Pair o' Dime Props: Grandma Hardin

My dad's mom, Grandma Hardin, lived in my original hometown of Hamilton, Ohio. Honestly, there are a lot of things I forget about her but I do remember the following:

• She was a sweet and thin lady who wasn't afraid to get down on the floor and play with her grandchildren.
  
• She loved to watch Robert Schuller and signed her letters, "God loves you and so do I."
• She was a good cook (ham loaf with homemade mustard was one recipe she was known for).
• But what I remember the most was she always had a tin of homemade sugar cookies on hand and for kids like me.

Honestly, I think I've had these cookies twice, maybe three times in the last 27 years, but one of those times was today. Of course I haven't been able to duplicate them exactly but making them today has brought back some memories and made me realize how much I enjoyed my time with grandma. It's also amazing how smells and tastes can bring back memories. Actually at one point, I was convinced that my wife's sweatshirt smelled like my grandma's cologne. (By the way, this isn't a way to endear yourself to your spouse by telling them they smell like your grandparent). Anyhow, here's to Donna Evilo (nee' Shaffer) Hardin. A lady who could make wonderful sugar cookies who I hope to one day duplicate. Too bad she couldn't live to 108 to show me - I miss her.

Oh, by the way, the middle name "Evilo" was "Olive" spelled backwards. I guess it isn't just this generation that plays around with names.