Childhood memories

I was born in the "front" bedroom of my parent's home west of Enid, OK--six miles west and 1 3/4 mile north of the highway patrol, the corner of Van Buren and Owen K. Garriot. My mother named me Rose Marie because she had read a story where a character was named that and decided it was a pretty name. My parents were Retta Barge and Lewis Benedict Miller. I appeared shortly after harvest was completed on July 10, 1922. They had been married just over five years (May 12, 1917) and already had two children: Lewis Wesley (Feb 8, 1919) and Ruby Mae (Feb. 2, 1921). Ruby Mae was only 17 mo old at the time but was already quite the big sister. I'm told that when I was just 10 days old she discovered I had woken from my nap and she proceeded to take me out to mother. She had her arms under mine and had me clasped tightly to her. Mother had a few moments of panic but reports that I was delived to her safely.

Mother nursed me as was the custom, eventually supplementing this with oatmeal, mashed carrots, mashed potatoes, etc. My exalted position as the baby of the family lasted mearly two years until the birth of my brother, Lester Christopher, on June 7, 1924. Eventually there were eight children in the family: another boy, Dale Ross, April 21, 1926, Bonnie Lea, Dec. 10, 1927, Glen Orville, Feb. 4, 1931, and Betty Jean, Sept. 10, 1932. Inevitably there were groupings in the family. I became a part of the three "big kids". Then there were "the boys" and finally "the little kids". Bonnie came to resent being grouped with the little kids--perhaps because she was more than 2 years older than Glen--perhaps because she resented being ignored by Lester and Dale who were ususally good buddies and needed no little sister tagging along.

I don't remember Lester and Dale's birth. I suppose the big kids were taken up to Grandma Miller's as usual. I remember Dale as a toddler. It would have been the winter of 26-27 and mother had lined a big wooden box (36" x 36" by 24" deep) with old comforts and placed it near the pot-bellied stove in the dining room so that he would be warm and safe from active older siblings.

I remember staying at Grandma's for one birth and it must have been Bonnie's. We always went to Grandma's every Sunday afternoon (why did we call it"Grandma's"?), either by car or buggy depending on the weather and road conditions. But we were Never left there for grandma to care for, except that time. It got dark, and still the folks hadn't come for us. Grandma fed us, bedtime came, I was so sleepy. Finally Daddy and Lewis Wesley came and announced that we had a new baby sister. it flitted thru my mind "where did she come from?". Seems like I asked Wesley. Anyway I asked somebody and they said the doctor brought her. The next week when the doctor came to see mother, he had his little black bag with him and I decided that's how he brought Bonnie but I still wondered how he knew to bring her to our house.