Childhood Memories

[Chuckie]

MO_cows, Your Grandmother sounds like a really special lady. I know the feeling that you are talking about. She really took loving care of you. I have a mental picture of the house in my mind. I always loved to smell sweet scents from flowers or bushes that were blooming. It seemed that they were super strong when I was a kid. Now, I have things planted around the house that will bloom that gives off a wonderful scent, and it takes me back to the old time houses. I have one bush that is called Carolina Allspice Bush, and it smells like Juicy Fruit Chewing gum or ripe apples and bananas.

Herofan, Christmas was my favorite time of the year too. Everyone liked each other then, and we didn't fight. I remember the catalog so well, and we drew circles around things we wanted, and wrote our name by it. It didn't mean that we would get it, but usually we would get something from there. We cut our own tree too and they did smell so wonderful. I would start calling the days before Christmas, Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve, and the next day, I would remove one of the Eve's. So everyday had a Christmas name to it.
You forgot to mention Charlie Brown Christmas. And those ice cycles that you hung on the tree that were so impossible to separate.
We had Christmas Eve Night supper, and Christmas Day Dinner. Everyone else wanted to open the presents first thing, but I always wanted to put it off as long as we could, just to make the feeling last as long as possible.

 

[greybeard]

When I remember childhood, it always centers around my grandma, my dad's mom, because she raised me from a toddler until about age 10. I remember being sick and what good care she took of me. Orange flavored baby aspirin, chicken noodle soup, and 7-up for the flu. She would rub Vicks on my chest for congestion, etc. It was such a feeling of being loved. I also remember her curling my hair on Saturday nights for church on Sunday morning. First with rags, then later with the pink foam rollers. Again, a feeling of being loved to have her gently work on my hair.

The neighbor lady across the street was a fantastic gardener. Their yard was almost all flowers and vegetables, hardly any grass. She grew flowers I had never seen before, the giant purple alliums for one. I loved to wander around and smell the flowers while she and grandma visited. That is also where I saw my first hummingbird, at first it scared me because I thought it was a giant insect! They had color tv and ours was black n white, so we would go over there to watch the Billy Graham specials.

Thanks for starting this thread, it was a pleasant trip down memory lane.

I remember my granny too. She was a diminutive woman, in her 70s when I first remember her, and just as mean as junkyard dog to all her grandsons and sons in law, and had a sarcastic streak that just wouldn't end. Her husband had died years earlier, probably in a last desperate attempt to escape her, so she had no home of her own. She spent each season of the year at a different son or daughter's place, and we had her in our home each winter since we lived in the warmest part of the state. That meant my brother and I had to double up at night and a small bed was moved into our bedroom for Granny. That was the end of listening to the radio or talking or even anything else that made noise since she "had" to be asleep by 9pm and she'd be hollering around 5 in the morning for one of us to get up and light the little gas heater so it would be warm when she got up later.

We had grown some fall corn one year, and were all out in the back yard shucking it, when I heard her cackling, looked up to see she had braided up a bunch of corn silks into a wig looking thing. Looked like a cross between Medusa and Dorthy's Wicked Witch and my father just commented that it was a vast improvement over her real appearance..
But, mostly, when I was 8 or 9 and had done or said something she didn't like--like breathing or existing--- I remember her scowling sternly, shaking that long bony crooked finger at me and saying "BOY--I'LL GET YOUR GOOD EYE!!"

WTH kind of thing is that to say to a 9 yr old and just WHAT does that mean anyhow????? I visualized that old bony finger gouging one of my eyeballs out, it gave me nightmares and I started sleeping with my Louisville Slugger. I asked my dad about it once and he said "Don't worry about that old bat, she'll take me way before she does anyone else".
She took one of those old deathtrap electric blankets (this was the 50s) everywhere she went, and I used to sneak up in the middle of the night and turn it off at the control that hung off the bedpost. :lol: :lol: .

 

[inyati13]

When I remember childhood, it always centers around my grandma, my dad's mom, because she raised me from a toddler until about age 10. I remember being sick and what good care she took of me. Orange flavored baby aspirin, chicken noodle soup, and 7-up for the flu. She would rub Vicks on my chest for congestion, etc. It was such a feeling of being loved. I also remember her curling my hair on Saturday nights for church on Sunday morning. First with rags, then later with the pink foam rollers. Again, a feeling of being loved to have her gently work on my hair.

The neighbor lady across the street was a fantastic gardener. Their yard was almost all flowers and vegetables, hardly any grass. She grew flowers I had never seen before, the giant purple alliums for one. I loved to wander around and smell the flowers while she and grandma visited. That is also where I saw my first hummingbird, at first it scared me because I thought it was a giant insect! They had color tv and ours was black n white, so we would go over there to watch the Billy Graham specials.

Thanks for starting this thread, it was a pleasant trip down memory lane.

I remember my granny too. She was a diminutive woman, in her 70s when I first remember her, and just as mean as junkyard dog to all her grandsons and sons in law, and had a sarcastic streak that just wouldn't end. Her husband had died years earlier, probably in a last desperate attempt to escape her, so she had no home of her own. She spent each season of the year at a different son or daughter's place, and we had her in our home each winter since we lived in the warmest part of the state. That meant my brother and I had to double up at night and a small bed was moved into our bedroom for Granny. That was the end of listening to the radio or talking or even anything else that made noise since she "had" to be asleep by 9pm and she'd be hollering around 5 in the morning for one of us to get up and light the little gas heater so it would be warm when she got up later.

We had grown some fall corn one year, and were all out in the back yard shucking it, when I heard her cackling, looked up to see she had braided up a bunch of corn silks into a wig looking thing. Looked like a cross between Medusa and Dorthy's Wicked Witch and my father just commented that it was a vast improvement over her real appearance..
But, mostly, when I was 8 or 9 and had done or said something she didn't like--like breathing or existing--- I remember her scowling sternly, shaking that long bony crooked finger at me and saying "BOY--I'LL GET YOUR GOOD EYE!!"

WTH kind of thing is that to say to a 9 yr old and just WHAT does that mean anyhow????? I visualized that old bony finger gouging one of my eyeballs out, it gave me nightmares and I started sleeping with my Louisville Slugger. I asked my dad about it once and he said "Don't worry about that old bat, she'll take me way before she does anyone else".
She took one of those old deathtrap electric blankets (this was the 50s) everywhere she went, and I used to sneak up in the middle of the night and turn it off at the control that hung off the bedpost. :lol: :lol: .

 

[lavacarancher]

I have good memories of living with my grandparents during the summer months. The fried toast was the only way to make toast back in those days. There was no such thing as a toaster. Heck, we didn't even have electricity until I was 8 or 9 YO. Making butter was one of my chores. Man, that really tasted good spread across a hot slice of home made bread or in a biscuit. Slice of home cured ham was also good. I never asked (didn't know to ask) about how the ham was still good hanging in the smoke house for months. G'ma would trim the bad stuff off the ham and fry it up. Man it was good.

How about rice cereal? Anyone ever have that? Boil rice in water until it got soft then add milk (whole milk) and cook it until it became like, well, like thick oat meal, add real butter and brown sugar. Man, talk about good with a hot biscuit and molasses.

We would "go to town" about every other Saturday and I got to go to the movie. Hop Along Casiday or Lash Larue or Gene Autry and most of the time a double feature with cartoons AND a serial of some type but I liked Buck Rogers most of all. I would get a hair cut at one of the three barber shops about once a month, have a malt or ice cream soda at the drug store. On the way out of town Grand pa would stop by the ice house and pick up a 50 lb block of ice, wrap it up in a canvas to keep it from melting. On Sunday after church we would make home made ice cream. I would fight Grand pa for the dasher (ha).

Young folks these days have no idea. Most think that the taste of real butter is bad and that margarine is the way it's supposed to taste. How many of you remember how you used to buy margarine? How did you get the color in it?

 

[Calhoun Farm]

Most of my best memories where spent on my grandparents farm (where I live now). A couple that come to mind are sitting at the barn at the end of the day reading the newspaper with my grandpa. At that time we had a frig in the barn and after we worked all day we would walk to the mailbox and get the paper. Then come back to the barn and get a pepsi from the barn frig and sit on a concrete bench and read the paper.

Another thing I enjoyed was when I stayed the night on the weekend we would all watch heehaw on TNN and eat popcorn. What I would give to do that one more time with them.... Papaw died in 2002 a couple weeks before I graduated from HS and mamaw died in 2012 two weeks before my son was born. I know they are happy in heaven knowing I live on the farm now and are raising my son there.

 

[Chuckie]

lavacarancher, on the yellow margarine, have you ever heard of yellow snow? :lol2: Same coloring!
That sounds like a super nice weekend you spent with them. There is no way a child could have that much fun grabbing a video game at the grandparents. They have no idea what is going on around them. The movies and all that special attention- one on one! And all that ice-cream. Oh boy!

We went to a cow sale one time in Missouri, and Kevin's grandson wanted to go. I thought it was going to be so much fun talking about all the things we would pass by. So I told him he could go if he would leave his cell phone in his pocket and no video games. I wanted him to enjoy the trip. I sat bunched up in the middle and the Grandson by the window where he could see. He brought his cell phone and texted the entire time; up and there and back and did not see one thing. I kept trying to get my husband to make him put it up since he wanted to come to the sale so bad and see something. He finally made him put it up, and he got mad and slumped down in the seat and shut his eyes and stayed mad.
It really upset me because I was very uncomfortable all the way up there and back so he could enjoy the trip. Everytime I said something to him he would say, "Hunh?" Awwggghhh! Everytime I looked up to see where he was at the sale, he was standing, texting on his phone. It was a bit much.....

Calhoun Farms, that is great that you could live where your Grandparents lived. So many people will split that up and sell it. You know they are smiling in heaven for sure. In Heaven, "My Father's house has many mansions." Imagine what they have up there now!

 

[highgrit]

Chuckie, I got some Granparents wadded up Saturday night. They had their grandkids up and were staying with a mutual friend of ours. The kids had no manners and I told them to respect my wife and our food or get the heck out of our house. The boy finally got the message when I took his plate from him, he thought I was kidding. Once the kids went out to the fire I asked the grandparents what the heck are you two doing. I was told I need to chill out, it's going to be yes mam, no sir, please and thankyou in my house. And when we say our blessings your not to be walking around getting food.

 

[brimmer X]

I have a story about my Grandpaw John. We grew up in the country and Grandpaw & Grandmaw lived about 150 yards from us. Grandmaw was a book keeper in town, Grandpaw took care of the farm, cattle and poultry. He also had a very impressive garden. I used to love walking barefooted behind him has he tilled. The good soft soil on your feet.

Every 7 to 8 weeks he cleaned the cake out of the chicken house after the chickens were picked up. He did this by hand with a spade on to a spreader. No skid steer or equipment to pick up the litter. During this break of no chickens, He and Grandmaw went on a vacation. They only went on 2 vacations while I was home. This one and another, that me and brother went with them. I was in high school then and did most all of the driving. This first vacation, I was probably 8 to 9 and my brother was 2 years younger.

Grandpaw left on vacation with old dried corn stalks in the garden. This was perfect opportunity to practice our swashbuckling skills. For us country folks, that is sword fighting. My brother and I took no prisoners. We wacked down every man, I mean stalk. Not one was left standing. We left thinking of the bountiful deed of ridding the garden of these unsightly stalks.

A day or so later Grandpaw comes over to the house. He wanted to know what in the world happened to his POP CORN. We had ridden Grandpaw of his pop corn by sword fighting. I appologized and he just looked at me a minute then walked off. He never mentioned that day again.

I have thought about this many times, and felt bad about it. But, our relationship was always good. On his death bed, he called in all the grandkids. I showed up with some fresh Arkansas peaches, probably his favorite desert. My sister told me after I left, Grandpaw asked, were there anymore of the peaches left. She said there sure was, so she cut one up and fed it to him. He told her, he never had whip or get on to me or my brother, and we were good boys. I was the oldest grand child he had, followed by my brother. That made me proud. Grandpa died one month and one day shy of his 92nd bithday in 2010.

 

[herofan]

I hear so many people these days talk of "making memories" with their kids by going on vacations, and most spend all their spare time at a sporting and club event for their kids, and a "practice" when that isn't happening. I always wondered whey the memories I cherish from my childhood always seemed to come from much simpler things.

This thread proves it doesn't take huge events to make the most precious memories.

 

[HOSS]

Chuckie,

If I didn't know better I would think that we had the same grandparents. Your story brought tears to my eyes remembering mine. I grew up in very similar circumstances in Wayne and Hardin counties probably not far from where you grew up.

 

[Chuckie]

Herofan, it is sad when the kids aren't going-going-going, then their life is over. To sit and do nothing is a horrible punishment to them.

brimmer X, I am sure that it hurt your feels terribly when you found out that there was popcorn in those old dried up stalks. You would not have done anything to hurt him, and you knew his disappointment. That hurt you I know. But the good part, you can buy it at the store. He probably just enjoyed growing it himself. He knew that you didn't mean to destroy his corn, but he didn't think to say anything about it. He forgot about it in no time. Sounds like a super guy!

One weekend my husbands Grandkids were with me and I wanted to walk down to the creek. They were upset about having to walk and wanted to ride a 4 wheeler. We walked. :lol2: I picked up quite a few corn stalks on the way and they kept asking what was I going to do with them. I told them it was a surprise. When we got to the narrow spring I found two sticks that forked like a sling shot. The handle part was pretty long so I could stick it in the ground. I took one of the corn stalks and broke it, then took another corn stalk and pulled the thin shell from the sides Inside it is kind of pithy. I guess I could call it the Veneer. It is the thin pieces on the outside of the stalk. You can take these and stick them in the sides of the corn stalk and they will hold to make paddles. I stuck several in it in the form of a wagon wheel; then stuck a smooth stick in each end of the corn stalk that was the axle of the wheel. I stuck the two Y's in the water fairly close, and then I laid the cornstalk wheel stick extensions in the Y's, and the water started spinning the wheel. We had a water wheel.
They went nuts!!! "HOW DID YOU KNOW HOW TO DO THAT?"
Then one time we piled dirt clods up just tall enough to make a clod house, and laid sticks across the top for a roof. Then we placed a crawfish hole stack on the top of the sticks. We covered the top with clods and grass and suck to seal it as best as we could. We used loose dirt too. Then we left one end open . We shoved a lot of dead grass in the house, and put more dirt clods to close it in. We left just enough room to light the dry grass with a match and then closed up the hole with another dirt clod. When the grass caught fire, it wouldn't burn fast, but it smoldered, but it smoked real well out the top of the crawfish stack. They were grinning and having as much fun as playing a video game. I bet we pulled enough dry grass to make a square bale of hay lighting that thing over and over.

When I was a small kid, Dad had to plow the fields, and we couldn't stay home because Mom had to go to work. We had to go sit in the field while he worked. We would make a several of those houses and stuff them with grass for him to light when he got through. It looked like a little village with 4 or 5 burring at once. We dammed the creek up and made many water wheels too.

 

[Chuckie]

Hoss, Just think, one day we could be in a nursing home, wishing we could walk out of there, and all we will have are these memories. We will concentrate on them so hard that they will seem like we are re-living each one when we think about it. Heck, I do that a lot now.

 

[Chuckie]

Here is one about my Grandmother that cooked the fried eggs and toast. She worried about us getting hurt a lot. It would really upset her if she saw us up in a tree, but she always smiled and she would make us get down. So we would sneak up trees where she could not see us. They had a huge pecan orchard. Some of the limbs were low enough that you could just grab them and climb up. My Grandaddy had an AO model John Deere tractor that he took care of the orchards and pecan grove. He drove up until the early 80's to work everything. It broke our hearts when he sold it. It had flat fenders and a fly wheel. Of course it was a popping John. It would run on kerosene too, I believe. It always fired up. OK, I got side tracked a bit.
We were prepared to mess with her this time when she came to us about climbing trees this time. We were in the pecan orchard, and here she comes. She said, "You need to get out of the tree, you could fall out and break an arm or a leg." We came down and I said, "Munny, I heard a farmer was plowing and stopped to eat lunch under a tree. When he got finished eating his lunch, he climbed up in the tree, and he fell out. When he did, he landed on the exhaust of the tractor, and it went all the way through him." She looked at me and started laughing and walked back to the house. We always wondered if she believed it or not. I think, "not!"