Our conversation made me think about my grandma. I have such wonderful memories of spending summer afternoons at her house. She didn't drive, and there certainly were no video games or cable. Instead, I spent my time watching her sew, cook, and work in the garden. While she was sewing I would play with her button tin. I was fascinated by all the variety of buttons! She would explain to me what she was doing, and I remember asking her "Grandma, how do you know what to do, you don't have a pattern?" Her response, "The best patterns are in your head, you will always remember where they are and how to do them!" She taught me how to knit and crochet, and I'd spend hours making a chain or doing garter stitch rows. She was a wise women, this kept me quiet and busy! She baked bread, and my job was to braid it and turn it into a wreath. In the garden I'd happily sit on her hammock and she would tell me the names of all her roses.
As I look at my life today I wonder if I'd be the same person without her influences. Even though she didn't teach me to sew, I learned so much by watching her and I grew up appreciating hand made clothing, and creating my own patterns. I share her love of gardening, and I knew I always wanted to have a beautiful garden like hers. As for the cooking, ehhhhhh, for those of you who know me, I am not the greatest in that department. I guess I should have paid more attention to that....
When my boys were small, I always made sure that they had their "grandma time." Kids today seem so scheduled, and over run with activities. Yes my boys had their share of organized sports, trips to the zoo, and video games, but there was just something about the simplicity of going to grandmas..She made them a spaceship under the basement stairs, they made homemade ice cream, played golf in the backyard, and on occasion she let them roller blade through her house...YIKES....
So I think I am going to give my girlfriend a call, and share my story with her. It's worth telling, don't you agree?
As for my grandma, she passed away many years ago. I kept her button tin as a remembrance. It sits in my studio, and I still enjoy looking through it and thinking of her.
Thanks Grandma.....
What are your favorite memories of your Grandma? There is something about sharing them that makes you appreciate them even more......
