight: Going through priceless memories By Donna Knight The Daily Comet/Courier MailTribune.com By Donna Knight The Daily Comet/Courier Posted Feb. 24, 2015 @ 7:47 am By Donna Knight The Daily Comet/Courier Posted Feb. 24, 2015 @ 7:47 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Recently, as I put my Momma to bed, we went through our nightly ritual. Mom is now 86 and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010. We have a nightly ritual of naming all her 10 children. Two daughters and a son died as infants due to RH factor complications, but seven of her 10 children grew to be adults. Mom and I name each one of her children. She often needs help, but when I say the name, I still can see the recognition in her eyes. I do this because I am trying to keep those memories from slipping away from her like so many others already have. I sometimes talk to her about the little white house we lived in on Palmer Street in Indianapolis. How somehow two parents and seven children lived in a three-bedroom house with only one bathroom until all the children were grown and left home. Mom would get us up for school each day at Sacred Heart Catholic School one at a time by age (oldest to youngest) and we each got two or three minutes in the bathroom all to ourselves to get ready. Mom cooked breakfast for us every day. Some days we had oatmeal or Cream of Wheat. Other days she made scrambled-egg sandwiches with cheese on buttered toast. But if we were really lucky, Mom would make her special buttered sugar-cinnamon toast under the broiler. It was better than any cinnamon bun could ever hope to be. Since we lived in a three-bedroom house, Mom and Dad had their bedroom while the four boys shared a bedroom and the three girls shared the other. The boys had two sets of bunkbeds in their room and in the girls’ room, there was one set of bunk-beds for the younger girls. But because I was the oldest of all the children, I had my very own twin bed all to myself. I just can’t tell you how jealous the others were of this fact. But that is one of the perks of being the eldest in a large family. Of course, being the oldest came with lots of responsibilities as well as perks. I was the built-in babysitter, and I learned to help with the cooking and cleaning at a very early age. I can still remember very clearly standing on a stool and stirring pots on the stove while the rest of the kids were playing when I was probably about 5. I remember that we didn’t have a washer and dryer in our house — those were luxuries at the time — but we did have a laundromat just around the corner on Meridian Street. So every Saturday morning, my brother Gary, who is one year younger, and I would load up our red wagon and he would pull and I would push the laundry over to the laundromat. Nine people can make an awful lot of laundry in a week, and there were always cotton baby diapers to be washed as well as Dad’s work uniforms and our school clothes. It was an all-day affair to wash, dry and fold the laundry, then load it up in the wagon and take it back home. We only used the dryers during the winter months. But in the summer we would take the wet clothes back home and hang them on two clotheslines in our backyard held up by wooden poles so the clothes wouldn’t touch the ground. It was a sweet, simple joy to hang out the clothes in the sunshine with a light breeze blowing and then to take them down and smell the freshness. Of course, now with all the pollution and car emissions it isn’t the same as it was back in the ’50s and early ’60s. I try to jog Mom’s memory of how we would each get one dip of vanilla ice cream every Sunday night for our weekly treat. Sometimes we even had sprinkles or chocolate to put on top. Mom also cooked a special dinner on Sunday as mostly during the week we had pot meals of vegetable soup, chili or sauerkraut and pork ribs. But on Sundays, we might have fried chicken or a roast. Sometimes on a Saturday night, Mom and I would make two pizzas from scratch for a special treat. We couldn’t afford to put meat on them, but we used lots of cheese. To this day, a plain cheese pizza is still my favorite. I know that eventually Mom will forget these memories as the Alzheimer’s progresses — at least that is what the doctor has told me. But for now I love how her eyes still light up when we have our nightly bedtime reminiscences. Donna Knight is a columnist at The Courier and The Daily Comet in Houma and Thibodaux, Louisiana. You can reach her at [email protected]. By Donna Knight The Daily Comet/Courier MailTribune.com By Donna Knight The Daily Comet/Courier Posted Feb. 24, 2015 @ 7:47 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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