I Remember Mema...

Mema was my maternal grandmother. I named her that sometime way long ago before I can remember... She's always been Mema.

My first memories of Mema were when she kept a rooming house for Ohio State students in Columbus, OH. I must have been about 4 years old. We, Mother, Daddy and I, had recently moved back to Ohio from North Carolina.

Mema was great for cuddles and for telling stories. She would always start her stories, "Once upon a time when I was a little boy..." I would squeal and tell her, "You were never a little boy". We'd laugh and she'd go on with her story.

Another thing she used to do for me was to allow me to pop out her lower denture. I'd press on her chin and she'd pop out the denture. More squealing and laughter.

She had a tree right next to an upper story window where a squirrel would come and beg for treats...which she had plenty ready. That was a thrill for me.

She used a real ice box, and I can remember the ice man coming with deliveries of huge blocks of ice to put in the top of it.

She spent her later years living 6 months a year with us and 6 months with her other daughter, my aunt, in Pensylvania.

Remember back when I was writing about painting the bedroom in our house? Well, it's been completed for a while but I finally got some art hung. It's all photos that I took while living on Whidbey Island. They and others actually hung in a couple shows there.

So the bedroom has my photography, but better than that it has a lot of Mema's things in it too.



Mema made the quilt for me about 1962. Her plan had been to make one for each of use 4 grandkids, but I was the only one who got one. After that, it was beyond her. It's a Double Wedding Ring pattern. I chose the pattern, and the blue and purple centers but she cut out each of the tiny little pieces and sewed them together all by hand. Mother then took the "top" to a local church where the ladies quilted it also all by hand. I just started using it in this room. Why keep a thing of beauty "saved" and hidden?

The little rocking chair was Mema's as was the pillow on it which she also made. I have many memories of Mema in her later years sitting on that chair (it was white then) beside a square table which I also have, sewing, sewing, sewing. She sewed my quilt top while sitting on that chair.

The three pillows on the bed were embroidered by Mother. That was the only "fancy work" Mother liked to do, Crewel embroidery.

Hope you enjoy my memory room...