Grand People

[ms_ann_thrope]

Do you remember your grand parents? Did you have a good relationship? My grand mother died when I was about 13, so the memories of her and paps are fading. I never really knew mom's parents.

I remember paps took my cousin and I fishing when we were quite young. He got too hot and almost died on us. It was pretty scary. Grandma always dressed as a witch on Halloween and scared us witless.

I guess they were pretty scary people on the whole.

 

[bronzeage]

Both my grandfathers died before I was 12, but I have strong memories of both men. My maternal grandfather taught me to drive a tractor when I was four. I had to wait several years before I could reach the foot pedals. My paternal grandfather taught me how to gut and clean a turtle for soup. I've never needed to do that again, but the tractor skills come in handy more often than one would think.

 

[warrior queen]

All 4 of my grandparents have passed away - the last one just last year.
I remember all of them very clearly. All survived Aushwitz/Birkenau, but only my Omi on my mother's side was comfortable enough to show her tattoo number. The rest kept them covered completely.
They were all very gentle people. Soft-spoken, calm.
Perhaps as a result of their experiences?
I became a grandmother a couple of months ago. I'd like to think I'll stay around long enough for her to remember me

 

[islandman]

Have you been watching The Munsters?

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

Both my grandfathers died before I was 12, but I have strong memories of both men. My maternal grandfather taught me to drive a tractor when I was four. I had to wait several years before I could reach the foot pedals. My paternal grandfather taught me how to gut and clean a turtle for soup. I've never needed to do that again, but the tractor skills come in handy more often than one would think.

Fortunately we have mostly evolved beyond turtle gutting but then, my grand parents never had to install a Windows operating system.

 

[Lorilei]

My maternal grandmother is still with us, and she's the sweetest little thing ever. My maternal grandfather died when my mom was a child. My paternal grandfather died about 15 years ago, my grandmother 10. I am/was close to all of them. I was lucky enough to know two sets of great-grandparents. One of my great-grandfathers was a blacksmith, horse trainer and sheriff (before I was born). They lived on a farm, and we always loved visiting them and chasing the peacocks around the yard! My other great-grandfather was a doctor, and gave us all of our shots when we were little. He used to tell my mom that that would be all that we'd remember about him, and sadly, he was right. He died when I was too young to remember much else.

I have a lot of good, happy, grandparent-related memories, though.

 

[butters]

never knew my dad's parents as they died in Germany when he was a baby, and my mum's parents weren't the warmest of creatures as i recall. grandad was pretty brusque and had a big captain's chair he'd sit in whenever he was home and sort of barked things at me. my nan was more gentle but quiet around him and not one given to cuddling or anything like that. didn't see them often - the old boy stayed at my parent's for a while after an op and my nan was already deceased, and it didn't exactly endear me to him any further. the one week i spent at their house one summer as a kid (think mum was having my youngest brother then) i spent most the time reading in the bedroom or playing ball with the dog out the back garden.

i expect the hard years had formed their characters and young children were still more 'seen and not heard' to their generation. can't say i ever got to know them, or missed them.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

All 4 of my grandparents have passed away - the last one just last year.
I remember all of them very clearly. All survived Aushwitz/Birkenau, but only my Omi on my mother's side was comfortable enough to show her tattoo number. The rest kept them covered completely.
They were all very gentle people. Soft-spoken, calm.
Perhaps as a result of their experiences?
I became a grandmother a couple of months ago. I'd like to think I'll stay around long enough for her to remember me

Your ass dosen't look a day over 35. The greastest gift you could probably give them is to teach them about life.

 

[XdOu™]

i no longer have any grandparents left

i missed them so much.

 

[bronzeage]

Fortunately we have mostly evolved beyond turtle gutting but then, my grand parents never had to install a Windows operating system.

If you want turtle soup, somebody has to do it. Turtles don't gut themselves.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

My maternal grandmother is still with us, and she's the sweetest little thing ever. My maternal grandfather died when my mom was a child. My paternal grandfather died about 15 years ago, my grandmother 10. I am/was close to all of them. I was lucky enough to know two sets of great-grandparents. One of my great-grandfathers was a blacksmith, horse trainer and sheriff (before I was born). They lived on a farm, and we always loved visiting them and chasing the peacocks around the yard! My other great-grandfather was a doctor, and gave us all of our shots when we were little. He used to tell my mom that that would be all that we'd remember about him, and sadly, he was right. He died when I was too young to remember much else.

I have a lot of good, happy, grandparent-related memories, though.

It gives us something to stand on.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

If you want turtle soup, somebody has to do it. Turtles don't gut themselves.

Only the suicidal ones. People eat turtles? If Meijers dosen't sell it, I don't eat it.

 

[warrior queen]

Your ass dosen't look a day over 35. The greastest gift you could probably give them is to teach them about life.

My ass is 44, but thanx!
Baby M is too small to know much yet - last night I was watching her finding her hands and trying to smile.
Too cute!

 

[bronzeage]

Only the suicidal ones. People eat turtles? If Meijers dosen't sell it, I don't eat it.

Of course people eat turtles. It's a delicacy.

You never have to see the turtle. It is not served in the shell.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

never knew my dad's parents as they died in Germany when he was a baby, and my mum's parents weren't the warmest of creatures as i recall. grandad was pretty brusque and had a big captain's chair he'd sit in whenever he was home and sort of barked things at me. my nan was more gentle but quiet around him and not one given to cuddling or anything like that. didn't see them often - the old boy stayed at my parent's for a while after an op and my nan was already deceased, and it didn't exactly endear me to him any further. the one week i spent at their house one summer as a kid (think mum was having my youngest brother then) i spent most the time reading in the bedroom or playing ball with the dog out the back garden.

i expect the hard years had formed their characters and young children were still more 'seen and not heard' to their generation. can't say i ever got to know them, or missed them.

My dad was hard to get to know in that fashion. It's where I get it. Some of that gets passed on to us whether we want it or not.

 

[fuckwaffle]

Do you remember your grand parents? Did you have a good relationship? My grand mother died when I was about 13, so the memories of her and paps are fading. I never really knew mom's parents.

I remember paps took my cousin and I fishing when we were quite young. He got too hot and almost died on us. It was pretty scary. Grandma always dressed as a witch on Halloween and scared us witless.

I guess they were pretty scary people on the whole.

I remember my greatgrandmother(s) both side of the family are long lived.

My greatgrandmother on my fathers side didn't pass until she was just about to reach her century mark. My father's other grandmother lived well past 95 years.

As for grandparents...I knew both sets. I hung out with both also. Friday nights was spent at my mothers parents house. Saturday nights we were at my fathers, fathers house. Sunday we spent with my father's mother. Dad's parents divorced shortly after he left home as a young lad.

My grandfather(mother's father) was from a huge family compared to most today. He had 10 brothers and 5 sisters. All in all, I had 52+ cousins to choose from at the family gatherings. Well not quite 52 as some were male.

There were two events a year that all those cousins got together, Christmas and a summer get together. My grandfather organized the walk in the woods every summer. It was a big adventure for us young ones, for him it was a way to get away from my grandmother. She was a little overbearing at times. My uncle would join him, my mothers brother. I remember those days well.

That was a long time ago...all the greatgrandparents and grandparents are now passed away. My father is gone, my mother is just hanging on, she has Alzheimer's. My grandmother(mothers, mother) passed due to Alzheimer's. It seems the women in the family are prone to the disease. The men on my mothers side suffer a different fate - heart attacks - early on. I have had one already. If I make it just one more year I will be past the time of seconds for the family norm.

So yes I remember the grand people in my life.

 

[butters]

My dad was hard to get to know in that fashion. It's where I get it. Some of that gets passed on to us whether we want it or not.

a sum of all our parts, it's true - though sometimes the maths gets complicated.

my own two grandsons bring me a lot of pleasure, even though i don't have my walls plastered with family photos. it's nice to spend a few hours playing with them on a regular basis - but also nice to be able to wave 'bye' when i want to go home

 

[TonyClifton]

 

[Bert Notorius]

i'm a rock-n-roll grandpa...and a yankee doodle boy.

my grandpa wore bib overalls and dirty wife beater tee shirts and milked a lot of cows. He loved the cubs and could catch a catfish from a mud puddle. he wasn't a pretty man.

there
right thread

 

[JohnnySavage]

If I were a grandparent, I'd want to be called Pappy.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

If I were a grandparent, I'd want to be called Pappy.

Ok Pappy.

 

[KRCummings]

All my grandparents are dead. I knew all but one for quite some time. For the most part they were nice but I never knew them as anything but old, retired people who didn't do much of anything. My kids have grandparents who are active and do all sorts of things with them. In a way I wish I had gotten some of that but I guess it doesn't really matter.
And how come my dad is so cool with the grand kids? He was an ass to us growing up. We never did half the shit he does now. Fucker.

 

[JohnnySavage]

All my grandparents are dead. I knew all but one for quite some time. For the most part they were nice but I never knew them as anything but old, retired people who didn't do much of anything. My kids have grandparents who are active and do all sorts of things with them. In a way I wish I had gotten some of that but I guess it doesn't really matter.
And how come my dad is so cool with the grand kids? He was an ass to us growing up. We never did half the shit he does now. Fucker.

Maybe he didn't like you?

 

[renard_ruse]

Well, I'll answer for reals.

My paternal grandmother died when my dad was a child, but apparently she was originally from Sweden. He doesn't talk much about her and I really know very little. I have never even seen a picture of her come to think of it. My paternal grandfather remarried and was divorced a couple more time; he moved to Florida and lived in a trailer park near Tampa and died when I was ten. I only met him a couple times.

My maternal grandfather was crazy old goat. I used to spend the summers at their place and he'd try to indoctrinate me into becoming a Communist. He's show me the English version of Pravda or whatever it was and tell me how everyone is cared for in Russia and nobody is homeless. He also drank like a fish, gambled, eat unhealthy food and lived to be 91. My grandma was a nice lady who worked in a key factory for 40 years to help the family make end meet. He thought he was the boss but I think she was really the one in charge.

 

[evesdream]

My maternal grandmother is still with us, and she's the sweetest little thing ever. My maternal grandfather died when my mom was a child. My paternal grandfather died about 15 years ago, my grandmother 10. I am/was close to all of them. I was lucky enough to know two sets of great-grandparents. One of my great-grandfathers was a blacksmith, horse trainer and sheriff (before I was born). They lived on a farm, and we always loved visiting them and chasing the peacocks around the yard! My other great-grandfather was a doctor, and gave us all of our shots when we were little. He used to tell my mom that that would be all that we'd remember about him, and sadly, he was right. He died when I was too young to remember much else.

I have a lot of good, happy, grandparent-related memories, though.

Did they leave pictures of when they were younger and the blacksmith/sheriff days?