Wonderfully Fond Childhood Memories

Childhood memories are some of our most precious memories we possess.

Certain people like our parents and grandparents played a pivotal role in the creation of those memories.

I came across this blog entry the other day that I think is very good and made me start thinking about my grandmothers

Here are the first two paragraphs...

This is how a blogger that goes by "hh" begins a recent post. Her post is about her childhood memories of both grandmothers.

At's a tribute really. A tribute to her grandmothers and to the lives that they lead.

The post is both sad and sweet as your recounts her fond memories of childhood and those not so fond.

She tells of how, while still a young girl, she went to wake up her ammamma, who had overslept.

"Ammamma startled, tried to get up and then fell back on the bed. She had had a stroke and she became paralyzed on one side of her body."

Her tribute begins in the second half of her post and it is good reading. I recommend that you take a few minutes to read of hh's childhood memories of her two grandmothers.

...that whole tribute got me to thinking about my grandma!

Memories of Childhood and Grandma

My maternal grandmother was so good to me.

Velva Ledbetter (Maiden Trammell) was born in 1919 and died in 1984. I was 19 when she died, so all the memories that I have of her are truly childhood memories.

Grandma was from Kentucky originally, but she and my grandpa moved to Oregon when my mother was just 7 years old. My mother is the second youngest of seven kids. Both grandma and grandpa wanted to keep my uncles from having to work in the Kentucky coal mines.

Grandma was a very generous person. She gave freely of her time and of her meager income that she lived on. See, my grandpa died before I was born of black lung disease. Thus, the importance of moving away from those coal mines. It was a survivors pension, from the coal mines, that grandma lived on.

I spent the night at grandma's house every chance that I had.

When I was quite young, she would teasingly scare my younger brother and I when she would take out her false teeth and put them in a glass of water for the night.

Then she would grin at us...and we would run out of the room, play-screaming!

Then we'd creep back into her room and dare her to smile at us again...without those teeth.

Kind of strange, I know. She would get a "kick" out of our reaction. I can still remember how she would laugh and laugh about that.

Childhood Memories of Cable TV and Southern Breakfasts at Grandma's House

Grandma was the first person, that I knew, with cable TV. As a young teen, the ESPN channel was important to me.

I don't think there was a morning that we didn't wake up, in her house, to the smell of a big southern-style breakfast. She would get up early and cook for us eggs, biscuits, fried apples, salt pork and gravy!

If you have ever been to a restaurant called "The Cracker Barrell" then you will understand why that is one of my favorite restaurants. Besides the great southern food....it reminds me of grandma.

My childhood memories of grandma are priceless to me.

I have written about her in journals and have stories about her recorded in various other forms, but besides just wanting to tell you a bit about her today, I am being double-sure that her stories will remain available to my children.

My plan is that this website will be around for many, many years....longer than I even will be around.

If all else failed, hopefully my kids will be able to learn of their great-grandma by finding it via a web search someday.

Do You Have Any Special Memories or Stories About Your Grandmother?

Feel free to share a story or memory of your grandmother...or your grandfather as well. You can do it anonomously or or by name. I'll leave that up to you.

Using the form below, you can also include a picture of your grandma or grandpa.

The one thing that I lack, are that many pictures of my grandma. It's probably because she avoided the camera like the plague. My mom has most of those that exist. I'll have to get onto her (again) about getting me some copies.

Have a great day and I hope to read some of your stories below.