My Grandmother died today. She had not been doing too well for a while so it was not unexpected. Still, it's a sad day for me and my family. I have not been real close to my grandmother over the years, but I did try to visit her when I was in Oklahoma where most of my family lives.
When my brother and I were kids, Grandma lived on what is now the Tall Grass Prairie near Pawhuska, OK. One summer we visited her and my step-grandfather, Oliver, for a couple of weeks. Oliver was a real, no-kidding, cowboy on a huge ranch there. He rode horses every day to take of the cattle he was responsible for, and as a result, he and Grandma lived in the middle of the prairie. That's code for "in the middle of nowhere".
I can tell you, two boys on a ranch in the middle of nowhere with their Grandma, and her cowboy, are living life about as good as they can. We rode around the ranch with Oliver in his truck (no horseback riding because we were a bit too young to ride real cowboy horses), learned to balance ourselves walking around on top of the barnyard's sucker-rod fence, tried to milk the cow, made butter with a hand-crank churn, played in the stream… Somehow, Grandma was patient with us the whole time – no small feat I'm sure. Oh it was awesome -- part of my highlight reel. Now Grandma is gone, but that is the way I will remember her…
2 comments:
It sounds like your adventure with "our" grandma and her Cowboy are the same although I do not believe we visited at the same time. There was fishing in the creek, and a bowl of icecream at the end of the day. We too, walked the fence. It was high, about six feet from what I can remember, but then again I was small so everything looked big. There was horseshoeing and puppies. Grandma Jean was taking old gunny sacks and needleworking the designs imprinted on them for rugs. After Oliver passed away she married Roy Ball who treated her like a queen. I remember Grandma Jean always had animals, Siamese at the farm in Barsdall when married to Grandpa Elmer, Jean' Pierre the poodle when on her own different animals on the ranch in Pawhuska and a couple of dogs while with Roy. Unfortunately when Grandma started getting ill, it was too much for Roy and his health started to fail as well. Grandma was moved to the assisted living area in Claremore. This Wednesday would have been Roy and Jean's 20th wedding anniversary.
I remember well, because Grandma Jean and I got married on the same day. Her, a few minutes before me at my parents house. My mother was not only daughter of the bride but mother of the bride as well.
We will miss her. Your cousin...Jo
Hi Jo,
Yes, we will miss her. Thanks for adding to the story. I was a bit too tired to make a longer entry yesterday.
My adult memories are mostly of visiting Grandma and Roy in Foraker. Because it was always around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, it was always cold and windy. REAL cold and REAL windy! I can't remember Grandma complaining, but I can't imagine anyone not complaining! :-)
Take care,
Dan
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