I’m hoping we’re not entering into, ‘The Seven Lean Years!’
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I often think of my two grandmothers when it’s gardening season. Granny K had 6 kids, Granny N had 5. They both had gardens and canned so they would have produce for the winter - feeding their families well depended on a successful garden. I’m sure they had years where, for whatever the reason, their garden didn’t do well & I have wondered what they must have been thinking & trying, to salvage what they could. They had meat in the smoke house (both grandads butchered hogs) & chickens/eggs so they would not have starved with little or no garden during a ‘lean’ year. My grannies were some of the hardest working women I’ve ever met - both had different ‘styles’ of cooking, but were excellent cooks.
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Reminded of two things:
Mom was poorer-than-poor growing up, and Grandpa was not always the best provider. Her Mom was a wonderful gardener and they almost always had something from the garden in the winter. One winter they survived on stewed tomatoes over toast. These days, Mom won’t TOUCH a stewed tomato to save her life, LOL! (Though she steals as many of my fresh tomatoes as she can carry!)
I also had a ‘City Grandma’ so I had the best of both worlds. Got to spend time in the City, go to plays and concerts and movies, learned to ‘dine’ in fancy restaurants, went to museums and art galleries and the ‘big’ Library. Clothes shopping at Gimbels! I was her little Dress-Up Doll.
Yeah, it was grand. All of it. You couldn’t ASK for a better childhood, really.
I certainly favor my Country Grandma over my City Grandma, but it was nice to have two very different options. ;) Still trying to figure out how to Polar Opposites like my parents managed to meet, let alone get married. City Grandma liked to ‘dress’ my Mom, too. She was as gorgeous as any model back in the day. Very ‘Jackie Kennedy.’
And for all of my complaining, I am ridiculously blessed and lucky to be living NOW, versus way back when. :)