Many people come into your life and make an impact. We seldom express it, but as the owner of the Big Sandy Mountaineer, I can express my deep feelings for my mother-in-law, Ruth Merrill, who just recently passed away. I lived near her for 50 years, and I lived near my mother for 19 years. So, in every sense of the word, she was my mother.
Ruth's love for the land was obvious. She cherished the homemaker's life, living on the very land where she was born, raised, and lived for almost 99 years. Ruth resided a mere football field away from her childhood home, a testament to her deep-rooted connection to the land.
It was important to Ruth that the farm was still alive and well. She would ask daily what Nathan was doing. What was he planting? How was the harvest going? When Nathan found out she had never been on a combine, he planned for her to get into it. She was 98, but she easily climbed the steps. She loved every minute of it.
Ruth looked forward to driving around the farm often each week. She knew every inch of the land. Even as an adult, she would go for long walks over the land she played and walked through as a child.
Ruth lived the stories we all read about. She lived in her grandparents' house, Ralph and Mary Weller, who homesteaded here. The house had no electricity, running water, or indoor bathroom. She walked or rode a horse to school. In the last few months of her life, she talked about that horse. She never owned a horse in her adult life, which is sad to me. It is just more proof that she gave her whole life to being a homemaker.
Ruth was a hard worker! She could easily outwork me, and she loved it. I have many pictures of her with grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the garden, picking vegetables and smelling flowers. Talk about flowers. She had flowerbeds all around her house, an enclosed patio, a corner flower bed, and one-third of the garden was flowers, too!
Ruth's love extended beyond humans to animals. She adored dogs, cats, goats, and chickens, often spending hours watching the birds. Her love for chickens was particularly endearing, as she would cup the chicks in her hand and breathe in their sweet scent. She even fed raisins to Robins, delighting in their visits.
Ruth learned to sew young, taught others to sew, and gave numerous dresses to her granddaughter. She sewed her clothes, learned to sew her underwear for years, and even made a suit for her husband, Angus. Ruth stopped sewing when it became cheaper to buy clothes. Still in her sewing room are piles of material.
Ruth never said an angry word to her grandchildren or great-grandchildren, whom she cared about deeply. She lived independently for the most part until she was 98 years old, and they still went to Grammas. She always had cookies ready to be eaten. Ruth loved games, and her grandchildren loved to play with her. Truth is, she spoiled them terribly.
Ruth's love for reading was infectious. Her passion for books inspired many, including myself, to pick up the habit of reading again. Her home was adorned with boxes and shelves filled with books, a testament to her love for literature.
Ruth still went as often as she could to her grandkids' and great-grandkids' activities. The last time was a Rock Concert at Pep's for her great-grandchildren's concert. When I told everyone she was coming, they were concerned about the volume of the music. She told them, "I love loud music!"
One of Big Sandy's oldest members is now gone. Ruth and her generation can not be regenerated. But I can learn from her how to love land and family, work hard, be thankful, and keep negative thoughts to ourselves. Thank you, Ruth, for making me your daughter.
