My husband gave me this wooden figure (I call her 'Knitting Grandma') for my birthday this year. She stands about seven inches high and I love the detail: her expressive face, her wire glasses and metal knitting needles, the folds and pattern on the apron, the tiny flower dots on her headscarf, the hunch of her shoulders, the flat black slipper shoes. She has taken on a life of her own in our kitchen, watching benevolently over her territory.
Someone recently pointed out to me that each of my books contains at least one benevolent older figure (not always a grandparent figure, sometimes an aunt or teacher or parent), and though I wasn't conscious of that prevalence, it seems fitting. I had many older, benevolent people in my life when I was young.
Did you?
My Grandmother - she was the quintessential cookie baking (or in our case corn bread baking) Grandmom.
ReplyDeleteMy kids have been wondering if your husband the Principal looks like the Principal in 'A Fine, Fine School.'
Jane: Ho! No, my husband does not look at all like Mr. Keene in A Fine, Fine School.
ReplyDeleteI sure did. When I was 5 and 6 I lived with my Nanna who only spoke Albanian. I spoke English in school and Albanian at home (right down on Williams Street in Jamestown...Charles Street School). It was like living in the "old country." What a beautiful experience. Just one of many older people who enriched my life.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful piece. . . such great detail! It makes me think of Grandmas Lou Vina Mae, Bertha and Ester (love their names).
ReplyDeleteoh, yes. i'd never have survived childhood if not. my maternal grandparents, my aunt, all of my teachers (all of them seemed old to me though some were quite young), a librarian, and a dear neighbor.
ReplyDeleteShe looks like she likes those flowers ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh, so true. My maternal grandparents were SO critical to my childhood. I think of them everyday. No kidding!
ReplyDeleteSure did, as a matter of fact, that carving is a dead ringer for my little Slovak grandmother in her babuska. Really.
ReplyDelete(she wasn't much taller than your carving.) What a great gift.
I answered the question about the Aprons on Birdman's blog...