Grandma Jackson

I started this blog 8 years ago as a way to share my families life with my Grandma Jackson. Since I first moved to the lower mainland she has sent me regular letters and cards, and I wanted to return the favor. It is with bitter sweetness that I write this final blog to her. She will never read it but I will look back on it and my time with her fondly for the rest of my life. My memories of her are strong because of the person she was and the steadiness of her presence since the day I was born. For those that knew her, not all of this will have the same meaning as it had with me but I hope you can be reminded of your own memories by reading those that I shared with her.

My Childhood

You lived in the same house for my entire childhood so most of my memories would start with me asking for a sleep over at Grandma Jackson's house.

• The candy tin- It was always stocked and we got to have as many candies as our age. I don't think we decided it got excessive until I turned 12.
• The corner store - It seemed so far even though it was only a block away. You got your lottery ticket and I got a treat.
• Climbing Connaught Hill - I was six. You were much faster.
• Collecting bottles at the high school - We'd take them back to the bottle depot and I got to keep the change.
• The red scooter - I was allowed to go to the end of the block and back.
• The folding bike - I don't think we ever actually got to ride it but I never saw another one until my 30's.
• Searching for coins under the meters when the snow melted - You kept that change so you could count your total each spring.
• Sitting on the front porch - You were often there with your coffee in the summer.
• Watching new drivers - They used your street to practice parallel parking and if there was a visitor in front of your house it was always that car they used to practice with.
• Juice boxes - Your cupboard was always stocked.
• Walking to the grocery store - When I got older and could drive to your house and you weren't home I would walk towards the store and help you home with your groceries.
• Canada Day 125 - They had a cake. You helped me get to the front of the line to make sure I got a piece.

Her House

I wish I had lived closer to help you look after it. The little things that needed work added to the character.

• The front gate - You rebuilt it many times and it always needed a loop of wire to keep it closed. A friend of yours rebuilt it brand new and even though it worked perfectly you still used the loop of wire to keep it closed.
• The old green shed - It leaned. The door was hard to shut. I wasn't allowed to open it until my 20's because you needed to tell me the special security measures to get in.
• The old gate in the backyard - There was a system for everything at your house including how to open and close the gate to get your car in.
• The orange car with the white seats - You drove it to the lake in the summer. It had sunk into the ground and sat for many years. It went to a good home. The guy who purchased it made sure to drive it by your house after he got it running again.
• The blue cupboards - You were ahead of your time style wise. The doors wouldn't stay closed so you had a stick to put through the handles. The drawers didn't close. That's where the candy and juice boxes were kept.
• The heavy wood doors - They creaked and crushed my fingers on more than one occasion.
• The chimney cupboard - Pots and pans piled high with what seemed like a secret passage to the attic.
• The old books - Lessons for Boy Scouts and Big Little books. They were from another time yet were so fun to read.
• The leaky kitchen tap - You fixed it constantly. The leaking was on purpose to keep the pipes from freezing.
• Your old phone - A classic telephone ring. I think you rented it into the 90's.
• The cuckoo clock - Well maintained and chimed every fifteen minutes. If only the clock repairman had stayed open, it would still be running today.
• The picture of you and Grandpa on the shelf - I never met him. You looked so young.
• Your old green couch - Not comfy. Not stylish. I miss it still. It had the box of Legos and the puzzles underneath.
• The crystal door knobs - Hard to turn. Each had a key permanently in place.
• Your attic - The stairs were so steep you practically had to climb them like a ladder. When you got to the top you always made sure to tell us about the rope ladder under the bed to escape if there was a fire.
• The two pronged plugins - No way to get home insurance with the electrical the way it was. You only had a single three pronged plugin in the stove.
• The 1733 over the door - That number is in your e-mail address.
• The screen door - If the screen door was latched you were out for a walk. Always with a destination. Never a stroll.
• The thermometers on the porch - So many layers of paint.

Her Food

Walking trips to the grocery store were to get ingredients for baking.

• Pumpkin pie - Every Thanksgiving.
• Lemon pie - For those that didn't like pumpkin pie. The meringue was fluffy. The perfect amount of lemon.
• Apple pie - The crust had an A.
• Scrappy pie - No crust dough was ever wasted. Jam was the filling.
• Strawberry Jam - With a wax layer to seal it. Canning lids are expensive.
• Ginger cookies - With a drizzle of liquid icing sugar. You would send them to me regularly as you said they 'travelled best'.
• Shortbread cookies - I have never tasted better. They were your specialty.
• Cabbage rolls - I hated them but still loved that you took the time to make them for my Dad.
• Pancakes with bacon bits that you made yourself - I still like bacon bits on my pancakes.
• Rumballs with Nanaimo bar yellow inside - You insisted we could only have one at a time. You always felt they were too strong.
• Chicken noodle soup - Lots of veggies but none that I could see. You strained the juice for me for every batch. I picked it up in a big jar. It probably kept me alive during my teen years.
• Canned pickles - Still my favourite. Water from the river but always upstream of the city. You had your spot.

Holidays With Her

Every holiday had a tradition with Grandma Jackson.

• Christmas - Your little tree and the single string of Christmas lights in the window. We would always go to your house on Christmas Eve. You always had enough food for everyone.
• Halloween - My favourite was the Bert and Ernie pumpkins you made. I'm glad I reminded you about them this past Halloween.
• Mothers Day - A trip to Art Knapps. I sent money to my Mom each year so she could keep buying you flowers for your pots.
• Birthdays - A birthday wasn't a birthday without a call from you. You missed one year because I was 'too old'. I wasn't happy. You did it for the next 20 years. I did the same for you.
• Canada Day - One year you made a newspaper hat and wore it proudly. The next year Carter made one for you.

Her Garden

It got a bit smaller every year but you never stopped. I wish I could have been closer to help you keep it from shrinking.

• Raspberries - Enough to keep 6 year old me picking for hours. Not all of them made it back to the kitchen for jam.
• The crab apple trees - So sour. They always got 'too big' and didn't live long lives in your garden. They made great jelly.
• The clematis on the side of the house - I loved sitting by the kitchen window when it was in bloom.
• The window wells with flowers in them - The bulbs came up every year. 
• Eating snow peas - So strange to be able to eat the whole pea. Shell and all. I was like a puppy following you through the garden. You would search the vines for every last one to make sure I got to eat as many as possible.
• The Lilac bushes - I have a transplant of both in my own yard. The smell of Lilacs is one of my fondest memories of you. Spring will be tough this year.
• The electric lawn mower - Whatever your motivation for going electric, you were ahead of the times. We had to bring the cord all the way into the kitchen for the only three pronged plug.
• Your push mower - The cord didn't reach the front yard beyond the fence so we had to use the old push mower.
• The flowers - I only wish that I could have saved more to bring to my own garden.
• The yellow rose bush - So prickly and only pretty for a short time but nothing beats it when it is in bloom.
• The garden at the home - Even in your 90's you still had your little garden to keep you company.

Her Puttering

You were retired but you always kept busy.

• Burning grass - The quickest way to get the grass ready for the spring. I loved being on hose duty. 

• The burn barrel - Self sufficiency was important.  

• Hanging your clothes to dry - I still remember the sound of the clothes line as you brought things in and the styrofoam container that held the cloths pins. 

• Sharpening knives on the turning wheel - I got to turn the handle while you sharpened the knives. 

• Your push vacuum for your short green carpet - Not really a vacuum. More of a dirt collector. I was always worried it was going to get my lego. 

• Fixing the chairs on the front porch - They were so many different colours it was impossible to know what the original was. 

• Bird watching - You used your binoculars regularly. Your bird book had so many birds that I didn't know existed. 

• Keeping Gus going - I made you a windmill. You named him Gus. You repaired him until you could repair him no more. 

• Dish cloths - We still use them today. I made sure Callie learned how to make them. I saved the first one for you but I won't be able to give it to you.

Her Love of West lake

A small plot of 2 acres that will hopefully stay in the family forever.

• Squirrels - You had multiple platforms for feeding them peanuts. They always came. They always teased our dogs.
• The trailer - So small yet so practical. Everything in it had a purpose. I never understood why it was so far from the lake front but I'm sure there was a reason.
• Keeping things clean - Forest management practices before we knew what the term was. All the brush was kept short.
• Cutting hotdog sticks - We couldn't cut every little tree down. We still needed hot dog sticks for the camp fire.
• Your little signs - Instructions for lighting the stove and how to pull out the bed. There was no other way to make sure we knew what to do every spring.
• How to deal with bears - The whistle was on hand when the bears came to visit.
• Your little garden at the lake - I tried to keep it going. I don't know how you managed to keep it alive for so many years.
• Your barbecue at the lake - For when the fire danger was high or it was too windy.
• Building a fire pit - Every year the winter ice would take it away. Every year you would rebuild it with logs surrounding it to make sure little people didn't fall in.
• Agates - So many found. I have your collection. I can't look up when walking on a rocky beach. I'm looking for agates.
• The old rowboat - I never saw it floating but one day I will build one like it.
• The bench you got from the mill softball tournament - Made with nothing but 2x4's but so comfortable. I've made several and will keep the one at the lake going.

Her Stories

So many stories. I wish you could still tell them.

• Your dog - I think his name was Shadow. You spoke of him fondly. 

• Softball - Sports weren't just for boys. I never saw you play. I'm sure you were great. 

• Rowing to school - 5km to school every day including a trip across the river. 

• The cutbanks - You loved to climb them. 

• Award winning gladiolas - Best in show. 

• The West Lake cabin - And so many other stories about the history of our property at West lake. 

• The hole in the stucco - A poor parking job by one of Uncle Bob's colleagues.

Her Keys to a Long Life

• Vitamins above the fridge - A tray of simple vitamins. Vitamin C was my favourite.
• Garlic pills - All the benefits without the bad breath.
• Walking everywhere - My six year old legs could never keep up.
• The rowing machine - When you no longer had access to the rowboat to cross the river.

Her Years as Great Grandma (GG)

I'm glad you got to see my kids grow up even if it was from afar.

• Hearing you sing to my kids - Not the best voice but it sent chills through me. I'm sure they were the same records from when I was a baby. 
• Puppets - The kids couldn't wait to get to PG to see GG with the puppets.
• Food - You always made sure to have food for visitors in the home. Even it if meant sneaking an extra cookie from lunch.
• GG Jaywalking - We had to get you to the local McDonalds but the sidewalks were too bumpy so we took you down the side of the street.
• Puzzles - We always brought you a puzzle and got you started. You always finished them.

Her

There were certain things that defined Grandma Jackson and later Great Grandma Jackson.

• Messing up your grandsons names - Erin and Evan. Jesse and Jordan. That might not have been your fault. 

• Facetiming - You learned to use an iPad in your 90's. You always said you didn't understand but I think you understood more than you know. 

• No backing down - I remember your argument with Jesse on the number of steps up the to the attic. He had to remember the number before he could sleep up stairs. He wanted to count stairs. You wanted him to count steps. He had to sleep downstairs that night. 

• Fun Money - Everyone got a treat for Christmas and their birthday. You always had loonies and toonies on hand for when we stopped by. You lived simple and shared what you could. 

• Picture taking - No visit was complete without a picture with everyone. 

• 95th birthday - In a home. In a wheel chair. Using your feet to push yourself around to go visit everyone.  Your 95th birthday ballon attached to your chair. 

• Puzzle Games - Wooden or plastic puzzles. You weren't happy until you not only solved them but could repeat the process. 

• Chinese neighbours - You understood that everyone was equal and cultures were just cultures at a time when that wasn't always a common view. You treasured the Chinese calendar you got from the neighbour each year and we all know our zodiac sign.

Her Influence On Me

You helped make me the person I am today.

• My earliest woodworking projects were for you.
• I garden because of you.
• I still play the lottery because of you.
• I collect coins because of you.
• I putter because of you.
• I hope to age half as well as you.

Good Bye

I only remember being upset with you at one point of my life. 8 year old me didn't like when you gave me advice and then repeated it over and over. 41 year old me wishes you were still here to talk to, still here to sing me happy birthday. This is the first blog I won't be able to share to you. I will always miss you.