My grandmother Mary-- her beauty delicate, her will strong. I never met her but I can see this in her photograph-- she sits tall, her shoulders squared and ready for whatever was to come, her eyes penetrating and confident and her mouth, determined. My mother tells me that she had a glorious singing voice and that she loved falling asleep to her mother playing the piano. What I would give to hear her melodies.
Grandmother Mary was also an accomplished milliner with her own shop in Pennsylvania. For the early 1920's having her own business was bold. I love that she posted quotes and notes on her wall and with my magnifying glass, I have tried to decipher what mattered to her. I know that beauty mattered , music was essential and her children were everything-- she had four of them and gave her life for one of them...
My Uncle Clair, her youngest son, passed away recently and requested that I be given the cast iron stove that was originally in the corner of her shop. For many years I have studied this photo and admired this jewel of a stove. To say that I was happy to receive this generous gift, doesn't say quite enough.
It arrived today after a 5 day journey across the States in this modest red truck with the Pennsylvania plates. A real and true Pennsylvania treasure!
And here it sits in our garage. It will need a gentle acid bath and a loving polish but it will be my greatest pleasure to restore it to its original beauty. My Uncle Clair will be smiling from afar...
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