Our muse, Jane
Born in 1935 as Marilyn Jane Halstead, my grandma changed her name to ‘Jane’ in elementary school after getting placed in a class with 5 other Marilyn’s, one of the most popular names in the 40’s. She grew up in the midwest and has lived all over the country from St. Louis to Louisiana, Indiana, and Kansas. She’s also one of the biggest flirts I know with the sweetest southern drawl.
One of the most vivid memories I have of my grandma growing up was sending her my Flat Stanley (remember those?). He went all over upstate New York from the hair salon for her scheduled perm, to church, and the market. I can still smell the fumes and see her tight new curls whenever she would visit our house after the salon - always ravenous by the time she got there, putting a solid coating black pepper over everything.
My grandma’s mother, Blanche, told her to never leave the house without lipstick on and was a stickler for enunciation. Jane has always been the person you can turn to for advice and inspires everyone around her to be better. Today she continues to fuss over the lack of volume in her hair, has a thing for nice teeth, and enjoys life with a beloved doggie at her side.
I’m so grateful to experience that wicked sense of humor every time I visit her in Virginia's Northern Neck. xx