Grandma's Gleanings
Words and Thoughts from Grandma
Have you ever been pushed to the point where there was a burr under your saddle? That idiomatic phrase is used when something or someone in your life is extremely irritating or aggravating. Many plants produce burrs as part of their reproductive system, small seed pods which have stiff barbs, spines, or hooks around …
Oh, we endured the moaning for YEARS: Mommy, please, can I have my ears pierced, please, everyone else does; why can’t I, please! But Dad had spoken, and she would be waiting until she was sixteen, like it or not. Of course, old Mom was stuck in the middle, submitting to the authority of …
A tragic incident occurred recently on one of the major thoroughfares traversing our state, leaving in its wake twisted metal and mangled lives. Sixty travelers were rushed to local hospitals due to their injuries, but the most devastating news was that five souls had lost their lives on that fateful morning, regular people like …
It was a rite of passage in our home, a bit of a peek into the window of adulthood, a first step towards independence. One by one our youngsters left the freedoms of childhood behind them and took on the responsibility of their first official job. For one, it was as a scooping ice …
I recall the field trip as clearly as if it happened yesterday. Baldinger’s Food from All the Nations, a small store nestled near the town of Zelienople, Pennsylvania, was established in 1933 and was brimming with all you needed to satiate your sweet tooth. Our students, armed with envelopes of spending money, could hardly …
Recently I had the opportunity to stroll through a local park where I had passed many a childhood summer day. Armed with a grandchild in each hand, we walked up to the old chain-link fence surrounding a small, shallow baby pool. How many days I had passed puddling around this teeny water haven, deeply …
I just don’t understand it, I can sit down to a healthy meal, salmon, fresh salads, fruits and vegetables; I can munch through that nutritious combo to the point of full, yet not be content. But give me one yummy peanut butter Reese’s cup, or a few Hershey kisses, or some delectable donuts, and …
It’s simple word picture, attached to a message or email, used millions of times a day to convey emotions, thoughts, or ideas. Borrowed from the Japanese word pictograph, literally e for picture or drawing, and moji, letter or character, an emoji is now widely used to express the emotional attitude of the writer, to …
We have all heard the stories at one time or another, stories of ordinary people exhibiting extraordinary strength during a time of crisis. Those heroic stories usually involve someone singlehandedly lifting heavy objects-cars, beams, trees-to free a trapped individual. There is even a story recorded from 1988, when a Vietnam veteran displayed superhuman strength …
Just three quick Saturday reminders…First, please don’t forget that our Amazon have-some-fun-while-in-quarantine gift card giveaway is fast approaching! I’m sure that everyone could use a $25.00 shopping spree about now! The drawing will be held on Monday, May 18th, at 8:00, so get signed up if you haven’t already. If you have any questions, feel …
In a futile attempt to become that Proverbs 31 woman, I would launch out into a side profession in an effort to add cash to the struggling finances that defined our early marriage years. After a few classes, I embarked on a new stay-at-home-with-the-kiddos-but-still-make-some-money adventure, aka…cake decorating. After selling a few cakes, I was …
We were about to experience a terribly stressful trip home from church. The dimly lit country road that edges a local creek is hazardous on the best of days, narrow, jam-packed with sharp curves and bends as it follows the topography of the stream it borders. And since the roadway traverses an area housing …
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, screaming WOO HOO, What a ride! A dear friend passed that pithy statement on to me years ago, probably …
Obviously lacking from my repertoire of modest skills is anything that has to do with hair care and styling. My skill set in that regard is minimal at best. Aside from shampooing, conditioning, and fumbling with a curling iron, I’m at an impasse. But every few weeks I strike out in hopeful abandonment and …
After living in a rural setting for most of my life, I can attest that I have witnessed just about every creature wandering in the middle of the road. We have plowed into two deer, tons of ground hogs, raccoons, and possums. We have dodged a gaggle of geese and weaved around innumerable chipmunks, …