My Grandma

This is a picture of my Grandma Thomson......my Dad's mother! I am not sure but I am assuming she was at a picnic....or perhpas a Sunday after church potluck or something......but what I find somewhat humorous is her wearing of a hat, with dishes in her hands and an apron on!!!!
I always thought of her as a VERY strong woman, someone whom I was somewhat afraid of.....and certainly respectful of!!!! As I grew older, I remember asking my parents if I was her favorite grandchild!!! I was told....NO!....she had many grandchildren and I was told that she dared NOT to play any favorites! I remember always secretly HOPING I might have been her favorite anyway!!! When in actuality and now as I look back........I am quite sure I was NOT a favorite and that my Mom and Dad were right all along.......she loved ALL her grandkids equally!!!! Nevertheless......I probably did many an antic to gain her favor! (or so I thought...my "antics" probably caused my wish certain death)
I loved the house she lived in and still every once in a great while I have a dream about that house! It was one block from the church we attended and I LOVED walking to her house from church! I always thought it was a very beautiful house with a beautiful yard and it was SO close to uptown.
You see, I lived in the country with dirt roads and NO stores......but when I was at Grandma's......we could actually walk UP town to the DIME store and walk home again!!! ( and YES.....actually have only one DIME and come home with treats galore!) There was also a SIDEWALK one block up from her house, in the event our parents let us bring roller skates, or perhaps our bike! WOW! What a treat that was!!!!
I was always totally "enthralled" with what she had in her back yard.....this is a crack up because as recent as 2 weeks ago have heard this concept re-circulated as being "earth-friendly"........she had a huge old washing machine which collected the RAIN WATER!.......I could NEVER understand it.......but was always interested in it.......and always looking into it......finding every bug known to mankind floating, dead, in it!!!.........and she DID use it.........on her wash day, and to water her plants!!!.......I guess it really is true..........what once was OLD, will become NEW again!!!...I am quite sure she disposed of the dead bugs before using it for wash water.........
One of the things I loved at her house and especially on the mornings after spending the night.......was her toast in the morning.......she had a wonderful mixture in it's own container of honey and peanut butter.......the perfect blend.......and I adored it!!(she did not buy it that way.......I think she was the inventor of it and knew the perfect recipe for it!..:) ) I really didn't think anyone else in the world had EVER done such a thing and looked forward to it with great anticipation!
One of the other things I loved that she did was........she loved going to garage sales.......and she was a careful buyer.......she would always have 2 to 3 sets of curtains to change out every so many months! I absolutely was so intrigued by the idea, and remember thinking she must really have a LOT of money to be able to have SO many sets of curtains!!! Of course she had them starched to the nines......which also GREATLY intrigued my young mind!

We had many a wonderful family reunions at her home........and I had so much fun with my cousins!

Her first husband passed away and she re-married a man named Walter Thompson.......we always just called him "Walter"........I, also, was quite scared of him! Once in a while he would actually pay attention to me and make me laugh......but mostly I was afraid of him and wondered why my Grandma picked him out!......sorry if you are related to him and reading this.......but I am just telling you how I felt as a little girl! :)..........anyway........he did some interesting things.......one of them being.........raising WORMS in his basement!!!! The day I went down to see those worms has always stayed in my memory!!! I just could NOT believe it and wondered how in the world my Grandma put up with such a thing!!! However, he did take time to explain it to me and how they live in his boxes of black dirt! He explained to me they were for his fishing, which he enjoyed and did a lot!.......But I have never forgotten that they had worms in their basement and believe me.....I have had some funky dreams over THAT too!!!

My last story for tonite is one which takes place AFTER I had graduated from High School and had had one year of Bible College under my belt.........my Dad proposed the idea to me that my Grandma needed someone to help her with spring cleaning and general household chores for the summer and that she would pay me !.....and should I accept, I would live with her during the week! Of course I thought that was the BOMB because I had never lived in "town" before........and never had that much "freedom"..........

Oh how WRONG I was.........first of all there was NO FREEDOM.........and I really did not get to enjoy the close proximity of any stores!........Let me preface this by saying.........in the END........and to this day, I was thankful to have been there.........but in the actual interment of the stay........well.....let's just say NOT SO MUCH!

I soon found a whole new way of life and found out how spoiled my MOM made me........I had never even known what it was like to work so hard!....and just let me tell you........I DID work hard on our farm..........it sure seemed like it!........

The very first morning there........Grandma woke me promptly at 4AM!!!....Oh yea, that's what I said.........I thought she was mistaken........but NO.........she had NOT looked at the clock wrong.......I must admit that my "attitude" changed THAT day..........oh my goodness........what has my DAD gotten me into?????........she gave me about 15 minutes to be downstairs for devotions and breakfast.........and I guess I made it.......I have no recollection of NOT being there!.......this is where that "being scared and being respectful" came in real handy!..........

and so it went EVERY day I was there.........she absolutely cracked me up the way she did devotions.......she always used Daily Bread..........and would read the story first then start into the Scriptures........but must have had her eye on the clock........because often she would not finish the Scripture reading.........and that just drove me nuts!!!..........I always thought......if she was going to leave something out...........it should NOT be the Scriptures!..........then we had breakfast which was usually oatmeal and toast..........and by 5:30 or so....we were ready to DIG into the work!

Who KNEW a Grandma who had no kids around anymore would have so much work to do?..........the first task on Mondays was washday........and hanging clothes on the line.........(thankfully, I liked that job).........I have a vague memory that the goal was to have them dryed on the line and back off the line and neatly folded by 9AM!!!............WOW

The other BIG tasks we accomplished that summer was a TOTAL cleaning of the ENTIRE house........every nook, cranny and corner.......and I kid you not!.........we wiped, dusted, washed, and shined absolutely EVERYTHING in the house!

I was in a constant state of shock, although obeying to the best of my ability!..........then I would go home on weekends and cry about how bad my Grandma is treating me!!! Seriously!!!

Let me just tell you........I had NO better teacher in the world on how to clean the house and do the washing!...........

I will continue this story next time with a story about STARCHING!.......

over and out for now