Marilla

Marilla is my mother-in-law's name.  The first time I met her in Germany, when she came for our wedding.  She was an amazing cook and an even better hostess.  She was always there for us, and enjoyed every minute with her family.  She is the one who taught me how to set a table, and how to cook, more by example, than actual teaching.  On holidays she put on these fabulous spreads, everything from soup to nuts, and very New England.  She grew up in Connecticut, could have belonged to the DAR's, but didn't, was a great gardener up until they gave up their house.  She played endless card games with me, and then later the children.  We played Scrabble for hours.  We went to pick our own vegetables, and fruit together.
She introduced me to lobster and lobster rolls, which were her favorite, and clams on the half-shell, New England boiled dinners, and corn on the cob, creamed onions, and purple turnips, and apple pies.
She made mince-meat pies for Christmas, and tons of cookies.  Baked hams for Easter, and Boston Baked Beans for Saturday nights.  With Grote and Wiegel hot dogs.
She belonged to the United Congregational church on Main Street, one of the white New England churches.  She loved handiwork, could knit, made Theorems, which are oil stencils on off-white cotton velvet, an old New England craft.  She needle pointed, and quilted, and donated some of her works to the church to be raffled off.
She loved to travel and saw a lot.  Hawaii, China, Japan, and Europe are just some of the places I can think of that she saw.  Her husband didn't want to go traveling, so she did it by herself, camping the first time she saw Europe (with a group).
She loved her family, loved her husband, and they were married for over 65 years.

The picture above is of my parents-in-law last August, with my daughters and kids behind them.