On Sunday, Mom and I went over to visit Grandma. Besides looking forward to seeing my 101 year old grandmother, I was armed with a mission. At Orycon, someone (I’m sorry I’ve forgotten who) was talking about epidemics and how one couldn’t really interview people who had lived through the great Influenza epidemic. I realized that I could. When I mentioned that, Richard Lovett said that I should also ask Grandma about the Titanic, which would have been the shuttle disaster of her generation.
We wound up not talking about the flu epidemic, or even the Titanic much. Grandma says that they didn’t have television or radio where she was living when the Titanic went down, so she heard about it through word of mouth over the course of a couple of days. That sparked a memory of the phone that her parents had had when she was growing up.
It was an eight-party line, she says, and they weren’t supposed to listen in on their neighbors conversations but sometimes, when their mama left the house, Grandma would get a chair and climb up to get the receiver. She says that she thinks her mama put the phone up so high to keep them from getting to it.
I also learned that her father was an excellent story teller and would tell them ghost stories that, “made it so you were afraid to sleep at night.” The one that she could remember was about a man who was cutting through a graveyard and fell into an open grave. While he was down there, two people fellows came along and were dividing up walnuts, saying, “One for me, one for you, one for me…” The man in the grave thought that it was the boogie man and death talking about dividing up souls and leapt out of the grave and ran straight off. She said that couldn’t remember it the way my great-grandfather told it, only that the way he told it was scary.
I remember hearing this story when I was little, but don’t know where I heard it. Now I want to find a large print version to give Grandma for Christmas.
About this time, I remembered that I had a video camera on my palm pilot and so by the time she and Mom started talking about the Indian mound on my great-grandaddy’s farm, I’m ready. I’ve edited out the bits where we start talking about family.
It was a good visit. Next time, I’ll make sure I have the camera out the whole time.
My step-great-grandmother is also still alive, and over 100. I wonder what she remembers… (Her mind is incredibly clear, and her memory incredibly good.)
My grandfather, now deceased, also remembered the Titanic. His memories are similar to your grandmother’s. He also remembered the ‘flu epidemic — it was what took his mother’s life. He was eight. He rarely talked about it, but when he did, it was heartbreaking, yet fascinating.
I have spent a great deal of time talking with my grandparents, and my husband’s grandmother’s, about what it was like growing up. Things were so incredibly different for them. And, of course, it feeds the writer’s muse.
Thanks for sharing the clip of your grandmother. How wonderful she is still alive and is doing so well. Imagine still being able to thread a needle at 101.
She is a remarkable woman. I’m just happy that I remembered about that my palm pilot has a video camera for part of the conversation. She’s so modest, I don’t think that she’d take to being filmed, if she knew about it.
Hello –
Hope you don’t mind my making such an unrelated comment, but I’m excited to have found you here! May I LJ friend you? What amazing work you’re doing right now.
I’m not sure you’ll remember this, but many years ago, you very kindly invited myself and my now-husband Dan as overnight guests after an Other Hand performance. Rob bought us toothbrushes and you showed us the funny nest-on-face trick that your cat (Jasper?) did. We just moved to Hillsboro and I’ve started working with the Mudeye Puppet Company. I’d love to buy you lunch sometime whenever you get a moment.
Happy trails to you,
Kristen.
Oh my goodness! How are you? Yes, of course, LJ friend me. I think that was before Rob and I were married–has it been that long?
It has indeed been that long! I’d befriended your intern by email, who I’ve now completely lost touch with. But I remember the visit to your house quite well. Let me know when you’re in town and have some time to get together, won’t you?
Thank you for sharing this.
Mary, Please, PLEASE do this again…take your camera to Grandmother’s house. I don’t think you can anticipate how precious these recorded memories will be. How I long to have that kind of access to my grndparents! Even now, most of my cousins who remembered converstaions with our grandparents are dead and gone too. I am the youngest of the grandkids. Life if so transitory. You are a wonderful grandchild!
Heck! I went right home and recorded Mom and Dad talking about their memories of party lines. Don’t worry, I’ll record Grandma every chance I get. And expect to be recorded yourself, too.