Wednesday, February 9, 2011
My
Pappy was a gentle farmer in a small border town in New Brunswick, Canada. He
married a school teacher. Who was originally from New Brunswick but decided to
become a teacher and came to Ontario. She taught in a one room classroom in a
school house not too far away from Barrie, Ontario. When my Pappy and Nana
decided to wed she came home to the "Old Ledge Road" to be his wife.
One of my earliest memories of Nana and Pappy are in their "old farmstyle" kitchen, which wasn't a "redo" but the necessities of the times. My Dad and his father, my Pappy, decided one Christmas we were going deer hunting. Oh I so hoped we didn't see any deer that day. I had just seen "Bambi" and I didn't want either my father or my Pappy being the bad hunter that was in that story. The only deer we seen that day was a wooden deer Pappy had made to put in my Nana's Garden. My Pappy was a tall man and had a slight lean to the side when he walked. He always wore a fedora, winter or summer, it didn't matter the weather. My Dad also wore a fedora which he eventually replaced with a baseball cap.
As Pappy got older and Nana had passed away he moved from the old Farmhouse to a mobile home next to my Aunt and Uncle's house. He used to love to bake donuts from scratch and roll them in sugar. Oh were they ever good. Another thing he used to like to do was to tease all of his grandchildren. Especially if our mothers were within earshot. One time he put sugar on his tomatoes. My mother was so upset with him. Now I put sugar in a lot of my tomato dishes because it cuts the acid and therefore easier for those of us that suffer from heartburn. He passed away the summer I turned 17.
As I started having children of my own I could see so many similarities between my father, who became my children's Pappy, and my Pappy. My Dad was also a man who worked for himself. He had a very strong entrepreneurial spirit which I believe I acquired from him. He started a Paving Business in Ontario and it is still going strong almost 53 or 54 years later. My Dad has also passed on but what a legacy he and my Pappy left for my Grandchildren, my Dad's Grandchildren and my Pappy's Great-Grandchildren.
With great respect and admiration I write these words of fond memories of two very important men from my past.
I love you Dad and Pappy.
One of my earliest memories of Nana and Pappy are in their "old farmstyle" kitchen, which wasn't a "redo" but the necessities of the times. My Dad and his father, my Pappy, decided one Christmas we were going deer hunting. Oh I so hoped we didn't see any deer that day. I had just seen "Bambi" and I didn't want either my father or my Pappy being the bad hunter that was in that story. The only deer we seen that day was a wooden deer Pappy had made to put in my Nana's Garden. My Pappy was a tall man and had a slight lean to the side when he walked. He always wore a fedora, winter or summer, it didn't matter the weather. My Dad also wore a fedora which he eventually replaced with a baseball cap.
As Pappy got older and Nana had passed away he moved from the old Farmhouse to a mobile home next to my Aunt and Uncle's house. He used to love to bake donuts from scratch and roll them in sugar. Oh were they ever good. Another thing he used to like to do was to tease all of his grandchildren. Especially if our mothers were within earshot. One time he put sugar on his tomatoes. My mother was so upset with him. Now I put sugar in a lot of my tomato dishes because it cuts the acid and therefore easier for those of us that suffer from heartburn. He passed away the summer I turned 17.
As I started having children of my own I could see so many similarities between my father, who became my children's Pappy, and my Pappy. My Dad was also a man who worked for himself. He had a very strong entrepreneurial spirit which I believe I acquired from him. He started a Paving Business in Ontario and it is still going strong almost 53 or 54 years later. My Dad has also passed on but what a legacy he and my Pappy left for my Grandchildren, my Dad's Grandchildren and my Pappy's Great-Grandchildren.
With great respect and admiration I write these words of fond memories of two very important men from my past.
I love you Dad and Pappy.
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