Tell me about your grandparents.........

[tomwed]

I called my Grandparents Nana and Poppa. They were from Hoboken and married when he was 16 and she was 14. I guess my mom came shortly thereafter. This was never discussed. My dad told me that Poppa was his best friend. This was after he met my mom. For the record, my folks didn’t rush to get married.

My dad and grandfather owned a gas station, pumping gas and fixing cars for a little while. I remember my grandfather as the kind of guy who would do anything to get a laugh. One time he ended up in the emergency room with a toy horse stuck to his head. My little brother had this toy horse with a suction cup buttom that would stick to the tray of his high chair. Poppa stuck the suction cup to his head to be funny and couldn’t get it off. Everyone found him funny. He would be sittng at the kitchen table pretending it was a piano and keep looking at his feet, complaining that the pedals were not working. He was one of those broke old timers that kept change in his pocket and was always handing it out to one of us cousins. He would love to squeeze our legs right above the knee just to see us jump. He was Irish and sang dirty ditties to the kids. We had no idea what he was talking about but only remember how it fired up Nana. She was all Italian and whenever she talked to him it always started out with “For cryin out loud, Eddy.” As in “For cryin out loud, Eddy don’t be singing those songs to the children or “For cryin out loud Eddy don’t be putting all that red pepper on the spaghetti. “ Nana was a little oveweight. As a young boy I felt lucky sitting in the back seat of the car next to her. I had the best naps leaning against her big, soft arm. I could fit my entire ear inside her vaccination mark. Other’s could make her laugh very easily and my uncles were the funniest men I knew. Tears would come off the sides of her eyes from the things they said. We used to all play Michagan rummy in their country house. Country house sounds fancy but it was just a shack in Jackson, New Jersey. When I was real little we could pump water out of the well and go inside the old out house. [look out for the hornets] We could pick blueberries too that grew naturally out back. Pappa bought the land for less then a hundred dollars during prohibition so he and his pals had a place to hang out and drink a little.

I come from good stock and I miss them very much.

[Mikeod]

OK. I never knew my dad's parents, but I spent a lot of time with my maternal grandparents. They came from England as a young couple with not much in their pockets. Even though the language wasn't a barrier, it still must have been scary to make such a move. They started in Chicago, then wound up in Massachusetts. I called them Nana and Pa. Pa was self taught at a lot of things. He had a concertina that he played a lot, and he taught himself to play the piano. Nana was quieter, perhaps because she was so deaf. She had a hearing aid that attached to her undergarments with a cable leading up to one ear. Two of my enduring memories are when she answered the phone she held the phone upside down so the earpiece near the aid was at chest level and spoke into the mouthpiece. The other was when Pa would yell at her for some reason, she would reach into her clothes and turn off her hearing aid and just smile at him. Boy, would that set him off.

As kids, we would get to spend time with them on fishing trips all over the state. When we got to their house, we would have Nana's fish and chips. I've not had them as good as hers, ever. She would set up a table in the living room and we would have dinner and watch TV.

Nana was famous for finally getting a joke well after it was told. Sometimes the next day she would let out a "Oh!" and start to chuckle. Then everyone would start laughing.

Shortly after I entered the Navy, Pa had a fatal heart attack. One of the hardest things I ever had to do was being a pallbearer at his service. A couple of years later, we lost Nana. My Navy commitments prevented my being at her service. I think about them when I'm with my grandkids.

Thanks for the thread.

[Sable99]

I have wonderful memories of my paternal grandparents. We lived with them on the family farm. I never heard my grandmother say one bad thing about anyone! She was the sweetest woman I've ever met. My granfather went to college but his life was farming. I never saw them affectionate with each other although he used to give her small pinches on her arm that he called 'love bites"!! After he passed away, Granny showed me her scrapbook! That stern old German sent her a card every day they were dating!! He only went to colllege about 20 miles away but they didn't have phones! She saved every one of those cards in a scrapbook. By the way, the cards were beautiful three dimensional cards!! I have them now.

Every Saturday, we spent the day making German noodles and homemade bread. We would roll out the noodles on the entire kitchen table. Early Sunday morning before church, Gramps and Dad would take care of all the animals and Granny and Mom would put the dinner in the old coal stove! After church, my aunts and uncles and their families would show up for our big family dinners! We had a huge lawn in front of the barns and after dinner we would play either softball or touch football. In the winters, my Dad would flood the yard (pumping the water from the well) so all of us kids could ice skate! Oh, what memories.

My great grandfather lived to be 101. I remember his stories of seeing Abraham Lincoln's "election" train. That always amazed me.

My maternal grandparents lived farther away so I didn't see them as often.

[tomwed]

I enjoyed reading your stories. For a little while I didn't know if anyone would write anything. Thank-you for sharing.
SAble99 we have something in common. Your grandfather kinda saw Lincoln and my grandfather fixed Lincolns. :)

[dbussone]

My Dad's family is Italian. He and his 11 siblings are 1st generation Americans. I never knew his father but my Nana lived in her home until she died at age 103. I have 50 1st cousins. The wedding gift Nana gave those of us who lived locally was the secret of Italian cooking. After my wife and I were married she gave me a list of goods/vegetables/meats that she wanted for the 3 days she spent with us. My Irish- English wife can cook a fabulous Italian meal as a result.

My Mom's family is old Yankee. I have 5 relatives, on her side, who fought in the Revolutionary War (the right side). I never knew her father, but my grandmother was known as Grandma Frosting - not sure if that was because she was such a great baker or because her last name was Frost. She published a cookbook when she was in her mid-80's. Grandma Frosting made the best biscuits you have ever had, and taught my wife her secrets as well. As a result my wife is a fabulous cook, even though we share the kitchen duties.

When we would go to Nana's after Sunday Church, the 7 brothers (my uncles) would play cards after lunch - a fresh, cellophane wrapped deck was always mandated. My 5 aunts would work in the kitchen under Nana's direction to prepare a meal for upwards of 30 hungry mouths. After lunch my age group would always beg 1 or 2 uncles to take us to the backyard and teach us bocce/lawn bowling.

Because we lived in MA we did not spend as much time with the Yankee side up in ME. Typically we would go for Thanksgiving, Christmas - New Years, and two weeks in July. Grandma Frosting would take me with her to pick wild blueberries on Streaked Mountain. The pies made from those blueberries are memorable. I had a great aunt who owned an apple orchard, Grandma Frosting would turn those into fabulous Dutch apple pies - always with homemade ice cream.

Wow! It's been a long time since I thought about this. Thanks to the OP.

[tippyclubb]

I really enjoyed reading these family stories as I did not experienced that type of love as a child. Sometimes, it makes me sad and there is an emptiness in my heart that I'll never be able to fill. You all are so fortunate to have fond memories of your youth spent with family.

Great thread and keep the stories coming.

[tomwed]

I love how othes have a grandmother called "Nana". I always thought it was a misspronounced word a baby made, my oldest cousin and it stuck. I don't remember any friends who called their grandmother "Nana". I only found out about 10 years ago that nonna is the Italian word for grandmother.

[murray607]

For me it was granny and grandad. Being brought up in Scotland, that is what most of my peerscalled them. but if you were a bit "high class" they would have been "grandma and grandpa"
We live in Alberta Canada which has a considerable Ukranian population and it is common to hear baba and dido used for grandparents.

[tomwed]

Well I'm not a grandparent yet. I wonder what the Itailan word is for "old guy sleeping on the couch."

[Villages PL]

I had Italian grandparents. My father's mother kept a few chickens as pets and if one got sick she would operate on it to restore it to health. Supposedly, it swallowed something too big and it got stuck. So she would operate to remove it. My father's father worked for Remington Arms. When I was a baby they handed me over to him and I cried like a baby. And I remember it because it was a frightening experience!! He said, "Make my day!" (Just kidding.)

My mother's mother was always thinking of others. When people visited she would worry that they might be hungry and she would offer them fruit, usually a banana. She was always thinking of those she left behind in Sicily and would send packages of clothing etc.. My mother's father was a sulfur miner in Sicily and worked in coal mines when he came to the U.S.. In order to save enough money to send for his family, he slept in railroad boxcars for a period of time. When he got older he started his own business as a sidewalk vendor and it worked out well. He was a great story teller. He would tell stories in Italian and my mother would translate it for me after he finished.

And, yes, he was the "old guy sleeping on the couch."

[Loudoll]

Maternal grandparents...Granddaddy and Grandma, lived in the other end of the hollow from the paternal grandparents who were Grandpa and Grandma. Granddaddy's barn burnt and he had to replace it which resulted in Grandma having to live out her days in the temporary "shack" they'd built. Granddaddy died shortly after the new barn was built which still stands today. Paternal Grandma did not abide any female wearing anything but dresses and skirts. My sisters and cousins always had a skirt with us to put on before we went in to visit her. Her father had been a preacher with whom she disagreed, studying on her own, deciding that the Church of Christ without instrumental music was the "right" church. Eventually, all my relatives on both sides of my family chose this church as well. Her influence was impressive. Later my cousins discovered that Grandma's father, the preacher, had a whole 'nuther family in South Carolina that no one knew about. The story was that he'd killed a man during a pool game, faked his death and headed for Ohio and safety.45667Here is the found family, including the mother who never believed her son was dead.

[tomjbud]

My grandmother came to South Bend, Indiana from Poland in the early 1900's. Her plan was to return to Poland after accompanying another young lady who was to be married in South Bend. When grandma got to South Bend, no one had the money to send her back to Poland. She was stuck in a strange country with no close relatives and not speaking the language.

Someone in the Polish community told her that there was a man named Martin Budzinski who was a widower with children and needed a new wife. She had no options but to marry him and raise his 8 children. She had 3 more children with him, and one of them was my father. When things seemed to be going well, Martin died in the influenza outbreak of 1918. Grandma was now a widow with 11 children to raise in a strange country.

The oldest son, Leo Budzinski took over the responsibility for the family. This is what was done in the days before welfare. He was in his 20's and devoted his life to taking care of his brothers, sisters and step-mother. Leo never married, but raised all of his 10 brothers and sisters to be responsible and productive adults. My grandma died when I was still quite young, but I do remember that she never learned to speak English very well, and the family conversed with her in Polish.

I am very proud of my family and my heritage.

[gpirate]

My grandparents were from Germany. They were very proud Americans and Christians. My granddad was a blacksmith and farmers would come to him and ask to make something from steel and without any blueprints he could make it better than what the farmer asked for. They were poor people but we did not realize it as kids because there was always great food on the table. My grandma insisted that we all meet for dinner on Sunday's after church. My granddad come from a family of 11 children. They were wonderful but strict with us grandkids. I miss them still today but cherish the memories.

[Nightengale212]

Well I'm not a grandparent yet. I wonder what the Itailan word is for "old guy sleeping on the couch."

How bout Snoozono :)

[dbussone]

How bout Snoozono :)


Ooo!! Sounds like a winner.

[dbussone]

My grandparents were from Germany. They were very proud Americans and Christians. My granddad was a blacksmith and farmers would come to him and ask to make something from steel and without any blueprints he could make it better than what the farmer asked for. They were poor people but we did not realize it as kids because there was always great food on the table. My grandma insisted that we all meet for dinner on Sunday's after church. My granddad come from a family of 11 children. They were wonderful but strict with us grandkids. I miss them still today but cherish the memories.


What a wonderful story. You are very lucky to have those memories.

[tomwed]

Snoozono
I like it too. I gotta go. I feel a nap coming on.

[Nightengale212]

Snoozono
I like it too. I gotta go. I feel a nap coming on.

This Nonni became a Snoozona today after making pasta and meatballs for her 1 and 4 year old grandbaby girls. We play name that pasta with the 4 year old, and she can identify about 10 different types of pastas. I tried to trick her today by telling her I was making ziti, and she quickly corrected me when she saw me pouring rigatoni into the boiling water :)

[dbussone]

This Nonni became a Snoozona today after making pasta and meatballs for her 1 and 4 year old grandbaby girls. We play name that pasta with the 4 year old, and she can identify about 10 different types of pastas. I tried to trick her today by telling her I was making ziti, and she quickly corrected me when she saw me pouring rigatoni into the boiling water :)


Too cute.