A memoir of Grace “Slick” Joplin

Prologue: Moving out of the City

Grace or as her mom call her Slick, was born in the suburb of metropolitan, by single mom Janis. Janis fell in love with her high school teacher and got pregnant, but of course they were never to become a family, in reality he never wanted to leave wife and children.

He gave her $20.000 and persuaded her to move out to the countryside, hoping never to see her again.

http://i.imgur.com/yzd3RRV.jpg

Chapter 1.0: Three Friends

When we arrived at the house my mom had bought, I was just two and a half years old, mom was twenty. From what I later heard mother was a great kisser and a hopeless romantic, that had not turned out to be to her advantage so far, besides of course the 20 Grand. Can say my live started on the wrong foot as mother was also a neurotic slightly insane character, but I won’t complain most people love mummy and so did I.

Mom told me lots of stories and fairytales, she loved sitting in her best chair reading a good book.

http://i.imgur.com/kQz7M2V.jpg

We were not alone. Mother had brought two friends from high school along, uncle David and uncle Robert. Two unlikely characters to be living under the same roof.

Uncle David was a strong fit person, loving everything that had to do with the out-doors, gardening, fishing and all kinds of plants and animals, from elephants to spiders and he was not impressed with all the modern popular devices. He was at his best with wind in his hair hoping to get something on the hook.

http://i.imgur.com/RLHN23r.jpg

Uncle Robert almost the opposite, a good-hearted teddy bear, loving to make a meal and take two plates even if he needed just one. With a love of most indoor stuff, cooking, art music, books and technology.

http://i.imgur.com/SS266cc.jpg

The house was very small more like a cottage, in a rural area far away from the main town, only a little daylight coming in from the few windows, mom hated it but there was no money for re-decoration, at least not when we first arrived. The boys brought practically no money from the city and mother had to pay back a 5000$ loan** before moving, we had some $332 all-together.

Mom and I had a small room, the boys were living in the other where the dining table and kitchen was also located.

Mom was a hard negotiator, so the deal was that if the household should one-day split the house with everything in it was ours, and whatever we had made should be shared 4 ways, the boys may have thought that was unfair as I was only an expenses, but you would not dare to disagree with mom.

**

http://i.imgur.com/qgFsJRT.jpg

Chapter 1.1: Three Friends

Logically I can’t remember anything from these early years, but mom kept a diary that I found after see passed away, very detailed so here we go.

The first cobble of months mother could not find a job, we very living from the few money we got

Uncle David got some fish on the Hook and started a small garden, Robert started his first oil painting. But so far no income from any of that. Never the less mom mentions this as a happy period, they were young and optimistic, finding comfort in each other’s company.


http://i.imgur.com/wA4ip4p.jpg

The highlight from the diary this period was a cold haily summer night, where a raccoon was searching for shelter near the house, Uncle David was of course over the moon.


http://i.imgur.com/LxPLIy8.jpg

Chapter 1.2: Three Friends

The highlights over the next period in the dairy was definitely mother getting a job, nothing spectacular, just a paper girl, but anyhow important to keep starvation at bay.


http://i.imgur.com/TeT7aaO.jpg

Another one was a day where Uncle David got a parrot bite in his finger attempting to befriend the bird, got an allergy haze picking wildflowers, and got soaked in the rain on the way home. The flowers were nice though and he also brought back some fish to sell the next day.


http://i.imgur.com/9keeigs.jpg

Uncle Robert finished some paintings in this period and registered officially as a painter, snacking secretly at the summer festival on the way back. My Uncles took very good care of me now that mom was working.


http://i.imgur.com/k7NKPUE.jpg

Chapter 1.3: Three Friends

Just as everything was looking a bit brighter in our small home, mother fell sick, nobody knew what is was and no way she could afford to see a doctor, even when she got back to work she was not well, but she had to provide for the little family.


http://i.imgur.com/l3Lt2I1.jpg


Romance always comes in the most unexpected ways, no it was not mom couldn’t find any evidence in the dairy that she had meet someone, it was Uncle Robert.
He meets Cheyenne Fox one day in the park, and he was immediately hit by the arrow. Sadly, it turned out she already had a partner, but he could not get her out of the head, and it seemed like it was mutual attraction.


http://i.imgur.com/7eWmcmZ.jpg

Chapter 1.4: Three Friends

Mom got is over her illness and brought home enough to buy me something wonderful, a xylophone. It was amassing, although my uncles did not adore the sound as much as I did.


http://i.imgur.com/cLtxxKx.jpg


We now had enough to pay the bills, from mom’s salary, Uncle David’s selling fish and even Uncle Robert able to sell a painting to a local farmer sometimes.
David made a deal with the owner of Rags to Riches, being able to sell his fish and vegetables there


http://i.imgur.com/isHUL5N.jpg


But the house was old and rotten, Robert often had to fix pluming and everyone was going crazy every time the old washing machine was running.


http://i.imgur.com/WjUWUnl.jpg

Chapter 1.5: Three Friends

From what I can see from the diary over the next period my little family found is own simple rhythm of life. My uncles generally woke up very early, having some “man” time together over breakfast.

http://i.imgur.com/t5791rL.jpg

While Uncle Robert took care of me teaching me whatever I need to know, he was also doing some housekeeping and if time allowed in painting a bit.

http://i.imgur.com/UjnVzNk.jpg

Uncle David left house directly after breakfast going down to the beach to get as many fresh fish he could. Later he went to town selling them and did the necessary shopping. If fishing was great he sometimes stayed at the beach all day, and sold it all the next day.

http://i.imgur.com/rLj7viA.jpg

Mother left the house in the morning only to come home for a late dinner, but still she found time to read me a story most nights.

http://i.imgur.com/WLiSvoS.jpg

Chapter 1.6: Three Friends


For the first time Mother got a chance to work inside the newspaper, actually she did not particular like the new job, but she made more money.

The old shower was broken and the washing machine extremely noisy, mother came home one day after work, she had visited the building supplier and bought a bathtub and building material enough to make a small extension of the cottage, aiming to “hide” the loud sound from washing machine.


http://i.imgur.com/XeptIRt.jpg



Uncle David of course complained that this was a waste of good drinking water, but never the less he was the first to dip in.


http://i.imgur.com/xoLKIEs.jpg



My 4-year birthday was on a Friday, Saturday we all went to the festival site to celebrate it. I got my first Ice cream and had by first encounter with a dog, I loved it! From then on could not talk about anything else – I want a dog.. a dog.. mommy I want a dog.


http://i.imgur.com/6ys92WD.jpg



Uncle Robert met Cheyenne Fox again that day at the festival site - sparkles. Nobody knows exactly what happened between them, mother just note that he came back very late that night.


http://i.imgur.com/LfY41ZQ.jpg


It was also during these weeks that Uncle David’s garden started to deliver some fruit and vegetables, a much need addition to the family income, things was improving slowly but from want I can read, we very living close to the edge all the time, we need so much stuff that we could not afford.


http://i.imgur.com/P6HinmI.jpg

Chapter 1.7: Three Friends

Uncle Robert have used many hours completing his first large painting. He is very proud about it and hangs the painting directly over his bed. The other adults are not too impressed and Uncle David jokes: “it would come to better use as fertilizer”


http://i.imgur.com/kBFnQXc.jpg


One day Uncle David comes home after searching the fields and forests, he brings back some valuable stones and a chameleon. A rare wild animal like this will bring in more money, than what he can earn fishing for several days.


http://i.imgur.com/vl1oXPT.jpg


When reading the diary, I suddenly got the explanation of why it seemed to be Uncle Robert taking care of me and mom was home so few hours every day. She had been to the library almost every night after work to finish her first book: “Leave Him and Stop Crying” an autobiographical short novel about her relationship with my father.


http://i.imgur.com/r1z4CgW.jpg


The weather was awful most this September month, spending so much time outdoors getting soaked again and again Uncle David got pneumonia. Mom brought antibiotics from town and he survived it, but could not fish for a while.


Uncle David never got around to sell “saakee” as I called her. The adults call her Pety.


http://i.imgur.com/OLuinUQ.jpg

thanks