A re-do from my former blog--July 2008
Grandma and Grandpa K. lived in the same small town in Ohio as my paternal grandparents (see last post). They were completely different people, but equally dear to me. Grandma was an artist and had been quite a knock-out in her youth.

I remember driving up to their house on snowy winter's nights at Christmas time, and there was a sign they put up in their front yard each year. It probably said, "Merry Christmas" and had a picture of an angel or something on it. What I remember the most are the colored lights around the edges of the sign, and how the crisp, white snow reflected those lights in a faded, fuzzy kind of way. Oh how I WISH I had a photo of it to share with you. I know there's at least one somewhere. I thought I had it but I seem to have been mistaken. I probably have seen it among my parents' huge collection of photos. The sign was simply welcoming. And the inside of the house was so pretty, always tidy and nicely-decorated.
Now, this is going to probably sound weird, even for me, lol, but I LOVED the smell of Grandma's paper towels! Oh, my goodness! That sounds so funny to me, but it's true!

Grandpa. Oh, that Grandpa of mine! He always called me "Hot Shot," though I have no idea why! He was very talented with wood. My mom has many of the pieces of beautiful furniture, including a wonderful grandfather clock, he made in his woodworking shop in the basement of his house. Grandpa's workshop was mysterious and off-limits because of the dangerous tools and all. But I do remember him taking me down there at least once and feeling grown-up and important because I got the grand tour.
Grandpa was almost bald and one time, when I was just a tiny girl, we were sitting around the table after lunch, and I asked him why he didn't have much hair. A completely innocent question at the time, but he pretended he was mad at me for asking. Problem was, I wasn't discerning enough to know he was kidding! So at first I thought he was seriously miffed. I learned at an early age not to comment to a man about any shortage of hair he may have!


After Grandpa died when I was 8, Grandma came to live in an apartment about a mile away from our house in suburban Chicago. Her apartment always seemed immaculate and I loved to stay overnight at her place. She let me use her Oil of Olay, which I thought was big stuff, and she always had Kraft caramels in her cupboard, for visiting granddaughters, don't you know.


As I grew a little older, Grandma and I didn't always see eye to eye. We were both stubborn, and I don't really remember what we argued over. But I do remember one night when she spent the night at our house, and I got so mad at something she said, I hung one of her bras on the Christmas tree!!!

I can't believe I just confessed that.

Bless her heart. Grandma sure had her sorrows. But she passed down a legacy of hospitality and humor. Gosh, my mom can make a bunch of different dishes for a holiday meal and have everything done at the same time, an art I have not yet mastered! Mom's not quite so much into the fancy stuff like Grandma was, but she can make anywhere feel like home, and that's what it's all about! And laughter? Mom talks about how her parents would laugh and laugh at some of the old variety shows on TV. And I remember like it was last year my grandparents laughing in delight at one thing or another. The next generations sure like to laugh, too! Humor is such a gift. God is good!
BTW, thanks so much for your sweet comments re: my last post about my other set of grandparents. I'm so pleased that my post inspired happy and contemplative memories for some of you about your own grandparents. Oh, my word! Grandparents probably have no idea what they bring to the table, their wonderful influence on those precious grandkids. I doubt my grandparents had a clue how much they meant to me, the memories they supplied me and the impact they had on my life. I probably wasn't very good at articulating that. To all the grandparents out there (I know some of y'all are grandparents and others will be someday): Your grandkids LOVE your time and attention! What a wonderful opportunity to influence their lives for the good, to teach them what you know, to help keep family traditions alive. Redeem the time! You are NEEDED! You are PRECIOUS! You are LOVED!! You are APPRECIATED!!
This concludes my two-part series on grandparents. ha ha
We celebrate Christmas in July too- I've been looking forward to it all month! :)
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about your grandparents... and laughed about the paper towel smell... but mostly about the bra on the Christmas tree!!! :D