My Mama's Daddy

For all that I am grown with a family of my own, I still call my parents Mama and Daddy. I always have and imagine I always will. My mother called her daddy Bud Bud when she was very small. There was a spell of hard times when no work could be had, and he was home with her during the day while my grandma worked as a nurse. He was Mama's buddy. I imagine she followed him around like a too small shadow. I know he once gave her a boy haircut so she wouldn't fuss when he had to untangle her hair everyday. I think my grandma was less than happy.

I have very few memories of my grandfather, a short barrel chested man with squarish hands; I was 6 when he died and we did not live nearby. I know that he was in the Army Corp of Engineers during WWII and served in Burma. I know that when his children were small, he gardened and would take a horse and wagon to sell produce. Later on, he didn't take a wagon to market, but he was still a fabulous gardener. One of my only memories is sitting in a green chair on his knee while he read the paper. The other memory is of going to Horton's store at Four Corners with Grandpa. I do not remember why we went to the store. I do remember that in the produce aisle, hanging over the produce, were stuffed Snoopy dogs. I certainly didn't need one, but he bought me one of those stuffed dogs. I don't think I even had to wheedle that much. I have this idea that he was pretty indulgent with me and my fuzzy memories are of a gentle, kind man in overalls. One of my favorite stories about him is not one of my own memories, but a story my mama tells. When I was wee bitty girl, I loved tomatoes. I would cry for them, but the adults hated to give them to me because the acid in them gave me a rash. Grandpa planted low acid tomatoes for me because he hated to see me cry. Maybe that is why I still love tomatoes . . . Just because he planted them for me.

One of my very few regrets in life is that I didn't get more time with my Mama's family. I don't know the stories and lore that I know about my daddy's family. I am so very glad I still have my daddy's parents. They have been visiting my parents for a week and are about to head back north. I think today Bell and I will go spend some time with them, see if we can soak up a few more things to remember.