"Little Gran"

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The Best Grandmother there ever was!

This does not disclude Gran South, Little Gran and I were just closer that's all.

Bertha Irene Willet 1894-1991

Us Grand kids called her "Little Gran", so as not to confuse her with "Gran South". Little Gran was my Mother's, Father's, Mother. She lived with us when I was growing up. I think I learned most of my values and morals from her, my mother wasn't around much because she had to work and go to school to support us kids. My so called father left when I was very little, maybe 5 or 6. Little Gran, more than made up for his lack of presence. I was her favorite, she told me so, all the time. So you can imagine I was quite the spoiled brat, from what I'm told. I was the baby of the family until I was about 9, then Jessica came along, but I was still her favorite. Little Gran spoiled me SSSOOOOOO much. We had a Good Humor Ice-Cream truck drive through our neighborhood every day after lunchtime, and I always got my ice-cream! Little Gran would leave the change on the kitchen table, I didn't even need to ask. I remember when I would have half days at school, I'd come home, and she and I would make potatoes soup for lunch. I loved to watch her make the dumplings she called "rivels". We'd cook it together then sit and eat it all up. She would also peel, and cut fresh peaches for me and sprinkle sugar on them. It only ever tasted ssooo good when she made them for me.( THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN IN JANUARY OF 1986. I WAS 20 YRS OLD, AND GRAN WAS 93.) When I was little, for some weird reason I was scared to turn on the bathtub faucet, it was so forceful, and loud. She would climb two flights of stairs just to turn the water on for me. We lived in a big 3 story house, and she spent all of her time in the basement where the kitchen was. After dinner she and Mom would relax while they did the cross word puzzle from the newspaper. I used to be amazed at how smart they were (still am) to figure all those words out week after week. They had a bunch of really old, and well used dictionaries, in all different languages, and they'd sit for hours hunting and working on that thing together. Watching t.v. with Gran was always fun too, she loved the Pillsbury Dough Boy, so did I back then, until hearing it's commercial play over and over again at work (grocery store), now I hate the irritating little bugger. She got a kick out of the way he giggled when poked in the belly. And she always got a laugh out of these women that wore big huge earrings. Remember in the 80's when the ultra huge hoops were popular? She'd gasp and say, "Look at those earrings!" During the summer when cherries were in season, Gran would give mom some money and tell her, "Patty, get my Cherri some Cherries" and the three of us would eat them all!

I learned a lot from my grandmother. She taught me to always be polite, and use good manners, and always to wear clean underwear! She'd say, "What if you had to go to the hospital, and they saw you wearing dirty underwear?" She always made me laugh about that, although she was very serious.

Little Gran taught me to always appreciate the little things in life. Little things like the birds in the yard, or a tiny little flower that was actually a weed. I hope she knew just how much I appreciated her. When I was older and had a job, I would buy her little treats. Stuff like sugar free cookies, or sugar free peanut butter cups. She loved sweets! She'd always try to pay me for them, and I'd tell her, "All those times you treated me, it's my turn!"

She was known for her many stories of the "Good Ole Days", she would always tell me and anyone that would listen the same old stories over and over. I loved to hear her stories! Especially the one about raising chickens. Her family raised chickens when she was a young girl. She would tell me all about how the eggs hatched and the little peeps would come squawking out, and then they'd grow up and she'd have to chase them around to chop their heads off, she'd chop em off and they'd still run around. I got the biggest kick out of that story. She would also talk about how she made a whole wedding party's cloths once. The wedding gown, the tux's, and all the bride's mates dresses too. Another story was about her and her friends playing cards, and visiting the candy shop. I loved her stories, and now wish I had taped them, just to be able to hear her voice, to keep her stories alive. I guess I am doing just that by telling them to you. I miss her and her stories.

Cheers to the best Grandmother in the world!

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