I Remember

Originally Written Between 2017-2020                                    

 

My first thought when I read the title of today’s topic was the old TV show called “I Remember Mama.”  Peggy Wood starred as “Mama” in this 30-minute TV show that ran from 1949 to 1957.  This show was about a Norwegian-American family living in San Francisco at the turn of the 20^th century.  Mama – the matriarch – held on to old-world traditions while also trying to adjust to the new American way.  I really don’t remember much about the show – just that it was sponsored by Maxwell Coffee – which was “always good to the last drop.”

 

The Mama in the TV show made me think of my grandma.  My mom’s mom.  I only met my dad’s mom about three or four times.  They lived in Florida by the time I was born and I don’t remember anything about her except that she was old.

 

Anyway – back to the grandma I do remember.  Her name was Albina and her friends called her Albie. My grandpa called her Sweetheart.  They lived in Forest Lake about 4 or 5 blocks from my home.  Growing up in the ‘50’s, I remember that she always wore a housedress and big black shoes with a fat 2” heel.  Women never wore socks in those days – always nylons.  The ones with the black seam that ran up the back of your leg.  Anyway, I have a memory of grandma sitting in her rocker at the end of a long day cooking, baking, and cleaning.  Her apron covered her housedress.  She still had her nylons on – but at that time of the day, she had rolled them down her legs and left them curled around her ankles!  

 

Grandma was a terrific cook and baker.  And until she had a stroke at the age of 74, every holiday meal was prepared by grandma.  Oh, we had the usual turkey at Thanksgiving, Roast beef or chicken at Christmas, and ham at Easter.  But, that was just the start!   We always had double or triple of everything -- dumplings, vegetables, relishes, luscious gravy, homemade rolls and cakes and cookies.  

 

A couple of things stand out regarding our holidays:  One – Everything regarding the meal – from preparing to serving to cleaning up – was performed by the females in our family. Grandma, of course, made the main course, dumplings, rolls and desserts.  My mom and my Aunt Bev contributed salads, vegetables and the rest.  Mom, of course, set the table with the china and crystal.  My sister and I were in charge of clearing the table after the first meal and drying the dishes.  My Aunt Bev was in charge of washing them.  Grandma never did have a dishwasher.  And even if she did, she would never have allowed her fancy china and glassware to be cleaned in a dishwasher!  If my memory serves me right, Joanne and I were never asked to bring a food item for our meals.  Grandma was the best at everything and who wants to compete with that? I sure didn’t.  Grandma never taught us how to bake.  She just did it.  

 

The second thing I remember about those holidays is what the men did while the women did all the cooking and cleaning.  The men in my family included my dad, my grandpa, my Uncle Tom, and my brother.  Their “job” after eating the noon meal was to all go over to my house and take a nap!  That’s it.  A nap!  The one exception was, of course, on Thanksgiving when they had to take their naps in front of the football games on TV.  Around 5:00 or so, they’d return to my grandparents home to eat the leftovers from the noon main meal.  Which meant, of course, that after doing the noon dishes, we had to re-set the table for another meal.  This time, though, we usually just had sandwiches made from the leftover turkey, roast beef or ham – along with potato chips and maybe a salad.  Cookies and cake, of course, for dessert.

 

Another memory I have of my grandma is when I was in fourth grade.  My mom and dad took a month-long vacation in February to visit my dad’s parents who lived in Florida.  So, my brother, sister and I moved over to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for that month.  The school bus picked us up right in front of their house.  Grandma always had a baked treat for us when we returned from school.  I don’t remember her helping us with our homework though.  All I remember is her making scrambled eggs and bacon for us for breakfast, packing our lunches with homemade bread and eating a lot of steak for dinner.  My grandpa, you see, owned a meat market in town and we always had steak or pork chops or meatloaf for dinner.  

 

And the last thing I remember about Grandma is that particular Valentine’s Day when we stayed with them.  She had arranged for all our little friends to attend a party in the basement.  Grandma had decorated the basement with red and pink valentines and balloons.  We had a wonderful cake and kool-aid.  And, I remember in particular, we each had little cups filled with peanuts and little heart candies at each place setting.  We played games and had a wonderful time.  That’s what I remember best about my grandma.  She loved a good party!