My Grandparents
By Madi Garvin | May 12, 2011
I have written five blog posts already, and I have now realized that I have not given a formal introduction of myself!
Well, here are the basics: My name is Madi Garvin and I am sixteen years old. I am finishing up the tenth grade at Cheltenham High School. I love gardening, learning, and sleeping.
But, another thing that defines my life is my relationship with my grandparents. Although all of them have passed away, I will cherish the memories that I have had with them forever.
I do not have any solid memories of my grandfather, Poppy, on my dad’s side (he died when I was three), but what I do remember is how much I loved him.
I was very close with my paternal grandmother, Helen, or Grammy, as I called her. My family would spend all of the holidays, and many a weekend, at her house. She made awesome potato salad and even better macaroni and cheese. We would always watch Riverdance, Little Women, and Disney movies. When I was younger, on Fridays, we would always go out to lunch. The lunch group consisted of my Poppy, my Grammy, my great aunt Isabel, my great aunt Ginny, my dad, and I. Over the years, the group has shrunk, but when I have Fridays off from school, I’ll still go to lunch with my dad and Ginny.
On my mother’s side of the family, I had my Grandpop, Peter. I have trouble remembering the things that I did with him, but the thing (albeit small) that sticks with me the most was picture on the refrigerator, that said “Happy Keester!” accompanied by a picture of naked babies with their easter-egg- painted-backsides facing the camera. This was just an example of his sense of humor. If he heard a joke or wacky anecdote that he enjoyed, he would write it down.
Then there’s my mom’s mom, my Nana. She passed away just last year. She didn’t live very close to my house, so we would visit on weekends and stay over night. I remember ice skating on the pond behind my grandparents’ house, the barbecues and birthday parties. But, one of the things I remember the most was my Nana’s knack for gardening (well, that and her frequent Law and Order watching). She grew gigantic dahlias in front of the house. The grounds were filled with concord grape vines, fruit trees, and (wild) raspberry plants. The latter were my favorite to eat. She would make me batches of strawberry and (non-wild) raspberry jelly. They were quite the treat!
After writing all of this, I am reminded of the wonderful memories I have had with my grandparents. Most of them are tiny tidbits of information, random details that I have no idea how I remember them! Although I wish I could have spent more time with each grandparent, I am thankful for these memories that I have retained and all of the time that I did spend with them.
I am hoping that this project will help grand children, great grand children, and the many other generations to come hear about their grand parents’ memories, and make new memories while doing so!
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