Remembrance...
The only great grandmother that I knew, when I knew her, was a homemaker. She was very kind to me. She made pies, and cinnamon snails. That's about all I remember. Oh, and she had a wonderful voice, even at eighty. She sounded like Stevie Nicks, so much so that every time I hear Stevie Nicks sing I think of her. And she had osteoporosis, and when she was in the nursing home the pain was so bad that she used to pray for "the Good Lord to take me away."
My great grandfather used to salt his tomatoes, and he loved Velveeta cheese. He was vigorous until near the end of his life - I remember him harvesting potatoes, and his old green Chevy truck. Or maybe it was a Studebaker - memories fade, and I was pretty young then. I remember him hoeing his garden at the nursing home, when they moved there. I remember his Victorian bed, and the way their house was decorated. I think he was a teacher when he was younger, but I hadn't been born then.
I feel like I'm incredibly lucky to have known them, and I'm sorry they're gone, even though they've been gone most of my life.
My great grandfather used to salt his tomatoes, and he loved Velveeta cheese. He was vigorous until near the end of his life - I remember him harvesting potatoes, and his old green Chevy truck. Or maybe it was a Studebaker - memories fade, and I was pretty young then. I remember him hoeing his garden at the nursing home, when they moved there. I remember his Victorian bed, and the way their house was decorated. I think he was a teacher when he was younger, but I hadn't been born then.
I feel like I'm incredibly lucky to have known them, and I'm sorry they're gone, even though they've been gone most of my life.
posted by Ted Lemon at 10:39 PM
3 Comments:
Such short generations! By the time I was born, I certainly had no great grandparents. I had 3 grandparents left, of whom one died when I was very young (maybe 2?). My remaining gransparents died probably 12-15 years ago, so I was in my teens.
I think it's longevity as much as anything else - my parents weren't *that* young when they had me, nor were their parents. But my mother is the oldest child, and so is my father, so maybe that's part of it.
I lost my last grandparent this winter; both grandmothers died fairly recently, but both grandfathers died a long time ago. :'(
I'm glad you remember my grandparents (your great-grandparents) fondly. They certainly adored you. (Grandpa was especially impressed when, at about 18 months, you turned Signe's doll stroller upside down to investigate the workings of its wheels.) He was certain you would grow up to be a person with a curious mind--and he was right!
Grandma just loved you. She was wonderful, wasn't she?
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