Letter From My Grandmother, October 18, 1978

Today I went through one of my mother's boxes of letters and photos. I found the following letter from my grandmother written when I was a month shy of eighteen. She encourages me to take up art. Apparently she even mailed paints for me to work with. In my mother's box I also found a letter written to my mother from my sister, Patty. She tells my mother that I am discouraged with college and have decided to become an artist. I have no idea why my mother chose to save these letters. I never remember wanting to become an artist. Nor did I ever even entertain the idea that I was capable of becoming an artist. Luke says that maybe they saw something in me that I did not. Maybe it is a message from my mother and grandmother. Maybe. So, if I become a famous artist in the future you will know that I was lead by the spirits of my mother and grandmother. And if I don't...oh well, they tried.

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Briscoe, Texas

Oct. 18, 1978

Dearest Christi Ann: (Pa Po 'oves)

I will dash you off a few lines to say "Howdy". We are busy as can be so I don't have much time now, but when it gets too cold to work outside then I can have more time to write.

I am wondering if you got your paint set I sent you? And did you get the $20 I sent you back from the money you left here for phone calls? You are a good kid & (repeat) Pa po 'oves.

I hope you can see your way clear to take some art classes. I think that would be a lot of fun. I took art 3 months one time & my art teacher got married & left town. I always had it in the back of my mind to paint with oils. But in the mad rush I never got slowed down to do all that. So time went on & I got involved in a lot of other projects. Then when I was 65 years old some women at Allison went to Wheeler where a man was teaching an art class. They wanted me to go. I said, "no, I don't want to spend my time that way. I have so many other irons in the fire." So if you don't do things at a certain time in your life you don't get them done. I talked Bill into going back to school & getting his degree. He just lacked a very litttle bit. So he took a spanish course and said "never again". So he will not do that.

This has started out to be a miserable letter hasn't it? But really things are looking up. As long as a person is able to get out of bed & put on their clothes & sally forth everything is O.K.

We are doing fine here. Having beautiful weather. We have been making shelves in the patio. I have it full to over flowing. I wish you could see it. I have a lot of exotic plants and they have grown out of bounds. I have orchids & orchid catus & everything else you can imagine. It is a source of great pleasure for me. I have some double petunias that I must dig up & bring in & also some more geraniums. I planted some lily, stock & pansy seed & they are up ready to pot. I am going to make that bed in front of the house higher & set out it to pansies. I am going to fix up the front yard next spring. I already have more than I can get done. Last fall we put a new roof on the old green house.

Do you remember those baby cats that the mama cat hid? They are half grown & 2 are fuzzy. We cleaned out the old house & she brought them out into the well house. They are so cute but they won't let us pet them & Sam & Sarah don't have time to gentle them down. They come over & watch TV on Sat. some. The are involved with school. Sarah has the brownies (girl scout) & Sam has basketball. Sandy takes them to Wheeler Thursdays for dancing & gymnastics. They enjoy that.

James & Bea are in Dallas. James is operating a crane on the 11th floor of a building they are putting up. He lifts thing up from the ground. They have an apartment & the girls like school. They were here 2 wks ago. I kinda look for them this wkend. June & Kevin are in Okla. City. They came up 2 wks ago when James' were here. We had a real good time. The boys hunted dove & enjoyed that.

Your Uncle Jim is still blowing & going. He is putting the doors & windows in his house. I cook them dinner on days he takes off work to do his house which isn't very often. He has been working 3 hours in the evenings on it. It really is shaping up good. He has the roof on.

Uncle Ray is really blowing & going. I talked to him and he said he was going to do a little different. He gets so involved in chasing the elusive dollar that he forgets everything else. I said "yes, you can't see the forest for the trees." You don't live but one time. You don't go around a second time. And you must always think positive thoughts. Negative thoughts are a drag & really too expensive because they cut down your go & slow you down. Granny, do you remember her? used to say worry is bound to help because what you worry about most seldom happen.

A few times in my life I have grabbed a sheet of paper & written down my thoughts. It would consist of what I had accomplished & my flowers & end up about the weather. Then I would stash them in a note book or drawer. Years later I would run on to them & enjoy reading them very much. But I regret that I didn't do that more often. I wrote some family history when Mama was alive. I found that the other day. My grandmother used to keep a diary. But I never wanted to write every day. It would go too much like this. Well, everything fell apart again today. If one is going (to) write say something good & cheery. "Laugh & the world laughs with you, sigh & you sigh alone, for the dreary old earth must borrow its mirth, it has enough grief of its own."

Bill's & Danny's went to Scotland & England. Bill's were here this weekend & had a picture show. It was in color & just like being there. People say to me I looked up my family history & I have a castle in Scotland. Bill found 3 of them & brought me a rock from the Crawford castle. It was in ruins & the oldest one. He traced it back to 500 A.D. I must shut this down. Write & stay well.

Love ya,

Pa Po & Claude

Mabel and Lee