My Pierce Grandparents

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow are my days to focus on my Pierce grandparents. 

Granddaddy was all about making and keeping money and providing for his family. He never just had one job. He always maintained multiple sources of income and was a frugal man. He enjoyed keeping a garden and fixing his own vehicle. He struggled as a young man to get a college degree against all odds. He had a father that beat him for studying. He was forced to do so in secrecy and once he lost his eyesight for a few days after studying by candlelight for many days in a row. He ended up getting his Bachelor's of Science in Chemistry from Mississippi State and got a job with Monsanto Chemical Company in St. Louis in 1933. He married my grandmother on October 19, 1935, when he was 25 and she was 17. In 1936, he bought a farm for his parents and siblings in Steele, MO and lifted the family out of poverty. The family had been devastated financially by the boll weevil infestation of 1916 that ruined cotton farmers across the state. Granddaddy was always kind to me, but he was harsh, to put it mildly with his wife and his children. He enjoyed socializing, though, and he was funny and smart, and by all accounts "the life of the party," and a terrific host. He and Grandmama were both strong personalities. If Granddaddy thought he had married a shrinking violet when he married a young girl from Amory, he was in for a surprise.

Grandmama was also a bit harsh with those she loved. Actually, she was highly critical of people she didn't even know. She was obsessed with keeping a clean home and her house always looked immaculate. She and Granddaddy fought a lot. They shared, though, the love of entertaining.

So, to honor them this week - yesterday, I took care of my bills, today, I will clean my home thoroughly, and tomorrow, I'm going to have some of my neighbors in for happy hour.  Some of my fondest childhood memories are of happy hour, which they always celebrated as a daily ritual. They made manhattans and served cheese, crackers, and smoked oysters. My house will never be as immaculate as Grandmama's was because I have two dogs, but I'll do my best.