My memories of my Grandfather make me immediately look up. I don't know how tall he was, certainly over six feet and to a little girl, he was big! I remember him always dressed formally with vest and suit coat. He carried a pocket watch with a chain that caught your eye but I don't ever remember playing with it. Grandfather was soft spoken and talked mostly to the adults of the family. Children mostly had their head's patted. I do remember his smile, though. It was wide and framed with a strong chin. His blue eyes would sparkle with laughter.

Grandpa liked to have children around, but they were expected to be good. To entertain ourselves at Grandma and Grandpa's house, we often went out to the porch swing, a large rattan swing suspended from the porch ceiling. It was not long before the swing was no longer swinging gently and was banging the front wall of the house. This immediately brought adults out to put a brake on the goings on. Little persons had a hard time touching the porch floor with their toes and pushing SLOWLY! I remember Grandpa trying to entertain us by balancing his cane on his middle finger. He would laugh as we too tried to do this.

Since we lived out on a farm, we never had a neighborhood to go trick or treating at Halloween. One Halloween we came in to Grandma's house so that we could trick or treat. I must have been about six. I wanted to be a nurse at this time and we had heard about Clara Barton. Costumes were "creatively" designed and mine was especially so. My Mother had me wear my white cotton petticoat with a ruffle around the bottom edge as my skirt, and a white blouse. We made a white pointy nurses hat and I wore a little navy blue cape. I was very shy and nervous to wear my petticoat in public but Mother assured me that no one would notice. Sure enough, as soon as we piled out of the car, Grandpa started laughing. He looked right me and said to my parents, "She looks so cute in her petticoat!" That was it! Trick or treating was ruined and I was a goner! Poor Grandpa.

Grandpa had a friend, Charlie Young, who was the organist at St. George Church where he sang. The house next door to 218 Hosea became available and Grandpa bought it for Charlie. They must have spent great times singing in that house too because Grandpa still owned it when he died. I don't know what happened to Charlie Young.

As Grandpa aged, he became somewhat of a hyperchondriac. He and Grandma went to spas and evidently had come across a plant called sage grass. It was a very primitive looking scaly plant that grew around springs. Daddy found it growing on Rapid Run Rd where there was a spring. Each spring we all went there with our bags to fill them up with sage grass for Grandpa. I think that he used it dried throughout the year but we thought it pretty funny to put grass in your bath. Of course, we never saw him do it!

Grandpa had problems with his lower back. In the breakfast room, his chair had its back to the window and on the chair was a funny red rubber pillow that no one was to try out. He liked to sit there but long time sitting was not easy for him and he would get up and move about. Once, when my sister Mary and I were about fourteen and twelve, we came to stay for a week with Grandma and Grandpa. It was summer and Mildred had a week off to visit her family. Mary and I were supposed to take Mildred's place and cook. We must have known the basics or Mother and Daddy wouldn't have sent us, but we certainly didn't take the place of Mildred! We couldn't find any lettuce for salad and finally made lettuce leaves out of cabbage. We all had a laugh over that but no one ate much of it. Then, we didn't know how to make Mildred's wonderful cookies. We survived and Grandma and Grandpa didn't starve.

Grandpa was very generous with his wealth. Years before he died, he gave his children both money and an oportunity to take over businesses. His sons were underwritten in many ventures and we grandchildren were given money. I was very proud that my parents didn't have to pay for my college because I could pay my room and board with money that he had left me. I always was so greatful for his trust in our futures.