My grandma

Last night, we had supper over at my grandma's house. She had wanted us to come over on Sunday but with the busy weekend it didn't work out until last night. I had taken her to the cemeteries on Sunday and put out flowers for Memorial Day. She gave me a batch of potato salad when I was there then. It is pretty awesome. And the best thing about it, is nobody else in my house will touch, so I get it all to myself.

So last night, the menu was lasagne, green beans, salad, hot bread and dessert which consisted of a frozen chocolate concoction and a pound cake with cherry topping and whip cream. Let's just say that I was really full when it was all said and done. I was quite thankful for most of the paper we got to eat from. She had even served the salad in paper bowls. Grandma still gets around pretty well for being 88 but since she prepared supper the least I could do was clean up.

It was sort of funny the things that went through my mind as I was doing the dishes, but the silverware I was washing was the same spoons and forks I remember from when I was a kid. Ok, so I am 40 and I know she had them long before me. The same went for the plates, the pans and the utensils. Geez, I am already on my second set of silverware in 18 years. So much has changed from when my grandma grew up from when I grew up and now even to when my kids are growing up.

Even like when I told Chelsey we were going to grandma's for supper last night. I certainly mean no disrespect to her, but Chelsey sort of balked on the idea of it and then asked me what I would rather do, be with my friends or go to my grandma's or in this case, for her, her great-grandma's. I sort of gave her a hard time and read her the riot act because she doesn't know how lucky she is to be 11 years old and know her great grandma as well as she does and she have her in such good health that she can still have us over for a meal that she has prepared herself.

I went on to explain to Chelsey that back when I was a kid, going to my grandma's was almost like going to a friend's house. It was a treat and I would almost beg to go to her house. Life was so different back then. Much simpler. And in many ways, easier. My grandma's house didn't even have running water. Well, for a long time in the kitchen there was a well pump and you could get well water to wash the dishes, but after a while the pump broke and it couldn't be fixed. From then on, we hauled water in from town. We used the outhouse in the chicken yard for a long time. In the winter time, we used an 'ole white metal pot with a handle and when we were done we took it outside and dumped it over the fence. I'm sure some of you who read this may get embarrassed or wonder how I could write all of this, but you know, it doesn't bother me a bit.

In the winter, the house would be very cold and grandma would shut off all the rooms but the living room and the kitchen. We'd sleep in the living room at night on the pull out couch. We'd turn on the electric blanket before we climbed in and it would be all toasty warm. In the mornings she would make real hot chocolate with cocoa, sugar and warm milk.

In the summers we'd dress chickens and take walks in the woods. Most people probably wouldn't guess me as a farm girl but belive it or not, I spent my share of time on the farm at my grandmas. I think my favorite thing was gathering the eggs in the chicken house. I loved how you always had to find the nests. And I loved when grandma would go to the piano and play "Bill Grogan's Goat". I think that is the only song she knew how to play, but it was a funny song and it was fun to hear!!

I think one of the most special memories I have of my grandma is that she was a cook at the school. I remember before I started school I told her it wouldn't be but a couple years and I would be in school. And then I started. But she cooked at the high school. And every year or so I'd remind her in just a few years I'd be there, and so I finally made it to 9th grade, and got to see her every day in the lunch line. ( and probably got some extra portions of the good stuff too). and then then 4 years of high school came and went and she was still there. That was in 1987. Grandma cooked at the school I think until 1994 until retiring. And there was was back in 1974 afraid she wound't make it a few more years and look how far she made it. She got to see 4 of her grandkids every day during high school. Not many kids get to say that.

Thanks Granny, for the memories. I look forward to many more.

**** PS. We've had running water at Grandma's in town now for many years!