I’m Just Curious: Just resting my eyes

by Debbie Walker

Have you ever noticed how someone can make a comment to you and all of a sudden you’re traveling back in your mind? That just happened to me tonight.

Ken came to the kitchen and told me he had been resting his eyes (he was snoring!). Resting his eyes. That took me back in time so quickly. My whole body was affected. I was doing a body smile.

“I was just resting my eyes,” was what Great-grammie Smith used to say. For sometime Grammie lived across the road from us in a tiny mobile home. There wasn’t much room in it but there was room for her rocking chair. She also had her sewing machine set up and probably another chair. I can’t quite remember.

Every chance I got I would make the escape across the road to Grammy’s. I was always welcome; it was like she was always waiting for me.

So many times I would go over, open the door and there was Gram, sitting in her rocker, with her eyes closed and snoring. She’s not here to be upset with my telling you she was snoring! Sometimes I would just sit and wait for her to open her eyes. She was so funny. She would open her eyes and say “Oh my, you caught me resting my eyes.” Then we would laugh and begin our visit.

Grammie used to make and wear patchwork aprons (and how I wish I had one she made!). Her hands were so knarled up with arthritis; it would make anyone wonder how she did anything with her hands. (She had the softest touch when she would brush my hair.) Those aprons were so neat, so many colors and patterns and she enjoyed doing it.

One day Gram was working along on an apron, when she picked it up she had made a mistake. She had sewn the new apron onto the one she was wearing. We had a good laugh over it and then she let me take out the stitches.

I don’t even remember how long Gram lived across the road from us but I loved every minute of it.

There was a Christmas I will never forget. I had found a pant suit, in the Sears catalog, that I was desperate to own. I had to have it. It was corduroy, in a beautiful shade of teal, a different color for that time period. The top had a big cowl neck collar, the front came down to a point and had a tassel on the end. My life just would not be complete without it.

Mom had pretty much told me it was out of the question, which left Grammie. I certainly put in my best sales pitches to her. The closer it got to Christmas the more desperate I was. I knew Gram would have to buy me something and it would have to be in her little home.

Most mornings I would get up and run over to Gram’s to wake her up. No need for locks back then. I would just let myself in, go in to Gram and wake her up. She’d say “I’ll be right out.”  Well, her “I’ll be right out” would give me a little time to hunt for signs of my Christmas present and then I would be innocently sitting in her rocker when she came out. No luck, I hunted every day. Needless to say I was a bit disappointed.

Christmas morning came and dad walked Grammie to our house to celebrate. We all sat in chairs in the living room as we started the wait for each of our turns for a gift.

Imagine my surprise when dad handed me my gift from Grammie. I unwrapped that absolutely wonderful pant suit for which I had o diligently campaigned. When I finally got it open Gram laughed right out loud. It seems that she had really put one over on me. She took great delight in telling me that with all my searching (she knew!!) I never found it. She informed me I had been sitting on it every time I sat in her rocker. She had hidden it under the cushion. Over the years she enjoyed reminding me.

Gees, okay, all that came out from Ken saying he was just resting his eyes. Hopefully this little ramble will have given you happy memories of something you have tucked away in your memory box.

You can’t imagine how many times a day I’m Just Curious about something, maybe I’ll try resting my eyes.

Reach me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com sub line: Gram   Hope you enjoyed reading. Can’t wait to hear from you!