just being able to walk the 1/2 mile or so and spend time with them whenever we wanted. Getting dressed up and walking to Grandma and Grandpa on Sunday and going to church with them. My 3 brothers didn't go, just me and them.

they would make picnic lunches and take us over to Whidbey Island and Hatt Island and play on the beaches.

When I think of my grandmother it is of her sitting in a rocking chair peeling potatoes or fruit and offering me a bite. She was very old and I was very young so I didn't know her as well as most people know their grandparents.

I don't have many memories of my paternal grandpa.. as he died when I was rather young. But, I do remember him sitting on the floor and playing with us kids. None of the other grand parents ever did.

Moni

Flying in a DC3 from California to Ohio when I was only 12. The best memory is of playing the player piano at her house and singing all those old songs. I guess the family reunions were great too....and just spending summers on a farm..

My maternal Grandpa was a real charcter. It must be where I get my sense of humor. I have dozens of stories but one that comes to mind: Picking corn in the Fall would be a cold job. I'd help my Grandpa unload the wagons. Between loads we'd warm ourselves over a fire in a metal 55 gallon barrel. One of his favorite tricks would be to throw in a live .22 shell, then walk away. It would explode, I'd jump, and he'd be off to the side snickering. When Grandma complained that someone (me) could get hurt, he'd explain that the lead bullet was much heavier than the casing and if anything ever did fly out of the barrel it would be the relatively harmless shell casing.

Today is Grandpas birthday. If he were still alive he'd be 113 today. He died in March of 1992. If he had lived until August Grandpa and Grandma would have been married 70 years.

Ron

I lots of wonderful memories of my maternal grandparents. My paternal grandparents died before I was born.
I remember, during the 2nd WW when milk was rationed, my grandpa going to the store to buy a tiny carton of cream for my grandma. I thought he had gotten it for me in that little tiny package. They loved me so much, I got to drink the whole thing. I was bragging to my brother when I got home and he told me it was cream for grandma's cereal and coffee. (But I didn't believe him.)
And I can remember my grandma calling my mom telling her to get ready because she was coming by to take up to the sunshine. It was often foggy in the valley and she would drive up to the mountains. We would have soda crackers, sardines and a slice on onion. I thought it was the best food ever....and was about four, I think.
I remember, after my grandma died and my grandpa remarried and moved to Oregon he would take the bus from his house down to the train station to pick me up.....no matter what time it was I always knew he would be there. He always had the most wonderful trips planned even though it meant he had to have his friend Scotty drive. We saw the rose test gardens in Portland, the Columbia River gorge, the Capitol Building in Salem.....and lots of other adventures.

Great question! I have so many wonderful memories with my maternal grandparents. They lived very close and I was fortunate to be able to spend almost every day with them until I married. My grandfather was a prankster and a big kid at heart, so there was never a dull moment with him. My grandmother was more serious and I spent most of my time with her. It didn't matter what we did, I just loved being with her. She always made time for me now matter how busy she was. Most will say that nothing is perfect, but in my eyes she was perfection. I miss them dearly.

My paternal grandmother died when my dad was a teen, so I never knew her. Paternal grandfather was not close, tho we saw him occasionally.
My Gramma Kate and Grampa Bill were my mom's parents. We were not around much, because of my dad being in the Army, and Gramma Kate died when I was 6, and we were overseas, but I remember when the cousin's were over and we'd be getting a bit too rowdy, she'd give us each an empty cottage cheese carton and have us go pick huckleberries from the bush that grew outside the kitchen door. She said when we got enough, she would bake us each our own pie. Now, these were tiny little red huckleberries, and it took ALOT to make even a tiny little pie. We would all be out there, picking, talking and eating huckleberries, and rarely got enough to make a pie, but sometimes we'd pool what we had, and gramma would make us each a tiny little pie inside a jar lid for a pie pan. I can still taste it! Grampa Bill used to tease me that I taught his dog to suck his thumb! (I was a thumbsucker you see) He had a swing in an old apple tree near his work shed. When I was very little, I would swing and swing and swing and try my hardest to touch a branch just out of toe range. When we moved back, many years later, I was surprised at just how small that swing was, and how low the branch was too. I barely had to swing at all to touch it with my foot! Grampa Bill passed away when I was 16.

On my mother's side, I did not get to know my grandmother except through an occasional letter to mom. She died before I could meet her, but husband (my bloodline grandfather) was different. WE lived 600 miles from these grandparents and meeting of mom with her relatives were rare although she desired to see them more often. Her family were close in heart, but separated by distance. We had little money so little to mone was spent on travel.

One time, mom's sister drove her car to visit us and grandpa tagged along. He was 83 yrs old at the time. I remember going fishing with him with me acting as the guide. I dug some worms, we grabbed a pair of fishing poles, and walked to the local river which was only 1/4 mile from our house. I was familar with all the 'hot' spots and species of fish that hung out there. We fished on a sunny afternoon catching enough pan fish for supper. It was a fabulous afternoon with granddad.

I hope I'm making these memories with my grandkids since I have very few fond memories of my four grandparents. Paternal GF, died when I was 6, and I don't remember him at all. Maternal GF died when I was eight, and I do remember him, but we never did anything together. He'd give me a nickle to run to the corner candy store. Maternal GM sat on her rocking chair all day and died when I was around 13, and paternal GM died when I was 16 and was a crabby unaffectionate woman. So no good memories here. I envy you all.

My Grandad was a dairy farmer who farmed the old way with horses and such, and I spent every available moment at the farm.

I have so many memories of Grandpa that I hardly know where to start, but I think one of my fondest memories was when I was 5 years old. They were hauling hay and I was riding the wagon, basically just getting underfoot so Grandpa worked out a solution. He had me stand at the front of the wagon and handed me the reins for the horses, he said, "if your gonna be in the field you gotta work, so you drive the team"....and I learned how to drive a team of work horses that day. (now keep in mind that Grandpa still had total voice command over the horses if a problem should arise).

Grandpa was also a blacksmith and at 12 years old I was hanging out in the shop watching him work at the forge & anvil, and he says,,,"step over here boy,,its time you learned to make horse shoes too"... You can be sure my first attempt was at best almost a failure,,but i still have that horseshoe as a fond rememberance of Grandpa.

For recreation Grandpa played a fiddle and had a job on weekends playing fiddle and calling Square Dances in a band at a local dance hall. I can remember many a night we would finally be done with all our chores about 9pm, go to the house and have a late supper, then Grandpa would take his fiddle down and play for an hour or so before we went to bed. When I turned 16 Grandpa used to take me with him to the dance hall, and that is where I learned to dance waltz's, Polka's, Foxtrots and Square Dances.

I also used to love to hang around in the kitchen and Grandma taught me how to catch and clean a chicken, duck or goose, cook, bake bread, pies or home can fruits and veggies, but my fondest memories of Grandma were also late in the evening just before bedtime. Grandma never had a haircut in her life, but she always wore her hair up in a bunn. In the evening she would sit on a dining chair in the kitchen and let her hair down, and it would reach the floor, and I used to sit behind her and comb it out while Grandpa played the fiddle.

At bedtime Grandma would open the oven on her old coal stove and take out a big firebrick that she had heated up. She would wrap that brick with a towel and I would head up to the bedroom, brick in hand. The brick was placed under the covers at the foot of the bed to keep our feet warm.

When I was born, I had only one grandparent left,
my Mother's mother. We all lived with my Grandma. She loved me a lot and I have so many wonderful memories. She loved gardening and her favorite flowers were roses. She helped me plant a little patch of violets when I was about 3. Every night, after dinner, she'd grab an apple and her special paring knife and call out "Apple Time" and feed me slices of apple.I still own that knife. She died on her 77th birthday,which is my only sad memory.

WOW!!! I am in awe of these stories. Please, each of you, copy these stories and others and start a memory book before these memories fade. You all posted great stories, and each had me grinning and some brought tears to my eyes because I wish I had more time with all my grandparents before they passed.

Lily, I am so sorry you don't have fond memories, I hope you are making great memories now with your family so the tradition doesn't continue. Sending you hugs to you.

Sorry, I don't have any. Well, you asked, so don't anyone flame me for expressing a truth.

This is a wonderful idea-for each of us to write these memories in a book. When I retired from my job, I decided to write my autobiography. Stories about my own Grandma would take up a large chapter.