Grandmothers

It is 10:30 pm on Sunday evening. I just got home from church. Usually I get home around 8:30 - 9 pm but because we had a guest speaker, (a healing service) we were late. Anyway, it was a very nice service. Oh, I forgot to mention in my last blog, the group for which I am "corresponding secretary" is caled OASIS (Older Adults Still in Serive), just in case you are interested.

The title of today is "Grandmothers" and that could be because I am going to introduce you to my grandmothers. I never knew either of my grandfathers; they were both gone before I was born, but my grandmothers were very special to me, and Judy mentioned one day that I talked quite a bit about my Grandmother Arcand (Dad's mom) but I hardly ever said anything about my other grandmother. Well, that would be Grandma White (Mom's mom). And, I guess the main reason for that would be because I lived much closer to Grandma Arcand, and spent quite a bit of time with her, so I really knew her better. Her name was Katherine Henrietta Weyand Arcand. She was born in May 1866 just one mile (through the fields) from where my parents lived until their deaths and of course, where I was raised. I really don't know a whole lot about her younger years. I can't think off hand of where my Dad was even born. I know he attended grade schiol at a little country school near the intersection of Hahn Road, and ......Rd, about 2 miles north of Arbuckle. It was called, if I remember correctly, Wilbur School. Dad attended Pierce High School in College City. Some time during this period the family moved to the "Schleich ranch" about 2 miles west of Arbuckle, and then to a place about 1 mile north of Arcubkle, which is now the site of the Arbuckle municipal sewage disposal plant. Then, they moved to the ranch about 2 miles north-east of Abruckle, l mile east of where I grew up. This property had become my grandmother's property through a Spanish Land Grant, signed by the Presidend of the United States. I've kinda forgotten the whole story, but somehow after the war between Mexico and the US, the Mexican government granted quite a number of acres of land to the United States, to be given to the US veterans of this war. 160 acres was granted to one gentleman, and some way (I've forgotten how) this eventually became my Grandmother's land. When Dad & Mom got married, my Dad bought this property from his mohter, and it there he and Mother built the only home they ever shared.

On the ranch (farm) where my grandmother, and my Aunt Mable & Uncle Louis (Dad's brother) and their family lived for probably close to 90 years, they had mostly barley. Everything was dry land farming (no irrigation). I'm not sure just what they had in the way of livestock. As a kid, growing up, I know they always had cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys and geese. And, occarionally a horse for riding. Oh yes, and sheep. But mostly it was grain. In later years, they planted almond orchards - still no irrigation. Uncle Louis and his sons took care of the grain and almond part, and grandma took care of the livestock. She usually had about 5-7 cows which she hand-milked twice a day, and the chickens, turkeys & geese. I think the men did take care of the pigs & sheep. Things changed as time went on, animals came and went, but Grandma hand milked those cows until the day she went into the hospital a week before she died in 1947. For a long time, we owned one cow, and kept her at her place with the other cows. As long as that cow lived, we got one gallon of milk a day. Some of our family would go over to the house every evening to get our milk. This is a story in itself.

Grandma White was another story. She was born just about 1-2 miles East of where Grandma Arcand was born. She was born in November 1866, and was named Sarah Ophelia Roberts White. Again, I know little to nothing about her grownig up years, or even her family. As I go along, I will try to do a little research to find out more about the younger years, and families of both Grandmothers. But, for now, Grandma White first became a part of my life history, when she and Dad got married on September 19, 1917. They were married in my grandparents' home. Grandpa died in about 1929, after my brother, Ollie, was born, but before I came along. Grandpa & Grandma had six children, only three of which lived to adulthood. There was the son, Robert, and my Aunt Inez. Robert married severral times, but never had any children. Inez was 16 years younger than my mother. I guess it was after Robert had married, and Inez had grown, that Grandma & Inez moved to the Bay Area, probably Berkeley, so my aunt could attend nursing school. When I was a small child, we used to go to visit them at Christmas time. They lived in Berkeley, and we would go by train to spend Christmas Day with them. I just don't remember much about this time. Then, for some reason, about 1945 or so, Grandma moved back to Arbuckle, to live with my family. We already had four people, parents, Ollie (my brother) and me, in a two-bedroom, one bath home. So, I had to share my bedroom with Grandma. I think Ollie was sleeping in the living room at that time. Anyway, it did not work out very well, for me and my grandmother to share a room, so I decided to run away. To make a long story short, I didn't get far, and that day, Mother took Grandma into Arbuckle, and they found her a small apartment to live in. Then, I can't remember exactly when, Grandma moved back to live with my Aunt Inez and her family. They had moved to Vacaville by them, and it is there she lived until she entered a rest home, and after about 2 1/2 years later, she passed away in around 1955. So, you can see, I just did not have as much contact with Grandma White as I did with Grandma Arcand, so I just never developed the relationship with her.

Well, that's probably enough for now. One person has said to me, my blogs are too long, another said "Just keep on blogging". I know I have a habit of talking too much, so maybe I can see if I can tone it down a little.

Beth