Grandmother's Attic

When I was eighteen years of age, my grandma (Nana) and I went into business together. We called it Grandmother's Attic.

Nana owned a little house on her property , a hundred yards or so from her "big" house. The little house was really tiny, a kitchen, small living room and bedroom. That's right, I did not mention a bathroom. Years ago, the privy was out back, but then (in the 70's) we just walked to the big house when nature called. My parents lived in the little house for a year or two early in their marriage. Often Merc (my Mom) tells the story of how she broke the window falling off a ladder while decorating their first Christmas tree....... my dad has another story about that tree. He worked at the grocery store in Neosho that year, and he was there when the truckload of fresh cut trees rolled in. He proudly picked the best tree of the bunch for his new bride and stashed it behind the store. Several weeks later, when they brought the tree in the house, they came to the conclusion that every dog in the town had peed on the tree! It was a cold December that year,,,,,,,you can guess the rest. But this is about the house.........


A nice big east window was the best feature of the house, another was the pot-belly stove in the living room. Nana and I wallpapered the whole place, I made new curtains, we put up a sign, and we were in business! What was the business, you ask? Well, it was little this and that and the other thing. We made stuff. Slippers, mittens, etc. We made wall decorations and dried flower arrangements. Oh and hickory nuts, we sold hickory nuts. I took in mending.

Nana was very creative and had lots of ideas. Mind you, she must have been past 80 years old, and I was eighteen but we got along just fine. She was strong.

On cold days, Nana would get there before me and"fire up" the wood stove........ it was toasty when I arrived. Best part,,,,,,Nana would make dinner every day, and she was an excellent cook. She owned a resturant for many years. Strong coffee with a little evaporated milk finshed every meal. She made coffee by boiling the grounds and then adding a bit of cold water to make them sink to the bottom..I can still taste it......mmmmmmmmmm.

My Nana is gone now, but I learned a lot from her and the little house. Not just about coffee.