October 23, 2015 – Another treasured memory unearthed from a box of Granny & Grandad’s things.
When I was a little girl we would visit Granny & Grandad almost every summer, and often at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and/or Easter.
One of my oldest memories from the old farm house was of family gatherings around the stone fireplace in that living room of that old house where Grandad and Uncle Norman would entertain everyone with a pair of spoons and this wooden dancing man.
The dancing man had a wooden dowel extending out from his back, and there used to be a wooden paddle that he would “dance” on.
I can’t recall who played the spoons and who made the man dance, but I do remember being infinitely fascinated and entertained by the spectacle and the sound.
Family gatherings were never dull. They were filled with food, drink, games, music, laughter, and tall tales. There were no smartphones, no computers, no digital media to disappear into. We were fully engaged with the people around us.
And when the music and dancing ended, and the tall tales started, that’s when the tobacco was tamped into the pipes and the words would flow.
Funny how you can forget about something completely, and then stumbling onto an object brings a tidal wave of memories flooding back all at once.
2 comments
Mr Bojangles.
Damn you, now I have the song stuck in my head!