Memories of Grandma Catherine (Kate)

Today we remember Orpha's exemplary life on the 73rd anniversary of her death. You can read other posts about her in various places on this blog. But it is also Kate's birthday, so her grandson, Joseph Stradling Ballantyne, shares some sweet memories of the woman he knew as Grandma Catherine:

Joe (seated) and his siblings Catherine and Tommy at Red Hill

Kate's gas station/store at Red Hill, New Mexico

It seems that we went to Greer a number of times for summer vacations. We stayed at different cabins. One time we stayed above the Greer Store. Grandma Catherine was the Postmaster in Greer and in Nutrioso for a few years. When we were quite young she got in a car wreck and had her leg amputated.

She owned a store/gas station in a spot called Red Hill, New Mexico. There was nothing else there--only her building. For a few years after her second husband, Roy Hall, died, she lived and worked at Red Hill all by herself. It is an absolute miracle that she never got robbed or worse. She was an old one-legged lady all by herself.

We went to Red Hill a few times to visit her. I remember we found rocks and placed them together to look like a turtle. Grandma Catherine let us paint them. One time at Red Hill, Tommy and I were chased by Grandma's roosters. I was scared and mad that she was laughing. During this same visit, Grandma and I were baking a cake together. I told her how much I liked the batter. She said to eat as much as I wanted. I don't know if I ate it all or not, but I ate more batter that day than any other time in my life!

One Red Hill visit it was just me and Mother (Kate's daughter, Margaret Stradling Ballantyne), probably the summer of 1965 when I went to work on Uncle Harvey's ranch. We stayed a few days and I ran the gas station. I felt very responsible.

Grandma Catherine had a very difficult life. But looking back, I realize she was a great Grandma. She was always doing things with us when we came to visit. I had no appreciation then for how difficult it was for her to walk. Yet many of the things she would do with us were physical things--taking us on walks, getting us horse rides, gathering eggs from her chickens, going on picnics in Greer. As a kid I remember thinking she sure had nice soft skin.