Womens History Month and Me

This picture makes no sense here but it's pink and I like it.

Hello Lovelies,

My name is Ellie and it’s so good to see you again! March is Women’s History Month in the United States! In my family, woman have been a powerful and driving force in making this world work for us. I come from a long line of mama bears who clawed their way out of the darkness so themselves and their kids could see the light. Not to say there aren’t amazing men in my life as well but this story isn’t about them. Below are a few of the most impactful women in my life.

NOTE: Please know these stories come from a place of love. I am telling them as they were told to me growing up. I am not trying to offend anyone who may have experienced the stories from the other side.

 

Linda in Europe

Linda G G.

My maternal grandmother, Linda was born in Pontiac, Michigan in 1951. During her childhood her mother kept a chair in the bathroom to prop underneath the door knob, bracing it against her father’s anger. She moved in with her older sister for a time before, at fourteen, her mother and aunt drove her out of state to wed a boy named Ed. This marriage got Linda into a safer and more secure situation and together they worked to build a family. Her husband wanted children but more specifically a boy. When Linda brought him four girls by the age of eighteen, he left. Ironically or not, he got his boys with his second wife. Leaving my grandma to roll up her sleeves and raise her four daughters. I cannot imagine the fear and anxiety she must have felt in that moment. She also raised one of her granddaughters and although they spoke of signing adoption papers, the process was never completed. 

Linda stepped into the single mom life fearlessly and without hesitation. She worked long hours as a forklift driver at General Motors for over 32 years. During this period, she struggled as an alcoholic, but she overcame this demon. Humans are dynamic and not one of us is perfect. I acknowledge and appreciate the struggle she faced to feel/become whole.

Food was her love language. She always made enough food to feed an army. Not eating an elephant sized amount was a direct insult. I would have to say my favorite dish of hers was her chili. It was so good! She must have been working magic in her garden. Or had a deal with the garden gnomes, maybe she fed them. She had sacred, native herbs in it that just popped up. How does that even happen?! She gifted them to natives who helped take down her fence. They were actually the ones to point it out.

Linda was also a real-life Disney princess and knew every bird in the surrounding area. Get this, she had a real-life feud with a neighbor who was poisoning the animals with seed soaked in coolant or rat poison. She snooped around until she found out who it was and reported them to animal control. She was vivacious and fierce in her beliefs. Yes, I am saying she was stubborn as hell and enjoyed to argue. She taught me how to make homemade Italian spaghetti and to plant moss in-between paving stones to make the most beautiful pathways.  

AKC,CKC,UKC GR CH. BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP OF EDAN, OFA,TC,CGC,Can. HC, Can ROMC

 

 

(We called him Wooly)

Karen Diane F.

My nanny (paternal grandma), Karen was born in Flint, Michigan. She is currently living my dream life. A farm with cattle and a ton of backwoods. Also living my dream life because they had goat wander onto their property and have a baby. No one came to claim it so they just chilled out there with the cattle for a bit. So fun!

I’m feeling like a bad granddaughter at the moment, I had to ask her about some of this information. Karen raised four boys (mostly) on her own. She worked shop positions and used her talent in sales to sell makeup for Avon and Jafra. She was able to pursue one of her passions, showing dogs. She has 30 years in raising and showing German Shepherds. Probably where I get my dog obsession from. Going to a show with her feels like going home, like my anxiety gets checked at the door. These moments were some of my favorite childhood memories.

Once and a while I get a wild story out of her and It’s so hard to imagine it. To me she’s always portrayed the definition of calm and centered. Strong enough to raise boys and shepherds. Of the few stories I have gotten, my personal favorite is when she and her sister were riding a train. They wrote help on a sign to wave out the window. I, having been raised as straight and the arrow comes, finds this horrifyingly hilarious. The idea of having enough guts and giggles to do this feels wild, and free. I hope one day to be like her, wild and strong like my nanny.

If I tried to write a whole list of women who have inspired me in my lifetime, I would need to write a book. Let me know what women inspired you most in your lifetime!

Things that were brought to you by women:

Chemotherapy, Synthetic Radiochemistry, Radioimmunoassay, and radiation

The cause of AIDs and treatment for it

Disposable Diapers

Whooping vaccine

Nuclear Fission

Mass Spectrometry

Kevlar

Scotchgard

Discovered The Earths Inner Core, The structure of DNA, Gap genes

Solar Energy

Carbon Dioxide and ‘The Greenhouse Effect’

Dishwasher

Central Heating and car heaters

Windshield wipers

The underwater telescope

Written Computer Programing, Written Compiler, and data processing domains

radio guidance system

Transposable elements

Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Torpedoes Radio guidance device