Friday, October 26, 2007

Grandma H.

My grandma never wore pants. She always wore "house dresses" with an apron over top and usually a pair of slippers. My mom told me a story once about my grandma that makes me smile every time I think about it. It was snowy and cold outside and my grandma put on a pair of my grandpa's overalls to go outside, I think to hang out the laundry, and the preacher came to visit. She was so mortified at being seen in my grandpa's overalls by the preacher, that she never wore another pair again, ever. I remember grandma having two "good" dresses. One was black and the other a silvery blue suit. If I remember right the suit was bought for her and my grandpa's golden wedding anniversary party. The black one was worn to church and funerals, the blue one to weddings. I don't really recall my grandma ever leaving the house very much. My mom or my aunts brought most of their groceries to their house after my grandpa retired. Grandma was always putzing around in the kitchen, baking bread, or cooking. Noon time was the big meal, "dinner", and as many relatives as were around would come to their house and gather 'round the big square table in the kitchen and eat. The youngest grandchild always had the seat of honor next to Grandpa and at least once a meal he would manage to pass the butter to someone in such a way that they stuck their finger in it. My grandpa died when I was 18 and my grandma when I was 23. They never knew my kids, nor my grandkids. I think about them often and hope they look down on me and watch over my family. I miss them a lot.

2 comments:

Senior Bowler-Carolyn said...

My Grandma and Great-grandmother also wore house dresses with an bib apron over the top of it. I was raised in the military so going to Mama Thomas's and Grannies was such a adventure to us city kids. Granny (great grandmother) dipped Garrett Sweet Snuff from a little silver can. She did not put it in her lip but used what she called a "toothbrush" It was a small Sweet gum branch that had been stripped of bark and frayed at the end. She would dip the brush in the snuff and then put it in her mouth. She also had coffee and biscuit for breakfast. She put milk in her coffee and would drink most of it, then put her biscuit in what was left. Eating coffee and biscuit with Granny was the best.

Mama Thomas ( my grandmother) only wore pants when she milked the cow. PaPa was the only one that had ever milked her and when he died the only way you could get in the pen with her was to put Papa's overalls and big rubber boots on.
MamaThomas made huge homemade biscuit and fresh blackberries with a litte sugar for breakfast and her kitchen always smelled like a Norman Rockwall picture.

So sad that my grandchildren will never experience the joy of helping thier grandmother feeding the chicken or gathers eggs.. Eating homemade biscuits and blackberries for breakfast.

anita said...

such good memories...it was a different life back then, wasn't it?