Who is Elsbeth Reese McCaskill from English Creek and what is their importance?

Elsbeth Reese McCaskill is Jick and Alec's mother. She is married to Mac, and she is the daughter of Issac Reese, a horse and cattle rancher on Noon Creek. Elsbeth grows up on the ranch and spends some time employed as a school teacher before marrying Mac McCaskill. She prides herself on her cooking, and she spends the hottest part of the summer in the kitchen canning and preserving supplies for winter. Elspeth is described as a practical woman, who keeps her men grounded by reminding them to look forward to the present instead of getting lost in stories of the past.