Thursday, December 19, 2024
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My mind is flooded with precious memories of life with Pappaw.
-Sitting with him on the swing on the patio while listening to "Just a Swinging" (a country hit in the early 80s.)
-The smell of the gasoline in his workshop (where he made bookcases, toy boxes, Christmas decorations...anything really.)
-Sitting in the back of his pickup, under the carport, while he worked in the yard (he kept a meticulous lawn, and was always cutting the grass.)
-Sitting at the kitchen table with him, reading the funny paper.
-Riding with my sister in the rear fold-down seats of his pick-up truck to church, and listening to him sing in the church choir every week.
-How he always got up ridiculously early for a red-eye shift at the paper factory (for over 20 years!) and never complained.
-How he grew squash, tomatoes, and watermelon in his garden, and cooked the most delicious hamburgers on the grill every weekend.
-Him sitting on the patio, cutting watermelon slices for us (and teaching us to sprinkle it with salt), and making us homemade ice cream (the peach was my favorite.)
-Showing me how to climb the plum trees in the backyard.
-Him playing the guitar while the whole family gathered around the piano to sing.
-Jumping in the leaves he raked up every fall at Grandmother Bruce's house in rural central Mississippi.
-Hearing him argue with Granna about the thermostat.
-Playing golf as many days a week as he could.
Mostly, I'll remember him relaxing in his recliner after some sort of hard work, watching golf on TV, eating his Planter's peanuts.
Love you, Pappaw
