Nana, Meredith & Windmills

Recently we logged almost 6000 miles within 8 days time.

My husband's grandmother passed away and we traveled from Helena, MT to Abilene, Texas to White Settlement, Texas, to Denton, Texas, back to Abilene, Texas, back to Helena MT.

That's a lot of miles.

As we were traveling, I find myself searching the horizon for windmills. Not the new kind - the kind used for over 100 years in lands of cattle, ranching, and southern homesteading.  Windmills had a new meaning for me after my grandmother wrote a poem so many moons ago.

When I was gathering her writings after her death for central publication and sharing - her windmill poem really struck me - maybe it was the experience of traveling back and forth from Lovington NM to Abilene and seeing these amazing wooden structures just turning and turning against the red clay and sagebrush.

A few years ago, (maybe two Christmas' ago) my daughter gave me a Christmas gift.  It was a painting that she did of... you guessed it ... windmills.  It made me tear up because I realized she listened every single time we drove and I would point out an old windmill and tell her Nana's story from the poem.

Windmills were life - and for old ranches still operating today - windmills are often life for cattle.

Nana (my grandmother) had a windmill in her garden.  It was a small windmill and had an electric motor to assist in pulling water from the ground and I was completely smitten with it.  I loved that she often used it to water her beautiful flower garden and, looking back, how I wish I had learned more about the whole process.

Simple observations that will last me a lifetime.

I wish for you this: realizations of the importance of history - a smile from old windmills - and loved ones who will create beautiful art that remind you of the important stories.

(See Nana's writing and Meredith's painting below.)

Much love -

Simone