Esther

Tribute to my mother-in-law--  Esther hale

Since this is Esther’s birthday month and she is always wanting us to write something for the family website I thought I would write about her!

When I met Wayne’s family in 1970 I met a lady that would forever keep my life interesting.  She was a lady with a wig and sold Mary Kay.  She was always into some “experience” and dragged me into a few of them with her!    While Wayne and I were dating he asked me to Sunday lunch at their house.   She was making mashed potatoes and as we walked thru the front door she somehow dropped the pan and the mashed potatoes flew through the kitchen to the living room and plopped on the floor.  This is one of my first impressions of my mother-in-law.  After that it was just one thing after another.  One time she almost burned down the kitchen with a grease fire on the stove.  Extensive damage!!   For some reason (chance of money) we decided to make drapes (I think it was her idea).   Leland made us a large table to cut the fabric so we set out to make our first drapes for the office of the First Baptist Church (free of charge of course).  After that my dad paid us to make drapes for his mobil home.  We discovered right quick that this was hard work and decided to fold up the table.    Our next project we experienced for several good years was our business of catering weddings.  After awhile we purchased and old Volkswagon Van and  would  load up the van and away we would go.  Esther would look in the paper at wedding engagements and call them and set up appointments to talk to them.  One time we had decorated a cake and left it on her kitchen table.   Mike came in from work and did not turn on the light, took out a frozen loaf of bed and threw it on the table!!!!    Also we were catering a large wedding at a Sherman church and I heard a loud bang and when I turned around I saw Esther dazed  and standing by a large plate glass window.   She was walking lickety split and ran into the window.  We wondered then if she needed glasses!!!

I think her next adventure was photography.  She attended classes at Grayson College and became a photographer.  Next  came the studio in the basement.  She was a wild woman with a camera.  If you stood still she snapped!! 

Of course there are many stories before my time in the Hale family.  We have all laughed at the thought of Leland teaching her how to drive and her running over a man!!  When she looked in her rear view mirror all she saw was him making a flip in the air.  He was not seriously hurt and I think he hobbled off!!  We have all heard about her painting the kitchen floor with spray paint.  This may not sound so bad until I tell you it was black and she made it polk a dot!  One time she wanted to check on the Wayne and Jo Ann who were working in the hay field (at night while learning to haul hay)  but it was a ways from the road and she was afraid she would walk on a snake.  Her decision was to run as fast as she could to avoid any snakes but she did not count on a bobwire fence in the way. (Remember it was dark) She had stripes where she bounced off the fence.  Ouch!!!

Well I am sure I will think of other things during the day so if you hear me laughing you know it is about my MOTHER-IN-LAW.  Wayne and I will be married 40 year in April and without her it would not have been the same.  Love you Esther and Happy Birthday!!

Note from Jo Ann:  All this time I thought it was just me she was getting in trouble.