Mammaw

Mammaw was a wonderful woman. She was born January 1, 1925.

Born to an era when an intelligent woman had little value (heck women only got to vote in 1920) she was smart. She lived without electricity and indoor plumbing. No telephones or pretty clothes or make-up. She washed mountains of laundry by hand and later with a wringer-washer. Her whole life was spent in the coal camps of Logan County, West Virginia. Life was hard and backwards. When I was little, I had a hard time imagining her childhood. As an adult, I don't want to.

Mammaw was such a nice woman. She remembered tiny details about people and always made me feel special. She called me every day, weeks before my birthday, to remind me it was approaching. She gave me giant candy canes and one year, she presented me with a white buffalo statue. This was long before the internet so to find such a gift was a treasure indeed. I still have it and it's one of my favorite possessions.