Gather and Nest

I found this while rummaging through old photos with my mother-in-law at Grandma Lilly’s house.

Halloween in a small town, many years ago.

I think it’s amazing for two reasons.

One. It reminds me of writing assignments in highschool where you were given a photo and had to make up a story to go along with it. I’d like to think it’s more than just a halloween party. There are so many small details in this snapshot that every time I look at it I see something new, and each detail makes for a twist in the story that I’m creating in my head. It’s probably hard to see here, but the woman to the left is wearing a button that says ‘Still a Virgin’ and what is she carrying in her basket? Why is the clown holding a gun? Is that Robin Hood? Is that black rotary phone ringing? If you look very closely you’ll see numbers on the back wall. That would be a height chart. As it turns out this photo was taken at the police station. What did these characters do to make it to the police station? And if it is just a halloween party, since when do they take place at the police station?! Imagine that happening now!

Two. You may not know Grandma Lilly, but she is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met. Her hair, although now beautiful silver strands, is still cut in the same short style that she has always worn pulled back with a little barrette. She never got her driver’s license. She makes a mean oatmeal cookie, that to this day, I will never be able to live up to no matter how many batches of oatmeal cookies I make for my husband. Her smile is sweet and she has the most warm, gentle, caring way about her exuding a certain traditional grandmotherly innocence. Surely she was always this way! The fact that this sweet innocent lady is in this picture under one of these costumes blows my mind. Which one is she?

It all makes me smile as my imagination runs away with the story behind this picture. The story of the secret life of Grandma Lilly…