For 21 years, I’ve been collecting frog figurines for my Brazilian grandma, who has a lifelong obsession with them. I never imagined I’d one day be picking out pig plushies and decor for a Midwestern grandma, too.
I met Karla Breed, a great-great-grandmother, at the Mayflower Community, and we were both excited for an afternoon of rock painting. That first day, she wore a pink sweater adorned with a hand-crafted family tree of pigs, with Karla proudly at the top as “Grandma Pig.”
Over the past two years, I’ve gotten to know Karla well. She loves margaritas, goes all-out on Halloween, used to be a school nurse, dominates at bingo and most importantly, loves and collects pigs.
Together, we’ve made more than four pig rocks, one pig pillowcase, a pig-themed pumpkin and a stack of pig cards for her grandkids (Karla loves my cursive handwriting).
When I invite friends to Mayflower, they hesitate. They think senior citizens are conservative, scary or against international students. But I’ve found the exact opposite to be true. The residents of Mayflower are some of the kindest people in all of Iowa.
When I came back from my first summer of college, Karla told me she’d followed Brazil in the Olympics just for me. Whenever she mentions how my boyfriend is a keeper, she asks me to show her Lebanon, his country, on the map.
My favorite moments at Mayflower are when I pick up Karla from her trinket-filled room and she tells me stories. As a wannabe journalist, I can only ever hope my writing captures the emotion Karla infuses into every tale.
One of my favorites: her late husband disapproved of her getting her ears pierced. But Karla, a rebel at heart, did it anyway. He never raised the issue until Christmas, when he surprised her with a pair of pearl earrings.
She also keeps a framed photo collage of her mom and brother, both of whom have passed. When she speaks about them, her eyes shine with memory and love.
One day, Karla retrieved her pigs from a storage unit in Newton. I had never seen so many pigs in one place — handmade pigs from old friends, pigs for every holiday, including Easter pigs and even St. Patrick’s Day pigs. Karla has it all.
If there’s one thing you take away from my friendship with Karla, let it be this: start collecting pig figurines. And make sure you visit Mayflower at least once during your four years at Grinnell College.
