Some of my earliest memories of Grandmommy involve her garden and her kitchen. In the summertime we would take a long pole down the little dirt alley behind their condo on Lark-field Maples, down to a Santa Rosa plum tree that hung over the fence. We’d poke and shake the tree, and dodge the falling plums, and try not to step on the bees. Then we kids would haul the fruit back to the kitchen, and Mom and Grandmommy would take over and make jam. This meant we had to clear out, but if we behaved we would get to swipe our fingers across the plate she used to see if the jam had started to set up. She also grew cucumbers, and at every lunch and dinner there would be a dish of cucumbers and vinegar on the table. We eat plenty of cucumbers at our house – it’s one of the few vegetables Lily will eat – and if they happen to be served in a little bowl it always makes me think of Grandmommy. My kids adored their G.G. About 2 months ago, she gave Lily a purse (actually, a pouch for scrabble tiles) and a hankie to tuck into the purse. Of course, a 3 year old with a purse and a flowered hankie is excessively cute to see, and each – and I mean each and every – time someone complimented her on her purse, Lily would beam, “My G.G. gave it to me!”
— Jessica Wheelis
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