Pasting Granny

Once my parents had to be away. They very seldom were both away at one time. We stayed with my grandmother. She told the older kids to go get in some wood to cook with. I was told to stay behind. Well, I did not like being left behind, so I was going to disobey. I started down the road yelling for them to wait for me.

Well, my granny broke a little switch from the buckberry bush and it was the "keenest," as we would say. So, I stopped, but just stood still. I picked up a rock and said to the other kids, "Just wait till she gets closer and I'll paste her with this rock." But, when she got closer, I lost my nerve, and boy, did my legs get stripped all the way back to the house.

She laughed many times later because I was going to paste her.

I always loved to spend nights with her. She made it a big deal to cook and talk with us. Her favorite thing to cook was very thin apple pies, which were stacked about six together. She also made tea cakes. When we ate up all the goodies and leftovers at our house, we knew that if we went to grandma's, she would have us something.

We almost lived under her June apple tree, especially after a rain or wind storm. We also ate all her mulberries as fast as they fell. We had to run to beat the chickens to them.

I helped grandma a lot when she was sick. She was very fussy about her wash. It had to be perfect in whiteness, the bluing had to be just right. Also, every piece was starched and ironed with a flat iron heated on a wood-burning stove. I could please her on this.

She paid for little jobs, such as, cutting weeds and helping in the garden. She grew such nice radishes. I loved to see radishes grow.