Sunday, February 08, 2004
GRANDMA - THE PERSON
I have been busy telling you what I did at grandma’s house so now I will talk about her. She was not the kind of grandmother that swept you up in her arms to hug you but there was a sense of protection about her. After all, she was widowed with three children still at home and aunt Mary on weekends. Children were not a novelty to her and she preferred well behaved children. I was always busy and I assume making noise because she stopped short one day while ironing and said, “Esther do you have to make noise in everything you do.?” I took that to mean she wasn’t interested in what I was telling my dolls so I moved to the front porch.
Grandma didn’t have much to laugh about. Her work about the place was hard and money was never wasted. She was an astute business woman and rented out her farm at DeSoto that she had acquired from a Bouvier uncle. She had a house in town that her mother left her and I believe another rental property or so. I vaguely remember going with grandma and aunt Mary to collect rent at different times. Over the years she was able to build a sizeable savings.
I grew up in her house. Aunt Inabelle and uncle Roger often came to visit with my parents and grandma would take me home with her. All the years grandma lived in her home it hardly changed from the first time I remember it. Different things were repaired but the old fashioned look never was. Therefore it was one of the most stable things in my childhood because life at home was routinely flexible.
One by one her children married and moved away except for uncle Peter (Bud) and uncle Roger (Buster). They lived their entire lives in Blair. Aunt Mary’s home address was Blair but she taught school in Fremont until retirement. She was always at the home place week-ends and summers.
Aunt Mary was the one who stayed at home and took care of grandma in her failing years. Grandma traveled whenever it was possible to visit her three children who lived away from Blair. She died June 11, 1974 with most of her family by her side.
Grandma impacted my life. Her dedication to her family and her determination to overcome any set-backs was noted and remembered. No matter the situation she always did the “right” thing. She was honest and hardworking, not given to luxurious living, and had a charitable heart. Most of my life my name was unlike any other name. There were lots of duplicates and “faddish” names but I was always the only Esther. When I was younger it sort of bothered me but as I grew older I felt privileged to carry the name and attempted to live up to it.
Tomorrow we get acquainted with the Stricklett children.
Until then,
Essentially Esther
Grandma didn’t have much to laugh about. Her work about the place was hard and money was never wasted. She was an astute business woman and rented out her farm at DeSoto that she had acquired from a Bouvier uncle. She had a house in town that her mother left her and I believe another rental property or so. I vaguely remember going with grandma and aunt Mary to collect rent at different times. Over the years she was able to build a sizeable savings.
I grew up in her house. Aunt Inabelle and uncle Roger often came to visit with my parents and grandma would take me home with her. All the years grandma lived in her home it hardly changed from the first time I remember it. Different things were repaired but the old fashioned look never was. Therefore it was one of the most stable things in my childhood because life at home was routinely flexible.
One by one her children married and moved away except for uncle Peter (Bud) and uncle Roger (Buster). They lived their entire lives in Blair. Aunt Mary’s home address was Blair but she taught school in Fremont until retirement. She was always at the home place week-ends and summers.
Aunt Mary was the one who stayed at home and took care of grandma in her failing years. Grandma traveled whenever it was possible to visit her three children who lived away from Blair. She died June 11, 1974 with most of her family by her side.
Grandma impacted my life. Her dedication to her family and her determination to overcome any set-backs was noted and remembered. No matter the situation she always did the “right” thing. She was honest and hardworking, not given to luxurious living, and had a charitable heart. Most of my life my name was unlike any other name. There were lots of duplicates and “faddish” names but I was always the only Esther. When I was younger it sort of bothered me but as I grew older I felt privileged to carry the name and attempted to live up to it.
Tomorrow we get acquainted with the Stricklett children.
Until then,
Essentially Esther
