Among Friends

[qualitygal]

As a child, in the car with grandma, as we waited for grandpa, we were just passing the time, we looked at a STOP sign, and I asked my grandmother what that could mean.  I don't know how old she was at the time, she had 3 sons mind you, and she came up with this: skid tires on pavement.  I laughed so hard.

Don't miss all the things the grandparents in your family have to offer, once we can be 

together again.  Learn their life stories, while you can. 

 I also found out about them (an uncle) taking daisys and making some wine or ? out of that.  Put them in the closet.  That's all I remember for now.

Just a memory share.

[MariotaMurielle]

my paternal grandmother (who died in 1966) was hilarious.

she always wore a shirtwaist dress. always crossed her ankles when she sat down, instead of crossing her legs like we do. she wore pink rouge from a small pot, always kept in her purse.

she always carried a small black handbag across her wrist, never a shoulderbag.

she loved Coca-Cola but would only drink it from the small glass bottles, and always with her handkerchief folded around the bottom of the bottle.

[Kalli]

We lived in a house built in the 20s.  The "attic" section was large enough to actually be an apartment.  When my grandparents visited, they'd stay up there.  It had a livingroom, kitchen, bath and bedroom.  Thinking back, when I was young they must've still been in their 40s, maybe very early 50s because they climbed up a skinny staircase to get to that apartment and never complained about knee pain!

 We always wanted to play up there but weren't supposed to. Once when they weren't there, we went up and ate some candies Grandma had in a dish on her coffee table.  OMG did we ever get in trouble for that!  Still remember the reprimand to this day.  Scorching!   

[ScrapHappy]

My Grandfather was a snacker, but he didn't want you to know he was one.  When we would visit my grandparents, my Mom would always get me a box of cereal that I liked.  Once time she got me Captain Crunch cereal with the crunch berries.  I woke up one morning and all the crunch berries were gone.  Another time we just got home from gettin ice cream with my Aunt.  I was still eating my ice cream cone but had to use the bathroom (right around the corner) so I put it in the fridge.  I came right out and my cone was gone.  

I also recall my Mom showing me the love letters my grandfather wrote to my grandmother.  Very loving, very hearfelt.

[jeanlake]

Love your post and what I'm reading. My western NC mountain grandfather was a mean one. He lived with my cousins' parents and would chase the boys up the tree with a belt. Simple things got on his nerves. It was 'yes sir and no sir' when I was around him. Can't say as I liked him. 

HOWEVER, I did have a set of maternal grandparents who hung the moon. Grandpa lived near a 'filling station' in Tryon, NC. He'd sneek grandkids quarters and we'd walk to the country store/station and buy salted peanuts to put in our Pepsi bottle. I'd ride with him to take 'granny' (what he called her) to work. On the drive home he'd straighten out the mountain roads by honking when he rounded the curves instead of staying in his lane. Said he lived there all his life and locals knew his honk. He drove a big Nash. I saw more than a few drivers shake their heads and smile at him. He'd challenge me to a race then grab my pony tale to hold me back. He alwasy won. He was a character. Loved him dearly. Died too soon (1968) Thanks for triggering good memories today. 

[qualitygal]

I have no grandkids, but, you jogged my memory of summers when we'd go camping as a family.  I had friends all summer when we did that, because they had a house out at the lake on the campgrounds.  My folks rented a trailer.  What a ball I had each summer.

We'd, (the preteens at that time), would walk the tracks of the train in that area into town and buy some rainbow ice cream cones.  Seems big round suckers at that time, used to always be multicolored.  No wonder I visited the dentist as a child!  

We'd all swim till our fingers wrinkled up.  But we were on the run up and down hills and all.  We had such fun.  

Do you as a grandparent, have a story of your youth to pass along too?

[RedTop]

My Sunday School teacher Mamaw had waist length hair that she kept braided and pinned in a secure wrapped coil on the back of her head. 

By the time I was a teenager, Mamaw had a health issue and medication had caused her hair to thin out and break off.   Her hair looked pretty bad, and the suggested fix all was for Mamaw to cut her hair pretty short.   

Mamaw’s hair had only been cut 1x in her life, when she was about 4, but at 65 it just had to be done again.   She had already decided to do it, and had an appt set up, when one Saturday afternoon when most of the family were there, Mamaw jokingly told Papaw she was thinking about coloring her hair too, and just what color did he think would look good on her?   

Her expectations were that Papaw was going to give one of his firm “NO, I’m putting my foot down” answers, but instead he looked around the kitchen at each us and acknowledged my red hair, Moms light brown hair, my aunt’s dark brown color, his sisters blue rinsed hair, and tells Mamaw he thinks Avocado Green hair would suit her just fine!!   We all laughed until we cried over that one.   

[Mary Bailey]

My Dad used to snap his fingers and the bright headlights would turn on in the car.

Riding with Grandpa we asked him how the brights came on. He told us and Dad was busted.

Grandpa had a glass eye. It would stay open when he napped. We thought he was watching us.  That fooled my Mom too when she was little.

I have so many fun memories of him.  He was such a character.

[denisemb]

Love these memories!  Sorry mine is long.

Mine involves Christmas night at my grandparents house.  They lived in a big ole farmhouse and had 12 children (9 living when I was a kid) and 54 grandchildren!

There was an automatic hierarchy to fit all those people:

1.  Women, babies & small children got the living room.

2.  Men got the big table in the farm kitchen, playing cards.  And every year, Uncle Jim would comment on all the "catsup bottles" (beer bottles)  on the table.

3.  Teenagers took over the dining room, also playing cards.

4.  Then there was MY group - probably aged 5 to 11.  We'd play hide & seek in Grandma & Grandpa's bedroom (under all the coats piled on their bed) until we got kicked out.  Where to go?  Where to go?

The huge farmhouse bathroom, of course!  (Probably was another bedroom in outhouse days.)  We'd play school, lined up along the tub with "teacher" holding Grandma's wooden spoon. And had LOTS of recess when someone needed the facilities...

Funny, there was a 2nd floor with more bedrooms, but I never once saw it.

And no gifts or even food.  (Each family had eaten themselves silly at mid-day meal with G & G alternating each year.) But we all had such fun seeing all our family members at once, we didn't miss those "trimmings"!

Now let me tell you about our summer Family Reunion... LOLOL

[Vivian]

My grandson knew that I was a francophile. In fact, at one point we took the whole family to Paris. There was an airline ad that said they'd built a bridge to Paris. My grandson took it literally. He called me to tell me we could now drive to Paris because a bridge had been built. When I gave him the bad news about the ad he was mortified. He felt so embarrassed that he had taken the ad literally.