Saturday, August 2, 2008

More of Grandma, our Queen

I think i goofed so sorry if i did, i do not know how this blogger thing works yet.
I typed Lelands stuff once, but i have to type it again because when i went to add the picture, everything i wrote disappeared on me.

Leland wrote:

I remember Grandma Skinner liked to sit out on the front porch and watch all the neighborhood. She also had a big jar full of buttons. she had a button for any shirt. She loved sauerkraut and wieners and i could smell that 2 blocks from home cooking after school and i would run home to get my wieners out of the sauerkraut because i hated it. I also remember one of her relatives used to come and visit and they would talk in German and I could not understand a word of it.

Debbie wrote:

I remember grandma making me dust mop her bedroom floor. She had linoleum on the floor. I had to make sure i got in the corners and under the bed. She had her temple clothes she kept in the top right hand drawer of her dresser and would get mad at us if we got in it. She had a cute little vanity she would sit in front of to comb her hair. she had me comb her hair once and braid it and put it in a bun, but when i was putting the hair pins in i pushed too hard and scratched her head. I don't remember ever combing her hair again. Grandma would always have me sit and write letters for her that she would then translate into German and send to Germany. She would always tell me to write bigger.

Grandma taught me how to knit and i would sit on the couch by her chair in the corner. She would have me rub lotion on her legs and i hated the smell of it. Grandma always was busy crocheting or braiding rugs or sewing quilts together. She drank Pero tea. I would hear her at night laying in bed saying her prayers in a whisper. I think they were in German. She loved the morning glory in front of the house and the Holly hocks on the side of the house where the humming birds came. Grandma sat in the kitchen in the morning and all day until just before dad came home from work and then she would get up and move into the front room for the rest of the night. She had to use a walker because she couldn't walk very good. I could remember that grandma could always tell when someone snuck into the house which we tried to do quite often.I would try my hardest to sneak in without her knowing it but would always get caught. I didn't know why for the longest time. The one of my mart brothers told me she could see the reflection in the fish tank that stood in the corner.

Terence wrote:

I remember grandma being such a good cook. Once a week she would bake bread. That was the day we all looked forward to because we would gave wonderful fresh from the oven rolls for dinner. My spot at the dinner table was next to grandma. I knew that i better be careful about what i put on my plate because if i didn't eat it all i would get a lecture about all the starving people in the world. Mom told me about the time during the great depression when hobos would come begging for food. Grand ma would never turn anyone away. But she would make them cut kindling. Then she would feed them the same as the family was having. Two things that grandma cooked that were my favorites. German potato pancakes. and cinnamon rolls. Always cooked just right and always without the need of a recipe. Grandma was into cleanliness. She would supervise Troy and I when we washed the dinner dishes. If they didn't' pass inspection they went back in the sink for a re-do. Terence.

Wyatt wrote:

I remember helping Grandma sew on her sewing machine which had no power and was operated by foot power. She would give me $5 every time i came home from college so when i went back i could eat something good. I remember the birthday parties we had for grandma and all the relations would come. We had to have it outside because there were so many people. Grandma would make me go out and get rhubarb and horseradish and help grind the horseradish. It was so bad i would have to go outside to get a breath every so often. But her rhubarb pie was worth grinding the horseradish. When Grandma was mad she always would say deminta gita. I don't know what it meant but i knew she was mad. I can remmber how cold it use to get in the back bedroom, and how grandma told me to go get a blanket and my pillow and put them on the new gas stove that sat by the one wall in the living room and then she tod me to run and rap myself in them and climb under the other covers in my bed. The only heat in the house were in the living room and the stove in the kitchen. I remember grandma trying to teach me to count in German but i didn't have the patience to sit ther eand learn so she finally told me to go out and play. I was so happy then but regret not learning now. I always wondered why we lived with Grandma and i thought she was quite stern with us, but then i realize that grandma needed us just as much as we neede and love her. She taught us some grat princeples in life that would lead us to who we are today and heow we should trat other people. She was one of Gods great spirits that has lived on this earth and i know that she will gain her celestial glory and live as a God in Heaven along side Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. Wyatt.

2 comments:

Shay Lee said...

Aunt Debbie, I love this. I think it is so cool for us younger kids to hear about our heritage. Thank you for sharing.

I have a couple suggestions for you so maybe we should get together so I can show you how to do everything.

chelbos said...

this made me think of the times mom would tell me that grandmas floor was so clean you could eat off of it, and that just because you dont have much doesnt mean you need to live like a pig...and that has stuck with me so thanks mom and i guess i should thanks grandma also :)
cheli