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10+ Life Hacks From My Grandmother
My grandmother Esther loved to write me letters. Her letters were always a bright spot in my day. She would tell me about the good old days, what she was up to, and news about the family.
She also dispensed wisdom in her letters.
Life Hack 1: Baking, Cooking and Canning
She loved to bake and cook and did things out of not only necessity, but out of love. Because they lived in the country, she was used to making three square meals a day. They did go to the grocery store for necessities they couldn’t grow or hunt themselves.
She learned from her mom how to survive in the country, especially during the bitter cold upstate New York winters. Grandpa and Grandma, up until their 80s, kept gardens, growing corn, giant pumpkins, peas, raspberries, carrots, potatoes and more.
They were always canning and freezing food for the fall and winter. I remember helping her shuck corn and peas for canning. It was tedious work, but looking back now, I am so happy I had that experience to help her.
Life Hack 2: Bad Times Make Us Stronger
Here in her words of how WWII affected her family:
In the spring of 1941, there was a lot of talk of war and I decided to go to work. I notified my advisor at college I wasn’t returning in September.
My mother felt so bad but I was insistent. Sonny’s mom felt bad too. It was the smartest thing to do as it turned out. Sonny was drafted in August and I went to work at GE. After they saw how much chemistry I took they employed me in the Research lab.
Sonny and I were married in December 41 and he went to the South Pacific in Jan.42. We didn’t see him again until 1945.
Terrible time. I guess it could have been worse. He was very sick over there- malaria- and his spleen was affected. It has caused him much trouble since…
