to grandmother's house we go

last weekend, hubband and I dropped the girls off with my parents (knowing we would have a much easier drive and more productive weekend without their help) and headed south to visit my grandma. We arrived late in the evening so after some welcome hugs we crashed for the night. Saturday was a busy day. Hubband went to work in the yard while I helped grandma lay out and piece together two quilts she has been working on. She cut squares while I knelt on the floor and arranged, re-arranged and arranged some more. As we worked, we talked. I had warned her that I wanted to ask her for stories about her childhood and about her life with grandpa. Once upon a time, I asked grandpa if I could interview him formally (it was while my students were also conducting oral history interviews and it inspired me to do the same). He agreed but then I never got around to it and he passed away before I could. So I had asked my grandma if I could talk to her, and listen to her stories. I knew she was reluctant so I tried not to push. But once we started working, it became easier to talk casually as we went.

She told the story of a good looking, obnoxious young man who was tall and handsome but such a tease. They grew up together, attending the same school where he used to pick on her constantly. She described the way he would stand in the middle of the hallway, his arms spanning the narrow hall and refusing to let her pass until she was late for class. As the ticket taker for lunch, he didn't let her in until all the tickets had been collected. She was always the last person allowed in and by then, the only person left that she could eat with was him. At first she claimed that he picked on everyone but admits that in retrospect, he did seem to favor her with his teasing and banter. She told me about their first date and briefly talked about him serving during the Korean War and the relationship that developed through their letter writing. My grandpa was a very attractive young man and my grandma was a beautiful, classy looking young lady. They were a good looking couple and with her stories, I saw this beautiful picture of two young people who were very much in love.

We spent the morning working and talking. During the afternoon, we went on an atv ride, a favorite pastime for her and my grandpa. She took us up to "tv tower" where we could overlook the whole town and pointed out landmarks and described how the town has changed. We drove around town, ran errands and ate a lot of great food. Helping around the house, we occasionally found items that also prompted more stories and hidden talents that I didn't know about. The weekend was short, as hubband had to get home for work and we were eager to see our little girls again but it was a wonderful weekend.