Say Something Saturday...

Ami is once again hostessing SSS. The theme is Grandfather.

I didn't know my mom's dad, he died before my parents even got married. My dad's dad was alive until I was a teenager. A few years before he died, he went blind and had to go into a nursing home. It was really sad.

I do remember, however, how his little house smelled. An odd mix of old person that you can't put an official smell to, something musty but not really bad. I haven't smelled that in a long time. He lived in another house before that, it had an upstairs and old quilts I slept under once. It was kind of neat and had a fireplace or something wood burning anyway. He would sit when we came to visit and tell stories. There were tons of little trinkets around, so I'd get tired of trying to understand the conversation the adults were having and wander around looking (not touching) at things. He was a nice man and always laughed and smiled at us. I guess that's as much as kid can ask for right?

He gave me a necklace with my 'last name' initial on it. I thought I'd be nice and consider passing it down to my niece (the only one who has the same last name) so I asked my parents and they weren't happy about it. I said that I figured all the girls got one and since my name had changed I'd pass it on down since my kids wouldnt have the same initial. They indicated that all the girls hadn't gotten one and maybe I should keep it. With frowns on their faces. It wasn't meant to be hurtful, it was meant to be a way to pass on the love I felt when I wore that necklace to another generation.

My grandfather (GRANDDAD) always had coke bottle glasses. He had 'an eye condition' and that was all he'd ever say. So not sure if there's something in the family history or not. Guess that will be something to worry about when I'm in my 60's or so.

I gather that my grandparents were not very 'fun loving' people on either side of the family. Too much work to be done and a lot of quiet otherwise. This was good. Because it made my parents a LOT of fun. Laughter was always something I knew and jokes (no matter how dirty) were told every day. We have a lot of fun little stories we tell: like the day my dad brought the pony in the house to prove to us kids that he could....

and the most fun thing is? That my hubby can now chime in with all these stories because he's heard them so much.. AND we've made up a lot of our own. Seems like our kids will get even MORE of a fun-loving household than the one I grew up in. Sure, maybe no one outside the family will "get it" -- but hey, it was good enough for me whether my hubby got it or not. And of course it's even better that he does and that our own silly routines are established and becoming a part of our story as a family.

Funny how things get passed down isn't it? Even by accident.