My Gran was an incredible woman. She has been alone for over 30 years. But in that time she raised many grandchildren, helped raise great-grandchildren and had many of her own children living with her. She was very self reliant. She made the BEST vinegar pickles I have EVER eaten! Every one of my birthday's that I was home she made me a yellow poppy seed cake with her very delicious fudge frosting.
Gran was fun to talk to and had a full life of experiences that she could draw on for help with any trouble I was having. I used to love spending time at Grans with my cousins. We would swim in the slough, take rowboat rides to see the covered wagon and the old shed, we used to color scrape and color cat tails, make willow whistles, play Ani I over, red rover, knock out and roll in, fly kites in her fields, ice skate by the dam, and drag car hoods full of cousins behind pickups in the fields in winter. Gran was always up for a wiener roast and smores. I remember playing in her hay stack and sometimes if we were lucky, finding a kitten or two. We used to use the old pipe trailer as a teeter totter, and play on the old pickups in the shed. She used to have a "big spool" that she used as an extra table for family picnics. When we were young and small enough we used to climb down inside and hide.
When I was 5 we were at Gran's for a family dinner because my Uncle Rodger and Aunt Renee had come to visit from Oregon with their two kids Bryce and Tina. All of us were out playing when I got a dirt clod in the eye. It cracked my eye open. I was taken to the hospital where patches were put on my eyes for almost a week. It was pretty scary. But I got a few fun visits in the hospital from family.
After I had a few kids of my own I went out to Gran's and did a video of her. I can't remember all the the questions I asked her, but it was a fun time. I loved having the opportunity to get to know her so much better. One of the hardest things about moving to Jersey has been being away from my grandmas. I used to call her on Sunday's just so I could keep up with her and the family. She was always so happy to hear from me and always made me feel like she genuinely missed me.
When I was 8 Gran gave me her jade necklace. It was so beautiful! I loved it. I was so excited to have a little piece of gran all of my own. We had a dinner at grandma and grandpa Fielding's house. I was excited to show them what she had given me so I put it in an envelope to keep it safe. By the time I ran into their house to show them what she had given me it was gone. I was so devastated! We searched and searched but never found it. I don't know that I ever had the guts to tell her. I miss her so bad. It was one of the hardest experiences of my life not being at her funeral. Because of hurricane Irene we were flooded, flights were cancelled and new flights were outrageously priced. I had just started school the day she died (or should have, but couldn't because of the hurricane) everything was working against me. My family had moved the Saturday before so our home was a disaster. The only consolation I received was that the night before she died I had a dream of her. It has helped me be ok with not going home. I LOVE that woman! She was remarkable! And I am honored to have had the privilege of being her family.
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