Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Remembering Grandma


This week for Sepia Scenes I'm posting a photo of my Grandma. I chose to take the old black and white shots and convert them to the sepia toning in honor of her birthday. That's me she's holding. At that age I have no idea what I was doing with pen and paper in my hand.
Grandma passed away many years ago. Tomorrow (Thursday) will be the 105 anniversary of her birth so I thought these old pictures would be quite fitting for Sepia Scenes.
If you came to check out my Sepia Shots you might want to go ahead and click and go and that's OK with me. You see this post might get a little long. I just need to say a couple of things about her here today. My Mom lost her birth mother when she was very young and my Grandma and Grandpa took my Mom to raise. Grandma was not related to me genetically. That did not make a difference to her. She loved my Mom and me and my brothers as if we were her own flesh and blood. When she would see us downtown on a Saturday morning or at church on Sunday her whole face lit up with joy. She would always have to kiss us on the cheek. If I happened to be with her on Saturday we might go in the local drugstore bypassing the red stools at the soda fountain for a booth seat. She would get us an egg salad sandwich and a coke for me and an orange crush drink for herself.
I spent a lot of time in the summer at Grandmas. We would feed the chickens, hang out laundry to dry and then turn around later and sprinkle them with water before ironing, cut up corn for canning, and sit in the rockers and sing gospel songs together. Grandma loved Orange Crush, Coco Wheats, Doublemint Gum, watching soap operas and me. Happy Birthday Grandma - I miss you.

For more Sepia Scenes click the badge at the top of my post.

31 comments:

George said...

This is a beautiful tribute to your Grandma. She sounds like a wonderful woman. The photos turned out very well in sepia.

Anonymous said...

Oh my dear frined. From feeling your hug across the miles yesterday to this today...what a wonderful tribute and what a truly gifted and terrific woman you are. I'm so glad to know you and this is just awesome :)

annalarssonphotography said...

Beautiful tribute to your Grandma! :)

There is so much love in this shots and in your words.
I know she misses you too.

Anna

Patti said...

This is just wonderful. I love stories about family and what surely sounds like a simpler time and place.
Thanks for sharing that.

The pictures came out well in sepia. My (free) photo software doesn't make the photos such a warm sepia shade. Very sweet post, Carletta. ;-)

Pollyanna said...

This is great! I have one grandparent left and I treasure every moment I get to spend with her.

Jientje said...

She was a remarkable woman, I can feel how much you loved her. Beautiful tribute and a great Sepia post.
PS: It was 40 years ago last Sunday when my grandma passed away and I still miss her too!

Annie Jeffries said...

How completely and totally heartwarming your story is.

Janie B said...

What wonderful memories you have of your grandmother. I remember doing laundry like that with my mother and grandmothers, too. Also the canning and rockers and gospel songs. Enjoy your memories as you relive those happy, happy days.

Kerri Farley said...

A beautiful and touching tribute to your Grandma! Wonderful post!

Ralph said...

A beautiful and loving view of a special person. I have written of my heritage with Grandpa, and the special bond between the more experienced (I prefer not to use 'old') and us when we are impressionable and ready to learn a thing or two. And they led by example, and we loved it when we were young. Special too is the always beautiful West Virginia hills. Touching!

JunieRose2005 said...

Carletta,

What sweet remembrances of those times spent with your grandama!

I love reading this and seeing the pictures.


Junie

Felisol said...

A wonderful story from real life.
How very appropriate that you honor your grandmother in this sepia way.
How important those earlier years of life is.
How on cherish and always remember the good things given in love.
From Felisol

Chrissy said...

Reading this post got me all teary-eyed. You made me miss my grandma oh so very much. Won't it be wonderful if we could see them again for just one hour? Beautiful post and photos Carletta.

Unknown said...

Beautiful words and pictures. Wonderful tribute. You got me sniffling in the end.
The chicken part reminds me of my own Grandmom.
Sigh...

Dianne said...

lovely memories, beautiful tribute to your Grandma

judi/Gmj said...

The love shows in her face! There is nothing like a grandmother's love. I miss mine too.

Anonymous said...

OMGosh Carletta, I have a photo of my grandma holding me almost like that except we were inside the house.
I miss my grandma & grandpa sooo much at times, it's hard to breath. I cry at times & realize I've been thinking about them (tears running down face now)
That's the same way I feel too about my grandma, I can name all kinds of things she loved, but there's ALWAYS ME at the end! I've always said that if ever I felt loved by anyone... It was MY GRANDMA!!!

Thank you for this post! GREAT GREAT POST!

Raven said...

What a beautiful tribute to a wonderful woman. You are so blessed to have had that kind of love in your life. She sounds like she was the best Grandma life could offer.

anemonen said...

A lovely picture of your grandmother. Very nice endeed. I love that kind of photo.

kayerj said...

I love your pictures, and especially your story. Grandma's are wonderful

Linda said...

What a wonderful tribute to your grandma. She sounds like she was a wonderful woman with a bunch of love to share. What a blessing!

DeniseinVA said...

Hi Carletta, thank you for sharing your memories of this very special lady, your Grandma. The love you have for her really shines through and this is a very touching tribute to her memory. I loved reading about her.

MyMaracas said...

What a lovely post, and what wonderful memories. She must have been a very special lady, and I can tell you miss her still.

Rose said...

Oh, Carletta, this is wonderful! It brings tears to my eyes. What a wonderful grandmother you had...its the heart that counts in this case. More special that she wasn't blood related.

Oh, and I love them in sepia, and you sure were a cutie.

Gemma Wiseman said...

O what a wonderful, touching story to accompany the photos! Thoroughly enjoyed the experience of this post!

Janet, said...

Loved this post and your pictures. I loved my grandma too, and have many fond memories of her.

Pat said...

She sounds like a wonderful woman and you have great memories. I didn't have that kind of relationship with my grandmother - I was more afraid of her. She only spoke Italian, she had long gray hair to her waist, and she seemed so old at the time (but really she was only in her 60's!) She died when I was only 10. I never knew my other grandmother, or either grandfather, for that matter.

Stephany said...

Such wonderful memories you have of your grandma! Both my grandma and granny passed away years ago but I have many fond memories of the summers I spent with them. This was a great post, Carletta, and the sepia toning is perfect for the photos.

Lynne said...

Oh sweetie,
This is a dear post in so many ways.
To see her holding you, to read of how they took your mom in to raise, and all of these special memories. What a special lady and granddaughter. I'm glad she and you shared such a deep love. (My dear grandma's BD is soon. I don't think I can do a blog post to remember her, but thank you for this time of reflection right now.)

Twisted Fencepost said...

Beautiful tribute to your Grandmother. And I love the pictures to go with it.

Maggie Moo said...

There's nothing like a grandparent to make you feel like you belong in this world. My Papa has been gone 10 years this year and he always had that look on his face you describe...