One of my earliest memories is a vague recollection of lying on a fold-out bed in my grandparents' house in Carlsbad, New Mexico. The bubble lights on the Christmas tree, which I found so fascinating in the drapery-filtered daylight, are absolutely magical at night -- at midnight -- with everyone else in the house sound asleep. A mix of starlight and street lights shine through the sheers. I hear a distant train whistle and the muffled clatter of the tracks. It's a peaceful, reassuring sound that can still transport me to that silent night. It's the sound of Gramma's house -- a place where the eyes of a scruffy three-year-old boy are filled with magical sights. Where (despite that little boy's valiant attempt to drink in more of the magic) his eyes can hold no more. They close and he drifts off to sleep.
14 comments:
Lovely memories. I enjoy recollecting on memories from my past.
Have a great weekend.
It is always good to visit the past with fond memories.I used to enjoy my Geandma's great ckkoing.
I miss visiting my Nanny's House too. I always felt so safe there.
I mentioned you on my post today my friend.
Be Blessed.
Jen
It's me again! I left Joyce my email address with an offer for one, or BOTH of you to guest blog on my new site on Monday.
Have a nice weekend.
Jennifer
I hate to brake the chain here but I do not really miss Grandmother and Grandpa's house. Our house always smelled better. Though I did early on associate pine trees with the idea of new stuff. Go figure. And if Grandmother ever reads this I am not blaming her just stating my humble opinion. And I still love my Grand parents.
Aahhhh! I love memories. That's why I blog about them over at my place. Thanks for sharing.
Donna--
In the end memories are all we have. Thanks for being so generous with yours.
James--
Thanks for keeping us up-to-date on how the Army is treating our boy. We do miss you. But I think Sally Cat misses you more - she's become so needy. Let's just keep the reason our house smells better than Grandmother's our little secret (other than to say Grandpa is far more deserving of the title of this blog).
Jennifer--
Thanks for the mention, but sorry(regarding the offer to guest blog) -- I bearly keep up-to-date with my own blog. Don't feel bad. I don't take direction from Joyce very well either.
Mike--
Good cooking is always memorable.
Dawn--
Thanks for dropping by.
I beginning to think they don't make Grandma's house like they used to...such a loss.
Mrs Who, you've got that right. I drove by that house just a few months ago, and it still has that same asbestos siding. But now it's just another house. Fifty years ago, it was special -- it was Gramma's -- and gentle Grammas like mine haven't been born since 1900.
It occurred to me as I read your blog that I know absolutely nothing about your grandparents, my great-grandparents. Nada. They lived in Carlsbad? This is what I get for being a daughter of the non-family-historian! It's so weird to me, too, as I actually knew my great-grandparents on my mother's side.
On another note, I still love blue lights at night, as my grandmother (on my mother's side, obviously) has a large, blue, hanging lamp that has always hung in her living room, and is always turned on at night. You could always see where you were going if you woke up at night...by the light of the blue lamp (a book title? *wink*)
Smiles! And see you SOON! Yea!
-J
Seeker--
Your paternal great-grandparents are all nearly 100 years older than you, and all died before they reached 80, so of course you know about as much about them as I know about my great-grandparents. But we'll all visit this coming weekend and maybe share a story or two about them. (But do keep in mind that what your dad and I remember is only what a pre-teenage kid would remember about a bunch of ancient people.)
We're looking forward to seeing you!
I feel very blessed that both of my grandmothers are alive. One more so than the other. But there has always been a certain smell that I can't place that is the smell of MawMaw's house.
My brother will back me up on this. He has had the same experience I have when my mom brings something from Levelland (yes, that really is the name of the town. You know how literal West Texans are) and he will say, "That smells like Ma Maw's house!"
Makes me wonder what my kids will identify with my folks' house.
Buffi--
At Gramma's it was the taste of ginger snaps. Why we always ate ginger snaps at Gramma's, who knows. But to me the smell of ginger is Gramma's.
I was blessed to have my grandparents live with my newlywed hubby and myself until they passed away at the ripe old age of 94 and 93. Such wonderful memories.
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