Remembering Nana

I am starting a new series of posts. They will be a memory of my dad’s mother, the grandmother I called Nana.

Nana was born in 1897. She traveled by covered wagon and traveled around a lot. Much speculation has circulated in our family regarding what occupation her father held. Nana and her family never lived in a place very long. They always lived close to a state line. Some of the states they lived in were: Oregon, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Nana’s father was gone a large part of the time but when he returned home he always brought his six little girls a gift. She told me several times about one of the gifts he brought her. It was a little train on a string. She really loved that train. One day she was holding it by the string and twirling in circles when it broke. She was extremely sad that she had broken her new toy that her father had brought her.

Nana had a sharp mind up until the day she died. She could remember many folk songs and some songs from her childhood. One of my favorite songs that I’d request her to sing was the one she learned in second grade about a China man. It had a fun oriental tune. She would sing hymns or folk songs while she crocheted. I liked sitting next to her, listening to her sing and watching her crochet.

I hope I can do her memory justice by capturing and relating these memories to you. Along with a memory, I will be including a pattern like those that Nana would make. Please join me as I reminisce.