Way Back When-sday Hodgepodge

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1. Growing up, were you close to your grandparents? Tell us one or two specific things you remember about them.

I was very close with my Mom’s parents all of their lives. My brother and I spent a lot of time at their house and we even had friends in their neighborhood. My Grandpa passed away when I was about 15. I was especially close with my Grandma until she passed away at 79 when I was around 30. I benefitted greatly from having a strong relationship with such a loving, fun, wise, positive and godly woman. She modeled faith, kindness to others, acceptance of the hardships of life with grace, a never ending desire to learn, thoughtfulness, and living life with a happy disposition and good humor. I will miss her for the rest of my life.

Two things I remember about my Grandpa are kind of funny. He had a raging sweet tooth and could always be counted on to take us to Cloverdale’s for ice cream, Ward’s candy counter to pick out a little bulk candy (usually candy corn for him!), Burger King for a milk shake or Dunkin Donuts for a jelly filled treat! Thing number two was for the majority of my childhood I thought his name was Horse. That’s what everyone called him. I remember being ABSOLUTELY shocked to discover his name was Horace! And the way southern people say that is Harse, hence Horse 🙂

I remember a lot of things my Grandmother said, and many of those things shaped my views. I have two that come to mind at the moment. My Grandma came from very humble beginnings in Tennessee. Her father was a sharecropper and she remembered working very hard and having to pick cotton. She worked hard all her life and always remembered where she came from and that she was not above anyone. When I was a child in the 60s, there was a lot of unrest in the neighboring city of Detroit. A lot of the kids I went to school with were from Detroit, and their families had moved out to the suburbs in what became known as  White Flight. They had some harsh words for the city and it’s residents. I can’t remember how we were on the subject, whether something on the news or a conversation, but it was something negative about blacks. I remember her saying “they’re just people, good people, trying to do the best they can for their families too”. It made an impression on my elementary school aged mind.

There was another thing I have recalled over the years. In her older years she spent her winters in Florida, so when she was in Michigan she always tried to see as many friends as she could. She was meeting a bunch of her “widda’s” (widows) for lunch and she wanted me to come and bring our first born so she could show her off! I was driving and we were a little late I’m sure, and she must have thought I was driving a little too fast. I remember her saying to slow down, “we have precious cargo”. I have remembered that until this day!

My other Grandparents were loved but lived in Florida for most of my earlier years. My Grandma and I wrote letters for much of that time. We saw them when they came to Michigan once a year and sometimes when we vacationed in Florida. After my Grandpa’s stroke in 1991, they moved about 4 hours north of us, so I saw them a little more. I tried to be intentional about taking the kids up to visit them, and by then long distance phone calls were a little more affordable 🙂

The two memories of my Grandpa were he liked to work crossword puzzles (as do I!) and he came from a large family (8 kids) and with the exception of a brother who passed away young and a sister who moved to Indiana, they all lived in the Detroit area and seemed very close. Holidays were lively!!!!

My Grandma and I were much closer after she returned to Michigan. One of the things I remember was from her house in Detroit, when I was growing up. She had this plaque hanging in her kitchen and I did not understand it then, but I do now!

I found this on the internet and it is exactly the same one! A friend said his grandma had the exact same one in her kitchen! Must have been a grandma thing!

The other much more meaningful thing I learned from her was it doesn’t matter how many years have gone by, it’s never too late to ask for forgiveness. She had a lot of time to ponder in her later years and on reflection she realized she had hurt another with her words and actions. I didn’t hear her give the words of apology, but I saw how much the words meant to the receiver, and it made me love and respect her even more.

2. What’s an item you were attached to as a child? What happened to it?

I was very attached to my cool, metallic blue bike, with the sassy high handles and sissy bar, and the silver sparkly banana seat!!! It kicked around in our garage for many years after I stopped using it and I don’t really know what happened to it. Hopefully it found its way to the Salvation Army and a new life with another little girl who loved it!

3. When you look out your window, do you see the forest or the trees (literally and figuratively)? Explain.

Literally we look out to a creek line behind our house. There is a field between us for now, but there is supposed to be a church breaking ground this summer. The church will be located closer to the road and according to the plans we saw. We will be having a retention pond back by us. So we are not sure what this will look like next summer, but there is a good sized easement all around the creek and the homes, so this area might remain the same. I hope so, it is pretty in all seasons.

Figuratively, I am usually a big picture thinker.

4. Do you like sour candies? Which of the ‘sour’ foods listed below would you say is your favorite?grapefruit, Greek yogurt, tart cherries, lemons, limes, sauerkraut, buttermilk, or kumquats Have you ever eaten a kumquat? What’s your favorite dish containing one of the sour foods on the list?

I am not really a hard candy kind of gal, sour or otherwise. Of those listed, I would probably say grapefruit would probably be my favorite, with lemon running a close second. I have never tried a kumquat before, and I’m not even sure what they look like!

I typically just eat grapefruit plain, but there are many lemon things I love; lemon meringue pie, lemoncello cake, Mediterranean salad dressing. YUM!

5. July 1st marked the mid point of 2017. In fifteen words or less, tell us how it’s going so far.

Summer fleeting, good weather, sweet new Grandbaby here and going to visit in August!
6. Insert your own random thought here.

Here is the Way Back When-sday part of the post.

Here is a baby Capri K with her Grandpa “Horse” and her Grandma Georgia! My parents lived in California when I was born, while both sets of grandparents and all of their family was back home in Michigan. A little like our situation now with The Boy and The Dane and the new Grandbaby living out in Washington! This picture was taken during a visit because we did not move back to The Mitten until I was over two years old.

These are my Father’s parents, Grandma and Grandpa Hoover. I remember hearing from I believe my Girl Cousin Vickie, that my Grandfather worked for American Blower and his bosses commented on what a good worker he was and did he have any more like him at home? He said he did and I think he might have brought all his brothers!!!!

My Grandma also came from a large farm family. She said her mother taught her to cook at a very young age and said that my Grandma’s pies were as good, if not better than hers, so that became her job. I think she said she was 9 years old!!! I can’t even! She passed away 10 years ago this summer at the grand old age of 97.

I was blessed to have a loving extended family, and I hope to continue that tradition with our children and grandchildren.

Thanks for stopping by!

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