Grandpa Holding

We lived in the country when I was a girl.
I loved the farm life.
When I got the chance to visit relatives in the city,
I thought I was big stuff.

My dad's father repaired repaired clocks.
He and Grandma lived upstairs above the clock shop.

Grandpa also loved pigeons.
He didn't race them, or send messages with them.
He just enjoyed them.

Grandpa enjoyed lots of things.
He really liked to play cards.
This was not a respectable thing for him to do though.
Whenever he heard anyone walking up the stairs to their home,
he would hurry and cover up his card game with a cloth,
so they would not know that he had been playing solitaire.

He did not like storms.
He and Grandma lived with us a while on the farm.
I remember being woken up many nights during a storm.
Grandpa would take us all down into the "cave".
I hated it down there!
It was dark and cold, and I was so afraid of spiders.
But Grandpa was more afraid of storms.
I think that's why I am afraid of storms too.

I remember taking Shirley to my parent's home
when it would look like it would storm.
I didn't want to be alone if it got bad.

I would rather it storm in the night time,
after I take my hearing aids off.
That way I don't hear even the worst storms.