After singing rehearsal tonight, friends were talking about their new grandchildren and of course, I started thinking about my own grandmother. My Grandma, who I adored, was widowed at about age 64 - seemed old at the time but not now. I guess she had always had an artistic streak, she had a beautiful voice as a young girl and was offered a place at Julliard, but turned it down to get married. I remember her art coming out as sweaters, and pies and in traditional ways. She started painting after Grandpa died and all of the family has Grandma pictures all over our houses. It says alot for love, just about every one of her paintings was framed, and hung up somewhere. We have a few, this is one of my favorites - I call it Grandma's Saturn. She wasn't into particularly pretty pictures, we have one done of a racecar crash. I find that very interesting.
A strange fact came out the other day. Let me first say that I have always loved the name Rose, or really Rosie. I always wanted a Rosie in my life - never really had one (mom is Rozzy - not the same). It's just a name that I have always loved. Grandma was called Evelyn, with her Jewish name of Hannah. My aunt found Grandma's Birth Certificate the other day and the name on it was Rosie. They must have changed her name to Evelyn after she was born. I never knew this, no one in the family knew it. Kinda strange don't you think?
I think about Grandma alot, not obsessively or morbidly, but just sorta normally. The women in my family still have Grandma soup pots, or coffee pots, or china - and I don't think we'll ever get rid of them until somene takes them away from us. Grandma taught us that bats nest in your hair, and to always have a dime in your shoe...just in case. She taught me to knit and sew, and to be scared of heights. And superstitious!!! I can't spill salt to this day without throwing some of it over my left shoulder.
I'll save the story of Grandma coming back as a bird until another time. Lights out now.
3 comments:
That had me dreaming away, about our family's Evelyn, two Eves, and one Rosa so far; also about the way that ordinary things live long after their people.
She is so beautiful! I predict that you must've inherited her happy eyes.
I've got one of each..Bubbie Rose and Bubbie Ethel(Hannah)...you know Channa with the back of the throat gaggy sound for the "ch" - How would you type that phonetically? Khkqaannna? Not quite.
this made me so sad, wishing i'd known my grandmas, and got on with my own ma.it made me determined to show my grandkids all i know (when and if i have any). what a lovely serene photograph. we have a tessie(tiertsa) and rachel (rochalla) -also guttural 'ch', and a 'yenta' (me, yes, me!)
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