Inheritance & memories
Part of what we did when Mom & I were in Dallas was to take picks from Granny’s treasures when we were packing things up. It all went very amicably, no ruffled feathers or anything – I expected nothing less. They are good people (which goes without saying since I am one of them…) :)
Granny had lots of jewelry and some lovely boxes that Grandad made for her through the years. I ended up with two of the boxes and she had insisted that I get picks from her opal jewelry since I love opals like she did.
Roses carved on the front. She loved her roses.
A necklace box he made for her. He used to be mighty crafty. Anything and everything was fair game to make into “art” – cockleburrs, dried okra, old CDs, postage stamps got put into tiny picture frames…
One of her favorite gems.
And pearls. She loved pearls. Funny. She wasn’t a fancy lady, but she did love bling and smelly perfumes. I guess I come by my magpie traits honestly.
What I love the most is this quilt. Her mother made it and one other and never had them quilted. Granny had had them quilted in the last couple of years. Aunt V took one and I got the other. It doesn’t really fit my bed and it certainly doesn’t fit the room, but some things you just have to use regardless because you love them.
Also a couple of very neat pictures that I remember being in their house since I was a small child. I believe Aunt V told me the frames at least were very, very old. The prints are also old, at least 60 years I believe. She said who the artist was but I can’t remember and I don’t want to tear the backing off to find out. I’ll just have to ask her again some time.
I wish I had someone to pass these things on to when I eventually have no more need of them. The cats aren’t gonna want them and quite frankly the opals will just blend into Caliban’s coat so he can’t wear them.
What treasures do you have from your parents, grandparents, someone special to you?
I have a ring I inherited from a favourite aunt, I wear it every day. I’ve got artworks of Stephen’s, including some small sculptures, some beautiful Chinese bowls, all the letters and cards we sent each other over the years.
How wonderful to have correspondence between you and him. Must be full of memories – which can be good and bad.
I lost most of my “heirlooms” from my grandparents in a fire several years ago. But I do have some old photos, a couple of paintings that hung on my Granny’s wall, and a couple of saucers from my Grandma. My mom has some things that were her grandma’s, and I guess my cousin Sharon and I will split those. I’ve already told Sharon she could have Grandma Gordon’s gold teeth, and for that matter that she can have mom’s gold crowns. My mom thought that was quite funny. LOL! Honestly, I am not sure what all mom has anymore. I know she ended up with a lot of Granny’s stuff.
LOL at the gold teeth. :) At least you have some photos. I do wish my paternal grandfather’s kids had paid attention to me when I offered to scan a dozen packed full photo albums so everyone could have copies. Ah well. There is still time to poke at them about it.
(Paternal) Grandmother’s potato masher, her butcher’s steel, a cutting board I made for her almost 50 years ago and a couple of other lil do-dads from her kitchen. Really, her kitchen was pretty much her life, so these are great reminders.
(Paternal) Grandfather: some of his hand tools. Favs: his rip saw and his crosscut saw, a railroad rail “anvil”. Some of his books (Tennyson, Kipling, etc. Guy was big on British poets.)
(Maternal) Grandmother: some dishes, books, curios (mostly reproductions of Middle Eastern artifacts, a few actual artifacts, very few, like three. Very much like three; in fact, exactly three. *heh*).
(Maternal) Grandfather: all his New Testament sermons (written); a couple of his study Bibles, some cuff links, etc. An autobiographical audio cassette tape. (Been trying to get my dad to do this for years, since he doesn’t like to write. My mom has a small library of diaries and memoirs–easily enough to edit into a comprehensive bio.)
Some photos from all.
Oh, there are various bits and pieces of furniture throughout the house from both sets of grandparents. A turn-of-the-20th-Century dining table and chairs and a dresser (maternal grandparents) and various chairs and small tables built by my paternal grandfather.
I used to have my paternal grandfathers “deer killer”–Model 1895 Winchester with Lyman sights–but a niece needed a piece to use for her own deer stalking (and neither of my kids were particularly interested), so it’s long gone now. He harvested a LOT of White Tails with that rifle over the years.
Having actual material that an ancestor wrote is far cooler than “things.” We sat down with these grandparents a few years ago and did some recordings of them talking about their childhoods and how they met.
I have a Steinway baby grand piano that belonged to my grandfather. For a few years during the Depression, he was a salesman for them (Tough time to be a piano salesman!). At one point, apparently they could not pay him in full, so they GAVE him a piano….
no one in the family played it, so I am learning.
I also have his set of the Columbia University Encyclopedia of Literature circa 1920.
Yeah, that pretty much demands someone learn to play the piano. What a great story to go with it.
An old wives tale here is to never just wear one opal- it’s bad luck. I thought you should know.
Hm. Guess that means I have to have more to wear with my wedding ring. All of Granny’s are set in gold and the ring is silver. I’ll have to mention that to the OAM – after all, wouldn’t want to tempt fate, eh?
Beautiful work on the boxes, and the rest is gorgeous, too.
And so nice to remember your granny in this manner, too :)
We have some quilts my grandmother had used to pad furniture the last time she moved. She was going to throw them out, the raggedy old things, but I could take them if I wanted. She’d made them back in the 20s when they couldn’t afford blankets from the store. It’s not that I’m sentimental about them exactly; more that I want to get all the good out of them, just like she did.