Easy - Week #29

Easy...like Sunday morning.

Tell me...

What qualities do you remember about a grandparent or an older member of your family that stand out in your memories about them?

My grandpa Ab was a simple man who lived by simple means.  Born the fourth child of pioneers in a family of nine children, he learned early on the ways of living off the earth.  I can remember with clarity days of my early years eating corn on the cob at his table, and the excitement in his eyes as he watched me, delighted in his granddaughters love for his home grown corn.  My adult memories of him always take me back to a simpler time of Sunday afternoons spent in his living room, listening as he spoke of life with his siblings and parents.  They were homesteaders surviving in the wilderness with only a canvas tent to cover their heads and an earthen floor beneath them.

I have many recollections of him and he never spoke of the contrast between the values of his generation and mine, preferring to focus his attention on what made me and my cousins smile and laugh.  He found many ways to endear himself to his grandchildren, and taught all of us his love for earth's bounty.  In his later years he taught himself how to make wine from grapes and berries.  At the local county fair his elder berry wine was a favorite, consistently taking first place among all the many entrants.  Unfortunately, grandpa's wine making abilities did not improve with his age and I can recall more than one occasion where I opened one of his bottles only to find the wine had taken on a vinegar like quality.  He rode a motorcycle into his late 80s, and only quit doing so when my father and uncle voiced concern for his safety.  In reflection, I realize his lifestyle must have agreed with him because he never spent one day in a elderly care facility; and he died peacefully at the age of 88 in the comforts of his own home, sitting in his favorite chair.

Okay, now it's your turn.  Go to your journal and share your stories, then come back here and leave me a link to your entry.  Include a photo if you have one.  I'll post the responses next Saturday, and then start it over on Sunday.

 

~~Cherish the moment, for moments are fleeting.~~