Grandmother Rice lived a life of hardship but one of great faith in her Heavenly Father and her beloved Savior Jesus Christ. She was blessed with the gift of tongues and would sometimes speak in them when she bore her testimony. I would ask Mom why she was talking that way and Mom always expressed reverence for her and told us she was given a gift. She had many awe inspiring experiences. The homes at that time were mostly log cabins and the windows didn't have screens on them. One afternoon one of her babies was sleeping in the bedroom when Grandmother heard a noise coming from the room. She rushed in to find a Cougar half way through the window. She beat it back out of the room with a shoe.
Grandmother, like many Pioneer women learned how to shoot a rifle to protect their families. She was a crack shot. Her daughter Ida was a beautiful little girl with long dark hair and dark eyes and white skin. The Indians were intrigued with her and believed she was a special spirit because of her coloring. She was in danger of being kidnapped. Early one evening an Indian crept into the yard where the children were playing with the intent of kidnapping her. He tried to grab her but she started kicking and screaming and her siblings tried to pull her away. Grandmother grabbed her rifle and ran out to where the children were. All she had to do was raise the rifle and take aim, and the Indian was gone. They knew from experience what she aimed at, she hit. She had many amazing life experiences and was truly a remarkable woman.
