Memories
Memories, we all have them. Believe it or not, I have memories back to when I was two and a half years old. Many of my fond memories are of my grandparents on both sides of my family. Recently while visiting my older cousin, he gave me several small personal items from our grandparents on the Moran side of the family. I was very much blessed by his generosity. (He, being a Palmer, my dad’s sister’s married name, thought they belonged in the Moran family.)
When I got home I carefully inspected each item, although not all are shown here. And, I thought some of those memories were worth sharing. So, I got out my camera and placed them on an old embroidered tablecloth made by my maternal grandmother then took a few pictures. My grandmother, second from left on the back row of the photo, (she was 12 years old when taken) passed away at the age of 85 in 1974. The open box, symbolic of the empty tomb, contains the obituary of her mother, who passed away in 1920, and her gold Modavo watch. I wound the watch and it still runs… like a watch, of course!
On top of the larger wooden box is her compact and a thimble. Reflecting in the top mirror of the compact is my grandfather’s prayer book. More about him in a moment. My grandmother was up before dawn every day baking homemade bread and tending her garden. I can still taste her made from scratch meals to this day. She also loved to watch “Wrestling at the Chase.” She thought it was real back then just like some people today think WWE is real. Pat O’Connor, Lou Thez, Dick The Bruiser, and Bulldog Bob Brown, were a few of the big names.
If you know my dad and ever wondered where he got all of those “Moranisms,” they mostly came from my grandmother. There has been a lot of wisdom passed down in those sayings like, “You have to carry your own hide to market.” You probably won’t get that reference, but I sure do. Now back to my grandfather for a moment. He passed away at the age of 89, just two years after my grandmother. He was a blacksmith until he was 85 and decided to give it up when my grandmother passed away. They don’t make men like him any more! If you knew or saw him you’d know why. My dad would always say, “He was tougher than a pine knot.” I could share more about that, but some things are left to my memory.
The photo underneath the compact shows my grandfather pictured in an article celebrating his 88th birthday. There are three other men in the folded newspaper clipping, but the newspaper misidentified my grandfather. Some things don’t change I guess. The box his photo sits on is closed and contains a few of his religious artifacts. I chose to keep the box closed for no other reason than my dad indicating that my grandfather never said much. Grandmother did all the talking for him! But, he is still speaking through the life he lived. As a blacksmith he kept the farmer’s equipment running, and as a father he provided meat for the family in the winter by hunting quail everyday during the season.
Today, my brother, John, has the Browning automatic 12 gauge shotgun our grandfather used along with his anvil – which is still in use almost 100 years later. Seeing, and now possessing these items take me way back. Way back to a time that hopefully won’t be lost to memory. At least not if I can help it.
