GRANNY

By Terry Orr

For those that may have difficulty reading this:

Grandma’s Pie

Grannie made such beautiful pies!

One day, I asked her, “How do you get such beautiful pies with the crimps around the edge so even?”

“It’s a family secret” she said. “So promise not to tell.”

“I roll out the dough, then cut a bottom layer and carefully put it in the pie plate.  Then I slowly pour the filling, making sure it’s not too full. Next I cut a top layer and put it over the filling.”

“Finally, I take out my teeth and just run them around the edge of the pie crust and they make the nicest even impressions you ever did see.”

My ‘Granny’ was truly a compassionate, loving, and caring role model. A friend and source of many ‘tales’ and life lessons to guide her grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and impact their lives in a well grounded and positive manner.

While her methods of doing things might have seemed strange at times – the results were always a special treat.

Corn on the Cob – the water was to be boiling on the stove - before we could pick the ears off the stalk and clean the ears on way to the house.

Hamburger gravy – Saturday night would be hamburgers cooked in her old cast iron skillet.  The skillet was NOT cleaned when she was done.  It was covered for Sunday morning – when she would prepare her fantastic ‘hamburger gravy and biscuits’ for breakfast.

She had a good way of frustrating future baker’s trying to copy her recipe for Granny’s Chocolate Cake.  She never used measurements – just threw in what she thought would be enough – and only measured the boiling water – one cup!

 

Celebrating the Nation's Volunteers

Long, long ago, in a place called America’s Heart Land, a young fella was raised in a typical family of six, in a nice middle class family neighborhood where it was safe to leave your doors unlock to your home and car.  Often, car keys could be found in the car as well.  As Dad would say, ‘a locked door only keeps the honest crook out’.  Sounded a bit strange then, but as I got older, made a lot of sense. 

Volunteering to help others was just the normal thing to do.  No big fanfare, no photographers, no news or magazines folks around to make a big deal about it – it was how we were raised.  Folks would call if they needed help and we would all pitch in and help – be it moving something, clearing a field, getting the ball field ready for play, painting or whatever, it was and is the right thing to do.

In the last neighborhood where I lived before joining the navy, there were several families with children our age and we worked and played together.  First thing in the morning after breakfast was to do our daily chores: making your bed; cleaning up the room; vacuum the floors or mop the kitchen; wash and dry the dishes (we were the family dishwasher); take out the trash; feed the animals and what other chores that needed to be done.  Then it was outside to accomplish any chores that needed to be done – cutting the grass, racking leaves, shoveling snow. Washing the cars, windows, or what every. We learned quickly that working together, they were finished sooner, done better and we enjoyed doing them, time to have fun and doing things together.  There were a couple of elderly couples on our street and a single mom (Mrs. Harris) who we took care of as part of our daily routines.  They never paid us, nor did we expect them to do so.  Mrs. Harris was a stay-at-home mom, who watched over all of us (unbeknownst to us, our parents paid her for keeping an eye on us and provide food and clothing).

We also helped the elderly with taking in their groceries, doing things around their homes like taking the trash out, moving furniture, washing windows and stuff like that.  We also pitched out Sunday mornings a church – they were just doing the right thing. 

Granny was big on pitching in and helping others and we wanted to help and all of us still continue that practice today.  Each summer, we would all get together, grandkids, cousins and friends to help Granny or one of her neighbor’s in some way.  It was good to get us kids out of the city and into the country, do something good for someone and have a good time doing it.  Those are still fond memories and when we gather from time to time, we reflect on the “good old days” that brings a smile to our face and warms our hearts.

These habits have been a key part to our foundation in life, part of our core values, and knowing the importance of helping others – simply pitch in and do it!  They have served me well throughout my life and are part of the reason for doing this Blog – in some small measure – to help others help themselves.

Please share some of your stories about volunteering – we would love to read them.

In our next post on Volunteering, we will provide some additional links you can read that have a ton of worthwhile information.  One such article is from USA Weekend on last years “Make a Difference Day” and the national awards luncheon this Thursday, April 14 in Washington, D.C.

Have a Good Breakfast Everyday

Early start for a Saturday morning, enjoying daybreak and the  sunrise, watching the chipmonks, squirrels, and birds getting their day started - eating breakfast.  They do enjoy the peanuts, day old bread, sunflower seeds and other goodies we put out for them.

      Like lots of morning in my youth on the farm on the weekends, in the Philippines taking pictures of the sunrises and sunsets, and in retirement watering the lawn and garden - taking in the wonders of life and being thankful I can enjoy them.

Anyone who knows me will tell you, Terry is a Big Supporter of Eating a Good Breakfast every morning.  But it isn’t necessarily due to all those answers one finds doing a Google search (although 9.4 million hits on the topic is impressive), the real reason was the influence from Granny Greenwell, my maternal grandmother.  Why Granny instead of Grandmother or Grandma - it was her way. Granny is the one person in my life who had the most influence in developing me, my siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, and children.  Granny simply practiced what she preached: respect others (and nature); do the right thing, follow the golden rule; eat a good breakfast every morning.  Her youngest sister, Sarah told my sister, Beverly and I last year - “Granny had more Common Sense than anyone she had every met in her 95 years”.  And it is true.  Ask anyone who knew her, they’d tell you she had a unique insight on life.  After selling her farm just outside of Kansas City, Missouri, Granny rented a very nice two bedroom apartment that she shared with Beverly for awhile. It was on the third floor and no elevator service.  When asked why the third floor, she would reply, “Well, I need my exercise and don’t want to get lazy living in the city.”  We were all blessed by her originality, sense of humor, love, dedication to helping others -just not out of a situation, but helping them to help themselves, the importance of respecting others, doing the right thing, how to take care of ourselves in life, and how to really enjoy life.  Each day, I am thankful for her profound influence on my life and others- and when there’s a family gathering, Granny is always center stage.  Yep, breakfast is the most important meal of the day - cause Granny said it was and I know she was right, she always was.