Photo: Great grandparents at their farm in Blandinsville, IL, with five of their six children .. my grandpa was yet a twinkle in grandma's eye. Stable boy and governess also pictured. Hodges farm, circa 1903-4

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Grandma Elizabeth (Libby)

Grandparents George & Elizabeth Burge with George Jr.
... is one of my greatest sources of fond memories ... relating to ... all things homemade.  She was raised on a farm and from what I can recall, cooked fresh .. grew a garden .. canned food .. baked fresh bread .. bottled hot sauce .. even cooked up squirrel for my pop when we'd visit.  She was a living relic .. a holdover from a by-gone era that I had the privilege of knowing.  As I swelter over a hot stove little images of grandma pop into my mind; she was always standing over a hot stove .. even in her old age.  Hard work .. laundry done on a wringer machine down in the cellar .. hiking up and down those stairs with baskets of laundry .. hanging them outside to dry .. a big old cast iron cooking kettle on a tripod stood sentry over the backyard .. this I'm sure is where she would have cooked up her lye soap.  She didn't have to worry about artificial ingredients poisoning her family ... very few ready made products ever made it home in her basket.  She got up at the crack of dawn to make homemade yeast raised cinnamon rolls .. fry chicken .. bake biscuits.  Her home is where I got my hankering for all things homemade.  Do you have a grandma that inspired you?

9 comments:

Sandy said...

Your grandma sounds wonderful. Unfortunately,
I never got to meet either of my grandmas.
Both died before I was ever born. I do have
memories of sweet stories told to me about
both of them by my parents though.

meemsnyc said...

She sounds amazing! A true original homesteader!

Tania said...

Your grandma sounds very similar to mine. I used to love visiting my grandma, especially her yummy homemade goodies. I miss her dearly, she was 92 when she died.

Rita said...

You bet and she was the best grandma ever. Showing me how to be happy with little and not even realizing she was doing it. As long as she had enough she could not see a reason for more. I miss her so. My mom also cooked from scratch and now my daughter and I both have returned to more cooking from scratch. I love it and much happier with my food. Just takes a little more planning. I cook more on the weekends and have leftovers throughout the week. She made homemade noodles and they were delicious. Thanks for giving me a chance to share. :)

Ruth Trowbridge said...

Nope - you are very lucky, this is a lovely tribute - am sure she watches down on you with the same pride - peace

Pat said...

Grandparents are truly a gift from God, I do not have those wonderful memories since one grandmother passed away when I was a toddler and I didn't live near the other.
I do have memories of my own Mother's skills...and I do treasure those.

Linda said...

Beautiful tribute! Your grandmother sounds truly amazing!
Enjoy your day.
Blessings

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

Oh yes, my Granny. Amazing person, lived thru it all, had fun on a shoestring and was taken too soon.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I enjoyed reading about your grandmother. My mom's mom was quite the cook. I remember her making noodles and doing laundry in a ringer machine. Even though she was an alcoholic, I was closer to her than my dad's mom, who worked full time, and was not as maternal. She died from cirrhosis of the liver when I was in high school.