Canning Pickles with Grandma

     I am so far behind in my blogging so I'm going to try and catch up with a few blogs today. First, one of favorite memories of the summer so far has been canning pickles with my grandma Mikula. This woman is such a hard worker and always has been. Listening to her reminisce about growing up on a farm, having a full-time job, working in the garden, and mothering her 3 sons, just gave me so much admiration and aspiration. When you're the grandchild, it can easily be forgotten that grandparents were young, like you, and worked hard to keep their family afloat. I just hope that she will continue to tell me her stories that will someday lose their author.
     We had so much fun learning from her, but it was very soon figured out that she is in control of her kitchen. If you did not do things the way she told you, WATCH OUT!! I got my hands jerked away from the pickle pot several times so she could do it the right way. She was getting so controlling that at one point it made me think that she may have worked for a few years in Germany. After awhile, she loosened up and let us make our own mistakes and fix them too. Around 11:30 a.m., she looked around and said, "Y'all want some wine?" I knew my good-loving, Bohemian grandmother would know how to lighten up the mood. Once the wine came out, we really got talking and laughing. I only took this one picture of pickling, but you can see my hardworkin' grandma in the background. I love this woman and just pray that I will learn as much from her as I can.