Grandma's wine

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My grandmother passed away in 1999. She has been sorely missed ever since. She has always been the strongest, toughest woman I have ever known in my life. And still, like all grandmother's, a 'peach' too ;) A wonderful woman who truly cared about all of her large, 9 kids, family and extended family too.

I (kidded?) my wife, before we got married, that if my grandmother did not approve of her then I would not be able to marry her... I'm not 'sure' to this day whether I was 'kidding' or not. But, lucky for me, grandma seemed to like her fine :) As do I 30+ years later ;)

I have discovered that my grandmother ran away from an abusive home, abusive step-father, when she was 12 years old to live with an aunt.

It was, understandably, rare for grandma's house not to have this kid or that, my uncles and aunts, around discussing life in general. But this one day, a long time ago, just the two of us were sitting in her dining room and she began to tell me a story about her early life. Generally grandma was not one to talk about herself so I was elated at the time, and now too, that she wanted to share something about herself with me.

My grandmother was half Indian. Not an easy thing in and of itself back in the day...

I'm sure I don't remember everything she told me that day, but I sure wish I did. But the jist of it was that she married my grandfather when she was 14. She told me the most amazing story about the first year they were married... That they lived in a tent for the better part of that first year, in a valley, in harsh winter. Hard for me to imagine. But, imagine I did... This must have been back around the 1930's, close to 80 years ago... I had an uncle tell me, not too long ago, that my grandfather worked with/for the railroad and that he and my grandmother moved with the railroad as it progressed through the countryside. Living outdoors, campfires and tents. I have always found all this to be quite romantic myself.

Eventually my grandfather had an opportunity to move into town (Springfield, MO) and they got a nice house, on a nice street, where they did what we all do... Worked and raised a family. I have one uncle and one aunt, twins, that are 9 months YOUNGER than I am :) And another who is but a couple years older than I and two maybe 6 or 8 years older... Her 'kids' range in age from 70+ to 52/53 right now, nearly a 20 year spread. All of my uncle's and aunt's on my mom's side have always been very special to me. I spent quite a lot of time with my grandmother at her house, when I was younger, and even lived there for a bit at one point. My grandfather died when I was very young, I think about 5 or 6...

I spent many glorious years visiting my grandmother's house and spending time with all my aunts and uncles. I always loved her house. It always seemed somehow so 'special' to me. Likely because it contained my grandmother and all my aunt's and uncle's from time to time, dropping by to visit, play cards, eat, and laugh. A real 'hub' of family, always.

During the 1930's my grandmother sewed/repaired burlap feed bags for a local Springfield milling company owned by my grandfather's sister's husband. The mended 'sacks' (burlap bags) were used to store cattle feed. They had a small building behind the house that *I* always knew, when I was growing up, as the 'sack house'. I didn't really know what it was or what it meant but I thought it was cool because I didn't know anyone else in the world who even had a 'sack house' :) One of my aunts tells me that grandma almost always had a large pot of ham and beans on the stove, in the kitchen, while she was out working in the 'sack house'. That or some stew or a roast. My grandmother was a very good cook too ;) If I remember what I have heard correctly she made like a couple of pennies per bag, per repair job... For my entire life that remained the 'sack house'.

My grandmother, like my mom, was always there for me, as she was for all her kids, whenever I needed her. She was always so much fun and always had a beautiful, mischievous, all knowing smile.

She always had a large garden in her large yard and even had a barn, though the house was in the city. How cool is that?! I guess they had probably a couple of acres there... And she grew grapes... I don't/didn't remember that. Though I DO seem to recall 'smoking' some grapevine with one of my uncles once! lol

At any rate my grandmother died, and, in the end, some years later, her house was demolished, the land bought up by a corporation who, apparently, seeks to own the entire neighborhood...

My sister had the good sense to move a portion of my grandmother's concord grapes onto her own property where they now grow along/on her fence. By a wonderful stroke of fate some of my sister's good friends just happened to be wine makers. Last year they harvested the grapes from my grandmother's concord grape plants from their perch on my sister's fence and made several bottles of wine with them.

We had a bottle of that wine just last night... My what a wonderful treat! And a big toast to my grandmother, in Heaven.

I love you grandma.

I 'sometimes' talk about life, once you pass about 16 years of age, being about watching those you love suffer and die... But sometimes it is about remembering those you love(d) and miss so very much...

Greg