Wednesday, May 4, 2011

True Family Story - Magpie #64

Magpie Tales is a creative writing blog by Willow at Life at Willow Manor. Click on the link to see the other entries.
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For some reason, this week's Magpie prompt reminds me of an old family story. For my daughter.
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Jaime, your grandma on your dad's side grew up on a ranch out west. She had an identical twin sister who got sick and died when they were about eight years old. I have seen an old picture of them together once. You should ask your Dad or your Aunt Diane to see it.
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Anyway, her mother, your great-grandmother Pavey lived out west and they say she was even on a real wagon train. Your dad has the cast iron dutch oven that went on the wagon train with her. It has a trivet that fits in the bottom for cooking biscuits over the fire.

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Your great-grandmother Pavey was known for her housekeeping skills. To hear your grandma tell it, she was the Martha Stewart of her generation. She baked all her own bread and she had a big press that she used for ironing sheets, pillow cases and even her husband's underwear.
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An Indian woman used to come to help her with the house work. The Indian woman would hang her baby in a papoose board on a tree limb outside. Great-grandma Pavey worried for a long time that the Indian baby needed a bath. One day when the mother was not around, your great-grandma decided to take that baby out of the tree and unwrap it. The baby, unused to being handled this way by a stranger, began to cry and the mother came running. The story always ended there. I don't know what happened after that but I don't think the baby got a bath that day.

5 comments:

  1. I've always wondered about those papoosed babies. Wonderful story, Shari.

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  2. A lovely personal history.

    Anna :o]

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  3. Those pioneer women were tough. Wouldn't you just like to sit and chat with one of them.
    Happy Mother's Day. Wonderful of you to pass these stories along.

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  4. amazing family story for your daughter.
    bless you and your family, including your extended family.

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