My grandmother - Anna Carroll

I was fortunate enough to know all four of my grandparents. And though I never met my great-grandparents I feel as though I know them through the family stories.

Anna Lawyer Carroll - my mother's mother was born in January 1891. Her father was stern yet loved her and doted on her. As she grew up she learned to play the piano and organ and eventually taught piano lessons. She could sight-read piano music very well and for many years she played piano for the silent movies for $.25 a night. If a vaudeville troupe came into town and needed an accompanist she'd get paid $.50 for the show. That was big money she said!

I learned to read music and play the piano from Nana. The book she used was John Thompson's Teaching Little Fingers to Play. My lessons were never scheduled. Since we lived in the same household with my grandparents I would get a lesson or practice catch-as-catch-can.

In addition to the music lessons - and hearing the piano lessons of so many kids over the years I also helped my grandmother with cleaning and baking.

At Christmastime she would always bake a couple of fruitcakes. Not the usual awful kind. She would start with an applesauce cake recipe and then add about half the candied fruits and nuts that the recipe called for. Oh yeah and she'd sprinkle whiskey on the cake and then wrap it in a linen towel and sprinkle that with whiskey. All the cakes and cookies would be stored in the pantry.

In addition to the cakes there would also be fruit cookies, tole-house cookies, scotch cookies and sometimes chocolate cookies. I had such fun helping out in the kitchen - blending the butter and brown sugar. David, if you eat all the brown sugar and butter we won't have any for the cookies! I was also in charge of putting the cookies in the oven and rotating them. I also had the task of tasting them!!

I treasure all those memories and the recipes too!