A NOTE TO MY READERS: This post may be a bit on the long side but worth reading if you have a bit of time on your hands.
In Loving Memory
Edith Hatch Terry
Feb 1921-Jan 2008
Things I Learned from My Grandmother:
1) How to be the perfect hostess. Any of you have been to one of my parties can attest to how much I love to throw a good party. This talent I got from my Grandmother. She could throw an amazing party. From the delicious food, impeckably set tables, and fancy dishes, to the love she had for being the perfect hostess, I got it all from her.
2) How to sew. Now because I lived so far away from her my whole life she was never able to teach me personally how to sew, but she taught my mother and my mother taught me. She was always a perfectionist in all that she did and sewing was no exception. If a seam was not stright, or in the wrong place she would do it over until it was right. If a pattern called for 2 yards of material she could get it out of 1. She was pretty amazing. She was so very excited when she found out that I had taken up sewing, and was willing to give me all the tips she could
3) Things are not worth doing unless you do them well. See above for example.
4) And above all to Marry the person that you love. She and my grandfather were so much in love their whole lives. I remember they would always hold hands and give each other kisses, and as much as I thought this was a bit yucky as a child I can see now how beautiful it was. They were like this till the very end when my Grandfather would hold her hand while she was in bed unable to move, to the kiss he gave her before they closed her casket.
Things I learned in my two weeks in Utah.
1) THROW THINGS AWAY!!!! If for no other reason then one day someone is going to have to have to clean it all up. My grandmother saved everything. And although I ended up with some pretty cool fabric, thread, rick rack, and cards, I also threw A LOT of stuff away.
2) Just because something is a good deal does not mean you should buy it. You may think that someone will have a use for it some day but I will tell you now that no one will want a sheet set that was only 2 bucks that you purchased in 1975, huge orange flowers and all.
3) Orgonians are VERY polite. They let you in (in traffic), take their carts in at the store, they hold they door for you, etc. And in Utah they do not.
4) Utah drivers are Freekin' CRAZY. I think they suppose they have god on their side or something...
5) Learn all you can about who you are and where you came from. My Grandmother was full of so may stories about her past, and I wish I would have been abel to hear more of them.
6) "Crazy" old men are AWESOME!!!! Aside from the stroke that my Grandfather had over six years ago which affected mostly his speech, he has a bit of dimencha. Because of this he wore a lot of pants... I'm not sure if this is because he would forget that he already put a pair on, or he was just cold, or what, but more often then not he would have between 2-4 pairs of pants on, with a couple of belts to hold them up. As sad as this was for the most part it was nice to have something to laugh at.
7) Looking at old pictures of yourself and you family is a fun way to pass the time!!!
*can you tell which one is me!
Two weeks is a very long time, and I am so glad that I am home! As much as I wanted to be home by the end of the two weeks I was glad that I was able to go with my mother so I could be there to help, and give her a hug when she needed it. I learned a lot these past two weeks, and saw a lot of things that I never thought I would see. I was able to cry, and laugh and celebrate a woman that meant so much to a lot of people. She will be highly missed, but is in a much better place!
* If you give up i'm the bald one with the sticky-outy monkey ears!
