Oysterville Daffodils 2012
What a blustery day yesterday was. Our dinner guests were practically blown into the house! But sunshine came with them in the form of daffodils – our first bouquet of the season. The timing seemed perfect as I had just run across this letter written by my grandmother to my uncle:
February 11, 1934
My dear Willard,
This is our third lovely day in succession and Helen [Heckes] brought me some beautiful daffodils that bring the sunshine right into the rooms. I always look for their cheery coming as they are the first messengers of hope that our long hibernating is over.
Do you remember your little boy verses on daffodils? I ran across them the other day.
Ya ever seen a daffodil,
Settin’ sly upon a hill?
‘ th it’s pretty yaller cheerie face
Kinda brightenin’ up the place,
‘th its leaves around it drooping’
Like some art museum groupin’.
‘N then the sun behind it setting’
Wa, now I tell ya, I’m a bettin’
That you c’d never get your fill
‘v a daffodil growin’ on a hill.”
Ten years old! And I always think of it and you when the daffodils bloom.
It was a time in his early writing ‘career’ that Willard was experimenting with dialects and accents and other types of non-standard written English. Although he was probably unaware of it then, he was in good company. Numbers of English writers, including John Milton and George Bernard Shaw, have used non-standard written dialects to produce specific literary effects, or to convey spoken dialects more faithfully to readers.
It took me a moment to realize that he meant ’th for ‘with’ and ’v for ‘of.’ That he had heard a number of dialects, even here in Oysterville, I have no doubt. In those days the village had a larger and more eclectic population. And, considering he was a boy who had read the Bible through three times by the time he was eight, I’m sure he had come across some good written examples. He just hadn’t put it all together yet.
Looking back at those “little boy verses,” it seems absolutely clear that Willard was already on his path to the future. Fifty years later he would become internationally acclaimed for his many books concerning light verse and word play. What a pity my grandmother, his greatest admirer and supporter, didn’t live to see his success!
Imagination created a photo of Willard next to the bouquet of daffodils! Aren’t the memory parts of our brains amazing! To connect a photo of Willard from memory with the bouquet of daffodils. I will re-create it throughout the day. Thank you.
Interestingly, Nan, the photograph that can be seen behind the daffodils is of Willard’s brother, my uncle, Edwin. It was taken in 1928 or 1929 when Ed was horse-seining off Sand Island in the Columbia River — a job when he had for several summers when he was in college.
How happy it is to see your photo of your flowers sitting with the photo you shared with us of your uncle. Pussywillows (which I’d wanted to bring to you for your birthday) and daffodils are definitely harvengers of Spring. I even have a special vase just for daffodils and hope to have some in it by the time Ana and Gabriel return from Brazil next Saturday.
I love your sunshine brought into the house. Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers. On another subject, while I was having a pedicure this past weekend, a friend from work was talking about cleaning out some shelves. Her husband was throwing out a book entitled “Oysterville Roads to Grandpa’s Village” by Willard R. Espy. When I heard what they were discarding, I asked if I could have the book. It is is wonderful condition and has some lovely illustrations by Earl Thollander. I feel very privileged to have a piece of Oysterville history!
Jo, I’m so glad you have the book! You will love it. It was written by my uncle — the man I’m doing my current book about. Earl spent time here in the house when he was doing the illustrations. You will see a number of things among the pages of the book that you have actually seen ‘in person’ here!
I can’t wait to get into it. So far, I’ve just flipped through the pages.