Our Granny

On Tuesday morning in the Seed parking lot, my husband and youngest daughter stood together negotiating the future of a few boxes of pictures, partially finished crochet projects, some old magazines, and a small collection of china figurines.  That was about all that was left of our Granny’s possessions.  Our Granny, Edith Glover, passed away peacefully last Saturday morning.  At 96, she’d resided in an assisted living home for the past eight years and her belongings were already minimal.  Her most treasured items were put in storage for safe keeping when she moved out of her own home.  Granny still had a chair, a TV, and her beloved cedar chest, which held more memories than actual belongings.  What she valued most toward the end of her life was her family, and she spent most of her days looking over the family photos hanging on her wall.

Granny lived a simple life.  She grew up poor and often told stories of her younger days when she and her parents traveled around picking apricots.  An only child, her nickname was “High Pockets” because she was a tall girl.  Her dad tried to give her a donkey but she wouldn’t have it.  She insisted on a horse, which eventually she was given.  We heard one story about her getting in trouble for tying her dog to the horse’s saddle and then jumping over ditches with the poor dog attached.  Evidently, the dog, though traumatized, survived.

She married young and never completed high school.  Actually, Granny said she was happy to get married so she didn’t have to finish school!  She had two sons, Bob and Bill, who were seven years apart.  I remember her telling about living in Gila Bend.  They didn’t have an air conditioner, of course, so at night to stay cool they’d take wet sheets and lie underneath with the fan directly blowing on them.  That was their makeshift AC unit.

Granny was a people person and her favorite job was when she “worked at the college,” the cafeteria at Mesa Community College.  We probably heard more tales about that time in her life than any other.  She loved her job.  She also loved her mama, who lived with Edith and her husband Roy for the last several years of her life.

Granny was a big fan of the Seed, too.  She and Roy helped out whenever they could with construction, moving, and anything that needed to be done.  They came to all of the events and her favorite was the Halloween carnival.  Granny’s job was always in the food booth and she watched over those desserts like a hawk.  They frequently came to see the Mystery Theater dress rehearsal the night before so they’d be available to work the whole carnival.  It’s been quite a few years since she’s attended a carnival or even been to the school.  She was proud of the school and all the hard work that went into creating it.  Somehow I think she’d be perfectly fine with the idea of her last few possessions being sorted out in the Seed parking lot.  One thing for sure, we’re all going to miss our Granny.