Old

Have I posted these pics before?
Just found a disc that had them on it.

That's my granny and grandpa, above. (My mom's parents)
I never knew them when they looked like this.

This is the only pic I have of her as a young woman.

I wonder which of the few images of myself will last so that my 50 year old granddaughter will be able to catch of glimpse of who I was. And I wonder if this pic of granny is indicative of what she really looked like.

My grandpa as a young man (above). He may have one grandson who looks a little like him. But his "Neumannishness" didn't extend down my line. None of my boys look like him. At all.

This is my all-time fav pic of my granny. (Below) (Maybe it's because she doesn't have her hair all slicked back. Maybe it's her smile?)

That's my mom as a little girl. (Below)
Granny and Grandpa are looking a little somber.

Another family pic:

And the last family photo in this batch:

My mom became Vancouver's May Queen shortly after this.
Hahaha.

(By the way, in case you don't know my family history, my mom was 17 and living in Abbotsford, going to MEI, and my uncle Don was 21, and living in Kansas, when my granny got lonely and realized she wasn't finished being a mom. So she got pregnant (with grandpa's help. Obviously.) and had my uncle Dean nine months later.)

I don't think the 5 of them ever had a family photo taken.

My mom got married at 19, and I came on the scene two years later. I loved going to granny's house because, well, first of all, Dean was there. He was four years older than me and I idolized him. And having a young son kept my granny young, you know? She would pop popcorn on the stove and leave the lid off the pot so we could catch the popcorn as it exploded all over the kitchen.

She loved to play games. When I got older, her and I always had a game of Scrabble on the go.

And every night? When it was twilight? She'd sit in her chair and play her mandolin. She was self-taught. She loved music and could play just about any type of instrument that had strings or keys. Sadly, this ear for music? This natural talent to play any song after hearing it once? Never got passed down to any of her children. Or grandchildren.

She was also had some mad skills with a paint brush. She loved oils, though she gave watercolors and acrylics a go too.

And her style? Antiques. She was a collector of fine old furniture. I kinda think she was ahead of her time in that regard.

But the thing I remember most?


Was her way with food. I could drop in ANYTIME, and she'd had leftover rice and gravy (my all time favorite comfort food) waiting for me. Plus, she'd make me a chocolate cake. And ice it with butter icing. And LET ME PULL OFF ALL THE ICING (which kind of hardened like a shell) before icing it again and serving it. Seriously. I was so loved.


Below is the extended family pic we had taken when I was 12. My grandparents and their three kids:
My mom's family is on the right side.
My uncle Don's family is on the left side.
Dean is in the middle back. (I am next to him.)
Granny and Grandpa are in the centre.

I know.
My mom.
Her hair.
Her legs.
She was a sexy woman, yo?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three things I'm thankful for:

1. My heritage.
2. A LONG coffee (although neither of us had coffee) chat this afternoon with a friend I haven't connected with in forever. I love catching up. Hearing stories.
3. Saw Hellbound tonight:

Does hell exist? If so, who ends up there, and why? Featuring an eclectic group of authors, theologians, pastors, social commentators and musicians, “Hellbound?” is a provocative, feature-length documentary that will ensure you never look at hell the same way again! 

For more info, check out the website. Many local guys are interviewed. Many buttons are pushed. Many conversations to take place afterwards.

Tonight was the opening night. Only playing in two theatres. Only for one week.

Universalism is a belief that is gaining popularity. We should talk about that.


Granny's garden gate.
She also loved her gardens: