Meet the Cast Monday #32: Gran (Part III)

Well here we go with Part III of my interview with my grandma. In case you're new to the blog, be sure to check out the first and second parts! And to learn how this interview (done in 2002, about 2 years before she passed away) came about, click here. Today you'll get to hear a little about her travels and get some cool insight on our family's farm!

What was your favorite trip that you’ve ever been on, I know you’ve traveled a lot? Let’s see. I’ve been to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Alaska, New York City. {This explains my travel bug I guess! Here she is meeting the ship captain on her cruise to Alaska....she looks quite intimidating, no?? That must be her, "Don't you crash this ship" face.}
And, I believe I liked going around New York City more than any of those other places. The girl I roomed with in college was a stewardess with American Airlines and she knew all about New York. When I visited her, she took me to all the places, and we went to a Broadway show, Guys and Dolls, gosh I don’t know what year that was, and Andy Rooney was it, dancing. {This explains where her obsession with Andy Rooney came from.....which she passed on to me.....I don't miss him on Sunday nights!} And we took one of those boat rides around the statue of Liberty, and that was very impressive. And I’d remembered that one of my brothers had told me as he was leaving New York City to go to Germany, he didn’t know if he’d ever see that Statue of Liberty again, he said a tear rolled down his face, Marshall, but he made it back. And I thought of that when I was in that cruise boat. Let’s see, what else did we do in New York. Oh, went to some famous churches that you’re supposed to see in New York.

When you were there, did you see the World Trade Center Towers?

I don’t believe those were there then, or at least, I went up on the Empire State Building, and at that time I think that was the highest building there. I forget what year this was.

You taught school for about 30 years, and you retired when I was about 3 years old. What was it like to retire and not have to go to town to work every day after 30 years?

Well, it’s not as easy as it sounds like. I was about lost for the first 6 months. I couldn’t get used to not leaving before 8:00. And then I’d take a nap every afternoon and I’d feel guilty because I knew my two sons were still having to work for a living, and that bothered me a good while.

I remember when you retired, you got yourself a present of sorts. Why don’t you tell us about that. Well, for 30 years I had been standing on that playground in a sand storm, doing noon duty. So, I was going to buy myself something nice when I decided to retire and, with my first check, I bought a 1 karat .12 diamond ring. {Not bad, huh? She used to wear this ring, her wedding ring, and a huge dinner ring she inherited from her cousin to the Conservation Office in town and tap her fingers on the counter, just so they thought she was a big, important farmer and they needed to pay attention. Ha!}

That made up for standing on the playground I guess?
Yes, it helped.

Even though you retired, you still had to work around here on the ranch that the family has and we have about 300 head of sheep, and I know that you are a big reason that we have the sheep. What did you like so much about sheep?
Well, you have a lamb crop and you have a wool crop also, but years ago when I was growing up, all the neighbors that had sheep had two crops a year. Wool was real good price, and lamb was real good price. But wool’s not that way anymore. But anyway, lambs we sell all during the summer which helps with the bills on the place. A load of lambs will bring oh, $2000 or $3000, and if you do that three or four times a summer, you’ve got some money to pay bills.

Why did you decide we wanted to raise Red Angus cattle? I know that was mostly your doing that we have that breed.
My brother sold out the Herefords and then he decided to go back to Red Angus, because they are easy calvers and they don’t get pink eye. And that was one of the things. So I bought a start from my brother, who got a start from somebody at, oh, up here at Clayton I think, I’m not sure. But anyway, I bought a few head from him and we just let it grow and I still like Red Angus better than any other because of the easy calving and the no pink eye to doctor. What events have happened that helped to shape your life? Well my husband died in 1950, no wait, I was married in 1950, he died in 1970 from a heart attack at 46 age, 46. And that changed my life around. One son was a senior getting ready to go to college, and the other one was maybe in junior high, and I thought I sure might have trouble with him, but I didn’t. {FYI...that younger one was my dad. Those of you that know him understand her concern! :)} And I had the responsibility of raising two boys, and keeping a job, and managing a farm and ranch. But I had a good neighbor, by the name of J.L. Hefner, who really helped with my sons, and just about told me every move to make on this place. I was advised by many people to just sell out and move to town, and I didn’t, and I’m very glad I did not. {You guys read about my family's farm every Friday. And I try each week to explain why it is such an important thing to all of us. But I don't think that there is a better explaination than the one Gran gave here. She, and my dad and uncle, worked hard and sacrificed and held on when everyone said they were crazy for not giving up. And it paid off....the farm she's talking about is the one I grew up on and we still have today.}