( A memory of Garnet Pauline (Cameron)Reeves) When I think of Grandma, my mind flashes to two places. One is of her in the Mounds View home with her left arm thrown back and over the top of her orange plaid chair. The other is on the dock fishing up North on the lake. Whenever I saw her, she was always happy and a joy to be with. I loved her laugh- it was right out loud. She had many grandchildren, yet she always made me feel special and important. Several times I faked being ill when my mom had an appointment. I would go to Grandma's and we would enjoy our time together. I would lie on the couch and we would watch TV together. Soon, we would be in the next room doing a craft together or separate ones side by side. She would tell my mom that I seemed fine, no illness at all. Any guilt I felt was overpowered by the good time I had with Grandma. On holidays and other days when the whole family got together, it was such a wonderful time. There were many of us cousins. We would play a game called, "The British are coming!" Basically, whenever we tired of playing where we were, someone would yell, "The British are coming!" We would gather the younger kids together and run to another spot. One of these spots was the neighbor Nellie's backyard porch swing. We would rock, rock, rock our way away from the "British". I remember lots of noise in the house and laughter. We would all gather in the living room- very hard to do as the years went on. At the lake, she would watch us grandkids swim and fish on the dock. We liked to listen to her recite her favorite saying, "Fishy, fishy in the brook, come and bite upon my hook." We would fish next to her and she would patiently unwind our tangled lines, bait our hooks, and help us take our fish off the line. It was very impressive to my young self that a woman wasn't afraid of a wiggling fish and baiting minnows & worms onto the hooks. She had a lot of patience, sitting on that dock. Many times we would see her out there alone waiting for the fish to bite upon her hook. Grandma is one of the reasons I love to do crafts. She made her own clothing and for others as well. She was always working on something for someone else. One grandchild loved to feel Grandma's collars when she was sleepy on Grandma's lap. Grandma made her a pillow edged in collars so the child would always have one to feel. While her mother-in-law hand quilts the blankets that she made, Grandma tied her quilts and that is how I could tell them apart. One day she had a quilt in a rack up at the lake in between the lake and the trailer, tying the yarn knots to quilt it. I asked whom it was for and she told me to look underneath. It had a purple backing and since I was in my Donny Osmond phase, I loved the color purple. It was for me! It is with me today, along with afghans and sweaters she has made for me and my children. It took until I made my own projects to know how much work goes into every piece and it must have been hard to make gifts to so many family members. When moving from Alaska in1988, we drove down the West coast and over to Arizona and visited Grandma and Grandpa on the way to Minnesota. I got a big kick out of Grandma down there in 80 degree heat making sweaters for people. She watched Megan (age 3) and Amanda (almost 2) while Grandpa took Mark and me over the border to Mexico. It was easy to see that everyone enjoyed my grandparents at Whispering Pines and they were part of a real community there. I was glad that I was in Minnesota when Grandma became ill with Lung Cancer. What is sad is how I have gone through my life, as many others do, just taking for granted the people in our lives. Our grandparents are our grandparents, solid rocks there when we need them as we go though life. We don't think of them as people, with hopes, dreams, and disappointments. I didn't take the time to ask her questions, to really get to know her. She was still my happy grandma when I went back with yet another child in a baby carrier to add to our family. She was smiling and laughing and loving another generation. When I learned that she was ill, I finished a pillow I had been cross-stitching and gave it to her to use. She gave me a double wedding ring quilt top that was unfinished. I worked very hard to finish it during those weeks before I was to move down to Ft Campbell, KY. As I had never quilted before, I was trying to quickly do it on a sewing machine when Great-Grandma Reeves had done each piece by hand. It was not put together well, to say the least. Grandma listened to my sewing problems, smiled and advised. It waits for me to rip it out and redo it when I feel I have enough skill to do it justice. Being a traveling military wife, I miss the family get togethers the most. On every Christmas Eve, I think of Grandma & Grandpa Reeves and our old annual gatherings. I fondly remember the lake, the small house on Long Lake Road, and the love that was always there waiting for us when we arrived. I miss them very much. September 1, 2003 (Becki (Reeves) Mastrian is the daughter of Bob & Pam Reeves and Granddaughter of Leland & Garnet (Cameron) Reeves) |
| Memories: *The smell of geraniums brings me back to Grandma Cameron's house, where the geraniums bloomed freely in her windows. *Grandpa Cameron building cupboards for our dilapidated kitchen in the New Market House. *Rushing home from school, knowing the Grandma and Grandpa were coming for a visit. We would get off the bus early in the route and walk a mile and a half to reach home a few minutes earlier than usual! What a thrill it was to see that little red car sitting in the driveway! *Grandpa's dog "Sheppie". My favorite dog of all time! Dad got her from Grandpa to work the cattle. Grandpa had trained her himself, and she saved me about a million miles of walking for the cows at milking time! Dad said she was always his Dad's dog. I never felt she loved anyone more than me, though! * Dad told me once that he knew he was old when he looked in the mirror and saw "His" dad looking back at him! What a lucky man my dad was, as I thought my grandpa was so handsome! * Once, when dad was doing a remake voice-ever on Bob Reeves Cameron family video, I remember that mom said that Grandma Cameron looked so good at Bob and Pam's wedding. My dad said his "Mamma" always looked good to Him! I hope my children will say the same for me someday! * The week I spent with Grandma and Grandpa as a child, when they lived down the road from Dean and Alice. I slept walked in those days, and one night I ruffled through Grandpa's bedroom drawers for a pair of socks because it was cold. I woke up in the firm arms of Grandpa--halfway to Dean's house! I think Grandma made him get up and retrieve me! *That same week I was looking through pictures with Grandma, and she was showing me pictures of Uncle Donald. I asked her if she still missed him. It was the only time I saw Grandma cry. *The morning my Dad called me to tell me his mamma had passed on. The sadness in his voice makes me cry to remember it even now. *I WANT TO HEAR EVERYONE'S MEMORIES OF THESE SPECIAL PEOPLE! |
I remember going to the farm to help Grandpa and Grandma Cameron. It was during summer vacation from school. I think I was 12 or 13 maybe even 14. I would help with the chores of milking the 2 cows that they had(Well at least watch. I never did get the milk to come out like they could so fast). Would walk down to bring them up from the pasture. In the hot part of the day they would come up and lay in the trees and I would go out and lay with them talking to them would try and split the firewood and also remember the old firewood cook stove and the great smell in the morning when I would get up. I could never wait to want to go collect the eggs from the chickens. I would take them home by the case and sell them to others around our home. Today I would still rather eat a farm fresh egg than store ones. I remember them sitting in the rocking chairs, with the old coffee can sitting there for Grandpa and his chew, Watching pro wrestling on TV. |
