GRANDPARENTS

Do you still have grandparents? Mine have all passed away many years ago. I miss them. They were great for giving advice, learning new things, visiting, having a conversation with and sharing secrets.

It was my grandmother on my father's side of the family who taught me to crochet at an early age. She also allowed me to play her electric organ even though I didn't know how.

My grandfather would take me to his garden just outside the kitchen door in the back yard and we would pick some tomatoes. Then we brought them inside and sprinkled salt on them and ate them just the way nature intended. They also had a mulberry tree in the front yard and those berries were better than the blackberries that you find growing wild or in the stores nowadays.

My grandparents knew how to square dance and would go on the weekends every chance they could. They wore country western outfits and I thought how different they looked dressed in those clothes compared to what they usually wore.

My grandmother was a beautician. She had a beauty shop built on the side of their house just off the bedroom. I loved to visit her while she worked. She would always introduce me to her customers and talk about what I had been doing, my grades, etc. I loved to spin around in those chairs and raise the lift up and down. There was always the smell of chemicals in the air, but I got used to it after awhile.

At Christmas time, I could always count on getting some rose scented lotion or hand cream, some perfume, and socks or other clothes from her. It seemed old-fashioned at the time, but I loved it because she gave it to me.

One of my favorite things to look at was her salt & pepper collection. She had two barrister bookcases with glass in the front, and she kept all of her shakers in those two cabinets in the living room. The salt & pepper shakers were teeny tiny ceramic things usually in the shape of animals or little people.

A fascinating thing about their house was a mural that had been painted on the wall from the bottom of the stairs extending all the way up to the top of the steps. I couldn't tell you what it looked like because it was so long ago and when you're a child, you don't pay attention to those things.

My grandparents lived long enough to celebrate their golden anniversary and a few years past that. They were my best friends and I loved them dearly. Their sage advice was comforting and helpful. The knowledge that they possessed is a treasure truly missed.