Thursday, February 4, 2010

Memory Lane: February 4, 2010


(Gram, Dawn and Gramp -- September 1982)

within a span of less than a week, my Gram & Gramp would have celebrated their 93rd and 92nd birthdays, respectively. (Gram was born February 4 and Gramp was born January 30.) i've had some random birthday-related memories bouncing around inside my head as i remember them on the anniversaries of their births.

**Gram was born during a snow storm. her family lived out in the country, on the top of a hill, and the doctor couldn't get there to deliver her. her father had to assist her into this world. every year, in the week surrounding her birthday, there was snow or ice (or in the warmer years, some heavy rain)...until the first birthday following her passing--that year the sun shone fiercely in the bitter cold.

**Gram never made a birthday cake for herself. she would roll her eyes as she stuck a candle into whatever bit of dessert followed dinner. even when i was old enough to step up to the task of making a cake for her birthday, she would insist that i not do so.

**Gram always made a Boston Cream Pie for Gramp's birthday. it was a slippery-slidy gooey delicious mess. it was the only time she made one every year.

**it was impossible to buy a gift for Gramp. the man didn't want anything, other than to be outside, digging in the dirt. and if he did want something, he just bought it for himself. he had no desire for anything that wasn't useful. it didn't help that his birthday came a month after Christmas.

**Gram was the exact opposite. she loved anything pretty to tuck into this corner or onto that shelf. she loved making her home beautiful. i would have to cut myself off from Christmas shopping for her & let the overflow keep until her birthday. and i still had to cut myself off.

7 with their own thoughts:

Janet Friday, February 05, 2010 11:34:00 AM  

I love hearing stories about your grandparents :-) It's nice to see a simple picnic rather than the gussied up kind we've come to 'have' to have.

Stacy at Exceedingly Mundane Friday, February 05, 2010 12:42:00 PM  

Awww, what a wonderful picture and such wonderful memories :) Thanks for sharing them!

Samantha Friday, February 05, 2010 5:54:00 PM  

my dad is just like your Gramp. i can't buy that man anything. last month, i had the opportunity to do him a favor and it was one of the most rewarding things i have ever done... it was like the best (only) gift i could ever give him. and he was overflowing with thanks. :)

Daniel James,  Saturday, February 06, 2010 8:57:00 PM  

Your Gramp is wearing a Red Sox hat. :) You truly are a born fan, not bandwagon.

~**Dawn**~ Monday, February 08, 2010 7:08:00 AM  

Thanks, Janet. They would frequently pack a simple picnic lunch & we'd stop on a day trip when we saw a rest area.

Stacy: I feel so lucky to have all these photos to flip through & remember.

Samantha: Isn't it so frustrating sometimes? But when you did something like help out & find a new neat tool he hadn't discovered yet, it felt like winning the lottery.

Daniel: Third generation!

k Monday, February 08, 2010 4:04:00 PM  

What a sweet post and a super cute picture!! I cherish the pics of me and my grandparents too!!

~**Dawn**~ Tuesday, February 09, 2010 10:28:00 AM  

K: Thank you! I think it's so much fun to go back & look at those old photos. They make me smile. Which I guess is good reinforcement to keep taking new ones all the time, right? I mean, it's not like this was a special event. It was just "everyday us" & I love that I have that to look back on.

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