December 22 Monday

The little kids are excited, the teenagers are acting cool and the adults are emeshed in the memories of the past. My family is so fortunate that Christmas is a time for gathering togeather and laughing and remembering Shirley, or Nanny, or Mom whose nom de christmas was Shitly Cranberries. My mother grew up hard, with her Dad dying under mysterious circumstances while loading cattle for shippmemt to Oklahoma one blizzardly day in 1908. After he and his partner each inspected each side of the loaded cattle car his partner borded the train. Albert Cross was not seen again until 2 weeks later when his body was discovered in the snow under a railroad trestle. Shirley was 8 years old. Shirleys Mother was left with a farm and children ranging from toddlers to adults and an Oklahoma farm. When Shirley was 14 some one mistakenly put gas in a kerosene can and when her mother attempted to start the fire it exploded and the burns resulted in her mother's death. Shirley was farmed out with and older sister. Shirley married Dad at 19, her first son died, and in 1946 she was divorced with 4 children, working as a cook in a resteraunt, sold brassieres door to door and cleaned houses. Dad had hit the road following the wheatharvest, and picking fruit in the northwest.
The story of Shitley began with a letter addressed to Shitley Cleaver and the Cranberry appellation resulted from a trip to the store to purchase Christmas dinner. Shirley couldnt find Cranberries. When she wrote the check for groceries the clerk said "that is an appropriate name for this time of year" Shirley said "Cleaver" and the clerk said no "Cranberries". Mother had signed the check "Shirley Cranberries". So of course she became "Shitley Cranberries" or to all of us Mother Christmas. She has been gone for many years but Shirley is always with us this time of year. Years after her death my wife said I will always remember our Christmas at your Mothers filled with laughter. May all of your Christmas be filled with laughter and love---I do not remember the presents, but I remember the ornriness, the jokes, and the laughter. May you Christmas' be filled with the same. AND MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM SHITLEY CRANBERRIES AND THE CRANBERRY KIDS.