Grandma's Wallpaper

Since I think a lot about being a grandmother these days, I went to a box of old photos and found some pictures of my own grandmother. Of course, I thought it would be nice to put them in one of my scrapbooks.

Now I just had one set of grandparents: my father’s father and mother. They were older and died when I was in my late teens and early twenties.

I was an only child and I got a lot of attention, especially from Grandma.

I should mention that Grandpa had been a policeman and tended to be rather gruff. He and Dad played cribbage when we visited them every Sunday. Yes – every Sunday!

They lived in a modest home in West Toronto; near High Park and Grenadier Pond. Once I got my drivers license, I would drive Grandma to the Park where there was a very nice, compact zoo, lots of walking trails, picnic tables and benches. Grandma thought that was pretty special that her grandchild could drive her someplace. Sometimes we went to church and sometimes she’d ask to visit the cemetery. I was very proud to be able to take her places.

Well, there were not a lot of pictures, but there were some nice, small, black and white snapshots – the kind with the wavy edged borders.

My friend looked closely as we talked about what paper I would use for cropping this picture. She noticed Grandma was wearing a polka-dotted dress. So, perhaps polka-dotted paper would be good!

I went up and down the aisles of paper and picked up one page of dots. But, another page really caught my eye and I purchased it as well.

When I went back to my table, my friend inquired about the paper: “What’s this?”

“Oh, well, that is pretty much like the wallpaper in Grandma’s living room!”

Funny, the little things that stick in our minds for so many years. (Will Ava remember the little white Standard Poodle figurine she looks at in my curio cabinet?)

I can recall Grandma knitting lovely sweaters for me and then teaching me to knit, crochet and hand-sew. She always had some sweet treat for me and to her I was very special – perhaps because I was her only.

I sure hope that my extended family great-grandchildren will remember me with even half the esteem I have for my own grandma!

A Very Special Person!

This picture is very precious to me. Here is Ava at three weeks, seemingly saying, "You came to see me again!" Having missed all the joys of infants over all these years, this special moment, captured by Hubby, means the world to me.Here, finally was a healthy, happy, beautiful baby related to me in my Texas extended family!This was a year and a half ago and Ava has never once disappointed me. Of course, I am always thinking of what she could recognize, what she would like to eat, what would bring that beautiful smile, etc.

Of course, I sometimes see things at the store that she might like, cute outfits, and so on. I guess this is called "spoiling" and I believe this is a right of grandmothers everywhere! I have a distinct advantage in being a great-grandmother! There are no responsibilities for me, other than to keep harmful things out of her way when she visits.

There is, of course, the large matter of "Buddy", the Lhasa Apso who had come into our household before Ava was born. That was not going to be a problem for any of us, because Buddy received a brand new stylish fiberglass crate the Christmas before Ava's birth. Thankfully, Buddy seems to understand. (I will tell you some other time about breeds of dogs I would have chosen for a child.)

One of the first things I quickly realized was that most people my age also have grandchildren and if I was going to play the game well, I had best listen to their stories, visit their offspring and always give them equal time. That has not been a problem at all because now, the hurt has diminished and I finally am learning to enjoy little ones.I love "cropping" (scrapbooking) Ava! It is super having Ava to dinner and watching her eat a plate full of ordinary veggies. (She'll be slim and trim like her Mom if she can keep that up!) It is super having Ava come to church, although - immature as I am - I do find myself distracted!

Sometimes I think I may be not sharing Ava enough with Hubby, but I think he enjoys watching me finally come out with children.Children are a special gift from God and they deserve all the grandmothers they can get!