Older People and Their Stories

[chixie]

have always loved being around older people even as a small child. I love hearing the stories of what it was like when they were children.

 

[DCasper]

Older people are a treasure trove of wealth with stories from their life experiences. I wish that I had realized this years ago. It is such a shame to not benefit from others who have more knowledge and life experiences than we might have (or think we have).

 

[DCasper]

Does anyone remember being about 8 years old when we thought that someone who just a couple years older knew everything? When and why do we stop looking to older people for knowledge and advice?

 

[gryeyes]

My maternal grandmother - we called her Granny; I don't think she ever heard her given name the last ten years of her life!- grew up in Cimmaron, Kansas, on a farm. She was born in the 1880s. Her family sold one of their crops to the U.S. Navy, for years. She told of gathering cow chips as "firewood.". She and her younger brother were out picking up "chips" in a large galvanized tub with two handles; it took both of them to carry it. A thunderstorm with golf-ball sized hail caught them by surprise, so she made her brother hide under the over-turned tub while she tried to protect her head with her apron and arms, huddled next to it. When the storm passed, they ran home with what cow chips they had been able to gather. He was deaf for at least a day due to the hammering of hailstones against that metal tub all around him. She had welts and bruises on her back.

Another story- Granny was drying a dish with her apron and half watching the news on TV with us. This was in the mid-60s. Something about marijuana and reefers came on, and she started ranting about all those drugs and the fools who "took" them.

My mom, in her thirties (I was ten or eleven at the time) said, calmly, "Mother, reefer is marijuana, it's the same thing. And marijuana is hemp."

Granny stuttered to a stop. "Oh. Never mind, then."

Y'see, her family grew hemp amongst two other crops, and sold the harvested hemp to the Navy to make rope. She used to smoke hemp herself, to combat monthly cramps. Until the Navy stopped making rope from hemp and there was no market for that particular crop any more.

 

[NinnyGillaspie]

Hey Yall! My PaPa played a fiddle. He was very good, and on holidays he would play for us. One Christmas when I was a teenager, My Dad bought PaPa a new bow for his fiddle. Shortly after he opened the present, he grabbed his fiddle and announced he was gonna entertain us with Fraulein. He put the fiddle up to his chin, and raised the bow with grace, and the ceiling fan chopped it in half!!!!!!!

 

[sourland]

Gryeyes, and Ninny, thanks for sharing two funny stories.

 

[redhen]

My maternal grandmother - we called her Granny; I don't think she ever heard her given name the last ten years of her life!- grew up in Cimmaron, Kansas, on a farm. She was born in the 1880s. Her family sold one of their crops to the U.S. Navy, for years. She told of gathering cow chips as "firewood.". She and her younger brother were out picking up "chips" in a large galvanized tub with two handles; it took both of them to carry it. A thunderstorm with golf-ball sized hail caught them by surprise, so she made her brother hide under the over-turned tub while she tried to protect her head with her apron and arms, huddled next to it. When the storm passed, they ran home with what cow chips they had been able to gather. He was deaf for at least a day due to the hammering of hailstones against that metal tub all around him. She had welts and bruises on her back.
Another story- Granny was drying a dish with her apron and half watching the news on TV with us. This was in the mid-60s. Something about marijuana and reefers came on, and she started ranting about all those drugs and the fools who "took" them.
My mom, in her thirties (I was ten or eleven at the time) said, calmly, "Mother, reefer is marijuana, it's the same thing. And marijuana is hemp."
Granny stuttered to a stop. "Oh. Never mind, then."
Y'see, her family grew hemp amongst two other crops, and sold the harvested hemp to the Navy to make rope. She used to smoke hemp herself, to combat monthly cramps. Until the Navy stopped making rope from hemp and there was no market for that particular crop any more.

 

[CarolJ]

My mother grew up in the 20s and 30s. She's 89 now and started keeping a blog about 7 years ago. She writes stories about growing up during the Great Depression, going to school during that time, using a wood stove, etc. Just this past year, we took the best of her blog posts and put them together and published a book. She wanted her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and future descendents to know about her life.

So - even if you're not "old" now - write down stories for you kids & grandkids. I think it's fascinating to read about life in earlier times.

 

[redhen]

My mother grew up in the 20s and 30s.  She's 89 now and started keeping a blog about 7 years ago.  She writes stories about growing up during the Great Depression, going to school during that time, using a wood stove, etc.  Just this past year, we took the best of her blog posts and put them together and published a book.  She wanted her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and future descendents to know about her life.

So - even if you're not "old" now - write down stories for you kids & grandkids.  I think it's fascinating to read about life in earlier times.

Oh, Thats so awesome! I LOVE reading about how folks lived in the old days..
Very cool that shes doing that!

 

[Mattemma]

The book is a great idea. I have been telling my mom for ages to please write down her life experiences for the grandkids. She had quite the adventure sneaking out of her soviet occupied country( on foot) and eventually making it to the US .I love her growing up stories as well.Going to bug her again today.