A.C.
My grandma who passed away in March: she was POOR, lived in the hills of north Georgia. She was the oldest of 4 sisters and they really didn't have electricity or anything like that. Her mom was sick (cancer?) and died when Grandma was 13. Her dad was a jerk as far as I know....he was having an affair before his wife died, with a 17 year old. When Grandma's mom died, the "other woman" ran through the chicken factory where they worked cheering "the old B---- is finally dead!" Grandma's father remarried (to that kid) like a month later. Grandma ended up being the mom to her 3 sisters because the new stepmom was a stupid kid herself, and didn't do anything good enough anyway. They milked the cows, kept the milk in a stream behind the house to keep it cold, churned their own butter, sewed patterned flour sacks to make dresses, etc. Her first pair of shoes was a gift from my grandpa on her wedding day, when she was 19! She was very enterprising and worked freakishly hard to have a better life. She ended up taking care of her 3 sisters (my grandpa was very cool to agree to this), since they couldn't get along with their stepmom or dad. Every year, even this year, they honored her on mother's day---she was not only their sister but their mom. When my dad's little brother was born with down syndrome, that really lit the fire under her. They told her he wouldn't live past 8 (he's now 52), and that he should be institutionalized. Grandma said NO WAY to that and set out to make sure that if he outlived her, he would be properly cared for and not stuck in some home or institution. Grandpa had a little money from fighting in WW2 and they saved it up, bought a few acres, and built (by hand, not by hiring contractors) a really nice house. The fireplace is beautiful and rivals anything I'd ever seen. The cousins came together to lay foundation and do brickwork, Grandpa did all the pipes and electrical himself, and Grandma did everything on the inside from laying paneling, counters, carpet, etc. She grew her own fruit and vegetables and canned what they didn't eat. She sold some of it at a farmers market. She raised her own chickens (2 chicken houses worth) and they ate chicken and eggs, and she sold much of what they didn't eat or need to continue egg laying. My dad and his cousin built her a little tiny salon by the road on the front of their property, and she and her sisters ran a beauty salon in all their spare time (HA). Grandpa took jobs overseas to make more money and more per diem and sent the money home.....so she was practically a single mother most of the time, and she didn't spend the money he sent home. She banked it or invested it, and only lived off what she was doing herself. They retired as millionaires and have lived off ONLY interest (never had any debt) for 30 years. My special needs uncle has always been well cared for and will always be well cared for. I always found what she did to be very, very impressive. Especially since I hardly know how to sew a button.