"A mother becomes a true grandmother the day she stops noticing the terrible things her children do because she is so enchanted with the wonderful things her grandchildren do."
Lois Wyse
Upon my completed effort of trying to put Flora's life together and after reading it over , and over, and over, I had a hard time letting go of her story. You see, what I created was pretty simple. A story of an immigrant who made it here. She, being a woman, knew that her destiny was to be a wife and a mother. She held no other secrets that I could find, because it was a blank slate. I could have really become imaginative and put her in the "Yentl" situation. Dressed as a boy, making her way safely across the ocean into a world that she wanted to take on. She wanted to become famous, and she wanted to dance.
After interviewing her now senior citizen children and hearing the few stories about her life...her life was very simple once she settled into a land that was what she was familiar with. Ranching, cattle, and life in general. She accepted her life as a rancher in a very remote part of Northern California and made her family comfortable, well-fed, and made sure all nine of her children grew up healthy and self-sustaining. She also made sure they had the desire to enjoy life, have fun, and dance.
Was that all there is?
I am now several thousand words into the next Grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Jackson. I'm feeling closer to this one, because her story is easier to find. This is the last grandmother that is not directly related to me. It is my intention to do the best I can, and to have ownership in her story. Better than that, there was a document shared by my late mother-in-law, Clara (she is Mary's Grand-daughter). The letter was a a testament, written by Mary's daughter Olive for Mary. In her own words, she placed her memories of crossing the Oregon trail at age 6.
So far, there is a lot of information available to create the experience of this marvelous woman. I have been able to find a book about the old West, written in Buffalo Bill Cody's own words, about Daniel Boone, Davey Crockett, and Kit Carson. Kit Carson was the scout that took Mary's wagon train across the country.
Onward Ho!
P.S. If you have bought either one of my books, please don't forget to rate them at the Amazon site. Every rating counts.
Lois Wyse
Upon my completed effort of trying to put Flora's life together and after reading it over , and over, and over, I had a hard time letting go of her story. You see, what I created was pretty simple. A story of an immigrant who made it here. She, being a woman, knew that her destiny was to be a wife and a mother. She held no other secrets that I could find, because it was a blank slate. I could have really become imaginative and put her in the "Yentl" situation. Dressed as a boy, making her way safely across the ocean into a world that she wanted to take on. She wanted to become famous, and she wanted to dance.
After interviewing her now senior citizen children and hearing the few stories about her life...her life was very simple once she settled into a land that was what she was familiar with. Ranching, cattle, and life in general. She accepted her life as a rancher in a very remote part of Northern California and made her family comfortable, well-fed, and made sure all nine of her children grew up healthy and self-sustaining. She also made sure they had the desire to enjoy life, have fun, and dance.
Was that all there is?
I am now several thousand words into the next Grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Jackson. I'm feeling closer to this one, because her story is easier to find. This is the last grandmother that is not directly related to me. It is my intention to do the best I can, and to have ownership in her story. Better than that, there was a document shared by my late mother-in-law, Clara (she is Mary's Grand-daughter). The letter was a a testament, written by Mary's daughter Olive for Mary. In her own words, she placed her memories of crossing the Oregon trail at age 6.
So far, there is a lot of information available to create the experience of this marvelous woman. I have been able to find a book about the old West, written in Buffalo Bill Cody's own words, about Daniel Boone, Davey Crockett, and Kit Carson. Kit Carson was the scout that took Mary's wagon train across the country.
Onward Ho!
P.S. If you have bought either one of my books, please don't forget to rate them at the Amazon site. Every rating counts.
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