tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post6669550915050933014..comments2023-10-05T10:00:27.231-07:00Comments on The Diary of a Gold-Digger: In which Sly and Doris take the kids for a special treatthe gold diggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09134199198587591427noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-69674572147112943202016-03-29T19:25:46.572-07:002016-03-29T19:25:46.572-07:00Horseywhee, that sounds wonderful. Is there anythi...Horseywhee, that sounds wonderful. Is there anything better than going to Shopko with a grandmother?<br /><br />My dad's family is from Milwaukee. Maybe our grandfathers knew each other. :)the gold diggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09134199198587591427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-63364324233455259042016-03-29T19:21:16.123-07:002016-03-29T19:21:16.123-07:00I'm not anonymous! Just can't get this fig...I'm not anonymous! Just can't get this figured out... Durn technology..... <br />-HorseywheeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-63265770578053771012016-03-29T19:19:59.247-07:002016-03-29T19:19:59.247-07:00(Same commenter here - not anonymous, just having ...(Same commenter here - not anonymous, just having trouble with my ipad) My grandfather had amazing stories from his time working in the foundry in Milwaukee during WWII, and he had the missing finger and burn on his leg that took over 40 years to heal to prove it. He was tough and kind and wonderful. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-64305619443201459862016-03-29T19:15:14.662-07:002016-03-29T19:15:14.662-07:00My grandmother made us homemade vanilla pudding fo...My grandmother made us homemade vanilla pudding for a bedtime snack. It formed this delicious skin on top and we'd pour milk or cream on it and then sink our spoons through the milk and the pudding skin. She also cared for me when I came down with a wicked flu while at her house. Temperature of 106! and she gave me a cold bath, as that is what one did in those days. She squeezed orange juice for me because the frozen stuff wasn't good enough, in her estimation. I loved watching her make bread, punching it down after it rose the first time. I have her bread making bowl. She used to sharpen her knives on the edge of that bowl. She is now 97 and in a nursing home with almost no memory left at all. When I visit I lay piano and sing with her, which is something she can still do. She loves my children and has no idea who they are but is continually surprised and happy to find out they are her great grandchildren. She strokes them and hugs them again and again and they (elementary age) not only tolerate it, but like it. They never knew her as I did but they patiently listen to my stories of her strength and thriftiness and know her vicariously. I remember driving to Marinette with her to go to Shopko three times, a few days apart, to check the price on chaise lounge lawn chairs that were on sale. She was convinced the price would drop more, and she was right. When the price dropped enough, she bought one. <br />My grandfather used to take us for rides on the back and handlebars of his tandem Schwinn bike. Such fun! And he and I flew a kite so high one day that an eagle came to check it out. We could barely see it. He was so proud of how high it was that we walked it home through the fields to show my grandmother. <br />He was always fixing things. He had been a farmer before I was born and then worked in a factory.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-66525503581405425502012-05-09T07:12:00.355-07:002012-05-09T07:12:00.355-07:00See, that's what a grandmother is supposed to ...See, that's what a grandmother is supposed to do - spend time with her grandchild doing what the grandchild wants to do.the gold diggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09134199198587591427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-20961635472615486572012-05-08T06:19:37.970-07:002012-05-08T06:19:37.970-07:00Both my grandfathers died before I was born. My m...Both my grandfathers died before I was born. My maternal grandmother ("Grandma") died when I was 5 and I really only have one specific memory of her, but I remember very well being told when she died, and how much I loved her. My paternal grandmother ("Grandmother") lived near us when I was little: Mom says she would read me my favorite stories over and over and over on demand without going crazy. I remember how she would always play with me, made clothes for my doll Margie (who nevertheless always ended up naked), and just was one of my favorite people ever. She died when I was 13, and while I have many memories of Grandmother, I don't remember her voice and I wish I did.pqhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09876994478538351281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-68249882728126863952012-05-04T19:25:59.575-07:002012-05-04T19:25:59.575-07:00Oh, Joan. Your story makes me sad. Every child sho...Oh, Joan. Your story makes me sad. Every child should be able to spend a lot of time with nice grandparents!the gold diggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09134199198587591427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-69613542830548854992012-05-04T19:24:17.041-07:002012-05-04T19:24:17.041-07:00Diane, I think "Outlaws" is a perfect te...Diane, I think "Outlaws" is a perfect term and I intend to use it.the gold diggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09134199198587591427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-72331704827932124422012-05-03T06:29:23.774-07:002012-05-03T06:29:23.774-07:00And I see that I already mentioned that in the sto...And I see that I already mentioned that in the story. Which you knew. Oh well.the gold diggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09134199198587591427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-74295720916161787652012-05-03T06:26:05.530-07:002012-05-03T06:26:05.530-07:00My parents emigrated to the U.S. Four months befor...My parents emigrated to the U.S. Four months before I was born. The maternal grandparents started making regular trips to visit once I was thirteen. So it was too late for any grandparental bonding there, what with the fact that I was already a teenager and their "children should be seen and not heard" mentality. The paternal grandparents never made it stateside, and that grandfather passed away before I went to Holland(six months of learning French in Grenoble, with side trips). My father's side of the family were all gathered in the matriarch's one-bedroomed apartment to meet me. She had been cooking for days. I was twenty, and shy, and completely overwhelmed. Especially by the very old, morbidly obese woman who could not take her eyes off of me. Your question hit me like a punch to the stomach and I finally cried when I realized just how much I and my siblings have missed out by hardly having any relationship with our grandparents at all.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09458408621855773976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-4786833340759341462012-05-01T17:01:02.421-07:002012-05-01T17:01:02.421-07:00Such a wonderful read! Sorry about your Inlaws (a ...Such a wonderful read! Sorry about your Inlaws (a friend of mine calls them Outlaws) I have been blessed because mine are great and the greatest grandparents around. My FIL passed away 6 years ago, but my MIL is the most wonderful and supportive woman for me, and my girls have tons of wonderful memories of them both. Raspberry picking is one of them! My memories of grandparents are varied, my mother's mother was amazing (we shared the same birthday) but she passed when I was 5. My father's parents were very nice people but very proper, not much fun if you know what I mean. Although the visits to my Aunt and Uncle's farm in South Dakota (where I learned to bake bread and collect eggs) was amazing. Thanks for bringing those memories back!Dianehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16122848446321077441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-14770164054304114342012-05-01T14:52:22.093-07:002012-05-01T14:52:22.093-07:00My dad's brothers used to do that! It cracked ...My dad's brothers used to do that! It cracked us up. I haven't asked for it in years, though.the gold diggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09134199198587591427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-52841274028560706212012-05-01T14:51:57.067-07:002012-05-01T14:51:57.067-07:00My grandmother played Sheepshead, which is a Germa...My grandmother played Sheepshead, which is a German card game. She used to play for pennies and was quite the card sharp. <br /><br />Your in-laws sound evil. Sorry.the gold diggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09134199198587591427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-33528738181532014482012-05-01T14:34:59.108-07:002012-05-01T14:34:59.108-07:00My grandmother always took her teeth out for me. ...My grandmother always took her teeth out for me. I pulled and pulled on my teeth - they would never turn loose.<br /><br />I thought for sure I had duds for teeth.Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11459576509805897104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-57417006076679834762012-04-30T17:07:38.940-07:002012-04-30T17:07:38.940-07:00You are killing me. killing. me. I am the younges...You are killing me. killing. me. I am the youngest of 5 and we kids used to play pinochle with my maternal grandma. She used to cheat...all day long. It was hilarious. My sisters and I now play pinochle every Sunday with my mom and Dad, and we cheat, yell, and laugh. <br /><br />I feel your pain with your in-laws. Mine, also from Wisc, but now in Atlanta (warm visits is the only upside) have no relationship with our daughter. Their only grandchild. Who had cancer. No relationship. Need I say more? <br /><br />Love the Amish analysis.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-55391454186840128812012-04-30T12:42:12.477-07:002012-04-30T12:42:12.477-07:00We used to pick raspberries! Now I know why they a...We used to pick raspberries! Now I know why they are so expensive. And my granma canned apricots and pears, which I loved. I could drink that juice all by itself.the gold diggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09134199198587591427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-82331385125016385722012-04-30T11:44:34.681-07:002012-04-30T11:44:34.681-07:00Your MIL was ticked because she didn't get to ...Your MIL was ticked because she didn't get to be in the delivery room? OK. She's a bitch. <br /><br />I don't know how to solve the in-law dilemma. I think the transformation has to come from our end. Maybe a small transformation from Doris. Small.the gold diggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09134199198587591427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-67273554753213844722012-04-30T09:15:24.311-07:002012-04-30T09:15:24.311-07:00My paternal grandparents died before I was born, t...My paternal grandparents died before I was born, though I suspect I would have gotten to do farm- and baking-related things with them. I loved visiting my maternal grandparents' farm (before my grandpa died when I was 8). My grandpa would push us on the board swing he'd hung in a huge tree in the yard. The ropes were so long you had to be pushed to get going, you just couldn't do it yourself like with shorter playground swings. We got to walk up the road with my grandma to throw out the peelings and food trash that didn't go in the burning barrels. We played Chinese checkers and cards. My grandma let us dress up in her fluffy square dancing skirts and she taught us the fox trot in the kitchen, which sadly, didn't take. I am still a lousy dancer, and she is still an excellent one, and it's still a source of disappointment for us both. If we were very lucky, my grandma would take us visiting other older farm ladies from her church, who would say nice things about us and feed us homemade cookies. Sometimes we would put on long-sleeved old shirts even though it was hot and go picking blackberries in the woods. My grandma would tell us stories about when she was little, which I loved, and she would let us play with her lipsticks and jewelry, as long as we stayed at her vanity table and didn't take them around the house. She would always give us homecanned peaches as a treat, carefully spooning out two halves for each of us, and just the right amount of syrup, which was nevertheless not enough, because there is never enough homecanned peach syrup.Joyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09543875018604881180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-19431484380879530532012-04-27T17:37:04.908-07:002012-04-27T17:37:04.908-07:00Just read through your entire blog over the last f...Just read through your entire blog over the last few days. Man, and I thought my sister's in-laws are bad! (Mine are just passive-aggressive*. My sister's are belligerent drunks.)<br /><br />Your writing is great. You do a good job of making the reader feel like they're there!<br /><br />As far as the book ending goes, the problem is that almost anything that results in the wicked in-laws never troubling the heroine again is going to feel like a deus ex machina. I don't have a good suggestion yet, but I will think on it some more.<br /><br />Looking forward to more posts!<br /><br />*I had a really difficult birth...like, lost 800 cc of blood difficult...and afterward, Mom came out of the room and was talking to my dad and my husband's parents, who obviously were not in there while I was pushing. She told them about the bleeding and the stitches and that I was fine now, and mentioned that it had been a scary experience. My MIL said ever-so-sweetly, "Well, maybe you shouldn't have been in there with her." !!!! (she was bitchy because she wanted to be in there, but EXCUSE ME, I do not need my MIL seeing me with my legs all splayed out. Or my dad, even.)Kathrynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05857782133498351917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-18075847704303636392012-04-27T11:42:19.384-07:002012-04-27T11:42:19.384-07:00One of my grandmothers died when I was very young....One of my grandmothers died when I was very young. One of my grandfathers died when my father was a child. We never lived close to family and never had vacations with grandparents. BUT I had an "Aunt" (actually my maternal grandfather's cousin) who was really cool, used to give me great books on my birthday, and had my sister and me to her cottage, only accessible by boat, where we could take out a little rowboat by ourselves, even sometimes with a little 1/2hp motor, and have vacations away from our parents. It was really special and I have never forgotten her.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-18977115043064982902012-04-27T11:35:40.303-07:002012-04-27T11:35:40.303-07:00We played that game when I was little! I've ne...We played that game when I was little! I've never known anyone else who's ever heard of it. They have a couple other similar games. I think a Scientists one. I looked them up on Amazon one time & they're still available. I was planning on getting them when Olivia is around 4-5. :)Beckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18270743168217888529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-64590708015536741342012-04-27T06:55:21.453-07:002012-04-27T06:55:21.453-07:00Jen, they are very nice kids, even though Sly and ...Jen, they are very nice kids, even though Sly and Doris have nothing complimentary to say about their mother.<br /><br />My granma Sylvia loved the gossip - always bought National Enquirer.the gold diggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09134199198587591427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-40376545314441498762012-04-27T06:54:43.411-07:002012-04-27T06:54:43.411-07:00Alicia, what a great game! I've never even see...Alicia, what a great game! I've never even seen it. What a cool baby gift that would make.the gold diggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09134199198587591427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-40577943180863248872012-04-26T15:20:43.105-07:002012-04-26T15:20:43.105-07:00I think it's a credit to the grandkids that th...I think it's a credit to the grandkids that they went along with the plan.<br /><br />My grandmother likes it when I come down to see her and then take her to her favorite deli for lunch and gossip.Jennifer (Jen on the Edge)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11334111687109555812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3577155903853273621.post-78929407150569827142012-04-26T14:17:06.529-07:002012-04-26T14:17:06.529-07:00My grandmother made tea parties for us on her back...My grandmother made tea parties for us on her back patio, in an area overlooking the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by geraniums that were taller than I was. Of course, I was only 4, so the geraniums didn't have to be very tall. Every year, they got smaller though; I wonder why.<br /><br />Every afternoon, after her hour of practicing the piano while I read, she would adjust the rickety umbrella for shade, set the teapot and cups on the rusty patio table, and pour us tea. Then we would play Authors, which is like Go Fish, but instead of collecting sets of aces, twos, and threes, we'd collect sets of authors.<br /><br />"Do you have <i>Ivanhoe</i>, by Sir Walter Scott?" <br />"I do not. Please draw. ... Do you have <i>The Tempest,</i> by William Shakespeare?"<br />"Drat! I do! I was going to ask you for <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>!"<br /><br />Thanks to my grandmother, and blessed afternoons in the California sun, I can name four books each by 13 important authors.<br /><br />And her teapot, which she bought in Japan before I was born, is now among my most cherished belongings.Aliciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11566205581092404455noreply@blogger.com