Simply Mother

This is my grandma, the one who comments here sometimes, because she rocks like that.

It was a special surprise to see her when we were in Utah. Before we went on the trip, I was talking to her about how she should fly out while we were there, but she made like it was impossible–and then showed up on the doorstep of my aunt’s house where we were staying.

I have so many wonderful memories of being at “Grannie and Poppop’s” house. We lived there when I was 10-12 (also when I was two, but I don’t remember that much), and there were lots of other holiday visits.

A few things that always come to mind:

• Warming our footed pajamas by the woodstove
• Helping Grannie put price tags on products in the warehouse of “The Gin” where she worked
• Riding on the tractor with Poppop
• Running through the dirt trenches of the garden
• Learning the ins and outs of refrigerator repair and maintenance.
• Sitting on the couch and studying the globe with Grannie
• Getting piggy-back rides up the stairs at bedtime
• Staying up late in “my” room–which also happened to be the food storage room–reading all the funny parts in the stacks and stacks of old Reader’s Digests
• Always having ice cream for dessert. And feeding some to the cats. Related: Watching my grandpa adore his kitties.
• The pink telephone Poppop scrounged up for me from The Gettin’ Place* when I became adamant that a 10 year-old NEEDED her own phone. (It still acts as their upstairs phone, as far as I know.)
• Corn on the cob. Shucking. Eating. Eating 6 or 7 ears in a sitting. Along with turkey, mashed potatoes, and all the rest of the Thanksgiving dinner. Being called a bottomless pit.

*AKA, the county dump!

Good times, yes. Love my Grannie and Poppop–wish Poppop could have made it out, but glad I at least got pictures of my newest bundle with her great-grandma.

Filed in: family | July 11, 2009