Carrots and one last tribute to Aunt Grace

There's no place like home and I'm home at last! I spent the last 6 weeks in Ohio, cleaning out my parents home and getting it ready for sale. Not a great time to be selling a house...but a heck of a time to buy one. This whole process has been one long physical, emotional and mental exercise. I have been so lucky to have the time to do it right..but to also walk hand-in-hand down memory lane with the Scott family. I felt many times that I was being guided and helped by Aunt Grace, Aunt May and many others. I found letters, diaries and so many early pictures of the family. I also found my Grandmother's diary that talks about the first phone call she got from my father when he reached Norfolk, VA after WWII. He was a Prisoner of War in Germany for 9 months, after being shot down during a bombing raid. (I also found out from letters my father sent home before he was shot down, that his mother sent him a picture of his old girlfriend!! He thanked her for it...but told her he didn't think he would tell his current girlfriend (My Mom!) that she did that! I just confirmed with them that yes, Grandma, liked Jan best and Mom did not know that Dad had a picture of Jan with him in England!
As posted in other writings I found pictures of Aunt May and Uncle Lewie...and of course Aunt Grace. I finally found that picture of her horse, Carrots, that I was looking for. I remember seeing it on her dresser in the nursing home for many years. She wrote many poems about Carrots, but this morning I can only find one. This is for Aunt Grace....one last post...

'Owed' to Carrots
Your racers may think I'm a crook
When I say they'd scarce win a look
They might beat her in miles
But never in styles
For she did every gait in the book.

Hialeah ne'er once dared to share its
Rounds with my beautiful Carrots.
Never trained for the track,
For they knew she would stack
up all points save those for demerits.

Her standard was now do or die. O
This last line will start you to cry.
O she looks so alive (She's here twenty-five)
Cause she left Blue Grass to live in Ohio.

The "Grace" of Arts

The other day I talked a little about my Aunt Grace. Actually she was my father's aunt, but I also called her Aunt Grace. Born in 1880 she grew up in a large family of 5 sisters and 1 brother that was my grandfather. My father, was named after her father. (She is the young girl standing in the back row on the very right of the family picture.) After graduating high school, Aunt Grace decided to become a teacher. I firmly believe that this decision led to her remaining single all her life. We often asked her why she did not marry, and her only response was "no one bothered to ask me" However, in the early 20th century, a female teacher was not allowed to marry. Once married, you were required to quit your job and stay at home!!

I think she loved teaching so much that she never had any intentions of giving it up! Grace lived a long full life and died in 1975 at the age of 95. While the last couple of years found her bed ridden, she was of sound mind and heart for all but the last year or two. We corresponded regularly while I was in college.

Grace excelled at many things besides her excellence in the classroom, including writing poetry and painting. I have been so fortunate to find these pictures of Grace, a few poems and some of her art work while cleaning out my parent's home.

I do believe that this is a self portrait! Just my opinion, but she signed this with her full name and most of her other work was signed as G.I. Scott.(I is for Ione - from Greek Mythology!)







written from near the Great Miami river and the Scott homestead.....