Who was...

[Allifunn]

I have lived such a sheltered life.... I don't really have anyone "colorful" in my past except, ones that I barely knew.
There was a great great aunt, I think. She was about 90 years old and all I can really remember about her is that she wanted to smoke a corn cobb pipe. She was a spunky Dawson Georgia lady. I have so many colorful people in my Georgia family, that I wish I had gotten to know better.
My grandmother, Mimi, was an amazing lady, too! (Georgia family) I just wish I had been less absorbed in my own life and taken more time to get to know her.

 

[Jennifer Steele]

Great stories. Paula, I love your Nonna. I don't think you said when you lost her? So much history she experienced.

One of mine would have to be my daughters' fraternal grandfather, Papa Kenny. He was the best Grandpa ever. He was a cargo conductor for the Sante Fe railroad so was "out" every other day or so on his run to Gainesville, Texas from Arkansas City, Kansas. During his years "running" through Oklahoma he became the greatest Oklahoma Sooner fan and so raised his kids on the same. He had a temper but was the sweetest man underneath that you would ever want to meet. Some people thought his wife's name was Dammit Jean because that is usually what he said when talking to her. But they sure did love each other!

Now to the grandpa part. He LOVED those girls. It was he who would take them shopping for school clothes and make sure their school tuition was paid. He would come to pick them up about once a week to take them out for breakfast to Bricks or Daisy Mae's. He would just drop by anytime to see his girls. And of course he wouldn't miss a game or gymnastic event. He was the greatest. He fought hard to live in spite of heart disease. First heart attack was in 1969. Followed by valve replacement years later and bypass surgery. Finally let go when he was 71 after 4 resuscitations. Samuel Kenneth Steele. There is much more that could be said about his life but too much to say here.

Way to get me all choked up first thing in the morning...and that guy in your avatar was his namesake.

 

[DD]

Oh my gosh!! I love these stories!! It made me think of so many other people. I'll be back with a story.

 

[seacrestkristi]

I remember the sweetest little man up in Lincoln, Nebraska where my Daddy finished college. We moved there from Austin, Texas. Anyhow, I remember this little man so well from hanging out in front of the washateria right across from Union College. He had no legs but he walked around on his stumps which were covered with leather protectors held on by suspenders. He was right at my sister and mine's eye level. I remember he liked talkin' to us kids and he would give us these little acorns that he carved to look like monkeys. He just hung out in front of the little strip center and visited with folks all the time., spreading cheer in spite of his legs being gone. That's what I call a go getter.


Then there's my Nanny who grew up near Kirbyville Texas and was a sweetheart, and tough as nails too. When Papa had to go out at night, she sat in her rocker with her .22 til he got home, while she put bobby pin curls in her hair every night. She always had m&m cookies for us kids in her old clay mexican painted looking cookie jar. She and Pappa had a big garden and sugar cane and guinea hens. She had a greenhouse and her yard looked like a park it had beautiful flower beds everywhere, even in an old clawfoot tub. She loved to tell us stories about when she was a kid, riding horses and snake huntin' with her closest brothers, Jay and Joe. I remember her clearly snappin' beans in the lap of her silky polyester bright blue flower print dress. She only had a couple that she wore all the time. They had a nice garden. They had a creek in their yard in Conroe that we all swam in.
For a while, when we were real young, they lived in Arkansas and they would take us kids to the springs when we'd visit. She took shoestrings and an old broom handle and tied around her waist and would swim us all around that spring before we knew how to swim. She loved to swim. She would've loved swimming in sowal. She never saw that beach before she passed. Well, as far as I know anyhow. Maybe they did. It was my Dad's folks and he lived in Jax and they were in east Texas, maybe they did, on their way to visit sometime. I don't think so though. Too bad. She was such a sweetie. She even let us kids play with her wrinkly skin with a smile on her face. I hadn't thought of that in a long time. Grayt thread, dd! Thanks for helpin' bring back some really sweet memories...

 

[DD]

Ok. I mentioned the guy above with the chickens. His name was Chick and I and a guy I used to date met him one day when we were out driving in the country. He lived on the Brazos River banks in a house that literally had no floor and he said he let the chickens roost in the house to keep the snake population down. He had been a chef in New York and before that a concert pianist who played at Carnigie Hall. He was never really clear about how he ended up in Goatneck Texas, but he was missing a couple of fingers. Some time later, there was an article in the local paper about him, but they didn't give his real name, and he never would either. But, he was perfectly happy living his life on the river. I was so facinated by him. I'll never forget him.

Marge, or Sheriff Marge worked and lived in Luckenbach Texas, where, in another life, I used to hang out quite frequently. Here's a link about her.
http://www.luckenbachtexas.com/html/SheriffMarge.html
At one time, I used to paint bluebonnets on T-shirts and one day, I had one on and she just loved that shirt. So, next trip, I took her one I had painted just for her. Well, my life changed and I didn't visit quite so often, but some years later, I did go back and there she was behind the bar with my T-shirt on! I have to admit, I got all misty!! She was a larger than life character for sure. I'll never forget her either.

Oh my gosh...there are just so many!

One more and I'm done. This is about a lady named Fay who was my mother's best friend. Fay lived sort of in an outlying area of Dallas. It was pretty country back then. She had quite a bit of property and referred to part of it as the "back forty". Her house had this huge screened in porch she called the breezeway. In the summer, I would go stay with her and she had a bed on the breezeway and she let me sleep out there. I just thought that was so cool. For years, she was single (divorced). I thought she and my mother were just so gorgeous. They wore spiked heels. She entertained a lot and was a fabulous cook. She had a huge chest type freezer on the breezeway. I can remember lots of gatherings there at that house. At some point she married a guy, but it seemed he wasn't around for long and she was back to being single.
She worked for a large company in downtown Dallas. She'd been there all her working life. When I graduated from high school, I wanted a job, so she got me a job where she worked. It was then that I realized that she was just a little bit kooky. She was the switchboard operator and...think Lily Tomlin. I think that character could have been Fay! She had these long, I mean, LONG red fingernails that kind of curled under. I never figured out HOW she pulled and plugged all those cords with lightening speed with those damn fingernails. She still wore her spiked heels even at over 50. She wore her hair in a tight bun and had that lip action going all the time...you know, the Lily Tomlin lip thing. Anyway, she brought her lunch every day and sometimes I would eat lunch with her. She always saved the wax paper or foil and folded it neatly. She used the same piece for months sometimes. I would still occasionally take my mother to visit her at her house (my mom never drove). In her later years, Fay spent most of her time in her pine panelled den, chain smoking. She smoked at the switchboard too..and with those fingernails! Anyway, there were just stacks of newspapers, magazines and overflowing ash trays everywhere in that room. She always had the current TV schedule right by her side with all the shows she wanted to watch circled. After she retired and I changed jobs, I didn't see her much. My mom died in 1989 and I think Fay passed away not long after that. But, the thing I remember most is when I would eat lunch with her, she would throw out these little pearls of wisdom and try to educate me on life. One day, she was trying to make a point and her words to me were......"Now, this is no reflection on your intelligence, BUT.............". Oh and one more thing. When we worked together, I dated a guy that worked there. She just absolutely loved this guy. Well, I was only fond of him for a while, but their friendship lasted years. Well, when she died, she had no children, so she left the house, tons of $$ and the "back forty" to him! Hmmmm........I guess I'll never know.

 

[beach blessings]

It has taken me a while to catch up this morning...Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning! The energy comin gout of these stories is awesome...so many are slooding through my mind now...WOW! This was my favorite thread yet...My hats off to you DD!

It's Mamosa Time! (or Bloody Mary of that is your Sun Morning pleasure...Red bar Makes the Best!)

I'm in me Coush!!!! (Refer to previous thread reply for details)

 

[audie]

audie, that is hilarious! daisy stickers on the wheelbarrow. I know a guy who pushed a bicycle all over town, but a wheelbarrow? That is funny. (I used to have some orange, green and white daisies in my brown bathtub.)

now you know where i get my evilness from

 

[Paula]

What a great way to start the day - reading these stories. Steele Mama, my nonna died 24 years ago and I still think about her probably at least weekly in happy ways, not in sad ways because she died pretty peacefully at 87 years old (on the anniversary of the day that her son died probably around age 8 - my father's twin in the photo - probably was something like appendicitis but they didn't have treatment for that kind of thing then). I love the "Dammit Jean" part of your Papa Kenny story! (Clearly, I think very fondly of cussing older folk.)

 

[ozbeachmom]

I love this thread.
One of the most memorable people in my life is my Grandpa. I can remeber him sitting at the breakfast table with a camel cigarette and a small juice can of beer. He always drank beer out of a juice can?? My grandma would be yelling at him for smoking and drinking that early in the morning. We would go over for Sunday dinner and he would get all of us kids in his car and take us to the candy store. THat is when they had penny candy. We would get a huge bag of candy and grandpa would get his candy (Pabst Blue Ribbon and Camel cigarettes). We moved to Kansas and my brothers tell a story about how one day they stayed home from school and went fishing with him. He asked them if they had any bait and the boys said yes and showed him and he said no boys take me to the store. When he came out of the store he had a case of Miller ponys and hoped in the car and said now boys, this is bait!
He was a awesome guy! Maybe had a tad bit of a drinking problem, but was always respectful and the life of the party! When we buried him, he had a can of PBR and a pack of camels in his shirt pocket.

 

[Beachbummette]

OMG! This is the best thread. Thanks DD, you always come up with the good ones.

I'm not sure which to tell first....the details about my "Aunt Pete" or....her boyfriend "Webb"

Aunt Pete was my Grandmother's sister. My grandmother was a true southern lady....her sister....not so much. My grandmother never tasted alcohol or smoked a cigarette in her life....her sister still smokes and drinks today and is 79 years old. She was also the first person I ever knew that was totally into yoga, diet and nutrition and taking care of yourself. She is the reason I moved to Houston, TX and went to Rice. I grew up hearing stories about Aunt Pete always getting into trouble, not doing her chores and being the bad girl. Once while walking to school the elastic on her panties broke....she stepped out of them....and just kept walking, my grandmother was mortified. Another time her brother chased her up into the loft of the barn and would not let her down.....she kept telling him she had to go tinkle....he would not let her down.......she tinkled on his head. I've always been conflicted about which one I want to grow up to be .....my sweet grandmother....or.....my rowdy great aunt.


Her boyfriend of many years (her husband passed away in the 70's and she never remarried) was a coonass from LA, only child who family was in the oil business. He taught me to cuss like nobody's business. Once when she went to Alaska for a month she left her parrot with him to care for......telling him not to cuss around the parrot as that is what they always pick up. That parrot was hilarious, it barked just like her poodle, rang like the telephone, was always calling the kitty "Here kitty, kitty, kitty" and had her incessant smokers cough. Well, she comes back from Alaska goes over to get her bird....the bird backs up to the corner of the cage and says "Don't you bite me you son of a bit(h!!!!" Needless to say he was in serious trouble.

When I have time I will tell you more stories about those two....or should I tell you about my great uncle "Roman" who owned the big night clubs in Phoenix, AZ called "Toomies" and carried this little contraption with him with the words "Official Bull$hit Grinder" on it? From where, in my family, when I was growing up if you started to tell a tall tale we would say "Watch out there Big Roman!"