Pin Money by Katherine Emery

It has been a treat that my seven and five-year-old granddaughters have been spending several days a week at my house this summer. We begin the day with a writing prompt, usually current events (they found a frog in their paddling pool) or the weather (too hot to go to the playground). They copy the sentence and then draw a picture in their summer journals. We make a de-tox smoothie with bananas, wild blueberries, mangoes, kale, and dulse (seaweed). While we drink our smoothies we discuss our plans for our day. We then do an art project, watercolor painting with pastel crayon resist is always a favorite. We have really enjoyed air dry clay, also.

Reading is always a priority, we have loved reading a series of chapter books about a very brave mouse named Mona who is a maid at the grandest hotel in Fernwood Forest. Mona is a very compelling character, she is an orphan and her only possession is a suitcase with a heart carved on it. Mona saves the hotel guests in some very precarious and dangerous situations. We have become huge Mona fans, we love a good “girl power” book. I bought a mouse sewing pattern and the three of us are now stitching our own mice. We are knitters so a sweater or scarf might be a great addition to Mona’s wardrobe.

The girls love my garden, they visit our two cats, check the chicken coop for eggs, and pick a bouquet of flowers for our kitchen table. They count the number of bees and dragonflies everyday and they help with watering the plants on our deck.

The bedrooms in our house still have a few of my children’s belongings in them, which are fascinating to the girls. They love to hear stories about their Mom and her siblings as children. They have spent a lot of time in the bedrooms on the second floor but due to the heat and the lack of air conditioning, the third floor will remain big mystery until fall.

One of seven year old, Winnie’s favorite things is the collection of tiny porcelain trinket boxes that belonged to my grandmother. The box shaped like an old fashioned pink “pocket book” or purse that has “pin money” written in gold cursive on the front has always been special. Last week, Winnie asked what “pin money” meant. I explained that many years ago, husbands gave their wives a small allowance for nonessential minor expenditures, they called it “pin money.” This explanation led to a lengthy women’s lib discussion about their Mommy earning her own money to buy groceries, clothes, shoes, and toys.

At swimming lessons that day, Winnie explained to a table of Moms about “pin money.” Only one woman knew what “pin money” was but all were delighted by Winnie’s dramatic description.

Winnie was motivated to fill the “pin money” box with coins so after searching in drawers, she counted out $4.61 in change. Winnie decided that she could buy a chocolate bar or a hair bow which she would happily share with her sister, Freddie.

My grandmother, Ida, whose box Winnie has found, spoke of “pin money” whenever we visited. She would tell us that she had saved her “pin money” for a day at our favorite amusement park or for a shopping trip to The Denver Dry Goods Department store. The shopping trip always included a hot fudge sundae.

Like Winnie, I would spend hours with my Grandmother, Ida, going through her jewelry boxes and special drawers. I found brooches and rings containing a tiny lock of braided hair of dead family members, a funeral tradition popular during the Civil War. The inscription on the gold jewelry told the name and the date of the deceased, which I found to be fascinating and creepy. Hat pins and gloves were also in abundance, representing women of different eras.

My grandparents’ enjoyed their many travels to the Orient and their home decor reflected that. It was definitely a “look but don’t touch” home. However, the pedal that opened the copper-colored refrigerator was a joyful and satisfying way to be helpful in the kitchen. The chair in the basement that could spin so fast, the brick grill in the backyard was great for climbing, and at the end of the day, the multicolored scented oil beads for a bath. All were all fun things for active children to do.

Winnie and Freddie learned that a doll-sized silver tea service that they play with belonged to their great-grandmother, Yvonne. I showed them a picture of Yvonne and her sister, Rosemary, as little girls. I also showed them a picture of their great-great-grandfather, Big Harris, whose hobby was collecting antique silver when he traveled. Big Harris bought the tiny silver tea service for my Mom, Yvonne, on a trip to Mexico. Full circle.

Grandparents pass down family memories and traditions through storytelling, which can help grandchildren connect with their family roots and culture.

Kate Emery General is a retired chef/restaurant owner who was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. Kate loves her grandchildren, knitting, and watercolor painting. Kate and her husband, Matt are longtime residents of Cambridge’s West End where they enjoy swimming and bicycling.