This story is about the person known to the world as Icel Belle Perkins. She joined the human race on April 14, 1917 and she has been running that race at break neck speed ever since. She was, for many years, in a wee bit of denial about that year, 1917. She eventually reached the point where she was and still is proud to proclaim her age, and is even a little bit of a braggart, about each. and. every. single. year. This is the oldest picture I could find of her:

I wish this picture showed her fiery red hair. She still, at the age of 95, has beautiful red hair and it is completely (ahem) natural (ahem).

She is my grandma by marriage but she has always made me feel as though I were her own flesh and blood. From the very first time I met her. She is amazing that way.

She was named after her mother who was named after some relative in Ireland, who was a twin. I wonder what the other twin was named? Don't you wonder? Her middle name, Belle,  is after her grandma, Martha Belle Weakley. Martha is the one on the right.

She was born third in line to William Edwin and Icel Lee Clark. Her mother's maiden name was Weakley. Their eldest child, a son, was Harold. Next came Ralph, then Grandma. This is Ralph and Harold:

This is William, the father, when he was 3 years old:

 William and Icel met at the circus. William was actually in a traveling circus.

I imagine it looked something like this:

  

Icel had gone with her family to see the circus. She was very young, probably 15 and William was 25!!! Can you imagine if you had been their parents? I know, I know, things were different then. Anyway, I think she looked very exotic in this picture:

 Grandma says her dad had a trained dancing bear. Icel joined the circus too and traveled with them. She had her first two children while traveling with the circus. The bear picked Ralph up once. The bear had to be put down (aka: killed). I don't know if the bear is dead or alive here, but it kind of creeps me out either way:

The bear didn't hurt Ralph but that was enough for Icel. 

She said she would not have another baby in the circus. She went to Berkley California and stayed with her sister, Esther. That is where Grandma Icel was born.

I think this picture of the elder Icel with Tony, a Portugese hired hand, really speaks volumes. It has a Grapes of Wrath feel to it. Okay, I will confess that I only read one page of that book before I decided it was too depressing but I still picked up on the feel of the time period.

 And look at this picture of Icel holding baby Ralph and showing him a rose:

Cool huh?