We never went hungry at grandma's house.
She had a garden every Spring well into the Fall season. Aunt Edna had chickens (before moving to WA in 1966, I lived on a familial homestead that had been in the family for generations - Aunts and Uncles on their own parcel of land; my father built our house a few feet from grandma's because they were getting up there in years).
Grandma could shoot long shots and skin a deer in under an hour - have it hanging and choice bits cooking for Supper ... all before the sun was barely awake.
Grandma plucked chickens for supper and keep the feathers to stuff pillows with.
Grandma sewed, and showed her DIL's how to make store-quality clothing.
Grandma could make grown men behave with just one raised eyebrow, stop fights just by standing up, and stop gossip just by stepping into the room.
Grandma was a kind and gentle woman who also had a no-nonsense streak, rock solid determination, and a backbone of steel. I mangled my ankle one day doing what I was told not to do on the back spokes of my cousin's bike and had to go to the hospital - the doctor there was kinda uppity and did not stitch it; it was healing badly. When I was changing the bandage a few weeks later, my grandmother saw my ankle and was furious. But she calmly said, "George, get the car and drive me into town." A short while later, she was back with a slip of paper with a doctor's appointment on it. She had enough clout to raise hell at the hospital and get the doctor who did not take care of me 'properly' fired; and I saw the other doctor the following week - my scab was painstakingly removed and I was stitched before leaving that doctor's office.
I have a wide scar on my ankle, but every time I see it - I smile. My grandma loved me and did what she had to do to so my ankle would heal without undue complications.
Grandma made each child feel special without singling them out for special favors or pampering them to the point of spoiling.
My paternal grandmother looked like a twin to granny from the Beverly Hillbillies.
Seriously.
In case you can't tell ... I LOVED MY GRANDMOTHER.
And I do my best to imitate her every chance I
can.
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