Olive Me Loves Olive You

Did you know that Olive trees were cultivated before the written language?

In our research, we've found that there are olive trees still producing after 4,000-5,000 years… talk about “Fertile Myrtle”!! 😲

I mean, we're not Arborists by any means so we are not really sure what 4-5,000 years equals in human years, but our guess is it's still pretty dang old!

Did you know there are actually “olive sommeliers”? 

They sip olive oil out of cobalt blue tasting glasses (this is so their sight does not influence their judgment) but the rest of the tasting process is much like a wine sommelier. 

For some reason, we find tasting wine to be way more fun! 🍷

Did you know that Olive trees have been a symbol throughout history representing peace, victory, and endurance? 

Have you ever had to extend an “Olive branch” to someone? 

We have, probably more than we care to admit. 🤷‍♀️

Did you know Olive trees are also known as the “tree of eternity”?

They can survive in almost any environment including some extreme hot and drought-like climates and even some colder temps.

Did you know Olives are actually a stone fruit like a peach and plum? 

That makes sense if you've ever almost broken a tooth when you've gone to popping one of those yummy pieces of nature’s goodness in your mouth and you chomped down on the pit! 

That's when losing a tooth would be considered a “pit”-iful mishap! 

Oh, but unlike fruit, they are inedible off the tree. 

We double dog dare you to try one…believe us, because we took the dare, it gives a whole new meaning to “turning your mouth inside out”! 

Blak!

Did you know there is no such thing as a “black olive” tree? 

There are different species and they all have different characteristics but mostly they all start as green and the longer they sit on the bush/tree, the darker they become. 

You can find them every color from light green, bright green, white, yellow, pink, purple, light brown, black, and even some cute little freckles. 

We actually wrote a little olive song to the tune, “Jesus Loves the Little Children”.  

Feel free to sing along!  🎤

🎵 We-ee love the little olives, All the olives of the world, Green and yellow, black and white, they are yummy with every bite, We-ee love all the olives in the world! 🎵

Fun fact, even at 49, I (Stace) still love putting black olives on my fingertips and eating them off. 

Admit it, when you are at one of those fancy-dancy parties and you spot a black olive and gherkin pickle tray, it's hard to resist loading your fingers up to eat them off!

Last fact about olives…

There are over 2,000 varieties of olives.

Only about 150 of those are used to produce olive oils and are what they call “table olives”.  

Now, you may be wondering why we just gave you more information about olives than you may have ever cared to know. 

We're here to tell you, with all the varieties of olives throughout history and in the world, there is only one real Olive that mattered to us (besides the ones in a martini)…

Nanny Olive.  

Now let us introduce you to the real Olive, aka Nanny. 

Olive Edith Ready was born February 2, 1929. 

She was one of 8 children, daughter of Solomon and Donie Ready (affectionately called “Granny Donut” by her great-grands… I mean, who doesn’t love a good donut?)

In 1947, Olive married the love of her life, Robert Douglas Best, and became Olive Ready Best. 

Sadly, Doug passed away suddenly in 1968, at the age of 42. 

At the young age of 39 (or according to her - always “29"), she was left to continue raising her 4 daughters - Myra, Diane, Sandra (Stace's mom), and Debra, and her foster daughter Carol, whom she loved as though she was one of her own.

Olive worked hard to give everything to her daughters making sure, above everything else, they always had love and a place to call home in their mother’s arms. 

It's hard to fathom that, in her whole career, she never made more than $8 an hour. 

Actually, after her sweet Doug passed, he left her insurance money. She selflessly set aside all of it for her daughters to make sure they were taken care of. 

She never was one who had to have the best but she was the BEST - her name said so. She did make sure, though, that her family never went without. Her children, and everyone else in her life, always ate first. 

This truly speaks to who she was and her selfless imprint she made on this earth. 

Family was one of Olive’s greatest joys. 

Boy, did she ever love her family, but "family" did not stop at her immediate family. Her motto was "the more the merrier", and everyone was invited to her dinner table. Then, once there, you automatically became family. 

She never met a stranger. 

Everyone who was lucky enough to be in her presence loved her at first “hello”. 

She loved everyone - genuinely loved them - and they genuinely loved her back. No matter race, sex, creed, or who you loved.

She never took it on as her responsibility to judge others.

Only to love them.

In 1983, Olive remarried Art Howe. 

She, in her own special way, took a “gruff” man and turned him into a gentle spirit. 

She believed in him when he didn’t believe himself. She took a wounded soldier in and nursed him back to a man he never thought he could be.

She was, to many, the Florence Nightingale of the 20th Century. 

She had the ability to see everyone’s beautiful “butterfly” when the rest of the world could only see just a caterpillar. 

Olive had a huge passion for traveling. 

She was always ready to go somewhere - plane, train, automobile, or RV! 

She and Art would drive their camper, fifth-wheel, and finally their 40ft. Allegro bus with a toad (a "toad" is the vehicle you tow behind your RV) to every state in the US, Canada, including Alaska several times. 

Out of all her travels she would tell us that she loved Alaska most.

She called it “God’s Canvas”. 

Typically, she was the Navigator, and was the best Navigator a driver could ever hope for. 

She took this job very seriously. 

Let’s be honest, where would the Captain be without his or her navigator…LOST! 

Every trip they took, Art did most of the driving and she was the “Master Navigator”. 

She studied all the maps and turn offs ahead of their trips so she could guide Art through all the twists and turns along the way…all in yellow highlighter. 

I (Stace) remember traveling across the country from SC to Washington state.

Nanny Olive took time and mapped out the whole route in the same yellow highlighter. 

Waaayy before GPS! 

(Maybe that is where I get my navigation skills and my love for maps.) 

After Art passed, she sold their large motorhome and purchased a small C-Class so she could continue her adventures. 

She was a true road warrior!

Oh, how we wish she were here now to help us navigate. 

Our precious Olive passed on November 23, 2016. 

We feel certain when she passed she asked the Angels to take her the long way to Heaven, by way of her yellow highlighted map, just to stop by Alaska. 💙

There you have it, a small glimpse into who the real Olive (to us) was. 

So, when we decided to sell 90% of our “things” including our home and jump in an RV to help build our company, we knew it needed a special name and the only name it could be was OLIVE! 

Olive... After a fearless road warrior, master navigator. Someone who was full of adventure, until the day she passed.

And now, channeling our love for her, we are on the adventure of our lives!

When Nanny Olive passed, butterflies became our family’s way of knowing she was still with us.

Butterflies are deep and powerful representations of life. 

Many cultures associate the butterfly with our souls. 

The Christian religion sees the butterfly as a symbol of resurrection and faith. 

Around the world, people view the butterfly as representing endurance, change, hope, and life.

So, on the day we were picking up “Olive” - our RV - and signing the final paperwork, we looked out the window and there were two butterflies frolicking right outside. 🦋 🦋

It was as though they were sending us a message from Nanny that she would be with us every mile on this journey!!

We see you and feel you, Nanny Olive! 💙

Sending love,

Stace (+ Jules)  ❤️