What I refer to as "the Gammer bracelet." It's a little collection of charms that remind me of her, or were hers. The bracelet itself and the Tiffany charm were things that she and I picked out together and said we would share. The gold ring is her wedding band. She married my grandfather on August 27, 1949. Even though they divorced in the 1970's, she always loved him and she wore this ring until her arthritis made it impossible. At that point, she started wearing his ring, which she got when he died in 1999. Finally, the golden teapot is a happy little family heirloom. Gammer wore it on a lovely gold chain, as it came to her from her grandmother, but I prefer it on the bracelet. I wear it sometimes when I feel like I want her close to me.
We're very proprietary about museums. Gammer and I used to discuss, with the greatest earnestness, what it would be like to snuggle into the couches in this room, armed with books for a good read. As a little girl, I used to pretend that Gammer, Mary and I lived here and I would "assign" bedrooms. When I finally got to work at Shelburne, it was so meaningful to spend quiet time in this amazing building, all by myself, but with happy memories.
A note left for me one day when I was getting home after her bedtime. I loved coming home to her in the evenings; sometimes she was in bed but still awake, reading a book or magazine, warm and pink-cheeked from her bath and smelling of Johnson’s baby lotion. Other times she was fast asleep, a tiny bundle with the covers pulled up over her head. Either way, she made me feel like I was home.