Category: grandma

Grandma’s Basement

Posted in basement, childhood, confidence, dungeon, grandma, grandpa, kindergarten, memoir, playpen, sarcasm, shame, teacher, wringer washerLeave a comment

(re-run) My grandpa and his dad built a house into the side of a hill. The main floor had three small bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and stairs to the kitchen below. The kitchen looked out over the hill down to the creek and had windows and a back door with a screen door.… Continue reading Grandma’s Basement

A Grungy Sponge Story

Posted in bathroom, best, California, dinner, firsts, German kitchen, grandma, Midwestern, mom, spongeLeave a comment

If a person had a rental unit near the beach and let her friends use it as a discounted rate, and one of those friends liked to clean everything with one grungy sponge, and then she left it under the kitchen sink, can you guess what would happen after that? The next friend came down… Continue reading A Grungy Sponge Story

The Moon Landing and a Funeral

Posted in death, fishing, grandma, grandpa, high school, Home Ec, junior high school, memoir, moon landing, OCD, relationshipsLeave a comment

(re-run) The day we landed on the moon (July 20th, 1969), my parents took the family to a picnic/fishing spot at the Des Moines reservoir. I was going into high school in the fall, so it was a dorky thing to do on a Sunday, but hey? I couldn’t drive yet, and the food was… Continue reading The Moon Landing and a Funeral

Neighborhood Pack Rat

Posted in Amazon, antique store, Coronavirus, Costco, Covid 19, Depression, elastic, fabric, face masks, garage, grandma, memoir, neighborhood, neighbors, pack rat, recycle, scavenger, sewing, sewing room, shelter in place, social distancing, thrift storeLeave a comment

(re-run) You know our kind. We save everything, just in case. I might need that someday. I’m going to wear that size again. That thing on the side of the road still has use left in it, and it’s free. That has a good memory for me. Who keeps stuff that evokes bad memories? No… Continue reading Neighborhood Pack Rat

Even Steven

Posted in Easter, even Steven, fairness, gifts, granddaughter, grandma, grandson, memoir, momLeave a comment

My grandmother was a sweet lady most of the time. But once she showed her preference for grandsons over granddaughters. It was Easter time. My two sisters and I were at Grandma’s door, ready to leave.  Mom was carrying our little brother.  “Wait,” Grandma said. “I have some little gifts for you for Easter.” She… Continue reading Even Steven

More Machu Picchu

Posted in best, California, firsts, grandma, grandpa, hiking, humor, Incas, last, Machu Picchu, memoir, nature, outdoors, Peru, relationships, son, Study abroad, teaching, travel, vacationLeave a comment

(part two) Christy and I finished our breakfast at the hotel up at the top and looked into the fog. The buses wouldn’t start arriving until noon. “Let’s hike up the big mountain,” she said. “Okay,” I said. My lost and found tennis shoes were too small, but I had cut out the toes so… Continue reading More Machu Picchu

A Thanksgiving to Remember

Posted in California, grandchild, grandma, great grandchild, Highway 17, Jello, Thanksgiving, Trader Joes, Ttader Joes, UncategorizedLeave a comment

It used to be the whole clan around the dining table, but these days, with one nephew in Texas and a daughter’s family in Boston, instead of thirteen, we are only eight this year. The table is laden with every possible combination of food, gluten filled, gluten free, spicy, not spicy, vegetarian, and meaty. The… Continue reading A Thanksgiving to Remember

The Navajo in the Room

Posted in Abraham Lincoln, aunt, Christmas, college professor, cousins, German, grandma, grandpa, grandparents, Iowa, multicultural, Native Americans, Navajo, New Mexico, racism, Shiprock College, Spanish, Thanksgiving, uncle, World War IILeave a comment

My mother’s brother was a college professor at Shiprock College (now renamed Diné College) in New Mexico.  He met and married my aunt Grace, a Navajo woman.  This was exciting news in my all-white Iowa family. Uncle Jim was coming to town with his new bride. Uncle Jim was tall and slim, and had a… Continue reading The Navajo in the Room

Just Me and the Pups

Posted in 2020, 2021, children, chorus, COVID, dancing, dogs, Facebook, fireworks, grandma, Halloween, January 6th, Jeopardy, memoir, New Year's Eve, party, Paul McCartney, summer, vaccineLeave a comment

(re-run) It’s New Year’s Eve and my adult children just left for a party. My eldest and her hubby flew home this morning. The house is empty except for me and three dogs. They’re calm now, but at midnight, when the fireworks go off, Daisy will dive under the bed. As I scroll on Facebook,… Continue reading Just Me and the Pups

Tone Deaf to Tone Deafness

Posted in chorus, grandma, Iowa, Iowa State University, memoir, music, piano lessons, singing, sororityLeave a comment

I’ve been singing my whole life. I went to school when music programs in elementary schools still existed. My grandma taught me to play the piano. I would sing along as I practiced. I sang in the 6th grade chorus and sang in an octette at the Iowa State Fair. It never occurred to me… Continue reading Tone Deaf to Tone Deafness