Grandma's Gleanings
Words and Thoughts from Grandma
Our boys were so young, all packed into the back seat of our old Caprice station wagon. It was a Friday evening and we were returning home from a routine grocery trip, looking forward to a late-spring weekend full of family time. The sky was an odd color; I remember mentioning aloud that I …
It was a perfect day for this spring cleaning chore-sunny, warm, with a slight breeze. The humidity was low and not a cloud could be seen in that endless blue sky. After three loads had splashed their way through the washing machine, the bedding was hanging out on our clothes line. Everything, including quilts, …
Our small, country home is surrounded by small farms, passed on from one generation to the next. One of those farms shares a property line with us. That farm recently experienced its very own baby boom, evidenced by all the young calves added to an already large herd. Watching them frolic in the field while we relax …
I was never adept in any foreign language, not even close. After enduring five years of high school and college German, what do I have to show for it? I have one phrase memorized and ready to use…wait for it…Mein Plattenspieler ist kaput, translated, My record player is broken. Hopefully, if record players ever become popular …
We recently had a digging project at the ole’ Winkle homestead. I joked with the love of my life, “Maybe, if we dig deeply enough, we may find treasure, or retirement gold, or China!” Wow, was I a prophetess, or what! We actually did strike treasure. What was that under all that dirt? It …
This has been one sweltering week, the humidity level running at about 1000%. Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration from an overheated old lady, but it WAS sticky and stifling. I’m certainly not a fan of those blistering, hot summer days. But just when the heat became unbearable, the clouds gradually rolled in, …
A nation was divided. The chosen people of God, Israel, had split into two separate kingdoms, never again to be united in purpose. Tribe against tribe, brother against brother. What brought about the demise of these blessed people? What was the turning point? What went so terribly wrong? The story is fascinating. King Solomon …
We had some nasty wind storms this past winter, taking down trees along our property line. It’s been a major process cleaning up the mess left behind. Today’s project involved removing a vine that was straddling the edge of our property line. With gloves and rake in hand, clothed with sheer determination (and not much in the …
How did we ever survive before GPS, cell phones, and Google maps? How exactly did we manage to get from point A to point B without technology, left to our own devices? I’m so glad that you asked, because I happen to have the answer: DASHBOARD NOTES! Our family has traversed this county many …
I couldn’t sleep. I had a nasty headache, not a normal every-day headache, but definitely the worst headache that I had ever experienced, EVER. A few days later, nausea and achiness joined the headache to transform me into one miserable woman. A week later, I found myself lying on an examination table at my doctor’s …
No other man could match his splendor; no other recorded king of Israel would even come close to his wealth and wisdom. Even Jesus Himself referred to this king when speaking of the raiment that God provides for His “lilies of the field,” Jesus stated that “even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” King David’s sin with Bathsheba …
Most would agree that creamy chocolate is a delectable treat. Yum! How I love letting a Hershey kiss melt in my mouth! On the other hand, I do not want to let an onion melt in my mouth. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind onions; they serve a purpose in cooking by drawing …
Oh, no! It’s a P.E.S. (Plant Emergency Situation)! I surround my deck with plants and ferns during the summer months; it’s my own personal oasis where I can enjoy a good book, spend some time with God, or just relax on a clear, summer evening. One evening I noticed that my treasured daisy plant …
I love well-manicured lawns; nothing impresses me quite like seeing those straight mower lines on freshly-cut grass. When our eldest still lived at home, he was the appointed ruler of all things involving the lawn. He was a perfectionist, making our modest country lawn look like it had been professionally cut, with its perfectly straight lines …
Years ago, during one of my junior church sessions, I was teaching the children about the bitter herbs used in the Passover. We did a little object lesson explaining the function of the taste buds on the tongue. The children tasted something sweet–candy, something salty–pretzels, something sour–sour patch candy, and then came the bitter. I …