Out by the woodshed Few of us have ever seen a bonnet, much less have worn one. Here, my grandmother, Molly Clark, is seen at the proverbial woodshed—the one for children who misbehaved. Her self-made bonnet and attire is typical of those who lived a life filled with unfathomable gratitude for the simplest of things: a good crop of greens or sweet potatoes, helpful neighbors, and a bed on which to lay your head at day’s end. Cooking and heating was with wood. The trees would be felled, dragged by mules to a cutting area to be sawed with a two-man saw, then later split piece by piece with a sharp axe. Air conditioning was a hand-held fan. Grain was grown and milled for flour. Hogs supplied meat and lard. Sometimes someone killed a cow and came by selling beef off the back of a horse-drawn wagon. Though Grandma’s life was a hard one, she also had joyous times. She raised eight children and instilled in them values such as love of God, country and family. Sir Issac Newton said that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, and grandmothers like mine provided an excellent view. Barbara Ratliff |
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