Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Scenes from Papa and Gran's house.


My grandparents on my dad's side (a.k.a. Papa and Gran) have lived in the same house all my life. Since they only live a few miles from the house I grew up in, I ended up spending quite a bit of time with them as a little girl (grandparents make great babysitters). I always had a lot of fun when I was in their care, because I was very curious and there were plenty of neat things to explore at their house. If you took a moment to conjure up a mental image to fit the term "country girl", your visualization might look very similar to me as a child. I was usually sporting pigtails, bare feet, freckles, and jean short cut-offs. I've got a little bit of city-girl in me now, but that part of me was nowhere in sight at the time.

Sometimes it's nice to revisit those care-free years of my life. My family held our father's day get-together at Papa and Gran's house this year, and I decided to go for a little stroll around the property with my camera to capture some of the scenery which served as the backdrop for my childhood. Here is what I came back with.

This is the pasture I spent so many hours wandering through. Believe it or not, there is actually a pond nestled in the tall grass.



Papa has quite the green thumb. He maintains a vegetable garden every year, even though he is well into his 70's now. And every year, he is more than generous with the fruits (or in this case, vegetables) of his labor. Every time I visit, I can expect to leave with a huge grocery bag full of homegrown squash, okra, green beans, tomatoes, and onions. It's like going shopping at the farmer's market without having to spend a single penny!



I used to find insane amounts of 4, 5, and even 6-leaf-clovers in this patch. I found out that it was because the fertilizer from the garden ran off into this area, thus creating the mutant clovers I so proudly kept for good luck.



These old bicycles have definitely seen better days. While they may have been cherished and put to good use in the past, they now reside behind the storage shed all rusty and forgotten.



I have a thing for wildflowers. It's so fascinating that people spend hours making their gardens beautiful, yet there are places that are just as bright and gorgeous without anyone to weed, or till, or plant seeds.



I saved my favorite for last. This is Gran's rose bush. She has a green thumb too. :-)



Where did YOU grow up?


11 comments:

lollywood said...

Great pictures! It reminds me of the weekends we would spend out at my grandma's farm in East Texas. Sadly, now she is in a senior living center but my dad moved into her house once he retired and so I go up there once or twice a year to see him. She had a couple of lakes and ponds to fish in and I'd go off into the woods and explore.. hoping to find who knows what... I was always expecting some big adventure that I'd later be able to write a story about. It was a good place for imagination. :)

LillyShayStyle said...

What a sweet post! I love memory lane *sigh*

I love the old bikes, those are making a come back! Have you seen the pink and blue ones at Target?
My MIL wants one.

I like wild flowers too, especially Dandelions (Yep, I know they're a weed)

Renee said...

Your photos turned out great!! I grew up in the city, but my dad's side of the family is from Miami, OK. We visit my great aunt at times and her property is a bunch of land with lots to explore. I haven't walked around any of it since I was younger, but this post makes me feel like I'm there!

lollywood said...

No luck in the job hunt! I am trying to look only in Tahlequah and Muskogee.. I would looove to live in Tulsa, but with Ross's job in Tahlequah, I figure for now we need to just stay put here.. It makes me sad, though! I haven't even gotten any callbacks for any jobs in over a month of turning in apps, resumes and cover letters. I have been applying to every NSU job that comes available that I'm qualified for.. because I would love to have the same holiday schedule Ross has... Haha I want Xmas-time off! And spring break, of course! I can't wait for the day Ross gets a job in Tulsa and we can leave this little town behind!!!

Rheea said...

What a sweet post. I grew up in the city but we got to visit the farm where my cousin's grandparents lived when we were young. Those were the most wonderful memories of my childhood days. My brother/cousins and I would go fishing, catch the butterflies/ tadpoles, screaming and running around bare footed. lol. Thanks for bringing back those memories. :)

Ps: The pic of wild flower and old bicycles look great!

Rheea

Mikiep said...

Do you think you can ship us a couple 6 leaf clovers :) MAn can you imagine the luck .... yipeeee :)

KnockKnocking said...

Oh I just loved the old bikes!! What a charming scene you painted with words and pictures.

Tara said...

Love the old rusty bicycles! Great yard art!

Stela said...

I love all the pictures!! looks likes a wonderful place to grow up!

cabin + cub said...

Great photos... you are lucky to live so close to them, and to get the rewards of their green thumbs!

I remember being babysat by my grandparents. My grandpa would always give me candies, and my grandma would let me rider her exercise bike (which I thought was a toy). ;)

Bare Moose said...

Such a great post!! Very sweet and touching :)
The pics are wonderful.