The Divorced Son: Part Six | Reflections
My
grandma on my father’s side was just as amazing as my mother’s side. She lived in that same town that my grandpa
did, the one like Mayberry. Apparently,
they met at a hatchery. Grandma Wolfe
was beautiful and petite, she was French.
Her line is where I get my green eyes from. Yeah, I thought it would be from the Irish
side too, but nope, they are from the French line. I could always tell they loved each other a
lot. We got to see them when I was
little, up until my parents divorced.
I
remember quite a bit really. She would
cook amazing country meals with all kinds of starchy food. We would always eat butter bread with jelly
on it for our dinners. It was always
quiet and comfortable there. We were
only allowed to watch tv, maybe for an hour after dinner. Sometimes we would just draw or read,
depending on the day. She always tucked
us in, and always, always gave us hugs and kisses.
Grandma
was a sweet soul, and my grandfather protected her, when necessary. As I grew, I remember one time we were
outside in the rain, and my grandma called us in. I didn’t want to go in, so I was sassy,
because I was spoiled at times. My
grandfather told me I couldn’t come in because I had disrespected my grandma,
and he left me there in the rain. So, I
went to the porch and waited out the rest of the time. They let me back in, but I had learned a
lesson there.
I
remember every morning we would eat breakfast and then be told to go
outside. We could access the basement
for materials to make temporary tents and forts. As kids in Sherwood, we were allowed to go to
the cemetery and no further. There was a
pond in between, where we would fish with bamboo poles. By the time noon rolled around, we would be
hungry, so when the fire station horn called out noon, we would run back to the
house.
Grandma
always had great food. We might have a
sandwich or some kind of noodle dish.
When we reached the end of lunch, we would go out again and adventure. Grandma would let us come inside to grab my
grandfather’s hats to play sheriff and deputy.
Or we might go down to the creek with some of the other kids and fish up
crawdads. When it was dinner time, my
grandmother would call us by ringing an old black bell mounted out back of the
house.
One of
her favorite things to do was gardening.
She would have all these flowers at the front of the house in tiered
flower beds. I remember the marigolds
the most. They were orange and red. She had purple and white flowers there
also. It was beautiful.
She
would take us to the water spring on the side of the road. I don’t even remember where it was, but
apparently everyone used it. You would
get the freshest, cleanest water out of that spigot. It was fun going for a ride with them. I remember how my brother and I would get a
minty gum stick from grandma in the car.
Grandma
always kept up with us. She felt bad
that we weren’t able to see them much.
She came out once up to where we were going to college in Flagstaff. She was very mothering, and wanted to make
sure we ate and were healthy. My brother
didn’t like when she kept asking if he was hungry. He let it go fast, though. He loved her a ton, just like me. She was a sweet lady.
Later
on, it got bad. Grandma got
Alzheimer’s. My brother, his daughter,
and I went out to see her at my Aunt’s house.
She could tell who we were, my brother and me. But, every day we had to remind her who his
daughter was. You could see the twist of
uncertainty in her eyes. It made me want
to cry, but I kept it together for her.
It was the last time I saw her. I
wish everyone could know these amazing grandparents that were in my path
because of God. He truly set me up for
success with awesomeness like them.
Ready for Part 7?
Sample Related Posts:
Revisit Grandma Wolfe's town
Discover more reasons the Mr. considered himself spoiled
Acquaint yourself with Grandma Weber
Celebrate your Gorgeous Grandma
Cook up a noodle dish
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Thank you for adding your flavor to the stew.