The Roberts and The Webbs

The Webbs and Roberts were as different to me as night and day. Both had their dark and light sides, but to visit them was to be in different countries, cultures. The Webbs were from Idaho, Mormon country, not only with an Old Testament quality to their belief system and life style, but a kind of stoic, common sense notion of what reality was. The Roberts were from Oklahoma and Louisiana, Grandmother Nellie May had Mary Baker Eddy by her bedside, along with the Bible, but the atmosphere was more open, not at all Biblical, more experimental and free wheeling in my memory.

Food and drink were more lavish in the Roberts realm, Grandfather made wine from the grapes he grew in the backyard. The Webbs were tea tottlers, my memory is of fresh baked bread and cookies, sometime cakes, bean soup ( lima bean soup with Ketsup), and saltine crackers. Both grandfathers were good vegetable growers and I have fond memories of working with both of them in our victory garden, and with Grandfather Roberts in his.

Because my parents were so young I had a lot of time with both sets, and because I was the firstborn grandchild, and a boy, my Grandfather Roberts lavished trips and outings on me

(a library trip is mentioned elsewhere in the BLOG). He sometimes unveiled portraits for clients in their homes and took me along for the ride. He wanted me to listen to Caruso sing arias and read to me from history books, for example H.G. Wells.

Looking back I think I was unfair to the Webbs because they were not as flashy, not so "interesting." But they were there for me all the way, and the uncles and aunts and their married partners were all good, interesting people. Uncle Jess was particularly important; having married Aunt Haroldeen and being childless, he/they became important to me because

I was available to them and they to me. I wish everyone could be as fortunate as I was with my grandparents and uncles and aunts, and that they could live near them and savor their influences. Perhaps that will be the case again in the future, I hope so.