Walking with my father through my mother's garden in a barn foundation overlooking Lake Memphremagog where she spent summers as a child in Canada. Surely her soul resides here as well as in our hearts.
Mom and Carrie face to face. Peter looking on.
Peter with Mom and Dad.
As if I needed reminding, the day lillies in my garden this morning are over the top with orange blossoms. It is their job every year to announce the birthday of a woman who knew her plants and brought the best I've ever seen from the soil.
My siblings are becoming grandparents as a new generation of children join our family. Jude, Auggie, Margaret, Mason and Alden are the great grandchildren she will never know.
I recall the arrival of her grandchildren. Never at a loss for a creative project, Mom went right to work when Gretchen was born. Every evening as Dad smoked his pipe and read the paper and I was upstairs doing homework, Mom did careful stitching to make the bodice of a smocked dress to send out to California. Do children wear those anymore? I know Gretchen wore the ones Mom made for her, and I am sure there are photos to prove it.
She knit sweaters. One for each grandchild. I'm not sure they were actually worn much due to the itch factor of wool but they were beautiful. She gave my children baby blankets made from the left over wool from all the sweaters. Many a night, I wrapped one of my girls in her "Granny blanket" and rocked her in the old chair when something had woken her in the night. Mom used to rock me, too. In the same chair.
Then came the painted furniture. She painted toy chests and children's chairs with flowers and personalized them with the name of each recipient. Each Christmas, I tried to have something home made for my kids when they were young in honor of my own mother's creative spirit.
May the memory of Granny live on in the minds and hearts of her grandchildren; Gretchen, Peter, Ruston, Jessie, Sarah, Martha, Sylvia, Carrie and Eliza. And may the stories live on for the next generation to hear.
Martha Lamb McLean; creative spirit, loving grandmother. She wasn't sentimental and had strong opinions. She had a big heart and a deep love for her family. May she be remembered.
4 comments:
Barb, that is so nice and has such a true ring. Esp..."she wasn't sentimental, but..."
Thank you.
Great tribute to Mom, Barb. Thank you for putting it on paper so those who never knew her now know a little bit more. She was a great granny and is indeed my role model
No, kids don't wear smocked dresses any more. Mommies don't iron any more either. Polyester Fortrel was invented when Gretchen was about a year old. Gerry Lizotte sent samples from the outlet in NYC and I remember making dresses for Gretchen out of the yard long sample pieces...no more ironing! No more smocking either. There was a lot of time and love in those dresses and huge hems! Gretchen wore the two smocked dresses Mom made for about three years each.
beautiful,beautiful, beautiful! love the tenderness of this writing, so evocative and lovely photos.
followup as sometimes my post won't post....first cloudy day in 9 straight days, i'm happy to see the clouds so we can have a lazy day. paul's been here for his vacation week and i'm worn out though it's been fun. no time to do my blog but have a few in the works. miss you alot and look forward to making up for lost time. if you ever feel like a mid week getaway to the cape there's room at the inn and i would love to share this magic place with you!!
Post a Comment