12/02/10…There are many warm memories of my Grandma. I wish there
were a few more of my Grandpa. He passed away when I was a senior in high
school. For years he was bedridden by a stroke leaving him unable to speak or walk.
My Grandma refused to place him in a nursing home and instead lovingly took
care of him for six or seven years. I was only eleven or twelve when his
initial stroke happened. Before the stroke, I do remember my Grandpa as a laid
back personality. In contrast, my Grandma was the driving force in the family
and a task master. Although my Grandpa was laid back, he was hardworking and
strong as an ox, even though his small frame would suggest otherwise. Grandpa
was a serious person but very tenderhearted and a God fearing man. I suppose my
Grandma’s mischievous streak may have attracted him to her. Her humor and
lighthearted look at life complemented his serious side.
Since the family business was raising tobacco, this meant life was
not very easy, especially back in the 1940’s. The house they built together still
stands today, although the landscape has changed. I remember when there were
two barns near the house, a pig pen down a dirt road a ways, and a chicken
coop. Later in life, they leased the land and I remember tobacco leaves still
being grown. There were many drainage ditches around the property and my dad
says Grandpa dug every one of them by hand. Now mind you, these ditches were
not your normal size ditches. They were at least four foot wide by two foot
deep. Every winter this was one of my Grandpa’s projects. My dad remembers the
meticulous way these ditches were dug, almost as if Grandpa was a perfectionist
in digging a proper ditch.
As far as memories, there are few. I faintly recall riding on his
John Deere tractor in the fields. Although the roar of the tractor was loud, it
was a great thrill to ride. I also recall him being a quiet man around family,
although my mom says when he went to church just down the road, he was anything
but quiet. After the church service ended around noon time, he would sometimes
stand and chat with the fellows until 2:00 or so. She remembers Grandma being
annoyed with this. Why? Because the rest of the family was ready to get back
and eat, but they could not leave until he was ready. I suppose for a man with
six kids and a wife, and working from sunup to sundown six days a week, this
moment with his peers was probably much looked forward to.
The other thing I remember about Grandpa was his snow-white hair. Styled
in a crew cut, his bristles stood at military attention. Sometimes he covered
his bristles with a gray derby hat. During our visits, Grandpa usually took
time to drive us in his old green Ford truck to the country store down the
road. This was a cherished experience. As little kids, the ole country store
seemed miles away, but in reality, the store was less than a quarter mile down
the road. It’s funny as a kid how everything seemed so big and distant more so
than what it really was. Corn stalks blocked the view of the store from their
house which I am sure added to the misperception. Regardless, there was an
adventure to be had. Usually Grandpa would make us wait for what seemed forever
before he took us. In eager anticipation, we waited and waited. When the time
came, Grandpa in his southern drawl made the formal invitation. We jumped up
and down for joy. Our feet pattered across the tile floors and our little hands
flung open the front screen door. Before Grandpa could even put on his hat, we
were already camped out in the back of his pickup truck.
As my Grandpa started the engine, all of us joyfully anticipated
the ride. As if he knew how much this meant to us, Grandpa only drive 10-15
miles an hour letting us milk the experience. As the old truck made the way down
the road, we snubbed our faces directly into the wind. What a thrill! With each
jerk of the stick shift, laughter erupted as we hung onto the sides of the Ford
for our dear lives. What an adventure! As kid’s imaginations are prone to do, I
always believed we were on some great quest. Yes, getting candy was fun, but
the experience of Grandpa driving us down the road is the memory I cherish to
this day.
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