Portrait of Baby Terri

That jet plane is bringing my daughter Susie, my grandchildren five year Terri and three year old Tommy from Chicago O’Hare airport and is coming down to land on a runway at Columbus Ohio International airport.

Little five year old Terri starts to cry and says “This isn’t Gramma’s house. I want to go to Gramma’s.”

My brother Bugs made everything right! He met them at their gate (you could do that way back when) took them to where his plane was parked on the tarmac and they all four took to the sky heading for his runway beside his home. That little girl’s Gramma, me, was just across the road visiting with my mother in her home for a few minutes while waiting for them to land.

At another time, while my daughter and her husband spent a week in Burmuda little Terri and Tommy stayed with me .

As I am preparing our evening meal, I look over and see such an unhappy little face! Terri has just walked into my kitchen. Her little look, up at me, she says “Gramma………I’m not a pumpkin!” To this I absent mindedly replied “Your not?” And I get back “No! And Tommy’s not a monkey either.”

Portrait of my daughter Carole Suzanne, Terri and Tommy

Apparently I had been calling her “Pumpkin” and her little brother “Monkey”. Gramma is getting an education here from her little Granddaughter on how to properly address her Grandbabies……so listen up Gramma!!!!!!

After my husband passed away I rented my farm land to a local farmer and moved to Park Forest Illinois where they lived. Being a life born work-a-haulic I found a job working as a Doctor’s assistant for three Oral Surgeons.

After all those years of milking a big herd of Holstein cows every night and morning of the world, bailing hay and straw using the bail thrower, plowing, running the digger to ad air into the ground and planting fields, this seemed like too much fun to be work and the doctors paid me for having a good time every day. How could I be so lucky?

Many years later, Terri tells me, as soon as she was told Gramma was moving up by them, she started day dreaming of all the cookies, pies, cakes et cetera Gramma was going to make for her.

Instead of making all those goodies for her like Gramma’s are expected to do, what did her Gramma do? She got a job right away, joined a singles club and started dating young guys around thirty years old (that is because they thought that was my age). Her Gramma was forty eight years old! What was the big idea anyway? And for that matter whose Gramma goes to a restaurant for Saturday morning breakfast sitting behind her date on a motorcycle!!!

Terri’s graduation picture

OK, back to the drawing board! How some ever, my little Granddaughter grew up, moved with her mother and Tommy to Atlanta Georgia where she graduated from High School.

While working, taking further courses to continue her education and attending youth church activities she meets the love of her life.

Gary and Terri are married in THE LITTLE LOG WEDDING CHAPEL In Gatlinburgh Tennessee and move into the charming home he already owns and lives in at Lawrenceville Georgia.

And now as they are blessed with two precious baby boys, Gramma makes herself useful and starts to paint a portrait of her Great Grandson Samuel.

Not to be left out, I paint a portrait of little baby Joshua.

I believe this is where the much used line should come……….AND THEY LIVED HAPPY EVER AFTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

However sadly they lost their loving Mother Carole Suzanne Smith in the year 1998 and here is a treasured card she sent to me while she battled cancer.

FRF ♥