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To me, Ida L. Andrews was always known as "Grandma Andrews" or, simply, "Grandma." As far back as I can remember, I recall her with great fondness.

Grandma lived at 704 W. Grand Avenue in Decatur, Illinois. This was just across the street from our first house at 1330 N. Huron and only one block from our second at 820 W. Grand. From comments my dad, Forrest Wm Andrews, Jr. ("Pete") made, the house was "designed" by his dad, Forest Wm Andrews, Sr. "The design was a square with a cross in the middle." It was a bit more complicated than that - but not much. The house still stands but the property does look much differently than when Grandma lived there. There was a living room, dining room, small kitchen, and two bedrooms, all on one floor. She never had a refrigerator but kept things cold like many others there - an ice box. The iceman came faithfully with a fifty pound chunk of ice when she had her "card" in the window. There was a full basement with a coal bin and a window for the coal to be shoveled in. There was a stairwell up to the kitchen area and another back to the backyard. This house was where "EJ", Paul and "Pete" all grew up. Somewhere in the family picture files, there is a picture taken about 1903 - 05 with "EJ" and Paul playing in the back yard, and others, after 1905, with Dad there too. I believe the pictures were made with a "pin hole" camera that "EJ" made by hand as a child.

From what I can remember, there was a single room separated apartment sitting on a concrete slab just behind the house on the Huron Street side. Miss Eichenhauer (spelling?) was the tenant for a few years. I don't remember her at all except that she was secluded. After she left, probably horizontally, the apartment was torn down but the slab was left. On the front corner of the house, Grand and Huron, was an attached business shop. The only tenant I can recall was Mr. Jack O'Donnell, who ran a small print shop. Unfortunately for Mr. O'Donnell, the shop was a favorite "target" for our pranks. On at least one occasion, I recall taking the end of a ball of string he used to tie up his printed products and running out the door. Rotten kids! I expect we drove him completely nuts and, very likely, into an early grave. Sorry Mr. O'Donnell. I never took any "heat" from Grandma for these rotten acts.

I can't remember just when Grand Avenue was widened - but more than once as it turned out. The last widening project took off the shop, eliminated the curb area and came into the front yard area. The sidewalk now comes right up to the front stairs. Sadly, the house has been rundown since she lived there.

Grandma was a great favorite with me. Save one item, she never criticized me, although she would have had much ammunition. The single item of criticism was having my feet on the furniture. She said I'd never get into the Navy if I didn't get my feet off the furniture. I took her advice, got my feet off the furniture - and landed in the Navy!

I can recall countless times when I would go see Grandma for the afternoon and listen to her recall her memories. She didn't speak much of Forest Wm Andrews, her deceased, and later I came to understand that the marital bliss had a distinct and long standing tarnish. I never knew him since he died almost a year before I arrived. She did speak with fondness of the Morgan side of the family, particularly of Uncle Charlie and the Morganville picnic. I believe that Uncle Charlie was a "character" of which any family should be pleased to have just one.

One of the stories I recall (and heard it at least 38,000 times) was just after World War II. She was very faithful in her telling the story and it never strayed. In short, "it took us (The United States) three years to get ready, but then we whipped the damn 'Japs' real bad!" She never spoke of Hitler, but condemned the "Germans." She spoke with great pride about Uncle Paul and Cousin Keith being in the War - both in the Navy, of course, and she always exhibited great pride in our Country.

As I remember her, Grandma was not a very social person, except with her family. This aspect was not particularly unusual for her day and age. I can't recall anyone with whom I would have considered she had a close friendship. Her family, however, was another matter.

I doubt that Grandma was the "inventor" of onion sandwiches, shoestring potatoes, tamales, or homemade rolls - but she was a master of making them all. No matter when I came to see her, she'd always ask if I wanted anything. This was not like today's asking if you'd like something from the refrigerator - like a soda. When she asked, it meant "would you like me to made fresh hot rolls? - from scratch!" To the hands of a small boy, the rolls were immense, about the size of a softball and tender and "doughy" inside. They smelled heavenly too. When Bermuda onions were available, she'd make these rolls, add a small mountain of butter (not margarine!) and a thick slice of Bermuda onion. I love onion sandwiches to this day. Sometimes it was shoestring potatoes - today called hash browns. They were great!

Her larger scale culinary efforts centered around the two families living in Decatur: "EJ's" and "Pete's". Between their families, there were eleven members. I can remember when our Grandma would call the families of 'EJ' and "Pete" together for a tamale dinner at her house. Picture these hungry folks sitting around a very small dinner table in a very small room - up to our eyes in tamales! Everything was made from scratch, of course. It would take her a couple of days to get the ingredients and make all the tamales. It's hard for me to relate her background and cultural surroundings to the tamale specifically, but the results were fantastic. For those so unfortunate as to have never tasted Grandma Andrews' tamales - well you have just missed something really good. Thanks, Grandma, I'm still hooked on tamales.

Frequently I was invited to help her grocery shop - especially when she was preparing for the tamale dinners. We'd take a taxi to the (don't laugh) Piggly-Wiggly Market on Eldorado Street. As her assistant, I'd always rate a "reward" - and my choice was a 5 cent Payday, a great candy bar at any price!

I was very young when Grandma died. I remember the visit by Uncle Paul shortly before she died. As I recall, Grandma got up during the night while Paul was there and fell in the hallway. She fractured her hip. This was the second hip fracture - but she apparently could not recover. I remember her funeral at Dawson-Wycoff Funeral Home in Decatur and I was very sad. She was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Decatur.

Ida L. (Morgan) Andrews never changed the course of human history, nor invented any great device to ease the human burden on this "Trail of Tears." She was educated to the average of the day and culture in which she lived. She certainly had her human failings and biases, but to me she was great. I loved her and respected her. After fifty plus years, I can still clearly see her in my memories, and I miss her. She was a good person, a good American and of the basic, sound stock that any family should be proud. Thanks Grandma.