A Century Under Her Belt

Steve's grandmother, Monu as we call her, celebrated her 100th birthday this month.  She has lived through eighteen presidents, at least two big recessions, and more wars then most care to think about. 

Here are some other fun-facts I found for the Year 1912:

- The “Unsinkable Ship,” also known as “The Titanic” sank at 2:27 AM off the coast of Newfoundland on April 15th, killing 1500 people

- Life Savers Candy was created in 1912 by Clarence Crane.

- Motorized movie cameras were invented, replacing its hand-cranked predecessor

- New Mexico became the 47th state in 1912

- Arizona became the 48^th state the same year

- Pitcher Cy Young, for whom the major baseball award in now named, retired with 511 wins

- In 1912 Nabisco had a new idea for a cookie, and named it the Oreo

- Girl Scouts of USA is founded

- The 5^th Summer Olympics was held in Stockholm, Sweden

- Albert Berry made the first parachute jump from an airplane

- The average life expectancy was 47 years

- Only 14 percent of  homes had a bathtub

- Only 8 percent of  homes had a telephone

- The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph

- The average wage in 1912 was $1022/year

- The average car cost $941

- A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year

- More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME 

And most importantly, Monu has witnessed the birth and soon-to-be death of the Twinkie!

Our special lady, Monu, herself.  She still manages to squeeze in a daily crossword puzzle

100 candles would only be fitting to rest upon one of the best desserts ever-- Lois' famous ice box cake.  It's delish, especially when topped with cool whip.

My boys love being with Monu. She is quick to point out that in Newberry, Michigan, she was a kindergarten teacher with thirty children she managed each day.  Eighty years later she hasn't lost her skill in capturing children's attention--starting when the babies are six months old she sings a resounding rendition of patty-cake.  As the kids grow, so do their games; Gavin's favorite is 'let's cover Monu in stuffed animals' and Harrison enjoys impressing Monu with his reading skills. Monu 'ooohs and aaaahs' enough to keep Harrison going.
It's a very special day, December 20th.  Happy Birthday to an incredible lady!

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