The forgotten thumb
My grandmother told me many things when I was a child. She told me about this barren land, where water was scarce, and how it was a tough place to live as farmers. She, born in 1922, had no choice in regards to her husband, the place where she lived, or the course of her life.
Her hands are deformed.
While showing me her hands, she related to me about the times when her fingers suffered cuts from using a sickle and when her thumbnail was torn off while working the land.It seemed as if her hands were at the mercy of the land, and that she had accepted the harsh farm work and such an unfair reality as something that could not be helped. She also made me feel how the hardships my family, including me, and my ancestors have endured on this land had caused us to form a strong connection with the land itself and its history.
Her hands are deformed.
While showing me her hands, she related to me about the times when her fingers suffered cuts from using a sickle and when her thumbnail was torn off while working the land.It seemed as if her hands were at the mercy of the land, and that she had accepted the harsh farm work and such an unfair reality as something that could not be helped. She also made me feel how the hardships my family, including me, and my ancestors have endured on this land had caused us to form a strong connection with the land itself and its history.