As a child, I spent lots of time with Grandma and Grandpa (my father's parents). They, of course, always spoiled me and made me feel like the most special grandaughter in the world. Grandma made my favorite--French toast--every morning. She also baked homemade biscuits every single day (which I LOVED). Her down-home, country cooking was the best! She would take me "to town" to buy me crayons, coloring books, and toys at the "dime store". I remember her taking me across the street to this soda fountain shop where I had my very first orange ade. SO good! She always stocked her pantry with treats when I would come to her house, and I thank God that at the time I had a young metabolism because it seems like I ate a lot at her house! She would sleep with me each night, and she would "scratch my back" with a pencil to make me go to sleep....I LOVED that. Sometimes, probably exhausted from getting up at 5 every morning, she would start nodding off as I lay across her lap, and I would shake her, "Grandma, Grandma!" Bless her heart...she awoke and resumed her back-scratching, never once complaining.
Grandpa let me ride his horses, even giving me my own horse. (I just "claimed" her, but thankfully, I didn't have to look after her.) Her name was Holly, too, which is why I chose her. She was a large, gray work horse that pulled logs at the saw mills. Grandpa also let me care for Penny, a beautiful copper colored horse with a blonde main, and when she gave birth to a colt, he let me have it, too! I named her Cindy, and she was fiesty! Grandpa always bought toys for the children to keep at his house, just like my dad does for his grandchildren. One Christmas we received a trampoline, and when I told him I wanted a go-cart, he bought one. He also made us a merry-go-round which the horses pulled. He loved making his grandchildren happy!
It was so nice to take my boys to Troy last weekend with my mom and dad. Dad entertained the boys, taking them to the pond to throw rocks (Bennett's most favorite activity these days....he begs Paul every night he gets home to take him to our pond). They also rode four-wheelers and launched rockets. The weather was quite dreary--rainy and unusually cold--but the boys still had a good time.
Paul played in a golf tournament in a town not too far away on Saturday, so my Aunt Anne paid us a visit, and Paul's mom came and spent some time with Mom and me. Her mother was born and raised in this same small town, and many of her aunts and uncles lived there their entire lives. When Paul and I first met, it didn't take long for us to discover that our family histories went back to the same small rural area of North Carolina, so for years we just assumed we must be distantly related. It was a subject that we didn't discuss very much as Paul found it a little embarassing. After doing some research, Dad couldn't find any relation, BUT, while we were in Troy last weekend, Ava showed him the house her mother was born in and it was the same house that my great aunt and her family lived in!!! My dad used to play as a young boy in the same house that Paul's grandmother was born and raised in! Small world, huh?
Anderson just said today what a great time he had at Grandma's house. We are looking forward to going back when the weather is more pleasant to do some four-wheeling, fishing, and hiking!
Just pulling into the driveway last weekend, my mind was flooded with childhood memories, and I couldn't wait to share them with Anderson and re-live some of them with him. I know they say you can never go home again, but when I return to Troy, I do.
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