Yesterday I received a Valentine’s Day package in the mail from my Grandma Kate.
Grandma Kate is 83 years old and lives in a gorgeous, 1940s-era hunting lodge in Eureka, Montana. The only thing Grandma Kate has ever done — besides raise a family of six kids, that is — is create art. She went to Berkeley near the end of World War II, but never graduated because she met my grandfather, a dashing and handsome (but dirt poor) returning GI who had dreams of becoming a bigtime rancher in the west. They got hitched and re-settled back in her home state of Montana where they started the 69 Ranch, paid for through her trust fund.
Well, my grandfather turned out to be not such a great farmer, nor was he very good with money, and he liked the booze, but they acquired a lot of land and their children grew up exploring every square inch of it. As the years went by and the alcoholism increased, Grandma retreated deeper and deeper into her art and into her faith.
Today, her house is filled with drawings and paintings of wildlife, wood burnings of geese and raccoons and mountain goats, beautifully painted wooden ducks, and wreaths fashioned from pine cones. My favorite piece is a mise en scene featuring a miniature log cabin surrounded by deer and trees made entirely from twigs, stones and sticks.
Grandma doesn’t have the stamina for meticulously detailed art projects anymore, but the one thing she still creates with gusto are scrapbooks. She presented Jake a scrapbook about bullriding and rodeos not long after we got engaged. A couple times per year, she mails us a package with another 30-50 clipped images from newspapers and magazines to add to the book. That’s what came in the mail yesterday, along with a letter and a collection of her lovely Valentine’s collages.
My grandfather passed away a few years ago, and I have to say, I think Grandma Kate is enjoying her time without him immensely. Her letters are giddy and witty and full of exclamation points!!!!! and ribald jokes. The third paragraph in her most recent letter contained this line:
“Seed catalogs have come in, so I have spring fever. I may try a small garden. Corn, tomatoes and marijuana.”
I kind of hope she’s not kidding, but you can never tell with Grandma Kate. This is a woman who openly and gleefully cheats at Yahtzee and takes the point even when it’s obvious she doesn’t deserve it.
The letter also contained a page of jokes I felt compelled to tack up to my bulletin board for inspiration. (Be forewarned: The following jokes aren’t for the faint of heart….especially if you’re from North Dakota.) (Apparently, Montanans used to feud with their neighbors to the east like the Hatfields and the McCoys.)
1. A man was leaning nervously against the outside of the pharmacy when his pharmacist showed up for work. The owner asked the pharmacist about the man. She replied, “I couldn’t find cough medicine yesterday, so I gave him a laxative.” The owner yelled, “A laxative won’t cure a cough!!” “Yes, it can,” she said. “Look at him—he’s afraid to cough.”
2. How many pallbearers do they use at North Dakota funerals? Answer: Always two. There are only two handles on a trash can.
OUCH!!
I know you won’t read this, but I really love you, Grandma Kate.
Tags: Grandma Kate
Sweetest. Thing. Ever.
And yes, I’m talking about your grandmother.
MY grandmother sends me a valentine every year too — only hers is store-bought. Sometimes vintage. And she tapes a piece of cinnamon gum to the inside of the card with a little heart-shaped sticker (apparently fresh breath is the key with Valentine’s day). Since I’ve been married, she includes 2 pieces of gum — one for me, and another for DH. Sweetest thing I receive all year, I think. But maybe not quite as cool as Grandma Kate. Sorry granny.
That is so cool JK, I think I have only ever received one valentines card in my life!
I love this Jessie – Your Grandma Kate sounds like a very special lady. Thank you for sharing this with us!