Our family has a new addition! I would like to introduce Abigail Beatrice, born to my youngest brother Jay and my sister in law Tamara. Abigail is welcomed home by big sister Jade, now a mature 2 years old. Abigail is named after our Grandma, Alta Beatrice, we all called her Grandma Bea.
Now Grandma Bea was born in northern, central TX and grew up in West Texas. Her family grew cotton on land that is still farmed by the family today. Eventually she and my Papa settled in West Bakersfield, on a small ranch. By the time we kids came around, her pastures were leased out to Mr. Knoll and his herd of cattle. They were his cattle, but my Grandparent's land, so when we kids went out to visit for any length of time you could find us out moving irrigation pipe in the summer to keep that pasture green. We kids got really familiar with electric fencing too. As a matter of fact, way before I knew what colors were, I learned the first thing one did when you got to Grandma's house was to run into the garage and check for the lights on a box on the wall. If the red light was on, that meant that the fence was on, so be VERRY careful, if the green light was on, just watch out for cowpies. Anyhow, bottom line was that my Grandma was a busy one all her life, raising 4 boys and keeping my Papa happy.
As I got older I learned to appreciate my Grandma for who she was and what she did, not just for her wonderful sweet tea with a splash of rootbeer. Grandma Bea was always one to serve family first. I can scarcely remember a meal where she sat for more than 5 minutes, always jumping up to serve, refill or make someone comfortable at the table and enjoying every minute of it as long as family was around.
In her later years, my Papa would develop Alzheimer's. I would visit my Grandma more and more often then. Those visits would be some of my favorites as my formerly quieter Grandma would chat and chat and chat. I learned so much about her on those visits. She talked about growing up on the farmlands in TX, of how she, my Papa and their oldest baby escaped the dust bowl with only their model T and what they could carry in it, to the times of holding together house and home while my Papa sought work away in other cities for weeks or months at a time, through war times and to the first time she saw the property my Papa had picked out for her in Bakersfield which she would call home for over 40 years ("You want me to live on a SAND HILL?" - she said she would have loved it more had it come with a windmill.)
But she was always happy with what she was given. Once I dared to ask her if she ever wished she had a daughter, you know, to help with with the woman's work in the house and stuff. She told me when she was pregnant with her youngest child, baby #4 with three boys at home, she went to visit a friend that had a baby daughter. The whole time my Grandma visited that friend was at the ironing board ironing little dresses for the daughter. My Grandma Bea thought, "Dear Lord, Please don't let this one be a girl!" and sure enough, my Uncle Michael was born a healthy son.
My brother Jay is my Grandma's youngest grandchild and and she had a special place in her heart for the "baby". And since my brother Jay's middle name is Floyd, after my Papa, it is only fitting that his daughter's middle name is Beatrice after Grandma. So little Abigail Beatrice, I could just imagine that if Grandma Bea were here to hold you, the first thing she would say to you is, "Well Howdy Sugar! Aren't you a pretty little thing!" and then make you a spot at the table.
Now Grandma Bea was born in northern, central TX and grew up in West Texas. Her family grew cotton on land that is still farmed by the family today. Eventually she and my Papa settled in West Bakersfield, on a small ranch. By the time we kids came around, her pastures were leased out to Mr. Knoll and his herd of cattle. They were his cattle, but my Grandparent's land, so when we kids went out to visit for any length of time you could find us out moving irrigation pipe in the summer to keep that pasture green. We kids got really familiar with electric fencing too. As a matter of fact, way before I knew what colors were, I learned the first thing one did when you got to Grandma's house was to run into the garage and check for the lights on a box on the wall. If the red light was on, that meant that the fence was on, so be VERRY careful, if the green light was on, just watch out for cowpies. Anyhow, bottom line was that my Grandma was a busy one all her life, raising 4 boys and keeping my Papa happy.
As I got older I learned to appreciate my Grandma for who she was and what she did, not just for her wonderful sweet tea with a splash of rootbeer. Grandma Bea was always one to serve family first. I can scarcely remember a meal where she sat for more than 5 minutes, always jumping up to serve, refill or make someone comfortable at the table and enjoying every minute of it as long as family was around.
In her later years, my Papa would develop Alzheimer's. I would visit my Grandma more and more often then. Those visits would be some of my favorites as my formerly quieter Grandma would chat and chat and chat. I learned so much about her on those visits. She talked about growing up on the farmlands in TX, of how she, my Papa and their oldest baby escaped the dust bowl with only their model T and what they could carry in it, to the times of holding together house and home while my Papa sought work away in other cities for weeks or months at a time, through war times and to the first time she saw the property my Papa had picked out for her in Bakersfield which she would call home for over 40 years ("You want me to live on a SAND HILL?" - she said she would have loved it more had it come with a windmill.)
But she was always happy with what she was given. Once I dared to ask her if she ever wished she had a daughter, you know, to help with with the woman's work in the house and stuff. She told me when she was pregnant with her youngest child, baby #4 with three boys at home, she went to visit a friend that had a baby daughter. The whole time my Grandma visited that friend was at the ironing board ironing little dresses for the daughter. My Grandma Bea thought, "Dear Lord, Please don't let this one be a girl!" and sure enough, my Uncle Michael was born a healthy son.
My brother Jay is my Grandma's youngest grandchild and and she had a special place in her heart for the "baby". And since my brother Jay's middle name is Floyd, after my Papa, it is only fitting that his daughter's middle name is Beatrice after Grandma. So little Abigail Beatrice, I could just imagine that if Grandma Bea were here to hold you, the first thing she would say to you is, "Well Howdy Sugar! Aren't you a pretty little thing!" and then make you a spot at the table.
2 comments:
Congratulations, Auntie Dianne. :*) She's beautiful!! I know you can't wait to get your hands on her :) :) :)
Congratulations Dianne and family ! What a beautiful little girl :*)
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