Ramblings
in the Night
Grandmas
& Mamaws, Part II
This
story is about my Grandma Ruby. Since Part I was about Mamaw Pauline. Now let
me say right here, that I loved my Grandma Ruby. She would never have done the
things that Mamaw Pauline did. But she did do things to make each of her
grandkids feel special. I remember her singing to us. Little children’s songs,
ride a little horsey, row, row, row, your boat, and others. Grandma Ruby had a
farm. As a kid, I loved going over to the farm. She had cattle, pigs, chickens.
She even had a pet skunk that lived at the barn. I loved going over and
spending the night. So, I could get up early and go milk the cow. Pet, was the
milk cow on the farm. She would be at the barn door waiting to be let in every
morning and every evening to be milked.
Grandma
Ruby, did a lot of quilting. I have several quilts that she made. Right after
Christmas in 2003. I told her not to but me any clothes or give me any money
for Christmas in 2004. I told her, that I wanted a new patchwork quilt. She
smiled at me and said you do. I said yes. When Christmas came around in 2004, I
got a new patchwork quilt. The back is Carolina blue, and the front is made
from strips of cloth that came from the clothes that once belonged to my
Grandfather Carl. He passed away in 1965. Four years before I was born. Grandma
Ruby made quilts for all the grandkids and great grandkids. She worked all year
to make those quilts.
When
I was 4 years old. I was staying the weekend at Grandmas. She was in the
kitchen when I got up drinking a cup of coffee. She smiled when I walked in.
Asked me if I was ready for breakfast. Of course, I was. She looked at me, then
said well you need to learn how to cook. You may never get married. So, you
need to know how to cook for yourself. With her instruction and watching over
me I made my first meal. I made scrambled eggs, sausage and toast. Because of
Grandma Ruby, I fell in love with cooking, and baking. I still enjoy it to this
day. Grandma jinxed me though. After, I got grown. I didn’t get married like
the rest of my cousins. I used to get asked all the time, why aren’t you married
yet. It became a running joke in the family, how many times I would get asked
that question. And it all stims from those words when I was 4 years old. You
may never get married.
Grandma
had a green thumb. She could take a dead stick, stick it in the ground and it
would start to grow. She had such beautiful flowers around her house and in the
yard. She would give me cuttings, and say stick them in a damp place and next
year they will have roots and be ready to plant. Sure enough, she was right. My
yard in Knoxville, was full of flowers that were cuttings of the original that
she gave to me. I was lucky and have a nice green thumb myself.
I
remember that she gave me a whooping once. When I was little. I don’t remember
what it was far. I just remember that she was really, mad about whatever it was
that I did. I think if I’m not mistaken that took a crochet mallet to a dogwood
tree, damaging the bark on the tree. But I can’t remember if that is it or not.
It’s been too long ago.
Grandma
knew a lot about mountain herbal lore. We didn’t run to the doctor for every
little ouch we got growing up. You definitely, didn’t complain about not
feeling good around Grandma Ruby. That was a sure-fire way to dosed with castor
oil. Yuck. That was the nastiest tasting stuff I ever had to take. Horrible.
When
I was younger. Around age 8 or 9, I started having really bad headaches. These
headaches were the kind that would make your knee buckle and send you to the
floor screaming in pain. Mom and Dad had taken me to doctors, even a
specialist. They could find any reason that I should be having these headaches.
Well we were at Grandma Rubys one evening. We hadn’t been there 5 minutes, when
one of the headaches hit me. She jerked me up, and drug me into the kitchen. Set
me up on the counter. Then she got into a cabinet, pulled out a little clay
jar. Wasn’t very big at all. She dipped her first two fingers into the jar.
Pulled them out, then swiped them across my forehead and underneath both of my
eyes. Before she was even finished with the 1st eye, my headache was
gone.
I don’t
know what was in that jar. But it was a miracle drug. My headache was gone. I
do know that Grandma created the concoction. I do not know what was in it. Only
that it worked. I don’t know if she ever told anyone what was in it or how she
made it. I have asked several times over the years.
Shortly
after making the quilts in 2003 Grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I was working
at the University of TN. I came in one day during the week. I stopped by to
check on Grandma Ruby. It was just a normal day really. We carried on a regular
conversation. She asked me a dozen or so questions. Then there was a long
pause. Then she asked me the same questions over again. Sort of strange. I
asked her a few questions. I got normal answers. Then she asked me a new set of
questions. Things that she should have known the answer to. I immediately knew
that something was wrong.
Grandma Ruby and Aunt Shirley
I
left no long after that. I drove down to the high school. I wanted to talk to
my cousin David. He is the high school principal at Robbinsville. He lives
close to Grandma and would see her on a daily basis. I walk into his office. We
got caught up on current events going on with each of us. Then I just got to
the point. I asked him if he noticed anything strange going on with Grandma. He
immediately asked what I meant. So I gave him a rundown of my visit with
Grandma. He looked at me and said, you picked up that something was going on
that quickly. He informed me that Grandma had a doctor’s appointment the
following week. Yep, sure enough it was the beginning stage of Alzheimer’s.
Grandma
Ruby lived with my Aunt Shirley after that. She lived with her for nearly 10
years. Grandma passed away at the age of 93. She was born on the 6th
of November 1919. She died on 25th of February 2013. She never lived
to see me get married. I hope I can live as long as she did and keep my mind.
Both
of my grandmothers instilled in all of us a love for family and a love for God.
Both were faithful to their churches, with their time, talent, and tithe. They
set an example of Godly Christian women. Not just in public, but in their
private lives as well. They are truly missed by everyone, family and friend
alike.
Written By: David M. Shuler
13JUNE2017
Grandma Ruby with a couple of the Great grand kids.
Aunt Jen, Grandma Ruby, & Grandpa Richard taken in the late 70's or early 80's
This photo was taken at Mommie Styles house. My Great Grandmother.
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