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Mrs. Fletcher
Much has been heard in this political year about building bridges to die past and to the future.
Mattie Ball Fletcher was a true bridge to the past.
Those too young to remember the era of World War II at least know people who remember it. Mrs. Fletcher knew people who remembered the Civil War and the grinding poverty in the South which followed that disastrous conflict.
She lived through the gradual rebuilding of a life in Virginia's Piedmont and the genuine prosperity that came to Rappahannock County during World War I and its aftermath.
She came from an era when most of what was needed on the farm was produced on the farm and when those who lived on the farm took care of one another. At times she longed for a return to that more gracious era.
But she did not dwell in the past. She lived on through the Great Depression and World War II, the Vietnam War and the end of the Cold War, commenting with wit and wisdom about the political leaders of each era.
She collected antiques. She took up cooking at 60 because she believed kneading bread would help her arthritis. She became renowned for her cooking, and her recipes were treasured.
However, it was gardening that gave her the greatest pleasure. She grew food, both fruit and vegetables, for the body and flowers for the soul. All the plentiful harvest from her garden had to be given away or "put up," canned or frozen. As she neared the century mark, she was still making pickles, preserves and wine. Her greatest regret in succeeding years was her increasing inability to take care of her garden.
The great lady of Rappahannock has been laid to a well-earned rest following a well-lived life. An important bridge to the past has been swept away by the inexorable flood of time.
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