Christmas in Big Spring

You can tell I took this from my car window! But I wanted everyone to see the lighted poinsettias that decorate Big Spring. They are everywhere! Big Spring is the "Lighted Poinsettia Capital of...(the world? Texas? The Permian Basin? I really can't remember, but I am not kidding on this. It was printed in the paper recently.) We all have enjoyed the Christmas lights and if you want to make a few bucks, learn how to weld these and put them on a website. Here they cost $100 sm, $150 med., and $300 lg!

I hope Santa was good to all of you! Merry Christmas!!!

Writing the Tribute

Okay. It is time for me to contribute in earnest to the memory of Mother. First of all, thanks to all of you for posting such wonderful creations. Nothing would have pleased Mother more. I have been thinking about what I would write for a long time, and have really struggled with what to say, but finally, maybe have worked through some things...like denial that she's really gone from this world and getting past the last years of her suffering to remember her for more of what her real character was. Again, thanks to Molly for the challenge and honor to do this. I think we should continue with more good topics.



I will begin with the Christmas card. This was number 19 out of 20. I put together a couple of notebooks with the cards that told a little of the history of each card. For this one I wrote a quote from one of my students, "This looks like God could just step down from the sky." That is how this painting felt to me. I also quoted a carpenter that was remodeling our house that said, "This is the way it will look when Jesus returns." Mother painted me a duplicate of this original because I liked it so much (don't know where the original is) and I have it hanging in my house now. I look at the opening in the sky and really do see eternity where Mother is. I also stretch it a little and see a "cross" in the wire above the gate. It is my comfort. These cards are Mother's touch reaching out to us today and I loved every one of them.



Now to lighter things. Mother invited me to go on a trip with her and Granny to see Betty and Wally in Connecticut. It was a time filled with many, many laughs.
Mother saw these liberty hats in the souvenir store. I couldn't believe she bought them! We had a good laugh with Betty. Mother just had so much fun on this trip and she was so good with Granny who was really beginning to enter into the middle stages of Alzheimers. Betty and Wally took us to New York. It was such a treat for us to all be together and I treasure the experiences we had there.


Well, confession....it has taken me 3 hours to get this much done on this post, as my scanner and I do not communicate well, and the picture posting has been a real challenge. I had several others to show, but will bring them to the next family reunion. What's the next topic for posting, and I'll read up on the editing of my pictures? Love to all you kin folks!.....and Happy Birthday Mother, Number 75, today, December 12th. We'll see you soon.

Memories of a Good Mother

I've enjoyed reading the stories. It's so neat to hear others' perspectives on someone you love. Several ideas that Mother used to impress upon me when I was a kid ... to look at the details...ie. ALL THE COLORS IN A CLOUD...I know I've told this before, but I can remember many times when we would be driving along and she would get me to list all the colors I could see in a cloud or in a hillside, but guess what, she could see several more than I could come up with. Besides details in creation, she was good at looking at details in people. She would encourage me to look at WHY someone might be like they were, WHY someone might be a little rough around the edges because of sorrow or fear or hard times they had experienced. If I came home from school not liking someone, it would be time for a life lesson. I probably needed a LOT of interpersonal training, but it really has had an influence on my life, hopefully made me a more merciful person. The last years took their toll on her positive nature, but she was good at looking for the good in people.

Mother was a patient person, Lord bless her. I can't believe she always let me do my own decorating, and boy, in the 70's, it was really gross, but she let me make my own decisions, and I know she must have cringed at my color choices! Funny, but much later, I tend more to the fall colors she loved best.

Best memories...Mother in the kitchen, fried porkchops and those creamy potatoes with lots of salt and pepper...Mother at the piano...now and then I'll hear one of those oldies and it really takes me back. Linda, I never realized it then, but looking now at old photos, she really liked to dress her kids well. How many little dresses did she sew?! I can remember going to Cloth World to pick out fabric. And a LOT of shopping trips through the years, which, come to think of it, weren't the best memories through those teenage years! The photo of Mother and Meredith is still my favorite! And the rabbits are one of my favorite paintings. The photo of Mother and I and the boys was during one of her visits to Kerrville. I think she was taking an art class at the Cowboy Artists Museum.

She drove that little white minivan down here many times during about a ten year period...Texas Arts and Crafts Fair, or Carson's graduation, etc. Carson's graduation was a funny memory, as she was here and the sky's broke open and SOAKED everyone during the Star Spangled Banner. It was chaos. We all ran ten directions, and most of us made it home! It was a couple of hours before Landon showed up because he went the other direction. We knew someone would bring him home! Graduation was resceduled until 9:00 that night in a crowded, warm auditorium. Most of the crowd had dry clothes by then, but the graduates were still soaked in their caps and gowns. Once, Mother and Verdi Brown came down on their way to an art show in Corpus. That was a fun visit. They stayed in downtown San Antonio for a night or two.When I dread that long drive from the Panhandle, I always think of the times Mother drove it, and I get a little tougher! Justus ought to tell this story, maybe he will, but for a year or so, Justus really had a weak stomach. That kid would get the throw ups really easy, and he was just like me when he did, just wiped out. Once when she got here for a visit, he had been sacked out on the couch all day, very sick little camper. Mother always carried those little orange peanut butter crackers when she travelled, her emergency food. She went in an sat with Justus for a while, got him to sip Sprite and nibble on those crackers. In a little while, he revived, and was as good as new.It's always been a family funny when we are sick that we need some of Granny Nelle's miracle crackers!
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A subtle guide

Your stories and memories of Granny Nell are all amazing and have brought me to laughter and tears in the same moment. Reading your blogs have provided a great escape from my studies. She meant a lot to each of us, and loved us more than we probably all deserved. She believed in us and I knew that even if I was not blessed to have spent the amount of time with her as many of you had. I don't have a funny story, just lots of little memories that I hold on to. For instance, I remember her taking us to the Museum in Fritch, and being in awe of the murals. Breakfast was always a momentous occasion on the ranch, what a great way to start your morning and Ive never had better biscuits. She also was a great healer and one time gave me a sprite and peanut butter crackers and I was cured, I thought it was the greatest cure ever.

One particular memory stand out. One summer just my mom and I visited the ranch, I think it was right before my senior year of high school and I got to spend time with them without the rest of my brothers. One day Granny Nell's pastor came over to discuss funeral arrangement stuff and I sat in with her and my mom. I was amazed that through the meeting she never seemed afraid, but instead she just bragged on all of us ; her kids and grand kids, and it was obvious the extreme love she had for us. I was scared not wanting to come to terms with her planning her inevitable funeral, but left blown away about how focused she was on others. That has stuck with me over the years, and I only hope that I can care about others the way she did.

This picture is at the entrance to the Poling Ranch on the day of Granny Nell's Funeral, I always thought it fitting how beautiful the sky was that evening!

I read these posts this morning and I have been on the verge of tears ever since! Granny Nelle was such an amazing person and someone who taught me so many things. I remember going to the post office with her, and on her way out she said hello to someone who didn't return the courtesy. She looked straight at me and said, "ALWAYS say hello to someone when you pass them - even if you don't know them." It seems fitting that she came up with the name for "Howdy Neighbor Day." She taught me other things - like to always use "cream rinse" when you wash your hair. A nice coat of red nail polish always looks good. Accessorizing matters. It's ok to spend $50 on a shirt if it's at Annzel's.

She also taught me how to draw - I remember being at the ranch during the summers, and when I would get bored she would set pots and vases on the kitchen table and have me draw them on the chalkboard in their kitchen. When I was ready for her to come look at it, she would erase the parts that weren't quite right and I would re-do it until it was perfect. My senior year of high school I had an art piece that was chosen to go to state, and I think she was more excited than I was.

I remember when I was a kid (10-12 maybe?) and there was a new litter of kittens. One of the kittens got an ear infection which left it a little retarded. It would try to walk and would only be able to make a half-circle and then would fall over and start the whole process over. We quickly named him Dizzy, and I was determined to nurse him back to health. After a few weeks Granny Nelle took me into Fritch and had Jock Lee put Dizzy to sleep. I'm sure that's the only ranch cat that ever had a dime spent on it, and I'm still thankful for that.

Of course, there's also the story of Parrish's first visit to the Ranch when Buddy died. The five of us stood in a circle around Buddy, dead on the kitchen floor, and Walt said, "Yep, he's dead. Stan, get the back-ho." As we were walking out to bury Buddy, Granny Nelle tried to make conversation with Parrish. She asked, "Well, Parrish, do you think dogs go to heaven?" A perfectly good segue for the theology student. I don't know why we thought it was so funny, but it still cracks us up.

My Freshman year of college...

This is a picture I took at the Ranch one Spring,

and for some reason it makes me think of Granny Nelle.

Exactly how I remember her...

I have so many great memories of Granny Nelle. Some of them are about the quirky, funny things she did, like the time she told us, "Did you know that if you go to the gas station and get an ice cup, you can put coke in it and they won't even charge you!" I also have a funny, funny memory of attending "A Chorus Line" with Granny Nelle, Mom, and Monica in Amarillo after my parents divorced. Mom had decided that Monica and I needed to be versed in the arts, and who better to include than the artist Granny Nelle? So off we went to the Civic Center for the off-Broadway production of "A Chorus Line." This was back before the Internet existed, so I don't guess any of us knew much about the plot. When the production began, we were so excited for what was in store. We had no clue. I was probably 8 yrs old at the time, but I guess I was old enough to realize what a homosexual was because I remember thinking, "This is kind of strange," when the men were singing about being gay. I recall many native Amarillans leaving during that song. The crowd was really beginning to thin out. Then came the song of all songs: "Tits and Ass." No kidding! Granny Nelle and Mom just laughed while all the other stuffy people filed out furiously. I'm very proud to say that we lasted until the very end. Thank you, Mom and Granny Nelle, for the wonderful "art" lesson I received that day!

When I think of Granny Nelle, I think about sitting on the porch of her house and always seeing her face through the little window into the kitchen. And she was always laughing. The last time I saw her was one of the most precious days of my life. Carly was 2 at the time and Granny Nelle was pretty much confined to her bed. Carly was at the stage where she didn't like anyone except Marc and myself. So, I was worried about taking her to the Ranch and her acting ugly. But on this day, Carly climbed onto Granny Nelle's bed and started jumping up and down, laughing, squealing! Granny Nelle loved it and was laughing right along with her. It was precious. I cherish this memory and I'm so grateful that my daughter remembers Granny Nelle and got to know her if only briefly. I am also grateful that I have a "Grandmother's Memories" book that Granny Nelle filled out (if only partially) before she left us. It tells me about her experiences growing up ("I never knew we were poor," she writes.) She also wrote about knowing God ("I always believed he was real, but any doubt was gone when we had our first child. When you realize you gave birth to a perfect tiny human being -- perfect in every way -- God had to be the Creator.") She also writes about being a Christian. She says,

"I have fallen short -- every day of my life. I think being a caretaker to someone who needs you and you quit thinking about your needs -- it helps you become a Christian. Learning to be a giver instead of a taker -- in any walk of life."

To me, that is the embodiment of Granny Nelle's life.

Wild Plum Jelly

One of my favorite memories of Granny Nelle was her wild plum jelly on those itty bitty biscuits she would make. The wild plum thickets would only produce fruit about every 5 years, and Granny Nelle would go out and pick them all. She then would make this beautiful pink jelly.

One year (1993-ish), there was a bumper crop. My boyfriend at the time and I went out to the ranch to visit. We all decided to load up and go pick plums. By the time we arrived at the thicket, Karl, the ex-boyfriend, decided he was allergic to the bees and wouldn't get out of the truck to pick plums with the rest of us. There was Granny Nelle, in her shorts and pantyhose, picking like crazy, while the lazy boyfriend of her granddaughter sat in the air conditioning! Needless to say, I don't think Karl was her favorite!

Now, back to those biscuits. Does anyone have the recipe? What did she use to cut those out? They weren't any bigger than a silver dollar, and she always had them ready to go before I was even out of bed. They were hard and dense, and I still crave them when I visit Walt. And, I think she baked them on the same pizza pan as when I was a little girl.

Granny Nelle was always interested in what I was doing, and more importantly, HOW I was doing. She was such a good listener and cared so deeply for me. I miss her funny sense of humor and her big hugs, kisses, and pats on the hand. I feel so lucky to have been a part of her family!

remembering Granny Nelle

This is the last picture we have of Granny Nelle. It was taken right around Mother's Day of 2005, I believe. I know that someone had brought her those beautiful flowers from their own garden, and she was so amazed at all the different textures and plants that person had grown.

Ed Montana had come over that morning and played his guitar while she played the piano and sang. And that had been so much fun for her.

So when I look at this picture, I remember the Granny Nelle I knew, who always had a smile, a sense of wonder and a sense of fun.