Always remembered

The 13th of this month mark a whole year since my grandmother died.....I can't believe it's already been a year. That we've made it through holidays without her - that was my biggest fear, what would Christmas be like without Granny around? But we made it, we missed her so much, but we made it. And here we are a year later - no longer grieving our loss but celebrating how we remember her. And there is nothing like my memories of my wonderful Granny!

(Letha "Jane" Pounders aka Granny)

I Remember......

.....her pot roast, possibly the best ever! And how she make it almost every Monday night

when we'd drive into town from the "farm" to visit her and Papa in town.

.......all the dresses she made me, my sisters and my cousins every Easter and Christmas. Sometimes, as a little girl, I thought they were too scratchy and too poofy but now I look back on how carefully she chose the pattern, and each pattern of material for each girl, and how she spent countless hours with her scissors and her sewing machine making each of those dresses with so much love.

.....the playhouses she helped my Papa build for us. First mine, the tiny blue house with the little windows and the leftover linoleum flooring. And later, when we were older, they build us a "huge" playhouse! Big enough for adults to stand up in, with two "rooms", electricity, windows you could crank open and how many hours we spent making mud pies and bark soup in our house!

.......the ginger snap cookies that were always in her cabinet. I don't know what the brand was but they came in a paper sack. So yummy!

......the smell of taking a shower at Granny's - always with Head & Shoulders shampoo and Caress body wash. Today I opened up a thing of Caress White Peach & Silk Blossoms and for just a moment I was a little girl sitting in Granny's tub all soapy and happy!

......the way Granny said "Ah, shut up, Peppy!" to their cat during the dinner because he'd always meow at the door to go out!

......the time Granny was making us a quilt fort in her living room and in sheer excitement I stood behind her waiting to go in - she stepped back and tripped over me and caught herself. Later her wrist kept swelling up so bad, she ended up going to the doctor and had broke her wrist in like 3 places! All because of me.....and how I cried so hard and she laughed and told me "it was no big deal! Accidents happen!"

.....showing her how I could tie my shoe, she was the first person I showed after my daddy taught me. I remember her standing at the kitchen sink peeling potatoes and randomly eating slices of raw potato! And how proud she was of me for doing this simple task!

.....the way she looked so cute and funny playing her ukelele in their Sr. Ukelele band! We laughed but we loved how much she loved it!

......she always hung her shoes up so neatly on one of those wire racks on the back of the door!

...... how she used a GIANT magnifying glass propped up on her chest so that she could see her cross stitching!

......the way she's sing this little "do-do-do" tune and swing her foot while she did......

I remember my Granny was strong, determined, smart, witty and more then anything she loved each and every one us unconditionally. Even if she didn't agree with something one of us was doing she never judged and you never felt judged. She loved, she loved strong and she loved endlessly.

I miss my Granny - all these memories bring tears to my eyes and a huge smile to my face! She will always be remembered....