There's a saying about the best way to tell a lie is to keep it as close to the truth as possible.

That is my grandmother's picture; We did call her Nana Vee. She was stubborn and lived to 100, not 101, and did wring the necks of chickens when my mom was a girl.

The rest is straight out of my subconscious (often conscious) desire for a long, close family. I am inordinately jealous of people who have quilts handed down through generations. Growing up, my next door neighbor's family was like that.

So, truth and desire blended together is what I think makes it so real.