I have so many memories of Nanny, it is hard to pin point the very first one. It’s like trying to recollect the first memory you have of your mother. You just can’t do it. .. They are vast and never ending. They’ve been around since the beginning of time!
Nanny kept Clint & I a lot when we were children. I’ve always felt blessed that we were able to stay with her when Mom worked. She always tried to make things fun for us. She had an entire cabinet of Merle Norman makeup in the hall bathroom. I would climb up on the counter, so I could see myself in the mirror, and get pretty. On occasion, Clint would get pretty too. Afterwards, I would go dig in her jewelry box to complete my look. Nanny and Big Daddy also kept a large water barrel full of change in their closet. Clint & I would go dump it out to “count” it. There would be coins EVERYWHERE! Nothing was off limits. We could get into anything, make messes, get dirty.. things that would make a mother cringe. And it did! I can still hear Nanny saying, “Sharon, you leave them kids alone!” Apparently, when you become a grandmother, you get to be the fun one. Your worries and frustration disappear and something allows you to let kids be kids. I am now experiencing the same with my own children. When “Ma” hands Jade a pen, make-up, ice cream cone, or anything else of nature, I too cringe. I then remember they are making memories with their grandma and in my head I hear, “Jakki, you leave them kids alone!”
We got to go out a lot too. During the summer, Nanny often took us to Bee Creek swimming pool or the Bryan Aquatic Center. She never learned how to swim and was terrified of water. So, she wouldn’t get in. She would just find a place in the shade and sit there in the 100+ degree weather and let us swim for hours. Other times, we’d go out for snow cones. I would get peach with cream or pickle juice. Yes, pickle juice. It was literally pickle juice over ice. Nanny would say, “That’s going to make your tummy upset, but you can get it if you want it.” She was right, it made my stomach churn. But, it was so good and so worth it! I still talk about those pickle snow cones all the time. We’d stop by the Mrs. Baird’s Outlet. Or, as Nanny called it, the day old bread store. They basically stock whatever the factory didn’t sell the day before. We were allowed to pick out snacks. I always got the chocolate cupcakes with the little white swirl across the top. Mmmmmm, I wonder if they’re still as good as they were then. There is actually an outlet down in south Fort Worth. Every time I pass it, I think of Nanny. One day, I’ll have to stop in and get some chocolate cupcakes.
During the school year, we were still able to see her everyday. She worked for our elementary school in the cafeteria. I would get so excited to go through the lunch line to see her. When our lunchtime came around, she would come out and pick out “the best” of whatever they were serving for us. I though it was so cool that she was there and enjoyed being greeted with her smile on a daily basis.
Nanny taught me a lot of things too. She was one of the craftiest people I have ever known. As a child she was always keeping my little hands and mind busy with our next project. By 3rd grade I knew the basics of sewing, knitting, crochet, cross stitching, and many other miscellaneous crafts. Once, she showed me how to make little roses out of ribbon. I catch myself making them all the time, just to let it come apart and do it again. Sewing stuck with my mom more than it did with me. She has built on what her mother taught her and now can make some really beautiful things. Namely, quilts that will be wonderful keepsakes for her own granddaughters.
Family time was really important to Nanny…. And not the kind where you just all sit around staring at a TV screen. She had a love for board games, cards, and dominos. We always sat around the table playing games, cutting up, laughing, and sipping on our glasses of tea. It is still one of my favorite things to do. Her sisters were always her best friends. She was the baby of the family, and there was always a sense that they were looking after her. I believe she looked up to them all very much. They enjoyed going on camping trips together. When they all went to Garner State Park, we got to go. It is one of the most beautiful places in Texas. There are rolling hills, the crystal clear Frio river, hiking trails, a fun dance hall, and wildlife that will eat out of your hand. The women would all make a different type of homemade ice cream for us to all share after our hamburgers, something they still practice while camping the night before our family reunions. Once, I tried to introduce my husband to the magic of Garner State Park. Due to poor planning on my part, it was an utter failure! I hope to get another chance to show him sometime, and this time I won’t plan on going in November!
Holidays were one of the things Nanny was great at. For one thing, she was an amazing cook and baker. Thanksgiving was always delicious. And since there weren’t presents involved afterwards, we actually ate and savored the food. Christmas was a different story. We’ve always celebrated with my mom’s side of the family on Christmas Eve. So, we start out with dinner that evening. To change it up, we have Mexican food instead of the traditional turkey dinner. As a kid, I don’t think we even ate. We would rush through our plates as fast as we could, so we could get on with the gift exchange. Clint, myself, and all my cousins would impatiently wait while the adults finished their meal. Then, they would tell us we had to wait while the kitchen was cleaned up. I’m pretty sure they went as slow as possible. It was pure torture. Then, Santa would show up. Seriously, the real Santa.. Complete with a real, white beard, white hair, a big jolly belly, rosy cheeks, red suit, gifts and all. I was terribly shy and it was literally like I was meeting a celebrity. Out of all the years he showed up, I can’t say for sure If I ever even spoke to him. But, I will never forget how amazing that was!
Nanny contracted Hepatitis through a blood transfusion she received after giving birth to my Uncle Albert. For about 50 years she endured the disease as it slowly broke down her body. She took medications and/or injections daily. Though she had some bad days, weeks, and months, she was a fighter. She suffered many side effect from the disease itself as well as many of the medications she was required to take. Even so, she made the best of things and still made every effort to help those who needed it. She assisted many of the people living in her community. I am certain she left an imprint on their lives with her generosity and caring heart, just as she did ours. Over the last 5 years of her life, her health began to rapidly deteriorate. She started looking sickly, tired, and ran down. A lot of the time, the way she felt could be seen in her mood. On Christmas Eve of 2010, she showed up looking the best I had seen her in years. Her hair was perfect, she had her nails and makeup done. She was wearing a beautiful red sweater. I always thought she looked so pretty in red. You could tell from the way she was smiling that she felt great. She was absolutely radiant. I couldn’t stop talking about how good she looked for weeks.
On August 1st, 2011, Nanny passed away peacefully in the night. I truly believe God gave us that last evening with her, the way we all wanted to remember her, before he called her home. Whether it be a hummingbird passing by, hearing an old song she used to sing, having a scotcharoo or a glass of milk and cornbread, I am so thankful for all the little things that remind me of her. I am looking forward to telling my girls stories about her as they grow, just like my mom shares with me of her grandmother. She will always be greatly missed and impossible to forget.
