Mabel and The Cat in the Hat
Many people live near their extended relatives while growing up. I was not one of those people. I lived near none of my extended family and traveled to see them about twice a year. What I did have was a next–door neighbor named Mabel Mattingly, who was a pretty darn crafty lady. She was in many ways my stand-in grandmother and gave me a deep appreciation for things done by hand.
Mabel made me my first quilt, which I will show you all sometime. Should I have children, that quilt and its matching pillow is my daughter’s. Mabel also made awesome apple turnovers, the like of which I’ve never had again. She provided our house with various jellies and jams for all the years I was growing up in that house. She used to go to Louisiana to visit her family and pick mayhaws and come back and make ‘em into jelly. Mmmmm. She also had a big garden and taught me how to garden as well. I had a postage-sized plot out back that gave me great joy. She canned a lot of vegetables- she is the reason I adore pickled okra today.
One of the major things that Mabel did was make ceramics. She was not a wheel potter, she was a ceramicist; she used molds. She had hundreds of molds on shelves in the garage, all tied up or wrapped with giant rubber bands. She had a big, deep kiln by the door to the kitchen, so deep that my small self couldn’t reach the bottom. She made me various things over the years, and I have 2 of them - a little turtle to put plants in, and a black witch hat. I also have a very pathetic vase she made with me - it’s the paint job that’s mostly pathetic. Mabel was an excellent painter - her colors were even and her finishes glossy. My witch hat isn’t very complicated, but some of the paint jobs she did were really intricate.
Hope you enjoy the little show that my kitten Callie put on with the hat that Mabel made me. Although I don’t know what happened to Mabel after she moved away, I always feel big warm fuzzies for her whenever I get out her handicrafts and remember the things she taught me to love.
5 Comments
feel free to leave a few words of your own...Paula — Mon Oct 22, 2007 at 2:20 pm (link)I had a neighbor that was like my Texas Grandma who showed me how to cook. Don’t worry if the kitchen gets messy, never follow the recipe 100% and trust your gut. I think it’s beautiful when people share their knowledge and talent with others - especially a younger generation.
Callie is a doll! and maybe just a little on the naughty side.
Melissa — Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 12:26 am (link)That’s exactly how I feel about my grandmother, who I was very fortunate to spend a lot of time with as a child. Being in her presence (and my grandfather’s) was such a great comfort to me. I loved her cooking — she used to make me gingerbread or banana pudding, and I love them both to this day), she’d sew my Halloween costumes and sometimes clothes, and sing me to sleep when I spent the night. That’s why I would like to live near my parents when I have children, if possible … those memories I deeply cherish. I think kids need that comforting, grandparent-ly presence, whether it’s a relative or not. And someone to pass along some wisdom, some baked goodies and love.
Miriam — Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 12:10 pm (link)I could (and probably will) say much more about my grandmothers’ influences, and they were many. But oddly, this post has made me realize how lucky I was to have a variety of non-familial influences. I haven’t even gotten to Joanna yet. When I was younger, I always wished I could have lived near family because conventional wisdom says that’s “best” and that’s what people typically do. But in adulthood I have realized how truly cool it was to be able to learn from such a variety of people from a variety of places. For example, my family is from the midwest, while Mabel was from Louisiana and Joanna from Oklahoma. Learning things from outside the family was a great way to discover new ideas and ways of doing things, and a big influence in my life. I feel so fortunate to have known my grandparents, but I was also fortunate to have had the opportunity to expand my horizons. My childhood experience was one of being constantly exposed to new people and ideas, and I think it has led to me being well-traveled and unafraid to try new things and ideas and skills. It has also helped me realize there is no one “right” way of doing things, and allowed me to have the mental freedom to really choose ideas for myself. Which doesn’t mean I haven’t chosen to adopt familial traditions, which I also absorbed - just wait until I post about German springerle cookies or my grandma’s noodles!
Crafter by Night » Tagged for a meme and other stories — Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 5:07 pm (link)[...] Friends - I typed this post thinking of a friend from childhood, a grandmother figure I had. I almost want to include this in the family section. I also like the [...]
Crafter by Night » Twenty years I’ve waited … — Wed Jul 2, 2008 at 11:00 pm (link)[...] when I told you about Mabel, the dear, sweet woman who lived next door to us when I was growing up? The woman who was my [...]
